the way we go

memorial day

and 

kenneth is off

which is a rare thing: him being off for a holiday

so

we decided to go

our options:

mountains

or beach

the only requirement

must bring dogs!

let me digress

do a little story telling

kenneth is a 

"make his own trail"

type of guy

for example

if we go hiking

and there is a clear trail

he veers left

or 

right

 whichever way 

looks the most challenging

my fear:

i fear getting lost

and long tunnels but again that's beside the point

so 

his sense of adventure

plus my fear of getting loss

tends to make us 

interesting travel buddies

after seven years though

i've found ways to compromise

first

select destination

beach it is!

second

use the gps

i know i just said kenneth is no maps kind of guy

here's the compromise part

then

choose "point of interest near me"

select "beaches"

and allow kenneth to randomly select one

ok so our first beach ended up being a cliff

but the second was a beach

now why didn't we go to caorle beach

like every other american on memorial day

because folks

that would be kenneth taking the main trail

the marked trail

he doesn't do that

with the help of the gps 

we ended up

at {grado beach}

a nice quiet beach

with beautiful scenery

this was the pups first time at the beach!

on the way home

we found 

a beautiful winery

{ca'tullio}

and 

kenneth's said 

"lets stop!"

this was a shock 

due to the fact kenneth doesn't drink wine

so we did

after i sampled a few glasses 

we ended up 

leaving with six bottles

which included a 

'becca size bottle of refosco'

continuing our drive home

we found

roman ruins

and in our region 

roman ruins are rare!

the day went perfectly 

as unplanned as it was

and 

maybe one day

we will get to caorle beach

where every other american goes

but for now

i like my husband's sense of adventure

even if it does lead us to a cliff the first time!

featured today:meet a milspouse

 

 today 

i am featured on 

diary of a devil dog wife's

weekly military spouse roundup

it's intimidating 

because today
just isn't any  monday
today

is a special day

today

is memorial day

and 

a day when so many people

are 

at the lakes

hosting a bbq

or just enjoying 

some time off from work

but 
today is more than a three day weekend
for me 
today was redefined

seven years ago

last march
when

i said i do

to a man
who

would introduce me to a lifestyle

where not only he had to be selfless 

which he does very naturally

but 

i did as well

i am not selfless

nor patient

all for the better of our country

so many of men

and women

like my husband

have given the ultimate sacrifice

so many spouses like me

have been selfless 

beyond what i can fathom

so many children have learned 

how to say goodbye 

love this pic of the captain! 
at an age many are just learning to say no

today

it is about them

not me

not the bbq

not the extra day  to relax by the pool

it is about those who put

our freedom 

above their own

 enjoy your memorial day

but please

take a minute

thank a member of the armed forces

they really are something special! 

it's bloggable....

this weekend 

was the "wine tour" 

in our region of italia

the captain and i's dd

was working

ehem that would be kenneth

so we elected 

to just pertake in

a 

"fish dinner" 

sponsered by one of our favorite wineries

which shall remain nameless

we thought

we would be served a gourmet 

or at least edible

dinner

but we were served

this

 grits and a collection of fried fish

the captain commented "hey it's bloggable"

we tried a bite

and 

immediately elected 

to leave

and head for

the oseteria we've come to love

where we could be served this

 another view of it's deliciousness

      lesson learned:

just because a winery makes good wine

doesn't mean it makes good food

with full bellies

and 

happy hearts

good night 

from aviano!

croatian beauty

mi nonna 

grandmother

mi cugina

cousin

mi zio

uncle

are in town

for a holiday

(vacation)

so 

we went to croatia
we left at o'dark thirty
and yes, that's really a time
to begin our adventure

isn't italy beautiful at o'dark thirty?
as the sun decided to warm the day
the scenery became became more breathtaking

this was in slovania i believe

the drive alone was beautiful

but when croatia welcomed us 

 she was exquisite!

we spent about six hours exploring the coastline

and seeing the sights

and more sights

a very unique sight

then there was this fish net

and not just any fish net

a red fish net

with a puppy laying on it!

i've photoshopped this one

to bring out the red

 i could post pictures 
all day long
but venice is calling my name
so

arreverderci 
and i promise to post more about the beautiful croatia later


ciao from aviano!

mother's day bouquet

last week

i mentioned 

{my rose bushes}

and sunday

there were so many in bloom

so i cut a few

picked some flowers from the field by our house

i like to call it baby's breath

but i could be wrong

put the flowers in a vase

tied a ribbon around the vase

and called it a bouquet

then thought

"it's mother's day. if my mom was here i'd give them to her"

but

sadly 

there is 5,442 miles between my mom and i

not that i'm counting

and 

as tempted as i was

to keep the bouquet

i couldn't

i knew a very good mom

who has a very good kid

and it was mother's day

so when chase and his mom came over

before church

i asked chase to come in

without his mother

i needed to discuss why he didn't pick up all the {dog poop}

we quickly filled out a makeshift card

then he carried the flowers to his mom 

who was patiently waiting

and 

of course she smiled

mothers give selflessly 

and without reserve

they deserve flowers everyday!

i think that is the true reason my mom grew roses

to have flowers daily

happy (belated) mother's day

remember to hug your mom more than you think you should

and tell her you love her with every hello and goodbye

escaping

today

was a much needed

and unexpected

escape

an impromptu invite

to explore 

some wineries in the region

by way of  

a 2011 bmw convertible 

no less

sorry captain, had to brag on your ride

led to

an afternoon of new faces

new wines

new places

and

a much need break

the best part

it's only thirty minutes

away

every now and again

you have to do something

that reminds you 

you are in italy

so with the top down on the car

our hair blowing in the wind

the captain and i set out!

first stop 

was 

{imagredi}

a vineyard 

in domanins

the landscaping was so unique

with the vines

growing in a star pattern

the grounds were simply breathtaking

the wine was exquisite 

a nicely wrapped souvenir full of wine bottles

and 

the people
were
so nice

our next stop 

was 

{Cantina San Martino}

sadly

this winery was closed

i know 

i about cried

so we just took pictures of the outside

which 

of course was lovely

our tour guide

the wonderful

emanuel

i believe this is how you spell his name

took us to

Valvasone

which i titled

the cute medieval town on my iphone google maps

we walked around the town 

viewing the sites

enjoying the day 

taking pictures

and more pictures

but with scenery like this

you just have to keep snapping away!

sadly though our trip had to end
so

we finished the tour

with a stop at 

{il bosco di arichis }

an agriturismo

an agriturismo is probably best explained

as a farm

that serves food 

and usually

 has some lodging accommodations

by this time

i forgot i was a tourist

and sat there enjoying my wine

so please feel free to look at the website for pictures

trust me on this one

take a look!

as the captain and i 

returned to my home

i was greeted by 

a beautiful yard

with fresh potted flowers

yes,

 my hubby sent me away for the afternoon
to indulge in some wine
cheese
the italian life

and while i was gone

he mowed, potted some flowers, and

bribed some kid with two new games on the ipad

to pick up dog poop

thanks chase!!

today 

was a much needed escape
so thank you captain for the invite
thank you emanual for showing us around
thank you chase for well you know
doing the dirty work at the house
and 
thank you kenneth for making me go
and 
escape


love love love from aviano