Tuesday, May 31, 2011

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
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
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!

























Monday, May 30, 2011

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
"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!

Monday, May 16, 2011

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!













Tuesday, May 10, 2011

mother's day bouquet

last week
i mentioned 
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

Sunday, May 8, 2011

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 
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 
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 
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




























Thursday, May 5, 2011

thankful thursday: a rose by any other name

let me start by saying
it's been a rough few weeks
getting adjusted to kenneth's new schedule
getting adjusted to my new schedule
and
experiencing the loss of my family dog
missy
while overseas
she was seventeen and a half
she lived a good life
but 
not being able to be there 
with my family
was hard
so 
when our rose bush started to bloom
i couldn't help but smile
my mom
had rose bushes 
at my childhood home
she adored her rose bushes
and tended to them almost daily 
from spring to summer
honestly
i had no idea we had a rose bush
but
i am so thankful we do
the buds are small right now
and very distinct in color
i check on the roses daily
just as my mom would have
and i've hinted to kenneth
that should he choose to cut a rose for me
to make sure he cuts
below the first stem 
with five leaves
it's something my mom would always say
so 
for now 
i wait patiently
for the buds to open
hoping that by the time 
my mimi gets here next week
i can greet her
with vase of roses
in her room
today
i'm so thankful
for 
the little surprise
that bring me back to home