Have you ever felt like you were exactly where you were supposed to be? Like the world lined up at the exact right place and you were square in the middle of it? Greg and I decided to move to Georgia based on two factors. The first was because we felt like it was a good time for change and the second was a financial decision. While in Georgia, we were able to surround ourselves with amazing people, joined a church that became a second family, and found a place we would like to call home for a long time. Our time in Georgia was going to be short, we knew that going in, but decided to do our best to make a positive footprint to leave behind. The Lord blessed us there and we prayed that our new journey would be part of God's will and He would show us favor.
Deciding to move is such an important decision for a family. In our case, we submitted a list of places we would like to go and it was up to the powers that be to choose for us ~ or they would decide to keep us in Georgia. Greg had spent a total of 1 year out of the past 3 in Iraq. I didn't think my heart could handle another 4 month deployment. I spent a lot of time on my knees praying that not only would our name be on the overseas list, but that the right place would be chosen. We were notified that we would be moving to Sicily! What a relief and abounding joy I had! In the days following our notification, we were informed that originally Greg's name was not on the list. They were going to keep us in Georgia. Through a chain of events (an answer to prayer in my opinion) Greg's name was added at the last minute! That was the first indication to me we were headed in the right direction. Everything fell into place as we started the moving process.
Before we left, I began feeling a call to work with local orphanages once we got to Sicily. When we arrived I asked around about what people knew about orphanages. Most people I talked to didn't know anything and one person knew they existed but nothing else. We have only been here a few weeks, so perhaps I was jumping the gun a little. This past Tuesday I attended a Bible study through our chapel. It was the first meeting of the new session and they were discussing what the upcoming ministry projects would be and introducing the new Bible study material. I almost fell on the floor when they announced the ministry would be working with local orphanages! This is the second time I felt we were headed in the right direction.
I don't know what the future holds, but I'm excited to face it. I feel in the depths of my heart that we are exactly where we are supposed to be. It was hard to leave our friends and family in the States behind, but it's a good feeling to be confident this is right for us.
6.19.2011
6.11.2011
6 Years Down, a Lifetime to Go!
It was a normal day at work when a coworker said "Anna, I have this guy you need to meet." Right, I thought, of course she does! The next week I found myself pulling into the Botanical Garden's parking lot going to meet him. I was having this internal battle, trying to convince myself that I shouldn't get out of my car. A friend saw me sitting in my car and talked me into walking down to the regatta where he was coaching a team. I met the parents of his team, and finally was able to talk to Greg for maybe 10 min. He was busy and I left without him getting my number or us making any other plans to get together.
I was on my way to the tanning bed, praying that God would place the right people in my life and that I would be sensitive to His will. Honestly, before I finished praying, Greg called (he got my number from my coworker). We made plans to go out and have been together ever since. Three months into our relationship we booked the venue for our wedding, and four months into the relationship we were officially engaged. A little less than a year later on June 11, 2005 we were married.
It has truely been the pleasure of my life to be married to Greg. We have built a life filled with love, laughter, fairness, and wanting the best for each other. I always want our children to see our love for God, our love for each other, and our love for them. We only have 6 years under our belt, but I can't imagine my life without the family I have. Being in the midst of significant life changes with our move to Italy, I believe a strong marriage has been instrumental in making this transition as smooth as possible. I am blessed beyond measure and look forward to the years to come!
Today we celebrated by spending time in Taormina and Castelmola. The weather was absolutely perfect and the views were breathtaking. We dropped in some small shops, wandered through a garden filled with vibrantly colored flowers, and attempted to see the Greek theater (there was a film festival and they were using the theater which created an obstructed view). For lunch we drove to Castelmola and found a family owned bar (a bar here is just a cafe) someone Greg knows told him about. We tried to order, but Mimma told us what we were going to eat and drink. It was a very small place with a tiny kitchen just off to the side. We had pasta with a meat sauce and she brought Brady a bowl of pasta with the most amazing tomato sauce. Greg had some kind of house beer and I had the Almond wine. After we were stuffed from our meal, she brings us a chocolate dessert that was to die for! We finished the day by welcoming a babysitter, going bowling, and heartily laughing at a comedy show. We couldn't have had a better anniversary!
I was on my way to the tanning bed, praying that God would place the right people in my life and that I would be sensitive to His will. Honestly, before I finished praying, Greg called (he got my number from my coworker). We made plans to go out and have been together ever since. Three months into our relationship we booked the venue for our wedding, and four months into the relationship we were officially engaged. A little less than a year later on June 11, 2005 we were married.
It has truely been the pleasure of my life to be married to Greg. We have built a life filled with love, laughter, fairness, and wanting the best for each other. I always want our children to see our love for God, our love for each other, and our love for them. We only have 6 years under our belt, but I can't imagine my life without the family I have. Being in the midst of significant life changes with our move to Italy, I believe a strong marriage has been instrumental in making this transition as smooth as possible. I am blessed beyond measure and look forward to the years to come!
Today we celebrated by spending time in Taormina and Castelmola. The weather was absolutely perfect and the views were breathtaking. We dropped in some small shops, wandered through a garden filled with vibrantly colored flowers, and attempted to see the Greek theater (there was a film festival and they were using the theater which created an obstructed view). For lunch we drove to Castelmola and found a family owned bar (a bar here is just a cafe) someone Greg knows told him about. We tried to order, but Mimma told us what we were going to eat and drink. It was a very small place with a tiny kitchen just off to the side. We had pasta with a meat sauce and she brought Brady a bowl of pasta with the most amazing tomato sauce. Greg had some kind of house beer and I had the Almond wine. After we were stuffed from our meal, she brings us a chocolate dessert that was to die for! We finished the day by welcoming a babysitter, going bowling, and heartily laughing at a comedy show. We couldn't have had a better anniversary!
6.05.2011
On the Road Again
"EEEKKK!" "Oh Sweet Baby Jesus!" "Why did he just leave his car in the middle of the road when he stopped to talk to that guy?" These are just a few comments that I've made over the past week and a half when riding down the road. I've spent lots of time with my eyes closed and making involuntary "EEEKKK" sounds while in the car. I have driven twice. The first time we were almost side swiped (through no fault of my own) and my time behind the wheel didn't last much longer after that. The second time I drove about 10 minutes to the base without incident. I've compiled a list of my observations during my short time here.
1) Most roads do not have enough space for cars to park on both sides of the street and have two way traffic. However, all roads have cars park on each side of the street and there is two way traffic. I have been told to turn off perifereal vision and just trust you will fit through the space...yeah, that makes me feel better! The lady teaching the driving class said the roads were small because they were not made for cars, they were made for chariots. Huh?! I'm sure a chariot is much smaller than a car!
2) If you don't make eye contact you can pretend like you didn't know a car was in the circle 3 inches from your car, therefore, it's safe to pull out in front of them
3) When a car pulls out 2 feet into the lane to see if a car is coming, they generally do stop before continuing further into traffic. I'm not sure how helpful this is since by the time they stop the car is already half way in your lane.
4) There are rules to the road. There are signs giving direction (i.e. NO PARKING sign). Nobody follows either one of those.
5) If you turn on your emergency lights, it's totally cool to park your car in the middle of the busy road.
6) Gas is $8.50 a gallon ~ Thank goodness we get gas tax free which cuts the cost in half
7) God has already heard and will continue to hear a whole lot out of me while I"m driving around!
During our driving class they showed a cute video demonstrating different ways of doing things and I thought I would share. Drive safe out there and don't take the fact that people follow driving rules for granted!
1) Most roads do not have enough space for cars to park on both sides of the street and have two way traffic. However, all roads have cars park on each side of the street and there is two way traffic. I have been told to turn off perifereal vision and just trust you will fit through the space...yeah, that makes me feel better! The lady teaching the driving class said the roads were small because they were not made for cars, they were made for chariots. Huh?! I'm sure a chariot is much smaller than a car!
2) If you don't make eye contact you can pretend like you didn't know a car was in the circle 3 inches from your car, therefore, it's safe to pull out in front of them
3) When a car pulls out 2 feet into the lane to see if a car is coming, they generally do stop before continuing further into traffic. I'm not sure how helpful this is since by the time they stop the car is already half way in your lane.
4) There are rules to the road. There are signs giving direction (i.e. NO PARKING sign). Nobody follows either one of those.
5) If you turn on your emergency lights, it's totally cool to park your car in the middle of the busy road.
6) Gas is $8.50 a gallon ~ Thank goodness we get gas tax free which cuts the cost in half
7) God has already heard and will continue to hear a whole lot out of me while I"m driving around!
During our driving class they showed a cute video demonstrating different ways of doing things and I thought I would share. Drive safe out there and don't take the fact that people follow driving rules for granted!
6.02.2011
The Fun Begins!
Where has the time gone? I was under the impression that I would get all kinds of blogging done during our initial time here in Italy and apparently that is incorrect! I will try to do a quick recap of what happened during our first couple of days. We stepped off the plane and were met by the NCIS office and our sponsors Kevin and Karey along with their 2 kids. We were smelling and looking amazing, and I think really blew everyone away with our first impression! Now when I say "smelling" I mean "SMELLING." Sweet baby Juliette managed to create a disaster in her diaper just before landing. She had a mess everywhere and trying to change her in the small airplane bathroom was no small task. I was focused on getting her back in some kind of order and she was focused on looking at herself in the mirror. She was working some kind of Macguiver moves and successfully raised herself to a standing position with complete disregard for the severity of the situation or how I needed her to cooperate. Needless to say, the clothes she had been wearing were no longer wearable, so she met the new office in pea stained clothes from the day before. Spiderman came off the plane shooting "webs" at people.
After being given a tour of the base, we checked in at our new "home." It's a small apartment type place with a couch, table, tv, and small kitchen in one room. There is a back hallway with two bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It really is a great situation for temporary living. Pizza was on the dinner menu the first night and it was oh so good!
The next morning Karey, one of our sponsors, came by and she showed us around and gave us a tour of her house. She has incredible views from the balcony's of her home! Juliette started with some heavy duty teething, so she was miserable the first few days. Now she has all of her molars and she is doing her best to keep up with Brady.
Lets talk about jet lag for a second. It's terrible! Trying to keep kids up when they want to sleep is no fun. Letting kids sleep then being up with them all night is no fun. Trying to stay awake to keep your kids up all day is no fun. Going to bed at 3am, getting up at 9am, and wanting to go back to bed at 1pm is no fun. You get the point? We were all finally adjusted by the end of the weekend.
Our time here has been fantastic and we expect it to only get better. The Magnolia (where we are currently staying) has amazing staff that have helped us with learning more Italian. We are comfortable and happy to be settled for more than 2 nights. The Magnolia has a large swimming pool that is very popular with the locals. It didn't take long to realize that some of the locals enjoy nude sunbathing. It's a culture thing that sent some shock waves to my brain when I'm out on our balcony overlooking the pool with my little boy. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice and I didn't make a big deal out of it.
It's different here, for sure, but we are taking it all in and enjoying what Sicily has to offer. Just like people, what fun would this world be if everything was the same?
After being given a tour of the base, we checked in at our new "home." It's a small apartment type place with a couch, table, tv, and small kitchen in one room. There is a back hallway with two bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It really is a great situation for temporary living. Pizza was on the dinner menu the first night and it was oh so good!
The next morning Karey, one of our sponsors, came by and she showed us around and gave us a tour of her house. She has incredible views from the balcony's of her home! Juliette started with some heavy duty teething, so she was miserable the first few days. Now she has all of her molars and she is doing her best to keep up with Brady.
Lets talk about jet lag for a second. It's terrible! Trying to keep kids up when they want to sleep is no fun. Letting kids sleep then being up with them all night is no fun. Trying to stay awake to keep your kids up all day is no fun. Going to bed at 3am, getting up at 9am, and wanting to go back to bed at 1pm is no fun. You get the point? We were all finally adjusted by the end of the weekend.
Our time here has been fantastic and we expect it to only get better. The Magnolia (where we are currently staying) has amazing staff that have helped us with learning more Italian. We are comfortable and happy to be settled for more than 2 nights. The Magnolia has a large swimming pool that is very popular with the locals. It didn't take long to realize that some of the locals enjoy nude sunbathing. It's a culture thing that sent some shock waves to my brain when I'm out on our balcony overlooking the pool with my little boy. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice and I didn't make a big deal out of it.
It's different here, for sure, but we are taking it all in and enjoying what Sicily has to offer. Just like people, what fun would this world be if everything was the same?
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