Thankful

2 Samuel 7:18 “…Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”

In this season of giving thanks, this cry from David to the Lord is something that has been rolling around in my mind.  Living so far away from our family, life has been missed.  More than just birthdays or the holidays, but the everyday moments that make up our lifetimes.  Cheer competitions, baseball games, piano recitals, school parties, a day at the park… the little things that mean just as much as the big ones.  The gaps in conversations, forgotten stories to express, days…weeks passing without contact, make it clear that we are missing each other’s lives.

My parent’s recent visit has reminded me of something true in our lives.  The miles and minutes lost do not define who we are.  We are a family, regardless of lost time, tied together with love and God’s unfailing grace.  An unfailing grace that has crossed paths and guided decisions, healed wounds and provided peace and joy, and most of all has brought us out of dark places and into the light where we can be a reflection of Him.  Life has not been perfect, nothing ever is.  Through all of the sadness and the missing parts of our everyday lives, this is what I can say for certain…

Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, with all of our faults and shortcomings, lost years and missed opportunities, brokenness and sinfulness, that you have brought me this far, to a place of sweet peace and salvation, a rich and full life of blessings, resting fully in your faithfulness?  I look back to where we have been, where we are, and where we are going and see God’s hand at every turn.  I see how far He has brought us, and for this, I am thankful.

Weekend in Lipari

Our last summer mini vacation, before we became tied to a public school schedule, was spent in Lipari.  We took a drive on a sunny day up to the town where we were going to catch the ferry.  Arriving a little early, we decided to have a quick lunch, but still managed to leave ourselves only a few minutes to find where we needed to park the car.  As we are driving around in circles and the GPS is on a mission to send us out into the middle of the water, serious storm clouds moved in.  We found the car lot and the next thing I knew, strong storm gusts began blowing signs and the restaurant located next to the lot had foam tiles from their roof sailing through the air.  We missed the first ferry, so we waited around 2 hours for the next ferry to come in.  As we waited, it rained and rained, and when it stopped raining, we could see the vapor rising from the water and collecting into new clouds. 

 

 

 

We finally board the hydro-ferry and proceed to bounce, I’m talking airborne bouncing, for the next hour.  The kids on the ferry were exclaiming “WHEEE!” as I’m curled in a ball holding tightly to a trash bag… just in case my guts decided to try and escape. 

We stepped off the boat to find a full rainbow stretching from one side of the sky to the other. 

 

After suffering from my motion sickness, I was immediately reminded of God’s promises.  He never promised I wouldn’t suffer or experience pain, but He did promise He would be with me!  I was happy to be on land, happy the rain had subsided, and happy that once again our personal travel agent had done a superb job with selecting our lodging.  It even came with a cat… to Brady’s delight and Juliette’s horror. 

The next couple of days were spent relaxing at the beach, walking through town, and roaming the castle grounds. 

 

 

 

 

 

Our final night we found a restaurant and sat at a table just in time to see the bottom drop out of the sky.  The rain seemed to subside as we stepped out to make our way back to our apartment.  That assumption was very wrong!  The choice was to find a place to wait it out or just try to tough it out and make it back.  With no real end in sight, we forged ahead.  It was raining so hard I was finding it difficult to keep the water out of my eyes.  The kids were screaming, we were drenched, and it was an all around disaster!  Thankfully, we happened upon a hotel with a kind owner who called our hotel to get us a ride. 

 

It turns out that the hydro-ferry is much smoother when it’s not riding through stormy weather!  We took the long way home and drove through the mountains—I love seeing as much of our island as possible! 

Ancient Ruins of Noto

It has been quite some time since we went exploring on the island.  After a morning spent around the house, we loaded up and made our way to the ancient ruins of Noto.  The town was abandoned and a "new" Noto city was built several miles away.  The "new" town certainly charming as we passed through, but the first order of business were the ruins.  A real city with functioning shops, churches, and restaurants is the usual route, but ancient ruins are much cooler!  As it seems Sicily likes to do, there were maybe 2 signs pointing the way.  Most of the time, we weren't sure we were going the right way, but thanks to my husband/ driver/ navigationalist/ extroidenair, we made it!  We walked (I use the term loosly because it was more like a crawl on 2 feet-- Brady loves rocks and likes to investigate every rock on the trail because it's probably the perfect one to go in his pocket) down the path and found ourselves at the castle ruins.

 

 

It is so much fun to climb the stairs and stand in the place others did Centuries ago.  Brady wanted to go inside the castle, but it was blocked off, so he decided we should rebuild it.  He pointed to a rock and told us to grab rocks so we could put them back in place.  I love the mind of a 5 year old!  Endless possibilities and logic.  I want to go inside the castle.  The castle doesn't have walls.  Let's rebuild it!  Then, I can go inside.

 

 

Homes, a hospital, chapel, and other buildings built to support every day life were broken down and overgrown, only allowing peeks into the past.  It added a sense of charm having to look past what was directly in front of us to find the jewel  hidden behind. 

 

 

                                       Early Christian catacombs

 

As evening began to creep upon us, we followed the winding road back down to the "new" Noto.  One of the restaurants our guidebook suggested did not disappoint, we filled our bellies with goodness!  There were two geleterie the book suggested were in rivalry to which had the best gelato.  We all had gelato, but Greg had a gelato cone from each place! 

It is times like this we recognize how blessed we are.  We are blessed to spend time as a family, exploring ruins and walking towns eating "the best" gelato while gazing on magnificent old churches... on just another Saturday night.

Final day in Istanbul

Our final day in Istanbul was an easy one.  This has been an amazing vacation and it was nice to take the last day to keep things simple.  After talking to a couple who visited the palace, we felt like we should try it again.  This time we found the ticket counter!  We walked through the Haram quarters where girls from neighboring villages were bought from their parents or given as gifts from nobles, and sent to live at the palace. 

The palace grounds were very busy and lines were around every corner.  We chose to wait in one line to enter a treasury containing what they said was St. John the Baptist’s arm covered with gold, his skull encrusted with jewels, David’s sword, and Moses’ staff.  We saw a sword, a staff, an arm bone covered with a golden glove, and a portion of a skull covered with jewels.  Were all of these things actually real relics?  Umm, I’m going to go ahead and say no!

 

 

And of course, there were ice cream breaks!

 

The day ended with some Turkish Pizza and an early night.  After 10 days, 9 nights, 8 cities, 6 flights, 5 apartments, 4 people, 2 countries, 2 suitcases, there was 1 family ready to get back to Italy!

Istanbul, Day 2!

Our second day in Istanbul, we decided to take it easy.  We did just that until we decided to walk up to the Topkapi Palace.  The goal was to tour the palace and we walked for quite some time through the palace gardens looking for the ticket counter.  We arrived at the end of the road at a dead end.  Devastation set in.  Our backs and feet were tired from carrying children and walking, and all we had to show for our efforts was a picture of what would have been where we were standing hundreds of years ago.

 

Deciding to forgo the palace tour, we stopped for drinks at a nearby café then took the kids to the playground.

 

We stopped for lunch and since we were almost halfway there, decided to venture on to the Spice Market. Oh the spices! Mounds of cumin, saffron, cinnamon, spice blends, the list could go on and on. Along with the spices were dried fruits, nuts, and various tea blends.

Greg bought a Genuine Fake Watch and it stopped working about an hour after he bought it. I couldn’t resist the spices and some Apple Tea, of course!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Istanbul, Turkey Pt. 1

I was convinced we were going to miss our flight.  We busted through a toll booth we couldn’t figure out how to work, drove past our exit, went a looong distance out of the way, were held up by the rental car people telling us the gas tank wasn’t full (thankfully they didn’t mention the crack on the windshield and didn’t seem to notice the carseat we left in the car), and had to pick up Brady’s lost booster seat that was found days later.  And so began the hurried, dragging our children behind us, run to the gate scenario we know so well.  Thankfully, we got in line just as they were boarding the plane!

On to Istanbul, Turkey.  In the early afternoon we walked up to the AyaSofya museum.  Building was completed in 537 and it was the “greatest church in Christendom” until it was converted to a mosque around 1453.  The mosaics were exquisite and there was a beautiful collection of calligraphy.  I stuck my finger in the “weeping column” and the story goes if your finger comes out moist, ailments can be healed.  My finger wasn’t wet, but I felt just fine.

 

Across from the AyaSofya is The Blue Mosque.  The man who built it intended to outdo the interior beauty of the Sofya with the beauty of the outside.  It was big, but I wasn’t terribly impressed.  When we arrived prayer service was taking place, so we were unable to view the inside. 

From there we went to the Grand Bazaar where we walked forever, got turned around- a nice way to say we continued the tradition of roaming the streets of a strange country, and bought Brady a Superman costume.  We ended the evening with very tired feet, but enjoyed a delicious meal of Turkish pizza and kebabs. 

         Of course we had to take a break to eat grilled corn and chase pigeons!

I must make special mention of my children.  I’m telling you, they were the best perhaps I have ever seen them… and I see them A LOT!  Juliette was a trooper in her backpack carrier, only complaining when Brady got an ice cream and she didn’t.  Brady walked and walked with very little complaint and didn’t ask for anything except ice cream and a Superman toy.  Our entire trip, they were treated like rock stars.  People asking to take pictures of and with them, giving them candy and fruit, and there was also a great deal of cheek pinching and high fives.  When Juliette wouldn’t sit still for dinner, waiters would entertain her by walking her around the restaurant.  Both Brady and Juliette were a pleasure!

Kindergarten!

“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.  You hem me in- behind and before;  you have laid your hand upon me…Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your hand will hold me fast.”  Psalms 139 1-5, 7-10

There have been times in my life I have held on so tightly to the words of the 139^th Psalm, words so close to my heart and in the words I see a reflection of my life.  I now have the joy of passing these words on to my son.  Brady, my joy and treasure and who was “fearfully and wonderfully made.” 

I have had him in my care for 5 years and every day has been full of challenges, joys, laughter, tears (usually when he wants a snack as a meal or dessert first and I tell him “no”), and LOTS of arts and craft time.  There have been so many lessons Greg and I have tried to teach him about teamwork, consideration of others, kindness, goodness, love, standing up for himself, and a much longer list you would get bored of reading.  God has entrusted Brady to us, and we have loved and taught him the best way we know how.  Now, he begins the first step in his life beyond us.  Brady is in Kindergarten!

I am not sad about this day.  I am a firm believer in raising independent children who by the grace of God make this world a better place.  I am looking forward to this school year and to what Brady’s future holds.  What I know for sure is God is holding on to my sweet boy, hemming him in from behind and before, and will guide him.  As Brady makes his way through life, as he rises on “the wings of the dawn,” I will be better for having him in my life.

 

A Food Journey Side Note

I would like to add something to what I previously wrote.  Earlier this year I took a Beth Moore Bible study titled Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit.  She makes a point in the final chapter that Self-control STOPS.  The second point for the lesson reads "From a strictly biblical point of view (as opposed to medical), physical fitness is probably more about FREEDOM than SIZE.  Keep in mind that EXTREME conditions call for FOCUSED measures.  The ultimate goal for most of us, however, is FREEDOM from obsession so that GOD rather than the body can be glorified.  This goal is most often realized through recapturing the lost art of MODERATION; and learning to do what we NEED to do, then GETTING on with living."

This spoke to me because of how often I get caught up in weighing myself and beating myself up about something I ate, all the while subjecting myself to the bondage and frustration this brings.  I began working out (GASP!) and gained 1.5 lbs, and absolute panic set in.  Yeah, yeah, I know, muscle weighs more than fat, but when you spend the good part of a year focused on losing the pounds, gaining does not do my heart good.

At the end of the day, it's about experiencing freedom and finding moderation.  I want to be free from obsession so I can finish this race I'm on with a mind focused on the finish line.  There is a new generation looking to me to pass the baton and I want to point them to the glory of God, not to how good or bad I think I look.  Let's find freedom and moderation, then do what we need to do and get on with living!

Our journey with food

The past year has been quite a food journey for our family. We began with out shopping cart (or "buggy" as I like to call it) filled like many other American families. Snacks with all sorts of favorite children's cartoons gracing the front of the box, Easy-Mac, canned fruits and veggies, frozen meals, and an assortment of meat, cheese, and fresh produce. It got to the point where we were eating a LOT of junk and the kids were snacking instead of eating healthy meals. Slowly and surely we ended up in this place and I saw it as a failure on my part. So, I overhauled our food and eating habits. I stumbled upon a "real food" way of eating and decided this was the best idea for us.
I was inspired by the blog "100daysofrealfood.com" and Michaels Pollan's book In Defense of Food. There are several guidelines for "real food" diets but in very simple terms you eat, well, FOOD. Not "food" containing things you wouldn't normally keep in the pantry, products containing more than 5 ingredients, and things that contain ingredients a child could not pronounce. There is a focus on eating locally grown products and living in Italy, this was easy enough to do. We can walk to a local markets and buy fresh, real food. There were some significant challenges. First of all, Greg needed to be on board. He eats whatever I make, so that part was easy, but it was a food lifestyle change and I needed support. He got on board, I think with the assumption this would only last a few days. :). I had to find snacks my picky 5 year old would eat, and raw carrots weren't going to cut it. All of the store bought snacks- cheese-its, goldfish, fruit snacks, animal crackers- were out. I was left with pretzels and Triscuits. This is where I took a deep breath and found recipes to make graham crackers, cheese crackers, popcorn balls, and anything else I could find that would please the kids and still stay true to what we were doing. It was a challenge to find ingredients for a recipe that were only made if 5 ingredients. Have you seen the ingredient lists on condiments? Have you made sure you could pronounce every ingredient on your canned beans? What about your bread? My time in the grocery store seemed to double, because I was having to read every food label. Finally, I had to cook EVERYTHING. We did give way to this occasionally, as we are living in Italy, the land of delicious food.
I honestly don't remember how long all of this lasted. It seemed like a lifetime, but it was probably only a few months. Eventually a loaf of white bread landed in our bread basket (it was magic, I certainly didn't buy it) followed by a comment something along the lines of... Our kids shouldn't have to eat grilled cheese on that nasty bread.
We slowly began drifting closer to a balanced way of eating. I was still making some snacks, but buying others. I was still reading labels and was at least making informed decisions on what we were eating. Things we were eating before our "real food" way of life now became occasional treats. This was much more realistic for us.
Once we had the balancing act figured out, Greg and I signed up for Weight Watchers. We each had 20 lbs we wanted to lose, and we have had past success with the program. All of this year has been up and downs with weight loss, healthy eating, and not so healthy eating- I don't even want to talk about how many points a Tablespoon of olive oil is. Greg met his goal a several months ago and I still have 2 lbs to lose.
It has been a learning experience for me, and I'm very grateful for it. I want to feed my family in the best way possible, and I feel like I am closer to that than ever before. Even though the "real food" didn't fully stick, I still use many of the guidelines and consider myself an informed shopper. For me, it was a good place to start and I have been able to make adjustments to what works best for our family.

7 year anniversary, Pt. 2

And from this moment on, I want you to know

I'll let nothing come between us
And I will love the ones you love

Now gone are all my question about why
And I've never been so sure of anything in my life

I wonder what God was thinking when He created you

I wonder if He knew everything I would need
Because He made all my dreams come true, when God made you
He must have been thinking about me

He made the sun, He made the moon
To harmonize in perfect tune
One can't move without the other
They just have to be together

And that is why, I know it's true
You're for me and I'm for You
'Cause my world just can't be right
Without you in my life

I wonder what God was thinking when He created you
I wonder if He knew everything I would need
Because He made all my dreams come true,

 when God made you
He must have been thinking about me

He must've heard every prayer I've been praying
Yes, He knew everything I would need
When God made you, yes He did
When dreams come true
When God made you
He must've been thinking about me

*When God Made You

Lyrics written by Eddie Carswell/ Michael O'Brien

7 year anniversary, Pt. 1

To find a love like ours is a blessing.  On June 11, 2005 this song was played as I walked down the aisle.  It was true on our wedding day and 7 years later, with life a world away from where we started, it's still true... 

It's always been a mystery to me
How two hearts can come together

And love can last forever
But now that I have found you, I believe

That a miracle has come
When God sends the perfect One

Now gone are all my questions about why
And I've never been so sure of anything in my life

Oh, I wonder what God was thinking when He created you

I wonder if He, He knew everything I would need
Because He made all my dreams come true, when God made you
He must have been thinking about me

I promise that wherever you may go

Ireland

Japan

Wherever life may lead you

With all my heart I'll be there too

 Switzerland

 Czech Republic

 Pisa, Italy

Turkey

 Romania

 Calabria, Italy

 Sicily, Italy

 Austria

Germany