Sixty-Three Italian Stairs

Buon San Valentino!

2012-02-26T12:42:00.002+01:00

Happy Valentines Day!

Lydle Serenading us with Love Songs

The Valentine Rose Lydle gave me :)

Maki Sushi Lessons!

Bea

Cate

Zeno - Master Sushi Chef

Lydle and Parker

'Manda and 'Bel

Giuliano

Javi and Daniela

Khalisha

Lydle and her Sushi-less Sushi :)

Chocolate Fondue!

Yummy!

Love and Friendship are so great so celebrate with Sushi and Chocolate :)

Snow in Milano!

2012-02-26T12:28:00.001+01:00

I love Milano under the snow! It's so pretty...

Just outside the back door

the green bug!

Lydle toes ;)

The Arch of Peace

Parco Sempione

A little snowman

The Castello

Bottle-cap Heart

Our Back Yard

Icicle on the Dragon Drain Pipe

Some Snow Art <3

Blitz Visit to Sweden

2012-02-26T12:23:00.005+01:00

Yes, I'm a bit behind in my blogging, but it's never too late for pics!

Last November we had the chance to make a super quick dash up to Sweden to see our friends Gustav and Laura and their new home in Sweden.

While we were there they had their first snow!

Swedish Christmas Pigs in a Blanket :)

I love the Caroling Christmas Frogs!

Christmas Lights

Just outside the station

A little fast food stand :)

Keeping warm during our walk through the Christmas market

The black smith's

Christmas Lights

A bit of Glog to warm us up!

Cheers!

Christmas Lights?

We celebrated with a Princess Cake!

And, of course, Glog... and a Sauna!

Zeno water proofing my new birthday boots!

The girls :)

the Guys ;)

Zeno and the Gavle Goat :)

Sweden is beautiful! And it was especially good to see Laura and Gustav in their new home. We can't wait until the next chance we have to go back and explore some more!

A Lydle Birthday :)

2012-01-08T17:22:00.001+01:00

"So, when is your birthday?"

"January 7... But I'm not 7 yet!"

I can remember Lydle saying this to people when she was really just a little Lydle. She was so confused that her birthday could be 7 but her age had to be less than that :D

This, her 19th birthday, she got to celebrate with us here in Italy!

Birthday Decorations complete with romantic candle light thanks to Mommy!

Lydia's gingerbread Tardis is her decoration centerpiece

Party tongues!!!!

She had to blow out her birthday candles with her party tongue :)

Adorable hat! Thanks Uncle Pete!

A ticket to eat literally on the streets of Milan - ah, thanks A&Z - I think?

It's a ticket for a 2-hour dinner tram ride throughout Milano on the ATMosfera dining car

Drum roll... the birthday gift from Daddy and Mommy across the sea!

Lydle wasn't sure how she felt about this gift...

Woop! I bit of style! Just what I needed!!!!

Last, but not least, Lydle got her own Prince Charming for her birthday :)
Aladin hatched out of a chocolate egg for her :)

Happy Birthday Sunset over La Caletta
Captured by our very own Z

For this magnificent display Lydle must have been a good girl!

Happy, Happy Birthday Lydle!

We pray your new year will be full with magnificent surprises and draw you nearer to the heart of God.

We LOVE YOU!!!!!

Lydia's Birthday Eve!

2012-01-06T23:17:00.001+01:00

After waking up and zipping over to see two paintings by French artist la Tour, we scooted along and met up with the Three Wise Men on horseback on their way to worship Jesus! After returning home, we undecorated from Christmas - our sweet little Charlie Brown tree was grateful to be relieved of it's festive burden and wrapped up cozily in a sheet to rest - after which we cleaned the whole kitchen and made it festive ready for Lydle's birthday tomorrow! A full dose of Captain America topped the night off with inspirations and some good laughs (:Now we're off to sleep and dream of the beauty to come tomorrow! You never know what the new day will bring...

The Great Spill of 2012

2012-01-04T13:17:00.001+01:00

Most mornings I make my way down our 63 Italian stairs to the kitchen where I collect coffee and breakfast which I carry on a tray back up those same 63 stairs so that Z and I can have breakfast in bed J However, today the Great Spill occurred on or about stair #11… the result was a lake of coffee!

And my little sister Lydle’s sudden appearance – “Can I help?” Aw, now that’s true love offering to mop the floor before 7am!

Thankfully, the situation was easily mastered and new coffee obtained for all!

Buon Anno! Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T12:56:00.000+01:00

To start out the New Year we took a drive to Sirmione at the Lago di Garda and walked around theentire peninsula. The sun was shining, the seagulls were calling, we found oldruins from a castle, discovered a little yellow villa, hopped about from rockto rock, Lydia became enamored with the rushes… we even saw a sea turtle with aNew Year’s hangover – at least, that why I assumed it was swimming around incircles…

Map of Sirmione

About Sirmione

Look Out For Falling Rocks!

Here's Where the Puddle Jumping Began...

Sista's

Oh Yea!

Very Happy Doggie!

Ruins of the Castle

Where do I hop to from here...?

I'm the Furthest Out!!!

We Claim This Island for Our Own!

Our Maid Equipped with Cleaning Rush

Nutella!!!!

A Happy New Year to you All! May the Lord richly bless you in 2012!

Happy 5th Anniversary!!!

2011-11-23T16:31:00.001+01:00

That's right! We're off to the Dolomites to celebrate 5 years!!! It's marvelous to know that the A&Z adventures have only just begun <3

Here's a peak at the gifts we exchanged... each has his own opinion about which one was the hottest ;)

2011-09-13T20:38:00.001+02:00

We haven't been to the sea since last December! And even then, it was one night, in the dark, to see how much damage flooding and mud slides were causing...

A few weekends ago we stopped for a few hours on the way home from Tuscany in order to get the lay of the land and meet with some of the workers who are heading up the construction projects that eventually need to be done.

Come on down to La Caletta!

Down the first group of stairs...

Now for the 2nd set of stairs...

Onward down the 3rd group of stairs...

Here we are on the 4th leg of stairs and nearing the end...

Turn right to head down the last stretch of stairs....

And finally here we are!

La Caletta's back garden

La Caletta from the back - yes, you will note there are still more stairs...

These stairs that lead to...

Now watch your step we're nearly there...

Yes, yes, you can see it now...

The stairs lead right down to the sea!

It is wonderful - even on a day of rough weather as it is today

Imagine you can hear the waves crashing against the cliffs :)

Sea Fever by John Masefield

I must down to the seas again,

to the lonely sea and the sky

and all I ask is a tall ship,

and a star to steer her by;

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song

and the white sails shaking,

And the grey mist in the sea’s face,

and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again,

for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call

that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day

with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume,

and the seagulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again,

to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull’s way and the whale's way

where the wind’s like a whetted knife

And all I ask is a merry yarn

From a laughing fellow rover,

and quiet sleep and a sweet dream

when ere the long trip’s over

Sabbioneta

2011-09-11T10:15:00.000+02:00

On the way back from one of our recent trips to Tuscany we needed a driving break and so we stopped in this really cute little town Zeno knew about called: Sabbioneta.

It has some of the loveliest doorways! What a nice calm town... Ahhhhh...

Zeno in one of the doorways

In real life the flowers on the balcony along this street really sprung out with color!

I love how they left the brick remnants where an old arch used to be...

One of the streets was called Victoria! In honor of my niece :)

City walls

Town square

I found a night in shining armor! Zeno took him out frist thing ;)

The remainder of the turret where the soldiers protected the city from attack

Old house

I liked it's upstairs balcony

I always like wood on yellow

Nice red window flowers!

Z :)

What a nice place where you don't have to worry about people steeling your bikes if you leave them unchained in the street!

Another nice door way

Balcony flowers outside the old inn

A Cedar of Lebanon outside "Victoria's" entrance gate

Zeno looking small in relation to the gateway

Rooftop upon rooftop up to the church spire

Sabbioneta!

It's a peaceful little village :) I'd aspire to live in such a place one day!

Neighbors think I'm crazy...

2011-08-28T14:16:00.000+02:00

I've gotten into the habit of meowing to one of our bushes when we come home from work :) That's right! What's that? It's not just the neighbors? You think I'm crazy too?!!!!

Well, hey! What would you say if the bush meowed back?

Ah, Ha! Got you there didn't I? :D

When Italians go on vacation for a month or two in August they often don't know what to do with their pets. Hence, many of them are kicked out onto the street to fend for themselves. Little "Panna&Salvia" as we named her (see below) decided that our garden was as safe a haven as any since she found herself disowned. Panna&Salvia stands for "Cream&Sage". This name came because at first she didn't trust us much and liked to hide in our sage bush :) She didn't come out and make friends until I offered her a saucer of heavy cream! Girl after my own heart. For the record, she completely turned her nose up at "plain milk" only panna will do.

So, I meow at our bushes when I come home because if she's around she'll meow back and come out for a nice good petting. She's a sweet one! I still worry that she's not street wise enough to make it on her own poor little one... but she's not the worst tradgedy of the summer. One of my friends saved a kitten who had been tied up in a plastic garbage bag alive and thrown out with the trash. I can't believe people can be so cruel!

Here's Panna eating her cream

Mmmmm! That's good stuff!

Scary Spiders!!!!

2011-08-28T14:07:00.000+02:00

I met this guy in Tuscany.... AhhhhhhhHHHH! I didn't like him so much even though Z said he wouldn't hurt me. He sure looks like he would! Save yourselves!!!!

Scary Spider Sittin' on the Rosemary

the Family Box!

2011-08-28T14:03:00.000+02:00

On our multiple drives to and from Tuscany we have to stop at least once during the 5 hour trip in order to refuel. On one of our return trips we discovered that if we fuel up at the Super ERG we get a Family Box!!! Full of all kinds of little goodies for families - a drink, travel stain removal, cheerios, pasta, hard candy, hand sanitizer, travel kleenex... :)

We'll, on our most recent trip, we needed to refuel and I was driving. Much to Zeno's chagrin, I didn't want to stop until I found a Super ERG so that we could get the Family Box! :) Of course ;)

"Such a kid..." Zeno moans, shaking his head and smiling indulgently.

Behold! The Family Box

Projects from today and this week

2011-08-27T18:01:00.000+02:00

The excitement of Lydle coming to live with us for a while has really inspired us to tackle some projects we just keep setting aside. For instance, this week, we decided to pain "Lydia's" room!

Here are some before and afters - before is the gray and after is the sugar paper blue :) It's a pretty cool color! Even the name, you see, way back when, sugar used to be sold in blue paper sacks. Hence, in Italy this color will be forever known as Sugar Paper :)

This view before...

This view after :)

Left wall before...

Left wall after :)

Zeno painting the ceiling!

Grey corner before...

Blue and White corner after!

Radiator before...

Radiator after :D

Zeno after ;)

All we have left now is to put up the molding around the top of the ceiling where the white and blue meet :) And, of course, paint the trim, but we figure we can do that together with Lydle when she comes ;)

Instead, today, I tackled our "plate project"! We had so many plates going around and there are just the two of us, so I saw this great plate display on a wall and decided it would be perfect for our unfinished kitchen walls. Here is the result - before and then after:

wall before the plates

plates aranged in pattern on the floor...

And they're up!

And looking quite nice I must say :)

Being in the hanging stuff on the walls mode, I took the opportunity to put up a few little knickknack shelves I'd painted and decorate them with teacups and saucers. They turned out quite nice too!

No more projects this weekend. I'm about to hit the laundry, and tomorrow, hopefully you'll get some footage of the world championships of fireworks!!!

Papa

2011-08-27T10:07:00.001+02:00

These weeks have been hard ones on the A&Z home front. We’re walking through Z’s dad’s last bit of time here on earth amongst us. Here area few pictures of Papa:

If we even think about it, I think most of us hope our transition from our earthly bodies into our heavenly one will be fast, calm and peaceful. Papa has been endowed with a very strong physical body and so over these past 6 months despite doctors’ warnings that he wouldn’t make it much longer, Papa is holding on tenaciously. Through each step his family has been close never wanting him to walk this last time alone even if he might not even be aware of our presence.

I never had much of a chance to know Papa when he was still fully himself, but bits of what I do know inspires my heart with gratitude toward him. Papa was a very intelligent man, an explorer and a world traveler. He was generous to a fault, faithful despite challenges, and a lover of all things beautiful. Wherever I go in Italy where people know him they always inquire respectfully, “And how is the Engineer?”. His life’s work reached as far as Patagonia and the US, the latter where he met and became friends with my Grandpa. It is their friendship that planted the seed that would eventually sprout into the love that Zeno and I share. From the tidbits I can gather, it’s Papa who inspired Zeno with such a deep love and appreciation for God’s creation – the mountains, animals, flowers and bubbling streams… And it is Papa’s heritage that endowed Z with such a strong intellect and inquiring mind open to explore and discover this incredible world and life the Lord has given to us.

And so, Papa, though these last days of physical languishing are a trial, I thank you for all that you have given and I pray that your heart and spirit will be at rest in knowing the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and that you will enter into His rest by His mercy.

Happy Birthday Amore!

2011-08-10T22:26:00.000+02:00

Zeno: Living, Bearer of Light, Full of Justice

You certainly live up to your name Amore mio :) You have a passion for the truth and a heart to abolish injustice wherever you may see it. Your life has definitely lightened up my own heart and life through your love and faithfulness.

"...from this day until death do us part" doesn't seem like it's going to be a long enough time to get spend with you and truly learn all about who you are from the inside out!

The more I get to know you, the more I admire the man you are and the more I'm inspired to be a better person and impact the world for the Lord through small, daily acts of love and sacrifice. Thank you for all that you are and for giving so much of yourself to others.

God Bless You on this your Birthday and on every day of this new year of your life may your heart continue to grow closer to the Lord's.

I LOVE YOU!!!

I LOVE YOU!

did I already say that?

Ah well, you know I can't help it :D

TI AMO!!!!

Justin and Jenni's Wedding!!!

2011-08-10T11:24:00.002+02:00

I'm belatedly behind on reporting a number of significant events. The reason is due to the fact that I don't know which pictures to post since I have so many! So, instead of procrastinating any longer, I'm going to lay it out now and I can always add, subtract and change things later.

May 18th, 2011

Justin and Jenni's Wedding Day!

My doctor brother Justin and his beautiful wife Jenni are one of the most beautiful couples inside and out that I have ever known. What's more, I have reason to believe that that beauty will only improve with time :)

Here are a few photos from their wedding. It's easy to see the joy they share as a couple as well as the joy they give to others through their covenant love for each other.

Little Fairies - Kirra, Lilli and Kelci

Bridesmaids

Emily is the enchanting bridesmaid with the yellow gerbera bouquet

Flower Girls - Margie and Victoria

Here comes the Bride!!!

"I do!" "I do!"

And what a kiss!

Dr. and Mrs. Justin Kempson!!!

The Wedding Cake was a giant Red-Velvet cupcake! It was a tremendous success :) As you can see:

Kylin

Jaron

Kelci Hope

Kirra

Margie

Lilli

Jesse - I think he's pondering if having three wedding cakes is acceptable :)

The Uncles!

Kristin and Jordan... the next in line <3 - Yes, you'll be seeing a blog about their wedding coming this September!

Emily

The Happy Couple!

Jenni Testin her Kissing Stool - It seems to work just fine :)

Sisters all together!!!!

J + K

Joel and Christy

Wahoo!

And we all fall down!

Lydle and Lilli

Bouquet toss

Where is that garter?...

The launch!

Yes, the kissing stool works just right - nice sky effects too

Em, with Toria and Margie

Mosquitoes!!!!

The clearing up was even fun - Mom and Christy

Lydle and Christy

The groomsmen????

Not knowing about tickets, I had originally thought Z and I wouldn't be able to make it to the wedding, but in the end, we found a good deal on prices and I was able to go! We kept it a surprise - only Emily knew so that she could fetch me from the airport :) So, from January, when I found the ticket, until May, Em and I had to keep our mouths sealed! Believe me, it was HARD. I was in danger quite a few times of letting the secret slip out - sometimes even on purpose simply because the anticipation was so great!

In the end, we did our secret keeping very well and I arrived as a complete surprise :) I was jumping out of my sox in anticipation when Em picked me up at the airport. We went home and just walked into the sitting room where Dad and Lydle were watching TV.

"Hello everyone!" I said

Lydle sprung out of her sofa as if she'd been ejected! "Manda!!!!!!!" and she rushed right over to give me a hug :)

"What's this?! Amanda!!?!!" Dad said taken off guard as he fumbled with the TV remotes in his hands, "Let's turn this off!" and that's just what he did as he came over to fold me in one of his big hugs.

And then we heard "Amanda!!! It's really you!" come from the next room and Mom came dashing in. She'd actually seen Em and I walking up the path and though, "that looks a lot like 'Manda" but she dismissed the possibility and continued on her task... She joined the greeting party and we all had a good hug and exchanged many happy exclamations. I didn't know if I should be laughing or crying I was so excited as Em and I related how we'd kept the secret and how I'd come to be in their midsts.

Em and I were both soundly reprimanded for our devious scheming, but somehow, we didn't really feel abashed at all :D

Here's a few candids of Em and I working on Jenni's "Kissing Stool" <3

Ah.... if only I could attend Mr. Potter's school for a bit and learn to disapperate... I guess I would even settle for flue powder ;)

Lydle is Coming to Italy!

2011-08-09T10:26:00.000+02:00

That sounds quite like it should be the title of a book :) And, perhaps it will become one! You see, my youngest sister - hence "Lydle" <3 even though she's not that little anymore, Lydia is coming to Italy for two semesters!!!! All together she's going to be here just over 8 months studying Italiano. So, as I said, it's a huge adventure for her an I wouldn't be surprised if it did turn into a really good book. Ahhhh... I hope so!

It was a bit of a saga how she applied for an got her student visa. You see, typically, Italian bureaucracy is renowned for its rusty gears and creaky joints which result in SLLllooOOOowwWWW moving. Well, in order to assist them in their work, Mom, Lydle and I checked and double checked each jot and tittle in both English and Italian numerous times.
When we were all finally convinced Lydle's application was as thorough as we could make it Mom went to turn it into the Italian vice Consul there in Indy... only to find, she appeared to be MIA... Oops, not the most encouraging first official step. In light of this, in a whirlwind of activity and preparation, Mom and Lydle got everything together so they could make the 4+ hour drive all the way up to Detroit where our official Italian consulate presides. If I have my dates right, this was all taking place on Thursday, July 21st... also an opening night for the showing of Mr. H. Potter's final quest.
Of course Lydle and friends went to see the midnight showing meaning Lydle crawled into bed around 3a.m. Well, when Mom came between 4-5a.m. to rouse her,
"C'mon Lydia, it's time for us to get going..."
Lydia responded matter-of-factly, "I can't go today Mom, I'm not coming".
That put a bit of a damper on things since it being Lydle's application, she's the one who had to show up in person!
Good thing that when Mom came back a little later Lydle was ready to join the venture - pillow in hand she slept the whole ride there. Turns out, she had no recollection of Mom's first attempt to rouse her! :)

At the Consulate, their well prepared file in hand, Mom and Lydle waited for their turn to come. They approached the window and the consular officer looked at their file,
"This won't do! You must go and prepare your documents and have them all ready and in order when you come to the window. You can go prepare them over there. Next!"
Mom and Lydle obediently took their already organized folder of documents and re-organized and double checked again before approaching the window once again...
"What's this folder? We can't have this folder here. Here you go, take it away... that's right." and the officer began looking through the application.
At a certain point the officer looked quizzically at Lydia,
"How old are you?"
"18"
"Mmmmmm.... And you're going to go live with this Zeno Tutino?"
The question was framed rather dubiously with emphasis on, "this Zeno Tutino"
Mom quickly seeing the confusion set things right,
"Ah, that's her brother in law. He and my other daughter are married and live there in Italy"
This was taken in and noted on the application.

And that was it. Mom and Lydle were back on the road again in less than an hour hoping for sure that everything was in proper order.

According to the official websites and to the consular officer we were prepared to wait up to 6 weeks before we heard the final verdict. How happy and surprised we were when Lydle received her visa the following Wednesday! Just 5 days later!!!

All of that work paid off! CONGRATULAZIONE Lydle!!!

I personally can't wait!!!! I'm trying to get everything all sparkling for you arrival :) Which is why I'm bummed about my sore throat today - Zeno said I shouldn't polish your bathtub because the fumes from the solvent I'll have to use will irritate my already irritated throat. Ah, well - now I just get to write about you instead!!!

Insanity

2011-08-01T22:26:00.001+02:00

So, I finally tried the one Insanity workout that my little sister helped me get when I was in the US last time. It was the Cardio set… Whew! Honestly, 1/2 way through I had to give in. That's a lot to work up to… Or, should I say, "that's Insanity!!!" If I get myself doing the whole thing I will be one buff bunny!

Froggie Reflections

2011-08-01T22:00:00.000+02:00

It's been a tough time recently and a tough day today. It seems that we make plans, but we aren't at all in power of seeing them come to fruition. That can be a cause for sorrow and depression. It's hard when you feel stuck and out of control at the whim of... well, at the whim of... that's right, it's no whim, we're under God's mercy. Isn't He the one who began this life of ours? Isn't He the One who called us to Himself? Isn't He the One who brought us to this place?

I was just reading the quote on our blog again, I'd forgotten it:
No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourself so. If you find yourself so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God's. He begs you to leave the future to him, and mind the present.

No wonder I'd been feeling so heavy. Perhaps I need to change my prayers from "God, change this!", "God, help!", "God, what are you doing?!?!?" and "God, get me out of this mess!" to, "God, help me to live patiently within the grace that you've provided me for this moment".

It's one thing to realize intellectually, another completely to put in your heart and live out in your life especially when, in the course of these few lines, the situation hasn't changed... or has it?

Psalm 37:3-5

2011-08-01T21:44:00.000+02:00

Reflections of a Froggie - These reflections will come up in my blog at times. They are from my intimate heart directed toward God, considering His works in my life and my reaction to that work, be it accepting or resisting, rejoicing or sorrowing. In the end, He always has a plan, and in the end, He's in control, not me (though I like to pretend that I am at times...)

Through writing, my thoughts and feelings become much clearer to me. I am not an eloquent person orally, and when I don't write, I tend to bottle up my emotions. Sometimes this has no significance, but if I find myself dwelling on pessimistic, negative and/or untrue thoughts they will eventually cause me to explode in uncontrolled emotion the result of which is carnage and disaster... yes, it's not so pretty...

My hope is that through this process of honest expression I will be able to process better and more healthily what He is doing in my life from a perspective of truth and that my relationship with the Lord will grow. And, that you, yes, you, will help to challenge me and keep me accountable.

Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

As I walk this life, though I face challenge and dryness or joy and fullness may I grow in faithfulness, delight in the Lord alone and trust Him to lead me in the way that I should go.

Latest Sewing Project

2011-07-30T20:14:00.000+02:00

I recently discovered this new craft blog and I've fallen in love with it! Larissa, the blog author, seems to be an amazing person as well and truly has a heart for the Lord.

In two days I followed her tutorial on making a messenger bag and this is the result!

I'm very chuffed about the results :) You can ask Zeno - I made him admire it completely! However, if I do it again, I think I will make a few changes - add a zipper (to keep thieving hands out), add more pockets (for all those items that tend to get lost and disorganized in the bottom of my bag) and probably shorten the outside flap (both for looks and practicality).

However, over all, I'm very pleased especially considering it's made almost completely out of scraps and recycled fabrics (old pillow cases, table cloths, hand towels, shirts, etc).

I find I'm really loving the time to work on a few crafts here and there :)

Psalm 37:5

2011-07-28T22:00:00.000+02:00

Does anyone else find that being peaceful and still is sometimes the hardest work? It sure is for me!

These past two weeks I feel like I've done a million things but then nothing at all... Conquered a "new" room in our house, junked a lot of junk, made myself a stylish messenger bag, almost adopted a pretty abandoned kitten, thought of ideas for two kids books.... and the list could go on. And yet, some of the big hurdles I see before myself haven't moved. And now, because I'm tired out and not completely myself, I feel impotent in the face of my life's goals, dreams and hopes.
As much as I want to control everything and make things turn out and proceed according to my wishes and plans; I know I just need to wait, quiet and patient and trusting - "... and He shall bring it to pass".
Amen

Goodnight all those I love! I'm so glad I have you <3

Our New Stairs :)

2011-07-19T22:42:00.000+02:00

Check them out! They're pretty sweet :) And this makes our hallway nearly complete - just a few last finishing touches left!

BIggest Hail Storm Ever in Milano

2011-07-17T10:11:00.000+02:00

At the beginning of June, we spent a weekend with Mum and Papa in Tuscany - gorgeous weather! Sunshine, warm, full Spring so flowers blooming everywhere. We were even picking cherries - YUM!

When we came home to Milan we found that a hail storm with golfball sized pieces of hail had destroyed our little backyard garden. As promised long ago, here are some quick pics I took of the destruction:

Tomato and Strawberry Plants

White Striped Hosta

Colorful Flowers

Green Hostas

Hydrangeas

Lavender

Most of our Window-boxes were on the ground...

The window boxes

Our Emma Flowers

More Hydrangeas

Final Hydrangeas

I'm VERY pleased to say, that now it's mid July, our flower-boxes and garden have made quite the sprightly recovery!!! Especially with the automatic watering system Z rigged up for our flower-boxes :) I'll take some updated pics soon. We even have a few tomatoes, strawberries and peppers peeping out that will be ready to harvest further into the summer.

Tall Biking in Milan

2011-07-17T09:45:00.000+02:00

When I was doing circles in EtaBeta, our car, trying to find my way out of the maze that is downtown I was suddenly shocked to se a man's head looking over the tops of the roofs of cars in oncoming traffic! It turned out he was riding a "Tall Bike" similar to the one I found a photo of below except a bit taller.

I admit, I was rubber-necking to see how he managed to bike so high especially given the uneven cobblestone streets and the tramtrack lanes... from an emergency nursing perspective I envisioned disaster if he got his wheel stuck.

And how do they stop at red lights without falling over?

Falling in Love With Z's Mountains

2011-07-16T16:45:00.000+02:00

Yahoo!!! My longest visit to the Dolomites! We spent 4 ½ lovely (even if partially rainy) days in the Trentino-Alto Adige area of the Dolomites a few weeks ago. Being in the mountains is so liberating. This is our special place in the mountains because it's where Zeno always came as a kid.

Here are a few pictures from our time of relaxing, hiking (including an 8-hour hike), via Ferrata (no pics! I was too busy climbing!), and white water rafting. We went biking into a beautiful valley one day as well, unfortunately my bike rental seat gave me an awful time which took a bit of the joy out of that journey… note to self for next time... However, once we’d biked to the top of the valley we had a lovely nap in the cool grass. It’s just too much to tell, so I’ll let the pics do their own talking:

Next time you might be here seeing it with us in person :)

Kittens, Frogs and Snakes

2011-06-18T16:36:00.004+02:00

Papa is still tottering on the edge of wellness having good days and bad days. Because of that we, especially Z, have been making more frequent trips down to Tuscany to see them.

Last weekend was quite lovely – Tuscany was sunny and bright as compared to Milan which has had quite hormonal weather ranging from torrential rain to sun and then to hail… From Mum and Papa’s place we could hear thunder and see the black clouds but we remained under the sun.

One of the new arrivals to Mum and Papa’s Tuscan farm was this crazy hilarious little kitten! She doesn’t have a proper name yet, but she’s very sociable – almost like a little puppy. She wants to play and get into whatever you’re doing. She was playing a funny game one-day and trying to balance herself on our car’s rear windshield wiper! Then, when I was pitting cherries, (Oh! I forgot to mention, Z and I picked two whole sacks of cherries! We were trying to save a few from the birds), this little kitten was trying to jump into the pail where the cherry pits went! Too silly.

Just before leaving I went down to the frog pond near the house because I wanted to watch the froggies – you can hear them singing all night and during the day if you draw close you hear the “flip! Flop!” of them jumping to hide in the pond. My plan was to get close and then stay very still until they regained courage and came out and began croaking again.

It worked! I had to be very patient, but after about 15 minutes they all began moving and croaking along to one another. I was especially happy when they came close enough to me that I could see them really well – brilliant green, puffing out their cheeks… and then, I saw the reeds shake a bit again and looked to see if another frog was coming out… woah! Right through the reeds and grass directly toward me comes a yellow and black water snake!!! It must be about 4 ½ foot long and a good inch thick around the middle… stay still… don’t move… maybe it will go away… No, it came right up to me about a food and ½ away, stopped dead in it’s tracks and then began to raise itself up… one… two feet… tongue began flicking in and out… that’s too much! I bolted back and to the side and, thankfully, as soon as I moved it bolted away too! It was MUCH faster than me, so I’m glad it wanted to run away and nothing else…

Tranquil Mountain Lake or Awe-inspiring Waterfall?

2011-04-22T13:42:00.001+02:00

There are times in our lives and relationships when everything seems to be running along smoothly . Things just work out the way we hope and expect and we’re even tempted to begin taking the routine of daily life for granted. These periods, when we’re able to be well rested and take time to care for and appreciate the gifts God’s given us as we should, these periods are precious and, I must confess, they are often rare. We have time to contemplate, to converse meaningfully, to journal, to delve into the Source of Life and come out clear and refreshed.

These are the tranquil mountain lakes in our lives.

More often, I find that we are rushing and crashing and whirling in the midst of the sundry activities, responsibilities, planning and events that our lives are usually made up of. Sometimes entire weeks go past before we have a chance to process what actually took place! It’s those days when you arrive at the end and you think, “Whew! What a day!” and you’re ready to jump into bed and rest mind, body and soul, but then the realization hits, “Well, wait… what did I actually do all day that wore me out?”. You get so caught up in the flurry that we didn’t even notice things going past!

These are the awe-inspiring waterfalls in our lives.

I don’t know about you, but on a mountain hike I love finding the waterfalls. The sound the sight the scent… it breaths of power and majesty! I’d love to sit down on the bridge and just absorb the experience… But then, the hike continues on, up, up, up… Finding those waterfalls along the way is delightful, but hiking up is tiring. And then you reach the mountain lake at the top of the river… the source of all those waterfalls. And it’s so peaceful and calm… you just want to put your blanket down and read or sleep or both! Such serenity and the sense of fulfillment at having arrived.

I used to hate the hectic time of my life. The times when I felt I couldn’t catch my breath (let alone my sleep) before something else was calling for my attention and I felt worn thin to the bone with my energy waning… And I used to think that the completely tranquil times were the norm! And take them for granted – this is how life is supposed to be!

It wasn’t until recently when God brought this analogy into my mind that I began to realize that the beauty of life is the combination of the two. I wouldn’t want to only know the mountain lake, nor would I have the energy to endure the uphill hike constantly for the sake of experiencing only the waterfalls.

Matt 6:34 So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.

March 27th 2011

2011-04-21T15:57:00.000+02:00

The year 2000 was a big year for me. This year that marked my second decade of life brought along two major surgeries – one to remove cancer and one to rebuild my jaw. Following the one surgery was radioactive therapy and the second was 2+ months of liquid diet from having my jaw wired shut.

Sure, not fun times, but my family was AWESOME! They were with me and literally beside me the whole way. Not to mention that God truly poured out His grace on me to see me through. Funny thing is that one of the most vivid memories I have from that time is how frustrated I was that I was so winded and wiped out just from walking short distances. My attitude was, ok, surgery and treatments are over – now it’s time to be all better! And when that didn’t happen straight away, well, that was hard.

So, this one day, when I was walking around the lake but was forced to sit down on the curb because, after about 15 yards, I’d gotten so dizzy and breathless, I determined that I was going to be able to run around the entire lake without stopping. It was a spur of the moment determination because I’d never been a runner, only playing soccer in high school, but in that moment, that was the goal I felt that if I could do that, than I would count myself all better. And so it began…

And this past March 27^th, 2011 marks my 5^th mini marathon!!!! Oh yeah! If that’s not a testimony to God’s strength and faithfulness I don’t know what is. Like Eric Liddell said, “When I run, I feel His pleasure”. Now comparing Eric running and Amanda running is like comparing a sycamore to a forget-me-not, but I imagine the resulting God given pleasure is much the same J

I Cor. 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

My first Midnight Run

2011-03-15T19:48:00.000+01:00

Well, despite hardly being able to walk after Sunday's run, I'm recovering quite well :) Those 63 stairs are going pretty well - hardly notice them and I can even put my sox on without too much groaning.

So, Thursday the 17th is a new Italian international holiday! We are going to be celebrating 150 years of the unification of Italy as a republic!!! The theme of the run is Run and Live Positively - I heartily agree!

Besides the fact that I'm always up from a day off :) I think I'm becoming very Italian... There is an organization that is going to be putting on a run exactly at midnight so that we can run in the holiday! I've never participated in a midnight run, so I'm really excited. We get a shirt and a number and everything - very official :)

I was thinking of bringing my video camera so that you can see what its like too... we shall see. I've never run with a camera, but for 3km I think I could manage.

Check out our cool Midnight Run shirts!!!

21km ??? !!! ???

2011-03-13T14:35:00.000+01:00

We've been participating in weekly weekend runs - running anything from 7km to 17km. It's a lot of fun to get out with all the runners who tend to be a jovial group (perhaps it's all the endorphines!) and the fact that each run takes place in a different little Italian village makes it all the more fun and eclectic.

I am always intrigued to see what kind of refreshments they'll offer at the end of the course plus they usually have a little item of value or goodie-bag of stuff for the runners who finish. You can never predict what there will be, and if you know me, since it's a surprise.... I get super excited about it!

For example, after one run they offered us fried apples and a glass of wine? Or there was the time when there were sausages - Z liked that one! One time they served us a nice big plate of pasta. And most recently we were given vin-brulee... and the goodie bag? It can be anything from a bottle of wine to a package of spaghetti.

Well, today we got up at 7am to go running - in the rain! And after Z had been up until 1:30am completing a cement project... so we were zonked, but we had an agreement to pick up some friends for the run so there was no backing out. We had every intention to take it easy, but then, when I arrived at the point where we could choose to run either 15km or 21km I thought, "I'm actually feeling pretty good!" I had my i-pod tunes going and so, I turned down the 21km direction....

The feel of the rain on my face was liberating and I was listening to gospel music and they were singing, "Thine is the kingdom, Thine is the power, Thine is the glory foreeevver!" Amen! I was on a high :) Not to mention we were running through farm fields and with the rain the trail had become all muddy... I was remembering running the Muddy Buddy race in the US with my good friend Kim... Ahhh... so great!!!

About 2 km later there was a "restoro" the stand where they give you gatorade, water, and, here in Italy, hot sweet-tea :) You know that makes me happy!
I asked the fellow working the stand, "So, what km are we here?"
"Oh, you're just under 10km" came the response.
Just under 10km!?!?!?!?!??!!?!??!! I thought for sure that when they gave us the choice for the 15km or the 21km we must have been closer to 12km mark! That's when the realization first hit me, "Uh, oh, Amanda, you are in for it..."
That's when I began noticing, that since I'd made the turn in the 21km direction, I was no longer passing anyone... they were all passing me and looking very professional and well trained... I willed my legs to keep moving...

Two hours later I did finally make it to the end - one gimpy spazzing leg and all. My poor fellow runners had been waiting around for over and hour by the time I showed up because they'd decided on 10km and Z did the 15km - MUCH smarter people.
Oh, but when I turned in my completion ticket to get my goodie-bag, I felt VERY deserving. I'd sure earned that! And it was the biggest goodie bag I'd received yet! Pasta, granola bar, electrolyte/gatorade mix, a mini-cake, canned beans and peas and a jar of tomato sauce :D I ran to earn my food for the whole week!

Ouch! But my legs and feet are sure telling me that I shouldn't shock them in this manner... they'll recover though :) A good nap and a few items from my goodie bag will ensure that.

Now to make it from the kitchen to my bedroom... ohhhh... those 63 stairs are sure looking daunting!

Random Shots

2011-03-12T15:07:00.000+01:00

A package arrived a few weeks ago!!! I love getting packages, or sending packages... I just like packages in general :) This one came from Kim!!!

Thank you for the scarf Kim!!! It's great :)

In preparation for her upcoming delivery my friend Rachael and I went out for a "girls" night and had pedicures and Mexican food :)

Rachael relaxing

Rachael is in the maroon and I'm in the blue - I was hoping it would look like a nice Spring color... but it turned out to be a bit alien like...

Nice happy feet :)

Tackling the "Rat Room"

2011-03-12T14:56:00.000+01:00

There is a room in our house that we reserve for unwanted guests (we apologize if any of our readers have been banished to this room!). You will be relieved to know that Zeno took the job upon himself to salvage our "rat room"! I wish I had a few "before" pictures, but honestly, I think I was too scared of the room to open it up and take pics of it before now...
It's true history was that it is where the coal was kept when the house was warmed by coal. It's been a good 50+ years since anyone has ventured into or used the room. Our final goal is to turn it into a pantry of sorts complete with a deep freezer! :)

Here are Z's initial attacks... you can see that some of the cleaning fluids and solvents he had to use to make his first attacks went to his head a bit...

You get to the "rat room" by passing through the kitchen, into the first pantry, and wa lah!

Zeno cleaned it out, fixed some of the crumbling cement and painted it

This is our dehumidifier doing it's best to dry the place out

See the little sqare part in the roof? That's a secret passage way up to our first floor landing! Too cool huh?

Here's the brave man himself

The attacked caused premature aging... note the increase in grey hairs

in addition, I noted some psychological effects from the trauma of the cleaning attempts...

Stay tuned for the final results of Z's labors!!!! He's working on the floor and putting down more cement as we speak...

The first Lawn Mow of the Year!

2011-03-12T14:40:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday it was sunny and 18 degrees! (that's about 65 for you Fahrenheit folks) Of course I took advantage and spent the day in the garden getting ready for SPRING!!! I can't wait for Spring to come!!!!

I snipped and planted, uprooted and clipped, raked and trimmed and yes, I did the first lawn mow of the year!

Here are a few of our first blossoms coming out :)

The Valentine's Primula's I planted by our water pump and drain

Our first Giacinta :)

Our little daffys

Daffys are such happy flowers!

The only casualty was one of my fingers. You see, we didn't had any gardening gloves, but I wanted to go ahead anyways. And, I clipped the tip of one of my fingers - OUCH! It bled a lot. But a little duct-tape and I carried right along :)

Zeno knows my propensity to injure myself with sharp objects. Too bad I wasn't wearing the special "cut resistant" glove he got me for working in the kitchen:

It can be R or L handed :)

Ok, so if they exist, I can't possible be the only accident prone wife out there... Right Jared?

What to do with a husband who vacuums at midnight???

2011-03-12T14:23:00.000+01:00

Now, Z and I don't divide "domestic chores" we just kinda pitch in wherever we can whenever we can. Sure, since I have a little more free time, I do end up tackling more of the housework, but for the most part we keep the home dirt at bay together... or we slack off together.

Recently, with life and work being busy, we've been laying of the dust on the home front - or perhaps I should say, we've been doing projects that actually contribute to the growth of the dust on the home front!

On Tuesdays, I get the afternoon off, and so this past Tuesday, after teaching an infant CPR course, I tackled the dust in the bedroom and kitchen - it had gotten BAD and so it took me until around 9pm to wrap it all up... i wasn't keeping track of the time, so it was only after I stepped out of the shower that I noticed how late it was! Wow! I'd been expecting Z to be home a while ago... Hmmmm...

And then I heard the rattle of the door... I zipped down the stairs to find Z unloading a large box! I love boxes! And lo and behold, guess what came out? A new vacuum cleaner? ! ? ! :D

"Well, I noticed the dust piling up and thought it would be MUCH easier if we had a vacuum dedicated to the upstairs and one dedicated to the downstairs" - oh my wonderful Z! And that's when I was glad I'd rolled up my sleeves, because if he felt the dust buildup was worthy of a second vacuum, yes, it was BAD.

Meet our new vacuum - dedicated to the upstairs :)

Vacuum style - get plugged in!

You vacuum like this Amore...

Attention! Ready, aim...

FIRE!!!

Ahem, my cord unraveled a bit on that one...

You see how easy!

Ahiii... my back...

So, when Z and the new vacuum came home, we had dinner at around 10pm and then... Z and the vacuum "played" until past midnight! I was laying in bed trying to be an example of restfulness and subtly (or not so subtly) pointing out that I'd just cleaned and vacuumed our bedroom :)

Skiing in the Val Brembana

2011-03-12T13:47:00.000+01:00

Work has been tiring these days... but despite our desire to have a few extra hours of sleep, we woke up early last Saturday (despite all of our bodies protests - and believe me! They were LOUD protests!), we met up with our friends Daniela and Javier to spend a day skiing on the mountains!

Daniela + Javier taking a vin brule break

vin brule cin cin!

Mmmm... warming and restoring

What skiing style!

In BW it would be a vintage ski poster ;)

Takin a break... we did find that our muscles were not in mountain shape!

Z was skiing so fast his hair stick straight up in the front!

The Italian Alps

So nice to be in the mountains

Gotta love this crazy man!

Una birra buona :)

It was a perfectly gorgeous day!

Babies near and far

2011-03-12T13:32:00.000+01:00

In addition to my new little nephews - whom I can't wait to hold!!!!
A week ago, on March 3rd, yet another precious little boy joined us in this world :) Meet Isaac Antonio!

As calm as can be

Little Isaac was so anxious to join his family that he was almost born in the car! Praise God that he and mom made it safely to the delivery room just in time :)

Isaac's family - Giovanni (daddy!) Rachael (mommy) and Charlotte his new big sister!

It's so nice that the whole family is home now and very busy getting to know each other :)
Congratulations Gio, Rachael and Charlotte!!! Isaac, just a heads up - you've got an awesome family! You're going to love it :)

Baby Romans and RaceCars!

2011-03-12T13:16:00.001+01:00

I am a new Aunt!!!!
Clarification, I am a new Aunt for the 8th and 9th times :D It's an absolute blast to be an aunt <3 The only down side is living thousands of miles from the adored subjects... But with today's modern technology even that hurdle is somewhat jumped. There are only a few minor technical difficulties:
1. of course you can't physically touch the other person(s)
2. every once in a while the younger ones will decide "I wanna change this movie now Daddy...", "...but it's not a movie sweatheart, it's Aunt 'Manda ;)" or (and this one is great!) "I don't want to turn it off!" and they proceed to sit and watch you and whatever you're doing like you are the greatest entertainment since Sesame Street :)

So, without further delay, here are my two newest little nephews: Roman Jamal (arrived on Feb. 18th!) and Jeffrey James (arrived on March 5th!). They are nephews #2 and #3 - their cousin Jaron is very pleased to have a few male additions to the troop!

Roman Jamal - Romey

Romey's Family - Jared (Daddy), Becca (Mommy) and Toria - his new big sister!

Jeffrey James - named after his Grandpas :)

Jeffrey's family: Josh (Daddy) Natasha (Mommy) and two big sisters Lilli and Margie!

I forgot to clarify the blog title of: baby Romans and RaceCars. Roman is an obvious explanation - baby Roman is Roman! And especially his Zio Zeno is most pleased because Zeno is a true Roman as well! Born and raised :) So now we have two Romans in the family.
RaceCar? Well, you see, before little Jeffrey arrived, his big sis Lilli decided, "If I'm going to have a little brother, he needs to have a proper masculine name" and so she informed everyone that he would be "Race Car Kempson"! And in the womb, RaceCare he was called :) I don't know about in the US, but for those of the family in Italy, we still refer to him by his Lilli-given nick-name - he's our little RaceCar!

Certifications and Long Runs

2011-02-27T12:27:00.000+01:00

Passed my exam despite my tummy bug! That means I'm officially certified in Lymphatic-Drainage Massage. A therapeutic and very relaxing massage technique.

This weekend we have been home and it has been wonderful to have some calm time together with Z. We did weekend shopping yesterday morning and then while Z went to the range I baked cookies. I had the chance to chat for a long time with my family and see my new nephew Roman Jamal "in person"!!! He is the cutest baby yet ;) I'm VERY proud and can't wait to see him for real so I can hold him... does anyone know how close the techies are to creating a program with the ability to pass things over the chat connection? Thankfully, my niece little V (Roman's big sister!) was able to give him a few kisses for me <3

Zeno made us sushi rolls from scratch for dinner yesterday - MARVELOUS is all I have to say. Thank you Amore! And perfect pre-race dinner - this morning we woke up and ran 14k :) Oh, I feel it, but we had no injuries and a lot of fun.

Now to recover - spicy tea, a good book and a bit of relax.

Tummy bugs and exams don't go together...

2011-02-22T17:28:00.000+01:00

Somehow, during my trip to Portugal, I picked up a stomach flu. The kind that requires the near proximity of the bathroom :( Today, this evening, I have a final exam for Lymphatic-Massage... I'm finding that my concentration is not so sharp. I hope it goes ok!