Buon Anno...Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year familia and friends. May it be filled with lots of happiness :D I'm including a video of the celebration here from my bedroom balcony. It was amazing...Italians love fireworks and the video doesn't do their celebrating justice...it was so much better live. When you hear us hollering "Happy New Year" we're shouting to our American neighbors across the street. Also it's funny how just by their screams and hollers Lesley is able to identify the Americans that live in our neighborhood. LOL Well enjoy!!

Let's hit the road Jack....

I never intended for my blog to be a place to vent, but please bear with me. Writing helps me clear my thoughts.

We are heading to Garmisch, Germany for a week of fun in the snow.What a great way to begin the new year. We are anxiously looking forward to getting Swedish massages, sledding, skiing,the resort gym, the food, and relaxing in the pool. The views are absolutely breathtaking there and the fact that we get to hang out with the Fernandez family while we're there is an added bonus. Here's a pic I took when we went earlier this year in March. Isn't it so pretty...this is a view from where we'll be staying at Edelweiss Lodge Resort.


I'll try to post before we leave in a few days.

My husband's version of treats for Santa...cookies and a cupcake:D

Enjoy this clip of Gabe leaving treats for Santa :D

My goodness I dislike the way my voice sounds recorded;P EEWWW. Do I really sound like that??

Merry Christmas 2008

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year.
Love,
The Freemans

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Venice

A picture summary of Venice.

First we took a boat taxi. Here is Gabe taking in the view from the boat.

Venice was flooded due to lots of rain and it was cold

We walked to St. Mark Square and got a private tour of the church which was stunning!!
One of the many canals
Gabe and his new friends Cameron & Alexis
This was an amazing church

Aren't they cute

Gondolas.....

We didn't ride one this time around, but plan to when we come back in the summer

Some of the gang

We found a Disney Store and just had to spend some dinero there

I only wish the weather had been better. We made the most of our visit, shopped, and ate very well. We will definitely return.

Six things to teach your son....

Someone emailed this to Trent. Who comes up with this stuff??? And what's up with # 6..there are certain situations where NO MEANS NO !!!

Six things to teach your son....

It's clear that all too many fathers have failed to pass on a masculine ethic to their sons. The "greatest generation" might not have been afraid of German and Japanese troops, but they were afraid of their wives and daughters. And while it's not possible to boil down the age-old question of what makes a man to a few simple paragraphs, there are a few things every man should attempt to impart to his son:

1. When you have to do something to the car in inclement weather, you must always get out of the car with the driver. Even if your assistance is not needed, and especially if it's freezing cold. No one knows why this is necessary, but it is nevertheless.

2. Never threaten and then fail to follow through. Even if you end up getting your butt kicked, it will be a salutary lesson to watch your mouth in the future. Bluffing is for poker, not the real world.

3. Even if you don't like football, baseball or basketball, know the teams and a few relevant facts about each. If you do, you will always have something to talk about with other men while the girls are chatting.

4. Know how to throw a ball, shoot a gun, change a tire and throw a punch. This will allow you to avoid 75 percent of all humiliating circumstances.

5. Learn how to leave a room in anger without stomping. It just looks stupid.

6. Ask for permission once. If the answer is no and you're going to do it anyway, just keep your mouth shut and do it.

Our trip in pictures....

Finally I'm getting up to speed with information about our trip. The drive up north was very wet and scenic. Lots of sheep,vineyards, and the rustic charm of the Italian countryside. To our excitement they had a Burger King located on the Army post in Vicenza. Stateside we hardly ever ate at Burger King or McDonalds..(yuck), but every time we see one here in Europe we eat there mostly because it reminds us of home and it is more affordable.


Two of my happy kiddos at BK



While Trent attended his blood bank conference the kids and I did a little shopping on base and at a local Italian mall. Lesley and I found a great little pizzeria in that area....the pizza there was heavenly.



Local mall

One evening we ate at local restaurant with some of Trent's friends.



The meal and conversation were great. Dr Quesada and a few others are trying to convince me to move to the Washington DC area next so that Trent can finish a second masters degree and attend a fellowship there. I don't know though...the kids and I are so ready for stability and a home to call ours. I'll leave that in God's hands!!!

The kids and I were brave and ventured out to Verona, which is about an hour away, sans Trent one day. This city has so much history and was absolutely beautiful. This is the city of the Capulet and Montague families of William Shakespear's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. We visited the supposed houses of Juliet and Romeo. In Juliet's courtyard you'll find a staute of her where tradition says that if you touch her breast you'll have great luck in love. We really enjoyed the town and had so much fun. I would say that it was a perfect day, but we had a little incident on the way back to our hotel that nearly brought me to tears. I got lost which wasn't scary because of our GPS system. I was about 19 kilometers away from our hotel when I drove over something and my front right tire instantly went flat/blew out. To say I panicked is such an understatement. My first thoughts were ...how in the world am I possibly going to explain where I'm located and how in the heck is Trent going to find us??? I was about 3 miles away from the nearest major highway and I'm not fluent enough in Italian to ask for help. All I have to say is thank you Lord for technology it saved the day. I called Trent gave him our GPS coordinates, town name, prayed, called my mom in Texas (yep like she could help me...:D just like a kid I wanted my mami LOL) Trent logged on to Google Earth and within 30 mins. he found us and put our spare tire on. Technology today....I'm so thankful for it!! Here are some Verona pics:

It's getting late and I'm going to watch the movie Last Holiday with my kiddos. I'll post our Venice pics tomorrow:D.
Ciao

Wordless Wednesday...Yummy Italian food

gnocchi alla sorrentina

margherita pizza

tiramisu

bruschetta

Salmon steaks

Still catching up with rest after our long drive....

I'll post pics from our trip to northern Italy soon. Until then this looks like fun.....although there aren't actually 100 statements if you count closely?????


100 Things Survery

RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold the ones you have done. Grab it and play for yourself!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
.7. Been to Disneyland (Disneyland, Disney World, Disney Paris & a Disney Cruise to be exact)
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris (twice)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked (you don't even want to know...just that I was with a couple of friends)
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check Yep....as a newly wed
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten cavier.
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone both of my arms and my ankle
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Guess where we're headed....

We are leaving tomorrow to Venice for five days :D. I'm hoping the drive there, which is eight hours, will be a smooth one. Today I have a lot of planning and packing to do. I will hopefully be able to blog while I'm there and meet up with Kasia who is staying in Vicenza for a few days before driving up to Germany. Pray that our trip will be safe and uneventful. I'll fill you in on all the details of the trip later.
Ciao,
Stephanie

Lazy days...

Yep, that's what our day will be like today. Trent has duty at the hospital so we are watching holiday movies all day long. Hope your day is spent just as well.
Ciao,
Stephanie

Black Friday shopping.....

Ahhh...last night after eating more turkey I headed back to the base at 9Pm and met up with a few girls to send Kasia off for good. She was supposed to leave on Monday, but it took a little longer to pack her shipment. After chatting we went up to her TLA room and planned on meeting today at 7 AM to shop at the NEX. The Italian nationals who work at the NEX decided to go on strike to impact the biggest shopping day of the year. Boy did it work and was it ever frustrating to me!!! The reason why they are striking is because they want higher wages and the ability to shop at the base commissary and exchange. In my opinion, I do not think they should be able to shop at the commissary or exchange.

Anyway I anticipated some trouble getting on base this morning so I asked the MP (military police) last night at the gate if I should come early because of the strike. He proceeds to tell me that I won't have any problems because they don't anticipate any violence. Okay so Lesley and I wake up at 6AM this morning and leave the house around 6:45 since the NEX wasn't opening until 8 AM and guess what we see???

There were hundreds of union members striking. Not only were they striking outside the front and back gates, but they were blocking both entrances and exits. They refused to allow any traffic on or off base...and boy were thay successful in pissing a lot of people off and hurting the sales at the exchange and commissary today. As a matter of fact the commissary didn't even open because all of the cashiers were striking. Being that my father is so pro-union I tried to reason with myself what they were trying to accomplish, but I couldn't help but feel resentment towards these people who were disrupting my shopping and the plans that I had for this morning. Eventually since they were blocking the entrances to get on base I drove by them and the Italian police and just parked my car amongst the crowd then walked on base not even caring if they broke into my car and vandalized it.

Finally I was going to shop after the 40 min. delay outside the gates. I eventually met up with my friends, bought several gifts for the kids/ Trent and then stopped at the food court to have a cup of coffee with Jackie, Janet and Patricia. Lesley and I headed home after a very long morning. It was so long she fell asleep on the way home;D

Guess who greeted me as soon as I pulled into our carport......he's so cute..I love him to pieces!!

Our Thanksgiving.....

This year we spent Thanksgiving at home. One of Trent's co-workers joined us for our early feast which was ready by 1:30 PM. We had the usual array of dishes....turkey, my mom's stuffing,macaroni, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, and gravy. Lesley baked a pecan pie from scratch. She even made the pie crust...I was impressed and it was delish. After eating we went to watch High School Musical 3 which was fun. We also stopped by the video store on our way home and rented Edward Scissor Hands. I am so thankful that Trent isn't deployed and is able to spend this time with us, but as we said grace our thoughts and prayers were for the families who are spending this holiday season apart.



Compared to past Thanksgivings the only things missing besides extended family were the viewing of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and Dallas Cowboy game. Back in good ole' Texas that was a must:D

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Noah adding leaves to our Thankful tree

Wordless Wednesday

Husband Tag...

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? He's a news junkie...CNN, Sky, or Fox.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch or a low calorie dressing.

3. What's one food he doesn't like? He will not eat menudo or organ meat YUCK !! My dad has tried on more than one occasion to get him to try menudo, but has yet convinced him it's good.

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? He doesn't drink that often, but when he does it's either a glass of wine or Samuel Adams.

5. Where did he go to high school? Acme-Delco High School in N. Carolina.

6. What size shoe does he wear? Size 10

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Navy memorabilia and books

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? He likes a good grilled panini.

9. What would he eat every day if he could? It used to be cookies, but ever since he started eating right it's been yogurt with wheat germ mixed in.

10. What is his favorite cereal? He likes Honey Nut Cheerios and Quaker Oh's

11. What would he never wear? Probably Crocs.

12. What is his favorite sports team? North Carolina Tar Heels

13. Who did he vote for? Obama

14. Who is his best friend? ME

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? He would wish I wouldn't be pessimistic.

16. How many states has he lived in? Four: N. Carolina, California, Texas, and Virginia. I could count Rhode Island too, but that was only during Officer Indoctrination School.

17. What is his heritage? He basically considers himself a black man, but his maternal grandfather is Cherokee and his paternal grandmother is Irish.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be? A chocolate cake with whipped topping.

19. Did he play sports in high school? He played football and baseball.

20. What could he spend hours doing? He is pretty much all work and little or no play. If he's not on the computer following the stock market he is working on his Lean Six Sigma project.

21. What's something cool about him? You could plant him in the middle of a KKK meeting and he'd make friends...I'm not kidding he has the type of personality that just draws you towards him..He's a natural leader and very humble. He sees good in everything and is extremely positive. Most importantly though he is very loving and affectionate towards the kids and I. :D I love him so much!!!!

Not so Wordless Wednesday...

Noah holding the Leaning Tower of Pisa ;D
Lucca, Italia

Big sis and lil' brother

Weekend summary....

Friday evening Trent took the boys bowling for a Boy Scout fundraising event. They had a great time as usual. Gabe insisted that he bowl without any help from dad. I tell ya he is growing more independent everyday. Thankfully he still likes to snuggle with me.







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Later that evening, I headed out to O'Rhys Irish Pub to meet up with the gals. Kashia and Viviana are leaving this week and we just had to get together. I don't think I'll ever get used to having to say farewell to friends....such a rite of passage for a military family. Alas as much as we want them to stay they are headed to greener pastures...Germany and Belgium. At the pub we started off our night with some karaoke. The girls and I sang two songs together.....we didn't get booed off the stage so I'm assuming our performace wasn't all that bad ;P The pub closed a little after midnight, but we still wanted to get our groove on so we decided to head out to some Italian clubs. Long story short I was the designated driver and we went to 4 clubs...only one happened to be open that night. LOL I didn't get home until 5 AM and when I walked in the house Trent was waking up for the day. I stayed up almost an hour more and told him about the night and then hit the pillow. Oh and believe me rarely do this...so don't think I'm out in the calle every weekend until the wee hours of the morning sans mi esposo(hubby):P

L-R: Janet,Kashia, Anna, Viviana, & Patricia
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Noah's soccer game was not as exciting as last weeks. The score was 10 to 0. He scored four out of the 10 goals. Trent said the players on the other team seemed to be younger. It was a U11 team just made up of mostly younger players compared to Noah's team. Something great happened after the game....Noah was asked to join the American Soccer Club. It is a soccer team made up of American players that play against Italian teams. Depending on how hard Noah works he could learn and gain so much from the team and coaches. They provide many soccer camps also that are taught by British and Italian soccer players.

I'll try to post some of our family portraits I got this weekend in another post.

Ciao,

Stephanie

It's touch and go....

My internet that is, one moment it is working and the next it's not.It's very frustrating to say the least!!! I really hope it stays on for good this time.
The weather today has been very cold and rainy. Over here the rainy season starts in mid November and last until late March. Usually I welcome the colder weather, but since we moved into our new house we are trying to conserve resources especially our gas. Gas is extremely exspensive here. Some things that we are enjoying a lot are hot cocoa and sitting by the fireplace.
There's nothing like getting cozy by the fire and losing yourself in a nice good book. That's exactly what I'm going to do right now with Noah. Enjoy ya'll evening
Ciao..ciao,
Stephanie

Finally we have internet...

Okay I should be getting ready to head out the door to Kindermusik class, but I'm catching up on some of my favorite blogs. Our internet has been down for over a week and our phone has been down longer than that. In brief, we are all doing well. Just thinking today about Marsha and family. They are in my prayers daily and her posts have ministered to my heart. Happy Birthday in heaven Christian.
Ciao,
Stephanie

No words just lots of hope.......

Never forgotten..............

Randy Richard Cervantes

November 4, 1977- November 12, 1977

My beloved baby brother...even after 31 yrs. I still think about you and remember vividly like it was today your last night with us. Although we did not have much time together this side of heaven .....I can only imagine what it will be like when I see you again. Happy Birthday in heaven and I love you always.

Stephanie

Promised homecoming pics.....

Alas this is a little overdue being that Homecoming was over a week ago, but better late than never.