In Memory

Our hearts are heavy with the news of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown Connecticut. I cannot call it a mass shooting, because to me, it is twenty-six very separate and equally horrifying crimes against humanity. Each and every one of those lives was sacred, and each of those lives belonged to a beautiful individual who had so much more to offer the world. As a mother, I have cried bitter tears for the children who were taken so long before their time, and for the families who were so cruelly robbed of their little ones, or their sisters, daughters or mothers.

During the aftermath of such a tragedy, compassion for our brothers and sisters of the world should come first and foremost. We should all feel compelled to rally around our stricken fellow humans with love and support, to share their grief and try to help bear their immense burdens however we can. It deeply saddens me to see so many people use this source of unimaginable pain as a platform to spout their political and religious opinions.

This is not about politics. This is not about religion. This is about Charlotte, Daniel, Olivia, Josephine, Ana, Dylan, Madeleine, Catherine, Chase, Jesse, Grace, James, Emilie, Jack, Noah, Caroline, Jessica, Avielle, Benjamin, and Allison; the innocent children. This is about Rachel, Dawn, Anne Marie, Lauren, and Victoria; the heroes who died protecting their students. And it is about Nancy, a mother and victim of her own child.

We should not be sensationalizing these crimes, nor should we be plastering images of Adam Lanza across the media so that he gains postmortem celebrity status. We don't need to loudly and rudely debate gun control. We don't need to make self-righteous claims that if God were "allowed" in schools, this wouldn't have happened. We should be focusing on the precious lives lost, the mourning and grief of their families, and how we can help them eventually begin to heal from their terrible losses.

So if anyone in Newtown happens to be reading, may they know that so many people across the world are thinking of them. We mourn with you, we cry with you, we look for answers and comfort for you. We don't hug our own children without thinking of yours. Though only you can know the depths of your sorrow, you are not alone to bear it. We are here for you in any way that we can be.

Mt. Etna in November, before snow.

We took a drive up the south side of Mt. Etna recently with some friends and were able to get some pretty cool photos. Despite it being a dreary, overcast day down at the bottom of the mountain, it was beautifully clear once we came even with the cloud banks!

We also got to see the first traditional signs of autumn on our drive -- gorgeous fall colors on the leaves! Everything is still lush and green down in our valley.

The drive is along a scenic, winding road--and it takes less than an hour to reach the highest point you can get to in your car from Sigonella.

All along the road are areas where you can pull off and enjoy the views of southeastern Sicily, Mt. Etna, and this house that was buried in an eruption.

Nothing but blue skies as we reached the highest point in our journey! There is the option to ride up closer to the largest crater on the ski lift, but it costs 28 euro per person. We did not anticipate that price, so we skipped that adventure!

And here's one last picture of the very top of Mt. Etna. We can't wait to go back and see the snow!

Girls' Day Out

This past weekend, some friends and I visited the Sunday market in Catania--the antique market! We got there early and had a quick breakfast in a bar (pastries and cappucino--delicious!) and walked several blocks to the market.

The antique market is huge, and full of everything from jewelry to shoes to furniture. A lot of things are quite frankly junk, but there are so many treasures to be found! I loved looking at the sterling silver and crystal home decor, the antique furniture, and ceramic wares of unknown age. There were also several tables of old books, which were fun to flip through.

The focus of our trip was to find green glass jars! We were quickly loaded down with all sizes. The jars were used for wine and olive oil--wide mouth for oil, narrow for wine. My friend Jennifer found one that is one hundred years old. I bought a small green one with decorative bubbles on the bottom half.

I also found a beautiful painted trinacria, which is the symbol of Sicily. After a fun bout of bargaining, I bought it for nearly half the asking price.

Here we are stopping to rest on the way back to the car with all of our treasures:

I'm not sure if people thought we were going to sell our things, but a few people stopped and stared at us! Two nice older Italian ladies stopped to tell us the history of the jars and Stacey's little pots...turns out they are chamber pots! Super cute planters, though!

And here is my lovely trinacria in its place of honor on a front wall of our house:

Sagra del Pistacchio in Bronte

This weekend, Landon and I ventured up to the west side of Mt. Etna to the picturesque city of Bronte, for their annual pistachio festival. Bronte is well-known for their green pistachios, and it's not hard to see why--they are delicious!




The city of Bronte, looking down from the southwest municipal park.

The drive was an hour long, mostly on a scenic, winding road that gave stunning views of the mountains west of Etna. Parking was surprisingly easy to find, but facing downhill on what seemed to be a nearly vertical little back street. I knew it would be a challenge to get out, but we didn't need to wear out Landon's little legs before we even got into the festival!

The festival was spread throughout a good portion of the city, with lots of vendors set up under tents. They had everything from sparkling crystal jewelry, to market stalls of fresh produce and cheeses, to full-sized ovens! I couldn't resist a snake wrap bracelet, and Landon had to have a sword with sound effects and a real laser.

We enjoyed live music, from a Native American playing flutes to a full marching band. We had pistacchio gelato and fresh strawberries, and Landon had an Italian-style hot dog (made on a panini grill). It was a nice alternative to the Apple Festival, which we were missing in our home town this weekend!




Fresh fruit at a market stall decorated with grape vines. This is where we bought our strawberries.

We left at dusk, and our steep parallel parking was just as difficult as I expected to get out of, but I managed without hitting anyone! Then we crept through streets so narrow that my side mirrors had to be folded in, drove right across the main festival thoroughfare, and made it out of the city just as it was fully dark. Not a scratch on the car....(corna al metallo!) That's the Italian equivalent to knocking on wood!

Check our Facebook pages for the full photo album.

A Day at the Beach

Here are a few pictures of a gorgeous beach we visited today, near Siracusa. Being from North Carolina, it's strange to be able to enjoy a warm, sunny day on the beach in late September!

We went to the Fontane Bianche lido, right next to the Hotel Fontane Bianche. Since it is now the "off-season", the lido prices are reduced. It was also much less crowded than the lidos in August!

 

To the south are large rocks coming up out of the water, great for climbing and jumping off! Didn't get to attempt that on this trip, but it's definitely on the list for the next one!

 

This beach is about an hour away from Sigonella, but well worth the time. The drive is really easy, and mostly highway distance. For more information on the Fontane Bianche and driving directions, check the Links page!

Agriturismo = Delizioso

It's been a while since our last update, so we thought we would share our dinner experience from a few weeks ago!

Some time ago, we discovered an agriturismo very close to our house. We've been a couple of times, and it never fails to impress. The food is fresh and delicious, and the service and atmosphere is so relaxing and comfortable!

The last time we went, we remembered to bring our camera. But, as we were the only ones there at our reservation time, we were seated in a smaller area. So we didn't get photos of the huge dining room with antique decor, but don't worry--we'll definitely be going back!

The name of the place is Masseria Portiere Stella, and it is well hidden in the rural countryside. But, it's only a 10-15 minute drive from Sigonella!



 



Masseria Portiere Stella from the front, walking up the path. It is a farmhouse originally built in the 800s, that has been beautifully restored and filled with antique farm equipment and decor.    

This is the entrance from the courtyard. It opens into a bar, sitting area, and small dining area.

 

                       

 

The courtyard has beautiful landscaping, sitting areas, and cobblestones. There is also a pool, which guests can use during their stay, or you can also pay to come have lunch and swim without staying overnight.

 

                           

 



 Here we are at our table in the small front room. Past the bar is the way to the larger dining area.



That is the door leading to dining area and guest quarters. The decor is very cozy and like a home in this room. There are even couches and a small television.

 

Billy and the boys.

 

 

Antipasto dishes. The children get adult portions of the antipasto. In addition to the assortment on our individual plates, we also are served two side dishes.

 

Primo course, penne pasta. They always ask if Logan needs his own pasta dish, but he just shares with us! Landon gets an adult portion. We always have plenty to bring home. Our pasta was served with freshly grated parmesan, yum!

 

(Billy forgot to take a photo of the meat course! We were served pork chops and roasted potatoes.)

 

Dessert tonight was fresh fruit. Very simple and light, just what we wanted after all those courses!

 

We should note that guests do not place dinner orders at Masseria Portiere Stella. You simply call for your reservation (2 hours in advance), come in and be seated. The wine is local and provided with the meal, along with bottled water. The menu changes each time, but always includes bread, antipasto, two vegetable or rice side dishes, pasta, meat, and dessert. We would recommend NOT trying to clean your plate each time, because the antipasto alone is enough for a meal!

All of us love coming here to eat. If you're in the Sigonella area, give it a try!

Agrigento

 

Sunday was our long-anticipated trip to the city of Agrigento, the location of the Valley of the Temples. The drive was a bit long, at two hours, but very scenic. We spotted several aqueducts, and the rural, mountainous countryside was beautiful.

 

We took lots of pictures, and have included a few good shots of the temples. We would definitely recommend a visit to Agrigento to anyone visiting Sicily!

 



This is the first temple in our tour of the Valley. It is dedicated to Juno (or Hera), and all of the weddings of the Greek city of Agracas took place here (The city was renamed Agrigento when the Roman Empire took over). It also has the only complete altar remaining in the Valley, which Landon had a great time climbing! This temple was built in the 6th century BC.

A good portion of the old city walls of Agracas are still standing on the southern edge. There are arches visible in the walls that the Greeks used for frescoes. The Byzantine Christians who later conquered Agrigento used these recesses as tombs. Landon was going to climb in until he realized what tombs were! The view from the old wall is picturesque, and you can see straight to the Mediterranean.

This is the Temple Concordia, named for an inscription found inside the temple. It is unknown which god or goddess this temple was dedicated to. It is one of the only complete ancient Greek temples that still stands today, without having undergone reconstruction. Our guide told us that it is very rare for both of the sima, or triangular parts on either end, to remain intact.

View from the entrance to the Temple Concordia, looking toward the back. You can see the naos, or interior building. The bare walls have no recesses for statues, so it is assumed that there were murals painted on the walls. Also, in their time, these temples were all white--they were covered in lime to be reminiscent of the marble temples in Greece, since the Greeks were unable to find marble on Sicily.

The Temple of Hercules is the oldest temple in the Valley, built in the 7th century BC. Only one of the columns was left standing until the 1800s, when a British captain moved to Agrigento and devoted his personal fortune to reconstructing the fallen temples. The reconstruction of this temple was halted when a worker was killed on site, and it remains as the captain's team left it, with pieces of the other columns and parts lying around the foundation.

We all thought it was amazing to be so near, even touching in some cases, to ancient Greek history. The anecdotal history given by our tour guide was full of interesting facts about everything from the daily life of the Greeks to special strategies of building the temples.  But, it was a very hot day, and we were also all glad to spend a few hours at a nearby lido to cool off and rest a bit before heading back home!

For our full photo album from this trip, see our Facebook pages!

Our house is now a home!

Last Monday was the long-awaited day--our household goods arrived! We had been looking forward to this since the day we landed in Sicily: no more less-than-comfy loaner furniture, no more cooking with non-nonstick pans! Having our own things and decorating the house! Yes, yes, yes!

But, of course, it was not just as simple as the movers unloading and reassembling our things while we check off each inventory number on their list.....because the inventory list made by our Virginia moving company was not numbered. And the random items that had an inventory sticker on them, well, that number didn't have a point of reference anywhere at all. Plus, the item descriptions were all confused (of course, they also marked that ALL of our things were scratched, dented, worn, etc.--we bought all new furniture a year ago!)

The Italian movers said they'd never seen anything like it. Our crates didn't have a security seal, our flatscreen TV was simply wrapped in brown paper (it miraculously survived), we opened one unlabeled box that contained everything from our TV remote to a baking dish. Another box had metal golf cleats thrown in with gauze scarves. A very expensive easel was thrown into a box with brushes dumped upside down on top of it, no packing material for padding. Not to mention the lack of inventory numbers made it nearly impossible for them to verify that everything was delivered for their company records. We ended up writing down a list of numbers from the stickers on some items, and another list of item descriptions which didn't have numbers. We still don't know how they sorted all of that out in their offices!

Every time we opened a box, we became more and more convinced that either a) these people had never actually packed for a move before, b) they were lacking some crucial pieces of common sense, or c) they simply had no respect for our belongings. We are leaning more toward the last option!

But, it was our stuff, and it was largely intact! After the frantic pace of Monday's day-long marathon of unloading and furniture assembly, we were left with piles of boxes in each room and the loaner furniture (along with very dirty floors!).

So began the week-long unpacking and arranging process...which is for the most part finished, now. We have 4 boxes left in the house to unpack, plus a stack of frames and things that need to be hung. The downstairs is visitor-ready, and our bedrooms are organized and all clothes put away. The most daunting task, the playroom, was finally finished yesterday! The house is looking good, and feeling like home. It's such a relief. Now we can just focus on our upcoming trip to Agrigento, Landon starting school, and Billy's baseball team!

Day Trip!

Last weekend, we took a day trip to the northeast corner of the island to see a medieval town called Santa Lucia del Mela, and also visited a beach. This was our longest trip yet! It took about 2 hours to drive to Santa Lucia.
When we got there, we realized very quickly that we'd be leaving the car behind. The streets got more and more narrow with every turn. The town is situated on a small mountain, with a castle or castello at the very top. We ended up parking the car about a quarter of the way up the mountain!
Hiking through the town was pretty hard, especially with the stroller and a temperature in the mid- to high 90s, but completely worth it to see the gorgeous view at the top! Plus, it was really cool to see firsthand how life in a (somewhat) modernized medieval city is like. Here is what we could see from the castle:

Our original intention was to attend the annual festival the town holds, featuring a king and queen, the royal court, knights and jousting, and music. But when we reached the castle, it was still over 2 hours before the festival was to begin! We were all hot and tired, and pretty satisfied with all of the sights we got to see, so we decided to head to the beach. We ended up in Roccolumera, at a pebbly beach with crystal clear water. Billy and I tried out our new snorkeling gear, Landon also "snorkeled" in the shallow water, and Logan was happy holding rocks!

After an hour or so of beach fun, it was time to head home. It was a beautiful drive down the coastline! We can't wait to go back and explore the eastern beaches some more.

Getting out on our own...

Today was our first attempt at driving in Sicily, farther than between the two bases and our housing. Well, Billy's first attempt at driving, and the first time riding in something other than a bus for the rest of us!

We started out to the NEX depot on base first, and one of the employees told us that Billy might be able to get some baseball equipment at a store in a nearby town for the upcoming adult baseball league. Our directions were, "Toward Catania from Motta, it's down the hill to Misterbianco on the right."

Okay....I have been halfway down that hill to a winery and olive oil press, I can get there! Never mind that I have only been into the city of Motta once so far, and it was on a van, and I wasn't paying extremely close attention. But...we found our way through Motta easily enough--without even hitting anyone or anything on cobblestone streets about 20 feet wide--and went down the hill to Misterbianco. Where the road promptly split about 50 ways. After a few frantic lane-changes and squinting at the road signs stacked 10 high, we managed to find Zacca! Annnnnd it was closed.

Next plan, let's try Porte de Catania, which we have driven by numerous times and shopped at once. It should be easy enough, it's right off the autostrada..........we end up nearly in downtown Catania, with the crazy roundabouts and streets that really ought to be one-way when you're driving an American mid-sized sedan! So we turn around and manage to get back on the highway heading vaguely toward home. Then our GPS decides to mess around with us....we exit onto a little country road with a great view of the brand-new IKEA store! Now I really want to go to IKEA, but we have no clue how to get there and our GPS is telling us if we just take a right in a few hundred meters, we're almost home.....so we take a right. Onto a barely-paved "un-named road" with deep potholes, which appears to go absolutely nowhere. Soon we come to an old, rusted gate with a "private property" sign, and have to turn around. Thankfully, with no witnesses! What GPS sends you down an "un-named road" in Sicily that apparently just goes through orange orchards??

So we get the GPS to calculate an alternate route, and it takes us right to IKEA! Where we get lots of rugs and a cute lamp for super cheap, of course.

All in all, our first independent venture out into the "real" Sicily was a success. We DID locate the sports store, even though it was closed; we DID make it to Catania, even though it wasn't exactly the part we were aiming for; and we DID get to IKEA!!

Our First Sicilian Weekend

It's now Monday, and we're finally starting to adjust well to our new time zone. Which is fortunate, since we were all up at 0600 today to begin indoctrination. Landon is spending his first day at the youth center here at Sigonella, and is loving it so far. He's already made friends! There was no space for Logan, so he got to spend part of the morning with a PO2 while Billy and I sat in for the CMDCM's address. Later will be our Italian driving safety course, a must if we want Italian drivers' licenses.

We've done quite a bit in the few short days in Sicily so far. On Friday, our sponsor gave us a tour of the base, which is beautiful and very clean. After the tour, we were pretty much wiped out since we'd just arrived. Saturday, the four of us spent time in the arcade, tried out a snack bar/restaurant, and saw Madagascar 3--for $7.50 total! The kids also discovered a park. (Logan: "Paarrrp!!")

On Sunday we got to see a little more of the area surrounding the base, as our sponsor drove us to Porte de Catania, a mall. We bought bicycles for ourselves and Landon, with a seat for Logan. Now we won't have to walk everywhere until our car arrives! Both the boys love riding, and weren't ready to stop. We also went back to the park, where Logan acquired a girlfriend who ran around holding hands with him the rest of the time. They hugged each other when it was time to go.

It was a much clearer day Sunday, so we could see Mt. Etna emitting a cloud of smoke. I tried to take a few pictures on the road to Porte de Catania. This one was the best.

We can't wait for our car to arrive. It's hard having all of this beautiful countryside and places to see all around us when we can't leave the base without a chauffeur!

We've Arrived!

Unfortunately, this blog has been abandoned while we were visiting family in NC and making final preparations for our move....but it is back in operation now!

We arrived here in Sicily around 3pm local time, after a 7 hour flight to Spain and then a 2.5 hour flight into Catania. We're all settled into our hotel, and we got a quick tour of the base yesterday evening. We were all exhausted from flying!

The kids were practically perfect on our flight; Landon loves airplanes now and Logan slept for the vast majority of the time. Billy also slept, but I had the pleasure of a little girl kicking and pushing on the back of my seat all night....

Today we plan on getting bicycles and a cart for the kids to get around on base until our car arrives. We'll also be exploring a bit and will be adding some photos soon!

Here's Landon on the plane before take-off....

Officially official, we're going....and SOON.

Everything is now finished and official..... we have our visas, passports, flight schedule, pack-out date, and not a lot of time left in Virginia Beach.

Our departure has been moved back a week, as we will now be traveling via MAC flight. We are still planning to spend most of June in North Carolina!

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like our time left in Va. Beach will be very peaceful....we'll be moving out of our home this weekend for mold repairs. We're planning on getting a lot of things packed up ready for the big move now, since we aren't sure how long we will be displaced for the repairs. At least we won't be put up in a hotel; Lincoln is providing a furnished home not far from where we are now.

Dependent Entry...Approval!

Well, it's finally, actually official: Emily, Landon, and Logan are approved to accompany Billy to Sigonella.

Now we are awaiting our visas and Port of Call (should be done any day) and then the Navy will book our flight. We're hoping for an overnight trip across the ocean, since the boys have never traveled for longer than 5 hours in a car! We're also hoping it will be well below the 85 degree cut-off for Aurora to come with us.

Meanwhile, we've been renewing everything that will expire while we're gone...including Emily's military ID, which has now gone missing. Really need to find it, as in yesterday! We've also been scheduling our HHG pack-out, storage, car shipment, and Aurora's final vet visit to clear her for travel. Time is flying by, soon it will be time to start packing up what we'll leave behind. And time to visit everyone in NC!!

Update!

It has been quite a while since we updated our "moving blog"! Here's a little of what has been going on with our PCS...

Government passports are done!!!! Billy's tourist passport is also back. The rest of us haven't been able to apply for a tourist passport since our birth certificates have been a little busy off in PSD-land... Also, this morning we applied for our visas. (And left without getting our military IDs back, that was not fun. The guy forgot to give them back and we didn't realize it.)

As far as medical concerns go, Emily's pulmonary appointment went well and the doctor wrote a note stating that overseas travel should not be a problem. However, there is still one more test to go to "rule out asthma." (No one is paying attention when we say we have mold!)

So right now, we are currently awaiting approval and sponsorship from Italy, and also waiting for our visas to be issued. Meanwhile, we're slowly transferring things we don't want to take with us down to NC. And.....waiting for results to come back from our mold inspection. We are sort of wary about packing too many things up for storage since we aren't sure if our things are contaminated or not.

Minor Setback?

Just when we thought we were almost finished with all of the medical screening, paperwork, and applications for various IDs....Friday happens.

First, we were all up and on base by 7:00 to personally hand in our government passport applications. That went well enough, although thanks to missing the bus stop and having to sit with Landon at the school until the bell rang, Emily was late for work.

The next hurdle for Friday was Emily's immunizations. Getting the shot record from our old civilian provider's office in NC was a nightmare....we had been trying since Wednesday with no results. Finally, it came through with 30 minutes until Emily's next patient was scheduled to arrive. Thirty minutes, two frantic drives through traffic, and one pissed-off sailor in the waiting area later, Emily made it to work just ahead of her patient after deferring the one vaccine "recommended but not required."

Then came Emily's medical screening appointment after work. Where she did not do so well on a breathing test.....so now will be scheduling an appointment with a pulmonary specialist. If the issue is asthma, which the PCP believes it is, we have to determine whether the naval hospital in Sigonella has adequate resources for dealing with any possible problems related to asthma. So we are not quite done with all the screening processes yet.

At least Billy and Emily have done a few more lessons on Rosetta Stone, and can now talk about food, eating and drinking, and riding horses....

Getting things done, sort of...

The Navy is definitely not making it easy to get everything together within time limits. But we are getting there.

Yesterday, Emily actually had a short day at work, going in late and getting off early. Perfect time to check off a few more items on the list, or so we thought. Unfortunately, the dental clinic was only offering a one-hour time slot for overseas screening. In the middle of the workday. And the immunization clinic wouldn't administer any shots without a hard copy of the shot record. So, Emily's PPD was the only thing to get done. When we found out the afternoon would be free, everyone rushed around to get on base before 4:00 to hand in visa applications, because we all have to be present and that just does not happen on command with a family of four including two full-time working parents. Of course, the woman we needed to see left for the day 45 minutes earlier than closing time. So we went home and filled out forms in everyone's dental records. At 5:30, Emily realized she could at least go get copies of her and Landon's X-rays from the civilian dentist. Which closed at 6:00.... She made it to the door at 5:59 and got the X-rays.

Today, we were all up at 4:30 to get to Norfolk's dental clinic with hopes of being seen on a walk-in basis and somehow get everyone to school and work on time. It miraculously worked out, with minutes to spare. So now dental screening is done. We also found out today that we all have to come in for a face-to-face screening as well. How that is going to happen, we have absolutely no idea. Tomorrow, we will all get up early again and be on base by 7:15. Hopefully by 8:00 our applications will be in for visas and government passports.

We all cannot wait for the next week to be over, and all of this taken care of! An overseas PCS is a ton of work, even with more than 2 weeks notice to complete everything!

Quick Trip Home

Unfortunately, there are no copies of Billy's or Emily's birth certificates anywhere in this house. So, Billy has now left for a there-and-back trip to NC. He will have to go to both separate courthouses and pick up the copies, then head right back up to VA.

But, since G-Lou is now in the hospital with a broken hip, it gives us a good chance to get some well-wishes her way without having to wait for the mail to run tomorrow. The kids made her a homemade card, and Landon picked out a balloon. Shhhh...she doesn't know Billy is coming to see her!

Next thing on the list after getting copies of our birth certificates: Kids medical appointments and immunizations, and passport appointments on Tuesday.

Re-Enlistment

Off the topic of moving, but Billy's re-enlistment was today! Here are a few pictures from the ceremony.

Back on topic, Aurora's new crate for the flight arrived today! She was afraid of it at first, and didn't want to go in. But after Logan started playing in it, she sort of warmed up to the idea! She won't stay in it for long, but we have plenty of time to get her acclimated!

Slight Change of Plans

Now, we will not be leaving until the first of July. So we will be spending most of June in NC, depending on Landon's school. Also, Billy does not have to go to California! Woo!

There is a TON of paperwork that has to be done. Last night, most of the medical forms for Emily, Landon, and Logan were completed (or as much as we could before the actual appointments.) Everyone goes next week for their medical work-ups which, if Billy's was any indication, will be absolutely no fun at all. On our huge checklist, only 5 things are done, but many of these things cannot be done without the actual hard copy of orders.

Of course, the villa that we want may not be available when we get to Sicily. Plus, it only comes furnished, and we definitely want our own things. So housing is still way up in the air!

Villas Versus...?

At last, a realty website that is not all vacation rentals! After several hours of searching through Motta, Catania, and several other surrounding towns, we settled on this villa with an amazingly low rent.

We're emailing back and forth with the realtor, to find out more about the area and utilities. Of course, base housing is far from being out of the question at this point, but if we do live out in town this villa is our favorite.

Wow- We're Going to Sicily!

And so it all begins.....we'd been told Fort Story or Florida just last week, but then on Wednesday things changed.

We narrowly missed a PCS to Japan, thanks to a detailer willing to give a few choices. Between Japan, Spain, and Italy, Billy chose Italy with a split second decision. For 36 months, starting in May.

But, the catch is, Billy will be in San Diego for a training school for a month and a half! So now we are frantically scrambling to get everything in order during the two weeks before he leaves.

Today, we got passport photos for the entire family (Landon's and Logan's turned out so cute!) and filled out applications for passports. We also got the visa applications, but weren't sure how to do those, so they're still sitting on the desk.....

We'll be going to Sigonella NAS, Sicily. It's near Catania. So far, we've decided to live in base housing until we get a good feel for the local area. Plus, everytime we search for home rentals, we get "luxury vacation villas"!

We've spent hours already browsing through pictures online. It's not really real to any of us just yet that we will actually be living in this beautiful region! Landon is learning a few Italian words, thanks to Google Translate and Talk To Me Cloud, and is excited to learn a new language with Logan. He's definitely not excited about the plane trip, during which "I have to chew gum, even if I don't want to!"

Our appointment to get our passports is on February 8th. We also need to schedule overseas medical screening for all, including the dog! We can't do much else until we have the exact date for Billy to report to his new command.

Also, re-enlistment ceremony is on Friday!