Civita di Bagnoregio

So today Blake, Reid and I ventured to a small town called Civita di Bagnoregio or better known as the "dying city". The city is 4,000 years old!! A few hundred years ago everyone abandoned ship after an earth quake struck and ever since the town has been slowly eroding . The population right now is on the rise at a whopping 30 people.It is completely different fromRome and I am absolutely in love. In order to enter the town you must walk 1 kilometer across a very narrow bridge. Inside there is one trattoria (restaurant) one bar (coffee/snack shop) and 1 shop (for tourists). It is so quiet and there are no cars (or people) you can just wander up down the narrow streets and imagine what life would be like here.The 30 people that do live here take great pride in their town. It is very clean with

flowers every where. It even appears that they hang curtains in the abandoned apartments. There is a strong sense of serenity and maybe sadness as you look around at all the buildings with chains and locks on their doors. I guess all good things must come to end but this place is hanging on with all its might.

My Karate Kid

Reid just had his first Karate class and loved it! He is the youngest one in there and does not have a clue what he is doing but had a big smile on his face the whole class. He says that he is like Skipper from the TV show Penguins of Madagascar. If you have not seen the show it is pretty cute. And yes I was THAT MOM waving at myson through the doorway and taking tons of pictures. Well, that is after I learned how to put the kimono on properly. (I am in VERY new territory here) I pray my little girl wants to be a ballerina.

Mother's day

A quick addendum to the Greece post. One morning we celebrated mother's day in Greece. It was probably one of the most memorable to date. Here we are sitting at a cafe with the bluest waters possible enjoying a frappe. It is here Andy presents me with my mother's day gift. A beautiful necklace and a dress for our future baby girl! Guess where we are planning on adopting from? . . . .

It's all Greek to me

We packed up the family and took a quick 4 day trip to Athens, Greece in order to take full advantage of a business trip. We arrived Saturday morning and decided to rent a car and get out of the city and avoid the riots, tear gas, and all-around mayhem of the city. We borrowed Bill and Karen's GPS. They previously lived in Athens and recommended a beach near Sourin on the southern-most tip of the Athens peninsula. The beach was even saved in their GPS' favorites. So, we fired up the GPS and started following directions. Unfortunately when we heard the phrase "you have reached your destination" we were in the middle of a land-locked parking lot looking at a tire store. We pulled out the map and realized we went 30km in the wrong direction. So we drove back towards the airport. Interspersed in the greek-worded signs we found our way and eventually got to the beach. Well, not 'the beach', but a beach. We ate at a local fish house on the beach. Kate and I opened the screen door and Reid jumped down to play in the sand. He would jump up, have a few bites of lunch, and then jump back down and play more in the Adriatic.

The next day we woke up early and took the metro to the port to find a ferry and visit the greek island of Spestes. We arrived at the ticket booth and the woman said "you're in luck, there's a ferry. Do you see the ferry in the far distance, your ferry is a small one behind that. Here are your tickets. The only problem is that it leaves in four minutes. Good luck!" And off we dashed to the ferry. Nothing in Greece is on time - except the ferries. Running we waived our arms in the air. The ferry delayed enough for us to jump on board, and then off we went.

The day in Spetses was our favorite in Greece. We ate breakfast in a small restaurant on the water. Reid played in the sand and Kate and I drank cappuccinos. He hadn't planned well, so kate and I bought bathing suits and sandals in a local shop. We rented bikes and rode until we found a deserted beach. Well, almost deserted - there was a small tiki hut with a bartender. Reid loved throwing rocks in the Adriatic with his parents snoozing in the background.

On Monday unfortunately I had to go to work. Kate and Reid explored the Plaka and National Gardens. After work we met and toured the Akropolis. Glad we did it, but don't feel the need to go ever go back.

Looking back on the trip, even while living in Italy, Greece is worth visiting. The islands are Greece's saving grace - and Kate and I plan to go back. It's hard to compare the colorful cliff towns of Cinque Terre to the white-washed, blue-top towns of the Greek Islands. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Or - like comparing green olives to black olives.

Heaven through the eyes of a child

So Reid has been talking a lot about heaven a lot. . . . where is it, when will he go, is Mimi there? I have been pretty good about answering most questions until he really stumped me the other day. We were walking home from school and he looked up in the sky and asked "Mommy which cloud is the heaven cloud?" I looked up and really didn't know what to say. How do you explain heaven to a four year-old? Finally I answered "It will be the most beautiful cloud you will ever see. If I ever see it I will show it to you." He seemed pretty satisfied with that answer. . . for now.

Ravello

So this year was a big birthday for me (still having a hard time adjusting) and instead of having a party to celebrate I thought it best to escape. Andy Reid and I went to Ravello on the almalfi coast. It was perfect. It is this tiny little village hanging on to the edge of a cliff. We stayed in an old monastary and because it was January we basically had the whole place to ourselves.

The first night we ate dinner at this little restaurant where the husband took our order and the wife was back in the kitchen cooking. She later came out and asked us if we like it and scolded Reid for not eating enough. “Mangia! Mangia!” she tells Reid and then brings out an arm full of oranges for him to eat. We liked it so much we ate there the next night too.

The next day we went to Villa Cimbrone and leisurely strolled through their gardens. I found where I want to renew my vows! It is this terrace that over-looks the world. It is called the Terrace of Infinity (or something like that). It was amazing! Unfortunately Andy would not step foot on it (afraid of heights) so it looks like I will need a “stand in” for the renewal service.

‘death by needle’ bin

The other day Kate and I had some blood work done for a physical. A local lab was recommended by the Embassy Health Unit. Kate went back to get her blood drawn while I filled out paperwork. After I finished with the paperwork I went into the next room to find the doctor squirting kate’s blood from the ‘plunger needle thing’ into an open-aired tube. I always assumed that the blood container was directly connected to the needle. I guess not in Italy. The blood was just sitting there with no top. It was daring me: “I bet you’ll faint - you wuss”. “No”, I countered. “I will NOT faint”.

And I didn’t faint. Score one: Andy. Then it was my turn with the needle...

It started off so well. The doctor stuck in the needle in, plunged away, and then squirted it into the glass tube. No fainting. Score two: Andy. The doctor put a bandaid on, and then walked away while saying something in Italian. Kate walked out of the room to pay the bill. I felt sure of myself, and so decided to walk around the room a bit. Everything was fine until I got to the corner where the biohazard bin was located. In the U.S. the biohazard bin is sealed and locked, with a one-way hole to put stuff in. Not in Italy. As you can see by the picture, it was just an open box filled with bloody used equipment. What’s hard to see in the picture is the blood splattered on the wall, as if the doctor throws the needles like a frustrated writer throws a crumpled up piece of paper into a trash can. I snuck a quick photo with my phone and didn’t get caught - score three: Andy.

As I put the phone back in my pocket I looked down to see my bandaid covered with blood. Looks like the doctor nipped an artery. Then I started to faint. Game End: Italy wins again. “Kate!” I yelled as a stumbled back (fortunately not forward into the ‘death by needle’ bin. Kate ran in. Then came the doctor. They laid me down. The doctor said something again in Italian, and made hand gestures to insinuate that I needed to keep my elbow bent and direct pressure to the bandaid. (I guess that’s what he said before - I need to learn Italian...).