Saturday, January 21, 2012

And yet again...

And yet again, it has been forever since I've posted.  I know it's completely cliche, but I am going to make an effort to be consistent with updates!  Not much has changed since I wrote last.  Life is very much the same, and yet very different simply because we are becoming more comfortable here. 

The holidays were filled with lots of fun because we were able to be with family despite being so far away from other parts of it.  For Thanksgiving Micah's sister Bethany and her family came down!  It was a fun, much too quick trip, and filled with silly puzzles. Our car is too small to fit everyone so we had to take a couple two-trip adventures to get anywhere, and our oven is a glorified easy bake oven so cooking Thanksgiving dinner was quite humorous.  Nevertheless, it was wonderful to share Italy with people so familiar, and with people who knew that it was an American holiday!  It was also the first time we had company in our house, so although it was stressful trying to get things like a mattress for them, it was exciting to feel like our place was home. 

For Christmas we switched it up and were able to spend about two weeks up with them at their house after we spent a weekend at a military resort in Germany for a 3-day marriage retreat through the post chapel.   Again, it was wonderful to be with family so far away.  I got my kid fill and it was exciting to be around kids at Christmas.  It was a weird feeling for me though because it was my first Christmas that wasn't spent with my family.  Even though I wasn't at home the year we got married, my family was still with me.  So I missed our little traditions like making gingerbread and singing Christmas songs at the top of my lungs with my dad. 

We came home a couple days before the New Year so that Micah could squeeze in a day of work, and then we headed off to Milan and Turin. 
We took the train because everyime we drive we are in a huff by the time we find whatever hotel, park, and inevitably walk quite a ways.  The trip to Bethany's house from the resort and this trip was the first time we took the nice train as opposed to the weird smelling one that stops every two minutes.  Apparently there is assigned seating, but we could not figure it out.  Oh, the adventures of traveling.  Other than that it was a wonderfully quiet and pleasant train ride that allowed us both to do some reading.  Since I remembered to bring our Rick Steve's book this time we were able to figure out how to take the metro in Milan to our hotel fairly easily.  We also got lucky that the hotel was in a wonderful shopping area even though we were outside the historical part of the city.  I always research before we go, but it doesn't always work out that nicely.  Our hotel ended up being lovely though!  I had gone to Milan as a child and all I remembered is the main duomo...it is just beautiful.  We went and saw a couple other things through the city this time, but the duomo still remains the main event.  It was a slow-paced trip which was absolutely wonderful.  We really enjoy just walking around these cities and soaking it in, rather than rushing around trying to see a billion museums...mostly because most of the museums are in Italian anyway! 
Turin was about two hours east of Milan by train, and we came in on New Years Eve.  Again it worked out that we had an easy time finding our hotel and it was absolutely wonderful.  It was a block from one of the main squares that houses the Royal Palace.  Turin was another city I'd visited as a child, and the Royal Palace and it's armory were the things to stick out in my memory. 
The thing about Turin was that I didn't think about the timing.  I love to travel, but the planning I'm not so good at.  In Italy, even big cities shut down on a holiday like New Years, rather than stay open to the swarms of people visiting.  So the first night we wandered around for nearly two hours looking for dinner before eventually settling on McDonalds because it was the only thing open, and because by that time we were in a food delirium.  We were so tired after that we went back to the room to rest up before exploring the city in the hype of midnight.  Of course I was sick as a dog from eating McDonalds, and apparently crashed as soon as we got back to the room and told Micah in my sleep that I didn't want to go back out.  So my poor sweet husband spent our first Italian New Year sitting in our hotel room.  Needless to say I felt so bad!!!  Anyway, the next day we were excited to see some of the many museums and historical sites that Turin has, only to realize that it was a Sunday, and in Italy everything closes on Sunday.  By God's grace, we did get to see the armory which was what I really wanted Micah to see.  So we walked around and soaked in the amazing architecture that abides in Turin!  It really is wonderful and unique.  When dinner finally came around we started walking around again before realizing the night before was going to repeat itself and resorting to ordering room service (a first for both of us cheapskates).   The next day we walked around some more and found what I believe was a section of the old Turin wall that had a statue of Ceasar Augustus.  The more exciting thing for me was that I have a distinct memory of taking a picture of that wall when I visited long ago. 
So our Anniversary/New Years trip was wonderful, dissappointing, crazy, and relaxing.  No matter how crazy the traveling gets it's fun to be tourists and feel like we're actually in Italy!


Micah is gone for training yet again.  Although I in no way like it, I am starting to grow accustomed to it.  I seem to transform into a whole different person.  I am more connected now with FRG and am helping coordinate this huge new program for the unit.  I just finished interviewing for a very part-time job in the post education center.  I am taking Italian classes two days a week through post, and I'm hoping to take a cooking class sometime in the near future.  I hate cooking but it would be such a waste to leave and not know how to make the dishes I know I'll crave!  I've been participating in PWOC which is a ladies bible study group that meets at the chapel once a week.  I was also introduced to a church this past week that although is not CIV, seems to have wonderful fellowship.  I've been successfully going to the gym pretty much daily, and now usually say hello to at least five people that I know whenever I go on post.  I now have more than two people calling me, and have been having something to be at everyday.  I just extended my first invitation to hang out, rather than simply tagging along on other people's plan.
Slowly, but surely, this is becoming home.  It is still lonely at times, and I still sleep on the couch when Micah is gone, but I can sleep now!  God is definitely using our situation to grow me, and has been revealing to me why he has placed us here.  I am praying that he continues to reveal his purpose and praying that I will have the heart to obey.  Our God is in control, and he has repeatedly shown that to us, and it is a daily effort to let my life reflect the truth of that. 

Monday, October 10, 2011

Mobile

Alright well it has yet again been forever since I last posted.  The latest news is that I can now drive our car!  Micah has had a lot of training lately, and in August while he was gone I went up to visit my sister-in-law Bethany and her family.  While I was there she graciously took me out several times to practice driving because Germany actually has normal roads that aren't too crowded.  So by the time I got home I at least felt comfortable enough to try and drive to post when the roads were relatively empty!  Although it's only been a couple weeks I'm getting pretty comfortable driving the car simply because Micah is off training again so I've been driving around alot. The problem now is getting comfortable driving in Italy.  Italians are pretty much crazy drivers and they have crazy roads.  You have to make split second decisions because the roads split constantly and really quickly.  The problem is that our Garmin is delayed, and the streets aren't marked for the most part, so it's really hard to follow.  So I'm still really nervous about getting places where I haven't been before.
It's been tough to have Micah gone so much lately but God has been blessing me with people that are including me in their lives.  A couple weeks ago I became the Secretary for the FRG (Family Readiness Group).  Bascially these women are the contact between the unit and families and try to be a social coordinator for the unit.  It's a volunteer thing, and it won't take up tons of time, but it will be a great way to be connected with other people in the unit.  Lately I've been spending alot of time with the FRG leader, which has been so nice!  Honestly, just to have someone that calls me other than Micah is pretty cool.  There's also another woman that I've been spending more time with.  She's the wife of a guy that did ROTC with Micah.  They helped us out alot when we first got here, but he's training more than Micah and she works so we haven't really spent consistent time with each other. She is just a wonderfully sweet low-key person with a real heart for God.  I'm hoping that we can continue to get closer.
It's been a continuous challenge for me to make friends, but God is working in spite of me.  When I get to know people my instinct is to be quiet and when I make a conscious effort to be sociable I usually end up interrupting, babbling, or just being annoying! Or I put on my small talk pastor's daughter face and people don't get to know the real me.  So God has really been challenging me to be open with people and I've just been praying that as I commit to being real with people that He will bless me with social skills.  More than that, that he would continue to guide me in developing relationships with people that he wants.
I've been continuing to think and pray about what to do with my time here.  Being involved in FRG is great, and I got all the paperwork to start volunteering at the Red Cross. I'm still thinking about taking courses to get my medical coding and billing certification.
As for Micah, he's just been extremely busy with work.  He's still discovering what his job looks like, and really struggling with not being able to do everything perfectly and ahead of schedule.  Not to mention they are really busy with lots of training and so his superiors don't have much time to really teach.  My husband loves to help people and hates to let people down so every day is a challenge as he learns. 
We are really looking forward to the holidays coming up and spending some time together.  Being apart is definitely tough, but we are fortunate in that we will never take our time together for granted. In the meantime, I am trying to just focus on finding my worth and joy in Christ.
Psalm 86:11-12 "Teach me your way O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.  I will praise you with all my heart, O Lord my God, I will glorify your name forever."

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Slow and steady

Well yet again it's been awhile.  The days are slow and yet overwhelming.  We've been in Italy now for about two and a half months, and yet it feels like a week. 

Since Micah started work everything has been kind of a blur.  My days are pretty slow, just filled of endless thinking, researching, planning and Gilmore Girls.  Nights and weekends are pretty much filled with Micah trying to recuperate and me trying to squeeze in time with him.  Work has been pretty overwhelming for him just trying to figure out his responsibilities.  He learned when he started that he's also linked with the commander so he's separated from the rest of his guys. They're gearing up for lots of training too, so there hasn't been much time for instruction or guidance on what to do and how to do it.  So prayer that as he continues to focus on bringing God glory through his work God would provide him with a peace and comfort.

We're still working on getting settled in the house. The car is a manual which I can't drive yet.  I've learned how before but never really drove one.  So between trying to find time and not really having anywhere to practice it's just not happening. Which has made shopping, putting together furniture, or decorating a very slow process.
Once the house is settled and I can actually drive I'll start thinking more seriously about getting a job to keep myself occupied.  Jobs are hard to come by here since it's such a small post.  My options pretty much are whether I want to be a checker at the PX or the commissary.  Which is kind of a bummer, but it's alright since I just want something to keep me busy.  I'm thinking of possibly getting some certifications in medical coding.  It would be something that I could possibly do at home later on.  It also would be something to do, and would be paid for by military spouse tuition assistance if I do it relatively soon. 

Italy is still very interesting to us, and we're still trying to adjust.  Don't get me wrong Italy is wonderful, but it's wonderful when we get to be tourists and travel around and go out.  The rest of the time it's like being in any other place going to work and going to sleep.  Except without the convenience we're used to in the states. 
The gelato definitely makes up for alot, but I think the weirdest part about being here is that going out you can only get Italian food.  Again I love Italian food, but pizza and pasta are the choices.  You can't order a pizza, or get Chinese food, or a burger, or Mexican food (real or Del Taco), or anything else.

I've really just been struggling with what God's wanting for my time while we're here. As of yet, we haven't been able to find a church and there aren't many choices.  As time goes on I'm sure that I'll become more involved in army wife life, but that comes with connections and usually deployments.  So I've been trying to focus on becoming closer to God and stepping out in obedience no matter how silly or small it may be. Prayer that my heart will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit would be much appreciated.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

The Italy Update

I'm starting to feel like all my latest posts have started with me saying, "Wow", but well, it fits again.  We have now been here in Italy for about three weeks, and as usual I feel like so much has happened and yet nothing all at the same time. 
Our travel went really smoothly.  The flight into Venice was definitely void of any entertainment, but it was only the two of us in the row and we were both able to sleep a good amount.  Once we got into Venice the liason from the post met us right outside customs and we got all our bags quickly so we were able to catch the shuttle back to the post right away.  On the shuttle we met an officer who gave us lots of advice on random things and let us use his phone to call our sponsor (an officer who is assigned to help us settle in) who was supposed to take us to our hotel.  We spent the first night in an Italian hotel that was right off post.  It was fine, but just highlighted the unsettledness that comes from being in another country. Our sponsor gave us and all of our luggage a ride to the on post hotel the next day.  We've been staying there since.  It's basically like any nice American hotel suite.  It's been a blessing just because it's been a place of comfort in the midst of feeling constantly out of place. 
Our time since has essentially consisted of us going around to basically every office on post.  Micah got a 2 page list of things to do.  The tough thing has been that there have been two four day weekends when the post has been closed.  Probably half of those that work on post are Italian civilians, so when they have national holidays the offices shut down.  When you combine that with the American holidays and the four day weekend every month, it's pretty hard to get things done around here. 
Most of that time has been our many trips to the housing office, although comparatively, we were able to get into a place fairly quickly.  Our original goal was to find a place close to post so that we wouldn't have to get a car. We ended up being faced with choosing between fairly decent places that still weren't as close as we would have liked and a place about 15 min (4 miles) away, that was by far the best as far as space and Americanization and was a better situation as far as the neighborhood and landlords.  So we chose the latter, and are so excited to move in TOMORROW! Check out my Facebook for pictures...for some reason it takes forever to load pictures onto my blog.
Essentially we live in a duplex.  It's a house but our landlords, a couple about our parents' age and their two daughters in their 20's, live upstairs.  They are the sweetest people, and the picture of Italian hospitality.  We finally found a car here, a Euro spec 2003 Ford Fiesta, which was more than we thought we'd be able to get and we were overjoyed because for weeks we couldn't find anything because so many people are coming here right now.  The only trick is that we can't get it until the 6th.  So anyway, we had to be at the house for several hours this afternoon to wait for our government appliances and wardrobes, and Paoulo the husband, came downstairs with a tray of homemade pasta and water for the two of us to enjoy on the porch swing.  Then invited us upstairs for "cafe" with he and his oldest daughter.  We were planning to try and catch the bus back to post, but the daughter graciously offered to give us a ride back.  Then Paoulo offered to take Micah back and forth with him to post next week. 
We are going to love it here, mostly just because of the trips on the weekends, but it's going to take some time to get used to not having things we're used to.  We get about ten english channels on TV through the military, but I haven't found anything that I really want to watch, and everything is about a month behind.  We can't use Pandora or watch tv online through network sites because of agreements and things, although I still can watch through one site that I found.  Eating out is different than the States in that Italian food is the only option, which is good, but pizza and pasta is basically it.  The first couple weeks that we were here the EU had the restriction of lettuce, tomato, and cucumber on all restaurants so having to eat fast food on post for weeks got old quick. Besides the commissary, Coke is served and not Pepsi, does not have free refills, and is really expensive as long as water.  The PX and Commissary are decent, but with only one other main store in Vicenza it may be tough to get alot of things. We have a theater so we can watch things in English, but they show 4 movies only on the weekends that are about a month behind.
So although getting situated to Italy and settled in our house will take some time, we are blessed to have wonderful landlords and great friends from ROTC that continue to be God's comfort to us.  God is God, and I don't have to be...so glad :)

Monday, May 30, 2011

Ready or Not...here we go

Wow.  Right now Micah and I are sitting in the Philadelphia USO wasting about 4 hours until we get on a plane and fly to Venice. 
The past week or so has been a complete blur.  We sold our car, so we've been driving a rental.  We somehow acquired alot more stuff than we came to Georgia with so we were up until 1am attempting to not pay $200 for our baggage.  And although I technically have been doing nothing, I feel like I have been searching things on the computer and calling random people about random things for the past couple weeks.
Airborne school went really well for Micah, but he is completely worn out.  The heat (mid 90's and near 100% humidity) and the long days (16-18 hours) really wore him out.  This past week he made his actual jumps and did really well, but he's pretty banged up and still exhausted. It was an awesome thing to be able to watch him make his jumps, but the long days of standing in the sun took their toll on me as well. 
All that to say that the weekend with our friends in Charleston was definitely needed.  They have twin boys that are now about 3 weeks old, so they were completely on board with our sleep in and hang out plan.  And I got me some baby time :) Of course it was a little bit nutty with trying to pack everything, ship what we needed, call family one last time, and try and gather our thoughts so that we would have everything in order before we left. But all in all it was a great weekend, and regardless of whether or not we remembered everything and got everything sorted out or got enough sleep, we're on our way to Italy. 
As scattered and fleeting as my emotions are on the subject, just today God has reminded us that he is in control even when I am definitely not.  Our worries about actually getting from the rental car return to the terminal with all of our bags were calmed when their was a luggage cart right where we dropped the car off. Our worries about getting to the airport late because we forgot to get gas in the car were calmed because there was no line or trouble with security. Our worries about the amount of suitcases and weight were calmed when we discovered weight wasn't an issue and all of our bags were free.  In our weakness, we see his strength, even in the little things.  So as of now, we are both just anxious to get there and see what else God has got up his sleeve.