Trip to England

Over Memorial Day weekend I went to visit my friend Jenni who I met at Camp Tecumseh about 6 years ago. So I thought I'd post the few pictures that I took. I'm horrible at remembering to take pictures.
Jenni will kill me when she sees this picture, but I went to school with her. She teaches 10 & 11 year olds. They were funny kids and were intrigued by the way I sounded. I even got to have a potato jacket with cheese and beans for lunch. Yummy!!!

Of course Starbucks was in order while I was there. We went to the outlets after school on the Friday and did some shopping!

My first Starbucks of the trip. I spent 4 full days enjoying my delicious Chai. Even though I can order it online from Starbucks, it's just not the same heated in my microwave instead of by a Barista. I was also able to get an England mug to add to our ever growing Starbucks mug collection.

OK...so we went to a farm that makes ice cream and on the way to Jenni's parents for dinner we got completely lost. The trees made this "tunnel" like effect of the roadways. It was absolutely beautiful.

Another tunnel like picture with me on the wrong side of the car!

Jenni on her mobile in a phone booth. Couldn't resist taking a picture of it.

So sad to say, that's my trip. It was a relaxing time. She's coming to see me the last week of July which will be nice.

Things are well. I met with the surgeon yesterday and my ankle surgery will either be the last week of June or the first week of July. He's going to repair the ligaments on the outside and the back of my ankle. It'll be so nice not to be in pain and be able to walk without the worry of falling or twisting it. The recovery time in total is about 6 months - 2 weeks non-weightbearing, 2 months in a boot, and 4 months in a brace. So i'll be meeting Michael when he comes home with a sexy black book on my right leg.

Hope all is well with each of you. We're looking forward to the move back to the states in 6 months and being able to spend Christmas with family and friends.

Until next time....

Memorial Day

I'm typing this note from Chester, England, where it's a bank holiday and I spent the day shopping in Liverpool.  But in the states everyone's remembering those who have served and are serving in our military.  At this moment my husband is serving in the remote mountains of Afghanistan and I couldn't be any prouder.  Even though we have spent 12 months apart and even though I miss him like crazy, I am so proud of what he does.  I know he's fighting for our country and our freedom, but he's doing something that he believes in.  He sees what we do not see.  He gets to do something that is making a change not only in his life but giving hope to people who might not have been giving the chance to have a fulfilling life. 

I love you Michael and I am so proud of what you and your guys do.  I know they're reading this over your shoulder so to them I say "Thank you and stay safe!"  

Until next time......

Going Away

Hey friends! I'm going away for a few days to England to visit my friend Jenni from camp. I'll post pics when I get back.

Things are going well here. The weather's been kinda yucky with loads of rain, but hopefully that'll keep the pollen down a bit. Michael is doing well. He's been at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan for a few days working on his Officer Candidate School physical. So now his packet is complete and it just needs to be sent in so that it can be in on time for the August board date. We're hoping to hear something before we leave Italy for the states. Other than that the countdown is probably around 10 weeks, but that's just an estimate.

Love and miss you all. Until next time....

Happy Mother's Day

Today Tammy, Kyle, and I spent Mother's Day in Asiago, Italy. It's a beautiful town high in the mountain. Unfortunately for us it was chilly and very very cloudy. So we didn't spend a lot of time there. But we did have a great Mother's Day lunch and bought some Asiago cheese. YUMMY! Here are some pics:

The road up the mountain to Asiago.

The Alps in the distance

The busy streets of Asiago. It was reposo time while we were there.

The American Sporting Hotel in Asiago.

You can tell we're getting close to Germany because the building have a Germany influence. It's like this all across Northen Italy where towns border with Germany and Austria. It's so awesome to see the complete difference. You feel like you're in Germany but you're still in Italy.

A mural dedicated to the Alpini

The Alpini Memorial in the distance.

Tammy and Kyle at a fountain

Every Italian town has a church in its center.

Here's Kyle with his new shades on. He wasn't too happy with them.

Stud enjoying the terrace...

So I know you're probably wondering about the towel. Stud is supposed to sit on it. Unfortunately he only sits on it when I'm out there. We spent a good 2 hours out there reading and him sleeping today.

As I was chatting with Michael online tonight - I looked out the terrace door and he had his head stuck through the railings. There must have been something interesting going on down there.

Then something exciting happened under the terrace. He's a crackup!!!

So that's about it here. Michael wants to see about some plants out there - so I'm gonna head to Ikea tomorrow to see about some planters and/or pots. I can get some nice plants on post.

Hope you're all doing well. The weather is gorgeous.

Until next time....

PS Hello to the guys looking over Michael's shoulder as he's reading this!!! Can't wait for you to come home!!

YAY for patio furniture!!!

Because Michael only saw what it looked like online, I thought I'd post some pictures of what it looks like.

The sofa is a glider. There's this extra box that I have no clue what it's for, but I think it has to do with the glider. I'm gonna put it in the garage and save it for when Michael comes home. I think he'll probably need something to do anyway. Sorry Andrew & Patti that we didn't have anything for when you came. It's much more comfortable than the kitchen chairs!!

Another big thing happened yesterday. I have been wanting taylor ham, egg, and cheese on a roll so much lately. And at the commissary yesterday they had Canadian bacon!!!! And to add to the happiness of them actually having that - they had Kozy Shak Rice Pudding too!!!!! It was a happy day yesterday for me. I know that doesn't sound exciting to some people, but it excited me.

Until next time....