We're back! It was a busy two months, but we're here and 2012 has begun with a bang. Let me rewind though and get us out of Italy...
Our last month in Italy was spent with Flintstone furniture, suitcases, and borrowed pots and pans; an absolute life-saver and blessing considering it was all free and we were still in our amazing apartment. We packed all that up though and returned it, headed to the Navy Lodge for the last week, and had some great farewells with friends. We ate a an Agriturismo that we should have found WAY earlier and frequented often. The desert was donut holes dipped and sugar and slathered with melted chocolate... and not Nutella chocolate, legitimate, amazing, wonderful chocolate. Oh, and the food was awesome as well. We also went and had a marathon Sunday with our church family, which included an Italian Christmas Eve dinner made by Titti, and then desert with all our church family over at the Zick's home. It was the longest Sunday ever, but it was by far the most memorable. More than anything we saw all the love and caring that surrounded us, and most of all, we saw how loved Grace was by our Church family. God blessed us so very much when He led us to Il Faro.
We got on the Rotator the following Friday, which was a production! Thanks to Joyce and her van, we were able to make everything fit, and even Opel was comfortable. Im' sure we were a ridiculous sight as we tumbled into the Mac terminal; two of us, Grace in her stroller, Opel in her crate, three large checked bags, two backpacks, a carry-on, and a carseat. We moved as an entity, and thank goodness people just didn't want to deal with it, so they moved. :) The flight was great, Grace had her own seat, which was amazing! No jockeying around, trying to get her to sleep in my arms, we just popped her in her seat, gave her the paci and blanket, and she slept like a champ. If flying didn't feel like you were being robbed, I would buy her a seat every flight we took, but alas, she's good for lapping it until two and that's what we'll do. We got in to Norfolk around midnight I think, and our lovely friends picked us up, jamming all those items I listed before into their Pilot (plug for the pilot, it ALL fit, crate assembled and everything!), and we spent the night at their home. It was a good time to catch up with them, though it was too short.
We got to Monterey the next evening, having rented a van from San Fran and driving down. It wasn't one of our brightest ideas, I think we stopped three times in a 90 minute period because both of us couldn't keep our eyes open and felt we had to switch drivers. It was stupid really, but God was there, and we made it. That following week we did everything we could to set ourselves up before heading to KY for Christmas. We went and bought a Honda Odyssey the first day we were there, tentatively reserved a house to rent the second day, Daniel checked into school, and we got Opel to a kennel for the holiday. Oh, and the day before we left we signed on the house and dropped all our stuff in it before turning around and leaving for KY. Thank goodness we flew out of Monterey for that flight! The airport is literally around the corner from us. Loved it.
Christmas was restful and it was awesome to see Daniel's family and let Grace play with her cousins. We had the flu run through the house, starting with me, mum, and Clayton, all within a 30 minute time frame.It kind of knocked us out for the week, especially since it rolled through, so Daniel Deppe was the last one to get sick and that was two days after I had. We got lots of quality couch time and the TV was used well. Grace was the only one to avoid the bug, she never got sick. I prayed hard for that one. I didn't want her to have to go through that, and I was nervous as to how she would handle so much throwing up and other things. She was okay though, and she had lots of smiles and energy to give to everyone. We got to celebrate her first birthday too! We all were healthy on the 29th, and we got to sit with her, eat a chocolate butterfly cake that mum and I made, and we opened presents from the whole family, including the Spinwebers. I thought I'd get teary, but I was just happy and proud. It's been a fast year, but it's been a good one, and Grace is such a ray of sunshine that I can't help but be excited to see her grow and develop into whatever God has in store for her. I think next year I may be a little teary because she won't be much of a baby anymore :).
That was a great way to end the week, being together and celebrating Grace. We headed back on New Years Eve and were asleep by 930pm :). Just as well, if I would have stayed up, I would have been thinking about the fantastic NYE fireworks that lit up the Cuma/Fusaro/Monte Di Procida sky off our terrace. AND, I probably would have been a little teary thinking of how it was our first night home with Grace and she was asleep on my shoulder as I walked outside and watched the show. It was our first feed being home and I can remember feeling so overwhelmed, but at the moment I got to pause and enjoy. I don't think I'll ever see anything that tops that NYE firework
show.
Since we've gotten back, we've started exploring Monterey and enjoying our own little community. I can't explain how nice it is to have sidewalks again, and to be able to leave my front door (granted, with a posse in tow), and go for a walk or run. It's amazing, plain and simple. Everything is so close, it's ridiculous. You put a grocery store in the navigator, or downtown, and it's only 4 miles! I can go to Starbucks WHENEVER I WANT!!! I think I've probably overdone that a little bit actually. lol. It's so good though! And, you can go to a Safeway food store, take a cart without having to have a quarter, and I can take my own cart to my car and not have to pay someone for not pushing it! AMAZING! It also is very convenient and enjoyable that I am 3 hours behind people and can call them whenever I want :). There are other things, but those are the big stand out perks of being in Monterey, and back in America in general.
We still have to have our Italian reminders in our life though. Titti would be proud, I made pasta carbonara the other evening because we wanted pasta, and even though I think I used too much cream, and I had to use bacon instead of prosciutto, it came out pretty well. Daniel liked it at least :). Now all we have to get is our espresso maker and we can have café in the mornings, and a pasta dish in the evenings. And maybe I can figure out how to create those chocolate-slathered donuts. Hmm, good challenge.
Until next time... I have to write about our swagger wagon. It's Ah.Maz.Ing :)
Ciao Tutti.
