champagne wishes and caviar dreams....

2010-02-07T21:24:00.003+01:00

I've been trying to figure out what to write about on my first blog in months- there's always the trips we've gone on, he newest things Parker is doing, or the struggles of raising a toddler and a puppy at the same time, but I've decided to write about what's been on my mind recently...Italy! Karl and I are getting down to the last few months of our Italian tour and every day that goes by, we think about all the things that we're going to miss here. This week I'll try to touch on all the amazing things here that are going to leave a hole in my heart when I leave (next week's blog will be the things I won't miss so much!)...so here goes it (in random order):

1. THE FOOD. Mozzarella, WINE, Peroni Beer, fresh pasta not to mention two aisles of pasta at the grocery stores, spices, bread, proscuitto, fresh seafood, PIZZA...the list goes on an on. The best food on earth is in Southern Italy!

2. OUR FRIENDS. Our friends have become our family; we celebrate holidays together, vacation with each other, and take care of one another when the hubby's are out of town. This is such a special group of people and we will miss them so very much!!!

3. OUR VIEW. Never again will we have the chance to live in a house with a view like this. Just looking out our kitchen window or having wine on the terrace seems like vacation.

4. THE LOVE FOR CHILDREN. The Italian's love babies...I mean LOVE babies. Never do you hear of a kidnapping/child stealing- I feel so safe with Parker! If he's fussy in a restaurant, they'll take them into the kitchen to give us a break and Italians constantly approach us to tell us how handsome Parker is and to ask us his name (they can't pronounce Parker, so we tell them his name is Carlo....seriously).

5. COLA. Cost of Living Allowance how I am going to miss you! Due to the high prices in Europe, the government pays us this special allowance when living here...it's going to be sad to say goodbye to this perk!

6. HOUSEKEEPER. What am I going to do when I have to clean my own house again??? Rosa is our beloved housekeeper/babysitter/grandmother to Parker. She has become a part of our family and I think I'll have to ship her back with us! She is perfect and wonderful and she makes living here so very special...yesterday she brought me lunch/dinner because she knows I've been craving Broccoli Rabe with Sausage and she's the best cook ever!

7. CLOSE PROXIMITY. We love being able to drive to places like Germany and Austria or just take a quick weekend trip to Southern Italy. When we move back to Virginia, it will take about 3 hours to drive to Dad and Marianne's...we can get to Tuscany in 3 house while living here!

8. CRAP CARS. I love that the crappier your car, the more you fit in here in Naples. Whenever we see a really nice car on the road we always think the person is either crazy or just passing through town. I drive a beat-up 1996 Jeep Cherokee that is dinged all over (we call them 'Napoli Kisses') and Karl just upgraded from his 1997 Honda Civic to a BMW to bring home (we will have to get the dings out before we get back). I'm looking forward to my new Volvo, but it is fun for now not worrying about hitting stuff :)

9. VESUVIUS. I love that almost anywhere you drive around here, Vesuvius is always looming overhead. Each time I pull into the commissary, Vesuvius is right behind it reminding us of the history that surrounds us here. Around every corner in Naples is something historic and remarkable (there's even Roman ruins under the Navy Exchange!).

10. THE LITTLE THINGS. I will miss Italy for everything that I can't put into words (or that has slipped my mind at this moment). I will miss the place where my first child was born and took his first steps. I will miss the little pastry shop down the street. I will miss the open affection that Italians have for each other. I will miss driving up a volcano rim to our home. I will miss the things that I never even got the opportunity to see and that will bring me back for a visit in the future. Thank you Italy for everything and I look forward to my last few months with you!

Really going to try harder!

2010-02-03T10:56:00.003+01:00

So my blog has been in need of some revamping recently- I've been in a total slump! Parker has gone down to one nap a day for about an hour, so my free time has been cut in half, hence the lack of blogging! This is my promise to you...by Sunday night, I will have a post for all of you and I will do the same thing every week on Sundays. There is so much to catch everyone up on and so many great pics to share! So come back to my blog and I'll try not to disappoint!

~Laura

Bruges, Belgium

2009-11-08T13:36:00.002+01:00

As many of you know, I went on a dream vacation last month to Bruges, Belgium with my great friend, Amanda. It was so easy to fall in love with the town and I would put it on a European Must See List if you're planning a trip here! By now, all of you should be familar with Amanda's blog and I once again point you in her direction to read all about our trip (she is an amazing writer and can paint a beautiful picture with her words- not to mention her wonderful photos!). Please visit her blog and let her know who you are in her comment section- I'm sure she'd love to hear from you!

(her blog address is on the side toolbar or on my previous post- ENJOY!)

Pesto!

2009-11-02T10:34:00.002+01:00

So, I've been trying to update my posts and put up some slideshows, but I can't seem to get Picassa to cooperate (does anyone have an idea on an easy way to post a link to photo albums???). I am a self-proclaimed lazy blogger recently and am so sorry. Since August 1, Karl has only been here about 27 days and I just haven't had the free time to blog that I would like to. Luckily, I have an amazing friend, Amanda, who is an amazing writer and blogger and I will once again direct you to her awesome blog to read all about our day of making pesto with Rosa (just scroll down until you see the pesto post) http://livingintheboot.squarespace.com/.

I have all the pics of Parker's bday, Venice, Northern Italy, making wine in our vineyard, Belgium, and Halloween- let me know if you want me to send them to you via Snapfish (I'll try to catch up with some blogs once Karl returns)!

Parker's First Haircut

2009-10-04T14:50:00.002+02:00

I figured if I am ever going to post pictures from the summer (since we're already in October), I'm going to have to resort to Picassa web albums (my upload time is tooo long to do them individually!) until I'm all caught up! My housekeeper (who is like a grandmother to Parker) took me to a great barber out in town in our little town of Pozzuoli. Parker was very well behaved and looked so handsome afterwards :) Enjoy and sorry sooooo late!!! ...

http://picasaweb.google.com/vthokie222/ParkerSFirstHaircut?authkey=Gv1sRgCI_nsJyPpfSGcQ&feat=directlink

Favorite Books

2009-08-26T10:09:00.003+02:00

Sorry for the lack of posting, it's not because I have nothing to write about, I guess I'm just in a blogging slump. There's so many blogs I am planning to do...Parker's first haircut, his big birthday party, and our 16 trip to Northern Italy...and one day I will! I thought I'd take a moment to share with all the other mommies out there, and also with people who are always looking for great baby gifts, these fantastic baby books! The ones I'm listing are Parker's favorites and I don't know what we'd do without them!

Tails by Matthew Van Fleet is an amazing book (great find Cathy!) with great illustrations and touchy-feely tails on each page. It's a beautiful book with rhyming words, pull tabs (that are actually made of board book material), pages that open and close, and different textures/materials throughout.

My next door neighbor, Lisa, got us hooked on Usborne touchy-feely books and I am in turn hooking other babies on them. These are Parker's favorites and we own (to name a few) That's not my monster (his ultimate fav), That's not my dinosaur, That's not my teddy, That's not my dragon, and That's not my doggie. I think every parent should invest in these books. Usborne also makes books for as they get older (we already have Night, Night Stories and love it).

Another fun book that can spark play between parent and baby is this series of "Faces" books. There are eye cutouts that mommy and baby can take turns looking through. Parker thinks it's soooo funny when mommy looks like a pig, zebra, and other fun animals! We have Farm Faces and Zoo Faces and I'm sure I'll collect others. My sister, Erin, found this book for Parker's birthday. It is one of the most beautifully illustrated books I've ever seen (remind me a lot of Eric Carle books) and also teaches about dinosaurs (this would suit younger children as well as kindergarten age). Parker is not allowed to play with this one, but I let him look as I read. The name is Dinosaurs Roar, Butterflies Soar by Bob Barner.

One last recommendation is Bee & Me by Elle J. McGuiness. Parker got this from my sister, Cathy, for his birthday and is fasinated by it. It's about a friendship between a little boy and a bee and also teaches the importance of bees and what we can do to help them. It has these neat hologram-like pictures that move on almost every page. Once again, this would even be appropriate for older kids since it teaches a great lesson.

I'd love to hear if any of you have great book suggestions (I already know about the classics- and have them all, but I'm interested in the lesser known ones). I believe that books are the best toys children can have and will continue to share my finds as they come along!

Greece, Turkey, and Sicily!

2009-07-25T08:52:00.011+02:00

Get ready for a VERY long blog! I figured it was about time to finish up blogging about our Med. cruise in June since we are leaving on Saturday for 16 days to Venice and Vicenza! I already wrote about Croatia, so I'll just take up from after that when we headed to Greece.

The second stop on our vacation was to Corfu, Greece- a beautiful island full of history, perfect views, and magnificent beaches. This pic is from a monestary we visited high up in the mountains of Corfu.

The view from the monestary...breathtaking! Thought this was so funny! One authentic Greek bar and Starbucks.

We found the most adorable playground in Corfu and stopped to let Parker play :)

On to our third stop- Olympia, Greece! This is where the original Olympics were held and where they got their name (most people think the Olympics were named after Mount Olympia...now you know!).

. This is the entrance to the original Olympic Stadium.

This is the exact spot where the Olympic torch is lit every two years!

Behind Karl and Parker is the Temple of Zeus- one of the seven wonders of the ancient world!

Parker ordering room service

Our fourth stop (and our absolute favorite!) was Santorini, Greece- everyone should visit here at some point in their lives! Santorini is the island that is photographed most often in Greece with it's white buildings and blue roofs.

The buildings are so perfectly white that they just blend together in the background.

Views from the winery we visited on the island.

To get to the top of the town, you have to walk from the port up this winding staircase...or take a donkey!

I took a donkey! This was a terrifying experience and I won't do it again...once the little old man let me go with the donkey the dumb animal kept slamming me into the walls and cutting off the other donkeys...not to mention I didn't smell too great when we were done!

Our next stop was to Kusadasi, Turkey. We spend a lot of our time in the Bazaar and rug shops...by far the best shopping day of our vacation was here!

We went to a carpet demonstration at Turkmen Rugs and actually bought a beautiful silk carpet with the tree of life design on it...I plan to hang it on our wall soon!

This is a pic of how they get the silk from the worms and then spin it into thread for the rugs.

A perfect view. I didn't expect Turkey to look this way!

We also went to the house of the Virgin Mary. This is believed to be the location that Mary lived and died at.

Parker was helping us pick out a carpet!

After Turkey, we headed back to Greece to visit Athens! It was great to see the Acropolis and something everyone should do, but in general I didn't like the city much and was my least favorite of all the places we visited.

The Schlegel's at the Acropolis and Parthenon!

Parker and I at the Olympic Stadium with the Acropolis Hill behind us...see the Parthenon?!?!

On the hill with the Ampitheater behind me.

Karl and a sleeping baby at the Acropolis.

Another family shot...Parker slept through most of this trip.

After a day at sea, our final stop was in Messina, Sicily. We went on a "In the Steps of the Godfather" tour and visited all the towns that they filmed the Godfather series. I've never seen the movies, but Karl was very excited throughout the day :)

This is the view from the church where someone married some girl in the movie...Karl knows all the details.

This is the bar/restaurant where the guy asked the dad to marry his daughter...once again sorry for my lack of details!

The Sicilian Coastline

We took over 300 pics and I have them all on Snapfish, so let me know if you want me to email them your way! I'll have so much to post about when we get back in August...tomorrow is Parker's big first birthday and party at the pool, then we leave on Sat. for the next trip! Thanks for putting up with my tardiness on the blog!

New Address!!!!

2009-07-21T10:54:00.003+02:00

I guess the military doesn't feel as if we have enough challenges here with our mail (takes months for things to ship to us, our mail is in a parking garage, some people won't send stuff here, we have to fill customs forms out for EVERYTHING, and etc.), so they've decided to give us all new addresses to add to the confusion. I don't really understand why they are doing this since our physical mailbox is in the exact same place as before, but I've figured out that questioning the reasons for things here is pointless. Sorry if I seem a bit disgruntled, but...I am.

Our new mailing address as of August 15 is:

Karl and Laura Schlegel

PSC 809 BOX 2372

FPO, AE 09626

Please make a note in your address books :)

Parker's Birthday Present

2009-07-12T08:24:00.002+02:00

We have a new addition to our little family....JUVE (pronounced U-V...Karl named her after the Italian soccer team Juventus whose colors are black and white)! Parker has shown his love of animals since he was very little and we've been missing having a dog in our lives since we had to leave Boo in the states, so we couldn't think of a better one-year birthday present for Parker.

She was living outside of a friends parco (Italian housing community) since her Italian owners left her behind in a move. She really wanted a home and we fell in love immediately. Juve is very well behaved and has already made herself at home with us!

We have no idea what type of dog she might be, so if you have any ideas, please leave me a comment!!!

11 months old!

2009-06-30T12:16:00.002+02:00

Can't believe my little pumpkin is already 11 months old...we're already planning his first birthday party!!! A quick update...he is extremely happy and healthy, but we're still waiting on teeth which makes feeding him a challenge. He is probably just days away from walking (he can push his toys around by himself, but he is a little too scared to walk alone). He is still a good sleeper and we're getting closer and closer to an 8 o'clock bedtime! We just bought a nice, big pool for the backyard and he is definately a water bug- he would stay in all day if he could and doesn't seem to have any fears or reservations about the water. This past week, Parker started bouncing to music, clapping his hands, and waving hi and bye...he's growing up so quickly! I'll have an update on his measurements in early August :)

Dubrovnik, Croatia

2009-06-28T21:31:00.006+02:00

Better late than never....

The end of May/early June Karl, Parker, and I took a 10 day Mediterranean cruise with Holland America to Dubrovnik Croatia, Corfu Greece, Olympia Greece, Santorini Greece, Athens, Kusadasi Turkey, and Messina Sicily! We had an absolute fantastic trip and are already looking into a Baltic cruise next Spring! Parker is a very seasoned traveler, so this wasn't hard on him at all (he's been transatlantic twice, all over northern and southern Italy, flew to Paris...the 10 month old has been in 6 countries already!). If anyone wants to see a lot of great places in a short amount of time, I highly recommend cruising and especially with Holland America. We were treated like pure royalty and Parker was the star of the ship (he was one of the only children and the youngest by far)!

I've decided that it's too hard just to do one blog, so I'll do one blog for each place we went (hopefully I'll have this done before we go to Venice/Northern Italy in August!).

Dubrovnik, Croatia was our first stop after a day at sea and it took my breath away. Have you ever been somewhere that was nothing like you imagined it would be? Dubrovnik is an ancient walled city that dates back to the 7th century BC and some even say to 6000 BC. It is seated in the subtropical Mediterranean with a warm southern climate, bright blue sky, and clear turquoise green and dark blue water that hug the rocky coastline, sandy beaches, and steep cliffs. The entire city is turned towards the sun and sea and is decorated with rich, colorful gardens, white walls, and terracotta roofs. (The pics are a little out of order..sorry!)

This is the widest street we found in Dubrovnik. Most streets are extremely narrow with stairs like those pictured below which is making it harder and harder to get people to live in the ancient city.

We thought this was so interesting...still no idea what these birds were fighting over. Parker was checking out our first port from the window :)

The island of Lokrum right across from Dubrovnik. It is known for it's beauty, spas, and bathing resorts- it is completely uninhabited and has been since Napolean's occupation.

Fort St. John was the main defense for the harbor and one of the most important defense fortifications of the city and dates back to the 14th century.

Fort St. John

The water well in the cloister of the Dominican Monestary dating back to the 15th century. The Monestary is the treasury of cultural, artistic, and historical heritage of Old Dubrovnik. It is also the site of one of the oldest public libraries in the western world.

Stradun Street- the best shopping street in Old Dubrovnik :)

Parnoramic view

Beautiful...just beautiful

We're back!

2009-06-16T22:16:00.002+02:00

Karl, Parker, and I returned home last week from a true dream vacation and I can't wait to start blogging all about it (but not today since all I want to do is crawl into bed and get some sleep). I did want to direct all of you once again to Amanda's blog to read all about our exploration of the Pozzuoli Ampitheater last Thursday....she does a fantastic job explaining and painting a vivid picture of a truly spectacular place just minutes from my front door! The link to her blog is on the right of this page under "Amanda and Ed". Thanks again Amanda for taking the time to write such a wonderful blog about our adventure!

Castello di Baia

2009-05-25T12:29:00.003+02:00

I continue to be a lazy blogger and am so grateful that my dear friend, Amanda, is anything but. I will once again refer you to her amazing blog where she details our recent trip to the Castle of Baia! This is a place I've wanted to visit since we moved here since I see it across the bay from our house everyday. I had a wonderful time with Amanda and I am so happy to have an adventuring partner (we have set a weekly date to explore our local area since there are thousands of years of history within minutes of our homes). Thanks again for being such a great blogger Amanda!!!! http://livingintheboot.squarespace.com/

Here are a few extra pics from our day out. This is Lago D'Averno which was once thought to be the gateway to hell in Roman Days. This is about 10 min from the house and there is a great Cafe Bar right at the top.

I love Italy for things like this...Amanda and I parked the car, paid the parking attendant, started walking up to the castle, and then visited the goats in the parking lot :) One of the beautiful rooms in the castle.

Paris...wonderful Paris!

2009-05-18T12:46:00.011+02:00

Only a month late in posting...I'm getting better! I thought before we headed out next week for our 10 day cruise of the Eastern Med, I should try to get caught up with our blogging so I can start posting about the cruise as soon as we get back. There are so many places we have on our "must see" list, that I'm afraid we won't get them all checked off before we leave next year! One of those places that we wanted to go was Paris for obvious reasons- the culture, history, food, art, food, architecture, and did I mention food??? For our 2 year anniversary, we went to Paris for four AMAZING days- a total dream come true!

The weather started out against us the first two days with constant drizzle and gray skies, but on day 3 the rain seemed to stop and the sun came out right when we got to Notre Dame! Karl and I are serious travelers and had an intimidating itinerary which had us going 12 hours straight each day! I couldn't post all the pics, but I at least covered our favorite places.

Parker seemed to enjoy the city (at least everyone seemed to enjoy him!), but he did sleep through most of the trip in his backpack carrier! One day I'm sure he'll be upset that we took him when he was too little to remember it.

I actually posted the pictures in reverse order, so we're basically starting from the end back to the beginning.

The view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. It was wonderful to look down the Avenue des Champs-Elysess and the Rue St-Honore from the top of the arch- the view just takes your breath away! In this area are some of the best cafes, gardens, and shops in all of Paris.

Before we went up to the top, we stopped to buy a painting from a vendor on the street. I had always pictured Paris as a place where you can walk down the street and watch artists paint some of the most famous landscapes in the world...and I was right...so we bought a beautiful oil painting of the Eiffel Tower from a guy named Pierre! The Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre. It took walking up waaaaay too many stairs, but the payoff was fantastic when we reached the top and saw this magnificent church. Outside the monumental church were street painters, dancers, and street performers- we sat and watched a dance troop as we just took in all that was around us.

Parker playing with Karl outside Notre Dame...not a lot of 9 months old can say that!

Paris is the spring...simply stunning.

Parker, Karl, and I on the Pont Neuf (I obviously wasn't ready for this to be taken). This is the oldest bridge in Paris, as it was started in 1578, and it was the first bridge not to have buildings on it.

Our family in front of Notre Dame. It was even more beautiful than I had imagined! The first stone was laid here in 1163 and it was 170 years later than it was actually completed. It is a true Gothic masterpiece from the Rose windows to interior/exterior grandeur (no hunchback sightings though).

Karl and I have traveled enough now in Europe that I have seen too many churches to name, but it was in Paris that I found the most beautiful one to date. Sainte-Chapelle is absolutely magical and has been hailed as one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the Western world. The church is made up of 15 stained-glass windows (50 ft tall each) that portray over 1000 religious scenes. Anyone coming to Paris MUST visit here!

As beautiful as this picture is, it doesn't even do it justice- you just have to experience it in person.

Parker and I in the entrance to the Musee du Louvre.

Not every baby gets to practice his walking skills surrounded by works by da Vinci, Michelangelo, Gericault, and Rembrandt!

Since Da Vinci Code is one of our favorite books/movies, we had to make a stop where the two pyramids meet...I wonder if she really is underneath here.....

As fantastic as the Louvre was, Karl and I actually enjoyed the Musee d'Orsay much more. It was here that we saw Monet, Whistler's Mother, Manet, Renoir, and Delacroix. The museum is actually a renovated train station and is home to many of the Impressionist art in the world.

The Tomb of Napolean Bonaparte inside the Dome Church.

Okay look closely from left to right and you'll see the Dome Church, The Thinker statue by Rodin (nestled in the bushes in the middle), and the Eiffel Tower.

The Thinker at the Musee Rodin- I never knew this was in the middle of a garden full of Rodin statues and the Gates of Hell.

Does this really need explaining?

Parker playing in the grass at the Eiffel Tower. We stayed about two blocks from here, so whenever we had downtime, this is where we hung out.

Perfect.

Parker Update

2009-05-14T12:18:00.005+02:00

I can't believe how big my little boy is getting! We had his nine month appointment at the beginning of May and he weighed almost 20 lbs and is 28 inches long! He is crawling and climbing on everything which also means he falls down A LOT and seems to have a new bump daily. Parker has definitely gotten a lot of hair lately, but the cowlick right in the middle of his forehead has given him one of the strangest looking hairlines and it looks so funny in pictures (he's still the cutest baby on the planet though!). He's still working on his first tooth which is making it challenging to find foods he can eat- we're working with oatmeal, pasta, cottage cheese, and lots of pureed veggies and fruits.

To help ease my sanity with Parker's new found mobility, we rearranged the whole house and gave him some special play areas- one in the living room and then his whole room got a makeover (it went from nursery to big boy play room).

Parker in his new big boy jammies!

You can see some of the new living room set up here. Parker playing in his new room. Check out that hair- how in the world do you fight a cowlick in a nine month old??

Parker is obsessed with looking at himself, so we thought a kid-friendly mirror was a must.

Can you tell what Karl is training him for?

He LOVES playing outside and cries everytime I take him in. His love of dirt has earned him one or two baths a day now!

Ischia for Mother's Day

2009-05-11T21:18:00.002+02:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day, especially all my friends and family who celebrated their very first Mother's Day this year. I have to say that I don't think anything will every top my this first Mother's Day for me- it was truely a magical day and I was so sad to come back to reality at the end of it all (but excited to see the wee one since I had been away ALL day). I went to the island of Ischia to a thermal bath resort called Negombo with my dear friends Lisa, Amanda, and Norma. I always give Amanda credit for being a superb blogger and so I am being exceptionally lazy and directing you to her blog to see pictures and read all about the day...thanks Amanda for being truely fantastic and capturing our bit of heaven with your photos and words :)

http://livingintheboot.squarespace.com/

Monteveglio and Ferrari Factory

2009-04-23T11:50:00.006+02:00

It is official...I am the worst blogger EVER! I was going to blog about our trip to Paris last week, but then I realized that I never even finished writing about our trip in January. It feels strange posting pictures with snow and winter coats as we're preparing for summer. I do promise that after this one, I will write about Paris and then we'll be back up-to-date...I think.

Well...to finish off our trip to Northern Italy, we stopped for two days outside of Bologna in a town called Monteveglio- a place known for their wine and good food. We stayed at an amazing an organic agriturismo called Corte D'Aibo. My favorite wine now is one of their Merlots and the best meal I've had in Italy was just around the corner. The snow made it a little difficult to drive, but Parker enjoyed his very first snowball here and even got to play around in all the white stuff.

One of the buildings at Corte D'Aibo

The enormous vigna. Parker's first frolic in the snow!

Karl made him his first snowball!

Wine tasting :)

The second day in town, we drove over to the Ferrari Factory and Museum (guess who picked this side trip). Karl loved it and would have stayed all day if he could have (or maybe forever). It was pretty amazing though and I had a great cappucino in the Ferrari Bar...the true highlight for me :)

. Karl's favorite room in the museum...I really should have him help blog about this since to me it was just a bunch of old cars.

My boys.

The closest Karl will probably ever get to actually driving a Ferrari.

Just a super cute picture of Parker once we got back from our trip.

Aviano, Italy

2009-04-07T21:15:00.003+02:00

I am FINALLY posting a few pics from our trip to Aviano, Italy in January. The computer is taking wayyyyy too long, so hopefully a few pics will satisfy everyone :) We spent about a week in Aviano which is a very small town in Northern Italy near Venice and Slovenia (we were planning on spending some time in Venice, but it was flooded and impossible to walk around). It was a very relaxing trip and we spent time going to local street markets, eating out, visiting nearby towns, and playing with Parker. I wish we had gotten the opportunity to get up to Austria or Slovenia, but there's always next time :)

Priceless Parker face.

The town square in Aviano. Every Tuesday they have a great market that we went to and then had lunch at this cafe- Parker was the hit of the place! First horsie ride on daddy's shoulders.

More of the town square- beautiful!

Our hotel and the view of the Alps behind it.

Welcome Lucia Miren

2009-04-06T10:03:00.002+02:00

I would love to welcome Lucia Miren Aguayo into our family! My sister, Erin, and her husband, Jose, are proud new parents of my niece (I'm finally an aunt!!!), Lucia Miren :) She arrived on March 31 weighing in at 7 lbs 12 oz and 19.5 inches long (a little chubby gal). We're so excited for the new addition and mom and baby are both doing very well. Here is a pic of her donning an ear of corn outfit...Lucia will soon learn that being a part of this family doesn't come without the occasional embarressing photo (remember the dog bowl Erin???).

My little boy is growing up!

2009-03-21T09:55:00.007+01:00

By popular demand, I am taking yet another detour from our 'Trip to Northern Italy' blogging to dedicate a blog solely to my little boy. I know I haven't posted many pictures of him since Christmas and he's growing up so fast! Parker is now crawling pretty well and is even able to walk when he has something to push (he practices with his little buggy in the driveway)! He weighs in at about 19.5 lbs, but is still hovering is the 25 in. range (he's short and stout).

The order of his pictures are backwards by the way!

Lisa, Parker, and Karl on St. Patrick's Day- Parker is gunning for the green beer!

On his buggy in the driveway (this is the one he pushes around). Analisa, Parker, and Rosa (our Italian neighbors)- they breed German Shepards and this is one of the new puppies!

Parker in the tub sporting a new do.

Cute as a button.

Day at Riverview Park in Newport News (Parker is obsessed with swinging now).

Jean, me, and Parker before my mom's funeral- my mom would have LOVED Parker's dino tie :)

Parker and Christina on Valentine's Day.

Crawling around at my parent's house.

Daddy and Parker playing before we went back to the states.

Parker started doing this adorable face (Karl smiles the same way!).

Me and my babe :)

What a ham.

Parker and Karl in Monteveglio, Italy- Parker's first snowball!!!

We stayed at this amazing vineyard in Monteveglio and Parker got to play in the snow for the first time!

In our hotel room in Aviano, Italy.

Playing catch-up: Ferrara, Italy

2009-03-15T20:38:00.005+01:00

I know I am a horrible blogger and very behind in my postings, but I'm attempting to play catch-up of our lives recently. Karl and I made it back to Italy safely last Wednesday night, but not without drama...we were delayed 8 hours in Norfolk, Parker and I were sick on the plane, our plane got struck by lightning while trying to land in Naples, we took Parker to the ER the night we got in with a temp of 103.9!, and basically none of us has slept since! We are slowly getting back into the swing of things and that includes getting back to blogging :)

I promised everyone postings from our big trip to Northern Italy in January, so I'm backtracking all the way to January 14th when we went to Ferrara, Italy! Ferrara is a beautiful, yet very small Renaissance city and is referred to in some Shakespearean plays. The town is still surrounded by miles of ancient walls, mainly built in the 15th and 16th centuries and they are said to be the best preserved Renaissance walls in Italy.

Parker showing us how to drive (don't worry- we were parked when we tookt his). On the way to Ferrara, we got stuck in a 3 hour back-up on the A1 and also a snow storm...we were ready for a good meal once we finally got into town!

This is the moat around Castello Estense- an amazing castle built in 1385 and right outside our hotel window! A small chapel near the castle and cathedral.

The view from our hotel of Castello Estense- probably one of the best hotels we've stayed in while traveling in Europe (mainly because they had an amazing breakfast which is VERY hard to find in Italy!).

The former cathedral of San Giorgio; according to a now lost inscription the church was built in 1135. The upper part of the main facade, with dozens of pointed arches, dates from the 13th century, while the lower part of the portico and the main portal are from the 1100's. The elaborate reflief sculptures depicting Last Judgement above the second story date from the thirteenth century.

The Loggia dei Notai in Piazza Trento e Trieste.

Remembering Mom

2009-02-24T15:53:00.001+01:00

http://www.legacy.com/dailypress/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=124563305 Thank you to all of our wonderful family and friends for your support the last few days- we love you all!

I love you mom

2009-02-22T15:06:00.003+01:00

I honestly didn't believe that I'd be doing a post like this for quite sometime- it's so surreal. My mom lost her battle with pancreatic cancer yesterday. I had come home a few weeks ago to help out around the house and take her to treatments, but she was getting progressively worse each day and then took a turn for the worse Thursday night. We were all with her yesterday morning as she took her last breaths and she went peacefully without pain and little suffering. My mom was an incredible woman who will be missed dearly by many. As a RN, she helped countless people and touched many lives. Parker was truly the light of her life and I feel so lucky that she had the chance to spend time with her only grandbaby in the past few weeks- he held such a special place in her heart and put a smile on her face even in her last days. My very pregnant sister flew in yesterday and I know my mom will be watching over her in the next few weeks as baby Lucia will be entering the world VERY soon. We love you so much mom and I am so lucky to have you as my angel watching over us. I will miss you everyday for the rest of my life.

Zoosafari in Fasano, Italy

2009-02-01T21:09:00.004+01:00

Once again...sorry for my lack of blogging (it's not that I don't want to, but it's hard to find the time!). Well, Parker and I made it to the states after a very long day flying last Friday and I think we're officially over jet lag! For those of you who don't know, I've come back home for about 6 weeks to help take care of my mom who was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We have a very strong family and are doing everything we can for her as she starts her treatments. I'll be happy to give more info if you want to call/email me, but for her sake of privacy, I'm just sticking to the bare information on the blog.

I did promise to tell more about all of our travels in January, so here it goes! While we were in Alberobello, we made a side trip on Jan. 2 to Fasano, Italy and went on a zoosafari! This was by far one of the coolest things we've done in Italy so far. We got to drive our car through the zoo and had lions and tigers walking next to our car. A giraffe, camel, and some zebras actually stuck their head in the car (Parker was not phased by this at all)! After driving through and seeing tons of animals (elephants, lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, camels, ox, moose, flamingos, and so many more), we did a walking tour of part of the zoo where we took a little train to see monkey village, polar bears, hippos, and a lot more! It was definitely something I'd love to do again if any of you want to come visit!

Parker and I on the train going around the park. He sure does look happy!

When we first drove into the zoo, we were forced to make our way through all these animals! It took forever since they kept coming up to the car and laying in the middle of the road! Look how close you can get to the animals! Introducing Parker to the zebra.

This is the first time I ever saw a rhino!

Monkey Village

Karl wasn't so excited about this guy making his way into his side of the car.

Luckily the camel didn't spit on us. Camels are much bigger than I thought they were!

Next blog- Ferrara, Italy!

New Year's and Alberobello, Italy

2009-01-19T12:44:00.006+01:00

Let's face it, I'm officially bad at blogging recently! Since New Year's we've been away almost everyday this month and I simply have not had anytime to update everyone on what we're doing...I'm going to attempt to blog a lot in the next two weeks to make up for it! Let's start with New Years and our trip to Alberobello, Italy :)

New Years in Naples in nothing short of incredible- I've never seen such amazing fireworks go on an on like they do here. Karl and I have a great advantage in that our house sits on top of a huge volcano, so we get all the best panoramic shots of the festivities. If you've ever seen pictures from our house (or been to visit), you know you can see all the way out to the islands and on New Years you can see fireworks going off all the way across the bay and out to the islands! We were going to leave for our trip on the 30th, but Karl didn't want to miss the show!

It is kind of hard to see, but all those lights across the Bay are actually fireworks!

Happy 2009! On January 1, all three of us headed out for our first Italian vacation since Parker was born! From the recommendation of a friend, we headed to the southeast region of Italy to a small town, Alberobello. This has to be one of my new favorite places in Europe- the town was breathtaking and the people were so wonderful (they were calling us by name on day 3- most Italians can't pronounce Parker's name, so they just call him "angelo" which means angel). The town is made up of houses called trulli which are over 500 years old on average. There are many theories behind the origin of the design. One of the more popular theories is that due to high taxation on property, the people of Puglia created dry wall constructions so that they could be dismantled when inspectors were in the area. They have conical roofs and are suprisingly spacious inside! It was pretty chilly, so we always had to bundle the little one up!

These are some of the famous trulli with the paintings on the roofs.

The trullo church.

Our trullo for four days :)

The town in miniture- it's not a very large city as you can tell from the few streets.

While on this trip, we went on a zoo safari in Fasano...check back for some of the most amazing pictures we've had from a trip here in Europe!

Christmas Festivities!

2008-12-28T20:58:00.008+01:00

I've finally got some pictures up from Christmas! While it's so hard to be away from our family during the holidays, we are so lucky to have such great friends here in Italy to spend the holidays with. Parker had a wonderful first Christmas and is oficially spoiled rotten! He got the hang of pulling the wrapping paper off gifts and loves to play with all his new toys and books :) Karl and I got him tons of stuff, but I really think that his favorite is the ball popper...he actually just likes to watch mommy and daddy run after the balls when the pop out all over the place! I think my favorite gift was the Wii from Karl- I'm super sore today after playing way too much tennis, boxing, and Dance Dance Revolution yesterday. Karl loved all the soccer stuff I got him and also a signed print of the marina here in Pozzuoli, Italy!

Christmas Eve started all of the festivities. When Karl got home from a half day of work, we did a mini-Christmas celebration with our maid, Rosa, complete with Limoncello and gifts for Parker. Later that day, Karl, Parker, and I headed to a local Pasticceria (Pastry shop/coffee bar) to get dolce for Christmas Eve dinner at our landlord's house. We then headed home and made dozens of cookies with Parker...he even helped shape the sugar cookies and put sprinkles on them...such a little chef :) At nine at night, we headed over to Gennaro and Rosa's (our landlord and his wife) for Christmas Eve dinner...that's right...9 pm...Italians eat late! We had tons of food with the main meal being Spaghetti alla Vongole (spaghetti and clams) since they mainly eat fish that night. There was also a TON of wine that was made in our vineyard earlier in the year! We finally got home around midnight and headed to bed to wait for Santa...

The plate of dolce we got for Christmas Eve dessert (and yes, it was as good as it looks).

All our loot (minus the boxes from my family that haven't arrived yet)...Christmas is going to last for weeks! Parker putting the last ornament on the advent calendar (my oldest sister actually made this for us last year!).

Ready for Parker's first Christmas!

Gennaro with Parker at Christmas Eve dinner.

Parker decorating the cookies!

Me and little chef :)

Parker on Christmas morning with his new soccer ball...Karl is trying to influence him I think...

Christmas was such a fun day! After opening (some) presents...it took two days to open all of them...I baked an amazing apple pie (I will toot my own horn on that one) and Amanda's famous MacNCheese and we headed next door to Lisa's for a great Christmas dinner with tons of friends!

It really couldn't have a been better couple of days and thank you to everyone who helped make it so very special!

Opening more gifts.

Parker in his Christmas bag :)

Opening the ball popper while my parents were watching on Skype from the laptop in front of us.

I think I could have just given Parker wrapping paper for Christmas and he would have been happy!

After a VERY long Christmas day :)

Sunset

2008-12-27T23:00:00.003+01:00

I was planning on posting all of our Christmas pics tonight, but it's just too late to wait around for my dinosaur slow internet to download. Instead, I'm leaving you with a pic Karl took Christmas Day from our house...our own little piece of heaven :)

I'll work on getting up those other Christmas pics in the next few days!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T21:33:00.002+01:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Karl, Parker, and I have been enjoying a few days of great food and friends! I have many pictures to post and so many stories about how we spend Christmas here in Italia with all the different customs and traditions....but they will have to wait because I am completely exhausted after today and am going to head to bed in my new PJs :)

New Pics

2008-12-21T17:36:00.006+01:00

Just a few new pics like I promised!

Yesterday was a huge milestone for Parker...his very first meal! His gourmet feast was some yummy rice cereal (most of it ended up on his face and hands though)! He did great and was even opening up his mouth for the spoon by the end of the meal :)

His very first bite of food ever! We love Santa's Little Helper!

Parker keeps jumping so much in his toy that he puts himself to sleep...so precious

Karl and Parker before going to the N35/Marine Corps Christmas Party...notice the game on in the background.

Ready for the party!

On his 4 month birthday...can't believe he growing up so fast!

Holiday Plans

2008-12-17T10:19:00.004+01:00

I've been trying to upload some pictures all morning, but my internet is just to slow to handle it I guess, so I give up for now! I've had so many people ask where Karl and I plan to travel to and if we have plans for the holidays, so I thought I should let everyone know what we're up to! We'll be staying here at the house for Christmas so we can watch Parker open up his gifts (and probably try to eat the paper since EVERYTHING goes in his mouth nowadays). We'll also be here New Year's Eve- the hour and a half long fireworks show is too beautiful to miss- I'll try and take a video to upload. On New Year's Day, we're leaving for four days to Alberbello in the heel of Italy (we were planning a trip to Africa, but it's not safe enough for Parker). After returning from Alberbello, Karl will be gone for almost two months for training and such, but from March 14-18, we're going to Dublin, Ireland for St. Patrick's Day!!! I have always wanted to be in Ireland on St. Patrick's Day, so I guess my wish is coming true! This April we plan on heading to Venice with Chris and Jean when they come to visit and our final plan is a Mediterranean cruise in June. It should be a busy couple months! I'll keep trying to upload those pics :)

4 month check-up

2008-12-04T11:55:00.003+01:00

Everything went great at Parker's 4 month visit- he's growing like a weed! He weighed in at 15.8 lbs and 25 inches! He's grown 5 inches in 2 months! The doctor said that he's very advanced in his motor skills, but then again he is the most intelligent and strongest baby ever :) Karl and I are working on planning a trip somewhere soon, but with his crazy travel schedule with work, who knows if we'll ever be able to go anywhere! My vote is to go to Greece the week between Christmas and New Years, but we'll just have to wait and see..it's so hard to be living in Italy and not travel constantly (but I guess everyday here is a mini-vacation). If anyone has a suggestion of somewhere to vacation in Europe (preferably somewhere moderately warm), I'd love to hear it!

Cute Parker Pics

2008-11-29T18:48:00.009+01:00

Just thought I'd share some cute pictures of Parker from the past week. He'll be 4 months old tomorrow- doesn't hardly seem possible that he's that old already! We are going to his 4 month appt on Monday, so I'll let everyone know his weight/measurements next week! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving- I know we had a great time celebrating with our wonderful friends, Ed, Amanda, Amy, Scott, Chris, Caroline, Josh, and Lisa (plus a whole bunch of little ones!)- we're so lucky to have such great friends here!

Parker showing off his Thanksgiving outfit.

Rub-a-dub-dub...time for the tub! He's such a happy baby!

Once again, here's an outfit that I think he'll hate me for later in life :)

My sleeping angel baby.

Parker looooves his Jumparoo and it's one of the only things that can wear him out at the end of the day.

I went to this awesome park in downtown Pozzouli (about 10 min from our house) with my neighbor, Ericka, and her three kids. There are tons of old ruins, a nice playground, orange trees EVERYWHERE, and neat fountains and ponds. This is Eve washing her orange in the fountain.

Parker and I in the park- he loves walking around in his sling, but I think he's getting a little too big for it because my back was killing me at the end of the day.

The entrance to the park.

Parker's Baptism

2008-11-25T17:42:00.008+01:00

Once again, sorry it has taken so long for me to get these pics up and blog about Parker's baptism earlier this month, but Karl just got back from a week long trip and I rarely had a minute to myself when he was gone! Parker has been doing so many new things recently and is just so much fun to be around and play with! He has recently started sleeping from about 9 pm-7 am (roughly) each night, has been rolling over for about a month now, has been "boot-scooting" around the floor- basically crawling without using his hands!, and is obsessed with Sesame Street and Baby Einstein and will watch them in their entirety! I can't believe how fast he is growing up!

On November 2, Parker was baptized in Virginia- he's official now! We were so excited to have so many friends and family there to help celebrate in such a memorable part of Parker's life.

Parker and I before heading over to the church.

Getting dressed into his Christening gown- his gown was 96 years old- worn by all the first males in Karl's family (his grandfather in 1912, his father, himself, and now Parker)! He looked so cute!

Parker did not enjoy this part of his Baptism.

This is such a sweet pic- his godmother, Jean Gardner, was trying to get Parker to calm down and his godfather, Chris Gardner, was letting Parker hang onto his finger for comfort...awwww.

Our families at the Baptism.

Chris and Jean with their godson :)

Karl, Parker, and I with Rev. Baker.

After the Baptism at my parents house- Parker with Grandpa Schlegel. My mom hosted an amazing lunch after the service- thanks again mom!

Me cutting Parker's cake.

Thanks again to everyone who made Parker's Baptism so special!

2008-11-12T16:20:00.007+01:00

Here are just a few of the pictures we have from our visit to the states! I'll keep updating the blog in the next couple days- I promise!

Parker in his pumpkin :)

Doesn't he look happy?! Parker and Daddy on Halloween- a hatching chick and his farmer

chirp chirp

Going to trick-or-treat for the very first time!

Ready to go!

In Uncle Danny's Budweiser hat...Parker knows good beer!

Watching the Hokies play with Daddy- see him biting his finger in suspense?

GO HOKIES!!!

I love my boys!

Going out for a shopping trip with mommy

Parker will hate me one day for dressing him like this!

Back to Italia

2008-11-12T16:10:00.003+01:00

Sorry for my lack of blogging recently, but the last few weeks in the states were crazy and since we got back here last week, we didn't have internet. Good news and that we're up and running again and I'll be posting some new blogs and pics later this week when I get a few free minutes!

New Parker Pics!

2008-10-09T22:55:00.008+02:00

I love my baby boy!

Rub a dub dub Ready for a day at the park with Stephanie, Stacey, and Skylar GO HOKIES!!!! Parker was not happy about our performance

Meeting Great-grandma Caro! Aunt Kellye!

Uncle Danny!

Back in the USA

2008-10-05T21:29:00.002+02:00

Just a quick blog to let everyone know that we made it back to the states last weekend after a very long/delayed flight. Parker was a real trooper and barely made a peep the whole time which made mine and Karl's stress level significantly lower than expected! This was a very busy week- Karl was at a conference all week in Norfolk and I spent the week showing Parker things like the park (thanks again for the playdate Stephanie, Stacey, and Skylar!), the mall, Chick-fil-a, church, and so forth. Yesterday, my mom and I took him to the Newport News Fall Festival and spent the day there- Parker loved seeing all the people and the trees (we don't have many of those in southern Italy)- then he met his aunt Cathy and uncle Steve, and we even snuck in a trip to the grocery store and he did great! Today was a big day also- he went to church for the first time and we went over to Christina and Darin's so he could meet some of my best friends! He's almost holding his head up by himself and he coos and smiles constantly now! I can't believe how fast they grow up!!!!

Karl left to go back to Italy yesterday and I can't believe I won't see him again for 3 weeks! He's coming back here though the end of the month so we can baptize Parker and take him to Indianapolis to meet the other side of the family! I'll post some pictures later today, but they're on my laptop and I'm just sneaking in a quick post before the little guy wakes up! Have a great Sunday and look for pics later today/tomorrow!

8 week check-up

2008-09-22T14:37:00.006+02:00

Just wanted to report that Parker had a great check-up this week! I can't believe my little guy will be 8 weeks old tomorrow- he's growing up so fast! At his appt. on Monday, he weighed in at 11 lbs 3 oz (a little piglet!) and just shy of 21 inches. He got all of his first shots which I think was harder on me than it was on him and I was very glad to have my wonderful husband there to hold my hand through it! This week is pretty hectic as we are getting ready to fly back to the states this Friday- I'm pretty sure that I'm packing everything Parker owns :) I'll be home from this Friday until Nov. 4 and I can't wait to see all our family and friends and have them meet Parker! Here are some of the latest pics of my sweet boy- enjoy!

Sad goodbye

2008-09-15T20:48:00.002+02:00

This past Friday was so sad for us because we had to say goodbye to the Colgrove Family! Ben, Leighanna, and Luke have been great friends to us here in Italy and we are going to miss them all sooooo much as they move back to the states and start their new life outside of the Navy. We hope they come back to visit often and we hope to get together with them back in the states, too! We'll miss you guys and good luck with the move/new job/crazy toddler/traveling!

Week of Milestones

2008-09-05T15:47:00.002+02:00

This has been a big week for Parker- so many 'firsts'! This past Saturday, we went out to a restaurant for the first time with Parker to celebrate Amy's birthday and we had such a great time and he was very well behaved (luckily dinner was during the VT vs. ECU game so we didn't have to actually watch the embarassing loss).

At Cala Moresca Restorante in Bacoli with (left to right) Heather, Ian, Amanda, Ed, Karl (nice smile babe), Parker, me, Amy, and Scott.

Tuesday was a big day here because Karl left for Germany which meant I was alone with Parker for the first time...crazy that it took over a month for that to happen! On Tuesday night, Parker smiled for the first time and it wasn't the kind we often relate to his gas :) Then on Wednesday, he got weighed and is a whopping 9 lbs...my little guy is growing up too fast! I am finally getting to put some his newborn clothes away, but he's short enough that I can hang on to most of them still. Last night was the absolute best of his 'firsts'....he slept all the way through the night going nine hours between feedings! I have been told that I'm lucky to have such a good baby and I agree :)

I'll get some new pics of him up soon, but when Karl was away, there wasn't a lot of free time for photographing the kid- I was lucky just to survive alone for three days!

One month old!

2008-08-31T00:01:00.000+02:00

It's hard to believe that Parker is a month old already- I can barely remember what life was like before he was born! Karl and I are so lucky to have such a good baby- he's a great sleeper, rarely cries, loves people to hold him, has the cutest face in the world, doesn't mind when we take tons of pics of him, looks cute in all his outfits (though he still barely fits in any of them since he's so small!), makes the most adorable noises...I could go on forever telling you all the reasons we love him and why he's so spectacular! I thought I'd share some recent pics of Parker to help celebrate his one month birthday!

We also want to say thank you to all of our wonderful family and friends. You all have been amazing in the last month with all of your love and support and it really has meant to world to us- we love you all!

Congratulations!

2008-08-23T16:07:00.003+02:00

While we are super excited about every moment we get to spend with Parker, his birthdate made it impossible for us to share in some very important moments in our friend's and family's lives. Today we are missing out on Anna and Nick's wedding (Anna is Karl's youngest cousin), Matt and Jenny's wedding (Matt is one of Karl's friends and was one of our groomsmen), and Blakely's bridal shower (Blakely is my best friend and was my maid of honor). We wish them all the very best today and we are celebrating with you in spirit!!! Parker sends his coos and urps and Karl and I send all of our love and support- we miss and love you all so much!

Nick Demos and Anna Broughton (almost Demos!)

Matt Boling and Jenny Oleck (almost Boling!) Mike Stank and Blakely Hunnings (almost Stank...next month!) CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 Week Check-up

2008-08-12T20:21:00.006+02:00

Today was Parker's 2 week check-up and everything went great! He is back to his birth weight (plus some) and now weighs a whopping 6 lbs 11 oz. I can't believe he's been here two weeks already when it seems like he was just born yesterday, though it does feel like it's just been one very long day since Karl and I are so sleep deprived. We love our little man so much and just can't get enough of him- he barely even leaves our arms (spoiled rotten!). Thanks to everyone for their get-well wishes and I'm doing much better and they actually closed up my incision today :) Here's a few new pics of my favorite little bundle of joy!

We love to stretch!

Belly time :) Waving hi to all of his adoring fans First bath- Parker LOVES the bath by the way!

Happy family Can't you tell that he loves when I kiss him?!

Precious

Quick Update

2008-08-10T10:13:00.004+02:00

I thought I'd write a quick post and let everyone know what's been going on the past few days in case you've been trying to get in touch with us or just wondering how life with Parker is. To start from the beginning, we had a rough 27 hour labor that didn't progress well which led to a c-section. Recovering from that surgery is not a quick or painless process and it kept us in the hospital until late Sunday night last week. We finally got home with our little bundle of joy and struggled to keep weight on him since breastfeeding has been very hard on him (he dropped all the way down to 5 lbs 10 oz)!

Everything was starting to look up until Wednesday night when I noticed that I had a fever, so I went in to the ER and they admitted me for a uterus infection and a hematoma. Without getting into too many details, let's just say it was a very horrible and painful experience. I just got discharged yesterday and my mom flew into Naples this morning to help out as I heal (we need her here sooooooo much and love her so much for coming on such short notice!).

Just thought I'd give everyone an update and let you know why we haven't been in touch and might not be for a few more days. Parker and I are doing fine and he is even gaining weight again! We'll try and get some more pics up soon- miss and love all of you!

Parker William :)

2008-08-06T08:15:00.004+02:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging since Parker has arrived, but life has been absolutely crazy! Just thought I'd share some pictures of the most beautiful baby in the whole world (not that I'm partial). Karl, Parker, and I are doing fine though there is a good amount of sleep deprevation in the house, Karl has a beard because we don't have time to groom ourselves, and the house generally looks like a tornado hit.

We got back from the hospital late on Sunday night and have been going non-stop ever since. After 27 hours of labor, there wasn't enough progress and I underwent a c-section. I was terrified of having my first ever surgery, but things went great and I'm recovering well (but it's a very slow, painful process!). We feel so blessed by the outpouring of love and support from our family and friends and want to thank each one of you for all that you've done to show Parker how much he is loved in this world :) If you've called/emailed and we haven't gotten back to you, it's not that we don't want to, but we are on the baby's schedule now which doesn't leave much time in our day- have patience and we will be in touch with everyone in the coming weeks!

I am so deeply in love with this child that no words can describe it and just looking at him puts a smile on my face and tears in my eyes- motherhood is amazing!

Karl and I make a good-looking kid :) Parker's first bday party :) His feet still have never touched the ground- I find that just amazing. Daddy and Parker right after delivery- I didn't get to join the party for a few hours due to the c-section :(

Precious. All dressed up for his birthday party! I promise to post more soon (in between feedings if possible!) and thanks again for all the well-wishes- we love you all!

Welcome Parker William!

2008-08-01T22:01:00.002+02:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we welcomed our new baby boy, Parker William, last night (07/31/08) at 1034PM! He weighted in at 6 lbs 10 oz, 19" inches long. We are so excited for our new addition to our family and will be blogging more when we return from the hospital next week. Mom and baby are doing great!!!

Rediculously Preggo

2008-07-28T11:08:00.003+02:00

Just wanted to put up the most recent belly shot...and hopefully the last one! As you can plainly see, our kid should be making his appearance to the world soon (he's running out of room in there!). I think Karl is hoping the baby gets here soon so I'll stop buying baby clothes online...it's my newest obsession and I really don't think our kid will wear the same thing twice! Keep checking the blog for baby updates!

Still waiting...

2008-07-26T11:35:00.004+02:00

Well, we have no baby news yet, but hopefully will soon...I am officially tired of being pregnant and am ready to meet the little guy (which I think we've finally found a name for, but are keeping it hush hush until his birthday!). In the meantime, Karl and I are keeping busy and trying to just pass the time. We did find out that the hospital has wireless internet, so a blog post will come out the day he's born with all the info and hopefully some pics, too. I am also happy to report that I'll be able to post more pictures than I thought in the coming months because Karl just got me an awesome new laptop and I should get it soon and it is soooo much faster than this one...yay!

I have some random pics to share with everyone just to show some of the things we've been up to...sorry no new belly shots, but we'll work on that!

This is a pic from our 2nd story of the fire two weeks ago in our vineyard! The Italian firemen were yelling at preggo me to go back inside, so I couldn't get a good one of the flames, but I think this shows how close it was to the house!

On Wednesday, we had a goodbye dinner with friends for the Lawton family at O Sole Mio- a favorite pizzeria of ours. The Lawtons have lived next door to us since we moved in last September and it was so hard to say goodbye to such a wonderful family. Since they're headed back to Northern VA, I know we'll see them again soon...we'll miss you so much Mark, Cindy, Rick, Peter, Amy, and Hannah!!!! This past Thursday, Karl had a soccer game at Carney Park- he plays with the USA Naples team from base and they won 4-1 (three of the goals were scored by my awesome hubby and he assisted with the other....I was a verrrry proud wife)!

Karl practicing before the game (I was too busy chatting with Judy during the game to get pics of him actually playing...sorry babe!) I think this is why Karl actually comes out to play on Thursdays....beer in a hamper with ice. Meet Jack Oglesby- Maggie and Kent's baby boy who is now 11 days old. We're actually headed over there this afternoon to get some pics of the whole family! After much anticipation (and many requests from all of you), here are some pics from the nursery! It looks a little bland since we can't paint our plaster walls and the nursery is sharing space with our study (it's not a very big house). We think he's going to love it though and there's tons of place space on the floor for him! We went with an 'Under the Sea' theme since I have some crazy obsession with whales. An overview from the doorway. Sorry for the empty frames on the wall, but we do plan to put pics of our little one in them upon his arrival. Notice the awesome clock we got for him...it's the baby Hokie Bird! Thank you to Karl's mom who made the beautiful curtain for the window- the window is about nine feet long and 1.5 feet wide which made it impossible to find a curtain- we love it so much and it blocks all the sun that keeps trying to heat up the nursery! Just a small portion of the clothing we have for the baby...seriously this is just the fraction that has to be hung up! His dresser next to the crib is jam-packed with stuff, too! I have my mother's obsession for baby clothes and I buy something new everytime we go to the store! Due to the every increasing amount of stuff we buy for this kid, we had to convert the guest room into a mini-nursery with a changing station and pack and play. We thought it would be good to have a room on each floor that he can sleep in and change him in. To make room for everything, guests are going to have to climb over each other to get in bed, but sacrifices had to be made...don't say I didn't warn future visitors! We promise to keep everyone up-to-date with baby news and remember that if you want the first pics, we're sending them out via Snapfish (not on the blog since we'll have our hands full and don't want to spend all our time on the comp), so send me your email if you want to see how absolutely precious our baby boy is! lcaro@vt.edu

New Phone Number!!!

2008-07-18T21:08:00.002+02:00

Karl and I have some great news to share with everyone back in the states who miss us oh so much, but don't want to spend their gas money on calls to Italy...we finally wised up and found a way to have a stateside phone number!!! Now you can call us just like you're calling VA and for most of you that's free with your cell phone long distance plans!!! Our new phone number is:

757-772-0449

Please feel free to call us anytime, but keep in mind the time difference- we're six hours ahead of the east coast, so 10 pm phone calls for you would not be as enjoyable for us :)

Can't wait to hear from everyone and keep in touch!

Baby Oglesby!

2008-07-15T18:33:00.002+02:00

Just want to say congratulations to Maggie and Kent who welcomed their little boy into the world today!!! He weighed 8 lbs 8 oz. and mom and baby are doing great. He is absolutely precious and I almost started crying just looking at him! Once they finalize the name, I'll make sure to announce it. Congrats again you two and can't wait for our little boys to be best of buddies :)

Preggo Pics

2008-07-13T08:39:00.005+02:00

Some of you have already seen my formal preggo shots (if you didn't, send me your email and I'll add you to my Snapfish list so you can see all of them!), but thought I'd put a few on the blog for those of you who haven't! When we went to Tuscany, Karl and I took our new camera so we could get some belly shots! Karl is obviously talented as a photographer and we got some really beautiful pictures (at least I think so!). We have less than 4 weeks left and are soooooo excited and ready. The nursey is done, the clothes are washed, we are loaded with diapers thanks to our wonderful friends here :), and I can't think of anything else I could possibly need for this little one as of now! I'll get pics of up of the nursery soon I promise.

We had a bumpy week with some uterus stress and hospital visits and a fire on our vineyard (soooo scary and thanks for coming and getting me out of here Ben!), but the baby and I are just fine and are eagerly awaiting Karl to get back from the Ukraine later this week so we can get this baby show on the road! My doctor did an ultrasound yesterday and thinks our little boy will be born closer to the 2nd than the 8th...yay! We're still working on a name and have it narrowed down to two different ones- we had been planning on naming him Levi the whole pregnancy, but Matthew McCanohay (sp?) stole it from me last week, so now I don't want to do it because it's going to get popular...I was not happy!

How great is it to get belly shots in Tuscany? I feel like I'm just photoshopped into these pics!

Pienza and Montalcino

2008-07-09T21:08:00.006+02:00

This past weekend Karl and I took a long, relaxing trip to Pienza and Montalcino (two small towns in Southern Tuscany near Sienna). We wanted to go somewhere that didn't require too much walking/touring due to my 'largeness' and we definitely picked the right places.

We stayed at Casa Frati, an awesome agriturismo (like and B&B), and just loved it; it is a working farm and we got to play with piggies, horses, chickens, and cattle (well we didn't play with them, but we did pet them). Thanks Leighanna and Ben for suggesting Casa Frati and Pienza!

We took this pic when we went out for a drive on the 4th of July. It was such a beautiful house out in the middle of nowhere- it reminded us of all the pictures you ever see of Tuscany!

Knocking to see if anyone was home in Montalcino :) While out on one of our drives, we ran across this incredibly old church outside the city walls of Pienza. There was no one around except the pigeons in the bell tower- it was almost a little scary just because we were all alone with what seems like a ghost church. Karl in front of one of the most beautiful trees I've ever seen. Outside our door at Casa Frati- it's no wonder we loved this place so much!

Karl and I were out walking by the pool and one of the other guests at Casa Frati took this for us. That's right- this is the view at the pool! Another view from our 4th of July drive around the countryside...

Karl at the main square in Montalcino. Montalcino is a beautiful hilltop town known for it's Brunello wine (it seems that every other shop is a wine shop or as they are called 'enotecas'). I didn't get to try the wine, but Karl had a great time doing just that and we bought a few bottles so I can some next month :) One of the bottles actually has a picture of this clock tower on the label! Karl doing some sampling...I was sooooo jealous! Looking over the wall at Montalcino...so pretty!

Goodbye stinkpile!

2008-07-08T20:44:00.001+02:00

Just wanted to do a quick post to tell everyone how excited I am...they finally picked up our trash after two and a half months!!!! They actually picked up all of Pozzuoli (our little town) and I'm super pumped about it!!! I guess it's pretty sad that I had a do a post about trash pick-up, but it is a verrry big deal! Look for some pics from Tuscany tomorrow!

Bella Italia

2008-07-06T09:59:00.008+02:00

After two hours of downloading, I finally got up a few pics that we took with our new camera! Last week, Karl and I went into the vineyard that we live on and got some really beautiful pictures (at least we think so!). The grapes just started coming out, so they are still pretty small. We are still trying to figure out all the settings this camera has, so please put up with us until we get a hang of it!

Pretty peaches that match the sunset The hydrangea in our backyard

Last week I went over to Leighanna and Ben's to use Luke as my guinea pig as I try to figure out the best way to take pics of babies/little kids (I figure I should start practicing)! Luke is one of my favorite kids of all time and we love to hang out with Leighanna and Ben; we are going to miss this family sooooo much when they move back to the states in September!

How can you not fall instantly in love with this little guy?!?!

I'll get pictures up in the next few days from our trip to Tuscany (I promise!).

Ten on Monday!

2008-06-30T10:26:00.002+02:00

Following in the footsteps of some of my blogging buddies, I am going to try and institute one day a week that I just write what's on my mind and catch everyone up on what's going on in our lives (let's see if I keep this up once I have a newborn on my hands!). Here it goes:

1) I am officially in love with my new camera- is it possible to be in love with electronics? I have almost no idea what half of the settings are and don't know if I ever will, but I just LOVE the sound the shutter makes- sounds so professional! I have been practicing with it as much as possible and Karl and I also took it out in our vineyard last night and got some great shots (they will be uploaded as soon as I figure out how that works). 2) After this weekend, I think Karl and I have almost decided on a name for our little boy...well we have it narrowed down to three and we will make the final decision when we see his precious little face for the first time. That's right everyone- we are keeping this a secret until the big day! 3) I think that there are some days that I need to give everyone a reality check of what life overseas can be like. Sure there are the days where Karl and I can sit on our balcony and have the breeze from the Mediterranean whip around us and we just say to each other how lucky we are...but then there are also the other days...the not so great days. The trash problem here in Naples is making me reach my boiling point. I don't understand how people can treat such a beautiful country so horribly! I was going to the pool the other day and had to drive past our trash pile (we don't have trash cans, we have to drive our trash to a central point at the bottom of our volcano) and it was on fire...full-on flames (who knows what's in that trash burning)! Our military is actually doing soil, air, and water sampling to determine if it is safe for us to live here or if we're all going to keel off from lung cancer- scary! 4) More on Naples- Driving just seems to be getting scarier and scarier (we think it's the summer drivers). Just getting down the street takes NASCAR training and you really have to be fearless. Now that I have the Jeep, I feel like I can bully the road a little more, but try fitting that car down some of the narrow streets and I'd never make it out with all the pieces of my car still attached. Just coming home the other day, someone sideswiped me and knocked off part of my bumper, but you don't stop here for stuff like that, you just keep going. Karl and I always say that you have to drive here like a horse with blinders on and just go for it (never look at the other drivers because that gives them the right-of-way). Strange country. 5) As annoying as some of the customs of Italy can be, we still consider ourselves lucky to be here and are even going to Tuscany for a long weekend this week! It's so great to have all of Italy within driving distance! 6) One GREAT part about living here is how much they just worship children. We are so excited to have a baby here because of the way people treat children and pregnant women. There are never reports of children being kidnapped, sexually abused, or mistreated in general. I could leave my infant outside of a mall and when I came back, there would be 5 Italian women holding the baby and singing to him...seriously. When you take a baby out to a restaurant, they normally take the baby from you back to the kitchen and it could be an hour before you see the kid again (but it isn't something to worry about, they just LOVE children and we understand that it's just part of the culture here). 7) I am excited to know what a great father Karl is going to be. I am so lucky that he's so involved and caring. He reads to the baby everynight and you should see his face light up when he sees the belly moving...it's so sweet! 8) Karl and I got to watch/feel the baby having the hiccups the other day- totally amazing experience! 9) If you guys think it's bad with gas prices in the states, come to Europe. We buy gas by the liter and if you are paying normal prices, it ends up at about $10/gallon...be glad it's only averaging around $4 in the states, because it could be much worse (not to mention our dollar is worth didly over here compared to the euro!). 10) Air conditioning. The single greatest invention of all time. All of you back in the states with your central air, I am jealous and hope that you understand what a gift you have. We have no A/C here, but luckily we have great friends and Amanda and Ed have lent us a portable one for the summer for our downstairs (don't even want to know how much it's costing in electricity and I don't really care). It is not even 11:00 am and it's already hot and humid...definitely cranking up the A/C soon!

Party Weekend!

2008-06-26T09:34:00.006+02:00

The beginning of summer means the beginning of party/BBQ season- my favorite time of year! Last weekend was full of party-hopping and we had such a great time! On Friday, we went to Kerry and Alma's for a BBQ since Jen is about to move to Croatia and Kerry will be moving back stateside at the summer (we're going to miss you guys soooo much!). I am only getting bigger and bigger and hope he comes a little early so I don't have to be so miserably hot all the way until August!

This is our 33 week pic- check out that bump! It's actually getting very heavy and I'm verrry lucky to have such a great husband who rubs my back every night. We have such a great time watching him move around in my belly and Karl even got to feel (and see) the baby having the hiccups the other night!

At Kerry's the other night! I realized after seeing this pic that preggo women shouldn't wear horizontal stripes because I look like I've gained like 50 pounds (which I have not!). On Alma's balcony at sunset- that's the Mediterranean in the background....so pretty at sunset :) On Saturday, a good friend of ours, Jason, had his wetting-down party to celebrate his promotion to Lt. Commander. I was pretty sick that day, so I couldn't go (hence why there's no pics), but Karl went and said what a great party is was! Congrats again Jason!!!!

Sunday was an awesome day...our friends, April and Judy, threw us a huge BBQ Baby Shower at our house!!! It was soooo much fun and we got to hang out all day with all of our Naples buddies :) We are so lucky to have such amazing friends here and our baby boy is also lucky to have people who love him so much already- thanks again to everyone who helped make that day so special for our little family- we love you so much!

. Outside our front door with our pretty new flowers!

April made these awesome cupcakes for the party- they match the nursery theme of 'Under the Sea' (I'll get nursery pics up asap I promise!).

Cindy, Lisa, and Maggie hanging out in the backyard. Cindy and Lisa and two of my neighbors and Maggie is a friend who is due with a baby boy three weeks before me (they're already buddies)! I'm ready to party!!! Our gate is decorated for the occasion. Out back of our house. Jen and I...Hokie love :) Judy and Greg Jason, Matt, Mikki, Kerry, and Jen- it was wayyyy to hot to be outside in the afternoon, so everyone was congregating under the ceiling fans! I still have more pics to post of everyone else at the party, but they are on someone else's camera (I'll post them soon!). Look at the loot! On a side note, I have been trying to figure out our new camera (which is overwhelmingly complicated). Karl and I experimented at sunset the other night on the terrace and got this pretty pic...we love it here :)

Email addresses

2008-06-18T17:27:00.003+02:00

Being the ever-prepared and organized gal that I am, I have been busy getting things ready for our baby boy's arrival. One thing that's important to Karl and I is making sure that everyone has access to pics of the little guy once he gets here. Of course I'll continue to blog, but since our new camera has such high resolution, I won't be able to post that many pics (we have dinosaur internet here and it would take all day to load more than 5 or 6). We will be using our Snapfish account as the primary way for people to see pictures- and be able to order them also!- but we need everyone's email addresses so we can send invites to see them!

We barely have anyone's email addresses and we want everyone to send them to us (unless of course you have no interest in receiving invites to see our pics of the baby and of all the places we travel- can't imagine you wouldn't). Email either Karl or I with your email addresses as soon as possible so we can get pictures out!

lcaro@vt.edu

kschlege@vt.edu

Thanks everyone!!!

Ciao Ciao

2008-06-17T18:13:00.002+02:00

Well, I haven't had much to blog about recently since Karl and I have been laying low on the weekends. I am uber preggo now which makes it hard to travel around town in the heat (but we do have a Tuscany trip planned for a long 4th of July weekend!). In the past few weeks, Karl and I have been getting the baby's room ready and I'll have pics as soon as I'm done with it and we've been hanging out at the pool/beach with friends. The only new pics we have are some belly shots, so I'm excited to share those with everyone!

Something we are excited about is our new camera that we ordered and should have any day now! It is basically professional grade and I'm sure it will take us two years to figure out all the lenses and settings, but we'll hopefully get some great shots with it.

Here is a pic of 31 weeks preggo in the backyard with my beautiful hydrangea :)

It started raining seconds after we took the picture above, so here's an indoor shot...check out that bump! This is a 32 week picture which is where we're at now! I can't believe we have less than 8 weeks until our due date...crazy!

Sorrento

2008-06-10T20:52:00.003+02:00

Before the baby comes in August, Karl and I are trying to travel as much as possible and that means taking advantage of beautiful weekends in southern Italy...it's not that hard! Last weekend, we headed south to Sorrento to enjoy the scenery and weather. It took longer than expected to make the drive since everyone was on the Sorrento coast to go to the beach for the weekend, but we finally did make it there (and did it without the TomTom!). Sorrento is a truly beautiful place and it's no wonder people come from all over the world to spend some time here.

We pulled over on the side of the road to get a picture of Sorrento from up high. The great thing about driving the Sorrento/Almafi coasts is that there is nothing between you and the coast as you drive along (can also be a little scary driving those crazy turns with the equally crazy Italian drivers).

Once we parked, we walked across the street and saw this awesome sight. This is the Mulini Valley and it got it's name from the windmill building that was used up to the beginning of the 1900's. It was so far down in the valley and I couldn't figure out how in the world people got down there! This is the view from Piazza Tasso which is the heart of the city. Look how far down that road is that leads to the port! Taking time to smell the roses (or whatever flowers those are) :) This is the view from our table at lunch...not much to complain about (except that fact it took them FOREVER to bring our lunch, but at least we had something great to look at!). Check out the size of those lemons! (click on the picture to see it closer) I still think the lemons at Pompei are bigger.

Another pretty picture. Karl and our tour train in Piazza Tasso. We took a tour of the city and I'm really glad we did because preggo me simply cannot walk that far anymore! Karl at lunch with the famous Excelsior Vittoria Hotel behind him. This is one of the most famous hotels on the Sorrento/Almafi coasts and all of the movie stars of the 40's, 50's, and 60's seemed to have stayed here! The belltower of the Sorrento Cathedral built around the 6th century!

Memorial Day and a few others

2008-06-03T15:29:00.005+02:00

So I have been a bad blogger recently and need to get back in the swing of things! I'm finally posting about our Memorial Day...yay! We were supposed to go to Greece for a week, but getting stuck in the states messed up those plans. We had a nice, relaxing weekend at home and got a lot done around the house and then we went to Herculaneum and Veitri on Memorial Day.

Herculaneum (or Ercolano as the Italians call it) is a sister city of Pompei that was destroyed when Vesuvius erupted. They didn't find Ercolano until much later than Pompei and since it is buried under a bustling city, not as much as been escavated. Even though it was smaller than Pompei, it is much better preserved and less touristy. We were able to walk through all the old buildings and it was so easy to imagine how amazing it must have been way back when!

This is the House of the Deers- they know who it belonged to because they actually found a loaf of bread with the family stamp on it...crazy!

Karl at the House of Argus- a huge home that belonged to one of the wealthy families. Me on the bridge leading into Ercolano...underneath the bridge is where the old boat slips are. At the House of the Deers, part of the second floor is still intact- so incredible! Overview of Ercolano- you can see how well preserved the architecture is. After we left Ercolano, we decided to head over to our favorite town for lunch and to pick up some ceramics I had ordered...VIETRI!!! We love Vietri on the Almafi Coast and go there often since it's only about 45 min to an hour drive. It's a town known for ceramics and we have a great collection going now. Everyone who has been to visit us has gone to Vietri and you can rest assured that you'll go there, too if you come to visit us because we just love it. We had lunch at our normal restaurant where the little Italian man who owns it always tries to make me drink even though I'm obviously pregnant...oh Italians are so different than us!

Look at that view...I love living here :) The main road with lots of ceramic shops. Enjoying the view! Just wanted to post a few other pics, too! I took this picture earlier today because I realized that the last pic I posted from the house, we had no lawn...now look at all that green! My rose bush in the middle of the yard is blooming some beautiful pink roses right now.

You can see how fast the vineyard has grown since the last pictures. This is our 30 week prego pic- we took it before going to Sorrento last weekend (pictures coming soon I promise!). Can't believe our little boy is going to be here so soon!!!!

Rest of my trip in the states

2008-05-29T16:00:00.002+02:00

Just want to wrap up my trip back to the states this past month with the last few pics!

Mom and I on Mother's Day- she took me to see Andrew Lloyd Weber's 'Evita'!!! I've always wanted to see it live and it was an amazing first mother's day gift :) Thanks again Mom!!!

Because I got/had to stay in the states for two weeks longer than expected, I got the chance to go visit Karl's family and friends (and Boo!!!!) in Indiana for a few days. This is a cute pic- Boo was interrupting my magazine reading time and put her paws on each side on my belly then took a nap on the bump...so cute! I miss my girl :( The whole gang...Debbie, Helen, Me, Mike, Lauren, Ryan, Rob, and Megan...and of course the two doggies, Minnie and Boo Boo and Helen having a nap...Boo is seriously spoiled :)

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Aguayo!

2008-05-25T23:14:00.002+02:00

Congratulations to my big sister, Erin, who got married this afternoon to my new brother-in-law, Jose!!!! I'm so excited for the both of them and wish more than anything that I could be there to help celebrate and break a few of the pinatas :)

I can't wait to get all the details and I'm sure there's a great party going on in Alpine, TX right now. Congrats again you two and welcome to the family Jose!!!! Love you both! On a quick side note....check out my belly picture from earlier today...that big belly is the reason I can't be at Erin's wedding today!

Baby Shower and Brooks and Dunn concert!

2008-05-10T22:56:00.008+02:00

I just have to say how lucky Karl and I are to have such amazing family and friends; I had such a wonderful time at my baby shower this past weekend and it was so nice to get to see everyone! Baby boy Schlegel is officially spoiled rotten and I can't wait to get back to Italy to show Karl all of the great gifts that we got! Thank you to all of you who made it such a memorable day and who so obviously love this baby already- we love you!

Me opening one of the gifts from my mom- there is a bib for every holiday of the year plus some!

Some of the baby loot! The diaper wipes warmer was a big hit with everyone and I'm sure the baby will love it, too :) Cooper made a grand entrance- I met him for the first time last weekend and it was love at first sight- I'll get pics up from our first meeting soon! Tina and I Me and my Blakely Best game ever- the dirty diaper game- each diaper has melted/smushed candy bars and you have to guess what kind of candy it was- looked so real it was disgusting (but fun!). Tina- very used to Cooper's dirty diapers by now- had no problem tasting the contents to try and win- brave girl! One of the food rooms- check out the clothes line with all the precious baby clothes over the window! As people send more pics, I'll be sure to update from the baby shower. It really was a great day and thank you again to everyone who made it to special!!! . . There was one great thing about not getting on the flight back to Italy last week...I get to hang out with my friends here for another two weeks! Last night Stephanie, her aunt, and friend Denise went to the Brooks and Dunn concert! Steph and I were a bit skeptical at first since we know a total of two songs by them, but we had such a great time! It was my night to prove that pregnant people are fun, too! Stephanie, Me, Susan, and Denise getting sushi in Va Beach before the concert (don't worry- I only ate the cooked stuff). Stephanie and I before we left Our sushi chefs- the guy on the left was awesome and had the coolest name...Dang Lee...haha! Steph and I at the show! Check out the belly shot- it looks like a basketball is stuffed up my shirt! The baby kicked the whole time- guess he likes loud music! A tribute to our troops...made me miss Karl even more :(

Red, white, and blue streamers! We thought the cowgirl banners were hilarious...oh country music....

Change of plans....

2008-05-08T02:26:00.002+02:00

Well, I was expecting to be back in Naples by now, but the flight was full yesterday and I didn't make it on. I'm pretty bummed because I have to wait another two weeks to fly home and that's more time away from the hubby and we have to cancel our trip to Greece because I won't make it home in time :( I am looking forward to hanging out with my friends some more here for the next two weeks and am just praying that I make it out on the next flight (cross your fingers for me!). I will upload some pics from the baby shower this past weekend and show off my ever-expanding belly soon and if any one has pictures from the shower, I'd love to have them emailed to me so I can post those, too (lcaro@vt.edu)!

Assisi and Pisa

2008-04-24T09:37:00.005+02:00

This past weekend, Karl and I took my parents up north to Assisi and Pisa for three days and also went away to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary! We had been to Assisi already, but fell in love with the city and wanted to bring my parents there and they are officially in love with it, too! We spent our actual anniversary in Pisa and it was so exciting to see the leaning tower (even though it was pouring the whole time we were there). I'm gearing up to fly home tomorrow and hope I get to see all my family and friends while I'm home since it's the last time I'll be home without having a baby with me!

A new belly shot- 24 weeks- he is kicking and moving around alllll of the time and my belly button has officially turned out (not my favorite part of pregnancy). We took this picture in our hotel room in Assisi, so we have an awesome background for the belly shot this week :)

Another view from our hotel room onto the valley below. Enjoying that beautiful view- la dolce vita! The Rocca Maggiore (the watch tower/castle of Assisi). Assisi as you drive up- pictures can't even do this justice! Mom and Dad in Assisi with the million dollar view behind them. Karl and I :)

Outside of the San Francescan Duomo (Cathedral). I was playing with my pigeon friends and trying to learn to fly I guess. Awwww...smooches and belly holding Can you tell that we liked taking pictures of the view??? Onto our trip to Pisa.... This is the view as you walk through the walled entrance to Pisa...we were so excited and couldn't believe that we were actually looking at the leaning tower after seeing it countless times in pictures since we were kids! The duomo is the building in front of the tower. Can you tell how bad the weather was with all those umbrellas in the picture?

I am superwoman...look at how effortlessly I can hold up the tower with just one hand and hold my umbrella with the other...amazing! Notice how Karl needed two hands to keep it up... A picture of the three famous buildings in Pisa...the baptistry in front, the Duomo, and the tower. Mom, Dad, and I with the leaning tower

Ischia and Pompei

2008-04-18T10:35:00.004+02:00

The past week has been super busy with my parents in town- we've gone everywhere in and around Naples and are going to Assisi and Pisa for a long weekend (also mine and Karl's 1 year anniversary!!!!). My parents got in on Friday and since then we've gone to Ischia (an island near Capri that you can see from our bedroom patio), Pozzuoli downtown area, Pompei, Vietri on the Almafi Coast, and some small side trips. They're in Rome for the last few days of their trip next week and then on Friday I fly back to the states for about 2 weeks...busy busy!

Me, Mom, and Dad in the port of Pozzuoli while waiting for our ferry to Ischia. We had such a great time down there because the fish market was in full swing on Sunday morning. The fishermen were all coming in and showing off their catches...the big suprise was all of the octopuses (octopi?) in buckets still alive and wiggling around...I don't know how people can eat that!

More of the port...we can see this from our house so it was great to see it up close finally. The port of Ischia!!! This island is sooo beautiful and peaceful- it isn't very touristy which makes it much more enjoyable. More of the port...breathtaking! Karl and I on the main road...kind of like a boardwalk I guess. (Karl likes to hold onto the belly!) Dad, Mom, and Karl on the boardwalk. Everyone is so amazed that we have palm trees everywhere in southern Italy (we have one in our backyard, too)! A view from the ferry in the Bay of Pozzuoli. On Monday we went to Pompei- the weather was sooooo much better than last time I was here, so I took some more pictures.

Mom and Dad in the municipal square The main market area with Vesuvius in the background (the clouds are covering up part of it). I'll get up some more pictures next week when we get back from vacation (and some new belly shots, too)! Baby and I are doing just fine and he's growing very quickly and kicking all the time- still no names picked out yet!

Belly shots!

2008-04-10T11:13:00.003+02:00

It's amazing to me how fast babies grow- look at that belly! We took these pictures on Saturday before we went out to dinner with some of our friends and I just can't believe I'm already this big and we're only 22 weeks (we'll be 23 weeks tomorrow). Our baby boy weighs about a pound and is as long as a Ken/Barbie doll :) We still can't come up with many names that we like and have decided that we won't make the final decision until we see his sweet face. We're really excited because my parents get here tomorrow for two weeks then I am heading back to the states the day after they leave at the end of the month!

Side shot- I love how round the belly is! Last night Karl and I were on the couch watching a movie and the baby started stretching and my belly became super lopsided- it was so funny to be able to sit and watch the baby move and kick around (this kid is definitely going to follow in his daddy's footsteps as a soccer player!). I didn't think it was fair that my belly and I get all the spotlight, so I thought it was only fair that Karl gets a belly shot, too! We officially said goodbye to our VW Polo last week- we loved that little car, but we needed something bigger for the baby. We got a nice, red Jeep that eats gas (which is soooo much more expensive here than in the states), but it will hold all of the baby's gear! I also have a fun time being a bully on the road because the Jeep is like a monster truck here in Italy!

La dolce vita

2008-04-01T14:27:00.002+02:00

I figure that I'm always writing blogs about places we visit and other adventures, but I rarely talk about what just a normal day is like for me here in Italy, so I thought I'd give everyone a glimpse into my life on the Mediterranean! The past few days have been unbelieveably beautiful and we deserve it after the horrible weather we had all of March (it rained for 24 of the 31 days and was unseasonably cold). Since Friday, I have been accomplishing a lot of spring cleaning, yard work, some sun bathing, cooking, and catching up on reading. Some days are busier than others when they include grocery shopping trips, doctor appointments, spousal luncheons, and so forth, but the past 4 days have been truely relaxing.

This afternoon I took this picture from out bedroom balcony as I took in some sun and read my book for book club..by the way I love "Water for Elephants"! Karl and I just got some great patio furniture for the second floor as an anniversary gift to each other (it's coming up this month!) and I have been loving it the past few days!

Another shot from the balcony today...just imagine a light sea breeze, blue sky, and about 70 degrees...I love it here! Our baby boy even got some sun today as I try to tan my big ol belly- he kicked a lot, so either he's going to be a beach guy or he was mad that I interrupted his afternoon nap with bright light! This was Saturday's project- my landlord roto-tilled my backyard for me since it had just become one big weed. I raked all the dirt back into place and planted all new grass (I hope we have some sort of lawn by the time my parents get here next Friday). I can't do a lot of actual gardening because of the pregnant thing (you never know what bacteria is lurking in the soil I guess), so Karl is going to help me out with flowers next weekend when he gets home. Most days are pretty uneventful here, but tomorrow I am super busy- I have a long day at base dealing with paperwork for our baby boy (it takes A LOT of paperwork to make our baby an American citizen when it's born in Italy), I sold my VW Polo (so sad) because I need a bigger car for the baby and I am transferring the car tomorrow, getting taxes done, grocery shopping, and other boring things (I told you not everyday is an Italian adventure!). Just thought I'd let everyone know what we do between our European adventures and hope you get out for a visit!

Pompei

2008-03-30T16:51:00.004+02:00

As I was looking through my posts from this month, I realized that I completely skipped over our trip to Pompei! We went to Pompei earlier this month with Jean, Ashleigh, and Dan and even though it was cold and raining allllll day, we still had a great time! Pompei is only about a 35 min drive from our house...how did we get so lucky to be living here?! We took a private tour and learned so much about this amazing city; I was suprised how huge it is and I can't wait to go back with my parents next month and see some of the other parts we didn't see before.

This is the original entrance to the city and when you get up close, you can see where the massive wooden door used to be and there are still wagon tracks!

The remaining part of one of the market places and the building in the far back is where judicial hearings used to be held. Inside one of the bath houses- this pool would be filled up with warm water that was heated through steam pipes. The bath houses are very well preserved and there are still frescoes on the walls and you can see the plumbing, too! The main marketplace...can you tell from this picture how awful the weather was??? This was one of the highlights for me- in my Latin class in high school, we had this poster up on the wall! Cave Canem- Beware of the Dog. It's so remarkable- it's the entrance to one of the houses as you walk down the road and if our tour guide hadn't pointed it out, I probably would've missed it completely (it's also dirtier than I thought it would be). Looking down one of the roads of Pompei- these were mostly residential buildings. This is pretty x-rated...it's one of the many frescoes from one of the popular...ummm...brothels is a nice way to put it. There's one of these paintings over each of the rooms...I guess in case they didn't know what to do there.... One of the rooms of the brothel...yep that's a stone bed...very sanitary I guess but I imagine they were quite uncomfortable! Remains of the bakery. Those two big things in the middle is what the wheat was ground in to make flour. One of the remaining frescoes and there's a plaster cast of a body in the glass case.

On a side note, Karl, our baby boy, and I are doing well. Karl is on a trip for work and will be home soon and we're still trying to come up with some good baby names...we're always taking suggestions! We're finally having some nice weather in Italy and it hasn't even rained the past two days! My parents are coming in about a week and a half, so we're busy getting ready for their visit. Also, I'm planning on making a trip to the states at the end of April, so I hope I get to see a lot of you while I'm home for about two weeks. Thanks again for all the great comments you have been leaving!

Easter Fun

2008-03-24T20:54:00.003+01:00

Happy Easter (Monday)! Karl and I had a wonderful first Easter together as newlyweds even though the weather was absolutely dreadful here :( We slept in and got to relax around the house and the Easter bunny even brought Karl lots of goodies! In the afternoon, we went over to Leighanna and Ben's for Easter dinner and I introduced them to corn pudding (mmmmm!). We had a great time playing with Luke and spending time with good friends not to mention stuffing our faces with some of the best ham ever (thanks again Leighanna!). Our baby boy spent the evening kicking me and moving around- it feels so funny!

Check out my Easter belly!!! We're at 20 weeks now- officially halfway!!!!

and the verdict is in.....

2008-03-17T09:55:00.006+01:00

Today Karl and I had our big ultrasound appointment where they spent an hour and a half doing measurements and checking to make sure the baby is healthy! We got a good bill of health and we also found out the sex of our baby.....

WE'RE HAVING A BOY!!!!!!!! My first reaction was that I asked the Dr. to repeat herself because I didn't believe her...I was convinced this was a girl and was actually shocked when they told me otherwise. Karl and I are soooooo happy and you can't wipe the grin off his face...I'm sure he's thinking "All right, another Marine soccer player!" We went and bought a few cute boy outfits and some newborn booties :) We took the picture above right before we left for the appointment (notice my St. Patrick's Day green). We'll put up more about little boy Schlegel as the weeks continue!!!

Firenze (Florence)

2008-03-10T10:22:00.005+01:00

Sorry it's taken so long to get our pics from Florence, but my blogger has not let me upload for a few days...better late than never! We went to Florence for three days last week and had such a great time- the drive was beautiful and we even had a day with no rain! I think we saw about every inch of the city and even got to spend a lot of time at the Uffizi (the room with the Botticelli's was our favorite here), the Academy (we saw the David!) , and the Duomo (the famous Dome and church of Florence). If you haven't been here before, it is definitely a must see- I honestly don't have one bad thing to say about this city.

Below is the view we had from our hotel balcony- we were right on the river a few blocks from the Ponte Vecchio and Uffizi!

The famous Ponte Vecchio- it's the oldest bridge in Florence and was built in 1345 (it's right next to the Uffizi). What was originally workshops, butchers, and tanner shops are now some amazing gold and antique jewelery shops. The Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore)! The dome of the duomo is what makes this such an engineering marvel- Brunelleschi dome was the largest of it's time that was done without scaffolding. It's hard to see in pictures (they don't do it justice), but the entire outside of the duomo is made with white, green, and pink Tuscan marble and this picture only shows a tiny bit of the HUGE church! Part of the Duomo, this is the Campanile (also known as Giotto's tower) built in 1334. We actually walked all the way to the top- over 430 steps (I needed a nap afterwards!)! A view from the top of the Campanile- so beautiful! Another view of the city from the top. Ashleigh and I at the Bargello- leave it to the sorority girls to pose with their mascot!

Karl and I on the Ponte Vecchio...awwww :) Me and Miss Jean! Another shot of the Duomo (sorry it's out of order) I was soooo excited to see this after all those years of art history- this is Ghiberti's "Gate of Paradise" which are the doors the the baptistry of the Duomo- commissioned in 1401. They were so different from Florentine Gothic Art, that they are often said to be the finest products of the Renaissance! Beautiful Santa Croce- built in 1294 it holds the tombs of some VERY famous Florentines including Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Ghiberti.

Karl being photographer and taking a cool pic :) Leonardo Da Vinci's tomb! Michelangelo's tomb Courtyard of Santa Croce We had so many great pics, it was hard to choose which to post, but I'll have Snapfish album up soon and I'll put up a post! Next blog, I'll have our Pompeii and Almafi Coast pics and I'll try to get up a new baby bump pic (we find out Monday if it's a boy or girl)!!!

Roma!

2008-03-02T12:56:00.005+01:00

The past few days have been absolutely wonderful, so I thought a blog would be fun! Last week, Karl got back from a long trip to Germany and we had a belated bday for me and he got me some really neat, German gifts. Then on Thursday, Karl started his week and a half of vacation/leave and we drove up to Rome so we could pick up our first ever house guests! Jean Gardner (my second mom basically) and Ashleigh and Dan Volker (great friends of ours) have come to visit for about two weeks and we're trying to see/do everything possible! Karl and I had a nice afternoon and evening in Rome and then the gang got in Friday morning- they are such troopers; after an all-night flight, we went and hit all the big Roman spots and then drove back to Napoli that night. Yesterday, we slept in a little bit, then spent the afternoon in downtown Naples and came back home for a nice, homecooked meal. Today Jean, Ash, and Dan headed out to Capri and Karl and I hung back at the house to regain some energy (the baby and I needed some couch time) and since we've been to Capri, we figured it was a good day to stay home.

We have a busy week ahead of us with three days in Florence then Pompeii, Sorento, and Naples Underground (look for some great blogging ahead)!

Thought I'd throw this picture in the bunch- introducing my dark hair and baby bump! This is us at 17 weeks and already in maternity clothes!

One of the hallways in the Vatican Museum leading to the Rapheal Rooms and Sistine Chapel- so beautiful! The School of Athens by Raphael- I never knew how huge this fresco is- couldn't even get the whole thing in a picture! Sorry some of the indoor shots are blurry, but you can't use flashes :( The picture we snuck in the Sistine Chapel (photography is a very big no-no), but we figured they can't do too much to us- pregnant women get away with murder in Italy! I can't even explain how breathtaking this was. Karl and I just sat on a bench and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like forever. One of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life! After a very wonderful dinner, we took a walk along the Tiber. This is the Castle Sant'Angelo; built in 123 AD, it was a papal castle for over 1000 years- a viaduct that let the popes escape here in times of crisis. A view from the castle onto the Tiber...soooo pretty! Rome Day 2! Karl and I in front of the Arch of Constantine.

Karl, me, Ash, and Dan in the Roman Forum ruins- to the right of us are the remaining columns of the Temple of Julius Caesar. Ash, me, and Jean posing with part of the fallen ruins (we think this was part of a column way back when). Karl and I at the Trevi Fountain (I am nursing a bottle of Coke that I consider the most expensive soda in the history of the world- that stupid Coke cost 6 euro!!! that's like $8!)! Karl, Ash, and Dan with the Colosseum behind them- the weather wasn't great all day- it did rain a tid bit. We're having so much fun with our friends and can't wait to explore more this week- we'll have lots of great posts :) Ciao!

Congrats Blakely and Mike!

2008-02-21T12:28:00.002+01:00

Congratulations to my best friend, Blakely, who just got engaged to Mike Stank!!! They met in college and remained close friends for years. Last year, they started dating and now their fairytale just keeps getting better! Mike proposed in such a sweet way in Blacksburg on the Drill Field (so appropriate) and they are now planning a Sept. 27 wedding! I wish them all the very best as they deserve true happiness :)

We're hoping that we'll be able to travel with the baby for the wedding- we're going to do everything possible because we really don't want to miss such a wonderful day. Congrats again you two!

Back in Italia

2008-02-15T22:48:00.005+01:00

After an awesome three and a half weeks in the states, I have to say it's nice to be back in my own bed in my nice, cold villa! Unfortunately, Karl is traveling for work and we hope he comes back soon- I haven't seen him in a month :( Even though Karl and I didn't get to spend our first married Valentine's together, I got a VERY special gift yesterday...I heard the baby's heart beat for the first time (a strong 160 bpm)!!! The baby has it's back to us right now, but as long as he/she turns around soon, we'll find out the sex on St. Patrick's Day (I just happen to make Dr. appts on random holidays I guess). As fun as baby stuff is to talk about, I'm doing this post because A.K. tagged me to fill out a very fun questionnaire!

MY HUSBAND

What is his name? Karl William Schlegel

How long have you been married? 10 months!

How long did you date? about 4.5 years

How old is he? 27...old man :)

How old are you? 24..25 next week though (quarter of a century)!

Who eats more sweets? That would be me- I believe that the point of eating lunch and dinner is so I can have the dessert that follows. You can ALWAYS find something fresh baked in my home- keep in mind I have no job.

Who said I love you first? I honestly don't remember (is that bad?) If I had to guess though, I'd guess he said it first because I'm pretty loveable :)

Who is taller? Karl by about 2 inches...me with my heels though

Who can sing better? Another toss up, though I think I'm slightly better. We've already decided to send our kids to voice lessons or else they have no hope.

Who is smarter? It's the only question we don't ever agree on- we think the opposite one is smarter. I think Karl's so smart when it comes to his job, common sense, general know-how, and picking the right wife. We think I have more book smarts (I'm a good memorizer) and I'm definitely better at directions!

Who does the laundry? I do all the laundry EXCEPT his stinky gym/soccer stuff. My pregnancy hormones have made that smell make me want to throw up...not good.

Who does the dishes? Whoever cooks, doesn't have to clean, but Karl travels A LOT with his job, so it's pretty even I guess.

Who pays the bills? Me...I'm seriously anal about our credit and paying everything on time. Honestly, Karl doesn't even know how to access the bank account online- he said he's happy as long as there's money in the ATM when he goes.

His guilty pleasure? I know Karl keeps a stash of candy at his desk and can demolish a bag of pizza rolls if given the opportunity.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Karl...I hate the right side of beds...don't know why.

Who mows the lawn? Karl...and the neighbors kid when Karl is gone.

Who is his best friend? Karl's brother, Erik, but I'm sure I'm up there, too :)

Who cooks dinner? Me...Karl's not allowed in the kitchen...ever. He's the grill guy though!

Who drives? Karl...Italian drivers scare me.

Who kissed who first? I'm sure it was me...I was prettty fiesty back then.

Who asked who out first? We met at a football game, Sept. 8 2001 VT vs. Western Michigan, and Karl was playing VT soccer at the time. He told me at the game that if he scored a goal against VMI the next day, that I owed him a date. Luckily he's an awesome soccer player :)

What was your first date? Sept. 10, 2001 Macados...we had sandwiches.

Who proposed? Karl did...one of the best days of my life!

Who has more siblings? I win...two sisters and a brother and Karl just has one brother.

Who wears the pants? Me...no question about it :)

What is your favorite thing about him? Can there be just one favorite thing about your husband? I love sooooo much about him, but I have to say that I love what a great person he is...eagle scout, US Marine Officer, soccer coach at the high school...I just know what a great role model he is and that he's going to be a terrific dad. Because he is such a great person, he treats me with so much respect and love and his patience tolerance for me is amazing. I just love him so much and hope are children are just like him :)

I tag Judy and April next!

And Baby makes three....

2008-02-08T14:52:00.000+01:00

I am so excited to finally make our official blog announcement that Karl and I are expecting a new addition to our family on August 8, 2008 (that's right, 8/8/08)! It has been so hard keeping this a secret from everyone (and if you happen to know my parents, then they probably already told you since they can barely contain themselves). Today marks the first day of my second trimester and I'm hoping that means no more morning/afternoon/evening/night sickness. We are planning to find out if it's a boy or girl and that should happen at the end of this month, so be looking for a big announcement around then! I've put up the picture we got at our first ultrasound from the beginning of January; the baby is over three times the size now as in the picture and growing quickly! My clothes are already becoming a little too tight and you can often catch me in maternity pants because they are oh so comfortable :)

I'll keep everyone up-to-date on baby information in the coming months!

It's been awhile!

2008-02-05T18:48:00.000+01:00

Sorry it's been so long since last blogging, but I've been super busy since coming back to the states for a quick visit! After an extremely long day of delays and plane issues, I got back to the states in the wee hours of the morning Sat. Jan. 19 and have been going non-stop since! I've been horrible about taking pictures, so don't expect much when I get back to Italy and don't have many to post. Since being home, I've gotten to hang out with a lot of my friends, I went down to Raleigh for three days to visit Blakely and all our awesome old neighbors, I flew to Indianapolis to visit with my in-laws and Boo (who is still as amazing as when I left her), and now I'm back at my parents for a week to relax before heading back to Italy.

Like I mentioned, I don't have any pictures yet (and won't until I have Karl to download them in Italy), but I did come across something fun that I thought I would share! While having fun on the internet that isn't dinosaur slow like I'm used to, I went to my wedding photographer's website and noticed he had changed it recently. He put some of our pictures up under his wedding collections, but he also put up a little part of our wedding video! Just click on the link and then we're the third video down (you should recognize Karl's uniform). Enjoy!

http://www.schillingenterprises.com/video.html

Congratulations Erin and Jose!

2008-01-16T16:43:00.000+01:00

I wanted to give a big congratulations to my wonderful sister who just got engaged! The lucky guy is Jose Domingo Aguayo Belausteguigoitia (don't get worried about that last name and learning to spell it- she plans to go by Erin Elizabeth Aguayo). They met a little over a year ago at a coffee shop where they live in Alpine, Texas and talked for over an hour (from what I understand it wasn't the most riveting of conversations), but friends kept pushing them together and they soon went on a real date where they immediately fell head over heels for each other- in Erin's words he is "awesome and perfect". Jose is super tall and is actually the grandson of a famous soccer player in Spain (they called him "La Furia") and he makes Erin so happy that I can't wait to officially welcome him to the family (watch out Jose- you're in for a wild ride!). As of now, they plan to get married in Alpine, TX Memorial Day weekend and in true Texas style will have brisket bbq for dinner, a cowboy band, and pinatas made by Jose himself! I can hardly wait for the big day- congrats again you two!!!

Innsbruck, Austria

2008-01-10T10:22:00.000+01:00

I'm ALMOST done blogging about our trip last month...promise! After we left Munich, we headed down to Innsbruck, Austria for three days. The winter Olympic games were held here in both 1964 and 1976 and after seeing the Alps here, we know why! We had a lot of fun at the markets (I told you we bought a lot of Christmas decorations!) and it might be possible there are more famous Christmas markets in this world, but no other Christmas market has more fascinating scenery. The medieval old town of Innsbruck offers a Christmas experience in Alpine style with long tradition. We took it really easy here and just did a lot of walking and we also went to the zoo (sooo much fun)- definitely a place I'd love to visit again.

Feeding the goats at the zoo- this guy was a pig and ate all of corn before giving the others a chance! Our beautiful hotel- the architecture in Innsbruck is absolutely stunning. The fake Alps in the Christmas market with the real Alps behind it. Karl with the almost frozen river behind him The famous Golden Roof- the most important symbol of the city. Archdruke Friedrich IV built the roof for his emperor Maximilian I. As we know today, the emperor was very delighted about his gift. Maximilian enjoyed to sit in luxury under his golden roof, and view the lively activity under the square below. I thought this nativity scene was just awesome Me and the carousel at the Christmas market

Munich!

2008-01-07T11:31:00.000+01:00

So call me lazy, but I'm still trying to get all the pictures up from our trip last month (there's just so many pics!). After we left Garmisch, we headed north to Munich for three days. Munich is an amazing city- the art, architecture, and history make it a must see for anyone who gets a chance to visit Germany. We were lucky enough to be in Munich just in time for the Christmas markets- it was unbelieveably cold, but completely worth it (I think Karl and I bought half the market and we have A LOT of Christmas decorations now!).

This is a close-up of the famous Glockenspiel in the Marienplatz Plaza. The Glockenspiel celebrates two separate events from Munich's past with two levels of clockwork action. The dancers are coopers and are depicted doing the "Dance of the Coopers". This is done in memory of the end of the plague in 1517. The other part is jousting knights. These re-enact a famous tournament that was held for the royal wedding of Duke Wilhelm V which took place on Marienplatz in 1568.

The door in the middle of the picture is very infamous throughout Munich; this was the door that led to one of the first command centers for Hitler. If you walked by this door without "hailing Hitler", you would be sent to a concentation camp and charged with treason. For this reason, to the left of this picture, Munich residents made a path around the building to avoid Hitler's door.

. Another picture of the Glockenspiel

One of the days we were in Munich, Karl and I drove right outside the city to Dachau Concentration Camp, the first-ever concentration camp. This was truely an experience that puts your life in perspective; it was so emotional that I couldn't even finish walking the grounds. We did get some good pictures, but most of them are heartwrenching and I have choosen not to post them. If you are interested in seeing pictures (keep in mind that some are graphic), here is a great website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau_concentration_camp. The picture below is the entrance that prisoners came though for processing when they came to Dachau.

The building in the background now houses the Dachau museum, but used to be used for processing new prisoners. The sculpture in the foreground is a memorial to all of those affected at Dachau. We took this picture while standing in the old role call area where prisoners lined up everyday to be counted.

Below is the hallway of the prison of Dachau- this is where the most brutal punishments happened and it was a surreal experience. Karl and I were the only ones in the entire building and I was completely creeped out- I can't even explain it.

Back in Marienplatz, this is part of the awesome Christmas market!

Another picture of Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel building.

Karl's favorite place in Munich- the Haufbrauhous- the most famous beer hall in the world.

At Haufbrauhous- the band. I know it seems silly, but it reminded me of the Fest House at Busch Gardens (but more authentic of course)!

Karl at the BMW showroom and museum.

Next stop on our trip....Innsbruck, Austria!

Buon Natale!

2008-01-01T16:17:00.000+01:00

Well, I've been very slow at getting up the rest of the pictures from our trip (I still have posts to do for Munich, Austria, and Northern Italy!), but I figured I should get up our Christmas pics before it got to be way too out of season. Karl and I had a wonderful first Christmas together and celebrated on Christmas Eve with our friends Ben, Leighanna, and their son Luke (we are so lucky to have met such amazing people-we'll miss them so much when they move in Sept). On Christmas Day, we had dinner with all of our neighbors at our friend's house. Our family spoiled us rotten with gifts and we missed everyone so much!

Our tree and presents on Christmas Eve :) Our mini-display of our German smokers and nutcrackers

It was nice to have some days to just relax together, so the other day Karl and I went and just walked around Carney Park for awhile. Carney Park is one of the great perks we have here in Naples; it is a dormant volcano crater that the US Gov't rents from the Italians and has turned it into a HUGE recreation center for all of us stationed over here. There is something here for everyone including a Irish Pub with good ol' American food (sometimes you just don't want Italian food- hard to imagine, but true). The cutest kid EVER- this is Luke on Christmas Eve opening his present from Karl and I- we were so excited to get to share in his first Christmas.

Garmisch, Germany

2007-12-26T13:28:00.000+01:00

Sorry I haven't gotten pictures up sooner of the rest of our trip, but Christmas really took it out of us! Now that the crazy holiday time is coming to an end, I can finally continue on our journey and show you all the great places we went. After we left Verona, Italy, we headed North to Garmisch, Germany. Garmisch is a beautiful ski town and was home to the 1936 Winter Olympics. This is the kind of town that you would stick on a postcard because it's that perfect. We stayed at an awesome resort (and any of you who are military need to make a trip here); the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort is actually a US Gov't owned hotel and all active duty and retired military can stay there http://www.edelweisslodgeandresort.com/home.html! I can't tell you how nice it was to have an American breakfast after so many months of going without (I miss the small things I guess). We stayed in Garmisch for 6 days and had such a great time- I could have been happier with a little warmer temps though (it snowed everyday we were there). I started our stay there with a day at the spa and then did some day trips after that.

Karl took this picture when he went out snowboarding...I told you it was like a postcard!

While driving from Verona- these are the Bavarian Alps Another random shot while driving (We were driving though Austria when we found this castle just on the side of the road) I thought this was so funny- I have no idea what the Kissing Service actually entails though Just outside of Garmisch- it even looks cold....brrrr One of the day trips I took was to King Ludwig II's Neuschwanstein castle. I wish it had been a clearer day so the pictures would have turned out better, but it really does take your breath away. This is one of three of his castles and is often referred to as the Disney castle. We couldn't take pictures inside, but I found an English website about Neuschwanstein in case you wanted to see some more pictures: http://www.neuschwanstein.de/english/castle/gallery.htm To get back down to the parking area, you can either walk or take the horse and buggy ride- on such a cold day I thought 2.50 euro horse ride was extremely worth it not to freeze to death on the two mile hike back. On the way back from Neuschwanstein, we stopped at this amazing church named Weis Church. Weis is very famous throughout Bavaria as it houses a famous crucifix that is said to have healing powers. Pilgrims come from all over the world to pay homage to the crucifix.

Inside Weis Church- the organ and part of the ceiling On the last full day we had in Garmisch, Karl and I ventured out to Linderhof castle (another one of King Ludwig II's 3 castles though this is the only one that he ever finished). We got a privately guided tour of the inside and it was truely breathtaking. Once again, we couldn't take pictures, but I have another website you can go to and see some great shots of the grounds and inside (it really is worth checking out- just click on the link then choose English then choose a 'Tour of the Castle' on the left hand side and guide yourself through Linderhof): http://www.linderhof.de/ On the grounds of Linderhof A shot of the Alps from our hotel balcony before we left Saturday (it was the first day it didn't snow and we could actually see them) Hope you all enjoyed Garmisch, next posting I'll take you through Munich! Ciao!

Our Trip to Bavaria

2007-12-22T16:23:00.000+01:00

We're finally back from vacation!!! Karl and I are enjoying our first day home after our trip to Verona (Italy), Garmisch (Germany), Munich, Innsbruck (Austria), and Bologna (Italy) and I have to say it's nice to be back home in my robe and slippers. We got so many great pics, I've decided to do a seperate blog for each of the different cities we went to. Karl and I started our trip on Dec. 9 and drove about 7 hours in the rain north to Verona, Italy to spend the night; Verona is the setting for Romeo and Juliet and is truely as romantic as it sounds. There were Christmas markets in all the streets and the art and architecture are amazing!

This is the entrance to the old city- the Christmas markets are right though the archways!

Karl in the main Piazza

Juliet's Balcony! This is said to be the home and balcony of Juliet. It was so beautiful and Karl and I were the only ones there- there's nothing like a kiss in the most romantic spot in literature :)

In the portico leading to Juliet's house- so sweet!

Christmas markets in Verona

The old arena of Verona

Keep up with the next few posts as I go though the rest of our vacation spots!

Going on vacation!

2007-12-08T21:57:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! Just wanted to give you all a heads up that Karl and I are going out of town, but will be back right before Christmas, so there will be a lack of blogging for the next two weeks! Please keep up with us and I'll have pics up from northern Italy, Austria, and Germany right around the holidays! Miss you all!

Thanksgiving Weekend!

2007-12-01T10:23:00.000+01:00

Sorry it's taken so long to get up pictures from our Thanksgiving trip, but we've been overly busy all week (better late than never though!). For Thanksgiving, Karl and I went to the beautiful Abruzzi Mountains for four days and couldn't have had a better trip; the weather was perfect and everyone on our trip was so much fun and we made lots of new friends! We stayed at Club Primula in Pesscasseroli (about an hour east of Rome); Pesscasseroli lies in a valley amid a mountainous landscape of uncontaminated and pristine clean beauty in the heart of the National Park of Abruzzi. This is a great area to go skiing and hiking and to just soak in the natural surroundings of Italy.

The town of Barrea and the Barrea Lake- I love all the little towns in Italy that are built into the hillsides!

Thanksgiving Dinner at the hotel- we were the only guests in the hotel that night, so they actually made us some American Thanksgiving staple foods (mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and turkey). In addition to those, we also had lasagna! Our turkey! This was soooo funny- they knew the turkey was important to us, so they decorated it! Karl in the Abruzzi Mountains My bear friend in the Pesscasseroli nature park Outside our hotel Karl and I in the snow!!!

Karl and Erik Schlegel...that's right- one of the guys on our trip (and who works in Karl's building) is named Erik Schlegel...small world! A pretty picture of Pesscasseroli Mikki whispering sweet nothings to the bear (I think Matt's jealous) The first picture on this posting was of the town of Barrea and the lake from the beach...this is a opposite pic- taken from the town of Barrea overlooking the Barrea Lake (who's jealous?!) :) Another picture of Barrea

Photo op! On Saturday, we visited the Valley of the Wolves (and acually did see some wolves!)

This is the valley and gorges Another great photo op... A group shot! We were so lucky to have such amazing people on our trip- they really helped to make our trip unforgettable and we're happy to have so many new friends!

USMC Birthday Ball

2007-11-20T19:08:00.000+01:00

Last Saturday, Karl and I went to the USMC Birthday Ball to celebrate the 232nd birthday of the Marine Corps; it was in a beautiful hotel just outside the city and the weather was perfect. It was a wonderful ceremony and Karl even got to escort the cake! We went to the Ball with our friends, Matt and Mikki, and had such a great time- the five-course dinner and guest speaker were both fantastic. Wish we could have birthday ball more than once a year!

Mikki and I

Karl escorting the cake :) He looks so good in his uniform! Dirk after a few drinks... Me in the lobby of the beautiful hotel Karl and I Cigars for the boys Happy Marine Mikki and Matt

Thinking of You!

2007-11-18T22:03:00.001+01:00

Last week I just couldn't resist taking these pictures-it's such a beautiful view we wanted to share it with everyone! I also wanted to let everyone know that I figured out how to call us from the states (sorry to those of you who tried to call using the number I gave you before!). If calling from the US, dial 011-39-081-303-6190. Miss you all!

Random Pics

2007-11-09T14:48:00.000+01:00

I thought I would share some pics from a few different occasions that I never got a chance to post about before. Karl and I live in the heart of the Campania region which makes it easy to take day trips to some pretty amazing places...have I mentioned how lucky we are to live here?!

Last weekend, Karl, Kerry, Andy, and I went to the Castle St. Elmo in Vomero (part of Naples about 20 min. from our house). Vomero is on the top of the mountain that overlooks downtown Naples and we had the most spectacular views of the city!

From the top of the castle looking at Naples, the port, and Mt. Vesuvius Karl, Andy, and Kerry with the volcano. Kerry and I found each other in a job orientation training- we went to Tech together and knew each other through our friends (we were both in sororities and hung out with the same fraternity all the time). Kerry and Andy (her awesome boyfriend) just moved here from Prague and live about 10 min from us. Kerry and I are getting a VT Alum chapter going out here and it's so great to have a friend so close (we even have Italian class together). Karl and I (the volcano we live on is the one in the distance) Moving onto another night...Karl and I are so lucky to have so many great friends here and we had an awesome time celebrating Karl's 27th bday bowling with two of our fav. couples, the Zook's and Chaney's. This is Judy, me, and April. The husbands...Greg, Jason, and Karl Karl lovin on the ladies Another memorable night was when we went to the Oktoberfest celebration at the NATO base with our neighbors. Each year, the Germans at NATO put on their own version of Oktoberfest....you know, beer, sauerkraut, sausages, pretzels, and more beer. We had way too much fun and we left before Karl could start dancing on the tables like the true German he is. These were the steins we got :)

Our wonderful neighbors (me, Lisa, Kevin, Mark, Rick, and Cindy)

Weekend in Assisi

2007-11-05T20:27:00.000+01:00

Great news from Italy...we finally got the internet today! Now I can blog much more often and keep everyone better updated with our Italian lives. Sorry in advance for such a long blog, but I just had so many great pictures to share with all of you! The last weekend of October, Karl and I took a long weekend and went to Assisi, Italy (northern Italy in the Umbria region) to celebrate Karl's 27th birthday. We had a truly unforgettable time; Assisi is the most beautiful place I've ever been to and there is soooo much history there! Assisi is the hometown of St. Francis and St. Clare and it is famous worldwide for it's art and religious mouments (this is the area that started the Italian Renaissance). This midevil town is remarkable and built with pink stone on a steep hill (it was finished being built in the mid-1200's and has barely changed since).

The view of the walled town of Assisi as you drive up

A view of Assisi from above at the Rocca Maggiore (one of the castles that guarded the town in the 14th century)

Me and the valley

The streets of Assisi are postcard perfect- cascades of flowers fall from wall sconces and sunlight seems to fill all the tiny streets

The Temple of Minerva in the Piazza del Commune in the center of town. Assisi was built on top of a Roman city that was very active around 1 B.C. and the Temple is what you can see of the old city (the original Roman Forum of the city in located under the Piazza). Our hotel was actually right across the street from the Temple. The Temple of Minerva is said to be the best preserved Roman temple in Italy after the Pantheon in Rome.

The Duomo di San Rufino dates back to the 16th century and under the church is more of the Roman city (Karl and I went underneath and walked some of the original Roman streets). View from our hotel room :) This is a very historical church- the Basilica della Porziuncola. The basilica is built around the little chapel that St. Francis preached from and spoke to his followers (the Porzincola). Another shot from the Rocca Maggiore Watching the sun come up in the morning is amazing as it burns the fog off the valley Sooooo beautiful! A view from the Rocca Maggiore of the Basilica di San Francesco (the famous church of Assisi). As art lovers, this is where Karl and I spent a lot of time- every wall is painted with a fresco detailing the life of St. Francis. This is where many of the famous works of Giotto, Lorenzetti, and Cimabue are located. We couldn't take pictures inside, but we encourage you to google the Basilica and see some of the art. Italy is going to make me fat! mmmmm.... A view from outside the Basilica di Santa Chiara. This basilica is home to the famous crucifix that spoke to St. Francis and inspired him to renounce all his worldly possessions and the "repair the church". Nighttime was so peaceful here- we spent both of our evenings just walking around the empty streets and taking it all in.

A view from the other window in our hotel room Trying to catch the nun on camera Outside the Basilica di San Francesco Karl with the monestary behind him Looking up at the Rocca Maggiore

Welcome to our Villa

2007-10-25T08:48:00.000+02:00

We have FINALLY gotten some pictures up of our home in Italy! The house isn't completely ready yet and we have some furniture being made right now, but we're close enough to being done that we don't mind showing it off a little bit. Karl and I finally feel as if our lives are calming down a little bit and I'm even starting Italian classes and working next week. We are doing some traveling this weekend to celebrate Karl's birthday (it was the 23rd) to town called Assisi where St. Francis spent most of his life. We'll get pictures up next week sometime! Some more good news is that we finally have a home phone, so we are connected to the world (still waiting on internet though). Our home phone is 039-081-303-6190. Enjoy the house pictures!

Sorry we took pics at night (it doesn't do the place justice)- this is out by our gate in the driveway This is part of our lawn and patio out back Our living room/dining room/kitchen (I never said our place was big) Looking from the dining room into the family room- you can see the back hall that leads to the downstairs bath and guest room Dining room/wine area Our kitchen (it's actually pretty big for Italy)- they don't have dishwashers or garbage disposals here! Guest room for all of you that come to visit :) More of the guest room Going up the stairs- our bedroom door is on the left and to the right is the bath and study/guest room #2 After you turn right going up the stairs

Our bathroom- just wanted to show off the bidet (so strange) Our study/guest room- there's a wardrobe and full-size aerobed in case we have lots of people visiting! In our room- those baskets are holding all of my shoes...I need to stop shopping....Looking from the doorway into our bedroom- the french doors lead out to the patio on the second floor I spend a lot of time here since I haven't been working :)

Our study (we still have to get the TV put up and we have some furniture being made for this room- it's a work in progress) Looking from our bedroom onto the upstairs patio- you can see the Bay of Pozzuoli and all the lights in the background Sunset from our roof patio I love Italy! During the day looking from our roof patio to all the vineyards

All moved in!

2007-10-03T10:03:00.000+02:00

Sorry it's been so long since anything's been posted, but life has been crazy recently! We still don't have internet (and could be a few more weeks before we do), so I have to wait until I go to one of the bases to get online and it makes it hard to get pictures up (but I promise some as soon as possible)! Karl and I are happy to report that we are officially in our new home and we love it; waking up each morning to the sunrise over the Bay of Pozzuoli seems like a dream come true. There are still a few boxes to unpack in the study and some pictures to hang on the walls, but we are basically unpacked. Karl left this past Sunday for Bulgaria and will be gone a couple weeks, but I am staying very busy with cleaning and shopping for the house (IKEA isn't too far from our house). We haven't gotten to travel much recently and it looks like our next major trip won't be until Thanksgiving when we're going to Tuscany and Germany for Christmas, but I'm sure we'll get some day trips in when Karl gets home. I am happy to say that I have been driving a lot more and still haven't hit anyone (yay!) and I think stick shift is starting to become second nature (though I did get lost today and thought I was on the verge of a meltdown). I promise by the time people start to visit I won't freak out on the road anymore! We're just about ready for visitors and should have the house ready by November, so let us know when you're ready to plan your trip! We miss and love all of you and hope to talk/see you soon!

Napoli Futbol

2007-09-17T11:32:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was the day that all of Karl's dreams came true...we went to a professional soccer game here where our home team (Napoli) won 2-0! We went to the game with Greg and Judy and had an amazing time. The fans were absolutely out of control (and we loved it!)- they set off fireworks in the stands, almost stampeded us getting through security, and were so loud that I actually had to cover my ears a few times or risk hearing loss. We miss football season back in the states so much, but this just about made up for it! The crowd was so die hard that they actually have a huge net that goes over the section where the opposing fans sit so they won't get hit with anything (even though it didn't stop the Naples fans from throwing water balloons and bottles of soda at them).

San Paulo Stadium After the goals, the crowd set off fireworks and the stadium filled with smoke Karl and I after the game outside the stadium...hot and sweaty, but excited nonetheless

On a side note, we wanted to let everyone know that we're moving into our house tomorrow and it can take up to 60 days to get internet (we're hoping we get it sooner than later), so our blog might not get updated as often. Please do keep up with us though, and you can always call my cell if you need us (the number is on the bottom of the previous blog). Hope to be up and blogging soon! Ciao!