An Afternoon at the Stables

Last week I went with one of my best friends here to some stables where she rides horses once in a while for people she knows.  I'm very nervous around horses due to having a horrible experience while sitting on one my very first time.  That experience happened about 16 years ago, and I've never been comfortable around them since.

I found myself not as nervous around them the other day mostly because my friend has ridden horses for 27 years of her life.  She's very comfortable around them, which made me not so nervous.  It also helped that the horse she was riding was very sweet.

After a lot of convincing my friend finally got me on the horse.  I'm still surprised I got on it.  I had to show my husband the photos of me on it, because he didn't believe I got on it either.

The biggest sheep I've ever seen!

Mommy horse

And her naughty baby.

Her last baby was sent off to be used for meat (horse meat is very common to eat here in Italy), so it makes me so sad to think this baby might be used for meat as well.  I still can't understand why they eat horses here, or why anyone would want to eat it. 

This photo of the baby horse makes me laugh.

And a HUGE thank you for all of your "finger crossing" for our trip to Dublin!  We found out yesterday that it's a GO!  I'm so excited!  We leave at the end of the week!

Enjoying the Sunshine

Happy spring everyone!

It definitely feels like spring here in Italia.  The snow has disappeared from a lot of the mountains, the sun is shinning, and it's supposed to get into the mid-sixties later on this week!

Giuseppe is definitely enjoying the sunshine as well.  He caught his first lizard of the year yesterday afternoon.  Thankfully he didn't bring it into the house this time.  He's also enjoying stalking all of the birds that seem to be coming around more since the weather's nice.

I'm sure most of you know what's going on in Libya at the moment, and the involvement this base has with the whole situation.  This means most military members who are here are working long hours without any days off.  If you could keep them and their families in your thoughts and/or prayers it would be appreciated.

As most of you know we're supposed to be going to Dublin at the beginning of next month, but it looks like that's most likely not going to happen due to what's going on around here.  We'll be able to cancel our hotel reservations, but I'm almost positive we won't get anything back for our plane tickets since we didn't buy the insurance.  Have any of you had to cancel with RyanAir?

I hope you all are having a wonderful week!

Ciao!

New Wall Art & Our Next Trip

The first time I went to Nove I fell in love with the tile paintings below.  They had about 10 different paintings of different parts of Italia.  The past few times I've been I picked up a different tile.

 I decided to get the framed to hang on my wall, and I loved the way they turned out!  If any of you Aviano readers need something framed go to the framing store in Aviano (it's on the same street as Hotel Oliva).  The framing place on base wanted to charge me over $40 for ONE frame!  The framing store in Aviano charged me €12 for one.  Everyone in there speaks great English as well.

The Colosseum in Rome

The Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) in Florence

Venice

As you can kind of tell I decided to hang them going down one of our staircases.

I also picked this painting up at one of the ceramic shops in Nove as well a few trips ago.  

I love it!

In other news, I finally booked a trip for the husband and I!  

We're going to Dublin, Ireland in about 2 weeks!!!  

I think I'm more excited for this trip than I have been about any other trip we've been on so far!  If you've been to Dublin, and have any tips please share. :)

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in!

It's Friday!  Yay!  That means it's time for Wife of a Sailor's MilSpouse Friday Fill-in!

1. During military separations (whether short or long) how do you keep yourself positive and motivated?

I'd have to say that staying busy is my key to keeping myself motivated, and makes time go by quicker.

2. What is your favorite concert you've ever been to?

Coldplay has been the best, and my favorite concert I've ever been to.  I wasn't a fan of Coldplay at the time, but I ended up getting free tickets so I went to the concert with some friends.  They were amazing!

3.  What do you miss most about your "hometown"?

I miss my friends, and family the most.  I also miss the trees, rivers, lakes, and non-humid summers.

4.  If you could run in any race, which charity would you choose to support?

I'd choose a charity that supports some sort of cancer cure, or a charity that helps foster children.  I have a huge soft spot in my heart for foster children.

5.  You find out Willy Wonka is your father, what 3 course meal do you INSIST he create in that stick of gum?

A delicious salad, pasta w/ seafood, and red velvet cake!

Happy weekend everyone!

Carnevale di Venezia

Carnevale di Venezia or Carnival of Venice is an annual even held in Venice, Italy that starts about 2 weeks before Ash Wednesday, and ends the day before Ash Wednesday.  The history of Carnevale di Venezia can be found here.

Yesterday,  my husband and I decided to brave the crowds, and took the train down to Venice for Carnival.  There were TONS of people as you can see by the first 2 photos.

I spotted a cute gatto in the window.

This delicious little dessert is a frittela which is a Venetian doughnut usually served during Carnival.  They are usually made into little balls of fried dough, and are sometimes filled (frittelle), but I saw the big version and had to have one.  They smothered the inside of it with Nutella.  It was amazing!

Here are some photos of my favorite costumes...

We had a really great time at Carnival up until we tried to get a train back home.  We ended up standing around the train station for about 3 hours.  It seems we picked the time when everyone wanted to go home.  

The big reason why it took us so long to get on a train was because they kept changing the train platforms on us.  We would wait at the train platform that the schedule said it would be at, but then it would get changed without us knowing.  By the time we found out we would run to the right train, but it would already be packed full.  This happened to us 3 times.  The third time it happened my husband told me to grab onto the back of him, and not let go.  Being the 6'3" 245 pounds that he is, he forced us onto the train.  My husband is not a violent person whatsoever, but I really thought he was going to end up in Italian jail last night haha.  The train was so packed you couldn't even move an inch.  Thank goodness most people got off within the first few stops, and we got to sit down.

That being said, I do not think we will go back to Carnival the rest of the time we are stationed here.  I'm glad I got to experience it once, but never again will we go. 

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in!

It's been a while since I've participated in MilSpouse Friday Fill-in, so I thought I'd join in on the fun this week!

1. Do you or your spouse ever wish your spouse was in a different branch of the military?

No we don't.  We're happy with the Air Force...most days. ;)

2. What duty station(s) are on your "No Way, Hell No, Not Going, Have Fun Unaccompanied" list and why?

Let's see...Minot AFB in North Dakota, do I really need to explain why?  Holloman AFB in New Mexico, because it's in the middle of BFE.  And Hill AFB in Utah for many, many reasons.  Obviously I'd go with my husband anywhere, but I'd like to stay away from those places if possible.

3. If you could be one age forever, what age would you choose and why?

I'd say 21, so I could drink legally.  Or 25, just because it's a good age.

4. If you were a breakfast cereal, which one would you be?

Crispix, because they're the best!

5. What is your morning beverage of choice, and why?

English Breakfast Tea (or black tea) please!  With a splash of milk & sugar!

What's on Amanda's Phone

I came across this fun idea few weeks ago on The Lowe Family News' blog, and have decided to play along this week!  

We finally got our projector set up in our basement/living room/movie room!  I put on The Patriot to test it out, and the surround sound!

Italian hot chocolate (cioccolato caldo) is THE BEST!  It's so thick you must drink eat with a spoon!

I found 4 kitties in my back yard the other day.  Only 1 is mine.  I think they were having a kitty playdate.

I want one of these custom made dining room tables!  But for €900 for the table and €120 PER chair I don't think it'll be happening.  Maybe I can convince the husband we should buy one before we PCS...ya right!

A Little Bit of This and That...

I certainly haven't been around much...sorry!  I just haven't had much going on lately.

-My family (dad, stepmom, and little sister) booked their flights to come see me!  They'll be arriving in July, and staying for 3 weeks.  We have Paris (where they're flying into), Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Pompeii, and Rome on the agenda for when they're here.  Plus a few day trips around here planned.

- I'm irritated with trying to find someway to pay for a few college classes while we're here.  I don't qualify for any sort of financial aid, so it's making it difficult.  The classes on base are about $600...not including books.  Yikes!

-  I'm having traveling withdrawls since the last time we took a trip anywhere was Barcelona back in December.  My husband was gone for a month, so that has something to do with it.  He also started a new job the day after he got back, so he doesn't want to ask for leave while he's still in training.  Hopefully we'll have a trip planned in the near future if the Air Force doesn't send him up to Germany for 6 weeks, but they probably will...soon.

- I'm planning on going to see Romeo & Juliette at the Verona Arena this summer!  I'm so excited!  I was hoping it's a ballet, but I'm pretty sure it's an opera.  Either way it'll be an amazing experience!

Ciao ciao!