19 Days

That is how long it has been since Brad left the USA for sunny Sicily. It has not been this cold all winter in Millington. So yes, I appreciate snuggling even more now that there is no snuggling going on... And no, I have not let the dogs get up on the bed!! The thought has crossed my mind but I know better.

As far as the house hunting, he has eliminated the first house on my last post for various reasons. The second house is still in the running, but he got to look at one on Saturday that we do not have any pics of yet that seems like it is THE one! It is still being finished so it is new. He is trying to get another appt to go back and take pictures and measurements to see what will fit. This is quite important since they are coming to get the furniture to send to Italy starting 2 weeks from today...

If you read this post, please say some prayers for the families of all of the military that are in dangerous places all over the world. They do not know where they are or what they are facing each moment and may not hear from them for long periods of time. At least I know where Brad is and we are able to send emails and talk on the phone. Thank you Father for this blessing and help me not to forget to be grateful for everything you provide. You are the God of all comfort and you can draw those who are hurting near to you. I pray that you would strengthen and draw those families near to you, in Jesus name, Amen.

Here is a blog I found of a soldier in Iraq: http://iraqpictures.blogspot.com/ There are a lot of positive things going on in Iraq that the news for some reason does not publish...Take a look.

a new home maybe?

above is the backyard and living room of one of the homes Brad is going to look at tomorrow or saturday that is available to rent through the housing office on base. it has 3 bedrooms. we do not know how many bathrooms. it has a big yard - Ringo, Gracie and Zelda already like it.

below is another possibility - this is the kitchen (which is incredible) and the side yard...

we do not know yet how much yard there actually is or if there is any view from the house - this one has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. there is also an outside kitchen that is nice and which is common there.

really i just want to sell the house we have here...i will be happy there no matter what! Brad said his sponsor Gary drove him around today and they found where the 1st house is and it is a nice area and the neighbors came and and were very friendly and the daughter of the landlord lives nearby so that is good. he also said that although it gets very hot there that it is a dry heat - not like Memphis - and for that i am so grateful. it will be so much better for my arthritis.

they had lunch together and so i am waiting for all the details about how good it was and what it was they ate, etc. i was going to write some Italian but since I do not know the spelling I decided not to. right now i'm concentrating on pronunciation. spelling will be next! :-)

thank you Lord for taking care of us and providing us comfort while we are apart from each other. it is hard to be away from the one you love especially when you do not know when you will see each other again. but we know it will be in God's perfect timing! so that is something to be thankful for!!

Lava & The Med

Finally...an update! Here are some beautiful pictures of the lava going down into the sea and a prickly pear cactus!

Status: We do not know yet what will happen about Brad's VISA situation. We have a showing for our house today at 12:45 so I hope I didn't leave anything out - I think I put everything away!!! :-) There may be someone else interested as well. Ultimately, someone will see the beauty of the property and the house and it will all come together!

It's all in God's hands so there are no worries. Romans 8:28 says 'And we know that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.' Does this mean bad things never happen? Of course not. Sometimes we cannot possibly comprehend the good that may come out of certain terrible circumstances and tragedies. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says 'For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.'

This morning the 'goose family robinson' showed up on our pond. This is my pet name for the geese that come and raise their family on the pond each year. This morning there were about 7 geese. I love watching them gracefully gliding across the water - it is very serene and relaxing.

VISA not mastercard...

haha...i actually borrowed that line from a friend of Brads (ours), Bill, who stopped by to see how things are going. he also offered to mow for us if we do not sell the house before it is time for me to join Brad in Sicily. that is an incredible burden lifted! i'm really humbled by the incredible generosity of our friends here in Tennessee. we would pay him of course - he's saving for a Harley Davidson.

the real reason for the subject of today's posting is that we are awaiting a determination on whether Brad must fly all the way back here to Tennessee to get his VISA to work in Italy - which was never placed on his official passport.

you may be wondering - did we not realize this? yes, of course we did...but when we asked, the VISA person said it would not be a problem, handed him his itinerary for travel and off he went. now the personnel services office here is working to try to overcome this issue without Brad actually having to fly back.

when we got home that day we were pretty sure this was a problem so we called the consulate in Detroit. we then called the embassy in DC. no one would commit to saying it was required and a mistake had been made. the bottom line is that the VISA is required if you are staying longer than 90 days (we are) and you are not in the military (we are not).

maybe they could just fly him right to DC...would be faster. anyway...that's where things stand right now. we would appreciate your prayers, and encouraging emails to Brad would be good! he is still using the same bellsouth email address until the service is shut down. thank you!!!

dog chips & the floodzone

Today is the big day for Zelda and Gracie - they get their ID microchips. I'm sure they would be excited if they knew what it was all about...as it is they are snoozing away peacefully because it has been raining here for what SEEMS like FOREVER! I was wondering if I needed to start building an ark in the backyard. There has never been so much water in the yard before. Too bad it wasn't a blizzard - that would have been much better - maybe we would have had another day off!

Brad is settling in somewhat, although he is still running on US time. Last night he was awake at 3am. But he has been sleeping well at least. He sent me many pictures of Catania - and Mount Etna. Here are a few of my favorites so far...Mount Etna and the orange groves... If you click on the pictures you can see the full size!

he made it!

The good news is that Brad has safely arrived in Sicily. He said it was so beautiful flying in - they went right by the volcano and there are green hills and he just said it looked like paradise.

Here's the funny thing - I tried all day yesterday to help him find a way to get his luggage from Rome to Catania - only to find out this morning that they never left Ft. Lauderdale!!!

He thought he had to go right out to buy something to wear, but the good news is that I had put extra clothes in his carry on - he could shower right away!! It was wonderful to hear him and I could hear Scott and Lorraine in the background. They had picked him up and he was at their house, getting ready to drink some expresso. It sounded like a wonderful welcome celebration - God is SO good.

Many people were praying for his safe arrival and I had a lot of messages on the answering machine last night from our friends that were thinking of us and praying for us. Wow it is so incredible to have brothers and sisters in Christ who love and care for us - it is beautiful. We are so grateful for all that the Lord is doing in our lives. We have a beautiful family and we have met so many awesome people here in Tennessee - I cannot express properly the joy and gratitude that I feel right now.

Brad is on his way to Philly right now from Ft. Lauderdale. Of course, when he checked in this morning, the large suitcase that I packed for him was WAY overweight - 79 lbs!! So it cost $50. They were nice and did not charge him for the other bag even though it weighed 50 lbs. (Yes, I can really pack some suitcases!) He has some changes of clothes with him in the carry on just in case the luggage does not get to Catania at the same time he does which is a distinct possibility with all the different airlines.

The next hurdle is that he only has an hour for his connection in Rome and they did not check him all the way through to Catania. According to the travel office here, there is a baggage agreement between US Airways and Alitalia and he should have tickets and baggage claim all the way through.

After speaking with every airline and the travel office, the only option appears to be that he try to get another Alitalia flight from Rome. We do not yet know if USAirways can do it in Philadelphia or if he has to try to make it happen in Rome. Prayers are desperately needed for a smooth transition.

Josh rode with me to the airport this morning - I was really glad that he decided to come along. It is always hard for those two to say goodbye since they have done it for so long - but it has not happened since Josh moved in with us in Virginia. They are really close. I know it was hard to say goodbye for them, but we agree that this is the right thing and that God is in charge.

I decided to search for some scriptures on saying goodbye. Instead I found this lovely write up: http://crookedshore.typepad.com/crookedshore/2006/08/little_deaths_t.html

Arrivederci...

Tomorrow morning Brad leaves for Italy. He flies to Ft. Lauderdale, Philly, Rome, then Catania. So when he finally arrives in Sicily, it will be Friday morning.

We have someone coming to look at the house on Friday morning as well. It would be such a blessing to sell the house right away - please pray for us that we get a buyer soon. Brad will starve without me - haha! Just kidding... Not in Italy he won't!! Seriously, we are both sad that we are going to be apart and we want it to go by as quickly as the Lord allows!

The two corgis - Gracie and Zelda - need to get their ID chips and rabies shots. Then all 3 dogs just need the health certificates from the vet in Italian and they will be ready to fly in 30 days. So, it is all coming together perfectly.

God has a way of working things out that we could not have planned for no matter how hard we tried!

Ephesians 3:20-25 says "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."

2007 - Getting Ready for Sicily

Happy New Year!
We are preparing to start a new chapter of our lives.
We are moving to Sicily and for the first time, Brad will be the sole source of income for our family. I will be able to dedicate my life to being a wife, homemaker, Gigi - even though I will be a far away Gigi for a little while :-( - and first and foremost a servant of the God Most High.
We do not have any fear of this move, the huge reduction in income or anything else because God is making a way before us.
He has delivered us from so many things that we had been praying about. But just like He delivered the Israelites from Egypt - He has delivered us! We are almost debt free now. When we sell our house, we will be 100% debt free. It is all thanks to the Word of God. We took a Crown Financial class given at our church and learned all of the scriptures associated with wealth, borrowing, lending, and more. In a little over a year we paid off a TON of debt! (I am NOT putting a number on here!!)
He has done exceeding abundantly more than we prayed for...more than we could have ever even dreamed of.
My grandfather was born in Sicily in a city called Ventimiglia outside of Palermo. It thrills my heart to know that I will be able to go and see where he was born and lived for the first 10 years of his life. I hope I can find his house!
Thank you Father for loving us and taking care of us. No matter what, we know that you are making a way, you are walking beside us and best of all that you love us. I pray that you will allow us to serve you, and that our lives may in some way glorify Your Holy Name!
Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice to save us, heal us and change us. Our lives have never been better since You called us on March 28, 2004...almost 3 years ago!