getting settled

sounds simple enough - getting settled. but it is a challenge in Sicily! everyone is very nice and helpful. it is just extremely difficult to get appointments completed. today, for the billionth time Brad is supposed to go and look at getting the rest of the kitchen. (yes, it is an exaggeration to make the point..)

anyway, we are also having to have the guys back to finish the a/c installation in our bedroom - he did not have the compound with him to close up the hole in the outside wall around the pipe. also they have to move the outside unit from the roof of the neighbor's house. we found out it was the roof of the neighbors house last weekend when we were in our living room listening to a sermon by Adrian Rogers. we heard from the balcony next door 'hello, my american friend' - so of course we knew it was us. then he told Brad that the a/c was on his property.

it was kind of embarassing, but we really did not know. i personally am glad that we have to move it because it will look better where it is going - to me it looked terrible with all the pipes going through some sideways conduit. it looked like something the three stooges put together.

we need to officially meet our neighbors. apparently they speak some english. they have had american neighbors in the past in this house. i'm praying that we give americans a good name and not a bad name. at first our dogs were always freaking out and barking. in the dogs' defense, they went from a very quiet country life in Brighton to a somewhat hectic street and neighbors right on top of us. they used to bark when other dogs came in our yard or people came up the driveway. so now they are having to learn new behavior. they are getting better. still room for improvement in the jumping up to greet you department. does anyone want to mail me a squirt gun? or maybe i can get one at the exchange. please, no power soakers!! haha!

hopefully this weekend we will get something to put our tv on in the living room besides an end table - or at least get it ordered for delivery. this time i think we will just stick with the exchange even though the options are not as nice as some of the things i was finding out in the Italian stores, just because we know when it will be delivered and can call for ourselves if there are any problems. we are still waiting on the bathroom cabinet to be delivered and supposedly it will be here from some place like the Netherlands in about 8 days. (this has been going on for at least a month!!)

the only other major thing left is to get the phone line extended to the top floor. right now we only have a connection in the living room and so all of our computer stuff is in there in addition to the clutter from the tv paraphenalia.

as you can see, the left side of the kitchen is complete, but the right side is stacked on some boxes! i'm working on getting a set of photos posted to the flickr site - i'll send a link for that soon....

Memorial Day

so what does Memorial Day mean to you - cooking out burgers and hanging out with your family and friends? that is a great way to enjoy the holiday, but please take some time to memorialize those who fought and died for our country. and those who fought and did not die but were injured seriously. or those who fought and were not injured but will never forget. and those who are fighting still, right now, today. their lives are in danger right this moment.

please say some prayers for them and for their families. and then celebrate your freedom in style - because freedom is a very very precious thing.

this web site is dedicated to Memorial Day and this page of the site has links to other sites about Memorial Day - so please, take a few minutes and even incorporate something you learn or something you already know into your daily activities. teach your children about honoring the military and remember that we all have something to be thankful for - especially Americans - because our freedoms are unique in the world.

http://www.usmemorialday.org/other.html

(photo borrowed from the above web site)

Agrigento

Today we took our first day trip. We went to Agrigento to see the Valle dei Templi - Valley of Temples. These are some ruins built by the Greeks dedicated to their gods - Zeus, Juno, Hercules and others. They were later also used by the Romans and at least one was transformed into a Christian basilica dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul.

It started off cloudy and even rained a few times, but by the end of the afternoon it was very hot and sunny. We went with a man Brad works with and his family - it was a fun day. We did go to the Archeological museum as well, but unless you are really interested in the Necropoli and all of the things that have been excavated you may be overloaded on vases and a lot of small statues and oil lamps and things that were apparently discovered buried there within the sarcophogi. There was a intricately carved marble one for a very small child and the carvings actually showed his birth and then him on his deathbed, and then being driven away in a chariot to the world 'beyond'. There were a few skulls and various pieces of jewelry and some very strange sculptures of bronze and marble.

We got some great exercise and the views were fabulous although there still seems to be a haze over the sea - even from where we live it has been more hazy than clear most days. Hopefully that will all burn off soon so we can see for a long way and also be able to enjoy the beautiful blues of the Med.

Follow this link to see some of the pictures we took. If you view as a slide show and then click on the first picture, you will see the name and any descriptions we might have added so far:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/8514449@N06/S672WN

The valley of the temples archeological area is a UNESCO world heritage site. You can learn more about it by going to http://www.parcovalledeitempli.it - select 'eng' for English. There is a lot of fascinating history in Sicily and this is part of it.

dessert

Last night we went to a play at the local school. Quite a few of our friends had children in the play because they were from all grades 1-12, and a few adults. It was Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang. They actually did a very good job - the acting was great and so were the costumes. They did not have much to work with for the set, but nonetheless they pulled it off with great enthusiasm. They even had the student choir singing along.

Afterwards we went for some appetizers and dessert to Applebees. That will definitely be the last time for that. Brad got some sort of apple pie on a frying pan with vanilla ice cream on top and then you pour a small cup of caramel sauce on top - plus the guy thought he was doing Brad a favor by bringing an extra caramel sauce. When I tried it, it was just like eating sugar with sugar on top. I got a brownie with vanilla ice cream. It was actually not just one but 2 pieces of brownie and 2 scoops of ice cream with chocolate sauce drizzled on top. I ate part of one piece of brownie and all of one scoop and part of the other of the ice cream. I think I will stick with Italian dessert from now on. It really tastes much better without so much sugar. I mean they do use sugar but just not so much. Plus, they bring you a more reasonable portion. No wonder America is having a diabetic crisis and an obesity problem!

If I would have eaten all of that, I would have really been sick.

On a positive note, they were a very nice couple and it was the first time we went anywhere with them. They have 3 really nice children too - all girls.

Today is a beautiful day outside. Tomorrow we are going to visit Agrigento so I am going to try to learn more about it so I know exactly what I want to see there. We are following another couple in their van - they also have 3 nice kids - 2 girls and an older son that is in high school. It is one of the places I have wanted to go so I'm excited about it....

Coffee pot is beeping so I am ready to go and have my coffee and read the Bible and I am always excited about that!

Our friends who were supposed to go to London ended up taking a trip within Italy instead but they are having a great time.

Another friend sent us a link to an article about trash problems in the City of Naples and how it is piling up everywhere and there are rats and roaches all over. Then this morning at 6:somthing I let the dogs out and there was a gigantic dead roach in the driveway. When I went back to sleep I had a dream that there were thousands of them everywhere. Of course that was a nightmare. But we do not have any in the house, and I am praying that none decide to show up. If you know me, you know how I am about bugs. I will not be going to Naples any time in the near future... You would think all the roaches would have heard by now and be heading up there to join their friends...

thank you

thank you everyone for your prayers - i know there were a lot of people praying besides just Brad and me. please continue to pray for Brad's healing and especially for Bekah's allergies and asthma to be overcome for life! please pray for me too because now i can feel in my throat that i am coming down with whatever Brad has been suffering with. hopefully i can get it together to get out and shop - it makes a big difference when you are juicing fresh fruit and veges for sure!!

please also pray for our friends who are stuck at the Palermo airport due to a strike. they are supposed to be flying somewhere special for their anniversary/birthday and do not know now if it will be possible.