Hi There! I'm still here!! Ahh Life in Italy Continues...

Last time I wrote, we had the little rescue/feral Siamese kitty that we named Gypsy. We did absolutely everything we could to make her feel comfortable in her new home; we put together relaxing music for her, we sprinkled catnip, fed her the best food, had a plethora of toys...we even gave her her own room. It seemed all was lost, and with my petsitting she just wasn't going to feel comfortable here in this environment. Then one day a very nice lady contacted me and told me how she had a nice, big house on the coast, no other animals and had actual training with domesticating feral cats. She said she would love to take her and work with her. I felt it was the right thing to do for Gypsy's sake. So she's happy in her new home now :)

That was back in April. (Whoa, I've been gone awhile!)
So, we have the rest of April, May, June, July, August, September and this month to cover.

April 27th was my husbands birthday and I surprised him with what he says was "the best birthday ever" I put together a Pirate themed birthday party with all our friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

In the beginning of May I chopped my hair off, 16 inches!!

 

 

 

 

and today it looks like this!

 

 May 12th I sent my dad flowers all the way from Italy to Oregon!

 

 

May 31st, MY BIRTHDAY!! I turned the ol' 28. Riley took me to dinner to the most AMAZING place then baked me a cake all by himself!

 

 

 

And for the next couple weeks it was beaches, drinks, bbq's, beaches and guess what, more beaches!!

 

The Corpsman Ball was on June 13th, 2014 and it was one of the best nights of my life. I'm so proud of my sailor.

 

 

 

Then for the rest of June, you guessed it, more beach time, sushi, petsitting out in Italy with amazing views, great times spent with my very good friend and neighbor Nicole, some storms scattered in there (if you know me even a litte, you know I love a good storm)

I found an amazing hair stylist by the name of Daniel Rey Valenzuela.

Robin Williams passed away in August :(

August 17th, 2014 was our official 1 year anniversary where we spent it in a castle in Tuscany drinking wine, enjoying our incredible views, drinking more wine and just being in general awe at the fascinating structure of this place.

 

 

We were able to Skype with my parents as they ate our cake topper.

 

 

September 7th, 2014 I QUIT SMOKING!!!!

 

September 9th, 2014 The Plain White T's came here to our base and performed. It was such a fun night.

 

September 18th I went to Sperlonga, Italy and met a wonderful lady named June Morocco who is an amazing travel agent that my parents met back in Oregon. What a coincidence!

 

 

 

And now for the grand finale, the best of the whole year! MY PARENTS CAME TO VISIT!!!

Click here to see ALL of our pictures from their visit

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.576505275810210&type=1&l=1124743364

 

Okay, so I was completely and utterly nervous, ecstatic, terrified, anxious, excited and any other emotion you can think of, for them to come. I know it sounds silly to be anything other than happy for your parents to come visit but let me explain. I was nervous because I felt the pressure. The pressure of giving them this great "Italy experience" all on my shoulders. I didn't want to let them down. I wondered, will they like our house? Our car? Our cats? Will they even like Italy? What will it be like with both Riley and I not working?? Will we get along? Will all 4 of us get along?
I know, all completely ridiculous fears, but I had them. But I was determined to not let my irrational fears get in the way of our having a good time and showing them where we live.

Let me give you a little background.

My parents and I, and Riley are all VERY close. They (obviously) raised me but they were also a big part of Rileys childhood as well. We all love each other more than words can explain, there's no judgment, passive-aggressive-ness, no negativity (for the most part) we're just family, more like friends. So, again, these fears I had were dumb.

Anyway, we did, we all had a great time. we filled our days with everything Italy. Some days were more low key, some days kicked our asses, but all in all, I would say it was a huge success! And we can't wait for them to come back so we can show them Northern Italy!

 

 

 

 

My mom actually wrote a piece on her thoughts about their trip to Italy:

I haven’t posted a thing about our Italy trip until now; no pictures, not a word. I don’t know why, other than I didn’t want to. I was busy. I didn’t even wanna talk to anyone, or text or send any picture messages. By the time someone is my age they’ve done a lot of traveling; some extensively. Me, I’ve only been as far as Wyoming, and most of our trips were in Oregon. I never wanted to travel, I like daily life, I don’t want to get away from it. Then my one and only sweet daughter moves overseas (ya might wanna get a cup of coffee)…

So with all the enthusiasm and fearlessness I could muster I ventured forth to a whole other side of the planet! Our trip just happened to land during a time where I was not physically at my best. Cheerful and happy yes, but after 30 years of overdoing everything, stress had caught up to me and worn down my adrenal glands, among other things. So I packed up all my vitamins, took a packing seminar and off we flew! Other than a 20 minute plane ride @ 17 (when one knows no fear), I had never been on a plane, let alone a 24 hour stint (maybe more about that later).

During the 2+ weeks we were in Southern Italy I kept trying to formulate in my mind what I thought, or how I was feeling about my unique adventure. I realized that this was a big thing and would probably take time to process. This morning I woke up, thought about the whole experience and began to cry my eyes out with what I came away with.

For two weeks in October we had the profound and precious experience of hanging out with our kids; my adorable daughter and her equally adorable husband, who is truly the son-of-my-heart. Here come the tears again, as I recount the times we had together: Reilly and I did lots of shopping; for clothes, for groceries, just regular stuff moms and daughters do; daily stuff…talking, showing each other our things, seeing her home and how they have formed a new life together, complete with kitties, and  friends next door. So many times I was able to hold her and hug her and kiss her on the cheek and just stand there hugging her; so comforting, so important, and so needed.

So many meaningful things we did together that you don’t even think about taking a picture of because it’s either so normal, or daily, or common. Shortly after we got there I developed an abscess on a lump I’ve had in my armpit for years. It became so painful after a few days that Pete and Riley took me to the ER at the Naval Hospital where he works and orchestrated the entire procedure to have it lanced, he even held my hand the whole time… it was an interesting way to see where he works and what he does for a living…I even got to meet “Daviddanielbutters”!  And, Riley was the one who lovingly packed and repacked my wound every morning for the rest of our stay; such an odd treasure of a time. Or the day he drove Pete and I up the Amalfi Coast road (Reilly stayed home for some downtime). The driving in Italy is insane to put it mildly, and that road is infamous for its treacherous curves and tour buses and mopeds all screaming around the corners! For three or four hours he stayed enthusiastically steady and trustworthy, he never lost his cool, he never hit a car…impressive doesn’t even cut it. Then we stopped at a roadside ristorante for some Italian food and vino rosso d casa (red house wine), while we overlooked a typical Italian view of old ladies with their cats, hanging out on the rooftops, leaning over their balconies, watching loud Italian men working on things.

A couple nights before we left we enjoyed a potluck BBQ with their neighbor friends, Josh and Nicole. The wine, grappa, and limoncello flowed as we got to know one another and told old stories. Of course, the kids have always had their own beautiful quirky dynamic that continues to entertain us even though they are full grown blown-ups now. We brought home a few of those quirks we will treasure as we say them (lacka-lacka-lacka, you’d have to be there).

They spent months creating a guest room for us that was so comfy and charming, complete with bamboo (for the zen effect) and Riley’s collections and plaques, for his manly touch. We watched 2 of Riley’s favorite movies: Master & Commander, and Pirates of the Caribbean, we kept up with Big Bang Theory, enjoyed Kebabs (big ol burritoey things), gelato (yes, you can get sick of gelato I found out), and I don’t care what anyone says, OUR pizza and wine is better!

Those guys were so gracious and accommodating, and fun to be with that our time with them was the most wonderful aspect of our time in Italy! We made decisions together as a team every day, even though one day was a comedy of errors, we forgot to eat, walked waaay too much, spend too much time on a tour bus, and waited waaay too long at the Hard Rock Café in Roma for some much needed American food! Riley was the best driver ever (did I mention I was the one who taught him to drive?) he scared us a few times, but he had to show off a little.

In the evenings, after a 5 mile hike all over Pompeii, or the Vatican Museum, we’d lounge around on their big ol couch watching youtube videos or doing stuff on our phones, silently enjoying the comfort of closeness, looking over at one another now and then with smiles. I can’t believe how much I’m crying about all that, it really was the best thing ever being with them in all sorts of little significant ways.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes we did see some sites! I have to say I was more positively overwhelmed with the historical and architectural aspect then I was with everyday Italian life. I think it’s because Southern Naples is not the beautiful and glamorous side of Italy, there were some very seedy, impoverished areas that we saw. Their economy is bad and one Italian man said that the Italian people were, “not good, not good”. I’ve never really seen a real live hooker before but they were all along the roadsides, sitting on buckets with their umbrellas; garbage littered the streets, graffiti everywhere (there was even a billboard that said, “Ignore the graffiti, everyone else does.”) Sad, but eye-opening.

On a more positive note, I have always been an ancient history buff, I’ve read everything I could get my hands on about ancient ruins, everywhere. I can explain cuneiform writing to you, I know where Gobekli Tepe is, I could have been an archeologist if I hadn’t been so into partying in high school. So seeing some of things we saw in and around Naples was over the top in so many ways. Here’s a rundown in order of my faves:

Pompeii- Absolutely incredible! 173 acres of an amazing ancient city that was once full of beauty and art and order! We hiked over 5 miles there and enjoyed every minute! I would give anything to spend one day there back in 78 AD. All of the artifacts are housed in the Naples Archeological Museum which we will visit next time.

Capua Coliseum- This was actually our first encounter with an ancient Roman ruin. It’s a tad smaller than the one in Rome. As I approached it I was overpowered with emotion and started choking up. I felt very emotional throughout the whole thing for some reason. This coliseum you can explore and there is no one else around. We walked all over and under the thing and marveled at what kinds of things took place there.

Vatican Museum – The line for this was blocks long, but Riley asked one of the guards if we could bypass the line because of Pete’s breathing issue and sure enough we waltzed right in! It’s mind-blowing to me what humans can create, how they lived, and how incredibly artistic and inventive they were back then! There were lots of massive religious art pieces, sculptures, furniture, you name it! Riley and I were in awe and stayed together throughout most of it, marveling and discussing. Pete and Reilly didn’t have that same intensity for all things old and opulent so they scooted through and waited for us at the exit. Good thing, cause Riley and I didn’t have a phone… Scary!

Amalfi Coast – As I write this I realize all these were my favorite! I already mentioned that white-knuckle excursion, but I wanna add, every bit of that road was gorgeous. The steep terrain was completely covered with vineyards and stucco houses. Unbelievable to me that people can live in such a tight, steep, environment!

Caserta Palace- We visited this palace one day kinda by accident, it was immense and was a lot like the Vatican Museum in time spent there and magnificence. We took a horse-drawn carriage ride all around the grounds after lunch. The whole time the weather was in the high 70s! Beautiful!

ROME – Crap! What an adventure! 4 milllion people! Founded in 753 BC, it is the oldest inhabited city in the world. We spent four days there and could’ve spent four more if we could have held up! We shopped, we ate, we had a front row top seat on a open air double-decker tour bus for three hours, it was dirty, it was fantastic, it was eye-popping, it was gigantic. Actually, all these words fall short. I got so annoyed with myself for only having Amazing, Cool, and Awesome in my vocabulary (with the occasional Geez and Holy Shit)!

St Peter’s Square- Immense, with lots of statues, and a big obelisk in the middle. We saw it at night and in the daytime. It was, again, cool.

The Pantheon – This is still a functioning church, I’m not sure what kind, but pan means all, and theo is God so it was originally the worship of all gods. It is a massive domed structure with a giant hole in the middle and a drain in the floor. Oh yeah, everything is marble, I mean everything in Italy.

The Coliseum- We saw it but didn’t go into it. It too is massive and right in the middle of the city. Next time we will take it and the Roman Forum on! The kids said that you could explore more at the Capua Coliseum so we passed…this time.

 

Well that concludes the highlights of the trip but one of the most precious tear-jerking moments was when we came home. First, Roxy Ann from an angle I’ve never seen before, then, on the ground we came out into our beautiful, sweet Rogue Valley! If you know me, you know I am a hometown girl…I lovelovelove the Rogue Valley, I am its biggest fan! But I never loved her so much as when I got back into her fresh, clean air, and saw all her comforting hills and mountains surrounding me. How pleasant and simple our little airport is, how nice the people; like family. But it didn’t stop there, we were met by my wonderful mom, right on time and cheerfully welcoming us back, with food! She had cared for Boone while we were away, and spoiled him rotten. Then there was Boone, failing eyesight and hips took him awhile to realize it was us, but he cried real tears when it dawned on him and he was joyously beside himself for an hour or more!

Then getting home (sweet home) to Bridjit (she hasn’t let us be since we got back!) And our very own shower, and our very own bed, and our beautiful backyard, and all our silly chickens! There are so many wonderful things about our lives; our own special environment that we love and are so very grateful for. We had so many great neighbors caring for our stuff while we were gone, Alene picked up our mail, Susan did chicken duty and I’m sure loved Bridjit to bits, Caroline watered plants and fed the chickens, and even left flowers and a welcome home greeting on the table!

I knew we were loved and blessed, but now, with the contrast of a land so far away, we feel it so much more!

 

 

 

 

Sam Mitchell



So tonight I’m sitting here at the base dog park with the 3 dogs I have until tomorrow; Duke, Blue and Niki. It’s evening, a little bit chilly but ohh so relaxing. The hubby and I didn’t have such a great day, and I left in kind of a huff but almost as soon as I got here I just couldn’t resist the smile! Being here is like, an instant antidepressant. Forget Zoloft, Welbutrin, Prozac, and Paxil, just come to the dog park! OR! Surround yourself with cats! Cats are ALWAYS a good idea.
We still have Naviche’ who’s almost 2 years old now and Nora who’s about 6 months old. Nora just finished her first “heat cycle” (which was interesting and uncomfortable to say the least) and now we are waiting for an opening so we can get her spayed. We do not plan on getting any other cats unless we move into a house or we just happen to fall absolutely in love with one.
I’m still petsitting. I have 3 dogs that come for daycare 5 days a week plus any other dogs who need weekend or longer care. I’ve had up to 7 dogs in my little apartment at once! (won’t be doing that again)

Click here to visit my Pet Sitting website! à http://reillyj08.wix.com/happytails

Riley still works in the Emergency Room, he switches from day shift to night shift every 2 months. He just switched back to night shift and I would say I’m only like, 40% of a fan of that. He loves it though.

Sometimes we’ll go on a spontaneous trip to Rome, Sperlonga, Mt. Vesuvius, a new restaurant or even just to take a drive and see what there is to see here in Southern Italy. We have been planning a few trips in the months to come…Riley is going to Zermatt, Switzerland (right at the base of the Matterhorn!) for a weekend in December. And he has been planning a surprise trip for us on our coming up vacation December 22^nd – January 5^th. I couldn’t be more excited, he’s always been so great at that kind of stuff.
And of course next summer we’re. doing. EVERYTHING. I mean it, there are so many things we missed last summer due to timing, working, and money etc. that I’m not going to miss even one thing this time.

Italy has been so great to us. We are completely happy and in awe by this place. We still can’t believe we get to LIVE here, even after a year of being here. Yes, it has its downfalls, just like every other place in the world but I wouldn’t trade it for anything right now. I’m learning so much more than I ever imagined I would, I actually like history now, whereas before, not so much. That’s the thing, before we got here, I thought that Italy was all about the colorful houses on the mountainsides, pretty pink wooden boats, beaches, amazing beaches everywhere, wine…and that was it. That’s all I thought Italy was. But it’s SO much more than that. There is SO much more history here than I can even wrap my brain around, the sculptures, the stories, the kings and queens, and not to mention their castles…I was extremely pleasantly surprised when I got here and realized how much more it was than I thought. And we get another 3-4 years to soak it all in.