We're Adopting!

Allen and I started the adoption process (again) a few months ago. But today, we took a major step that I'm still not sure we were ready for, and for those of you who know our situation will understand. Even though we are still months away from adopting, Allen and I set up a crib today. It sounds silly to ask this, but please, somebody tell me we are doing the right thing. We told our case manager that we are very interested in fostering/adopting a special needs newborn who might be born premature, addicted to drugs, etc.. Before we get approved we need to complete our home study.... and in order to have a home study, we need to have a crib and some basic things set up and prepared for a child or newborn. With that said, Allen will be gone the whole month of March and part of April, so we are probably not going to start the training, have our home study and be totally approved until May or June. And here we are setting up a crib in January! Am I nuts or what?! But since the paper work process that we are going through now takes a while, we are using this time to organize and rearrange bedrooms, thus the reason for setting up the crib.

I must admit I was a bit apprehensive setting up the crib, pulling all the bedding out, and unpacking years of dreams that have been set aside not only in boxes, but also packed away deep in my heart as well. Some of the things we unpacked from boxes today were things I had saved from years ago, in hopes for a baby of my own. The Peter Rabbit theme was picked out long before we even tried to have a baby. The colors picked out, ivory, yellow and white. The dreams picked out. The hopes picked out...  Then, crash, right in the middle of all our dreams, we found out we couldn't conceive on our own. So, we wasted no time and jumped right in and started the adoption process, along with fertility treatments just in case. We completed all the training, the home study and even got a little certificate letting us know we were approved and ready.  Everything went so incredibly smooth and quick until........Uncle Sam abruptly decided to move us overseas, first Turkey and then Italy. So, for the past 5 years, all those hopes and dreams remained packed up in boxes, and I refused to open them.....until now. 

Therefore, today has been a bit of an emotional day. Just as quickly as we set up the crib, I found myself closing the bedroom door, so as not to walk by it day after day, waiting, and hoping, and wondering.
Over the years, I have prepared my heart many times in case I wouldn't have kids, and I prepared myself to be content and happy with my life, my husband and the hobbies and interests we share as a couple. We quickly focused our energies on Career, work, photography, travel, military and, well....life has been good to us. I can't complain. Regardless, I hope we're not opening our hearts just to be disappointed again. I hope we're making the right decision to adopt through the Foster Care system. And I hope nothing else gets in our way and prevents us from adopting. It's my hope that not only will our dreams come true and we find ourselves parents, but that we can offer a good home to even one child out there.

Allen setting up the crib in what used to be the guest bedroom

Guest Bedroom/nursery. We'll slowly make it more kid friendly, and also add a toddler bed, just in case...along

with more toys, books and so on..

We love Peter Rabbit!

I like to consider myself somewhat of a green person, recycling, saving energy and using less water when possible, but I must apologize to Mother Nature because ever since we moved into our house, I've been taking a lot of baths lately, sometimes up to two times a day (Lowers head in shame)! But, given the fact that I spent the past 3 years without a bathtub in Italy, including 3 years of miserable skin issues that could've been soothed with a bath, I think even Mother Nature could understand my obsessive bath taking lately. So, with that of course, I had to indulge in some bath salts, bath oils and body scrubs..which are quite expensive given the fact that some of it I could make myself. I think I'm going to make it my goal to research and make some of these things myself, and save $30-$40. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to let me know. 

Speaking of bath soaps and oils, if you notice the pictures, I've been creatively trying to come up with more stock photos to turn into my agency. The more pictures I submit, the bigger my commissions will be, not to mention the more chance I have of selling them to companies. And you would think that snapping a few pictures here and there is simple enough, but it still amazes me how much work is involved with each picture. The lighting has to be just right. In fact, Allen was laughing at me when I took these pictures because there I sat, fully clothed in the bathtub, with my studio lights lined up around the tub, my soft box and flash in my lap, and my fingers snapping away! It was a lot of work! But, if there is even a hint of a shadow, it can make the whole picture uneven, and the photo can be rejected. Then there is the copyright laws, which require me to take all labels off of products I shoot. Even certain products themselves are off limits, such as a rubber ducky, because the item itself is a trademark. Some of this stuff has taken me months to learn, but I'm slowly getting better at it. Soon I will be opening my own studio and maybe teaching some classes. That's my goal anyway. For now, some of this work is simply tedious. 

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I didn't have anything too exciting to write about this time, but I figured I should update it since it's been a few months.

Medieval Times Pumpkin Festival

As our days in Italy slowly come to an end, I find myself wanting to attend every festival and event possible. Who knows if we will ever return to this enchanted place again.
Last weekend, we attended the Chestnut festival in Pordenone. Who would've thought that you could celebrate something as insignificant as the chestnut. But in Italy, they even have a mushroom festival. The Italians like to have fun. For the chestnut festival, the center of Pordenone was lined with shops, music, events and people. It was fun getting lost in the crowds and shopping with the locals.


 
This weekend we attended a Pumpkin festival in a medieval city called Venzone. Upon our arrival in the city, we walked through the city gates where people wore authentic medieval costumes. The walls surrounding the city resembled nothing less than a castle, and it left you feeling as though you were stepping into real medieval times.
Fortune tellers could be spotted throughout the city, along with the fresh smell of breads, pastries, and of course, pumpkin.
Around lunch time, we spotted a pizzeria selling pumpkin pizzas. Turns out they were beyond scrumptious! Replacing the traditional pizza sauce, they used pumpkin sauce instead. Very few places in Italy do this. No wonder the pizzeria was overflowing with people! :)  We spent the afternoon touring shops and watching Arts and Crafts demonstrations. Later we stumbled upon a great medieval feast where the old town center was lightened by torches and crowded with nobles, ladies, knights, and merchants.
Toward evening, we watched jugglers, jesters, musicians and more noblemen.
But the best part of this little medieval town is the story behind it, and it's too good for me not to share. 

Venzone was destroyed by an earthquake in 1976 and had been rebuilt according to original plans. It started celebrating its pumpkin fair 14 years ago because of an ancient legend, which centers upon a pumpkin. According to this legend, in the 14th century Venzone was almost completely built and had many nice palaces. The city's cathedral and the tower clock had finished being constructed. Unfortunately, the city didn't have enough money to pay the artist who had just completed decorating the roof of the tower clock with a golden globe. The city committee decided to give him just one third of the amount he asked for his work because they thought that everybody should volunteer some of their working time for the town, especially during this hard time. He didn't have much choice, and he accepted the money that the city gave him. But that night he thought he would pay the city back in the same way. He went back up to the roof and replaced the golden ball with a nicely painted pumpkin. He left the city the next day. 

The Venzone inhabitants were happy for the completion of the work that embellished their city but, shortly, they realized that something on the tower was wrong because the ball was changing color. Only when big pieces started falling down did they understand how the sculptor had fooled them. Nevertheless, the city dedicates an annual fair to this important agricultural product that grows in the area. For a couple of days, the town is swarmed with thousands of visitors from towns nearby, as well as from Germany and Austria, who come to watch the parades of people dressed in medieval costumes ,musicians, jugglers, armigers and knights, who populate the narrow streets.  



Click here to see more of my Medieval pictures on Facebook

 

August was not my month! Here's to September, Cheers!

I knew I spoke too soon in my last post when I mentioned how smoothly this deployment was going. Didn't I say I would probably jinx myself for admitting that?! I guess I can't complain too much since nothing serious has happened, other than some minor set backs, but they are still set backs nonetheless.

A few months ago I hurt by back doing some kick boxing. It healed fine, but little did I know, that would be the start of chronic back pain in my lower back and Sciatica.  The last three weeks have been miserable and I haven't been able to do much pre-packing/moving or cleaning in preparation for our move in November.  My doctor recommended physical therapy but thankfully the yoga I've been doing 3 times a day is starting to help. Yay for yoga! I sure hope it heals up before Allen gets home. I'm ready for some good vacation time with him.







Around the same time I hurt my back, someone decided to steal our credit card info and make two large purchases at Walmart.com. They charged over $1200 before we noticed and cancelled our cards.  Apparently this happens a lot overseas because this is the second time it has happened since we've been over here. THANKFULLY we bank with USAA, and they are easy to work with. They primarily deal with military, and they have a no fraud policy so we were able to get refunded almost immediately!  An investigation is still pending, and I sure hope they catch whoever did it. Otherwise USAA will be out that $1200.




If you've read this far, let me tell you about my week so far. Besides running two red lights and now waiting to see if I get a pricey ticket in the mail, I also got a ticket today for not properly disposing of my trash. And all because of an itsy bitsy broken up plastic bin that I sat next to my garbage can by the road. Either they didn't like the fact that it wasn't placed INSIDE my trash can, or because it was a recyclable item, not trash.  Either way, it is complicated trying to throw trash away over here. I love to recycle but sometimes I really miss those big black American trash cans with the hunky-dory cool wheels that you can pull out to the road. Instead, I am stuck with a little orange bin that comfortably holds ONE garbage bag. But, as you can see in the pictures below, this is what happens when you miss a week and have TWO garbage bags instead of one! I get to climb up and squish them down.  If I were to be fair though, I should add that once you recycle cardboard, plastic and glass, you really aren't left with too much trash each week....unless   you're like me and forgot trash day...then have more trash the following week.




                                                                          THE TICKET:
              (It basically says the waste was not properly disposed...blah..blah..blah..)

                                                                      BEFORE:

 

                                                                         AFTER:
                                                                        (Whew!)

                                                              

I'm hoping September is a MUCH better month since August didn't turn out so peachy!                                                       

                                                           Cheers! :)