Sicily has a rugged beauty that for me comes alive as we walk through the towns. The narrow, cobblestone roads take you on a meandering journey through wonderful architecture, walls that would be full of incredible stories if only they could talk, and amidst a people who have a deep love for their Sicilian heritage.
We went over to Sigonella (Naval Air Station & 3 hrs. from here) on Friday and came home on Monday. We had to get Dani a new military ID card as she lost hers and she had to get her iron levels rechecked Monday morning. We've been trying to get her iron straightened out since August. For some reason that the dr's can't figure out her iron was very low in August. It's in an ok range now but on the low end so today the dr. called and said she needs to do 3 more months of iron and then get it checked again in 6 months.
We had a relaxing weekend and did some shopping at the NEX and Commissary. We get most of our food here at the local markets but there are things we can find only at the Commissary. Brown sugar, coffee mate creamers, cheddar cheese and so on. We also went to church at the chapel and that was wonderful! After 5 weeks of not being in a church service it was extra meaningful.
Our sightseeing for the weekend was a drive to the town of Caltagirone. I fell in love with it and we want to go back. It sits on 3 hills and it's name derives from the Arabic words for castle and cave and was settled by the Greeks. Our purpose for this trip was to see the Scalazza, a staircase of 142 steps. It leads you up to the church of Santa Maria del Monte. Each level of the stairs has a different tile decoration. We climbed them and the view from the top looking back over the town was awesome! It started raining so we walked back to the car and ate chips and sandwiches before heading back to Sigonella but we for sure want to go back to beautiful Caltagirone!
We would appreciate prayers for wisdom and guidance as we travel on this journey called parenting. At times you hit potholes that make your heart want to cry and you hold onto the hope that God loves and cares for your children even more than you do! Our greatest desire is that our kids will love God and grow into responsible young adults, making right choices even when it's difficult. I'm sure this is a prayer that most parents share.
p.s. I'm adding Caltagirone pictures to the photostream. Have a wonderful day!!!
I Love these pictures! The scenery is awesome and the artwork is incredible. I Love how people over there take care of their cities and maintain the architecture for future generations to enjoy. As we all know, here in the US we just remodel and or destroy places after we have gotten bored with them, you know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful pictures. I would love to see a town like that. Yes, I will join you in prayer for parenting. It's the hardest job I've ever done.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen prettier photos on a blog!! I love all of them! It looks like everyone is having fun exploring all the new places around you. What an experience of a lifetime!! Your kids are going to always remember how cool you were for exposing them to living in a foriegn country for awhile.
ReplyDeleteI'll pray for you, but you know that God gave you your children because you were the perfect parents for them. He knows what he's doing!
-Kim
Jan,
ReplyDeleteThanks again for sharing your experiences with us. I am falling in love with Italy! You have such a great eye for detail!
I pray for you and your family often. Email me any specific prayer requests.
You are so right, God does love our kids more than we do. You have a friend standing with you shoulder to shoulder.
Love you!
Laura