Perfect day in Selinunte

The girls are in Germany for the week visiting Air Force friends who used to live in Utah. They were so excited to go! The thought of hanging out with teenagers who speak English was pure heaven to them :)

Ben and I went to Selinunte on Tuesday with our friend Sue. We spent 8 hrs. sightseeing, getting lost in Mazara Del Vallo, seeing 1,000 year old trees and finding a wonderful beach spot in Selinunte! Sue is a lot of fun to go adventuring with. We kept Ben entertained as we tried to find new places to see and then had to find our way out of Mazara Del Vallo. Let's just say that Little Miss GPS doesn't always understand what some Sicilian streets and towns are like as she belts out her directions and then gets annoyed and has to "recalculate!".

On our way into Selinunte we saw this painted Fiat and had to turn around to take pictures. It sat in front of a ceramic shop. Aren't the colors great? A real burst of sunshine!! Wouldn't it be fun to drive around in this car?









The ruins at Selinunte are incredible and what a beautiful setting. Wide, open close to the Mediterranean Sea.
We went through Mazara Del Vallo on our way home. We stopped and Sue showed us some trees that are 1,000 years old! Wow!! I'm not sure what their name is but the trunks are huge.

Enjoy the new pictures on my PhotoStream. This was the first time since being here that Ben was ok with me taking pics of him so I took advantage of that! One of my favorite things to take pictures of is flowers and I did get sidetracked from the ruins several times because the flowers are so pretty right now. I just can't help myself..............

Blessings to you!

The Pope, A Friendly Waiter & Our Last Day In Rome

Our last day in Rome......full of the unexpected and a longing to be able to stay longer!!

We arrived at Vatican City by 9:30 and there weren't a lot of people there yet. It's a beautiful place to see. Vatican City is about 110 acres, population approx. 900 people and the smallest country in the world both in size and population. So much history!

As we wandered around we noticed a steady stream of people coming in and they all had a piece of paper. They were going into a fenced off area that had chairs. There was a platform set up and our curiosity grew.

Papal audiences are held every Wednesday at 10:30 in the Vatican. So we saw the Pope and what Ben calls the Pope Mobile. It was neat listening to him in Italian. The audience was made up largely of school groups from all over the world, even one from Oregon :)

We then headed to an outdoor cafe for cappuchinos and pastry treats before going to the Vatican Museums. Then we stopped and did the tourist thing......bought tshirts and sweatshirts from a street vendor. It started raining as we walked to the Museums.

The Vatican Museums.......if I could in any way describe to you what they're like I would give it my best shot but it's one of those places you have to see to believe!
To say they are HUGE, overwhelming to a point and seemingly non-ending is an understatement! You seriously could wander and not find your way out for a good 5 years or so!! ( ok, slight exaggeration:)
It's somewhere you should see. There are some very interesting areas and beautiful things to see. A lot of history gathered from over a long period of time. We all agreed that once was enough tho and it was our least favorite thing we did in Rome.

DJ, Mom and the kids went on ahead of us and found a cafe outside the Museums to eat and relax while waiting for Dad and I. We were of course taking pictures!

The waiter at that cafe was so friendly and had a great sense of humor. He was one of the highlights that day!

We then hit the street just wandering and looking at store fronts. The atmosphere was so great. Lots of people with a rainbow of umbrellas, tree lined streets with the light green haze of budding leaves, beautiful store fronts and the rain added such an adventurous feel to the day!

Overall, we absolutely love Rome and can't wait to go back in a few weeks!! And what a treasure to share that time with Mom and Dad :) Sweet memories..............

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Yesterday it rained like crazy for quite a long time....today is very cloudy with a little rain here and there. Come back sun!!

So today we have 2 laundry drying racks decorating our living room. Not overly attractive but necessary!


Yesterday I took a new friend, Cathy, to Trapani to do some paperwork. She's a lot of fun to be with!! We enjoyed a little shopping and some lunch while we were there (sorry I didn't take my camara :(

I bought a new apron (I love aprons :), a linen tablecloth and a ceramic vase. I also discovered some neat stores the girls and I will have to go back to.


I hope your day is beautiful (even if the weather isn't!). The kids and I are going to a friends house for tea later this afternoon and of course there's always housework and school to do.

Saturday Afternoon Boat Ride

I know I still need to blog and post pictures from our last day in Rome but right now I'm going to share a little boat ride we did earlier today. (sorry, I didn't get a picture of the boat we rode in!)

We went out to Mozia. It's an island where the Joseph Whitaker Museum is located. He's well known for his work on the birds of Tunisia and he did alot of archaeological work in his later years.

The island is very quiet, peaceful and full of rustic charm. What a cool place to take pictures! So that's what I'm sharing today...........pictures, of course! I wish I could share the quietness broken only by the sweet chirping of birds but you'll have to use your imagination :)


Our starting out point.....


Approaching the island......


These little lizards are all over Sicily



The delicate, lavendar chairs would look better in France.....












These cactus reminded me that we all have wounds in our lives yet Jesus can bring new life to whatever situation you find yourself in!


The fresh cut piles of pine branches had the aroma of camping in the woods......



Leaving the island.....

San Vito Lo Capo

DJ got off early today so we decided to drive over to San Vito Lo Capo. It was overcast but we wanted to get out of the house and the kids love the water! The water along the beach is shallow for quite a ways out and so was warm. San Vito Lo Capo is about an hour's drive and is a beautiful place to hang out :) The water is incredibly clear and beautiful shades of blue. The pinkish red color is coral that is in little bits and washes in with the tide. Isn't it pretty?





Ben has always loved the water and the beach. He and the girls had fun in the water today with the soccer ball. DJ was kicking the ball out to them and then they'd throw it back.





These trees were next to where we parked. It's amazing what a large variety of vegetation that Sicily has. It makes for a very texturized landscape!




We enjoyed cappuchinos and treats while sitting on the outdoor patio at the Sea Garden. While we were sitting there a rider and his horse rode by. I've always thought it would be wonderful to ride a horse at the beach!!......maybe someday :)









I love lighthouses. I was born and raised in Oregon where we have some unique and beautiful lighthouses! This one was fenced off so we couldn't explore it :(




This picture was taken on a very windy road that leads from San Vito Lo Capo to Zingaro Nature Reserve ( that's an adventure waiting for another day ). It's a picture of a club with a swimming pool and tennis courts.....we saw the sign for it but I've forgotten the name. The last few pictures are taken on that same road just closer to Zingaro Nature Reserve.

Anyway, it was a fun and relaxing outing and we'll be going back for sure!

Another Wonderful Day in Rome.........

A HALL THAT WAS ONCE UNDER THE COLOSSEUM FLOOR (BEFORE THE FLOOR ERODED AWAY)



What a beautiful, sunny day today! As I write this post it's snowing back in Ogden, Utah where we live........that makes me appreciate the sun and sparkling Mediterranean Sea even more :)

The girls and I spent the day (Ben opted to stay home) with a group of women who have all become very special to us. For the most part their husbands work at the same base as DJ. It's been such a gift to have these wonderful women in our lives. They've shown us the ropes of living in Sicily and it's nice to have people to speak English with! Today we celebrated 4 birthdays and a going away.

Rome....what a beautiful city! I think I said that yesterday but it's worth saying again!! If you get a chance...GO!

Day 2 was probably my favorite. We spent the morning at the Colosseum. WOW. I could go on and on about how big it is and how neat but it's one of those experiences you can't really do justice to in explaining it. I was most fascinated by the rooms that were at one time under the Colosseum floor. The floor has eroded away so you can see the halls and doorways down there.
In a way it's hard to imagine all the events that went on at the Colosseum as it sits right in the hustle and bustle of traffic.

My mom thought it would be fun to do an open bus tour and she was so right! We bought 24 hour tickets and it ended being one of the favorite things we did in Rome. We rode for 2 hrs. or so in the afternoon and loved it so much we went back to the apartment and got jackets so we could do it again after dark. Rome is a whole different beautiful at night. The fountains and so many statues and buildings are lit up and there's an exciting vibe in the air as people hang out in coffee bars and in the streets.

We stayed in an apartment in Rome as it's cheaper than staying in a hotel ( thanks for that advice Michelle!). If you travel alot VRBO.COM is a great website for finding rental apartments all over the world. It gives you more room and the flexibility to save money by cooking for yourself instead of eating out all the time.

Have a very blessed week and take a moment to count the many things we all have to be grateful for!

At Last........Our Rome Trip!

Finally!............Here's the start of our trip to Rome. I'll blog and post photos over the next few days to get caught up. Thank you for your patience :) I know some of you are anxious to see pictures!

We had a wonderful time in Rome with Mom and Dad. I fell in love with Rome. It's a beautiful, fascinating city! I'm not a big history buff but of course that aspect is largely what draws so many people. The historical part is neat for sure but there was something else that drew me in and I can't really put my finger on it. I would love to have a week or two to just wander the city taking pictures.

Our first day we hit the street a little late as I had never changed the time on my phone so we woke up an hour later than planned! Then we ran to the market and grabbed some food for the apartment. In the process of finding somewhere to buy bus/Metro tickets we came across Basilica di San Pancrazio. Most of my inside pics didn't turn out but it was a neat place to see.

After getting our bus tickets and figuring out how the transportation works in Rome our goal was to go to the Colosseum. It was mid afternoon by the time we got to the Colosseum so we decided to go to Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps instead and get to the Colosseum first thing the next morning. That worked out great.

My dad loves the movie "Three Coins in a Fountain" with Audrey Hepburn. Trevi Fountain was featured in that movie so dad's always wanted to see it. It was very pretty and crowded with people. I didn't get all of Trevi Fountain in one photo so I'll do that when we go back in May ( with DJ's mom and dad ).

The Spanish Steps was one of my favorite places we saw in Rome! The atmosphere was relaxing even though there were alot of people. Sitting on the steps people watching and listening is a very neat experience. There are people from all over the world so there's a steady stream of multiple languages swirling around you at one time!

The transportation system in Rome is great and once you figure it all out it's very easy to get around.

We enjoyed our first day in Rome alot...........I'll share Day 2 with you tomorrow.

No More Night!

Hello and Easter Blessings To All of You :)

I'm still sorting pictures from when my parents were here but I promise I will share them with you soon!!

I've wanted to share this song "No More Night" with you for awhile now. It's sung by David Phelps (he sings with the Gaither Vocal Band). He has an amazing voice and I love the message of hope and victory in this song.

The Easter message is bursting with an exciting hope that no matter what sorrows and tradegies we face in this life we have reason to know GREAT joy! Jesus was willing to die a horrible death on the cross at Calvary so that by placing our faith in Him alone we can have eternal life with Him in Heaven.

He is worthy of all our praise and worship! What hope to know that someday there will be......No More Night!!

Just a Little Note...............

Hello:)

I just wanted to let you know real quick that we did not feel the earthquake here in Italy this morning. Please be praying for those people up north that have been badly affected by this earthquake.

I was a little concerned about my parents. They flew home today out of Rome. I didn't know about the earthquake until after we had already dropped them off at the Palermo Airport for their flight to Rome. I just checked their flight status and they are in flight out of Rome :)

We had a great 2 weeks with them, traveling and sightseeing til we dropped! I will be posting pics later this week. I need a couple days to unwind :)

Blessings and love to you all!