Thomas Gardner

Thunderstorms and Chaos

2009-10-02T05:39:00.002-04:00

Local Report on the Flooding and Landslides that Occurred as a Result of Very Bad Storms Last Night and This Morning

Landslides close stretch of Catania-Messina highway and State Road 114, at least four people are dead and 20 missing after floods hit the Messina province. Landslides close stretch of A18 Catania-Messina highway and State Road114 as storms lash Sicily, traffic is severely disrupted. According to local media and Police reports, several landslides occurred last night in the Messina province, closed a stretch of the A18 Catania-Messina highway in both directions between the Roccalumera andTremestieri exits, as storms hit several Sicilian provinces including Palermo, Catania and Trapani, disrupting rail services, ferry sailings and causing traffic chaos. Motorists are facing massive detours. A stretch of State Road 114 was also shut in the same area. At least four people are dead and 20 missing after a river of mudflooded parts of Messina as the area was hit by heavy rains. Officials said at least 100 people fled their homes when violent mudslides collapsed several buildings and swept away cars during a rain storm that lasted through Thursday night and early Friday. Mayor Giuseppe Buzzanca told Italy's Sky TV that rescuers were usingdogs to search for the missing in the hardest-hit suburbs. Sky aired images of flooded streets, filled with debris and mud reaching up to the wheels of cars. Buzzanca said rescue efforts were being hampered because many roads and railways were cut and parts of the city were still isolated, with help reaching those areas only on foot.

Swim Time

2009-07-13T14:12:00.001-04:00

Thomas loves the pool, although probably not all the attire we make him wear there...

Gambino Winery

2009-05-10T14:00:00.003-04:00

Thomas enjoys the flora at Gambino as much as we enjoy the wine! We passed a billboard for their wines in Taormina that read "Gambino, La rima con Vino" or "Gambino, rhymes with vino". How clever and struck me as very funny (after a glass of wine with lunch)!

Trecastagni Garlic/ Three Saints Festival

2009-05-10T13:41:00.005-04:00

The main church of Trecastagni - with a newly refurbished exterior!

The three brothers.

Our town is supposedly named for three brothers, although "tre castagni" really means "three chestnuts". Every year the garlic harvest coincides with the celebration of the martyrdom of the three brothers, so there is a very large festival. Our town is not huge by any means, but there were at least one hundred food stalls and market booths out in the streets including a dozen selling large bunches of garlic for about a Euro each! The festival started on Friday and ends tomorrow. Last night was the largest event with many people recreating the march of the three brothers from Catania into Trecastagni carrying large pedestals and candles. The procession ends at the town church, which is decorated with icons of the brothers and beautiful murals and mosaics. We didn't get to go into the church, however. We were wearing shorts, and in Italy most churches will not allow you in so we didn't even try! [Upper arms and most of the legs have to be covered (remember this if you are ever touring in Italy in the summer - a lot of the famous cathedrals and churches will turn you away!)]. We did, however, walk through the streets and take lots of pictures. As usual the festivities are followed EVERY evening by a rather loud (we live only two blocks from the main square) and ambitious fireworks display. A small display is usually set off around 0730 with a much, much larger one around 0930. What a joy to hear that every single night like clockwork.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T13:32:00.002-04:00

Today the weather was a terrific 75 degrees and sunny! After much to-do with the GPS, we managed to locate the Gambino vineyard and buy some vino. Our favorite Sicilian wines! Then we headed to Taormina for some walking and a nice lunch overlooking the ocean. We happened to run into some old timers from a cruise. They were from Culpeper - go figure! Thomas was especially good today. Not sure if he knew it was Mother's Day, or if he was just having a good day.

Adventures in the Yard

2009-04-11T14:58:00.004-04:00

Thomas loves roaming the yard and scouring for plants and flowers. Our roses aren't out yet, but we do have so nice red poppies in the front yard.

He also likes play with the wild cats, including this one we call Giuseppe!

Palm Sunday

2009-04-11T14:55:00.003-04:00

We ventured into Catania on Palm Sunday morning. Street vendors were selling woven palm leaves to the church crowds (and I do mean crowds!). Took us a minute to figure out what was going on! We had forgotten it was Palm Sunday. Time flies...

Catania

2009-04-11T14:50:00.005-04:00

Continuing our world tour of Roman amphitheaters (they really are everywhere!). Here are the ruins of one in Catania.

Italians vs. Europeans (and pretty much of the rest of the civilized world)

2009-04-03T09:14:00.000-04:00

All Quirks Italian

2009-04-03T08:28:00.003-04:00

Wish I could say I wrote this, but I did not! Even if you don't live in Italy, this guy's summation of life in Italy will give you the LOLs...

"Many people have a very romantic idea of Italy... beautiful Tuscan hills, ancient Roman ruins, and stunning coastline. Yet by living here I've discovered another side of Italy... the funny side! Not many people know these undercover SECRETS OF ITALY that I am about to share with you... There are many American conveniences that are MISSING in this country. Feel free to drop these at your next cocktail party and you really will be an Italian Expert!

1. PIZZA... one size fits all. While you can order Medium, Large, or Extra Large Pizza at your local Pizza Hut, in Italy it is One Size Fits All - the size of a large plate. A pizza here is considered a normal entree, so its pretty much one per person at the local pizzeria!

2. CAR SEATS... yeah right! I'm not exactly sure if there is a branch of the government here that looks after safety, but I think I've found an area they should investigate: CAR SEATS. As in, they are no where to be found. If you drive past a car with a child, you can pretty much be sure they will either be crawling over the seats, sticking their heads out the window, or riding shotgun in a scooter.

In America, Britney Spears did the same thing and almost lost her baby to child services. Here... NORMAL.

[In an ironic twist, I feel the need to add that one of the safest car seats in the world (and one of only two rated in the US for a 60+ mph car crash) is produced by Peg Perego - YES! An Italian Company!]

While I haven't looked up the stats of Italian childhood injuries in car crashes vs. other nations, it is definitely a curious phenomenon. Which brings me to my next point:

3. TOILET SEATS... also missing! Hanging out with all the missing car seats are our good friends, the Toilet Seats. As in, they don't really exist in this country. While it my just be a hidden ploy to strengthen Italian quads for "Speedo Season," you can be sure that only 1 in 10 Italian bathrooms are equipped with this new technology.

In a related story, Toilet Paper can only be found in 6% of all Italian bathrooms, prompting new meaning to the acronymn BYOP. On the street corners at Red Lights, there are typically salesmen pushing the small individual packs of Tissue... and I don't think its for blowing your nose. Women can be seen carrying these in their purse, or more discreetly, stuffing handfuls of the free "Wet Wipes" at McDonald's into their pockets. This is one time you don't want to air dry. (And don't even get me started on flushing! I have yet to flush a toilet in this country the same way twice, often spending at least 5 minutes in front of the different buttons, levers, pulley systems, and medieval devices used to get the job done. And when ESP lets you down, check the floor... foot pedals are also popular!)

[I must also add here that at most tourist destinations, you must PAY to use the toilet! The attendant will provide you with TP and papertowels as those will not be in the restroom unless you fork over the Euro!]

4. DOOR KNOBS... Still years away. In our condo building, every morning there is the daily SLAM that wakes up everyone else in the building...
usually measuring around 3.2 on the Richter Scale. We like to call this SLAM "the first person to leave their house." That noise is due to the fact that doors here do not have door knobs, and can only be shut due to brute force. Why door knobs are not used is unknown, however one would think you shouldn't need a RUNNING START to close your front door.

5. LINES... they are only getting longer! When standing in line at a public place in Italy, such as post offices, airports, or grocery stores, you can be sure that after 15 minutes of waiting you will be at least 8 people FARTHER BACK from the front than when you began. I am not sure why this exists... however the "Amoeba Effect" of rude-cutters is widespread. You may not believe me, but when the nice grandmother steps in front of you, throwing elbows like she was SHAQ is boxing you out in the NBA Finals, you will know what I'm talking about.

The rule, as in driving, is NO EYE CONTACT as you follow these 3 simple steps to Italian cutting:
1) Find the Line you are supposed to be in.
2) Find the Person in front of that line.
3) Step in front."

Bret and I can both attest to these - all true, all frustrating and all very un-American. If you have ever thought of living in Italy, consider a more civilized country such as Germany or even Spain...

Villa Romana at Piazza Armerina

2009-03-29T04:57:00.006-04:00

This trip was a few weekends ago, but I am just now getting around to posting the pictures. We visited a town called Piazza Armerina in Enna (a province south and west of Catania in the center of the island) where there is a Roman Villa with the most extensive and intact collection of Roman mosaics in the world. It's pretty unreal and especially amazing considering the location of this villa (pretty much in the middle of nowhere although at one time there was a canal that ran past the estate). It's also huge and rivals any of the larger homes found at Pompeii. Excavations are ongoing, so there were several sections of the home we were unable to view. The Italians have erected this glass and metal structure over the villa to protect it from the elements and also allow visitors to tour the home without actually walking on the mosaics (hello Pompeii, are you listening?).

Afterwards we visited an agriturismo outside of town for a long Italian lunch.

Siracusa

2009-03-27T10:03:00.010-04:00

Located on the southeastern shore of Sicily not far from Catania, we visited the town of Siracusa. We toured the Parco Archaelogico della Neapolis today and took some great photos of ancient ruins including the Roman Amphitheater (Teatro Romano), the Greek Amphitheater (Teatro Greco), and the Ear of Dionysus (Orrechi di Dioigni).

Thomas and I in front of the aqueduct intake at the Greek Theater.

The Roman Amphitheater which postdates the Greek Theater but is considerably more degraded. The Romans also utilized the Greek Theater and added their own special flourishes.

The Greek Theater is still in use today! The new season of shows begins in May so the workers were out in full force, erecting a stage and seating platforms over the existing ruins. The pictures are tainted by the modern architecture, but the ruins are nevertheless impressive. An ancient aqueduct intake at the very top of the theater is still currently flowing! The aqueduct is perhaps a Roman addition. I wondered how patrons could hear if they were sitting at that level. That flow was quite loud. I suspect they stopped the flow during the entertainment. [And, yes, it is possible to stop flow to an aqueduct!]

The Ear of Dionysus. You can actually walk inside! The cave amplifies event the smallest sound and at one time was an ancient prison.

Ciao, ciao piccolo gatto!

2009-03-27T09:47:00.004-04:00

The first day we moved in, a scrawny little cat was following me around everywhere. He was very skinny, and I felt badly for him. I started buying him cat food and putting it out for him. Stupid me! All 8 wild cats that live in our hood came out and were eating it, so the little cat wasn't getting any. So then I started bringing him in the house so he could actually eat the food. He got to know our schedule, and when we'd be home, and he always came to the door to wait for us. Bret made him a bed, and when it was really cold, we'd let him hang out in the house for a few hours. Thomas really liked him. We named him Gepetto, and I thought we might actually claim him for our own even though Thomas and I are allergic to him, and we don't even really like cats! He grew on us. He got fat and happy and his hair puffed up like a chow chow! He is quite possibly the funniest looking cat I have ever seen.

Long story short, the landlord's grandkids asked to come in our yard one day (sometimes their toys end up over the fence), so I let them in. They grabbed Gepetto right in front of my face and left! Gepetto came back the next day, though, so I just thought they had wanted to play with him. The next day, the landlord, his son, and the two grandkids came back. The landlord kept saying something about the gatto and the bambini, so I let them in the yard and they took the cat again! This time, however, he hasn't come back, and we are pretty sure he is now living with the grandkids. We hope they are taking care of the little bugger. Mind you, there is no shortage of cats to feed! Gepetto's brother Giuseppe is now the chosen cat except he howls when Bret brings him in the house! He is definitely not a people kind of cat like Gepetto was (is). In homage to the piccolo gatto, I dug up a cute picture of him and thought I'd post.

Thomas' 2nd Birthday - Elmo Cake

2009-03-27T09:35:00.004-04:00

A couple of people wanted to see the Elmo cake I had made for Thomas' birthday. I was rather unsuccessful emailing the photo with AOL. Here Elmo is in all his red glory! We had a party with his friends here before we left for the states, and the entire cake was devoured!

We're Back!

2009-02-15T12:12:00.002-05:00

Thomas and I touched down in Catania around 1045 am this morning local time. Our trip was pretty good. We managed an upgrade on the transatlantic flight, which was great. We almost missed our short haul flight due to less than an hour turnaround and having to go through both security and customs. Luckily, we didn't, and Thomas had pepped up by then. This won't surprise anyone but our luggage didn't make it. I had to file a lost baggage report, which took close to 20 min (go United for having a process that takes less than 5!) and was annoying; however, about three hours after we got home, the airline actually called to say they had our bags! Awesome.

Anyway, we were glad to see everyone, albeit briefly and are happy to be back at home!

Back in the USA!

2009-01-19T06:56:00.001-05:00

Thomas and I finally made it late Sunday evening. We had a brilliant trip. Thomas was very good and even slept for a few hours on the last of our flights. We were very lucky to upgrade to business class on the long flight, and it proved invaluable. The flight attendants took very good care of us and gave Thomas a special dinner. He was quite popular among the ladies! All would have been perfect if the airline had not lost our luggage, and I had not lost my coat (with both house and car key in pocket no less!). The airline has apparently found our bag, although is not ready to provide it to us yet!?!? As for my coat, I hope it is waiting in the Frankfurt Lost & Found where Bret can grab it up on his way next week . Here's to a great stay and a better return trip!

American Life in Italy - Part Uno

2009-01-08T13:26:00.007-05:00

Subject - Television

We do get limited American programming. We have an American Forces Network (AFN) satellite which shows mostly soap operas (General Hospital - yay; no As the World Turns - boo hiss), sports (even Redskins - yay!), radio stations (ok, AFN radio stations - boo hiss) and a variety of shows from a bunch of different networks (sometimes we get Food TV shows or PBS specials). Don't get too excited. We get about six channels even though our satellite tells us there are 200. Almost everything except the news and Oprah (go girl!) is a day late. That stinks when you haven't watched the finale of Dancing with the Stars, and the winner is posted on the front page of AOL the morning of the day it is going to air - grrr! On the other hand, if you want to know what's going on on Oprah today, I can tell you at 10am EST, and you can plan accordingly.

After a few weeks, I convinced Bret we needed the Sky (Italian/British programming) satellite - lots more channels, including movies, some American sports, lots of kids stuff, music channels, etc. At first the only one who watched it was Thomas! Lots of the kids' shows are in English, so he loves to watch Curious George and Handy Manny (Manny Tuttofare - translates as "Manny who does everything" in Italian...LOL). You may (or may not) find this hard to believe, but apparently the Italians love Law & Order. It's on at least two channels every hour of every day. We also get CSI, NCIS, According to Jim (seriously, do Americans even watch that?) et al. Now I tend to watch this programming more than AFN. I like to watch shows in English with Italian subtitles - a good way to communicate.

Now, to the good stuff. Bret doesn't watch much other than sports, Thomas cartoons, and me pretty much everything else. However, we have all found one show we LOVE and watch pretty much every day for at least 10 minutes. It's called Shaun the Sheep (Shaun, Vita di Pecora). "Life's a treat with Shaun the Sheep!" Enjoy him on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGh7gHjmDWw&feature=PlayList&p=58985094B0F775A7&playnext=1&index=3

Christmas

2009-01-01T08:02:00.005-05:00

Thomas had a great Christmas! He had piles of presents under the tree from his family and friends, and he didn't really know what to do with any of them. For all the curiosity leading up to Christmas, he was not the least bit interested in opening anything! We opened most gifts on Christmas Eve, and then Santa left him some things Christmas morning, including a new kid-sized chair with his name on it. He loved all his toys but seems to particularly like his Mr. Potato Head. He is starting to learn body parts, so I think that's why he finds it interesting - "eyez, nose, mou - aka mouth, hat...". Ok, so hat isn't really a body part, but he sure likes saying it.

Christmas Eve presents!

Thanks to everyone for the gifts. He is enjoying playing with all of them!

Santa gifts...

Happy New Year/ Buon Anne!

Santa?

2008-12-23T14:29:00.002-05:00

So we waited in line for what seemed like hours to see Santa, only to have Thomas get antsy and Bret call the whole thing off. Was pointless to continue the wait as we discovered Santa's elves weren't taking the pictures! Apparently we were responsible for that, and, of course, we didn't have the camera. I swear those posters should have said "bring your own camera"! What kind of elves don't take pictures that they'd charge you $15 per 3x5 shot anyway?

So, we saw the next best thing - Santa Dog!

Trecastagni Christmas Fair

2008-12-23T14:09:00.005-05:00

Pictures of decorations around the town piazza.

Our town has been having a Christmas Fair for several weeks and tonight was the last night! We went one last time to have waffles from one of the stands. The lady that runs the stand speaks English - bonus! Thomas loves the waffle con frutti di bosco ("fruits of the forest", which are really mixed berries - tiny blackberries, raspberries, and currents). Italians love the frutti di bosco here, and you'll see flavored waters and all sorts of things made with the mixture.

A picture of Thomas and Bret enjoying their waffle!

Going to see Santa!

2008-12-12T14:47:00.002-05:00

Thomas is showing an interest in Christmas! He keeps picking up the presents under the tree, putting his finger to his mouth and going "hmmm". He's wishing very hard for something - Max and Ruby, I bet. Bret said he attempted to open one the other day. He's a sneaky bugger, and we really have to keep an eye on him.

We are going to take him to visit Santa tomorrow, so we'll be sure to take pictures and post them. I am wondering if he'll be interested or terrified of the hairy man in a red suit...to be continued.

Thomas helps decorate the tree

2008-12-09T13:06:00.002-05:00

He added some ornaments that his Grandma Gardner gave him.

Busy Week

2008-11-22T07:56:00.002-05:00

We've all had a busy week! Grammy Gray is visiting, and Thomas has been loving all the attention. On Thursday we went to an agriturismo in Gialle. Agriturismi are farms (usually organic) that offer tours, cooking classes, and meals to help educate people about specific types of farming and production methods. At this one we got to look at the crops (not very exciting, if you ask me - but that part was brief), then we made zucca giallo (Italian pumpking) lasagna. Then we were provided an entire million course lunch. The food was good - all local including the meats. We ate a Sicilian hamburger specialty - polpette. They look like small meatloaves and are grilled between two lemon leaves. I thought they were good, although too undercooked for my taste. We also had some fabulous chocolate and vanilla cannoli at the end of the meal.

The trip was quite exciting! We followed the bus, and the bus driver managed to crash it into a wall right in front of us! Luckily, it was minor, but the front door wouldn't open and some passengers jumped out the emergency exit once we reached our destination - pretty funny.

We also ran the Turkey Trot on the base and won a 12 lb turkey for our Thanksgiving meal! Pretty exciting.

Tomorrow we are going to Taormina (again - Bret's favorite place) for a visit provided the weather cooperates! The wind is horrendous. It was blowing us sideways during our run today...LOL!

Attempting to locate a picture of those Sicilian burgers. Will post when I can find one.

Ciao for now!

Lots of happenings...

2008-11-09T12:10:00.002-05:00

It's been difficult updating the blog lately. Our internet access crapped out about a week and a half ago and was out for 10 days. The modem Telecom provided was old and we couldn't use more than one computer at a time. Telecom was going to update the modem, but in the meantime blocked our access?!?!?! Luckily, we have a very savvy bilingual tech who sorted everything out. We are online now whenever we have power.

Yes, you heard correctly. Power. It's an issue. We had heard that power surges were rampant in summer due to increased draw from a/c units, but we had no idea that using more than one appliance at a time and/or a clock radio and a hair dryer would trip our fuse box and shut down power to the ENTIRE house! It happened five times the other day!!! Thomas and I came home from the base to find that the crock pot wasn't cooking and the fridge had been off for three hours - yuck. We are supposedly on the highest plan but our house can't handle the power. We have taken to turning off all the power strips and unplugging anything we aren't using. It's very annoying. I guess Italians don't have more than one tv or something?!?!

We also had some furniture mishaps from the move and have been unsuccessful at finding a repairman/shop. Consequently, we bought new sofas for the living room only to have the furniture delivery guy look at the old sofa and say that he could fix it! So now we have five sofas! This house is big, but five sofas is insane for only three people.

Thomas is becoming such a big boy. He starts preschool in two weeks for three days per week (maybe more if I can part with him). He'll go for half days. I think he'll like it. He seems to enjoy playing with other kids.

Will update and post more pictures when time! Our roses are blooming like crazy. I have cut fresh bouquets twice already this week. Volcanic soil seems to be good for the plants and crops here.

Scrivera presto!
Ciao per ora

Teatro Greco

2008-11-09T10:34:00.003-05:00

Thomas is very proud that he climbed to the top of this rock!
The Greek Theatre. Etna is thru this view just behind the clouds!

We visited Taormina again today and went to the Greek Theater! It was an unusually clear day, so we got some great pictures.

The House

2008-10-16T02:54:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the house - exterior, kitchen and dining room.

2008-10-16T02:49:00.002-04:00

Thomas in his playroom! As you can see, he likes it. We also like not having toys all over the house.

We have internet!

2008-10-16T02:47:00.001-04:00

Holy cow that took long enough. We finally have internet at the house, which means our digital phone should be up and running soon. We do have an Italian phone number, but I wouldn't suggest calling it without a calling card or phone plan for Europe. It's apparently very expensive to call here. Going to start adding pictures and updating this blog!

Update!

2008-09-04T11:17:00.002-04:00

Finally, we are moving to the new house on Tuesday! All of our household goods have arrived in Sicily and will be delivered then. Supposedly the van is not too far behind, although I am terrified to drive it on the narrow streets. It will certainly be more comfortable for Thomas, who has had to bear the uncomfortable Sit N' Stroll for the past month as well as a car without a DVD player...LOL - what a life!

For anyone planning to visit, we are at Via S. Agata 31b, Trecastagni, Sicily. A nice town with a decent shopping mall - yay for me!

Thomas playing at the park on base

2008-09-01T09:54:00.002-04:00

Disgustoso!

2008-08-28T03:05:00.002-04:00

Wish I had taken a picture but didn't have my camera. Thomas and I were in the European SuperTarget (otherwise known as Carrefour) and standing in line to check out. The line was so long that we were waiting in one of the aisles. The display at the end of the aisle caught my attention - a bunch of babyfood in packages of four in little jars. Seemed harmless until I saw the package labeled "Cavallo" or HORSE! Holy cow, Batman. Horse. Additionally, there were packages of salmon baby food, trout, grouper, etc. Totally gross! Apparently the Italians don't know about Mercury in fish?!!?!? Enough said...I am starting to lose my appetite.

Another picture of our Sicilian Home

2008-08-24T16:32:00.002-04:00

A better shot of the house in Trecastagni. Granted, it's through the windshield of the rental, nevertheless, a better picture than the previous. Can't wait to get there!

Thomas enjoys gelato!

2008-08-24T03:14:00.003-04:00

He's eating strawberry here, but he also loves the banana!

Our Sicilian Home

2008-08-19T07:01:00.003-04:00

This is a terrible picture, but we found a beautiful house in the town of Trecastagni, an area of Catania that is on the way up Mt. Etna. The house has lots of windows and french doors and a beautiful view of the Mediterranean. It's overlooking a large cliff and a small beach community below (I think it's called Aci Reale?!?!). The landlord has rented to previous agents, and it perfectly suits our needs - it actually has a bathtub, which was one of my requirements, and a walk-in closet - virtually impossible to find here. It's three stories, three bedrooms, and 2 1/2 baths. Slightly larger than our home in NC with a terrace all the way around. I'll post better pictures when we move in September 8!

1st Sicilian Day Trip - Taormina

2008-08-16T13:22:00.003-04:00

Our friend Roni navigated us up to Taormina today. Taormina is a beautiful seaside vacation town on a cliff overlooking the mediterranean. It's about an hour north east of Motta and only 30 minutes south of the ferry to the mainland in Messina. Apparently a hot spot at one time for the rich and famous! The drive up was a bit stomach wrenching, but it was well worth it. Here are only a few of the fabulous pictures we took!

Our first Geep sighting...

2008-08-16T13:17:00.004-04:00

We had heard about these flock of geep (cross between a goat and a sheep) that just randomly cross the road. Sure enough, our second day here, a flock decided to cross in front of us!

The Magnolia Club Residence

2008-08-16T13:12:00.002-04:00

Thomas plays in the courtyard of our temp lodging!

Buongiorno a Italia!

2008-08-10T08:01:00.002-04:00

We have arrived in Italy! It was a long trip but no complaints. No airline delays, and despite having checked six pieces of luggage, all arrived when we did (something of an anomaly here). We were very tired - Thomas slept all of five hours the entire 24-hour trip - but are finally feeling normal again. Our sponsor and his wife took us out for pizza and gelato our first night here and then showed us around the area yesterday. Of course, we also checked out the mall (luckily, it's very close). Besides the usual clothing and shoe stores, it also had something like a Super Walmart.

The food is phenomenal, but I am embarrassed to admit that we ate at Applebee's on base yesterday for lunch during our tour. It's unlike any Applebee's in the states. It's huge! One portion is for dining, and there is an entirely separate area as a bar. Craziness. The food was so-so. Some things really aren't too different here.

The weather is nice. Yesterday was hot like NC, but today it is a pleasant 80 degrees with a nice breeze. Our hotel is apparently the happening spot since it has a large pool. All the citizens of Motta have been spending their days there. This month is vacation for the Italians, so it's pretty crowded. We expect to mostly use the pool on base since it has waterslides and a special kiddy pool for little ones.

So far, so good. We are up and running with Skype phone but no phone number just yet. Our Vonage number will be operational at some point, but we haven't figured it out just yet.

Hope everyone is doing well. Miss you and see you soon!

Too long since last post...

2008-05-19T21:06:00.001-04:00

I had really intended to maintain this more but realized today, I am WAY behind. Thomas is 16 months old, walking, talking and generally getting into everything. He is pretty excited to move to Italy where he will attend real Montessori (hopefully) instead of the American Montessori we were going to enroll him in in NC this fall.

He is very much enjoying his friends at playgroup, which he has been attending since 8 months old! There are a few new members that he likes to initiate by hitting them. Boys will be boys!

Soon we will be starting Mommy & Me class gymnastics. That ought to be interesting! Will give us a good way to kill time prior to the move. I am also looking into a weekly Zumba class and drinks afterward with my friends. That promises to be a great time!

This week Thomas is enjoying being at the beach and swimming and playing with his cousins. It'll be back to business at our house next week with no grammy to entertain him:(

Long time, no post

2007-12-15T17:03:00.000-05:00

It's been almost two months since our last post, and we have been busy. The whole family trekked to Virginia so that Bret could complete two weeks of training prior to departing to Cuba for six months. He left this morning and has arrived in a 90 degree tropical paradise!

On the home front, Thomas got his third tooth while visiting Grandma and Grandpa Brown! We had a good laugh at his crying every ten minutes, as we couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then I remembered that his two top choppers were making their way in. Three teeth and counting. Hopefully by his first birthday, he'll have the other top tooth and a nice smile for the camera.

Chopper #2 Reporting for Duty

2007-10-17T09:32:00.000-04:00

Sunday evening Thomas' second tooth decided to make an appearance to much screaming and discomfort! Expecting more any time as the typical teething symptoms continue...

2007-10-11T15:40:00.000-04:00

Bath time is Thomas' favorite part of the day. Time to unwind before bottle and bed. He would play all night in there if we let him!

Poppy Returns

2007-10-03T15:27:00.000-04:00

Bret returned home from his six weeks in Bahrain on Sunday (Sep 30)! Thomas seemed a bit confused at first, wondering who was invading our space, but he adjusted quite quickly. He can now hop on his pop once again (at least until the next trip)!

When It Rains, It Pours

2007-10-03T15:21:00.000-04:00

So Thomas has decided to hit a bunch of milestones, literally, within days! It's hard enough keeping up with his baby calendar and baby book to record everything, never mind post every time. I'll try to cover them all at once here. He is crawling but still prefers pulling himself along. The creeping is faster because he hasn't quite coordinated the hand foot movements necessary for speed...lol. Yesterday he woke up from his nap, and I found him sitting up in bed looking over the rail at me. Needless to say, Bret immediately lowered the crib mattress. That was quite a shock! Lastly, this morning he decided to stand up all by himself. He enjoys playing in the laundry basket (I don't mind since it confines him for a short period of time.\!), so I put him in there, turned around for two seconds, and when I looked back he was standing proudly with a big smile on his face. The boy is trouble with a capital "T".

Actually, I forgot - he is officially eating regular food now. He is refusing baby purees in favor of tofu, cheerios, cheese, veggies, chicken, and crackers! Not really sure that is a balanced diet, but at least it's one he'll eat.

Houston, We Have a Chopper

2007-09-28T06:38:00.000-04:00

After many, many, many months of teething (since 3 months!), Thomas has finally cut his first tooth. Apparently, it was very painful, but he made it through and has a little tooth to show for it - yay! On to bigger and better foods:)

Thomas Andrew Sayeth

2007-09-19T20:34:00.000-04:00

Mama! Not really sure he knew what he was saying, but he said it. I left him to play on the floor in his bedroom so I could get his medicine out of his bathroom, and he was not happy about that. He immediately began fussing. I came back in two seconds later, turned my back to put the medicine down, and he started saying it! When I whipped around he had his arms out (he was still ticked off at me!) and was saying "mamamamama". I am pretty sure that this qualifies as his first official "word"! More to come!

Creeping is the New Crawling

2007-09-18T20:28:00.000-04:00

Thomas is not crawling just yet, but he is managing to get around. He's pulling up on everything (and consequently bumping his head all over the place!), and he no longer needs to roll to get to what he wants because he can "army crawl" or creep. He has crawled on his hands and knees once, but he prefers lying on his stomach, kicking like crazy and pulling forward with his arms. It's quite funny! I'll post the video when I get a chance.

Tofu & Rice Krispies

2007-09-10T20:03:00.000-04:00

A tasty combination. Tofu is a recommended first food. I am pretty sure Thomas felt the texture was weird, but he didn't mind the taste. Or so he didn't seem to. He kept picking up the slippery cubes and eating them. Worked out better for him when I added rice krispies to the mix and they stuck to the tofu, making the cubes easier to grasp! Interesting combination that he enjoyed. I may be on to something...

Success with Finger Foods

2007-09-09T17:02:00.000-04:00

Thomas officially used his fingers to eat halved cheerios. Since he has no teeth, I have to break them in half. He did it twice on Friday and again on Saturday, but today he was able to successfully eat about a handful of puffs. He pinches them and/or they stick to his hands b/c they are wet! Pretty funny. I think he got a little frustrated at one point, as he grabbed an entire handful and tried to shove all of them into his mouth at once...ha, ha, ha.

On the Move

2007-09-08T17:00:00.000-04:00

Okay, so he isn't crawling just yet, but Thomas has discovered how to get around. His current repertoire includes rolling, pushing backward and turning in order to get where he wants to go. He can pull up on on his changing table, crib bumper and anything else he gets near, but he isn't quite strong enough yet to get to a standing position (what a relief!). I guess it's time to start childproofing and lowering the crib mattress!

Simpsonize Yourself

2007-09-07T10:32:00.001-04:00

I can't stop blogging now that I have discovered this outlet:) My friend, Jenn, from work has a family blog and turned me onto this site. She also has a link to the Simpsonizer - a marketing ploy for the recently released The Simpsons Movie. It's hilarious! Enjoy simpsonizing yourself, your family, your friends, your pets.

Simpsonize here: http://www.simpsonizeme.com

Maple & Gibbs

2007-09-07T10:27:00.000-04:00

For anyone that was interested or knew, Maple and Gibby are doing just fine after their recent check up with Dr. Jewitt in Virginia. Dr. Jewitt has been their vet since Maple and Gibbs were adopted. She moved from a joint practice in Woodbridge to her own new facility in Stafford - Hartwood Animal Hospital. She sees Mapey and Gibby for the annual check ups. They recently had their teeth cleaned and a plethora of doggie tests completed. Maple was not so well, and she has apparently been experiencing a bleeding ulcer. Her vet here in Jacksonville misdiagnosed her condition, so she has been struggling since June. She is now on medication and doing much better. Soon we'll be adding an anti-anxiety medication to her routine in the hopes that it will allow her to lead a more normal life with less stress (as if!).

First Post

2007-09-07T10:15:00.000-04:00

Thomas Gardner's blog is officially open for business! We will post updates and pictures on all his exciting adventures as well as those of the Gardner family, including Kelly, Bret (aka Dave), Gibbs and Maple.