Arrivederci Italia

A final photo with our landlord, Antonio

When we arrived in Naples in August 2006, it was a time of firsts: our first glimpse of Vesuvius, our first real Neapolitan pizza, seeing our first sunset over the Mediterranean, and of course our first white-knuckled drive on the Tangenziale. Two years, a baby, and countless good memories later, we have arrived at our day of lasts. We said goodbye to our home in Bacoli yesterday, completing the two-day pack out with the help of our good friends Eric, Laura (+ Baby Parker!) and Jaimie, who bravely volunteered to keep Luke for a whole day. We made our last drive up to the Navy base last night and will spend our last night in Italy there tonight in the Navy Lodge. The last cafe and the last Italian meal all come together to mark the end of this adventure for us. Despite all the stress and hassle that comes with such a big move, we can already look back and know we are so thankful for this opportunity and glad we took it. And though, we have to leave tomorrow, we take with us the experience of all our travels, our friendships, our stories and memories. These perfect souvenirs are easy to pack; they travel light in our hearts and minds and will be with us for a lifetime. So tomorrow, it's Arrivederi Italia and Hello to family, old friends, and new adventures back in the States.

The Passing Days

August is quickly passing and that means we are coming ever closer to our last days in Italy and our eventual move back to the U.S. I can't believe we've been here over two years now. We had several little milestones like this anniversary to celebrate in the past couple weeks: my 28th birthday, Luke passing his 19 month mark, a beautiful surprise baby shower for our friend Anneke, and Ben's ceremonial farewell from his office here in Naples. His relief has arrived, so it is starting to feel like he's really leaving. This departure is as big a one as we can imagine with an international move, separation from the Navy, a civilian job hunt, and the search for a new place to call home. Where ever it may be, we are looking forward to spending some time with friends and family in the States while we work through this process.

I know we will be nostalgic for our time here and for our friends who will remain in Naples, but I feel this is just the beginning of a new and wonderful chapter in our life. I guess I should be thinking of what to rename this blog, since we will be domestic again in September. To say the least, our life abroad has been a wonderful adventure, especially with all the surprise and joy Luke brings each day. Let's hope the adventures and the happiness follows us where ever we may roam and certainly where we settle to forge another home of our own.

Baby Boom

Last week we had great news from some of our best friends from Italy: healthy, bouncing baby boys! Our friends, Laura and Karl Schlegel, welcomed Parker William on the 31st and our old neighbors from downstairs, Ben, Denise, and Isabella Hadden, were surprised with an earlybird Jeremiah James. Both baby boys are adorable, with heads full of dark hair. We are so happy for both families and can't wait to watch their sons grow.

We had to see Jeremiah James in pictures since the family has relocated to the States, but he and his now "big" sister, Isabella, and mom and dad all looked wonderful. It was great to see them on such a happy occasion.

Since Laura and Karl are here with us in Italy, we've gotten to visit in person and hold their precious little guy. Luke was keenly interested in the "bobba" and wanted to touch is perfect little face. As cute as he is, no one could blame him!