Happenings...

Well, here we are almost an entire month in Milan, Italy. Some days the time seems to go so very slow and other times, it seems it's going by fairly quickly! We are learning our way around our neighborhood and I think the locals are starting to realize we aren't just here on vacation. We had dinner at a restaurant the other night and the waiter asked if we were enjoying our vacation, and we tried to explain to him that we live here. He was a little shocked! LOL

Brian took his trip to Ireland 2 weeks ago, and then last week we had a CV (Command Visit). We also had the kids back to school night and so last week, was a little stressful for Brian. He made it through (and so did we). I started taking Italian Classes at Brian's work. I have to say that I am learning quite a bit, and I'm learning even more when I ask the locals questions. It seems I start every single sentence with "Como se dice?" They really do appreciate when I attempt to use Italian. If they speak slowly, sometimes, I even understand them. I really do enjoy learning their language and I'm so lucky the kids are learning it too. They get much more instruction than I do, and they are really picking it up quick. They are little sponges. Hopefully, when we get back to the states, we can find an Italian class or club or something so we can all keep up on it. It's just nice to have a 2nd language...even though we won't need Italian much in the States.

We took the subway for the first time yesterday!!! Well, I've taken it before, but Brian and the kids have not. We took it out to a little Antique Market that runs along one of the Canals here in Milan. It was such a GREAT day! Of course, we forgot the camera, so we are going to have to take pictures next month when we go! LOL The Antique Market only happens on the 4th Sunday of the month, so hopefully we will be able to make it next time. We really do need to be better about carrying our camera. I promise we'll work on that! OH!!! I almost forgot to tell you about the little wine shop that someone told us about. IT'S FABULOUS! And, I'm not even a big wine drinker. Anyways, they fill up the wine bottles for you right there. You purchase however many bottles you want with whatever wine you want (depends on what they have) and then you take it home. Once you finish the wine, you wash the bottles, and then you take them back and they refill them with whatever wine you choose that they have. Pretty neat, huh? Can't wait to take some of our visitors there!

Oh, and the best news ever...WE FINALLY HAVE A PHONE...that works! LOL We found a place to buy one and it wasn't overly expensive. So, feel free to call whenever you want! It's just like calling Oceanside!!! YIPPPPEEEEEE!!!!! But, don't forget the time difference...9 hours from West Coast and 6 hours from East Coast. Of course if it's SUPER important or you MUST talk to us right then, you can call at any time. We bought it Saturday and it had to charge for 24 hours. Our first phone call out was to The Tait's to hear that someone had hit our car! UGH! We were looking forward to having it shipped too! The shipping company had just received the title from the finance company and we were ready to have it shipped, because it is probably going to be about 3 months to get it once it ships. So, needless to say our plans are being pushed back a little. I feel sorry for Rachell & Jason having to deal with this. It's a pain in the butt to deal with it when it's your own car, but when it's someone else's car. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know they don't mind...accidents happen, but it's just a pain! So, THANK YOU RACHELL & JASON for dealing with this. You two continue to prove that your friends are family you choose! And, I'm so thankful we chose each other!

Not much else going on. I've been getting out of the house more often. In fact, there is a market near our house on Monday and Thursday and I've gone to that a couple times. I meet up with a girlfriend and we enjoy a coffee and just wander. Anything to get me out of the house! I've been finding a lot of shops that aren't outrageously expensive and can't wait to purchase something. I'm trying to hold out for our shipment to get here, keeping our fingers crossed that Oct. 9th is a "true" date! Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Well, that's about it from Milan! Getting ready to go grab the kiddos from the bus stop. Who would've thought I would look forward to that? But, believe me...I do!

Let the "phone" times begin!!!!

Well, got our Vonage today! WOO HOO!!!! Too bad we don't have a phone that works with it. LOL We have a (very old) phone, but it has 4 wires inside the telephone cord and we need a phone that uses 2 wires. Who would've thought. So, hopefully we will have it soon. I can't wait to hear everyone's voices! I'll be sending out an e-mail with our new telephone number soon. I kept a 760 area code since that is where we have been for the last 9 years. I guess you could say it keeps me somewhat grounded to "home" or where my children have been raised. I know "home is where the marine corps sends you", but even those of us who are "marine gypsies" need to have roots, and, well...for now, that's where ours is. Who knows, someday, that may change, but for right now, thats just how it is.

The kids will be starting after school activities this week. Kyleigh will be taking gymnastics and Christopher will be taking soccer. So, they won't be getting home until after 6:00! YIKES!!! Luckily it is only one day a week.

I'm finally starting to figure out how to work my oven. Thank goodness!!! There is only so much stuff you can cook on the stove top. And, since I have a minimal amount of pots and pans (like 2) our choices are limited. I am going to attempt to make some chicken tonight, but with that being said, hopefully, it will be cooked.

Well, just thought I would put something here. I know it's not much and probably even a little boring, but something is better than nothing. Miss all of you so much!

Picture Time!!!

I thought I'd finally get some pictures on here! Luckily, a good girlfriend of mine, told me how to do it, so even though it took a while to get them up, here they are! THANKS DANI!!!! My family will be so happy!!! Here we go.

Here is a picture of Christopher. We were waiting on the plane to take off from JFK and her pulled his very first tooth out. So, this is how our adventure of "firsts" began! Look at my baby!!!

Here we are at the airport with ALL of our baggage. We had four carts loaded down and thank goodness Kyleigh and Christopher are big enough to help. I don't know how families with little ones do it.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!! Here is a picture of Kyleigh (4th grade) and Christopher (1st grade) on their first day of school in Italy! Look how big they are! Where does the time go?

Finally, I HAD to take a picture of their school bus. YES, this big white bus is their school bus! Can you believe it?!

Well, that's all for now. If any of you have suggestions on the pictures (bigger, smaller) or if I should put the "captions" somewhere else, let me know! Remember, this blogging thing is new to me, and I'm learning as I go!

It's Celebration Day!!!

Well, I just have to say that today has been a GREAT day!!!

I went to the kids school, via public transportation, in the rain. I had to take a subway, then a tram and finally a bus. It took an hour, but, another mom and I did it. On our way home, we found a Euro Store (dollar store) and a really yummy pizza place. Can't wait to take Brian and the kids. I signed Christopher and Kyleigh up for after school activities. Kyleigh also started playing the Violin. WOW...that is fun! I can't wait until she can play me a tune. I have to say, this school has been such a good change for the kids. They get to experience art, music, technology and Italian during school, and then after school they have "after school activities". Of course, we have to pay for the after school activities, but it's so worth it. Christopher is taking soccer and Ky is taking Gymnastics. She really wanted to take musical, but that is already full so we put her on the wait list. I have to say the school is worth the move. Even if we do get homesick and miss everybody and want to come home. They could not be getting a better education anywhere in the States.

And, I just have to say how happy I am for the Tait Family. They have been through so much the last 3-4 years, and I am so glad that Rachell followed her heart. Yesterday, they removed the Autism label off of Hunter. I'm so sad I am not home to celebrate with them. I am (& will always be) there in spirit, though. I can't wait for Brian to call so I can tell him. He is going to be so excited! It's hard when you have "professionals" telling you what is right/wrong for your kids. It's especially hard when those "professionals" are just looking for $$$ and a success story. But, I have to say that my bestie (& of course her hubby) rock! They are the true definition of people who do right for and by their children. They deserve this victory...and so does Hunter! Moral of the story: 2nd opinions are IMPORTANT!!!

Well, I am just so excited and I had to let it out. I've already let it out on Facebook and figured I would share it here too. I can't call anyone (no phone yet) and I'm waiting for Brian to call me, so until then, you guys (my readers) get to hear all about the exciting news. In fact, here is my FB "status":

IS SO HAPPY FOR THE TAIT FAMILY!!!! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT HUNTER! YOU ARE SUCH A STRONG LITTLE BOY AND HAVE SO MUCH TO PROVE IN THIS LIFE! WE ARE CELEBRATING ALL THE WAY IN ITALY FOR YOU!!! YOU ROCK! PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED

Ok, I'm done for now...

Ciao!

Buon Giorno! (Good Morning)
Here we are in Milan, Italy! I still can’t believe we are here. What an adventure this has been. We arrived early (7:45am local time) on Saturday Morning. Customs was a breeze, and we had absolutely no problems getting Charley here. Although Brian thought it would be funny to tell me that they had to keep her. Talk about instantaneous vomiting, I almost lost it. But after the “joke”, we went outside to find our ride. Well, let’s just say they had a little problem with the car and didn’t get to pick us up until after 9. Everyone has said that everyone here speaks English…well, wish I could find those people. LOL! So far, the only people I find that speak English are at the Consulate, oh, and at the kids school. Anyways, I pretty much slept my first 2 days here. Not only was I extremely jetlagged, but either my allergies are kicking my butt or I am getting a cold. Who knows? Our first night here, Brian and the kids went around the corner from our apartment and found a delicious little sandwich type shop. They had the “best sandwiches ever.” After that, Brian took them for some Gelato, (ice-cream), and Christopher was immediately addicted. LOL! He LOVES his ice-cream, and luckily the gelato is by far the best any of us have ever had.

Sunday, we all got up and took a walk around our little area. We live in ‘Brera’. I have no clue if I spelled that correctly, but for some reason, it seems to be the place to be. According to the locals and to people who really know Milan, Brera is the place to be. It’s supposed to be “fancy schmancy”. Anyways, we found a little café and had some brioche (pronounced bree-osh). Talk about delicious. Brioche is little, ok, maybe not little, but brioche is breakfast pastries and inside you can find custard, chocolate, and different types of jams. They are Benissimo! (Very Good) I saw a newspaper in English and bought it. I think it is the one and only newspaper I will buy here. It was 5 Euros! After we got home, I read a little bit of the paper and went to sleep…and slept until Monday morning.

Monday was an ice-breaker at the kids’ school. They are attending the American School of Milan (ASM). We arrived at 8:00 expecting the ice-breaker to start at 8:30, and quickly found out we were early, very early. The ice-breaker didn’t start until 9:30! So, we had about 1 ½ hours to kill. We walked around the school and peeked in the classrooms. The elementary side has a music room, an art room, a science laboratory, and “technology room”. They also will have Italian class every day. It is amazing. Again, we enjoyed some delicious Brioche and the most amazing coffee I have ever had! And, Dad, don’t worry, it’s not flavored with that “crap”. LOL! Around 9:30ish, we went up to meet Kyleigh and Christopher’s teachers. Kyleigh’s teacher, Ms. Julie, is GREAT! There are only 16 kids in her class, and luckily, Kyleigh and another little girl have really hit it off. Her mom also works at the Consulate, and so it will be easy to get them together outside of school. Christopher’s teacher, Mrs. Madigan, is such a sweet lady. Her and her husband retired from teaching in the States, and thought this would be a neat adventure. So, here they are. Teaching at ASM! It’s quite funny because Christopher is almost as tall as his 1st grade teacher! I think he comes up to her shoulders! Well, since we don’t have our international drivers license or permit or whatever, we must rely on one of the Marines (usually Sgt. Morales) to drive us everywhere. He came and picked us up from ASM around noon but, we definitely were able to sample lunch at the school. Oh my goodness…so delicious! I definitely won’t feel bad on the nights I don’t feel like cooking dinner. My children eat VERY WELL at school. And, they should…it’s costing us 2,000 euro for the year for the two of them! But, it’s kind of worth it. They are not allowed to waste food, and must eat what they are given. So, I’m not complaining. Ok, anyways, around noon, Sgt. Morales picked us up and we headed back to our apartment. After we got here, Brian headed into work and the kids and I hung out until Brian came back and we had to go get some pictures taken and sign some papers for something. Who knows what it was. LOL!

Tuesday morning was . . . interesting! We got up and since the van wasn’t available we had to improvise on getting the kids to school. (I wasn’t too happy since I always take them and then take pictures and do all that annoying “Mom” stuff.) Anyways, we decided we would take them to another bus stop that we knew about and would get them on that bus. UGH! I didn’t realize it was a 3 mile walk! So, here we are, on the first day of school, walking 3 miles to a bus stop. It sucked! Christopher was exhausted (& dying of thirst), and Kyleigh just wanted to get there so she could get to school. I was upset that it was such a long walk and that I wasn’t going to be able to take my babies on the first day, but I think it pretty much worked out for the better, especially since they were able to ride with other kids whose parents work with Brian. Luckily it was the first day, so the bus was running a little late. We made it with plenty of time to spare, and the kids were able to ride the bus to school with some familiar faces. Fortunately, that afternoon, they were able to ride their “normal” bus home, and the bus stop is only a 3-5 minute walk from our house. What kids get dropped off and picked up from school in a “tour bus” style bus in front of a castle??? Oh yeah, MINE! The kids LOVE their new school and riding the bus. Christopher told me that even when our car gets here, he doesn’t want me to take him to school. He wants the bus to. LOL! Oh, I forgot, that afternoon when Brian and I picked the kids up from the bus stop, the first thing Christopher said was, “Ciao means hi & bye”. Kyleigh walked around the rest of the day/night saying, “Mi chiomo Kyleigh”. I think it is supposed to be “chioma”, but whatever! LOL!

We are starting to get into a routine and although we aren’t totally over the jet lag, I’m sure we will be soon. We have hit our “bumps” in the road, but we are working out the kinks. I can’t wait to get internet and TV, and now that we have our Codice Fiscale (our Italian SSN), we can order it! Without that, you can’t do CRAP in this country. I just need to hear some sort of background noise and ENGLISH! LOL! I can’t wait to get e-mails and be in touch with everyone back home. I did go into Brian’s work yesterday and order Vonage, so that should be here soon. Just remember, for those of you on the West Coast, there is a 9 hour time difference (we are 9 hours ahead!)

Well, I guess that is all for now. I don’t know how long until our internet/tv gets set up, so I am writing this in a word document and will hopefully either paste it into our blog or e-mail it. Maybe I can get brave and find a café with Wi-Fi or something…
Oh yeah! I have the funniest story that I couldn’t help but share. The day we got here, Saturday, the kids were all excited to check everything out. Christopher had to go to the bathroom and was so excited about the bidet. LOL! He did his business, and next thing Brian and I know we hear Christopher yelling and water running. A little startled we run into the bathroom and find Christopher on the bidet yelling, “This thing is GREAT. You have to try it! I love the bidet.” LMAO!!! We laughed and laughed.

Anyways, as you can tell, the kids are adjusting GREAT! It’s been good. My next update will have to be about all the crazy stuff here. It sure is interesting. We miss you all so much and look forward to all of our visitors!

Arrivederci. (I’ll be seeing you)