CSI Seattle and a frozen "lake"

Here are a couple video clips from the Arboretum, a park near the University of Washington. Yesterday, Antonello and I went for a walk there and played CSI and found a frozen lake. Something we didn't catch on camera was me going skiing down a snowy, muddy hill on my feet only to end up slipping and biting the dust and ending up on my back. It was really really funny...too bad we turned the video camera off right before the incident; maybe next year America's Funniest Home Videos. :o)

...a little empty

Antonello left 6 hours ago and is up in the sky flying towards Italia...I will be heading there at the end of February. We have spent the last 6 months with almost 24 hours a day being with eachother and while it was intense as we faced many difficulties, our time together was also exciting and beautiful. 

I feel a little empty but so full at the same time to know such a tender and compassionate soul. 

"Snow"attle and Diaper Dude

Well my friends, it has been quite an interesting and memorable Christmas here in Seattle. Aside from being able to spend my first Christmas with Antonello, we were hit with one of the worst snow storms in over 30 years. Welcome to "Snow"attle Antonello.

Apart from being homebound for almost 7 days, my mom, Antonello and I were not going to let the icy white stuff stop us, so we ventured out with the car a few of the days. We live on a very very very steep hill called Dravus so we had to find a different route to take, (our very first outing had us literally slipping down a semi-steep hill in the car...a little scary, I have to admit) but we were rock stars as we headed out in the snow.

This Christmas holiday started off a little rocky with the snow but ended up being absolutely wonderful filled with sledding, taking walks in the snow, solving puzzles, playing card games, eating chocolate and home-cooked Italian food, listening to Frank Sinatra's Christmas album, and making memories to last a lifetime! :o)

Eric and Susan, the couple that my mom works for, who are so kind and generous, blessed Antonello and I with a new flip video camera so here are a couple videos from that winter wonderland and Christmas morning. The first is of my backyard after one of the heaviest snow days (enough already!!!) and another is of our beloved Rufus. Eric and Susan are the proud parents of this wonderful corgi, Rufus, and while they have been away back east, we have gotten the privilege of watching over him. We like to call him 'diaper dude', seeing that he needs to wear a little dipey in his old age. We love him so. In this video, he wants my stocking on Christmas morning and won't stop until he gets a little taste! :)

snowy days, downtown Seattle, and memories!

albero di nonna (grammy's christmas tree!)

Here is grammy's little tree that we set up last night. As much as this family has become my family too, I am at a loss for words with how excited I am to see my mom. I don't think we have ever gone 6 months without seeing eachother..and if we have, we have never been this far apart. Bring on the home-made fudge!!!!!

heart of gratitude...

I have 10 more days in Napoli before Antonello and I step on a plane and head back to the states for Christmas. As much as I am ready to see my mom and to be immersed back in english...I have to stop and truly think about all I have experienced here in the last 6 months. It has been so difficult but so healing as well. There are so many things that I will miss and there are so many things that I am grateful for....here are a few today!

So so so so thankful for grammy...the food she cooks tastes delicious every single time but more importantly, she is one of the most wisest, patient, and faithful women I have ever known.As much as I miss having a dryer, there is nothing like the smell of clean clothes hung out to dry on the line....

I probably have 11.5 more years to go before I am fluent in italian :), but I am more than grateful for being able to learn another language and to gain new perspectives with this culture and this country.

I am finally done with all the ornaments for the children at church!!!! I hope they like them!

...mmmm...fresh veggies daily and see that espresso maker in the back?....my favorite time of day is when grammy makes caffe! Buonissimo!

Don't get me started on the bread...so wonderful and fresh and...actually, I might be turning into a piece of bread with how much I eat daily! :)

The family always tells me that I am, "pazza per frutta!" They are right, I am crazy for fruit!

poesia....

So Much Happiness

-Naomi Shihab Nye-

It is difficult to know what to do with so much happiness.

With sadness there is something to rub against,

a wound to tend with lotion and cloth.

When the world falls in around you, you have pieces to pick up,

something to hold in your hands, like ticket stubs or change.

But happiness floats.

It doesn't need you to hold it down.

It doesn't need anything.

Happiness lands on the roof of the next house, singing,

and disappears when it wants to.

You are happy either way.

Even the fact that you once lived in a peaceful tree house

and now live over a quarry of dust and noise

cannot make you unhappy.

Everything has a life of its own,

it too could wake up filled with possibilities

of coffee cake and ripe peaches,

and love even the floor which needs to be swept,

the soiled linens and scratched records...

Since there is no place large enough

to contain so much happiness,

you shrug, you raise your hands, and it flows out of you

into everything you touch. You are not responsible.

You take no credit, as the night sky takes no credit

for the moon, but continues to hold it, and share it,

and in that way, be known.

I bought a book of poems before I left for Italy, about 7 months ago in Santa Cruz, and I came across this poem which has touched my heart ever since. The highlighted words hold such truth for my life because I actually used to live in my own studio which was called the "Tree House" in California but now live over a street full of dust and noise each day....but even this CANNOT make me unhappy because it is about something deeper...something more meaningful than the way happiness floats. As much as I hate to see happiness disappear from my rooftop, I am left with something that stays. And as much as I forget this truth, when I remember, it is the sweetest taste.

keepin' busy

Along with the wonderful gift of being able to spend time with 2 friends from the U.S. of A., the 3 of us were able to take a day trip to Sorrento. It was absolutely beautiful, but a little chilly as we walked through the little streets lined with stores full of ceramics, wood-work, Italia clothing, and ones that were full of limoncello! Clint and I walked down to the water's edge and ate pizza under the cold, bright sun while the rest of the day held wonderful conversation and in the end, a MAD dash to the train station to drop them off on time. Driving in Napoli through the little, chaotic streets is almost like you are in a video game...good times.

along the cliffs looking up at the little town

another beautiful view of the buildings

a cool tree we found along the walk...JT was my photographer

eating lunch and yes...I brought my billy-bob teeth to Italia
(I wouldn't ME without them)

Aside from spending some much-needed time with friends, Antonello and I are keeping busy. The children's ministry at his church has asked me to help out with posters, crafts, etc., so my current project are these little foam ornaments where you have to weave little pieces of ribbon through eachother to create this effect...my oh my, I keep reminding myself and my hands, that are becoming crippled, that it's for the kids. It's all for the kids. :)


This Saturday, Antonello is speaking to the high school ministry at his church so he has been busy with preparing his talk as well as workin' hard in school. Every time I look at what he is studying, I think it's another foreign language; it's incredible what this boy knows! Aside from church and school, he is planning on getting a tattoo with our initials. How does it look? :)

just what I needed...

Two of my friends, Clint & JT, stopped by Napoli on their journey around Italy and we were able to hang out for the past couple days. It has been EXACTLY what my heart needed; to see familiar faces, to laugh and reminisce, to catch up on life, and to just have a piece of home with me. I only have a little over 20 days left before I leave to come home for Christmas, but this visit from the two of them has given my heart a little lift.

Antonello really enjoyed getting to know them and we were all so impressed and wowed by how far he has come with his English. Bravo amore mio! Now...if my Italian was as good... :) AND, as we were walking around the "old" part of Napoli, since JT is so artsy, he took some pictures of Antonello and I, which was so fun! Enjoy!

addicted....

I LOVE FACEBOOK!

Bowling!

I went bowling! I haven't been bowling in FOREVER and it's sort of awkward when you throw the ball for the first time but eventually you get the hang of it. Fun time with friends and each other....when Sarah is not being overly competitive! :)

tagged!

I got tagged by two of my friends recently, Heather Bragg and Emily McCutchen, and if it's okay with them, I am going to change the rules and combine the two. One of them is to post 6 random things about yourself and the other is to post 8 different things with different categories.

So, I am going to post 8 random things about myself, 8 things I have bought since I have been in Italy and 8 things I'm looking forward to.

8 randoms:

1. I couldn't ride a bike or run very well until I was like 10 years old
2. my first tape I bought was the soundtrack from 'Cocktail' with Tom Cruise
3. my favorite movie is 'The Neverending Story'
4. I wanted my name to be 'Misty' instead of Sarah when I was younger
5. I went to 4 different elementary schools
6. I love the smell of gas
7. when I was little, I made mayonnaise and ketchup sandwiches for myself
8. I used to break-dance when I was younger and my nickname was BabySmooth

8 purchased goodies:

1. a cool new pair of boots
2. 2 colorful sweaters
3. a black winter coat
4. calling cards
5. french manicure kit
6. lots of packs of gummy bears
7. a ticket home
8. presents for mom and friends

8 looking forward to's:

1. seeing my mom and friends when I come home
2. traveling with Antonello on the long flight to the U.S.
3. breathing Seattle air
4. being able to drive again (I hope I didn't forget!)
5. visiting Kristin's new house, my best friend from home
6. using grammy's recipe's to cook for my mom...and myself :)
7. my mom's fudge
8. going to the movies!

...so blessed

Guess what?

I had the best two days in a row! Yesterday, I made my mom's homemade mac n' cheese for the whole family and they loved it and today I spent the whole day with the high school ministry from Antonello's church and I actually felt like ME! I spoke Italian (well, broken Italian) almost the whole day and 'comfortable' was my middle name. :)

We never know what a day will bring but we always have a choice and a new beginning within every single one.

Thank you to all of you who are praying for me and thinking of me during this, oftentimes difficult but always beautiful, time in my life.

ME being redefined

Have you ever been in a situation where you feel like you are looking at life from the outside? I feel as though I am watching people talk and walk and live their lives here in Naples but am not fully connected. I feel like a "foreigner" in the truest sense of the word. There have definitely been times of feeling like the missing puzzle piece in Antonello's life, but never in this city.

I know that some of you who read my blog have commented on the fact that, lately, it has been full of "tension" or that it has had an underlying layer of loneliness with a desire to get back "home". I would be lying if I said that this journey I have been on for four months has come with a joyful heart. It comes with more of a uncomfortable one.

I know that I need to cherish being in the present and to enjoy every day I have here in Italy but there is this tug in my soul to be done with this chapter in my life. I am so extremely thankful for the beautiful, patient man in my life but how do I survive if I feel like I am an outsider? How do I survive when I don't feel comfortable being "ME" here?

ME is in the states, ME is in my own place, ME has time with my mom and with friends, ME is not being watched every time I clean or wash the dishes, ME is not feeling anxious when I have to speak, ME is not having to look perfect and put-together the way Italians do daily, ME is being able to go for a walk and get out of the house without having to take a horrible, packed bus to various places, ME is being lazy sometimes without feeling guilty for it, ME is independent and I can't be ME here.

With that, I know God comes first; I know God is my center; I know God is using this difficult time for good in my future; I know God is here and I truly am trying to focus on those truths but He just seems so invisible right now.

I don't know...maybe ME is being redefined.

a thankful countdown

I have 50 more days here in Napoli before I step on an airplane on the 12th of December and fly to the one place I desperately want to see: Seattle, WA where my beautiful mom is. No matter what the weather brings, I just want to hug my mom, be in my house, drink a big cup of American coffee and breathe the fresh air in Seattle while taking a walk in my neighborhood.

I am so thankful for my city, my culture and the way I was raised. I am thankful for my amazing mom and that I will see her soon. She has been nothing but 100% supportive of the woman I am and the choices that I have made and are making. I pray to be even 1/2 the mother she is one day. She inspires me daily.

*a note for my beautiful whoosy-whatsit gotsum wi-ery: I love you so much and I want you to know how important and special you are to my life. Thank you for all your support you have given me on this journey that I have been on and for all your wisdom and advice.

One more thing, is it illegal for me to start listening to Christmas songs after Halloween? :)

He's going to kill me...

...but I couldn't pass the chance to post these videos of Antonello singing old church songs last night at his sister's birthday party. It was supposed to be a surprise party but everything went wrong in the beginning from his parent's being stuck in traffic for over an hour to people showing up an hour early saying "surprise!"...but despite the bad start, we ended up having a fabulous time eating, talking, laughing, dancing and singing! Here a few pics from the party and a couple videos of "the singers"! I'm totally going to die when Antonello gets home from tutoring so I better hurry and post them! Ciao with lots of love!

It's the season...

...for SOCCER!!!!

Antonello, Franco (dad), Fabio (best friend), Memo (friend from church), and I all watched another soccer game tonight. There is at least one a week, sometimes more and since I have never followed soccer in my whole life, it has been quite fun, I must admit.

Well, it's definitely fun to watch games with Antonello; I think he may be the loudest and the most passionate fan I have ever seen. (besides my mom with all her sports teams!) Every kick, every foul, every goal; he is right there in the action and best of all, I can watch the game through his face because it tells me exactly what is going on. It's really funny.

I am happy to tell you that NAPOLI won tonight!!!!! It was 2-1, against a team called Juventus from Northern Italy in Turin. Below, you will see a picture of two of my favorite players, Lavezzi and Hamsik and they happened to score BOTH of the goals tonight!! Bravo boys!

some life stuff

I DID IT!!! Woo-hoo! Four weeks of language school has brought new friends and a deeper confidence in speaking Italian. Here are some photos of my class the last two weeks; we laughed together, we ate together, we made plenty of mistakes with our Italian and always had patience with one another. On my last day of school, there was a little party after class and the whole school came together and had WINE to celebrate another month! It was so much fun hearing everyone speaking Italian, as well as we all could, and being brought together because of this beautiful language.

one of my teachers, Emma, on the right

Now that school is over, I will probably be attending Centro Italiano for a couple more weeks in November, but until then, I have been asked to help out with the children's ministry at Antonello's church. Last weekend, I observed all of their classes and was asked to impart any advice, new ideas, etc., to their program. Right now, I am helping with making some posters for their curriculum and hopefully will be able to create a music DVD for the kids to worship with.

With Antonello in school every day, I have A LOT of time by myself...and grammy. :) So, until school starts again, I will be busy with studying on my own and something that I have found very helpful in speaking this language is reading. SO, I asked Emanuela, Antonello's sister, if she had any childhood books for me and she gave me some old pop-up books, Cenerentola (Cinderella, which originated in Napoli) and Biancaneve (Bianca=white & neve=snow). It helps to be familiar with the story but there are words and VERBS that I still need help with!

Today, I went to school and delivered some little gifts to my teachers and the front desk. They are absolutely wonderful people and their kindness and generosity inspires. After traveling to downtown Napoli, I have been in need of a coat, so I bought one today. There is something so powerful and amazing and strengthening to be in a completely different part of the world and be able to speak another language and have others understand what you're saying.

It was a good day.