I went with a group of ladies from our squadron this past weekend to Rogaska Slatina, Slovenia for crystal shopping and spa treatments. All in all, it was a great place to go for a quick weekend trip.
We drove up on Saturday and hit the stores right away. We found two good ones, and I ended up buying a set of water glasses, some dessert bowls, candlesticks, and even a glass beer boot for Chris. For the amount of crystal I bought, I got an amazing deal.
The town of Rogaska is tiny. There was really not much to it aside from the crystal factories and the resort hotels that are all there because of the magnesium-rich waters. This has been a spa destination for about a century.
So, the remainder of our time was spent relaxing and hitting the spa. It was a nice weekend, and I had a fantastic time!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Trips Aplenty
The past couple of weeks were super busy! My parents came for an all-too-brief visit. We had a great time, traveling to Rome and Venice, and even making a stop in Nove. Just for the record, I bought a really cute piggybank that is really an elephant for the baby's room. I also bought a beautiful spring platter, and a cute gingerbread cookie plate and matching mugs for Christmas. My mom went crazy with her own purchases.
A few days after saying goodbye to them, I went on a Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC) retreat in Gaeta, Italy, near Naples. It was incredible! It was a retreat for all the PWOC's in the Mediterranean area, and was a great refreshing weekend.
The weather was gorgeous, the hotel was on the beach, we had a huge chunk of free-time on that Saturday, and my favorite lemon and orange trees were bursting with fruit in that whole region. It made for a beautiful drive and a perfect location!
It also felt great to put my swollen pregnancy ankles in the Mediterranean and then just sit on the beach for awhile.
Go figure, my camera batteries are dead. So, I will try to post some pictures later on.
A few days after saying goodbye to them, I went on a Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC) retreat in Gaeta, Italy, near Naples. It was incredible! It was a retreat for all the PWOC's in the Mediterranean area, and was a great refreshing weekend.
The weather was gorgeous, the hotel was on the beach, we had a huge chunk of free-time on that Saturday, and my favorite lemon and orange trees were bursting with fruit in that whole region. It made for a beautiful drive and a perfect location!
It also felt great to put my swollen pregnancy ankles in the Mediterranean and then just sit on the beach for awhile.
Go figure, my camera batteries are dead. So, I will try to post some pictures later on.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Prosecco Road
On Saturday, I went with a group of people to the area surrounding Vittorio Veneto for a really fun afternoon and evening. Vittorio Veneto is a town about 45 minutes from here, and it is absolutely beautiful.
Our first stop was in the village of Follino, where we visited an old monastery. It was beautifully decorated with frescoes. Also, we learned that the monastery had been bombed during World War I, so there had been a lot of restoration.
From there, we drove up to the prosecco area, which was stunning. Prosecco is my favorite Italian wine, and is a fantastic substitute for champagne. This particular wine is cultivated in the beautiful rolling hills of the pre-Alps, so we had great views during the drive. We ended up at Ca' Salina, where we were given a tour and wine tasting. I couldn't indulge, naturally, but I still bought a case of prosecco for our collection.
After the wine tasting, we went to Castel Brando, which was probably the largest castle I have been to! By the time we got there, it was dark, and the castle was lit up. This particular castle has several restaurants, a hotel, and a spa inside. We ate dinner in one of the restaurants, and had a fantastic time. I definitely want to go back to spend the night, and hit up more prosecco wineries once the baby is born!
Our first stop was in the village of Follino, where we visited an old monastery. It was beautifully decorated with frescoes. Also, we learned that the monastery had been bombed during World War I, so there had been a lot of restoration.
From there, we drove up to the prosecco area, which was stunning. Prosecco is my favorite Italian wine, and is a fantastic substitute for champagne. This particular wine is cultivated in the beautiful rolling hills of the pre-Alps, so we had great views during the drive. We ended up at Ca' Salina, where we were given a tour and wine tasting. I couldn't indulge, naturally, but I still bought a case of prosecco for our collection.
After the wine tasting, we went to Castel Brando, which was probably the largest castle I have been to! By the time we got there, it was dark, and the castle was lit up. This particular castle has several restaurants, a hotel, and a spa inside. We ate dinner in one of the restaurants, and had a fantastic time. I definitely want to go back to spend the night, and hit up more prosecco wineries once the baby is born!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Hunting Season
One of my least favorite seasons has just commenced - hunting season. I don't go hunting for anything you would normally associate with hunting, though. I hunt something tiny and sinister, something that lurks in corners and under furniture around my house for a fraction of the year. I hunt the dreaded scorpion, or le scorpione, as they would say in Italian.
Hunting season began this morning. I was minding my own business and about to leave my kitchen when I noticed one medium-sized black scorpion poking out from under the kitchen radiator. There are no pictures of him, because I did what I have to do. I flattened him with a shoe, swept up his body, and flushed him down the toilet. I have a pretty good rhythm going after a couple of years of this.
What is distressing, though, is that this seems really early to be finding scorpions in my house. They definitely tend to hibernate during the winter and come out during the warm weather months, and they make several showings a day sometimes during the summer. So, it being February still (albeit the last day), it is upsetting to see one in my house already!
Hunting season began this morning. I was minding my own business and about to leave my kitchen when I noticed one medium-sized black scorpion poking out from under the kitchen radiator. There are no pictures of him, because I did what I have to do. I flattened him with a shoe, swept up his body, and flushed him down the toilet. I have a pretty good rhythm going after a couple of years of this.
What is distressing, though, is that this seems really early to be finding scorpions in my house. They definitely tend to hibernate during the winter and come out during the warm weather months, and they make several showings a day sometimes during the summer. So, it being February still (albeit the last day), it is upsetting to see one in my house already!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
It's a Boy!
Last week I went in for my ultrasound, and found out that our baby is a boy! We are both thrilled, and are looking forward to his birth. What is difficult for us is finding a name. We had a whole list of girl names, but the boy name is proving difficult.
He is healthy and looks great! And, his cousin who will be born around the same time will also be a boy! So, we have lots of boys on my side of the family. My mom is desperate for a granddaughter, but is still excited for the new baby boys coming this summer.
He is healthy and looks great! And, his cousin who will be born around the same time will also be a boy! So, we have lots of boys on my side of the family. My mom is desperate for a granddaughter, but is still excited for the new baby boys coming this summer.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Bingo!
Last night was our annual Officers Spouses Club Crystal Bingo! I actually do get really excited for this each year. It is one of the best events that we have.
I know it sounds a little weird, but it turns out to be quite a blast. The one bad thing was that I brought my camera and forgot to take pictures (as usual). I even had a conversation with my friend Patty about that, and still forgot to take them.
Anyways, I was, of course, the designated driver for a couple of people. It turned out to be the most entertaining designated driving I had done in quite some time! The prosecco was definitely flowing at this event.
And, everyone at our table won! I won a pretty crystal bowl. I'm not sure what I am going to do with it, but it'll look beautiful somewhere in my house.
So, now Crystal Bingo is over, and it was probably my last one. It's definitely sad, but some of the ladies from my squadron decided that we should take a trip to Rogaska, Slovenia (where much of the crystal was purchased), for a shopping and spa trip sometime soon. So, that's something to look forward to!
I know it sounds a little weird, but it turns out to be quite a blast. The one bad thing was that I brought my camera and forgot to take pictures (as usual). I even had a conversation with my friend Patty about that, and still forgot to take them.
Anyways, I was, of course, the designated driver for a couple of people. It turned out to be the most entertaining designated driving I had done in quite some time! The prosecco was definitely flowing at this event.
And, everyone at our table won! I won a pretty crystal bowl. I'm not sure what I am going to do with it, but it'll look beautiful somewhere in my house.
So, now Crystal Bingo is over, and it was probably my last one. It's definitely sad, but some of the ladies from my squadron decided that we should take a trip to Rogaska, Slovenia (where much of the crystal was purchased), for a shopping and spa trip sometime soon. So, that's something to look forward to!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
You Call This "Hope"?
This is the point when I am truly expecting Jesus to make his Glorious Appearing. We have reached a new low in emerging further away from any kind of culture of life.
The British government's chair of the Sustainable Development Commission, or "green adviser", Jonathon Porritt, is publishing a disturbing report next month regarding the role family planning has on global warming. It is Porritt's view that families with more than two children are creating an "unbearable burden" on the environment.
I wonder what his views are of the declining European population and its implications in sustaining a socialist government and resulting laughable programs? But, that is beside the point.
Porritt recommends in this report that governments must take action - by implementing programs to increase family planning methods to include ABORTION.
It will be interesting to see what European governments do with this hideous recommendation.
And, my American friends, we are truly not that far behind in this strange Orwellian scenario. Our own President Obama, in one of his first acts as President of the United States, lifted a ban on federal funding of abortions in other countries. His reasoning: The ban would "undermine family planning in developing countries."
So, now our tax dollars will be spent performing abortions all over the world. I'm so glad that we're in a new era of hope and change and diplomacy for all! This will make the Muslims like us!
So much for swearing to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Protecting life is clearly not in our new President's interests. And now we have crazy people around the world who think that, by aborting our way down to two children per family, we will somehow save our planet. What have we come to?
The British government's chair of the Sustainable Development Commission, or "green adviser", Jonathon Porritt, is publishing a disturbing report next month regarding the role family planning has on global warming. It is Porritt's view that families with more than two children are creating an "unbearable burden" on the environment.
I wonder what his views are of the declining European population and its implications in sustaining a socialist government and resulting laughable programs? But, that is beside the point.
Porritt recommends in this report that governments must take action - by implementing programs to increase family planning methods to include ABORTION.
It will be interesting to see what European governments do with this hideous recommendation.
And, my American friends, we are truly not that far behind in this strange Orwellian scenario. Our own President Obama, in one of his first acts as President of the United States, lifted a ban on federal funding of abortions in other countries. His reasoning: The ban would "undermine family planning in developing countries."
So, now our tax dollars will be spent performing abortions all over the world. I'm so glad that we're in a new era of hope and change and diplomacy for all! This will make the Muslims like us!
So much for swearing to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Protecting life is clearly not in our new President's interests. And now we have crazy people around the world who think that, by aborting our way down to two children per family, we will somehow save our planet. What have we come to?
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