Lake Barcis

Zoe, Me & Lucy
Zoe didn't care for the water...


Lucy learning how to swim!

Lake Barcis up in the Italian Alps

This picture is for Nick since I was wearing my hat ;)

A random cemetery we came across while driving through the mountains

Yesterday Roni, the kids and I, took our puppies to Lake Barcis up in the mountains, about 10-15 minutes from where Roni lives. They wanted to take their new puppy to play in the water, and Lucy and Zoe have never had the opportunity to swim so we all went! The girls were so excited to be outside walking and exploring around. Of course, they had to stop at every single tree and smell past dogs who had left their markings... We finally got to a spot where we could walk the dogs down in the water. Lucy walked in no problem, Zoe didn't want leave the solid ground! Obviously, I didn't give them the chance to stay on solid ground. :) Zoe hated it so much when I threw her in the water I didn't even try again. Lucy was so cute doggy paddling though, I couldn't resist doing it a few more times! I was so proud of my little swimmer. heehee! I really wish Nick could have been there to see her swim. He would have loved it! After taking the dogs for a dip, we proceeded to drive further through the mountains just taking in the scenic views. It was so gorgeous and relaxing (well, for me that is... Roni was driving!). We stopped off at a few different spots, one of which being the town captured above with the cemetery. It was so well kept and beautiful! After spending a few hours playing around we came back to Maniago and had doner kebabs for dinner...mmmm! It was such a great way to spend the day, and a wonderful chance to get out of the house! If the rain stays away *fingers crossed* we plan on going back up to the crystal blue water and swimming around tomorrow, without the dogs. Hopefully I'll have more pictures to post!

Ready!

So, the first couple weeks of having little contact went ok. It always goes ok when he's gone for a short time. But when he goes on long TDY's, and now this, I am just ready to be able to talk to him again! I would even be happy with everyday emailing. It's just so rough desperately wanting to share something with him, or ask his opinion on this or that, and I can't right now! I've been having bad dreams lately, (Hey! He's the one who is supposed to be experiencing those with his Malaria medication!) and usually when I wake up he's right there beside me and can cuddle me up in his arms. Now I wake up with that dream on my mind all day... They are silly dreams that I know aren't true and won't ever become true, however, it is so much easier to accept that they are just dreams when he's here to reassure me. I know this is contrary to popular belief, but I just can't wait until he gets to Afghanistan so we can have some sort of communication more than once a week.

I am doing well, though. Last night I went with the Coppock's (my BFII-best friend in Italy (Roni) whose husband is also deployed and their 2 children) to pick up their brand new puppy! She's so cute and fluffy! Meeka is a golden retriever and the kids were so happy to get to bring her home! So was Roni... It was love at first sight. She was so playful! She did as good as could be expected the car ride home. She was nervous at first about meeting Lucy and Zoe, but they are going to be BFII's too so they have to get used to each other. ;) I'm excited to get back over to Roni's this afternoon and hear all about what she's done! Before that though, I'm going to Nikita's (my neighbor and first friend upon arriving to Italy) baby shower! I hope she gets a ton of stuff... Tomorrow I going to learn how to make lumpia with Roni and another friend. It is so delicious! Maybe I'll be able to save some for my mom and Timi to try when they come visit me in 89 days! Well, I think that is enough rambling for now! 196 days until Nick's birthday, and hopefully his arrival back to Italy!!!

I Should Have Mentioned

We got the chance to talk for 25 minutes on Sunday. He said training has been hard work, and he's already lost a good 5 pounds due to sweating. He's hoping for more hands on EOD type training in the next couple weeks. He's been so tired lately, he's been crashing around 2100 hours. He asked about Crocs. :) I guess a lot of the guys use them for their shower shoes. I told him they are so comfy, even if they look a little goofy! If you don't already know, Nick is doing some training in the states for a month before heading to the desert for a six month deployment. It will be over seven months by the time we see each other again!

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

It's been almost two weeks since Nick left... What a weird feeling it is to not see him come through the door everyday just around 5:00. I'm still getting used to that. I used to plan my day around being home in time to take a shower and prepare dinner; now I don't know what to plan my day around! It certainly is strange.

The days leading up to Nick's departure were some of the hardest days of my life. Everything made me cry, from folding his laundry to answering a "How are you doing?" question. I imagined dropping him off at the airport and just losing control. Surprisingly, I did better that day and all the days thus far than the few days before he left. My strength is growing, quite rapidly I might add.

He is still safe, in training, but as the days edge closer to him actually being deployed I get more and more anxious. I have so many questions. For example, will he be able to call me more than once a week? I know many of the troops there have internet access, but will he? Are the people on his team going to make smart decisions? All of these things going through my mind that I have no control of are driving me crazy. I am able to push it to the back of my mind, most of the time. But as I read on the EOD Memorial website and the news stations, I get scared. It's my own fault, I know. I am the one feeding this information into my ever-curious mind, but I think it is important that I know what is going on over there and the possibilities of something happening to him are not unthinkable. Just this week a tech was killed in Afganistan... I have faith in my husband to make the smartest judgement calls as he knows best, it's the other people I'm worried about. This is point where I have to let go, it is all in God's hands, and has been the whole time and always will be. Whatever happens (I pray Nick will come home safe and unharmed to me in 200 days) I know happens for a reason. It will make us stronger as individuals, it will allow our marriage to grow and it will help Nick become a better EOD Tech. I am so proud of him, and all the other servicemen serving our country!