they're here! (already)

The FedEx man just dropped off a nice little package with our passports opened to a page that displayed our lovely colorful visas!!!! HOORAY! (this must be a record for consulate efficiency!)

getting our visa :: part 2

our insanely organized, color-coded folder with all necessary documents
To continue with the posts on obtaining our visas, I thought I'd outline exactly what documents we turned in and where we received the information, applications, and forms that we used. Several people have asked how we found out all the requirements and specifics to get this necessary stamp on our passports. First of all, I'd like to define what a visa actually is, since I wasn't even clear on it's purpose when we began this process. A visa is needed as an entry into or exit from a country where a passport is not sufficient. *NOTE: my comments are from my experience with obtaining a visa to ITALY - since requirements change country to country*. The consulate office explained that our visa is allowing us to enter Italy with allowance to stay longer than the tourist allowance of 90days, but a permesso di soggiorno (permit to stay) has to be applied for within 8 days of entering Italy under our visa - and this will give us the specific length of stay allowed.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs -Italy :: Visa Information

Do You Need a Visa :: Where to Apply
Italy is part of the Schengen states in Europe that act as one state when entering. This allows for lessened measures of border control between these proximal countries since many visitors pass frequently between borders. For a tourist stay of 90 days or less, where a valid passport is all that is required of US citizens, entry into the first Schengen country, counts as day 1 of the 90 day allowance, no matter how many other Schengen countries are visited. Also, it is no longer true that you can hop over to a non-Schengen state for a day then re-enter to "reset" your 90 days allowance. Visas, however, are specific to each country, no matter if it is part of the Schengen states or not. We are entering Germany then training through Switzerland before crossing over the Italian border (all Schengen states)- so we will enter Germany with our passport and begin our 90 day tourist stay, but after a week of traveling, when we cross the Italian border, we will be entering under our visa which will cancel the tourist stay and begin our 8 day allowance before we have to apply for our permesso di soggiorno which will give us the length of stay we will need in Italy over 90 days.

For our required documents that we had to provide with our application *NOTE: this is for a student visa under the Miami regional consulate - each type of visa and region may have different requirements*

_________________________________________________________

• VISA APPLICATION – Found on all regional consulate websites. Link to Miami's visa page. Printable Application

• TRAVEL INFORMATION – We had to show our transportation arrangements and itinerary for traveling from US to Italy. (For us it was our flight confirmation to Germany, and a note saying that we will be training from Germany to Switzerland to Italy. Also, we noted that in our round trip ticket to Germany, the return would not be used, and we would purchase a one-way to return to the US. It was cheaper to do the flights this way.)

• HEALTH INSURANCE AFFIDAVIT – Signed and notarized forms stating that Italian Health Care Insurance will be obtained when arriving in Italy. I found a printable form on the Detroit consulate's website.

• SCHOOL CERTIFICATE – We included the “Certificato d’Iscrizione”, Confirmation of Enrollment, and Invoices as well as any official paperwork on the school - i.e. license information. From the Detroit consulate website (where I found the best explanation): "Letter of Acceptance/Enrollment into Academic Program in Italy can be issued by either your U.S. or Italian school/university. It must be in original and must also bear the Official Seal of the school/university. It must include the exact dates of study and the address of the academic institution in Italy and that the program related costs have been paid."

• HOUSING CONTRACT – We provided the Rental Contract, Invoice for deposit, and License paperwork from the rental agency in Florence. We found out that the contracts for this visa requirement must be "registered" (with the Italian gov't so that the owner declares and pays taxes on the rental income), but since this cannot be done before we arrive, the paperwork stating the license of the agency was said to suffice. *NOTE: It may be hard to have a "for-rent-by-owner" property be accepted because if they can't register the contract before you arrive, the consulate may not accept the contract because many owners do not register as to avoid paying taxes.

• FINANCIAL RECORDS – We provided the last 3 months of bank statements (originals with Bank Stamp and Signature), and any statements of credit. We were told that we must show the financial means to support ourselves for the entire length of stay equaling 29euros per day per person for a language school (less for academic universities). Again, on the Detroit consulate's website, I found this printable support affidavit and the site states "must be signed and notarized by the person providing the financial support. In order to prove the availability of funds for the support of the student, the affidavit must be accompanied by either: an original and latest bank saving account statement(s) indicating current balance(s); OR an original bank letter, on official bank letterhead, indicating current balance(s) that bears the affiant's name. Please note that this Consulate does not divulge applicants' financial information to anyone.
- If the enrollment letter from the US school does not include a guaranty for round trip transportation and address of residence in Italy, a round trip airline ticket and proof of lodging must be provided to the Consulate."

• MISC PAPERWORK – copies of birth certificates, driver licenses, passports (both valid for more than 3 months after request of time to stay with visa), passport photos.

_________________________________________________________

As for the Codice Fiscale request form, I found this printable file on the Chicago consulate's website to use as a template (but changed the "Chicago" to "Miami" in the heading). It's in all Italian, but easy to figure out - mainly just name, address, DOB, place of birth, etc. Be sure to include your maiden name on the lastname (cogname) field as well.

I hope this is helpful to others that may be planning a move like we are! Thanks to all the other expats that took the time to share their experiences as well...we really appreciate it!

getting our visa :: part 1

outside the consulate's office building • emblem outside the office door • happy to have turned in our papers
As I mentioned in my last post, we just got back from a short trip to Miami to visit our region's Italian consulate office (Consolato Generale d'Italia) to turn in our paperwork and request a student visa in person (which is required). This was one of the biggest milestones that we've had to cross during our year of preparations for our move. I'm writing this as a 2 part, because there is a lot I want to say, but as we were preparing, I loved to read other people's accounts - so it could be good info for others planning to move. As I type this we don't have our colorful visa stamps on our passports in our hands - but I feel very certain that we will soon. We had an unusually pleasant experience with this whole ordeal...and as we drove away from the consulate office, Chris thanked me for getting all our paperwork organized, and asked how I knew exactly what we needed. It took me a while to really remember how this process started and where I began to compile the tasks ahead of us. I owe a lot of this knowledge to the active expat contributors of online resources and my constant research of this information. I remember reading numerous blogs and forum discussions where I learned many hints, tips, and procedural outlines - and so I knew that I wanted to "give back" in a way and write about our preparations and specific tasks so that others may find it helpful.

One of the most helpful resources has been the website Expats in Italy, which I've mentioned before in my posts. This is an invaluable resource for expats and future expats to Italy. There are several visa articles that I read and gathered bits of info from each. Also, a specific article by Bryan outlines his and his wife, Valerie's, journey through the bureaucratic necessities. He also wrote about the details of their preparations and continues to write about their life in Italy on his blog. I do owe the idea to organize our paperwork in a carefully labeled folder to them! Also, Transitions Abroad held several good pointers for this process.


When we entered the 5th floor of the fancy building and found the large mahogany doors of the consulate's office - I think I let out a little excited gasp. It's strange how this really made this entire move feel more real...but we nervously walked in to the lobby and spotted a man and woman behind the glass partitions. The woman was helping the only other person in the room, so I walked up to the man with a anxious smile and my large folder in hand. He smiled and asked how he could help - I immediately recognized his voice as Fabio, the man I'd spoken to several times on the phone and emailed throughout the last several months. I said, "We're here to apply for student visas" then started to shove the oversized folder through the small opening on the counter...he gave us a smile and said with an Italian accent, "I think I know who you are!" I laughed a little because I knew I must stand out as the over analytical, anal retentive girl which only makes sense that I would have a color-coded table of contents on our folder. He mentioned that we only had a couple months to go, since he remembered that our classes began in September! He was beyond polite and looked over everything and had us fill out a new application as there was a newer format than what I'd found online. Chris sat down to read an Italian newspaper, Bel Paese, and when I finished filling out our new apps, Fabio had completed looking through our paperwork. He gave me the folder back (after he'd taken the paperwork out), and said "This was very well done! Those months of preparations paid off!". I then filled out a FedEx shipping label and he mentioned that he was on vacation next week so he'd try to process this the NEXT DAY and send it overnight! He explained that our paperwork would also have a stamp along with our passport visa stamp and that we'd need to have the paperwork on hand as well when we enter Italy.

I then waited to speak to another lady about getting our Codice Fiscale (Italian tax identification number needed to purchase cell phone service, etc) and when a large line formed as we waited, Fabio took a break from the line of people to come over to where we were sitting in the lobby...he tapped on the glass and said "Her-een (we love the way my name sounds with an Italian accent)...I want to make sure you don't need me for anything else." I said we were just waiting for the other lady. We just people watched and listened to a lot of Italian being spoken and tried to pick out words. It was nice hearing the language again and renewed our excitement! After we received our new codice fiscale numbers, we headed out and looked back to wave goodbye to Fabio, he was just headed to the back, but caught a glance at our gestures and quickly stepped back into view to give a smile and wave back. (I kept telling Chris that I should get a photo with him for fun, but the lobby just filled up with more and more people - oh well).

**Coming soon: a look into the color-coded folder** :)

buenvenidos a miami

view from our balcony • south beach at night • lifeguard stand
Well, we just got back home from our trip to Miami to visit our regional Italian consulate's office! This was one of the biggest preparations for our move that we've had so far. All the months of studying, making lists, getting our travel itinerary, schooling & housing information together - finally culminated yesterday when we turned in our carefully organized binder to the man behind the glass counter on the 5th floor of 4000 Ponce de Leon Blvd. near downtown Miami! Since it's about a 5 hour drive one-way to south Florida, we decided to make a small holiday out of the task - which ended up to be a pretty nice (and much needed) break.

view from our balcony & found items from the beach
We actually had a enormous oceanfront room that slept 8 with two balconies. We ended up closing up the bedrooms and sleeping on the fold-out couch both nights because it was in the room with a wall of windows facing the Atlantic and it was great waking up to the beautiful sunrise. We took it easy (although Chris did have to work a little), caught up on some reading, swam in the super clear water, ate great food, visited an art center, and explored the Art Deco district and the (in)famous South Beach. On Monday evening at about midnight, we were enjoying an Oreo malt (with 2 straws) at Johnny Rockets diner on SoBe (since we were over the fake-boobs/big hair/fancy martini places along the strip) and looked over to see a man wearing a woman's bikini that was so small that about 3-4" of his rear end was hanging out the back. Everyone, including couples and families of all ages, looked up and had the same expression: wide eyes, then quick glances to everyone else around as if to ask "do you see this fool?!". He hung around for about 10 minutes and found a handful of balloons from the neighboring restaurant and started prancing around with these. We never figured out what his deal was...but it was good Miami entertainment.

relaxing • ArtCenter So.FL • sunrise through our window
Tuesday was almost like a dream with our experience at the consulate's office. I've read so many horror stories about dealing with this type of bureaucracy that even though I felt 105% prepared with the required documents - I still had no idea what to expect...but it couldn't have gone any better! We felt like we'd taken a huge leap forward with our plans and almost like floating when we left - so we headed next door for an espresso and just savored the experience for a while at a cafe.

*I'll be writing soon about the details of our visa paperwork preparations and the consulate office visit*

italy in 12

I read a fun entry at the life I choose with numbers and it inspired to me do one myself...and I have "Italy fever" anyway, so it was a nice break from work to get to look back through our photos! I'm not sure why I chose the number 12...but anyway -Enjoy.

**I'll start this as a tag - so I'd love to see some of you (I won't name names, but ahem those in my sidebar...) participate and include a link in the comments so we can check out your "______ in 12 (or 10)". Pick a subject and make a pictorial entry.**


12 colorful signs on a post - Positano

11 letters in graffiti art - Venice

10 ancient pillars still standing in the Forum - Rome


9 bottles of homemade limoncello left after we bought ours (small one with the orange cap) on the trail between Monterosso and Vernazza - Cinque Terre

8 -foot long smart car -Florence
I thought these were shorter, but it's true they're 2.5meters

7 dwarfs (and Snow White) -Positano


6 rungs of a ladder beside a lemon tree - Cinque Terre

5 cats napping in the sun on the beach - Positano

4 -year old dancing to the street music - Florence


3 wall dancers - Positano

2 -dog face-off - Venice

1 cup of espresso - Rome

2 months!! 2 months!!

WoW! I looked at the date today and saw that in 2 months from today we leave the US! This means that we're in the "1-month-and-something" countdown from when we leave our house in St. Augustine - because we're meeting my parents in central Florida several days before we fly to put the rest of the belongings we packed up in their attic, store my car, and take a couple deep breaths.....
....breathe in....out....did I pack everything?.....in...oh no - I think I forgot to call someone, prepare something for work...out...do I have all of our paperwork?...in...are they going to let us in the country?!...out...how am I going to learn all the verb conjugations?...in....out...AAHHH! We're moving to Italy!...INOUTINOUTINOUT...

What fills my mind a little more than the actual MOVING there, is the 2 week vacation in between leaving here and moving into our apartment in Florence. We will need that break for sure...and I guess that thinking of a vacation seems more real than thinking of a move. Germany, Switzerland, and then back to bella Italia -


-to see all of this again!

catching up with books

It's been a while since I last wrote about my continuing list of books that I'm reading, so I figured I'd thought out some updates and reviews.

I picked up Room with a View from the library last month and dove into this 1908 classic by E.M. Forster that is set in Florence, Italy (hence my interest in it). A story of uptight, well-to-do English tourists in Italy and the love triangle of the young woman with the not-so-well-mannered boy or the more proper one who is loved by everyone else. I found humour in the chapter names like "The Reverend Arthur Beebe, the Reverend Cuthbert Eager, Mr. Emerson, Mr. George Emerson, Miss Eleanor Lavish, Miss Charlotte Bartlett, and Miss Lucy Honeychurch Drive Out in Carriages to See a View; Italians Drive Them." - and this was one that I bookmarked to keep straight all the proper English names of the characters. But alas...I just couldn't make it through this type of writing - just not my cup of tea.

So when I gave up (and very unashamedly so) the reading of this classic novel, I rented the award winning 1985 movie version. It was just as I pictured in my mind's eye...and quite entertaining actually. But the end I was very sucked into the story.

I then began the second novel by Patricia Highsmith in the Tom Ripley series, Ripley Underground, and have now moved on to the third Ripley's Game. I'm thoroughly enjoying both...

I also have a side book I graze a little everyday, The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka. This is a great book touching on the points that Sarah summarizes: "The inspiration for The Not So Big House came from a growing awareness that new houses were getting bigger and bigger but with little redeeming design merit. The problem is that comfort has almost nothing to do with how big a space is. It is attained, rather, by tailoring our houses to fit the way we really live, and to the scale and proportions of our human form." It shows how the new, larger and larger, but EMPTY and characterless houses are lacking the humanity and livability of a real HOME and the size encourages lifeless consumerism. She also touches on sustainability in building which I love. It's a great interesting subject to me since I work in real estate and am personally interested in design as well...a much recommended read.

a rainy day out

My mom and grandma came in for a visit today, since it was the last time we'd be able to see Meme before we move. We enjoyed chatting at home for a while then went to Cafe 11 for a nice lunch outside on the patio and enjoyed the mild weather. Then we had a girl-day downtown to meander. We only got a couple of blocks before it started raining, so we hurried into Rockin' Bean Coffee for a dry place to wait out the sprinkles - and to enjoy cup of cider and chai. When the rain stopped we walked through the pedestrian shopping area and stopped in Bath Junkie for a quick look around. I always thought this was a cute little shop and interesting concept of products - but only had window shopped before.

1. pick a product 2. create a scent 3. choose a color
The store is filled with piles of different empty plastic containers and small signs describing a product, like: "Agony of 'Da Feet' cream, "Veggie Oil Lotion", "Face Value Walnut Scrub", "Bodacious Bath Oil", and "Shower Gel-lo". You can read the ingredients and uses of the products on each sign. When you've made your decision of a product you take the container up to the counter and then choose your scent from dozens of oils including Green Tea, Mulberry, Peppermint, Pikaki, Sweet Clover, Teak, and Caramel. There is also a "menu" of combinations like "St. Augustine Memories", "Man Magnet", and "Summer Cocktail". If you want you can also add a color...then they mix it up for you and dispense into your chosen container. I left with Personal Trainer Conditioner with a combination scent of Sandalwood and Herb/Citrus/Hyacinth - but no color except for what was given by the oils.

I've been trying out the new hair regimen from Annika (Dove Mi Porta Il Cuore blog). I've been in and out of 'no shampoo or conditioner for several days', 'then just conditioner a couple times a week', 'then just conditioner everyday'. Being a hairdresser, Annika has given detailed updates of her process and it seems to be working well for her! I'm still working out the kinks (almost literally), but I'm excited to use this new conditioner!

weekend of special days

"Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you'll go"-from traditional wedding poem
This weekend was a fun, relaxing, and celebratory time. Saturday was our 6th wedding anniversary (and the first time that it fell on the exact day we got married) so I found myself watching the clock throughout the day and noting times..."right about now 6 years ago I was getting my hair done", "I think I was peaking from behind the door in the back of the room waiting to walk down with my dad 6 years ago this time", etc etc.

I found the above quote (Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you'll go) from an excerpt in a popular wedding rhyme, and thought it to be very accurate! In wedding traditions it's also stated that "June was considered to be a lucky month to marry in because it is named after Juno, the Roman goddess of love and marriage." I like the fact that this alludes to something Roman, but I also read that if married in June that fertility was ripe and brides normally gave birth the following spring - I guess this shoots the theory out of the water! Continuing with tradition, the common 6th year anniversary gift is iron, while the modern gift is wood. We both got each other books...so I guess this covers the "wood" in a way.

After finishing up some work appointments in the morning, we were able to relax the rest of the day...we ran some errands (not too exciting, but nice that we did them together and were in no rush), then went surfing for a bit, took a nap, went to find some fun ingredients for a dinner at home at a new gourmet specialty store that we really like near our house, Chef Says - but unfortunately we made it about 10 min after closing time - so we went to the grocery and picked up some brie, wine, a baguette, tomatoes and pasta. We made a nice dinner together and watched part of a movie - then headed downtown to have dessert at The Tasting Room, a nice restaurant that we'd heard a lot about but hadn't been to yet. We've only heard great things about it and tapas style food is right up my alley. We just had a small portion of a chocolate torte with sherry fresh creme and cactus plum sorbet on parmesean. Strange combinations -but excellent and I'd love to try more! Also, it's on a super quaint pedestrian street downtown and so we enjoyed a walk around afterwards.


Then, of course, today was Father's Day! I was talking with friends today about what names we call our dads...since they are from up north they said that their word for "papa" sounds more like par-por. I said that I just say "dad" but it used to be "daddy"....or, scratch that...more like, dee-dddeee because of my early southern accent! Chris says "pop" - and as we practice for our new home in Italy we used the word "babbo" today. So to our dads, pops, daddys, deedees, babbos, and fathers - we love you and hope you had a wonderful day!

songs that make me smile

I was informally tagged by sognatrice at bleeding espresso with this fun topic (started by Hilda at Living Out Loud). Sognatrice said that it's "a great thing to think about on a gorgeous, sunny Friday in June"...and I completely agree! Here are the rules:

• Post about the one song that makes your heart sing, and uplifts your spirit every time you hear it. If you can provide a link to lyrics and/or audio that would be fabulous. But it's not essential, so don't worry about it if you can't.

• Include a trackback to this post.

• Tag three others and ask them to include a trackback to your post and this one when they post.

I also had to add a handful of honorable mentions...but here's my pick. It's just a feel-good song that makes me smile and sing out loud. It reminds me a lot of Chris and when we met.

The Cure :: Mint Car

The sun is up
I'm so happy I could scream!
And there's nowhere else in the world I'd rather be
Than here with you
It's perfect
It's all I ever wanted
I almost can't believe that it's for real

I really don't think it gets any better than this
Vanilla smile
And a gorgeous strawberry kiss!
Birds sing we swing
Clouds drift by and everything is like a dream
It's everything I wished

Never guessed it got this good
Wondered if it ever would
Really didn't think it could
Do it again?
I know we should!!!

The sun is up
I'm so fizzy I could burst!
You wet through and me headfirst
Into this is perfect
It's all I ever wanted
Ow! It feels so big it almost hurts!

Never guessed it got this good
Wondered if it ever would
Really didn't think it could
Do it some more?
I know we should!!!
Say it will always be like this
The two of us together
It will always be like this
Forever and ever and ever...

Never guessed it got this good
Wondered if it ever would
Really didn't think it could
Do it all the time?
I know that we should!!!

Other goodies:
• Frank Sinatra :: The Way You Look Tonight
...Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...
And the way you look tonight...
*from Father of the Bride, and the dad & bride dance at our wedding*

• Van Morrison :: Tupelo Honey
...You cant stop us on the road to freedom
You cant keep us cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor bent on chivalry
Shes as sweet as tupelo honey
Shes an angel of the first degree
Shes as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee...
*just a great song for all moods...also reminds me of last Thanksgiving with the family*

• Weezer :: The World Has Turned and Left Me Here
...(my favorite part of this is the beginning musical intro)
*great road trip song...reminds me of driving through Costa Rica*

Feel free to play along and leave a comment if you choose your favorites!

dance of the coquina

We've had several interesting brushes with nature during the past few days. There was the shark we saw last week, then on Sunday we were surfing and kept coming in contact with a big school of stingrays that rode next to us on a wave several times. Chris accidentally stepped on one, but luckily didn't get stung. Then yesterday, a huge storm suddenly hit our area...I was driving back to the island from an appointment and within 3 minutes it turned almost completely dark, started pouring and I was on top of the Intracoastal bridge when the alert came on the radio..."a tornado is in St. Augustine and heading from the mainland towards the Intracoastal. Please seek shelter! We repeat - please get to the lowest section of your house and cover your head. If you are driving, please get into a ditch". um.....I looked back and only saw a big wall of black so I just drove faster and within 2 blocks of my house, things were flying across the street, all the streetlights went out and hail started hitting my car. I called Chris who had our computers packed up and we grabbed the cats and headed downstairs the second I walked in. After about 10 minutes or so, the wind died down and the sky lightened to reveal lots of downed limbs. Luckily we didn't have much happen except a 4hr power outage. The tornado did a lot of damage in other areas of town.

This evening we walked to the beach and were greeted by a full rainbow! I ran back to get my camera, but was too late. I did, however get to capture the thousands of little coquina shells burrowing in the sand between tides. A couple times a year, we see these come out in droves and it's so pretty with all the little colors appearing and disappearing between waves. I found out that this is called the "dance of the coquina" as they leave patterns in the sand as they dig. Here's a little video I tried to capture when they started to emerge from the sand (albeit not too exciting:))...

chocolate cherry mini muffins

Today I finally made up a batch of Cherry Muffins, inspired by KC's recipe last week. Since it's finally the season for these lovely little fruits of goodness, we bought a big bag full last week and have been munching on them ever since. I changed up the recipe a little - and came up with a muffin version of one of my most favorite finds in the box of assorted chocolates...the chocolate-covered cherry!

Chocolate Cherry mini Muffins
(mini recipe = 24 mini muffins)

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/6 cup sugar
1/6 cup brown sugar
1 egg
4 Tbsp butter (melted)
3/4 cup fresh cherries (chopped)

Mix first 4 ingredients (dry), set aside. Mix remainder of ingredients together. Slowly mix in dry ingredients. Pour into greased mini muffin pans. Bake 10-12 min at 400º (don't over-bake!). Drizzle with melted chocolate (1 semi-sweet baking chocolate square, 1 Tbsp veg. oil. Heat, stir)

ENJOY!

shuttle launch

On Saturday night we we taking our regular evening walk to the beach, and as we were crossing the street 2 motorcyclists passed pointing up to the sky. We looked up just in time to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis coming into view over the horizon from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral! I didn't even know about the scheduled launch that day (since I'm seriously behind in the news recently). We ran a couple more houses down until we reached the sand, and there were lots of people out - all facing southeast. It was such a clear evening sky that it was one of the best views of any shuttle launch that I've seen. We watched the large, glowing fire trailing from the bottom of the spacecraft and then watched that cut off and could even clearly see the separation of the external launchers as they fell back into the Atlantic. Everyone still watched as the shuttle flew out of view and the smoke trail became a muddled zig-zag pattern across the sky. We just sat on the edge of the dunes watching all the families and enjoying the quiet - regretting that I didn't have my camera :( - and then we even heard the sonic boom as the shuttle left the atmosphere!

The next shuttle launch is scheduled for Aug 9 - which means we'll still be in Florida, so I'll try to remember to bring my camera!

new 7 wonders :: vote!

You now have less than one month to vote for the New 7 Wonders of the World which will be announced on 07/07/07. We've had this link in our side bar for a while now and I finally submitted my votes today. I think this is a great idea and, of course, a symbolic date to crown the new prestigious titles. The current 7 Wonders are commonly confused and forgotten, as the only one still standing is the Great Pyramid of Giza in Eqypt, which is being given "honorary membership" in the New Wonders list. The other 6 were long ago destroyed by fires or earthquakes. I think the most popular wrong answer that is spoken by many when asked "what are the 7 wonders of the world?" is Stonehenge in England...but *BUZZ* -wrong answer! This is not a 7 wonder, but is in fact up for your vote in the new list.



As you see on this screenshot of my ballot, I have carefully selected 7 very unique sights as winners out of the 21 candidates.
#1 Acropolis: How much more iconic can you get for a symbol of civilization in the known world?
#2 Angkor: I did some research on this one because I've never been to Cambodia, but have heard wonderful things about this temple - the largest on earth - and it's developed intricacies, which I'd love to see one day.
#3 Colosseum: a big shout out to the bel paese. Besides the fact that I love Italy, I think it's one of those breathtaking monuments that immediately takes you back in history. (Italy Mag also mentioned this famous landmark's nomination)
#4 Easter Island: a definite "must go" on my list is this strange remote island off Chile. It remains one of the biggest mysteries for historians even today...and let's face it, those big heads are just weird.
#5 Great Wall of China: Also on my "must go" list, and just amazing...not much explanation needed.
#6 Machu Picchu: A very strange lost civilization in the clouds. I'm not sure exactly why I voted for this except that I've had a small fascination with this place since I first heard about it in middle school.
#7 Petra: ok, 3 reasons - 1. Such an unexpected monument in the middle of a valley (in such a beautiful county near the Holy Lands), 2. Beautiful and progressive humanitarian Queen Rania, 3. um....Indiana Jones!

So, those are my picks. What's yours?!

VOTE NOW!

rain lilies

Two days ago the yard across the street sprouted an abundance of these cute little pink blooms. I remember seeing these in past summers as well and love how they just come out of nowhere. All year they lie dormant, and then one morning after a good rain they'll just pop up and stay for a week or so. Each night they close up to reemerge at dawn, and the flowers turn to face the sun as it creeps across the sky throughout the day.

Today I decided to do a little research on our new neighbors so I'll know what to call them as I say hello each day (because they seem very friendly and like they are greeting me as well). I found out that they are commonly referred to (very appropriately) as Rain Lilies or Zephyranthes - I prefer the former title. But they were a nice greeting after the tropical storm that visited this weekend!

yay for indo made

Our friend Eric with Made • Community Dinner group of shirts
Many of you may remember back in October when we helped start the charitable company Rosa Loves. It's mainly a small company that does the following: 1) finds people in need, 2) designs shirts based on the story, 3) sells the enough shirts to raise enough money to meet the need, 4) meets the need, 5) repeats. I've written about different events and stories over the past several months (blog 1,blog 2, blog 3, blog 4), and one of our original "stories" of the Indonesian fisherman, Made ("mah-day") is coming to an end! We're so excited that we are just about to deliver his new fishing boat next month! The full update is here on the site...and if you feel so inclined, there are a few shirts left as well that can help with the final costs of the boat!

We also put out a bulletin for all those that bought his t-shirt to send us photos of them sporting their wares and maybe a word of encouragement for Made. Our friend, Eric, who brought us Made's story is delivering the boat and also taking a translator and album with the photos so Made can better understand where this boat came from!

To celebrate (and get some photos for the album) we had a big Indo-inspired community dinner. (We've had a community dinner night each Tuesday for about 2 years now at our house for anyone and everyone...the crowd is unpredictable ranging from 6 - 30something and normally the food is theme-based). It turned out to be a good time with creative Indonesian food and lots of shirt photos!

the sunshine family

For the past 6 years we've seen a certain family about 99% of the times we go to the beach. Whether it's summer, winter, morning, evening, or during hurricanes, it seems that they are there - all 4 of them.

Let me introduce this interesting cast we fondly call "the sunshine family" (which we sing to the tune of "the aaaadammsss fam-i-lllly!" when we see them - to ourselves of course, since they have no idea of this nickname)

•the dad: A mid-30 something, built frame, tattooed outdoorsman, who is known to wrestle a deer out of the shore break after it was washed out from who-knows-where during a hurricane in 04. He tried to save it during the raging storm and when he finally reached shore the deer had drowned, so he figured cutting it up and putting it in his freezer for venison burgers was a better alternative than calling animal control. He can be found most days out in the surf helping his daughter catch a wave or fishing for sharks with his son.

•the mom: A mid-30 something, very thin, tattooed and very tan beach lounger with a black 2-piece who can be found by the following the scent of a clove cigarette. She normally is handing out sun lotion, sand pails, surfboards, or cold juice packs from the wagon they haul down the sand from their beachfront cottage each day. Cameras and binoculars are also common props to capture the moments her children catch a good wave or are doing something adorably innocent like digging in the sand.

•the son: A preadolesent with long wavy white-blond hair who we watched learn to stand on a board to surfing better than most people 2-3x his age, and who probably will be the next Crocodile Hunter. His closet must have only swim shorts and flipflops -and he will talk about beachlife to anyone and befriend the person on the next towel. He can normally be found on his surfboard or with a shell, crab, fish, or snake in hand.

•the daugher: A 7-or-so year old, beautiful girl with natural bleach-blond hair and a golden tan, who will probably be a boy-magnet as she gets older. She is quieter than her brother but has as much determination and fearlessness to learn the language of the sea. She is already surfing in competitions and placing higher than others 5 grades her senior.

Over the years we've had several conversations with them and learned snippets of info. They live at one of the beachfront homes and so we're really just hanging out in their front yard. We've watched the boy and his little sister grow up from when she could barely walk, to now when she's surfing in competitions. They both are so cute and fearless...always coming out of the water with some type of sea life (needlefish, baby sharks) and running to the mom asking for the water bucket so they can take it up to the house and research the specific variety of their treasure. They live out National Geographic each day and the parents seem so supportive.

This evening we went for a quick swim in the super calm, post-tropical-storm ocean and sure enough, there was the sunshine fam on the shore. The dad and kids were out a ways on a sandbar fishing and jumping over waves while the mom waited by the wagon of goodies with a camera. Chris and I were wading next to them when I got stung pretty good on my ankle/foot by a jelly fish. (normally this isn't too bad and I can't even feel when it happens, but because the water was so calm I felt it completely tonight - like a bed of seaweed wrapping around my ankle - but followed by immediate pain *stupid jelly*). I hobbled back to shore, just as the kids were yelling excitedly as the dad walked out of the water with a handsome 3ft sand shark. Several other people in the vicinity saw this as well and gathered around as the dad firmly held the shark in place and explained what type it was and how you can spot one in the water. He let everyone touch it and then held it up as the mom took photos. Then he went back out in shin-deep water with the 2 kids by his side and released the shark. We stood on the shore chatting with them a bit about vacations, waves, how the kids are growing up so fast...and watched manna rays, pelicans, and sharks on the ripples of distant waves.

baseball, biking, & barry

We just got back from our weekend trip to the charming city ofCharleston, SC and had a great time visiting our friends. The original plans of boating, wake-boarding, and picnics on the dock got completely rained out by Tropical Storm "Barry" who rained out our entire Saturday. On Friday night we geared up for an "All-American" night-out to the baseball field. Chris and I along with 2 other couples rode bikes all throughout historic Charleston, riding along the Battery Park and White Point Gardens where pirates were hanged in the early 1700s from the plethora of large oak trees that still shade this park today. We stopped at the baseball field to watch the last half of the Charleston Riverdogs play and win against a team that I still never caught the name of. We got a Coke and veggie chili dogs at a natural food concession stand (I think this may be one of the only ones I've heard of!) and a big cup of boiled peanuts! It was so much fun just people watching, yelling at the hitters, and doing the "wave" with the crowd. The children face painting booth was right across the aisle from our row so we watched many kids get transformed into Spiderman, a mutant turtle, or an abstract butterfly. When then the game was over we ooh-ed and aahh-ed over a noisy fireworks show, then rode our bikes back through town in the dark.

Since Saturday was rained out, we played board games, watched movies, and ate cookie-dough all day then went to a Thai restaurant for dinner where we enjoyed three lectures from the talkative and friendly owner about the origination of sushi, the history of chop-sticks and a few more funny antidotes! Yesterday, the tropical storm brought in great waves, which the guys were more than excited to spend the entire morning surfing, while us girls went to town to have coffee, shop, and see any festivities going on with the Spoleto Festival. For the past three years, Chris and I have been in Charleston for this annual art extravaganza which is the "sister-city" event of Spoleto, Italy. This year, we didn't really get to partake in any shows or art exhibits because of the weather and our short visit. Maybe next year we can go to the original Italian festival!