Photo Club Trip - Veterans' Day in Siracusa

Yesterday my photography club went to a World War II Cemetery in Siracusa.  We spent about an hour meandering around the graves of allied soldiers and contemplating the sacrifice they made. The fact that impacted my heart the most was that the oldest soldier in this cemetery (that I noticed) was only 36.  Most were in their twenties.

After paying our respects to those who fell in World War II we went into Siracusa and out to the island of Ortygia.  We enjoyed yummy snacks and took in the beauty of the island for a little while before we had to go home.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day 11

Today  is Veterans' Day. A time set aside to thank those who serve and who have served honorably in the United States Military.  I am very grateful for all those who serve our country in both peace time and war.  I especially want to thank my husband for his service. I am proud to be  Navy wife.

Today, in addition to our veterans, I am thankful for:

• Photo Club Trips
• Like-minded friends who share my hobbies
• A chance to get out of the house and take pictures
• A great dinner out with friends
• A cozy bed that I will soon be crawling into

To honor Veterans' Day the Photo Club went to a WWII cemetary near Siracusa today.  I will post more pictures in the next day or two, but I will leave you with one image that will hopefully move you to consider the brave men and women who serve our country and the sacrifices they made and continue to make today.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day 10

Almost forgot to post today!  I'm so glad I remembered.  Today is my 10th day of posting every day and it hasn't quite become a habit.

Today I am thankful for:

• Packages in the mail
• New Stampin' Up! toys
• A great class this evening, it was a awesome group, lots of laughter
• A busy and productive day
• Having everything ready for my class three hours before it started (yay for time to relax!)
• Time to unwind after the class with my hubbie and a glass of vino
  

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day 9

Today has been quite ordinary, but when I really stop to think about it, so full of blessings!


Today I am thankful for:

• My Bible study group & the wonderful women in it
• The time to share and fellowship with those women each week
• Having a comfortable home to welcome them into (today I hosted Bible study)
• A drive that my hubbie and I took this evening which gave us the opportunity to talk though and work out an issue we'd been having
• My husband noticing that I'd picked up the house and showing appreciation for it
  
• Yummy kebab panini and french fries for dinner
• Not having to clean up the kitchen because we ate out
• Finishing up the last project for tomorrow's craft class
• Christmas music (Yep, I'm listening to it right now!  But only when I'm working on Christmas projects for my craft classes, that makes it ok, right?)
  

I hope whoever reads this has a wonderful day! Take a moment to consider how your life has been blessed, and share in the comments if you'd like. I also challenge you to take a moment to make someone else's day special, even if its just something simple such as smiling at a random person you pass by on the street.  Who knows, that may be the best part of their day!

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day 8

Today I am thankful for:

• A quiet day at home by myself
• Clean laundry (got a few loads done today)
• The smell of cookies in the oven
  
• A long talk on the phone with my mom (my best friend and the most awesome mom anyone could ever ask for!)

The timer for the cookies is going off,  I must go!

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day 7

Today was craft fair day, and it went really well! I always enjoy sharing what I make and seeing what other artists in my community come up with. There are so many talented people out there!

Craft Fair Display

Today I am thankful for:

• A productive craft fair
• The help of my hubbie at the craft fair (he got me lunch, coffee, watched the table when I needed a break, helped sell my stuff when I was occupied helping other people, and helped me cart all my stuff in and out of the building)
• All of my friends here who came out to support me and the other community artists
• All of the compliments that I received about my photographs
• Having the time to work on my hobbies/passions
• A comfortable home to relax in after a long day
• A delicious dinner of beef stir fry

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day 6

Today has been quite stressful. I got up this morning to a sick kitty, and since he is like my child, my constant companion, I was worried sick.  To make matters worse Les had the car today so I was stuck at home, at least until he came home from work.

After making several phone calls I found out that a friend would drive me to the vet, that the vet on base was closed, and that I could get in to see an Italian vet at 6pm in Caltagirone. Throughout the day he seemed to get better, but I didn't want to take any chances with it being Friday and his condition worsening over the weekend.

Our visit to the vet went very well. Pumpkin is going to be fine.  He essentially has a kitty cold, but it isn't life threatening - PRAISE GOD!

So, today I have much to be thankful for:

• My kitty is going to be ok!
• My friend who was ready to drop everything if I needed help to get Pumpkin to the vet (Thanks, K!)
• The prayers from my friends and family for my kitty
• My husband who was a great help in taking the cat to the vet in Caltagirone
• An Italian vet who was able to see Pumpkin the same day that I called
• An Italian vet who was great with my cat AND whose manner put me at ease
• The fact that I was able to speak enough Italian to take my cat to an Italian vet who spoke very little English
• An awesome kitty who, even though he was stuck in a carrier, taken to the vet, poked and prodded, still loves me and curled up on my lap after we got home. (A layer of cat hair on my clothes was never so welcome!)
  

My Fuzzy Buddy

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day 5

Today I am thankful for:

• New, plush, soft, comfy PJ's that my hubbie bought me (he knows how much I adore PJ's!)
• My hubbie who bought me the PJ's
• Not having to make dinner tonight (yep, we ate out! YUM!)
• A busy, productive day
• A friend who is helping me by loaning me a few things to display my stuff at this weekend's craft fair (Thank you, B!)
• Zappos return policy (free shipping both ways!)
• Having a house to clean (even though I'm not a fan of the actual cleaning)
  

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day 4

Today I am thankful for:

• Photography club - the things I learn each time we meet and the friendships that have developed from the club
• My lovely view of Mt. Etna as I was driving to base this evening (pictured above)
• A productive day
  
• A safe drive home after photo club

What are you thankful for today?

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day 3

Today I am thankful for:

• A friend who sent her son over with a plate of breakfast for me this morning (Thank you, A!)
• A glass of wine at the end of the day
• A divinely comfortable bed covered with soft sheets and feathery pillows and comforters
• The luxury of being able to stay in my PJs all day if I want to (though I try not to do this every day!)
  

Just a short post today, but I'm thankful that I have things to be thankful for!

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day 2 and NaBloPoMo

Since I have committed to myself to post each day this month about the things I am thankful for I decided also to join NaBloPoMo which is short for National Blog Posting Month. Basically this means that if I post every day this month I might win a prize!

While prizes are great, that is not why I'm posting every day.  Like I said yesterday, my goal is to focus on the positive things in my life.  I'd also like to encourage others to do the same.  One of my dear friends is joining me in this challenge, check out her blog at http://jennifferthinksbig.blogspot.com to see what she is thankful for. Hopefully more people will join me on this journey!

Normally I'd like to post what I am thankful for a bit later in the day, but it looks like I'll be running errands this evening so I figured I should post now so I don't forget later.

Today I am thankful for:

• Cappuccinos
• Great friends to drink cappuccinos with
• Photography challenges
• My camera
• Packages in the mail

Verbalizing the blessings in my life helps me see past the day-to-day problems and keep my eyes on the bigger picture.

Photo Club Challenge: Shadows

This month's challenge for Photo Club is shadows. This Wednesday is our monthly meeting so I figured today would be a good day to take some shadow pictures. Yep, I procrastinate just a bit (and I'm never sarcastic).

I decided to stage a photograph using a beautiful crystal bowl that Les and I received as a wedding present and a few cute little pumpkins and gourds that I've been displaying as a centerpiece on my dining room table. My four favorite shots are below.

Which do you like best? Please comment and let me know!

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving

Lately life hasn't been ideal.  Nothing major is wrong, but I've easily fallen into pity party mode too often.  I've been lonely, and that has been really hard.  Les has been working long hours and I've spent too many of those hours at home, by myself, talking to my cat. Combine that with the sadness of good friends who have recently moved away and being half a world away from my family.  Needless to say its been rough.

Even though I've had a hard time with these things I don't want to live in pity party mode!  This is why I'm going to start a new feature on my blog for the month of November, in honor of Thanksgiving - Thirty Days of Thanksgiving.  Each day I will post at least one thing that I am thankful for.  My goal is to refocus my energy in a positive direction and show myself in a tangible way that life isn't that bad, in fact it is pretty good!


Today I am thankful for:

• A friend who sent her daughter over with an ice blended pumpkin pie latte, it made me feel so special that she thought to share her treat with me!
• My cat, pumpkin, my buddy who hangs out with me every day, and is always ready to make me feel better with a cuddle and a purr
  
• Dinners made on the BBQ
• My husband who works so hard to support us
• My creative outlets - photography and stamping

Please join me in this project!  Use your blog, Facebook page, etc. to share what you are thankful for.  If you decide to participate please comment with the URL of your blog. I would love to follow your journey.

Photo Club in Cefalu

This past Saturday the Sigonella Photography Club went to Cefalu, one of my favorite towns in Sicily. Many of the photo club members hadn't been there before so I was happy to introduce them to the area.  The day started off beautiful and sunny.  When we arrived we all went our own directions to explore with plans to meet up again for lunch.

Medieval Washroom

Medieval Washroom

Gatti Siciliani - I have no idea what they were looking at!

A tower of the Duomo

Inside the cloisters of the duomo

Inside the cloisters, looking up at a tower of the duomo

Entry of the duomo

We met up with the rest of the group for lunch at a kebab shop that we had seen on our drive into town.  It was delicious!  I love Italian food but the chance to get something other than Italian is always a treat!  After lunch we stuck together as a group.  We went in search of gelato and took a few more photos along the way.

Piazza Reflection

After gelato we were contemplating which direction to go next.  I took a look at the sky and it was starting to look a bit ominous. I suggested that we meander our way back in the general direction of the cars because it looked like it could rain soon.

Perhaps 15 minutes later we felt the first sprinkles which soon became a substantial rain.  Instead of meandering we starting walking with purpose back to the cars.  Although the day was cut a tiny bit short because of the weather we had a great day.