Hello friends! How is your Easter weekend going so far?
We are back from Italy now, but I want to share with you a few pictures from our last few days. Spring had certainly sprung in Italy, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here in Germany. I enjoyed the beautiful spring colors while I still could.
The Viper Pilot didn’t have to do much on Thursday last week, so we found a nearby winery to stock up on vino. 🙂 Fun fact: Bill Clinton visited the same winery during his presidency. Then we headed for the mountains and found a (man-made) lake of Barcis tucked into the heart of the Dolomites.
It seemed really empty while we were there — the water came no where near the docks, but we assumed that it must fill up when all the snow in the mountains begins to melt. It was very foggy the day we were there, but I imagine the green water sparkles and shines when the sun is out. We could just barely see what we knew were massive mountains in the distance.
Handsome Viper Pilot sighting. (Only ONE more day of March!!)
We stopped in a nearby village for a cappuccino (or two) and did some shopping to stock up on good Italian olive oils, pasta, and even jarred pasta sauce that we figured must be better than Prego.
Our two weeks in Italy (courtesy of the Air Force) were wonderful and we enjoyed every minute of it down the last noodle, but we were ready to get home and back into our routine. We got up early and packed up the car for our long drive on Friday. It was a foggy one. We spent more time in the clouds and dealing with rain and snow than we did with the sun. Although, our sunglasses did make an appearance once or twice during the trip. The mountains of Austria are massive and absolutely breathtaking, even when covered in clouds.
It had snowed a lot in the mountains while we were in Italy. It was so gorgeous, I didn’t even mind that it was technically spring and I shouldn’t be seeing snow.
After 10 hours in the car, we finally arrived home. As I was going around room to room to crank up the heat (each room in our house has a radiator and heat by oil) we realized that our tanks of heating oil in the basement must be empty because our house was still 50 degrees. “Does it feel cold in here to you?” Fortunately, we have a wood burning stove but we were also conveniently out of firewood (winter is over, remember?). We immediately ordered more oil and stocked up on firewood before they closed for the weekend, but it can’t be delivered until Tuesday at the earliest because Monday is Easter Monday in Germany and everything will be closed. We are very thankful for space heaters, blankets, hot cocoa, and our wood burning stove. The constant fire in the stove has kept us nice and toasty.
The most exciting part about our return home? This little furball.
She stayed with our friends while we were gone and while I believe she was very spoiled by them, we’re happy to have her back. I think she was happy to see us and be home, too!
The other exciting part about our return home? (Pardon the messy house in the picture below.)
We now each have our very own DSLR! When we were in Berlin, we celebrated our kindaversary and the Viper Pilot surprised me with a new camera. It sat at the post office while we were in Italy but it’s all mine now and I’m absolutely in love with it already. Just between you and me, I think he’s pretty stoked to have his own camera, too. He rarely gets to take pictures because I’m too busy Nikonizing everything.
We’re having a soup-a-thon this weekend to help stay warm and tonight is broccoli-cheddar! I have some cooking to do!
Happy Easter weekend! I am so thankful to God for all that I have.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living home through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
PROST!
What are you having for dinner tonight?
Carol says
Happy Easter Emily and Alex