we're back!

After an invigorating 10-day romp through the Balkans, this little family returned to home in Sicily.  Unlocking the door to our house and setting things to right within felt enormously satisfying to Elliott and me, who love creating a home (making room) and living deeply in it.  Meanwhile, our little girl tromped eagerly around on all fours, enthusiastically pulling herself up on all the familiar ledges and coffee tables.

This afternoon we took a long walk into the valley below our cliff-hanging house.  After hiking for about an hour, we determined to summit a steep little rise.  The view from the top took our breaths away, especially as the sun was just setting behind our little town in the distance.

Now we're curled up on the couch together in front of a crackling fire, listening to music and soaking up the sweetness of home life.  Tomorrow there will be much more settling in to do, and, for Elliott, a full day in the veterinary clinic.  But tonight there is just rest.

(Photo was taken on my iPhone, chosen because it trumped several others taken on my Canon DSLR.  That little Apple gadget amazes me.)

greetings from Skopje!

 

We're finally in Macedonia, a country that a few of us (ahem...) didn't know was a modern-day country until today. That's embarrassing. But the Balkans are so hard to keep straight! So many shifts in boundaries over recent years are a result of so many wars, so much violence, such great heartache in this part of the world. Our guide explained that the Balkans are the land bridge between the West (Europe) and the East. Whenever the West felt powerful, it charged through the Balkans to conquer the East. Whenever the East felt powerful, it charged through the Balkans to conquer the West. The poor Balkans. Always stuck in the middle. It has been eye-opening to journey through these countries and learn our history all over again.

 

Yesterday we were in Kosovo, a land that now knows a fragile peace. We ate lunch at a restaurant just across the border yesterday afternoon, where the restaurant owner gave Lena some Christmas decorations to play with. (They made a pretty picture but required some close parental supervision... yikes!) We spent the night in a city nearby and then visited this magnificent monastery the next day, which is the oldest monastery (built in the 1300s) in the Serbian Orthodox church. So very lovely and very peaceful.

Next up, Skopje! The only two things I know about Macedonia are:

1) Mother Theresa was born here. Thank you, 8th Grade research paper.
2) Alexander the Great was from Macedonia. My mother read the guidebook and passed that info on to me today.
3) Skopje is pronounced SKOP-yeh. I've said skop-GEE since that 8th Grade paper, so this was fun to learn.

I shall learn more!

updates from the Balkans

We spent the loveliest afternoon in Dubrovnik, perhaps one of the prettiest cities I've ever seen (and I don't say that lightly!). We finished off our day in the port city of Kotor, Montenegro, and ate a delicious meal at this romantic spot on the water. Such a lovely part of the world! Lena is being a trooper with all this traveling... we all love her and are so grateful for her, and more each day.

photos in Mostar

We're in lovely Mostar, an old Bosnian town set in a deep river valley. Yesterday evening my family explored the town while Lena and I rested and then played in our hotel room... hence the darling photo. She's a smart girl, and one after her mama's own heart!

Later Lena and I joined everyone for dinner, including some delicious local beer. That evening we played games and read and drank mint tea until bedtime.

Leaving for Dubrovnik, Croatia, in a few minutes!

chilly morning in Bosnia

Good mornin'! We just finished a freeeeezing tour in Sarajevo, where it is -10 C... brrr. Here's a picture of our little family on Assassination Bridge, right near the corner on which Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot and WWI began.

Off to Mostar, Bosnia, this afternoon! Now that we have this Blogger mobile app figured out, I'll try to keep posting photos and videos here as we travel.

a few Christmas photos

Elliott figured out my photo issue, and so here are some glimpses of Christmas in Sicily with my family:

Happy New Year!

Welcome to the new year! What did you all do last night to ring in 2012? My family and I are in Zagreb, Croatia, a lovely old city of red-roofed buildings and Baroque architecture. As midnight drew near, we sipped wine, ate chocolate, and discussed the most significant events of 2011 for each of us. Elliott and I both said the events were the birth of Lena, Elliott's return from his year-long assignment in the Sinai, and our move to Sicily. What will 2012 bring? We're both hoping for a quiet year of growth and development for our little family, as both 2010 (our first year of marriage) and 2011 have been very eventful--and sometimes very difficult--years for us as a little family. We're also hoping to practice the art of hospitality very often when friends and family come to visit. Hint hint. :-)

Did you make any resolutions as this fresh new year began? I always make a couple in the back of my head or in my journal and then tend to forget them by the end of January. Perhaps this year will be the same, but then again this year I Really Mean It! Right? Here are the resolutions I have for 2012:

-sell 100 things in my Etsy store (which I haven't even announced to you all yet... and there isn't anything currently for sale! Whoops! That's because I've been busy with multiple custom orders. Until I can make a few things just to sell, I'm happy to take more custom orders. Feel free to peruse my "sales" section to see things I've made for others... and can make for you! Here's a link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/makingroomhandmade/sold)
-study Italian for 30 min each day
-do Bible study with Elliott each day (I'll do a post sometime soon about the Bible reading program we use, which is especially designed "for shirkers and slackers," haha)

I've also tentatively made the goal to read a book per week. My friend Johanna did this in 2011 and I was so inspired by her, but then realized that I have other priorities right now; namely, getting my Etsy business off the ground and studying Italian. So this is a goal I'll just work on as I have time. I'm reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" this week. Easy, fun beginning, and very engrossing. It has nothing to do with the part of the world we're in now, though. Even if I don't manage to read a book a week, I DO want to read more literature about Italy, particularly historical fiction set in Italy.

Of course all these goals are mixed in with a dozen others that are constantly on my mind, like...

-eating and grocery shopping locally (in Italy... so of course I should!)
-taking some cooking classes and learning several Sicilian dishes
-traveling around Italy and Europe
-being a more compassionate wife to Elliott
-teaching and loving Lena
-getting better at this blogging thing!

And so on. What are your goals for 2012? I'd love to hear them!