Signs of God's Love
I want to begin this post by trying to put my feelings into words. It is so HARD to try to have joy at the same time as you are experiencing deep pain and sadness. It is difficult to celebrate a birthday at the same time as getting some terrible news over a phone call. This week has seen some high highs and some low lows. One thing is beginning to become more clear through it all: God and Jesus Christ love us and they want us to know it. We might see it through something subtle, like a kind and compassionate look from the caring eyes of a family member or a friend. We might feel it as a piercing, yet peaceful feeling during a portion of a song. It might even be something surprising and beautiful that we see in nature, that causes us to feel like this moment was meant just for me, and me alone. Some refer to these experiences as "tender mercies". In other words, it is a gift from a Kind and Loving Father who has compassion on us and all that we are going through, and also wants us to recognize that He is right there by our side through it all. Whatever you want to call it, we have experienced this multiple times in the past few days.
At some point I will be able to share more of what is happening. But for now, I am like a sponge and I am ready to learn how to navigate through all kinds of feelings in the coming weeks and months. I hesitate to write about all the fun that we've been having with company over the last 8 days, knowing that some people are suffering and having a hard time. I feel so guilty, like that I'm being insensitive to post the good times that we've had. But the problem with that is that this life is not meant for endless suffering. We are meant to have joy! We can have joy in SPITE of our suffering. We can have joy in ADDITION to our suffering. And we can have joy at the SAME TIME as we are suffering. There have been many tears shed this week, but we went out into nature many times and we also felt joy. We smiled. We laughed. We joked. We celebrated.
Maybe that's the whole point. Fuel up because you're going to get depleted. Fuel up again. Get depleted again. Fuel up with wholesome things, the things that really truly matter in life. There will always be something to deplete that. So you fuel up again. And again. And again. Keep fueling up. Keep looking for those things that matter most and let them be your premium fuel. Just keep fueling up. Don't ever give up.
So . . . here we go . . .
We have had a wonderful week hosting Gordon and Pam, Scott's brother and his wife, from West Virginia. They flew in last Monday around noon, and we have been packing a LOT in this week, ha ha.
Monday: In addition to the four of us, we fed the sister missionaries for dinner. I tried a new recipe that seemed simple in both ingredients and the time required to make it. We made Hasselback Caprese Chicken, a salad with FLOWERS on top, some white AND green asparagus, crusty bread for dipping in olive oil and rose balsamic vinegar, and a variety tray of desserts.
After I criss-cross cut the chicken breasts, Pam inserted slices of tomato along with some sliced fresh mozzarella into the slits.
When I went to the grocery store that morning before they flew into Venice, I saw these gorgeous EDIBLE flowers next to all the bags of salad. They were too pretty to pass up, especially when I wanted a nice welcoming dinner for our company.
When I was at the grocery store, I realized that I wanted something for a dessert, but wasn't sure if I would have the time to make something. I grabbed a few random desserts out of the refrigerated section, and then cut them all up into little portions so we could try more than one thing.
We all loved the mango cheesecake (orange squares) and the canoli (bite sized portions in the center, with chopped pistachios on top). There were also 2 donuts that I cut up and 2 chocolate dome cakes that had a tiny drizzle of caramel in the center.
Gordon took a 2.5 hour nap in the afternoon while Scott went back to work, and Pam bravely stayed up until around 9:00 p.m. and then she slept HARD through the entire night.
Tuesday: We got up early and were out the door a little after 8:00 a.m. to drive to Sirmione, a darling little town on the southern peninsula of Lake Garda.
The tulips were nearing the end of their blooming season, so we were lucky to catch them before they turned pitiful. The flower beds were in a grassy area that lined several parking lots leading up to Scaligero Castle.
Beautiful views from the Castle . . .
Somebody left some decorative cairns out on the beach for the rest of us to enjoy.
Roman ruins up on the cliffs at the most northern point of the peninsula.
From where we parked, it was a steep downhill most of the way down into the canyon where the park begins. We walked through the very deserted town of Molina and we tried to come up with reasons why nobody was home . . . like that maybe they all work in a bigger town during the day, and they just weren't home yet. There were a few evidences that people do live there, such as flowers sitting in a windowsill, or on a porch, a garden recently tilled, etc.
Apparently, Molina is a VERY old mill town, tracing back to the 10th century. It makes sense, now that I think about it, because of its proximity to so many streams and rivers.
After wandering through town, with plenty of signage pointing the way down toward the waterfall park, we began to follow the path out through some pastures and orchards. All of it was so beautiful!
This sign explained the significance of the caves surrounding this waterfall. They found Neanderthal remains here . . .
Video of one of the waterfalls: (18 seconds)
Video of another waterfall: (9 seconds)
Video of another waterfall: (17 seconds)
Another interesting tree for Charmaine . . .
The views from in the canyon looking up . . .
It was a little over an hour to get back to our house. The hurry we were in all day was because there was a very interesting Relief Society dinner and activity that evening at Angie Wilson's house. Paolo and his wife, Julie, attend the Italian Ward in our same church building. (They meet at 9:00 a.m. and we meet at 11:00 a.m.) Paolo is a professional chef and baker and was willing to teach us how to make a few very simple Italian meals that are fast and inexpensive.
Paolo is in the black shirt and red apron below, and his wife Julie is behind him in the white floral shirt.
He also taught us something very interesting about the different colors of pasta that we see in the stores. The whiter the pasta, the better quality it will be, but also more expensive. The more yellow it is, the less quality it will have, but it is also the cheapest.
When the pasta is being made and is going through the drying process, the longer it sits, the whiter it becomes, which deepens the flavor and quality overall. The pasta that is more yellow has been whisked off much sooner and doesn't have as much quality, kind of like when you see underripe tomatoes in the grocery stores vs. homegrown tomatoes with a richer and fuller flavor.
The next dish consisted of pasta, white beans (like canneloni or great northerns), tomato sauce, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella.
Video of Paolo stirring the pan of pasta: (15 seconds) *Angie's dog Kimber is anxiously awaiting for a taste, LOL
Video of Paolo tearing up the ball of fresh mozzarella into pieces for the dish: (20 seconds)
The last meal he made for us was my favorite. But I was so full at that point that I could only eat a few bites . . .
He showed us a product that they have in the Italian grocery stores - and he said it is a staple at their house. It consists of diced onions, carrots, and celery. They use it as a base for soups, sauces, casseroles, and many pasta dishes. You can even just sautee it up and serve it with chicken over the top.
After the veggies and pork were cooked up, he added in some long pasta called Tagliatella. It was SO GOOD. Again, all of these meals were ready in about 10-15 minutes. Granted, they are all PASTA based meals, and I don't eat pasta very often because they are loaded with carbs, but I could see doing this once in a while. Or as a side dish to accompany something with much lower carbs . . .
Wednesday: We drove up to Asiago instead of hiking the Road of 52 Tunnels. Pam's hip was bothering her a little and so we decided to do something a bit less strenuous. Not 15 minutes into the drive, we ran into a wonderful surprise!!
Video of the sheep, goats, horses, and donkeys trotting through town: (1 minute, 29 seconds)
It takes about one hour to get up to the top of these mountains surrounding Vicenza. Asiago is up at the top, but on the other side. Scott and I went up there last fall and hiked all over the countryside. That's when we fell in love with Asiago and vowed to bring as many of our guests up there as possible.
I enjoyed seeing all the flowers in bloom, the patriotic spray-painted woodpiles, and beautiful architecture on our walk through Asiago.
St. Matthew the Apostle Church was very beautiful, both inside and out.
We split up for a while at this point. Gordon and Pam went for a walk to find some gifts for family members, while Scott and I just lazily walked around the streets surrounding the church until we got too cold. That's when we went and sat in the car where it was a little warmer. It was a very cozy place to hang out.
We found a monument tucked in the corner of a street, so we went closer to investigate. Turns out it was a monument dedicated to Antonio Gnatta, a 17 year old boy, who was killed on 7 August 1944 on that very spot.
There was a series of plaques with the story and testimonials behind the memorial. Scott took a photo of one of the plaques and used Google Translate to read us the story of what happened to Antonio. (see below) (click the photo to enlarge)
How sad and tragic, but how beautiful that the townspeople are keeping his memory alive.
Some other random things from the middle of town . . . 250 days until Christmas apparently . . .
I also took pictures of the Millepini Park in Asiago, where we want to bring Jack next week. I sent Jacob and Hannah several pictures so they could know what is available there. We have been researching several different parks and it will just be a matter of narrowing them down, because we can't see them all, unfortunately.
The young man behind the counter was so patient as he gave us several samples to taste.
Video #1: He is cutting a block of cheese in half and packaging it up for us. (10 seconds)
Video #2: He is slicing up a sample piece for us to nibble on. (5 seconds)
One more thing from Asiago - I saw this in a storefront window and I used Google Translate to help me understand what the celebratory event was all about. (click to enlarge the photo) Very interesting . . .
Video of a street performer, playing his saxophone: (17 seconds)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CaedRTb9G5pXJe1k9
To be honest, I felt like a flop that night because I wanted to be a knowledgeable host and to be able to point out this and that and to be able to share some background information about each one, but I wasn't up to par. I was only able to point and say, "That's a building that Andrea Palladio built." I couldn't find a few things that I thought I knew where they were, and I was frustrated with myself. I felt like I was leading Gordon and Pam around blindly, and that perhaps everyone was confused and disappointed in me. But Gordon and Pam reassured me more than once that they were happy to just wander and soak it all in and not to worry. When we got home, Pam reiterated that same reassurance again, and it made me cry as she hugged me. I was able to release my own expectations that I had heaped on myself and to remind myself that I don't need to be perfect. :)
Thursday: Happy Birthday Scott!!! He went in to work for the day, while Gordon and Pam rode the train to Padova on their own to explore for the day. That meant I had some time to prepare the food for my husband's birthday celebration that evening, as well as some time to work on my upcoming talk for church.
I made Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon-Herb Chicken and it was delicious! Here is the recipe that I used.
I didn't have parchment paper, but the recipe said that foil would work well too. The peanut butter bars are very dense, but so perfect! Everyone especially enjoyed the sea salt sprinkled on top along with the chopped peanuts.
When Scott and I were walking around Lake Bled in Slovenia back in March, we saw two guys rowing across the lake, along with their friend who was manning a drone on the shoreline to video their progress. Scott said to me then, "That is SO COOL. I would LOVE to have a drone." I was surprised, but happy because it gave me a good idea to tuck away into my brain. I was thinking it would make a good Christmas gift for him.
But then, a few days later, when I was with Benson (before I flew to Louisiana for Easter & Abby's baptism), I mentioned the idea to him. He got SO excited because apparently he's been researching drones for some time now. So we started shopping online together right then and there. We even formulated a plan to order it in time for Scott's birthday on April 20th and that we could all get together on Saturday the 22nd with Gordon and Pam and visit the Dolomites before Benson leaves for Korea. Benson helped me decide on which brand and model to purchase, which was HUGE. I would not have known how to narrow down the search on my own . . .
The next big step was to order the drone. I waited until I got to Weston and Amber's house, so I could talk to Weston about it, too. We ended up ordering it through the U.S. Amazon and having it shipped directly to Weston's house, since it would be much faster than using the Amazon Italy. He ordered it using his own account so that Scott couldn't see what we were doing. (So sneaky)
The last big stress was getting it on the plane to go back to Italy. I was flying on Turkish Airlines for the first time, and their rules and restrictions were a mile long. Amber researched in depth for me on what the rules are for taking a lithium battery onto an aircraft. We were way under the limit for size of batteries and their capacity, so I breathed a sigh of relief. TSA said I could take it as a checked bag or as a carry-on. I was glad to have a little more confidence as I went to the airport on April 13th.
However, at the luggage dropoff area where you also check in for your flight, the guy checking me in told me I couldn't take the drone on the flight. I told him of the research we had done and that TSA said it was more than okay with the type of battery I had. He went to check with his supervisor . . . and then came back to let me know that I would have to speak with her as well.
I had to wait a long time for her to be available for me to speak with, and then she told me that it could not go on the airplane AT ALL. I started to panic at this point, thinking what in the world would I do if I had to ditch the drone in Dallas? I asked if she had a post office in the terminal, but she didn't know if they did or didn't. I explained all of the research that we had done and that TSA said it was okay per their guidelines. She had me get it out of my bag so she could take it into the back room and confer with her colleagues. I waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally, she came back out and said that yes, I could take it on the plane, but it would need to be a carry-on. PERFECT!! I had borrowed a small carry-on suitcase from Amber and Weston for just such a purpose. (The reason they prefer things like this to be a carry-on is so that if the lithium battery starts smoking and having problems at a high altitude, at least people would see it while seated on the plane. If it was underneath in the cargo hold, nobody would ever see it.)
And THAT is the story of how Scott's birthday came to be, and how it almost didn't come to be. This was also the day that we got the phone call with very devastating news. It was really hard to try to celebrate his birthday when we were all very sad at the same time.
Friday: This was a shopping day and a day to slow down a little. I took Gordon and Pam to the Piramidi Mall and the Palladio Mall in Vicenza so they could find some gifts for family and also for themselves.
The drive was exceptionally beautiful.
Benson was a great assistant, trying his best to diagnose what the problem was.
As we drove some more, Benson was in the back seat with me, trying to still figure out how to fix the pairing issue.
Our next stop was at Auronzo, where there was a beautiful dam and the most gorgeous color of water in the lake. It was sort of a teal/deep turqoise color.
Across the street from the dam, there was a level field where we could try again to launch the drone, now that the firmware was all updated. It went perfectly!!
Video of Scott sending up the drone: (26 seconds)
I love this video of Scott teaching his son how to run the drone for the first time. Benson was super excited, but nervous, too. He didn't want to do anything stupid, like send the drone into the lake . . . They both said that it was extremely easy to fly, and that DJI (the company we bought from) makes it VERY easy for first time users. We are so grateful that Benson did all that research and helped us find this brand.
Video of Scott and Benson: (16 seconds)
From this vantage point, there were some incredible views for the drone to capture. In the next video, you can hear Scott saying, "Oh my Gosh!!" and Benson saying, "Oh my Goodness!!" ha ha
Short video of the boys: (6 seconds)
Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it all the way to Tre Cime (Three Peaks), a famous section of the Dolomites. The roads don't open until late May/early June. So we made Lake Misurina our "end destination" for the day. In the photo below, you can see the peaks of Tre Cime slightly to the right of the center. You can also see how the lake was still partially frozen over where we stood . . .
Video of the drone zooming back towards us over the lake: (22 seconds)
Across the street from the lake's edge, was a cute little shop where we could buy a few souvenirs and gifts. I loved all the miniature cuckoo clocks. This area of Italy is VERY close to the Austrian border, and is therefore heavily influenced by Austrian culture, food, architecture, etc.
In Mexico, they have a siesta in the afternoon. In Italy, they have a riposo. It's the same thing: a time to go home and eat lunch, rest, and be with family for a few hours before going back to finish up. It is very common to see shops and restaurants close up around 12:30 and then they open back up from 3:30 to 6:30 or 7:00.
It does make it a little more difficult to find a place for lunch though, if you aren't paying attention to the time. Many lunch spots close at 2:30, while others close at 12:30, but we were running a little late on time this particular day. It was 2:10 and most places were already closed in town. Thankfully someone recommended a pizzeria for us down the street. It was due to close at 2:30 so we hurried right on over!!
Gordon and Pam, holding hands. So sweet.
I thought it was so cute to see another Ceat Leon car parked next to us. My immediate thought was of the song, "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. LOL
Benson with a dramatic pose . . .
The boys, mostly Benson, had a great time launching rocks down and trying to land them in the water below. It was a difficult feat because the crevasse was narrow and also quite a ways down. They did have a couple of successes.
Benson was a little rusty at skipping rocks, but wanted to give it a try. How did he do?
Video of one of his attempts: (4 seconds)
It was nice to get out of the car so many times on our drive because some of us with wider hips or cranky lower backs in the back seat sure needed it! If we had driven from Vicenza up to Lake Misurina it would have only taken 2 hrs 40 minutes each way. But we needed Benson with us. So we drove 90 minutes up to Aviano and stayed the night. From Aviano it was 2 hours to Lake Misurina. Buuuuut . . . what goes up . . . must come down . . . We drove 2 hours back to Aviano to drop Benson off, and then another 90 minutes back to Vicenza. So all those stops really did help.
Back at Benson's house, we got to see Avery. YAY!! When Kylie opened up the door (she met us there), Avery's face lit up right away when she saw me. Talk about hearts melting . . . And she came right to me and let me carry her around. She got real shy when Gordon and Pam walked in, and then was unsure about going to Poppa (Scott). I'm glad she let me hold her, at least. I have missed her a lot!
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Video of Avery sorting: (47 seconds)
We were all pretty quiet on the drive home from Aviano. What a long day! But it was a special time with Benson and we saw some spectacular sights.
Here is a link to all the drone footage that Scott and Benson captured throughout the day:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13qJA8Xvn4uKL0bceO0m17ecVDnTHSSmjE4cYhehtC9o/edit?usp=sharing
Inside the Castello di Romeo, an older Italian man, perhaps in his 70's, was retelling the story of Romeo and Juliet very animatedly. I took a couple of videos of him because he was just so cute!
It was a short 5 minute walk over to the Castello di Giulietta.
This was also Gordon's 57th birthday. His only request was to have a nap. LOL
After a nap and some quiet time, we drove a short distance to show Gordon and Pam the Castles of Romeo and Juliet, about 25 minutes from our house.
Video #1: (1 minute, 28 seconds)
Video #2: (50 seconds)
I loved this giant Wisteria attached to the inner castle walls.
Gordon and Pam
When we got home, Pam and I put together some tasty chicken soup, using a little of this and a little of that in the fridge, including some pasta leftovers, and some fresh and frozen vegetables. Then we put a couple of candles in a PB bar and sang Happy Birthday to Gordon. They are planning a larger family celebration when they get home to West Virginia.
Video of the Happy Birthday Song, including Gordon's spunky additions: (24 seconds)
Gordon and Pam had fun just wandering the streets and soaking it all in. Short video of them: (16 seconds)
It took us a long time to find a place for lunch near the Arena. First of all, the crowds were astronomical! Secondly, we didn't know that Monday was lumped into Tuesday's big holiday known as Liberation Day (celebrating the day that Italy was liberated from Nazism and Fascism on 25 April 1945). Everyone was in Verona it seemed. Thirdly, many places are closed for the entire day on a national holiday. It's also difficult to choose a restaurant when you have more than 1-2 people . . . Scott wasn't hungry because he had a big breakfast and he's not much of a lunch eater. Gordon was hungry, and so was I. My only criteria was that we find a place with some protein, not just pizza or pasta. Pam wasn't crazy about the burger place we finally settled on, Hard Rock Cafe, but she was a good sport and found something to eat from the menu.
I ordered the Caesar Salad with grilled shrimp. Yum!
On the short 5 minute walk back to our parking garage, we passed some colorful arrangements of springtime flowers.
There is also an area indoors where you can apply a few different types of mud masks, and then rinse it off once it has hardened. Maybe I'll try that next time.
These plastic hanging things separate the indoors from the outdoors if you want to venture into one of the caves.
I wish we could come here every weekend . . .
This is a map of the entire establishment. Yep, it's big.
Something surprising also happened halfway home . . . HAIL. Hail happened.
Video: (23 seconds)
We even saw a guy pull over to the side of the road to put plastic sheeting over his BMW to protect it, LOL.
After we got back into town, we went a little out of our way to see if the same field of poppies that we saw last spring was in bloom yet. It wasn't. But we found a very small patch of pretty blooms, and some gorgeous calla lilies nearby.
Another beautiful thing that we saw on the way home was this . . .
Another beautiful sign of God's love for us was this sunset that we were privileged to witness at the end of the day.
Tuesday: After a hearty breakfast, I drove Gordon and Pam through a heavy downpour to the Venice Airport. I dropped them off near the water taxi docks where they would be catching a ride out to Murano, one of the islands out by Venice in the Lagoon. They'll spend the night out there tonight and then fly back to the United States tomorrow.
One last brotherly hug. Cuz brothers gotta hug. :)
The rest of the day was spent working on this blog or catching up on several phone calls. It's almost 10:00 p.m., but I have one last thought I want to share.
Our Father in Heaven loves us. Jesus Christ loves us. We felt that in several ways yesterday.
1. The rainbow. Even though it was faint and barely visible in the photo, it was still there. The skies were overcast, but there was a large rainbow that was clearly visible to everyone for miles around. It was profound in size.
2. The tiny patch of brilliant blue amid the darkened and cloudy skies. It may have seemed small, but it was still there. And it was profound in contrast.
3. The poppies. We had hoped for a large field of blooming poppies, and only found a small grouping instead. But they were still there. And they were profound in beauty.
4. The sunset. We wanted to share its beauty with Scott's mom in a video call, however, she couldn't see it because of a technical issue. But it was still there. And it was profound in every way, even the part where we simply just connected with her from the other side of the world.
In each case, we had an expectation. Maybe we wanted more blue skies, rather than stormy skies. But the evidence of God's love was always there. That's because He IS always there. We just might need to look a little harder for Him. That's when we will find Him.
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