West Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley
I just had the most wonderful visit with my sister-in-law Pam and her husband Gordon in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. I spent 10 days with their family, mostly just hanging out and visiting, which was so nice.
In the days leading up to my flight to the U.S., I was quite sick. I was extremely worried about bringing any germs to Pam, who had recently finished another round of chemotherapy and would be immuno-compromised. I woke up on Sunday (6 days before my travel day) feeling like garbage. I had a headache and brain mush and whatever else that makes you feel like garbage. Scott left that morning to travel down to Morocco with the military for a lengthy training exercise, so I was on my own.
I hoped and prayed mightily that Heavenly Father would bless me to get over this sickness quickly so I would have a buffer between all the germs and my subsequent travels that would bring me to Pam. But each day during that entire week, I continued to feel like garbage. My nose was a faucet that wouldn't stop, and I plowed through two entire boxes of Puff's Plus tissues (124-count x 2) over the course of 4 days. I was all plugged up and congested in my face and I was seriously worried about going up and down in elevation on those upcoming flights . . .
I just kept praying every day and holding out hope that God would hear my pleas and that He would protect Pam from my sickness.
On Thursday, the day before I was scheduled to fly, I went to see Dr. Novek - an American doctor who practices here in Vicenza. My tendency toward asthma with anything upper respiratory was now starting to progress toward something worse, and I knew I was going to need a round of Prednisone (a steroid) to nip it in the bud. He hooked me up with a new inhaler, the Prednisone, and a 10-day supply of antibiotics (just in case I ended up with a sinus infection).
Armed with all my prescriptions, I began packing for my trip, still hoping and praying for a miracle.
Friday, April 24th: I woke up before my alarm was set to go off (I know - shocker ha ha), and I was out the door at 6:00 a.m. to drive myself over to Del Din so I could catch the shuttle bus to the Venice Airport. What a convenient service this is, and it's free, too.
I think I blew my nose once the whole day and had just one cough drop and that was it.
No more sickness. The miracle that I had prayed for all week long was finally happening!
There were some interesting geographical features on the ground as we came into Dublin . . .
In Dublin, I was able to go through a Pre-clearance process - much like a normal customs process - which saved me a ton of time for when I would land in Washington, D.C. Not every airport overseas has this capability, but Dublin does. Kiosks are set up for you to scan your passport, have a digital photo taken, and now they've added another step where the kiosk also scans your fingerprints from your right hand. Then you can proceed to your gate.
My meal consisted of: delicious chicken/veggies/creamy mashed potatoes, a crunchy chopped vegetable salad, a tiny serving of custard, and a slice of bread with butter. I gave my bread & butter to William, and he was grateful. He was a big boy, possibly Hawaiian or Samoan, so I figured he could use a few extra bites of food.
Somehow we arrived in Washington, D.C. at the Dulles Airport a whole 90 minutes ahead of schedule!! As soon as we landed, I texted Gordon (Scott's brother) to let him know that I came in early. He panicked a little bit because he was just barely leaving the house in Harpers Ferry, which is a solid hour's drive away . . .
It turned out just fine, though. We had to sit on the plane for a bit before they found a gate we could pull up to. It also takes a fair amount of time to deboard the plane, walk through the airport to baggage claim, and make a potty stop along the way.
Because I had done the customs process in Dublin, when I landed in DC it was as if I had just arrived on a domestic flight. It literally saves a ton of time!
By the time I got outside to the curb and called Gordon, I only had to wait about 15 minutes before he pulled up.
The sunset was so beautiful on the drive back to their house . . .
They fed me a little snack and then I went to bed around 9:00 p.m. I slept all the way through until 4:00 a.m. when I woke up because my tummy was growling, ha ha. It took a little while to get back to sleep, but I had a pretty good first night.
Saturday, April 25th: The day was nice and easy, both quiet and relaxing. Pam and Gordon's daughter Marissa lives there, too, with her three young children. But the children were spending the weekend with their father, so everything was really quiet around the house.
Gordon and Pam go for a walk on most days, as long as Pam feels up for it. Most often they do laps inside the LDS Church behind their house. Gordon has the church key on a lanyard, and he loops the lanyard over the fingers on one hand to keep track of how many laps they've walked. 14 laps = 1 mile. Sometimes Pam will ask how many laps they've done, which helps her to gauge the progress, especially if she's feeling a little tired. If she knows she's close to 14 laps, she will keep going. Once in a while, she can do an extra lap. Gordon will also play uplifting religious songs on his phone as they walk, which makes Pam happy.
That evening, we celebrated Gordon's 60th birthday - even though his birthday was on Thursday (April 23rd).
We were joined by 3 of their 5 children for the evening: Marissa, Sierra, and Chandler. Sierra lives a few minutes north and works as an accountant - which she loves. She stops by almost daily to say hi, to hug and squish Marissa's children, and to hang out with both Marissa and their brother, Chandler, who lives downstairs in the renovated apartment below. Chandler is a certified massage therapist, but is also currently the director of a massage therapy school. He is also studying to become a Nurse Practicioner.
Most days, Pam has varying side effects that plague her still from the many rounds of chemotherapy. Sometimes her stomach hurts, and sometimes her whole body hurts. Partway through Relief Society, she was getting squirmy and I asked if she was okay. She was not. Since she didn't have her phone with her, I texted Gordon that she needed to go home. Moments later he texted back that he was in the hallway outside the Relief Society room, and then he helped to get her home and tucked into bed.
I needed a long walk later that afternoon, so Gordon offered to drive me over to a nearby historical farm with walking trails around the property. He and Pam took a slower and shorter walk behind me, while I trounced off ahead to get some wiggles out.
Murphy Farm consists of 99 acres and was the site of a significant series of events during the Civil War. In 1862, the Battle of Harpers Ferry took place here. Confederate General A.P. Hill (under Stonewall Jackson's command) pointed several cannons at the Union flank on Bolivar Heights, led by General Philip Sheridan. This eventually led to the surrender of 12,000 Union troops, the largest defeat in the Civil War.
In 1864, earthworks were constructed by the Union Army to help protect Harpers Ferry from future attacks from the Confederate Army, and are still visible there today.
In 1869, Alexander and Mary Murphy purchased the property from Edmund Chambers, and then they allowed the fort to be rebuilt so that the public could come and see it.
But then . . . wah wah wahhhh . . . a dumb pandemic known as COVID-19 took over the world.
I never made it over to Europe that year, but I hunkered down in Harpers Ferry for a few weeks before Pam helped me drive all the way back to Idaho Falls. We had a very speedy road trip by crossing the country in just 3 days!
While I stayed with their family in WV for those weeks, I did a lot of exploring in the area, including the Murphy Farm. I really love the wide walking path that travels around the perimeter and sometimes provides a shortcut across the earthwork hills.
I wasn't sure what these trees were when I was walking by, but they sure were pretty. Later I learned that they are Black Locust trees. Apparently, the flowers are very fragrant and are sometimes used in culinary dishes (like fritters). But nearly all the other parts of the tree, including the bark, leaves, and seed pods, are toxic to both humans and animals. Yikes.
John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), occurred on October 16–18, 1859. Led by abolitionist John Brown, 21 men attacked the federal armory to seize weapons, planning to trigger an armed slave revolt across the South. The raid failed, with Brown captured by U.S. Marines under Robert E. Lee and later hanged, fueling intense sectional conflict before the Civil War.
Key Details of the 1859 Raid:
- Purpose: Brown intended to seize the arsenal at Harpers Ferry and distribute weapons to local enslaved people to start a massive uprising.
- Key Individuals:John Brown led the raid with 21 men (including 5 Black men). U.S. Marines who helped end the raid were commanded by Colonel Robert E. Lee and J.E.B. Stuart.
- Outcome: After seizing the armory, local militia and citizens pinned down the raiders. Marines stormed the engine house (known as "John Brown's Fort") on October 18, capturing Brown and killing many of his followers.
- Post-Raid (Trial and Death): Brown was quickly tried for treason against Virginia, murder, and inciting a slave insurrection. He was found guilty and hanged on December 2, 1859.
- Significance: The raid increased southern fear of abolitionist conspiracies, intensified pro-slavery arguments, and hardened northern admiration for Brown, accelerating the nation toward the Civil War.
In the many years since, people have come here as part of a pilgrimage to pay their respects. In the sign below, it states:
"Here on the scene of John Brown's martyrdom we consecrate ourselves, our honor, our property to the final emancipation of the race which John Brown died to make free . . . Thank God for John Brown! . . . and all the hallowed dead who died for freedom!" ~ W.E.B. Dubois, founding member of the NAACP
"On August 17, 1906, members of the Niagara Movement [which later became the NAACP] walked silently past where you are standing. One of the first modern civil rights organizations in America, the Niagara Movement fought for racial equality and political representation at all social levels. Its members' efforts laid the foundation for creating the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. Niagara participants came here to the site of John Brown's Fort to honor Brown, who died to end slavery.
"Black scholar Dr. Benjamin Quarles described their arrival: 'As they neared their destination they formed a procession, single file, led by Owen M. Waller, a physician from Brooklyn. Defying stone and stubble, Waller took off his shoes and socks and walked barefoot as if treading on holy ground.' Other members followed suit and together they walked barefoot to the fort. As they circled the fort they sang verses of John Brown's Body and The Battle Hymn of the Republic."
Imagine for a moment that it's the Civil War . . . and you are hiding in those tall weeds, trying not to give away your position . . .
This short video might help you envision the scene: (4 seconds)
"The Fate of Harpers Ferry was sealed . . ." ~ General A.P. Hill
"After an exhausting night of dragging 20 cannon along the river and up the ravines to this site on Chambers (Murphy) Farm, General A.P. Hill and his 3,500 men sprang their trap on the unsuspecting Union Army. Before dawn on the last day of the battle, the Confederates aimed their cannon at the Union line, only 1,000 yards away. When the morning fog lifted, Hill signaled his artillerymen to open fire. Startled but alert, the Federals vigorously returned the fire. But an hour later their cannon were silent, triggering a Confederate charge.
"Hill wrote, 'General Pender commenced his advance, when, the enemy again opening . . . [we ran] forward to within 400 yards, and, quickly . . . poured in a damaging fire. The enemy now displayed the white flag.' The Union garrison at Harper Ferry fell."
A few hours later, Marissa returned from picking up her 3 children. Azure is now 6 years old, Rayma is 4, and Bellamy will be 3 this summer. The girls and I instantly hit it off, and it may have been because we all had piggy tails . . . Bellamy was a little more shy, but he did warm up to me over the next few days.
Monday, April 27th: Gordon and Pam had been wanting to go see the new Michael Jackson movie, and when they invited me to join them, I was super excited to go, too. Gordon chose a really nice theater for us, with fancy food and fancy recliner seating.
I chose the "Shame on Brie" sandwich, which included: brie, Gruyere, grilled chicken, bacon, arugula, and a light spread of fig preserves, with rosemary-infused truffle mayo on country white toast. WOW. It was incredible!! It tasted like we were eating in a really nice restaurant, but it was a MOVIE THEATER!! The only issue I had was that my body was still adjusting back to American cuisine, and I had to do the all-too-common *colon cleanse* midway through the movie . . . That sandwich was seriously amazing, though. And worth every bite.
Feet comfortably elevated and the chair reclined . . . check.
As soon as the first opening scene began, the music pumped through those surround-sound speakers and directly into my bones . . . What a thrill ride!!
The movie was very well done and I would highly recommend it. I cried a few times, I'm not gonna lie. I always knew Michael was a good person, but I didn't realize the full scope of his kindness and generosity, or even the magnitude of what his home life was like growing up. The most beautiful thing of all, though, was how his nephew Jafaar landed the role of portraying his uncle for the movie. Many people had auditioned, but when Jafaar showed up, there was something special about him. He asked for a little time to work on the choreography and was granted the role. He rehearsed daily for TWO YEARS to perfect the ability to "become" Michael Jackson.
I saw an interview where Jafaar described how there were days when he had practiced the dancing for so many hours that his feet would start to bleed, but he just kept going. He wanted to get it right. His uncles and others who were close to Michael helped Jafaar to get his voice just right, too, because Jafaar's voice is naturally lower. You could tell during the movie that Jafaar really channeled his beloved uncle and they became one. By the way, Jafaar is the son of Jermaine Jackson, one of the original Jackson 5. And he has such a sweet personality in all of his public interviews.
After Pam had a chance to lay down for a while, she was feeling well enough to go outside and putter around her gardens.
She told me that she is always cold these days, and it takes a lot for her to get warmed up. On this particular afternoon, we had an abundance of sunshine which not only allowed her to take off her sweatshirt, but it also gave me an opportunity to let my stark white legs soak up some sun, too.
Shortly after Pam's diagnosis last fall, Gordon installed a chair lift for the stairs. Pam uses it every day to go up and down that steep staircase. Once in a while, the grandchildren are allowed to use it, too, under strict adult supervision. They are reminded regularly that it is not a toy. But it's still super cute, no matter who is using it. I keep thinking about the old guy in the animated movie, "Up", ha ha.
Video of Rayma and Bellamy going up for bedtime: (7 seconds)
Tuesday, April 28th: In an attempt to encourage more colorful eating, I asked Azure to tell me what her favorite fruits were. She immediately declared, "Dragonfruit!" Whoah. Marissa and I were planning to go to the grocery store later that day, and I wanted to pick up a few fruits and/or veggies for the kids. I wasn't sure I would find dragonfruit in their local Walmart Superstore, but lo and behold, they had some!! She had also mentioned plums and peaches, but strangely there weren't any to be found -- yet.
Every night, the kids participate in what is known as a Dance Party. It's a way for them to get any last wiggles out before bed, and they usually perform their favorites on YouTube for Grandma Pam.
Video of Bellamy and Rayma: (13 seconds)
Video of Marissa & the kids, plus Gordon: (21 seconds)
My mom shared some beautiful photos of some of her garden flowers with us kids recently. Her rhododendrons were so striking in color! I had never seen "rhodies" before, but when I cut through the yard at the end of my walk that morning, I recognized Pam's "rhodies", which were also strikingly beautiful.
Later that afternoon, I borrowed Marissa's car so that I could mail a couple of things from the little post office in Bolivar (also known as Harpers Ferry proper). Across the street was a catchy mural painted on the side of a house known as the "Flag House." Hmm. Weird. I wonder why they would name it that . . .
This old building houses not only the post office, but also the police department and the Town Hall.
I tried to capture a few moments where Pam was interacting with her grandchildren, and this was a sweet one . . . (with Rayma and Bellamy)
With Chandler being the director of the school of massage therapy, he booked his mother and me a massage (FOR FREE) with a couple of their more advanced students. We each had a 90-minute slot (yippee!) and Gordon drove us there and back. Pam's assigned therapist had been advised earlier (by Chandler) to make sure to use a light touch and not to massage anywhere near the cranium, since she was still tender and delicate from her surgery last fall.
My therapist was named DeMar and he was really good. He spent a nice long time working on my forearms, since this is an area where I frequently experience carpal tunnal issues. Before he even started, I gained a lot of confidence when DeMar finished with his previous client and was walking her out to the waiting area. That's when she excitedly told Chandler at the desk, "He is seriously THE BEST!!"
Because it's a school, there are several small booths all next to each other, with just a thin curtain in between each one. For the most part, whoever was still working late that evening kept their voices low and minimal. But someone didn't get the memo, ha ha. He/She kept rattling around in the booth next to ours, grabbing a set of keys, then setting them down noisily, then grabbing them again, and lots of other obtrusive sounds.
After the massage is finished, Chandler gives you a QR code to scan and fill out a survey on how the student did. He said that even though they love compliments, they love constructive feedback even more and to be as specific as possible in your comments. The students are there to learn and we are their "guinea pigs". I only had a couple of minor suggestions for DeMar.
Thursday, April 30th: I could hardly wait all week for this day because I got to drive over to Edinburg, VA to meet with a local genealogist named Diane. Gordon is a really great networker because when I mentioned to him the day after I arrived how I was hoping to borrow a car at some point so I could do a little family history research in the Shenandoah Valley, he got right to work.
He looked in his LDS Tools app and sent a message to the Bishop in that area, asking if he could recommend someone with family history skills who could help me. The stake isn't a huge geographical area anymore, but it still crosses over state lines since Harpers Ferry is so close to both Maryland and Virginia. The bishop suggested we contact a lady named Charon who was very skilled in family history, so I sent her a message on Sunday. She ended up referring me to Diane as she explained that she was good on FamilySearch, but Diane was an expert on local genealogy, especially German genealogy.
Diane and I chatted back and forth for a day or so, setting up a time to meet on Thursday. I also sent her some information that she could look through ahead of time in order to get familiar with what I needed help with. My biggest genealogy question these days is: Where did my Sniders come from before they ended up in Strasburg, VA???
Clues have been:
- Johannes Schneider was "supposedly" born in Prussia
- The family attended the local Lutheran Church
- Many German families immigrated first to PA and then later to VA
- It's possible that his FATHER immigrated from Prussia to PA and that Johannes was born either in Prussia and came over as a baby or a little boy, OR he might have been born in PA. Not sure.
Edinburg is a little south of Strasburg, VA, but still only about one hour away from Harpers Ferry. Our meeting place was at the Shenandoah County Library in their local genealogy room.
I was SO HOPING that Diane would have some earth-shattering and exciting news to drop when I walked in, but sadly she didn't . . . So we started with what we already know, and we began looking through a bunch of books that are available there in the library.
The only time my heart started pounding with excitement was when I was on the page below . . .
I'm not sure what it all means just yet, but I have at least ONE PAGE I can follow up on in the coming weeks. I am resigned to the fact that finding out where the Sniders came from means I will be combing through one haystack of materials at a time, looking for that ONE NEEDLE that can help solve the mystery. I am not afraid of how long it might take, but I do hope that I can solve the mystery while I'm on this side of the world and so close to Germany!
After we had been working hard for almost 3 hours, I asked Diane if she was hungry at all. She quickly replied with, "I could eat!" I told her I would be happy to treat her to lunch and I let her choose the place. Her favorite eatery is this place called Bean's Barbecue in Edinburg. They have a variety of smoked meats, along with beans, cole slaw, and lots of sauces to douse your meat with.
We both chose the pulled pork sandwich, which was stacked almost a mile high with meat . . .
It was so tender it hardly needed any chewing at all! I discarded the top bun and just focused on eating as much of the meat as I could fit into my stomach, along with some of the cole slaw that we shared. I managed to eat about 85% of the pulled pork before I couldn't eat any more . . .
And then it was back to work for another 90 minutes or so at the library.
Diane has deep roots in the Edinburg and Strasburg areas, and she has a lot of contacts that she will be reaching out to in my behalf. I hope that we can uncover something special this year.
At this point, I split off with Diane and drove a few miles north to Strasburg. I wanted to hunt for a treasure or two in their huge antiques emporium, including something for me, and hopefully something for my Dad, too, since his ancestors came from this area.
The Great Strasburg Emporium . . .
It is so easy to get lost in this place . . . it's just row after row after row of stuff, and at one point I ended up going in circles a few times because I couldn't figure out how that section connected back to the previous sections, ha ha. I had to ask someone for help!
I didn't find anything reasonable to get for my Dad's birthday, unfortunately. Everything that I got excited about wasn't exactly going to fit into a flat-rate USPS box, dang it. But I did find some cute fabric remnants and some quilt blocks that I can repurpose. I also grabbed a jar of Green Pepper Jelly for my downstairs neighbor, Bruno, which he happily received this morning back in Vicenza. It's really good to eat when you layer your favorite cracker with some cream cheese, and then another layer of the green pepper jelly on top. Yum!!
The cashier gave me a great recommendation on where I could go next, which was called the Woodbine Farm Market just outside the city limits of Strasburg. I had asked if she knew of a place that sells locally made foods and packaged goodies, and she really nailed it with this suggestion!
I found all kinds of fun things there!!
~ I bought a half-pie to share with Gordon and Pam's family. After asking what a Fruit Forest Pie was made of, and then hearing the list of delectable fruits that were inside, I said, "Yep. THAT ONE." It contained strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, and rhubarb!! It turned out to be FANTASTIC.
~ I picked up a bright red ballcap that says Woodbine Farm Market on it, which I will be wearing on July 4th in Idaho Falls.
~ I picked out a few cookies to bring all the way back to Italy with me.
~ I found a hilarious tea towel with a black & white photo of a lady (from maybe the 1950's) standing on her front porch and wearing an apron. She may have been a little frumpy, but she was also very cute and Grandma-ish. The caption below said: "Some days you feel skinny . . . but some days you feel like a busted can of biscuits." LOL
~ I got a sticker for my metal water bottle that says, "Well, I'll Be . . ." ha ha. When I see it, I think of the emphasis being on the word "I'll". (well, I'LL be) (as in, well, I'LL be darned, and - is THAT right?) (spoken with a pronounced Southern drawl)
~ I also found some fabulous dried apples that looked nice and crunchy. I grabbed a bag for myself and one for my Dad's birthday package.
~ And last but not least: I saw some cute little tiny jugs of pure maple syrup on the shelf. On closer inspection, I noticed that the syrup had been collected in SUGAR GROVE, WEST VIRGINIA!!! We used to live there when I was a little girl and my Dad was stationed there with the Navy for a few years. How cool is that!?! So I grabbed one for his birthday package, and one to haul home with me to Italy.
I could hardly believe my eyes!! I had to drive a little ways up the road before I could turn around and go back for a picture.
This is the view of the country road named after the Hockmans. And those picturesque fields earlier? They were off to the right, just outside of this photo frame . . .
The Hockmans married into my Snider line, and there were several of my ancestral Hockmans from the Strasburg area. Who knows if this road was named after my direct line or not, but certainly they would have been related somehow. That was a nice little happy surprise before I left Strasburg and headed back to Harpers Ferry.
Friday, May 1st: The weather was a little too cold for Gordon to convince Pam to go for a motorcycle ride while I was there. But he pulled off the cover on one of those days anyway, hoping that there might be a slim chance she'd say yes. What a handsome bike he has!!
Gordon pulled out Pam's wheelchair from the trunk just in case she got tired while she browsed, and she did from time to time. Her legs would start to feel a little wobbly, so she would obediently sit down for a short rest.
After an epic morning amongst all the beautiful plants and flowers, we drove over to see Gordon and Pam's two oldest kids, Chelsea and Sierra, who also live in Martinsburg. I hadn't seen Chelsea at all yet during the week, so I was especially excited to see her. The girls invited me inside their apartment and showed me their favorite areas, which I loved every minute of. Sierra is very organizational, AND she loves plants. I was impressed by how beautiful this grouping of plants looked on their sunny shelves next to the window. Is that weird that I was more drawn to how the plants were so perfectly organized, instead of the actual plants themselves? Have I mentioned that I also love vacuum lines in a carpeted room, too? What does this say about me . . .
Gordon treated us all to lunch at the nearby Wendy's and I had a great time visiting even more with Chelsea, who was sitting next to me. She works for a soil management company that allows her to tromp around in farmer's fields, among other locations, checking that the drainage is up to par, etc. She really loves her job. She wanted to know what each of my kids were up to, so we had a good chat and got caught up on life as best as we could.
Later that afternoon, I invited Azure to come on a walk with me. We found a fuzzy caterpillar near the church, and she begged to be able to bring him home. We talked about a possible habitat that we could build for him, and she decided to name him "Ash". She had lots of questions that I looked online for answers to. Questions like: what kind of caterpillar is he, what does he eat, what will he look like as a butterfly, how long will he be a caterpillar before turning into a butterfly, etc.
We learned that he is an Eastern Tent Caterpillar and will eventually turn into a moth. He is also a picky eater, preferring to munch on leaves from his favorite apple or cherry trees. Thankfully, Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Pam have an apple tree in their yard, and we got permission to pluck one leaf a day from the lower branches to put into his little habitat that we built (inside a red plastic solo cup). We found a couple of twigs for him to climb on, and then we covered the cup with plastic wrap and poked a few small holes in the top. I helped Azure to find a spot under the trees in the back yard (near the wood pile) where he'd be safe from the elements (like the gusty winds).
She had to carefully encourage both Rayma and Bellamy to want to touch Ash, since they are both deathly afraid of bugs and flying insects. But they soon warmed up and even happily petted him. :) Long live Ash!
Saturday, May 2nd: I went for another long walk in the neighborhood, seriously in awe of the massive yards that everyone has. What a change from Italy!!
And the streets are so WIDE . . .
I went with Marissa and her daughters to a store called Five and Below. I had never been inside one of these stores before, but they're basically like a fancy version of a Family Dollar. They had the cutest things!! The reason why we went there was because Azure had worked really hard in school to improve not only her spelling words, but she improved her overall handwriting as well. Plus, she did a good job cleaning her room, so it was time for the promised reward.
I was thrilled to find some cute (and cheap) red, white, and blue decor that I could take home in my suitcase. I grabbed a package of small American flags - something I WISH that Benson and I had had when we attended the Ski Mountaineering event at the Olympics. This might come as a surprise, but you're not gonna find American flags in Italy . . .
I also picked up a few packages of bunting/garland with strands of small triangular American flags. I thought this would be nice inside the stairwell going up towards our flat. You don't want to really advertise that you're an American living in Vicenza. Sublety is important. You don't want to draw attention to yourself if you can help it. Just live life on the down-low . . .
One of the subleties I created this year was my flower boxes on the balcony - with red/white/"blue" flower arrangements. It's possible that the only people that would ever notice would be other fellow Americans. Sometimes when I am out on a long walk, I have noticed someone else has done the same thing with their flower pots - a subtle grouping of USA colors. No flags. No banners. No billboards. Just a quiet patriotism while we're living in a foreign country.
I thought this hat was a hoot in the store, but I didn't buy it . . . I thought of my father-in-law Phil, who always loves a hot dog on July 4th. And at a baseball game. And at the rodeo. And anytime they're grilling up some hot dogs outside Home Depot. And basically any day was a good day for a hot dog if you were Phil Harmon. :)
Gordon is a thoughtful person. If there is ever a need to built a contraption for any purpose at all, he's your guy. After he built a firepit in the backyard, he noticed that Pam struggled to keep warm enough even though she was sitting close to the fire. She's been colder than usual since going through chemo and radiation all these months.
So he put together an aluminum chimney pipe of sorts to lay across the fire. At the opposite end is a small fan that pushes the hot air out the other end. The fan needs to be plugged in, so yeah, there's a little bit of danger and risk involved as they are so close to the flames. But that's what secretly drives Gordon - it's the level of risk, and can he effectively manage the risk and come out on top, ha ha.
He helped to wrap a blanket around Pam and then draped some of the fabric over the chimney spouted end (??) so that the heat would blow nicely all over her. She loved it.
We had a relaxed evening around the campfire, with homemade BBQ wings, hot dogs and brats, watermelon, pasta salad, chips, and all the naughty sides that are so good. It was chilly and a little breezy, but it was such a fun time with everyone on my last night. I think this was my favorite day the whole week!
Below: (L to R) Gordon, Sierra, Marissa, and Pam
Unbeknownst to me, Gordon took this photo so he could send it to Scottie. I'm standing on the far side of the fire pit, wearing Chandler's thick and incredibly warm Carhartt jacket. Also, to this branch of the Harmon family, Scott is Scottie, and I am Shellie. They have always called us Scottie and Shellie, and I love it. I love that the kids call me Aunt Shellie. Nobody else calls me Shellie, and I'm okay with that. From these guys, it's a term of endearment and I want to keep it special.
After we eventually got out of the hot tub, we continued the conversation downstairs in Chandler's apartment. Gosh, we talked about some deep stuff and it was incredible. At the end of it all, I gave them the best pep talk that I could muster. It went something like this:
"You guys - your generation - is SO AMAZING. YOU are our future. I am so grateful for you guys and for your whole generation of young adults. It's YOU GUYS that are helping to change the world, and for the better! If you can help to get someone younger than 80 into the White House, that would be so awesome. And make sure you do all you can to make YOUR circle of influence a good one. When you go to the store, ask that exhausted cashier how their day is going. Strike up a conversation with the people around you. Be kind to your family, your friends, your coworkers, your neighbors, and the people in your community. THAT'S how you can make the world a better place."
They seemed to like the pep talk. And I really did mean what I said.
Sunday, May 3rd: Sacrament meeting was so beautiful at church that morning! It was Fast & Testimony Sunday, and there were some really sweet testimonies of Jesus Christ that were shared. One lady was there visiting her daughter's family. She was from somewhere in the Midwest and her husband was serving as the Branch President for the Juvenile Correctional Facility there. (*A branch president is like a bishop, but presides over a smaller group of members than what is typical for a ward.)
She is a yoga instructor and decided to bring her skills to the detention center recently. As she patiently taught these young men how to do "downward dog" and "cobra", among other yoga poses, some of them were really struggling. And it wasn't just a case of non-flexibility. When she stopped to take stock of each one and what they were having a hard time with, they began to open up to her. One of them said that he couldn't stretch a certain way because he was still healing from a knife wound on his shin. Another said he had scarring that was still tender from a gunshot wound. And the list went on and on.
She had to choke back tears as she felt a huge wave of love and compassion for them just wash over her. These boys had been through some really hard things and she ached for them. She found ways to bear her testimony about Jesus Christ and how He can help them individually. It must have started to seep into their souls, because it wasn't too long before one of the young men told her the most profound thing.
He said he decided to give his heart over to Jesus and let Him guide his path from that point on. He said, "I will never pick up a gun or a knife for the rest of my life when there's something that needs to be resolved. Never ever."
She compared this to a story from the Book of Mormon about a group of ancient inhabitants in the Americas called the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. When they allowed the love of Jesus Christ to permeate their hearts, they made a vow to NEVER pick up a weapon to hurt or kill another child of God ever again. They even went as far as to dig a giant pit where they could physically (and symbolically) bury their weapons of war. And they absolutely kept that promise for the rest of their earthly lives.
The power of the Savior to change a person's life is real and it's powerful.
Pam made it all the way through Sunday School this time without needing to go home early. Yay!
After I got home from church, I hurried to change my clothes and grab a little bite to eat before we needed to leave. Chandler helped me figure out how much my big suitcase weighed, and unfortunately I was over by 3 lbs. I had to pull out several packages of chocolate chips that I had scuttled away and give them away to Chandler because they weighed too much. Darn it. The price of chocolate chips has gone up so much in recent months, and even at the Commissary in Vicenza they cost $4.65 PER BAG. In the Walmart at Harpers Ferry, they were $3.65, which still wasn't great, but I grabbed several bags anyway. Sadly, I only brought 2 bags back to Italy with me, but at least my suitcase made the 50 lbs limit.
Gordon and Pam drove me to the Dulles Airport. And as we drove, Gordon had Pam record a story or two from her life on the Memories app that I had showed him how to use. I hope they continue to record lots of stories so that her posterity will always have her voice and her memories to enjoy long after she has graduated from this life.
I had the nicest meal at the airport before catching my flight home . . .
I ordered 2 Rappahannock River Oysters that came with a lemon wedge, a vinaigrette, and cocktail sauce. They were AMAZING. Wow. It's been a long time since I've had oysters.
And this was probably the best tasting avocado toast I've ever had! The grilled prawns were extra.
That airport meal was way better than my in-flight meal several hours later . . . the only things I ended up eating were the few chunks of beef, green beans, and the little square of cheesecake. I didn't want the quinoa salad or the crackers or the potatoes. And I would have been mighty hungry over the next several hours if I hadn't eaten back in the DC airport . . .
She chose to invest in a faith-filled journey of discovery as part of her self care. She had the Quran with her, laid open on her tray table where I could see phrases in English next to phrases in Arabic. She was thoughtfully reading and studying each page, and I even saw her copying the Arabic characters onto her notebook for several hours.
We talked for the first 2 hours of the flight before we settled into the quiet spaces of our row for the duration of the flight. We talked about my marriage and what helps us to get along so well. We talked about our families and some of the hard things we've been through in life and what got us through - which was our faith in God, a Higher Power, and more than what we could have ever done on our own. She was an incredible 33-year old woman. I am in awe of how many people in the world are turning to God and Jesus Christ as the earth grows ever darker and uglier. What a beautiful place to turn your heart when you need help.
I also loved that there was an empty seat between us. It's always great to have a little extra space in such a cramped situation!
Eight hours later, the sun was just rising as we descended into Madrid, Spain . . .
Monday, May 4th: The airport in Madrid was surprisingly busy for so early in the morning. I wasn't a fan of all the conversations and noise, especially since I didn't get a single minute of sleep all night. The guy behind me didn't know what the meaning of seat etiquette is, so he kept whacking and thumping into my seatback all night. He'd get up every few minutes, too, either for himself or to let someone from his row out. In the process of getting up, he'd grab my seat to hoist himself up . . . sigh. I spent a lot of time focusing on patience and choosing to not get overly rattled with every new bump or whack. But I was in a sleepy daze while I waited for my final flight from Madrid to Venice.
Spain had a lot more interesting geographical features than I imagined. Somehow I thought the landscape would be mostly brown and dry because it gets so hot there, but there were many areas of green, with large crops that were thriving abundantly across the land.
Finally, 2.5 hours later, Venice came into view out my window . . .
I still had a ways to go before arriving home, though. I had to wait a little over 2 hours for my shuttle bus to arrive, so I found myself a little cafe in the Venice Airport where I could hang out and wait. While the bus drove me back to Vicenza, I do think I may have passed out for a little bit out of sheer exhaustion. I had been up for about 24 hours by this point . . .
And by the time I got into bed that night, I had been awake for about 27 hours. I woke up in my bed the following morning to slowly realize that I had not moved ONCE the entire night. I was still in the same exact position as when I had fallen asleep 8.5 hours earlier . . . whoah. And I didn't even wake up to go to the bathroom. I just slept like a literal rock the whole night.
It took me a few extra days to get my sleep back on track, but now, 5 days later, I think I'm finally on the right sleep schedule again. Yay!
Scott was supposed to come home from Morocco today (May 9th), but unfortunately, there was a tragic incident that happened down there and he was asked to stay for another 2 weeks to help out.
Here's a link to the best write-up that I've seen about what happened:
Scott's job is to manage the map that shows what everyone is doing as part of the search efforts. Since it's been 6 days since the two soldiers disappeared into the ocean, it's more of a recovery effort now. Hopefully they can find the bodies so that their families can have the closure that they need during the grieving process.
They are using drones, divers, and every possible asset to retrieve the bodies. I hope they are successful soon.
And I can't wait to see my husband again!! XOXO
Comments
Post a Comment