Have Your Cake And Eat It Too

Ok, so here's the deal. It's been almost a full month here in Naples, and I have yet to hit the gym like I had planned. Marito had a short day today so I made myself go. Since marito works at Capo, that is where I went. No need for him to drop me off at Support Site, and then come by and pick me up afterwards when I can accomplish the same goal at either location.

Walking into a new gym is always intimidating for me. Normally you see a ton of really buff guys hitting the weights, or perfect figure women beasting the treadmill, but here it's all normal people. I always take caution when I go to a gym, I feel like the new kid, looking around and trying to get the feel for everything. At Capo the gym is called Fit Zone, and it is very comparable to a Planet Fitness or Anytime Fitness, except its not open past 9 pm. On half of the gym there is a bunch of bikes, treadmills, elipiticals, stair steppers and more. The other half has all of the weight machines, and let me tell you, there are a lot! They didn't waste any space yet it doesn't feel cramped. All of the machines are new Life Fitness machines, and in great shape, which is always nice to see- no one likes run down gyms. There is a separate room for free weights, a room for yoga/pillates/dance classes, a full size basketball court with bleachers, as well as a spin classroom, two racketball courts, and an olympic size pool. If that doesn't make you happy, just go walk on in the locker room, sit in the spacious sauna and then take a shower!

Really impressed with this gym, and I know I won't use all of the ammenities but it is nice to know I have the option! So, I finally got my first Italian work out in, I might be interested in taking a few classes. I mean, hey, I can sit on my butt while marito works, or I can whip my butt into shape. I'm starting to get ready for my beach body for summer of 2015!

I knew that later tonight I would be eating birthday dinner and cake with some friends, so I didn't waste time getting my workout in. Later marito and I went and picked up a board game as a gag gift and a celebratory cigar (not for me of course). And as planned, pizza and cake were on the menu. Birthday boy's wife asked the hotel to pick a good cake, and boy did they deliver. It was very similar to a tiaramisu cake but instead of coffee liquor it was maybe a rum dipped cake and chocolate ganache. It was delicious, whatever it was. Fortunately I spent almost 3 hours at the gym in preparation!

The owners of the hotel brought out the cake, we didn't know they were even here, and a few guys from the staff (or I call them familia!) sang Happy Birthday and wished Birthday Boy a great year. The Familia here at Hotel Agora is a wonderful staff. The hotel is nice, but the people here, well they are like family! It's always "Boungiorno" first thing in the morning, smiles all throughout the day, and very friendly and warm hearts. If we buy dinner down the road and bring it back, they take our food and plate it up for us (even if we say no!). Happy Hour everyday from 6-8 BOGO Free, except on Fridays when the hotel has a free cookout for the people staying here as well as everyone who has stayed or is connected.Oh and don't forget Man Night on Wednesdays! They really take care of you here and it's Nice.


The owners, Christan and Jennifer are an Italian/American couple, who cater to military members. Jennifer is prior Navy, so she knows what it is like to transfer overseas and not feel at home. Fortunately she must have thrown 3 coins in the Trevi Fountain because she fell in love with an Italian, married him and opened up a great place for us to call home for 2 months!

Gorgeous sunset over looking the pool.

We Are Called Dependents For A Reason

Over the past few days, I have been making due of Hotel Living. Meeting my neighbors, reading a book by the pool, and of course a little bit of swimming. As we enter the end of our fourth full week here in Italy, I noticed an attitude change in myself. 

I have become VERY unpleasant to my marito. It's almost like he can't do anything right in my eyes. He asks where do I want to go for dinner, and I roll my eyes at him and say "You Pick, I REALLY don't care." Like he deserved to be talked to like a child. Or a dog. It's a shame, we've been getting on each others last nerves for the past week, and I realize why.

No, it's not "that time of the month." It occurred to me that I have never been SO dependent on my marito in the 7 years we've been together, that my lack of independence is driving me insane! I've mentioned before how I am such a go-go-go person, and being locked up on a hotel with no where to go, nothing to do or places to see that I take out my frustrations on the man I married. 

I can't go shopping without his money, or without him driving me there, since I haven't learned to drive stick. I can't go to the gym unless I want to be stuck on base all day because I have to wait for a ride home from him when he gets off work. I truly understand the word dependent now more than ever. I had more freedom when I was 14!

Well today was my anniversary with my marito, and to get out of the hotel before I killed him (figuratively speaking) I signed up for a class on base yesterday. It was a demijohn decorating class. I needed to get my artsy fartsy on!

Before this class, I did drag marito out to the Support Site to check out a sidewalk sale the Thrift Store was having. The Thrift Store is ran by the Naples Overseas Spouse Club, which I really want to get more involved with. Everything they had outside was 50 Cents!! I wanted to go to find a steal! They had a ton of clothes, shoes, hats, books, even some electronics! Nothing that I needed but it was nice to find the Thrift Store, so when they have their grand re-opening I can stop by.

Now it was time for my demijohn class and it couldn't have come at a better time! Marito and I weren't seeing eye to eye and I needed to get my mind into craft mode. A lovely group of ladies met at the Community Center, we each got our own demijohn. A demijohn is a glass bottle that has a tear drop shape, and it comes in different colors. They are used to make wine, and can be found all over Italy. The Americans here are big into collecting them, and this was my easy way of starting my collection. We all took gems, colored glass, tiles and marbles and glued them to the bottle. filling in the holes with grout so the bottles had a mosaic look to them. Three hours into it and it was time to go. It was nice connecting with wives who have already settled into the life here, and making new friends. I left as one happy wife, and marito picked me up after he had gone anniversary gift shopping. So this was definitely a double win for me!

For our anniversary, we put the bickering behind us and spent the day at the pool, surrounded by our new friends and their kids. We had made plans to go see a movie, catch a sunset and maybe go out for dinner, but spending a few hours in the water and sun with good company was definitely the better choice!

I am fully aware of the deployment cycle but no one prepared me for the PCS cycle to an overseas station. I've been through the excited to move phase, and the hurry up let's get there phase. Now I am just hoping I am done with my "Claustrophobic  phase. 

Buying a Naples Beater

It's been two weeks since we first arrived in our new home of Naples, and the only complains is my marito's driving! I should have died twice now, but luck was on my side of the car! (Just kidding mom and dad- he's American and has a little bit of road rage- which I knew when I married him.)

After we completed AO and received our drivers licensse we headed straight to Europcar beside the NEX and rented a vehicle. We didn't want to have to rely on our sponsor or the bus to get around. Plus I'm a busy body and have to get out of the hotel and explore. Just a heads up, automatic cars cost more to rent than manuals, we were fortunate that someone cancled thier pickup so we were able to get a small manual for about 35 euros a day (without additional insurance). We rented it for a week, and during that time we've been looking at cars in the Lemon Lot.

I had no idea where the Lemon Lot was located, but for our new PCS families, the lot is 3-4 rows of parking in front of the Fire Station which is across the street from the NEX. None of these cars were dream cars, they all are hand me downs and mostly manual transmission. Not my ideal car! Guess I will have to learn.

Last week we were browsing through the lot and spotted a white VW Golf. Now my marito just sold his second VW Jetta, so he has a soft spot for VW. Unfortunatly this car isn't available until next month, but we contacted them anyways. The owner was firm on when they could sell the vehicle, but did have another vehicle they were about to sell- a 2000 Alfa Romeo 145. A wha? Never heard of it, but boy did marito get excited! We made an appointment to test drive the car, and check it out, it was pretty sound and the price was right. For $2750 we were finally in the right ball park. I really didn't want to buy a $1000 car, nor did I want to buy something over $3000- insurance is expensive enough, and we are only going it have it for 3 years.

With cash in hand we were able to settle on $2500 for our Naples Beater! Went to the Motor Vehicle Registration Office (MVRO) to change the title over and get our plates.  It was easy to go to USAA.com and chat online with an agent to add the Alfa onto our insurance policy. For liability only on the beater we are paying around $500 a year!! That is over half of what we paid for full coverage in the states on 2 cars!! Holy Smokes Batman! Just wait until I tell you how much it is for the Rav4 we are bringing over...! 

Marito is happy he got a decent car. He didn't want to be stuck with something too small, or too big, or pretty broken. One of the guys we met at the hotel bought a car for $700. It's tiny, but he will be living 2 blocks from work, so he will manage. His car was advertised as so: "Has some Naples Kisses, but doesn't look like she got drunk and made out with the entire town!" Such a cute way of saying the car has love taps.

I look forward to learning how to drive stick, but I cannot wait to get my automatic back!! My Rav4 is brand new, and I am worry about getting Naples Kisses on it, but I wasn't ready to part ways with it and leave it behind. With bringing over my baby, come the price of insurance. In the States I had half a million dollars of coverage on my vehicle, and that was with extra coverage. Here in Italy the MINIMUM coverage is FIVE MILLION EUROS! Needless to say, with full coverage on my car and liability on his it is over Seven Thousand Dollars a year here. Fortunate for us my parents enrolled me in USAA when I was 13. My mom got me a pre-paid debit card. THANK YOU MOM!!! With my "Legacy" (length of time as a memeber) I am saving over three grand! So both vehicles will cost us around $4,000 a year, which is over 4 times the price in America, but I'm not going to risk not having insurance. Infact the base won't let you. But I did put minimum amount of miles on both vehicles (5,900 miles a year). This lowered our rates quite a bit.

My car won't be hear until September, and I can't wait. With a GPS in hand I can finally learn the roads from the drivers seat- it's deifferent when you're always the passenger. I'm sure I will get lost, so look forward to reading about that!

Holy Moly Canoli!

A lonely day here in the hotel. I did manage to put faces to names. I met with a family I've chatted with on Facebook. It never hurts to meet people when you don't know anyone. Enjoyed their company as we sat by the pool, waiting for our husbands to get off work. Technology has been a savior for this gal here! I've learned so much about what to expect, where to go, and how to fix things just by reading threads on Facebook. I've already been stopped at the NEX by someone that recognizes my face. It is a weird feeling hearing someone call out your name and you don't know a soul yet, besides the people who you are "friends" with online.

Other than making a new friend I did some research on Oktoberfest! Hotels are outrageously priced, 900+ DOLLARS for 3 nights, staying 15 miles away. To reserve tables within a Tent (where the food and drinks are) you have to have at least 10 people in your party. So Oktoberfest may not be in the cards for us this year, but don't you worry, I will start planing for next year as soon as it ends this October.

Just a little something something for those who want to ever go to Oktoberfest, it starts in September and ends in October!! This year it starts Sept 22nd and ends on October 7th. From what I've read it's because the weather is nicer for it.

So we may not be able to make out in time for the beer party, but I do plan on going to Germany in December. I'm told wonderful things about their "Christmas Markets." I LOVE Christmas! I love the decorations, the craftwork, and warm drinks, and over all I love finding special trinkets for special people!


With vacation plans on the back burner for the moment, marito is ready to go get dinner and McDonalds is on the menu. Before we grab some grub, I decide to go investigate the shopping center. We walk into a store called Auchan and expect it to be like Walmart. Similar to a Walmart with Lynnhaven Mall attached to it! To the left is a massive store, with fresh seafood on ice, three isles of wine, three or more isles of PASTA, and more. It was Walmart on crack. on the other side of the hall were clothing stores, jewlery stores, and even a food court. We were completely mislead about this place! After walking around we grab a few pastries. Marito grabs a container of freshly made canoli's and I grab a pastry with fruit on top (I have no idea what it is!)

After dinner, marito breaks open the canoli box and dives right on it! I've had a canoli once, and didn't care for it. Real Italian canoli's have changed my views on the world! They are delicious! If I can bring some back I would do it in a heartbeat.



I am glad we got the orders to Naples, it is going to be one of the best experiences, and I plan to write about all of my experiences.

... Do As The Romans Do

Imagine waking up in walking distance of the Roman Coliseum, and just a jump, skip and hop away from the Trevi Fountain? This is definitely a dream come true, to be in a city rich with history, with my marito.

Mind you my dream wasn't to be laying in a hotel room  with an a/c system that blows warm air, the windows open to let in the breeze of birds passing by and it being too warm to hold my husbands' hand. This dream I had also didn't include a screeching car alarm at 4 am that lasted an hour and a half. Don't forget our windows were open, well they were until the alarm didn't go off after 30 minutes. Other than that, the dream went as one could imagine.

Waking up whenever we wanted, and making our way to the Trevi Fountain. Our time in the great city of Roma was limited, so the big sites were our first stops. We park a block away and follow the crowd around the corner. Standing stories high, was this gorgeous white fountain. Much larger than I had ever imagined it being. Took my breath away. Marito and I stop for a slice of pizza from a restaurant called "Pizza di Trevi." Were you expecting a different name?!?

With food in our belly we were ready to fight the Saturday afternoon crowd. A 'scuzi here and pardon there we find an open spot and gun for it! Wanting the perfect picture, I wait until I find someone who speaks English, when I know I could have pointed to my camera to anyone to ask for a picture, it was just easier this way. So marito and I strike a pose and of course I look ridiculous, sorry I'm not sharing it on here! But marito knows how to take a good picture of me!

After a couple of snap shots we both throw in a coin in to the fountain.

1 coin = You will return to the eternal city of Roma
2 coins = You will fall in love with a Roman
3 coins = You will marry a Roman

About 3,000 Euros is collected from the fountain daily, and is used to subsidize supermarkets for the needy in Roma.

We returned to the car, turned of the GPS and got lost in the city. Coming across beautiful buildings, statues and finally found ourselves at the front of St. Peter's Basilica. We decided not to go into the Vatican today, since our niece will be with us for her birthday in November, we will explore when she is with us. Plus I can't wear shorts in the Vatican, and it is too warm to be standing in line and walking around!

It was time to leave Roma and head up to Orvieto. My home town college is playing an exhibition game this medieval town, and it would be so cool to see them play here.

Orvieto is an town dated back to the 10th Century! Again, turning the GPS off and getting lost, we find ourselves driving down barely wide enough alleys where everything is made of stone.  We stop short of a massive Cathedral. I know nothing of it, besides that it is stunning. What was really nice was the lack of crowds and room to sit and admire this dramatic, Gothic Cathedral.

Needless to say, we couldn't find where the basketball game was taking place, nor could we find someone who new what we were talking about, so we headed back.

Spontaneous trips are what I am looking forward to. Now if only we can get our own vehicle instead of using a rental!

When In Rome...

Let the fun begin.  Marito got off work early today, and with the weekend ahead of us we packed a book bag and ran out the door. My father had called earlier to let me know that ODU (my home town basketball team) was going to be  in Rome and they were letting fans attend their games. Being only 2.5 hours away we couldn't turn down the opportunity!

I quickly booked a hotel room, grabbed my sunglasses and hit the road.  We didn't want to pay any tolls, so we re-routed the Garmin and headed up along the coast. All of Italians are still on vacation right now, and they were all at the same place! The beaches were packed, and parking was crazy. People parked a mile away! I don't know about you, but I don't need my piece of sand THAT MUCH! Umbrellas were stacked from the back of the beach, all the way to the waters edge almost. There wasn't an unclaimed spot. It was identical to this picture.

Since we were so close to a NATO Base, we decided to find it! Not only were we hungry for lunch, but we needed some gas for the car too. So we drove around and around, looking on the internet for coordinates to it, with no such luck. So we forgo that idea and just stop for gas, and wait to eat until we get to Roma. Marito puts his Credit Card into a pump, and lifts one of 4 handles. It says Gasolina which is what we want right? Nozzle doesn't fit, ok so lets hang it up and put 50 Euros in the machine, lift handle and still it doesn't fit. Finally a local lets us know that we were lifting the wrong handle. We wanted Unleaded (who knew there was a difference?) Get a receipt and start over. Insert 20 Euro and voila! Only problem, how do we get our 50 Euro back from lifting the wrong handle?? There was no attendant, and after I translated the machine it looks like we won't be getting it back. Marito wasn't happy, but it was a lesson learned- a pricy one at that! 

Onward to Roma! After a 4 hour scenic drive, we finally made it! Checked into a small hotel- Hotel Grifo, and walked towards the Coliseum. Our hotel isn't anything fancy, but it does have free wifi, parking permits, and breakfast. It is also MINUTES away from the Coliseum. What more can you ask for when you're paying 64 Euros a night?!

Just a couple blocks south and we were there. I mean, you can't miss the place! I took a couple of pictures, and we made our way down these stair to the base of the stone structure. Following marito's footsteps and next thing you know, out goes my foot and down goes my tush! Slipping five maybe six steps down the stairs my pride was distraught. Suffered a scrape on my wrist, and elbow, and a dented camera, I was ok.  Taking a minute to collect myself, marito says that no one was around to see. THANK GOD! I don't want to find that video on YouTube of AFV!

Finishing the steps and making our way around the back side of the Coliseum I stop to take some pictures. My Favorite picture, and it's blurry! But it's proof, that we were here!

Going down alley ways, marito and I look for a nice place to sit and eat dinner. We come across a little restaurant stocked with bottles of wine from across the country. Both of us ready to indulge in more local cuisine, we order some pasta and bruschetta. 

First off, Bruschetta in Italy is to die for. the bread is fresh, soft with the perfect crunchy crust, glazed with olive oil and topped with delicious tomatoes. It is seriously a little piece of heaven. 

Our meals came, and pasta doesn't last long on a plate in our family. His Linguini disappeared and my Ravioli had no chance. 

After dinner we walk back to the Coliseum, and circle it. I'm trying to be artsy fartsy with my camera and get unique views of it. Check my Facebook if you want to see them. Heading back to the hotel, (no we didn't go inside- there will be plenty of days to do that) anyways, on our way back, we stop in a small plaza and get a beer and gelato. You can guess who got which right? I ask the waitress to give me her favorite flavors of gelato (two scoops) and she says Banana and Pistachio. Sounds good to me. Sitting down and enjoying every bite of my gelato, I only wish that everyone could experience this. I have my marito by my side, and we are exploring the world together. 

Tomorrow calls for another day of adventure, as we see a bit more of Roma and head to Ovierto to see the ODU Monarchs play.

Familiar Places

With nothing planned, and a day off before work starts up, marito and I were a bit restless. We made a trip out to Capo (short for Capodichino- which is the main base). Since marito reports to work tomorrow, it's a good idea that he knows ahead of time where he works, and how to get there.

We knew the base was small when we arrived, but driving around we realized it was much smalled than we thought. Well now that he knows where to go I was getting antsy to go somewhere and explore! We looked up Naples Port in the GPS, and were on our way.

Marito has been to Naples before, when he was deployed in 2007. I am very intrigued to see where he was, and what he remembers.  On our way to the port we see a shopping area that looks like it is a mall of some sort. We stop and check it out.

As soon as we step into the building I notice the color of the walls. It looked like the Easter Bunny has painted the walls! Pastel green, blue, pink, purple, and yellow. Interesting. We looked around and left before I could start buying things!

Plugged in the GPS again and looked at where we were on a map and noticed that we were no where close to the sea, and that Porte di Napoli wasn't what we had in mind. So we dropped a pin on a map to get directions to where we really wanted to go, and we were off again.

As we approached Naples, Marito started to get very excited. He was recognizing buildings and remembered the street wires. His excitement made me really happy, because being in port with your spouse is something not many spouses/significant others get to do. We drove around, careful of the crazy driving. If you think it's bad in the states, you just wait. He showed me where the closest alcohol is to the port where the liberty boats pull in, and he told me that it will be flooded with sailors.

We didn't get to explore as much as I wanted to, but it was getting late and we needed to head back to the hotel. I look forward to going back to the city when Navy boats stop by. I being in the military, I know many people who are deployed and will soon be, and the chance to see people we know and be able to show them around and make them feel at home makes my heart happy. I already have a couple of friends lined up to come see their sailor if and when they hit port here. I am glad I can be here to help them navigate this foreign land.

Something About Kansas and Ugly Feet

Everyday, I  am more and more impressed with this base.

This is the last day of orientation for us, and it's not just a celebration for everyone who is over the briefs, but it's a celebration for the Italians as well. August 15th is Ferragusto or Assumption Day. Many of the Italians head to the beach and are on vacation. We are suppose to have a culture class the next two days, but an Italian runs that class and he/she is off this week. With that said, my marito should be checking in to his new command tomorrow unless his sponsor gets word and says to come in on Monday (which would be awesome! Who doesn't love 96 hour liberty?)

Still, there were some interesting and vital briefs at today's orientation. The Fire Department came out, reminded me to get smoke detectors (not sure if the house we want has them or not- you can negotiate for these to be installed). Don't forget the ABC Fire Extinguisher and the emergency Escape Ladder if you have 2 stories or more. Watched the Christmas Tree Fire Video. If you watch the timer to the bottom left of the video, it can make you think twice about not having an escape ladder!

The NEX spoke about Ration Cards some. We can get 6 cartons of cigarettes a month, and 6 bottles of liquor that are 80 proof or higher a month. Our gas coupons are vital! We can purchase coupons, vouchers whatever you want to call them for about $4 a gallon. Italians are currently spending almost $10 a gallon! ::Insert "Joey WOAH" here::

Black Friday at the NEX is 3 days long! Hallelujah! Scratchers here go out about twice a year, and no you can't have mom and dad mail you your scratchers. They have special ones for Naples. The manager Joe said:

You're Not In Kansas Anymore!

That's an understatement!

Learned about AFN (the Military channel that you get on the boat and out in the Middle East). When I move into our new home, I won't automatically have AFN channels. In order to get them I need to go to Housing to get a Decoder (Base houses go to NEX). The first decoder is free! I don't know how much TV I am going to be watching, but if I want American TV this is the way to do it!

AFN has grown and they have a Naples Radio station- 106 and 107. Channel 107 is more sports and talk shows, whereas the other is American music that is updated weekly from Headquarters in Maryland. They also have an App!! AFN Europe! Download it, so if you go out of range in the car, or you have and American car, you can listen to it. American cars get odd radio numbers (94.9, 97.3 98.7, 106.1 you get the idea) but European Cars (Euro Specs) get even, so my brand new American car won't pick up the signal here, thank you Steve Jobs for the iPod/phone/pad and the car hook ups! Download the app, it's free and check out the website. AFN Naples they also have Live Radio you can stream!

My pride for this base is growing everyday. I am impressed at how much I am learning in such a short period of time.

A few more important facts and I promise I'm done!

A lot of people, including myself, bring over expensive appliances. Geez I brought a flat screen, a Kitchen Aid, a Roomba (automatic vacuum) and some other stuff. Please, PLEASE, PLEASE use a Surge Protector with your top dollar appliances. Also, if you are in doubt, use a transformer. For instance, on a trip to Athens earlier this year, I brought my Chi hair straightner, plugged it into a converter and it blew a fuse. I was NOT Happy. Don't let that happen to you!

Last, at the Support Site NEX strip, go to Residential Services to get your Internet (ADSL- not cable, but hey! It's not dial up!), Telepass which is the Naples EZ Pass for tolls, get your gas coupons there and bottled water services. When you get your bottled water, don't leave it outside in the sun and heat, it WILL TURN GREEN. The company will switch it out, but to avoid a hassle, keep it in the garage or basement.

Now time for my favorite quote of the day:

Naples is a very beautiful woman, with very dirty feet.

Look past the imperfections, and just enjoy the great things this town has to offer.  Don't be afraid to try the local food, learn a few words or sentences of the language, get out of the hotel and walk to the supermarket. Yes, there is graffiti and trash along the roads, but be thankful for the opportunity that lies in front of you.



Passed My Drving Test!

Today was another day of AO. Learned about rules of the road - very important! Then we took our driving test. Like I had mentioned before, it was based off of 48 multiple choice questions that were "what sign does this represent?" Oh, well that one obviously means bumpy road, or yield, etc. My favorite sign is a triangle sign with and upside down French horn. And it means no right away to trucks on mountain. Seriously. An upside down French horn? Anyways, I had skipped the first question, planning to go back, when the instructor pointed out to me that I had skipped it. Then he said "my name is Charlie." Uh, ok? Marito nudges me and says "Charlie.... C," like I knew what he meant when he told me that? I was thinking ok, so you're name is Charlie. Does that make me gullible or not quite Navy Lingo Saavy?

Marito gets his license, they forgot mine in the office, no big deal. We go to lunch and go to Europcar and rent a car for the week! This is a BIG deal to us. Especially to me! This means I don't have to sit in a hotel room waiting on my sponsor to pick us up for anything. We can just got and do as we please! Saaaaaaaweeeeet!

After lunch we were talked to about terrorism, and reducing our actions that pinpoint us as Americans. Then NCIS spoke to us about car jacking, theft, and all of that fun stuff. Enough talk about it that makes me miss the shot gun Marito bought before his last deployment. What I really learned from it is if someone open hand slaps me, I can open hand slap them, but nothing more! The people around here though are just poor and are looking for an easy buck. They don't want confrontation, and will flee when you stand up for yourself. Doesn't stop my natural instinct to turn into Chuck Norris when I hear a creak in the house.

Speaking of house, we met with the Landlord today, discussed negotiations on the home. We asked for one or both of the security gates to the driveway to be electronic. Same with the garage door. Install three a/c units in the two guest bedrooms, and the kitchen. He is going to redo the kitchen cabinets and counter tops, leaving space for a dishwasher and large stove. I had also asked about a water softener system, it's expensive, but after we move out and the next family moves in he won't have to worry about all of the updating. We are the first people to rent his home, so whatever we ask for now he won't have to do later.

Marito and I wanted to explore and go to Carney Park, which is a beautiful military park inside a capped off volcano. You know, the super volcano..  The park is very lovely, with over 7 baseball diamonds, a pool with three crazy slides, tennis, rock climbing wall, and marito's favorite, 9 holes of golf with a driving range.

I'm sure he will be there as soon as his clubs arrive.

Went down the block to an outdoor patio, ordered kebabs, sausage and half a chicken (we were with friends). The owner let us try two items, which we didn't know what they were. The first one was fried mashed potato, and boy was it good. The next item he let us sample ended up being friend Mac n cheese with bits of ham and some peas. My god. One bite and I was in heaven. Needless to say, diner was great and we will be back.

Half a day of orientation tomorrow, and we will be off exploring some more!

Getting Adapted

Area Orientation has to be one of the most boring things to go through for a lot of sailors checking in. There is a LOT of valuable information being delivered, but you sit in a movie theater, it's freezing cold, and you watch a Power Point presentation and listen to speakers. Me being me, I actually and very intrigued to learn! I enjoy my involvement with my marito's previous commands, and I am looking forward to getting more involved with this new one.

Before AO started, there was a meet and greet in the NEX Food Court. Plenty of people to meet and get an inside scoop on what they have to say. I couldn't resist going to the MWR, NOSC (Naples Overseas Spouses Club) , USO and Ombudsman tables. Hi, I'm Casey. Let me sign your clip board and are there any open positions? Well something like that. I learned that the MWR lady is about to PCS back to the states in March, there is an open spot coming up! Also there are Board vacancies for the Spouses Club. Already have a few options on what to do to keep me busy. I am still thinking about getting a job, but one step at a time!

While talking to MWR, I inquired about trips for next year, and how long in advance they are planned. This is important to marito and I because we want to save money to go on these trips, and it may be easier to do it through MWR. I did find out that they are planning a trip to Dublin for St. Patrick's Day, with a Guinness Brewery Tour. Uh Helloooooooo?!? That is EXACTLY what I wanted to do this coming March! Now I don't even have to plan it! Or find a hotel room! This is UH-MAZE-ZING! Already saving my pennies, or euros, whatever.

During today's brief, the CO gave his two cents, which lasted an hour. So more like $5 dollars and 76 cents. Anyways, he had asked who had been to Naples before and Marito raised his hand, said it was a 5 day port call during his first deployment. After his brief Skipper came over and asked marito questions bout which ship and all. Come to find out, CO is an E-2 guy. He flew the planes marito works on! (There are none on this base by the way) Just this little fact made marito very happy. He did this little move where he made a fist and pulled down. A reverse fist pump you could say. It is a small world on this base of 2,500 sailors and marito already has an "in" with the Skipper. Makes me feel better!

More importantly, we learned some info on the active volcano we live on. Did I say active volcano? I meant OVERDUE active volcano. Excellent. Big breath Casey. I will do a history lesson later I am sure, but just know that Mt. Vesuvius has an eruption every 40-50 years, and the last time it erupted was during World War II. Makes me a little nervous, but I don't mind living life on the edge for a couple years. Naturally I am worried, but at the same time the "dare devil" in me can't wait to go hike it! We also have a non active Super Volcano. This means it doesn't erupt, but if it were to erupt it would take out all of Naples, whereas Mt. Vesuvius would have lava flow in the immediate area. We are a good 30 maybe 45 minutes away from it. That's like from Norfolk to Busch Gardens.

Fleet and Family talked to the group, and so did a few other speakers on the vet clinic, and the temporary furniture warehouse.

Marito and I went to Vodafone and bought a pre-paid cell phone plan for my unlocked iPhone. This way, one of us has a data plan, and a local phone number for people to reach us. The data plan is very essential because tomorrow we take our driving test, and when we get our license later that afternoon we want to go rent a car. Now I don't know about you, but being in Italy and not knowing the language is the same as being in Japan. I can't read, and much less pronounce the street names. A data plan enables us to use a navigation app so we can learn the area and know where to go.

Our sponsor drove us around the area we live in, Lago Patria. He drove around the lake (lago) and the strip we went down was between the lake and the sea, which is really cool. As he turns the bin we recognize where we were at. The other when we went walking to the beach, we turned around. Had we walked just further around the bin we would have been sandwiched between the beach and the lake! After the little tour, I immediately became very happy with the location of the house we picked. We couldn't have picked a better area!

We met with Peter and he had started negotiating with our landlord about our wants before we move it. Tomorrow we make an appointment to get the paperwork started. I can't wait for friends and family to come visit!

Finding the Right Home

Today was very exciting! Marito and I went out with Peter, our realtor, again to look at more houses in the area. We saw a total of 10 houses, all gorgeous and wonderful in their own ways. After viewing them all, we narrowed them down to our top few houses, which in turned narrowed it down to our top two.


House number 5, is in a nice neighborhood literally down the street from our hotel. It is Red and Yellow on the exterior, and has at least 5 lemon trees growing in the back. The driveway is long, and beautiful, it has two gates on the drive way- one at the entrance, the other halfway down. Apparently there is an apartment for the landlord attached to our house, so this prevents the landlord from parking in our park of the drive way. Anywho. There isn't any grass, which is kind of a bummer, but also maintenance free. Not much of a front porch patio, but that wasn't a big selling point for me.










We get inside and immediately I see the character this home has. Soft yellow walls, with kitchy wall paper boarder around the entire house it seems. I look to my left and I see these crazy and interesting curvy walls that separate the stairs to the upstairs, and to the downstairs garage.











Beyond these walls is this great kitchen. We asked Peter for bigger kitchens and he delivered. It has furniture already in it, which we can keep or have removed, but I walked in and I could picture my family cooking in here.





Go to check out the rooms upstairs, and there is a wrap around porch, bathroom tubs (not just showers), and just a nice layout. I was giddy.

Bring on a few more houses then house 8. House 8 has a front yard and a side yard (no back yard). Garden maintenance is included, and speaking of garden, the side yard looked like a secret garden sort of.














As soon as marito and I walked in the open floor plan drew your eyes on the HUGE kitchen. The style was that out of an Ethan Allen Magazine (the style not the color choices or wood finishing).






This house was open, and big. Didn't expect it to be in our budget. As we make our way through the house, we wind up going to the third flood. Marito just found his little slice of heaven. a Man Room.



Picture a Front Room Over a Garage in the states, now add a personal bathroom and there you have Marito's man room. He was sold.

We went back to the hotel, had lunch, and discussed our top picks, being the ones above. Peter picked us back up and took us back to these two homes so we could better see what we thought was right for us.










The 5th house was in a younger neighborhood, no yard, no man room, but still everything we needed. Whereas the 8th house was in an older neighborhood (More established with grown kids), a yard, and more space than we really truly need. The choice wasn't completely clear but it also wasn't hard to determine what was right for us.

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House
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FIVE!

We are very confident in our pick. We met the neighbors, kids laughing in the back yard in the pool with other neighbors, secure location, and an overall great home to start a family.

Our realtor is going to start the paperwork and then we will begin the negotiation process! Should be interesting. So hopefully we can begin to move in before the end of next month!

I think we will be ok here =]

Culinary Experience

Nothing super exciting today. Marito and I are so jet lagged, we stayed up til 2 am and slept til 2 pm. I'm sure we could have slept another couple of hours. We drag our butts out of bed and called for a taxi to go to the Support Site. From where we are staying we were quoted 60 Euros! Holy shnikeys! Guess we are going to hang out at the Hotel.

Being in Italy we are going a bit stir crazy in this hotel, with very little in walking distance. We are ready to get our drivers lisence and rent a car so we can go explore. Trying to make the best of our free Internet access we try to stream US TV shows but for some reason we can't! Many Facebook friends told us about HideMyAss.com that blocks signals saying we are in Italy so with that being said I can watch The Bachelor Pad again! And Army Wives! Glad I can pass time with technology! And of course planning the future with my Marito.

Capresse Insalata- and yes, I ate the tomatos!

Dinner time came and we walked next door to a pizzeria and enjoyed a lovely dinner out on the patio. Marito ordered a steak that came back was covered in a white sauce or cheese and tiny pepper like balls. It looked weird but it was delicious. I wanted to venture out so I ordered a linguini with clams, mussels and prawns. Now I am a very wary seafood eater, I'm not the biggest fan of fishy food. But thanks to my mother, I am not afraid to try new things. I will admit, I didnt love it, nor will I order it again in the near future. But it is a good feeling to know that've tried it and that makes me proud!

During dinner we met a sailor whose husband and son havent arrived yet. We offered to let her join us in the morning to go look at homes out in town. It was nice to meet someone new and work on making friends.

 

 

During dinner we heard bells, turning around to see what it was we saw sheep being herded down the street. Being the tourist I am, I got overly excited and ran to go take pictures.

Hope tomorrow is as interesting as the sheep herding!

What an Exciting Day!

Area Orientation started today for Marito and I, and it wasn't looking good because I could not sleep at all last night. went to bed at midnight and felt like I woke up at 2 and didn't go back to sleep until 5:30 am. Of course I didn't check the clock, everyone knows thats bad juju when you check the time.

Regardless we woke up and our sponsor drove us to the Support Site. The Support Site is not necessarily considered base, but it does house the NEX, Commissary, Movie Theater, Navy Lodge and Im sure there is more! Well like all bases should do, there is 100% ID check, and I didn't have mine! Crap! I left it in my pant pocket from yesterday! Double Crap! They won't let me on base! Made a quick U-turn to go to Pass and ID which is right beside the gate to get an escort pass, when I go digging through my purse and VIOLA! I find my ID! Let the angels sing!

I learned a lot in AO today, and really want to share with people who were in my shoes last week. So if you not interested in the next couple paragraphs drop down to the bottom to continue reading, but if you are PCSing in the near future here is what you go through in the first day of AO in Napoli:

Sojourners Permit- A permit that allows you to exit and enter Italy. Dependents must have one. Your Visa is good for one year, and after it expires you will not need to renew it, your permit will cover you. So have 4 extra passport photos handy- you can claim these on your travel vouchers.

Drivers License test is 48 Multiple Choice questions based on signage- like my mom said, if it was an actual driving test, I wouldn't pass! And in this town, she's right!

Shuttles are available from base to base and you need a bus pass. They give you a free 30 day pass! Doesn't work if you are out in town, but if you need to get from one base to the other like Capo to SS or JFC.

PSD is arranged  bit differently. Instead of going to PSD for all of your needs, they have CPC (Command Pass Coordinators) that is your liaison. They will turn in your TLA receipts and etc. This also cuts back wasting your day traveling to and from PSD and reduces traffic. You will however need to go to PSD in Capodichino (Capo) to renew your ID.

DLA is a Dislocation Allowance that you get one time, and don't have to pay back. It helps with furnishing your new home, but you can't apply for it until you have a new Perm. Address.

COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) is determined by ran, # of years in and dependents. It also fluctuates daily.

BAS- Basic Allowance for Substance is given to everyone because there is not an open/free galley in NSA Naples.

OHA- is your Overseas Housing Allowance (BAH in the states) and is dependent on rank, and dependents. If you make 1,100 Euros but find a home for 900 Euros you will receive 900 Euros not the additional 200. So go for the bigger home, or more negotiations with that extra 200 Euros.

Utility Allowance is money the Navy pays us to pay our utilities! With negotiations we receive pay if we pay 3 our of 5 utilities (meaning the landlord can cover 2 of them if we negotiate it!) Including Electric, AC, Heat, Water and Garbage.

Other Negotiations I have learned about can be anything our hearts can think of. Including; Lawn Service, House Keeping, Electric Meter, Telephone lines for internet (DSL boo!), New Cabinets, Surveillance Cameras, Alarm Systems, and much much more!

So with all of this fun stuff above Marito and I called the realtor that worked with our Sponsor. His name is Peter Abbey and I don't mind dropping his name because he is a great guy! If you are in the area and looking for a place to start, Peter lives int he Lago Partia area (down the street from Hotel Agora) and his number is +39-339-724-7194.

Peter met us 30 minutes after the call at the hotel. We discussed what we are looking for, our price point, and I told him to not take us to places if he wouldn't live there. Well first stop was HIS NEIGHBORHOOD! He took us to a gorgeous house in a quaint neighborhood. The last person that lived there was a Commander and he moved out three days ago! Now a Commander makes a significant amount more money than we do, so the Landlord pushes up the price and offers more negotiations for them. For our price we wont get as many negotiations. BUT! For the amount of our OSH we will  be paying more than if an Italian moved in, so it looks good on us. We can see Peter's house from the back patio, and it is just absolutely gorgeous inside!

Off to house number 2! This neighborhood was a little less nice in my opinion. Marito really liked it, but the house is surrounded by neighbors with very loud dogs. The neighborhood has more Americans than the other but that makes me feel like we have a target on our backs to be broken into. Both places are 4 bedrooms with 3 1/2 baths, and just fantastic.

Tomorrow we are going to try and see some more places, if not we will catch up with our sponsor. But Sunday we have an appointment to house hunt all day! I am so thrilled! Things are looking pretty good for us!

Down the road

Today, Marito looked up how far we are from the beach, and said we were 2.3 km which is a little over 30 minute walk. So to kill time we skipped out of the hotel and started our little journey.

We passed a couple of little restaurants and saw a window that had a VISA sticker in it. Sweet deal- we don't have euros yet. We go to order a pizza to split and their machine isn't working properly, BUT! there is an ATM down the road. So we walk, and come across a Bank but they are already closed. Crap! Not only have we walked for an hour, we haven't made it all the way down to the beach yet. This doesn't look promising.

We continue to walk an take in the culture- mainly driving culture! Beep Beep! Finally I ask Marito, what are we doing? Are we going to keep going til there is no road (another 30 minutes probably) or are we going to find an ATM and turn around?

Turning around was my top option. Old Navy Flip Flops aren't recommended for long walks on the town. I almost wanted to pull out one of my brother's tricks and drop to me knee, stick my arms out and yell "CARRY ME! I CAN'T WALK!" Ok so my brother was five and we were at Disney World when he made that scene. Anyways, we turned around learned the the bank may be closed but you can push a button on the door and you gain entrance to an ATM right behind the door! Good to know!

Made our way back and had a Pizza. It was delish, but I am ready to go to markets and buy fruit and food to snack on throughout the day. Being locked in a hotel, with no car, and waiting for your sponsor to get off work isn't ideal. Especially for me- I hate being in one place for too long.

Our day was uneventful but I did get to FaceTime a close friend and wake her kids up, and see them smile. Melted my heart, let me tell you. It's good to know people like me =] Then I got to chat with mom. Always good, and my brother is getting a bit more serious about joining the Navy. So proud!

Tomorrow Marito and I have Area Orientation. I am SO eager to learn about this city!

More tomorrow!

Benvenuti A Napoli!

Welcome to Naples!

Wow, we are actually here. Marito (husband) and I have had a long day but I don't think we will be able to sleep tonight.

Yesterday the movers came to gather the last of our items to go out in express shipment. After the truck was packed our day really began. Not only had I not received my Visa yet, but we hadn't shipped our car! And the flight was that night! When 11:30 hit, I called the Passport office on base to check the status of my Visa. Talk about being down to the wire. If it wasn't in, I wasn't flying with Marito to Naples. Made the call, was put on a brief hold, then Mr. Reid (the passport guy) asked when I was trying to catch my flight. With a very sweet yet concerned voice I told him tonight. "Well it looks like you will be on that flight." Did I hear him wrong? Was that a "yes, it is in" or did he say I won't make the flight? With a confirmation my Visa was in! It was time to go get it!

Picked up moms vehicle (thanks for letting us borrow it mom) Marito and I made our way to go pick up my Passport with Visa and my Port of Call- this is my ticket for tonight's flight.

Afterwards we went to drop off our vehicle, so it can be shipped to Naples. Note to self, DO NOT HAVE MORE THAN 1/4 TANK OF GAS! We couldn't ship it with half a tank, so we went down the road and had the fuel emptied at a shop. That put us behind schedule, but $25 later, and 3 gallons emptied from my car and put into moms, we were able to get our car shipped. 

Back home I had to finish packing, then the family got together and we ate pizza. Of all things, Pizza! HA! Sooner than we know it was time to say goodbye, or as I like to say "a promise to see you again."

Hugs for my brother, who started to choke up, I whispered to him to "join the service, it's a good life." Then was daddy, I've been dreading this one. I teased him for crying but gave him his credit- it was raining so I guess he wasn't crying (or was he?).  "I love you, we will see you soon," it was time to go.

Mom drove us to the airport, and was on her way. She's a flight attendant so I'll see her soon.

While in the airport I find a letter from my brother, read it and the dam breaks. I ugly cry in front of everyone at the airport. Then I start texting dad and I ugly cry some more. After 15 minutes I compose myself and am ok.

Boarding started around 2230 but we didn't take off until after midnight. Slept till dinner came around, then again until we landed in Lajes, Portugal. Lajes is an island in the Atlantic Ocean that looks like it belongs in Ireland. Very green, land divided by stone walls, and mountainous. I go to snap a picture and forget that I am on an Air Force Base and I get caught! "No Pictures ma'am." 

Two hours later and we were back on the plane and off to Naples. After landing, Marito and I grab out bags and search for our Sponsor. We introduce who we are, shake hands and get on our way.

We go to get Marito's orders stamped, this is a very important step! If we didn't we would be able to claim today for pay! So this stop was a must! Yay for Per Diem!

Check into our hotel and begin to move in. Our Sponsor was lovely enough to put together a welcome gift for us. It included plates, forks, soap, shampoo, tooth brushes and past, local chocolate, fresh olives, cheese and a bottle of wine! How nice!

After getting settled, Marito and I go for a little walk to explore- kinda shady at night so we headed back and ordered dinner from the hotel. Marito ordered pizza, I got the penne and of course some coca-cola! 

As I go over my day, Ive already learned some very interesting tips that I will share tomorrow. Until then, Ciao!