A super duper Thanksgiving!

We are just finishing up an awesome week with family and Thanksgiving celebrations!  We have Mimi, Joe, K.C., Sveja, baby Tino, Michael and Carol here visiting and it has been non stop fun :)  Tony and I also enjoyed a team Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday that was pretty darn amazing.  We had two huge turkeys, all the food you can imagine on Thanksgiving, and a huge group of 30!  We actually rented out a restaurant that let us bring in all the food and just provided the drinks, the flatware, and the best part...the cleaning! :)  It was so fun to have everyone all together and Adriana Jackson did a great job of planning and pulling everything all together...not too mention cooking a majority of the yummy food!

Veroli's team Thanksgiving

Adriana, Cinizia, Elisa, me...go wives!

Then we celebrated again on Saturday because Michael and Carol arrived Friday evening so we had our whole clan here!  There was 9 of us with Valentino!  Tony and I feel really blessed that we have a big enough apartment to host so many family members and be able to just hang out and spend a Holiday together in Italy.  We did figure out that we broke two Callero records...#1.  The most Callero siblings together for dinner in a different country (excluding Canada, and Mexico) and #2. The most extended Callero family at one dinner outside of the country. :)  Oh and we ended up making the best stuffing that most of us have ever had...it was fabulous!! Who what have thought we would ever get to have a table of 8 family members enjoying turkey in Italy??

The Binetti's and Valentino Callero

Binetti/Callero Thanksgiving Dinner (Kristin do you notice anything??)

Mi amo...so thankful for him :)

Picture Perfect!  Bon Appetit!

Tony and Michael dishing up!

SO..now it is game day and we are all getting pumped up.  Veroli won their home game last week, and now will try again against Verona.  It will be a tough game, but I think the team is feeling confident and is ready to start a winning streak!!

Of course Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and appreciate what you are thankful for and we feel like we have so much!  God has blessed us with a great life and we have a wonderful and supportive family that are all healthy and happy!   :)  So THANK YOU to our families that are always there for us, we can't wait to see you soon!

Official Countdown:  I will be home in 9 days!!!!!!!

CIAO CIAO!!

UPDATES:
Since I wrote this, but before I posted it Tony had a game last night against Verona. We lost in over-time!  BUMMER...and SO frustrating!  We are off to Rome today to show Svenja and Tino the sights :)

Also, my sister Sara rocked her first half marathon!!  Way to go Sara...you did so well especially since you were in the emergency room a week before, yet you never surprise me when you do things that not very many people can do!

AND...


HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!  Hope you have a fun day...miss you!!  I will have go and have a cappuccino in our favorite place today ;)

E.V.O.O

We are passing the 3rd month mark here in Veroli and it is getting a little bit colder and has even rained a few times. We are still having 70 degree days a couple times a week, so I am trying to soak those in!  The Binetti's are arriving this weekend so I am getting really excited and so happy we will have family here over Thanksgiving!

The highlight of last week was that I was able to go to Caserta while Tony was out of town and visit Erica and watch Phil's game!  Amanda who is another American wife that just arrived with her baby Alayna, and Mom Julie actually went with me too.  They played in Caserta last season so she was able to re-connect with her friends from last year and show off her beautiful baby girl!  It was fun to meet all the other wives there and watch the game.  Even though the outcome was not what they were hoping for, it is always nice to see a friendly face and be able to catch up!  Phil and Tony played together their first year in Italy in Castelletto Ticino where we all formed a strong friendship and have stayed close ever since.  And even though we haven't been on the same team again (only a short stint in Sicily) we communicate through Skype which is so nice!

So great seeing you Erica!!

Another highlight came in our apartment garage!  One day I was getting back from the grocery store and my neighbor waived me over to the garage...and when I went in they were making OLIVE OIL!!  There were huge bins of olives fresh from the trees, and they then were putting them through a machine to shake off all the leaves and and stems.  Then they were moving them into the huge bins where then they take them somewhere else to be processed into oil.  My neighbor is so sweet, she took me over and got an old glass jar and went over to these silver bins and scooped me some fresh olive oil to take home!  Then her Dad gave me some homemade tomato sauce that he had made and bottled himself.  Talk about hospitality!  I have been trying to rack my brain for something to give to them from home, or something American-ish, but I am not sure that Taco Seasoning would go over well ;)  Anyway, it was so interesting to see the process and amazing to see just how fresh everything is here in Italy!  Yummmm!

Homemade Italian Olive Oil and Tomato Sauce!!

Well I am at the point of talking about the game, and sometimes I wish I could just skip over this part.  Veroli lost to Casale last weekend and it was not a pretty picture.  Who knows what is going on with the team, but we still have a lot of basketball to play, so I am confident they will figure it out.  Even though I get really frustrated and upset when the team loses, there isn't a game that goes by that I am not so proud of Tony and what he does.  Tony and the team work so hard everyday (twice a day actually) to be a successful team in Legadue and I know that soon enough it will start paying off.

There are a lot of exciting things happening this week...the Binetti's arrive on Friday and we will go straight to Tony's game that night!  Then I have my first game on Saturday!!  Our team has been practicing for 2 1/2 months now, so you can imagine we are all ready to actually have a GAME!  We play at home and it will be so nice that Tony and his parents will be there!  FORZA FERENTINO :)

Lots of Countdowns....
3 days until the Binetti's arrive!
7 days until K.C., Svenja, and baby Tino arrive!
10 days until Michael and Carol arrive!
3 weeks until I GO HOME! :)

Hope everyone has a great week...CIAO TUTTI!!!

Blink of an Eye

Happy November...we are eight days into it already which means Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and Christmas decorations are almost appropriate! :)

My parents were here visiting last week and their visit seriously went by in a blink of an eye!  It was so much fun having them here, and we enjoyed every minute of just being together.  They brought perfect weather with them, it was sunny and about 75 everyday.  We went to Rome one of their days here and enjoyed a leisure sightseeing time of the Coliseum and a wonderful outdoor cafe lunch. The rest of the their time we explored the area close to our house and found ourselves a favorite Cappuccino place on the top of Frosinone.  We went there everyday and the baristas made us these really fancy cappuccinos that were so good (it basically was like dessert), and we got so excited and were so complimentary, that they ended up making us those every time we showed up! :)  We have a lot of fun pictures because the views and fall colors were awesome!

Our leisure Coliseum tour

These were our Cappuccino's!  They were sooo good!

Tony enjoying his fresh seafood plate (yuck)!!

Abbey Casamari

Our favorite spot

View from the top of the hill.

Frosinone Fun

Dad found some secret stairs and of course had to go up them!

Love him!

First night at dinner...so happy to have them here!

Piazza de Repubblica

Fabulous lunch in the sun!

Exploring back streets of Rome ;)

Matching black tanks ;)

My Dad picking an olive off the tree.

Great Picture

My wonderful Mom and Dad...love you guys! 

It was so fun to have them here, and we feel so blessed that our parents are able to come over and visit us here!

And the GREAT news of the week is that Veroli WON!!  WHOO HOO!  Finally they won a game at home in front of their fans! It was so awesome to watch them win at home!  The new point guard didn't play because he didn't get registered in time, so Tony started again and played well!!  Everyone is so happy and looking forward to many more wins to come.  :)  This week they will head to Casale on the road to try and make it two in a row!

I finally captured Tony pointing at me after he runs out...so sweet :)

OK I just have to share a picture of my niece Gwenny, and nephew Brody and Blake (my cousin Lisa's son)....they were the cutest little trick-or-treaters on the block!!

Brody, Blake, and Gwenny (or should I say: Chief Brody, Sharky, and Aurora) :)

It's going to be a little lonely with out my parents here this week, but it is back to normal with basketball and Mini basket! At least I have some pictures Gwenny drew for us, a paper turkey, my brother's calendar, my new lip glosses, a new camera, a fall candle, and Reeses peanut butter cups to keep me company until Tony's family arrives :)  Thank you to my parents, sisters and brother for sending me a little pieces of home! Love you guys!

The new countdown is on:  Mimi and Joe arrive in 12 days!!! :)

Happy Halloween!

Well Halloween is officially over and now we can get excited for Thanksgiving and CHRISTMAS!! :)  Christmas is my all time favorite Holiday and I get so excited for it so early because it means we get to be home with our families for a little bit.  I have even listened to Amy Grant already...I just can't help myself her C.D. just makes me SO happpppy! :)

We had a really fun week in Veroli and now I can't wait because my parents arrive TOMORROW!!  I can't wait to see them and show them around...looking forward to a fabulous few days!

We had a really festive team BBQ last week at Ivan and Elisa Gatto's house.  They were so gracious to have all of us because Elisa just had a baby a few weeks ago!  Ivan did all of the BBQ'ing and us wives made the side dishes, snacks, and desserts!  It was a beautiful 70degree day and we soaked it up.  I had to leave for a little while because I had Mini basket to coach, but when I came back they were wrapping up a poker game...it was all to familiar to our times back home during the summer...Tony even won too!

My little Fall corner and my cards from my family and friends before I left  :)

My Homemade Kettle Korn for the BBQ :)

Aerial view of the table

Could not have been a more perfect day!

Thanks for having us!!  (Guido Roselli, and Ivan Gatto)

Raising the bet...

We also had a pumpkin carving party at the Jackson house!  We are doing our best to keep the American traditions alive :)

Adriana, Jay Jay, me, Cinzia, and Carlotta!

Then Saturday the team headed off to Jesi and Adriana and I went to a big mall in Roma and spent 6 hours shopping with a thousand other people and just enjoyed a day out of our lonely houses and Veroli.  Her cute son Jay Jay was expecting a package with his Spiderman costume in it, but the Italian postal service failed (very common) and it didn't arrive on time.  However, Adriana successfully found a Buzz Lightyear costume and convinced him that Buzz was much cooler ;)  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

Hollister store at the mall!  (Adriana and I could only handle about 5 mins before the smell was giving us headaches!)

Then Sunday was cleaning day for me and time to get things ready for my parents to get here.  And it was GAME day!  They played at Jesi and lost...BUMMER!  We played with out our American point guard Scottie Reynolds who decided after being here for a couple of months that this wasn't the right fit and he wanted to go home to give the NBA another shot.  SO...Tony started the game and played great with 15 points, but it doesn't matter how well you play if you don't win, so he was still pretty bummed about the lose.  The team did sign a new American point guard who will be arriving any day this week.  His name is "Scoonie" Penn and is a very experienced player with a great resume.  We are all hoping that he will help this team mesh together and be the leader we need to start winning games.

They play at home this week against Forli...I will keep you updated on the results :)

Tony defending B.J. Elder (#20) who was his past teammate at Cantu.

Nice form babe!  (3-5 from 3's this game)

My countdown is officially OVER...my Mom and Dad arrive tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two Months on the board!

Well it has been two months since we have been here and I finally feel like we have a routine and are settled in!  I think the time has gone by fast because we lived in two different apartments and basically settled in twice!

It was kind of a quiet week around here, but that isn't always a bad thing :)  Tony's team lost again on Friday...by ONE!  They played down in Sicily against a good team.  It went down to the wire, but we just couldn't pull it out!  I am not going to lie, I am having a hard time with the losing (3 games now), but I am pretty confident that they will turn it around...I hope...haha!  The one fun thing was that I went to another wives house to watch the game on TV with a couple of other people...so at least we had a yummy dinner! :)

We are missing Cinzia in this picture...but she took it!  Thanks for having us Adriana!

This week they will have a tough one on the road against Jesi (yes they are gone again), but they seem to play better away, so maybe we will get our 2nd win ;)  

There is one very special thing that happened a couple of weeks ago and even though I wasn't there, I still want to share!  On Oct. 5th the Enumclaw Soccer Fields were dedicated to my Grandpa Umpa.  He served as Superintendent for Enumclaw school district for almost twenty years and this is a great memorial to him and everything he did for the Enumclaw community.  I so wish I could have been there to see this because it is so important and special to our family.  We all spent many many hours on those fields playing soccer and have so many memories, and the fact that he built the beautiful facility makes it even more near and dear to our hearts.  It is a perfect spot for his memorial.

The Program

My Brother T.J, sister Sara, and sister Kristin

My Dad and Aunt (and Brody too) :)

It could not have been a more gorgeous day to celebrate my Grandpa's life and dedication to Enumclaw.  So proud to be his granddaughter.  We miss you Umpa!

The official countdown is one week from tomorrow until my Mom and Dad are here....YIPPPEEEE!

Now I am off to practice with Tony, and then to my practice later!  CIAO CIAO :)