UPDATE long past due....

Welp...I'm on my lonesome in Nicolosi right now, Christine called me excitedly, a few minutes ago, from the base of a 60 foot tall Radio Telescope in California. This is but one of the many reasons I love my wife.

LOOK!! Our friends the Andre's (Phil and Aja) just had a beautiful baby girl! Her name is Eleanora Louise Andre....she's just under 9lbs...the whole fam is doing great!

















In older news....
About a year ago, we adopted (or he adopted us) a small orange tabby that we named "Sally"... He's about half the size of Harry, and mysteriously afraid of feet. There's Harry wearing Sally as though he were a wrap.

We purchased a Mini Cooper Type S last year...it just rolled over the 7,000 mile point. It's fast...and very fun to drive.

I find that my italian skills have improved somewhat...I now feel that I'm better at the capiche part....it's the parlo I'm really having difficulty with.

Phil and I got a paintball game together up in Nicolosi....I got some of that new computer generated camo...which works REALLY well....when you're completely still. A good time was had by all ten of us...

I have mastered the fine art of turning DVD's into movies for the Video iPod my sweet sweet loving wonderful wife bought me. =)

If you have not held the wonder of science and technology that is an iPod (Nano or Video) you need to... It's like the One Ring..... after you sees it....you wants it.

Several weeks ago Christine and I started on our PADI Open Water diving certificate....we've completed 2 of the required 4 dives...and we're really enjoying it!

My friend Chris accompanied me on a hike up Mount Etna...to visit the ICE CAVES...these caves contain ice year round....they are said to be where the very first ice cream came from! It was an ardous hike....the guide actually got lost at one point....and we wandered over many piles of sharp lava rocks stacked as you would expect on a grill....I don't think Chris has forgiven me for inviting him on this trip. =)

More sooner than later...

-Matt

Happy 4th of July!

Well, seems to me that we get to this about once a year........it's the fourth of July in FLA and I sit bobbing in the Boggy Bayou with my dad and family waiting for the fireworks to be blasted off of the large barge before us.

Looks like this year's fireworks will be a treat. I haven't seen them from "In" the water in years. How magical. It was also my nephew, Sebastian's, first fireworks, there were lots of ohhhhhh, ahhhhhh, from the front of the boat.

What an adventure. This is just one stop in the "Traveling Chris Show" for the summer of 2006. So far stops in Milwaukee, WI, Ontario, CA, and Atlanta, GA top the list. More to come.......

A Little Earthquake Goes a Long Way

Well, as it always seems to be. . . we start something with the best of intentions and then let it drift into an afterthought. It's November 1st, 2005 and as is always the case this time of year I find myself taking stock of life and love. Figuring out, again, what's most important in life, trying to make adjustments to work towards being the woman that I know my mother (God Bless Her) would be proud to call her daughter. This year was much like any other. October comes and goes, the light disappears, the coldness comes, and my spirits dampen.

And then the earthquake rattled me awake! It was a mere 3.9 on the Richter Scale but was enough to shake Matt and I awake at 1:00AM on Halloween. It rocked the bed back and forth, rattled the dishes downstairs and freightened the cat, Harry, enough to MEOW us to consciousness. The volcano is waking up, and up here in our little cottage of a house on the south side of Mt. Etna, I wonder, is there anything that's really stable? The answer is simple enough. Nope, never is.

The challenge for me lies in remembering the good that surrounds me, not worrying so much about the past that formed me, and being thankful for the people and magical wonder of the world that I still have with me to love.

November 1st (All Saints Day) and November 2nd (All Soul's Day) are some of the most important holidays here in Sicily. They are national holidays in Italy and people from all over make it a point to attend mass and to gather at the graves of their loved ones. The cemetery is not a place of saddness today, but a chance to celebrate those ancestors who brought you up, taught you right from wrong, and cherished you while they were here. The spirits of those who've gone before us visit with us down here on Earth all the time, in little ways, a song on the radio, a beautiful sunset, a sweet memory that pops into mind. We just need a little shaking up from time to time to remember how wonderful the world really is.

Someone once said that those who die never really die, as long as they are remembered. They live in those that come after them. I needed a little shaking up this year I think. Some time to reflect on what's important. This is what I figured out.

To my family, I miss you all very much. You are never far from my thoughts and prayers. To my friends, I cherish you, although my silence does not show it, I think of you often and hope that all is well with you. To my husband, I forget how truly lucky I am to have found you. Thank you for loving me as only you can. And for my family in Heaven, watch out for us down here, we need your help. I miss you, love you, and need you all. Forgive me for my silence and know that with every new November 1st, I try again to let you know how truly important you are to me.

I guess a little Earthquake can go a long way. I'll keep you posted on the impending eruption. I'm sure that it won't slide this way, not to worry.

With love and affection,
Christine Sills Arnold

A Year and 22 Days Later. . .

Hello all! We've finally gotten ourselves togther enough to start a blog! You'll be able to visit us anytime you'd like, even though we're 5,000 miles away. We miss you very much and can't wait to hear from you.

Adventures in RAIN-X (or Rain-X doesn't work too well on dirt)

After three years of careful planning and deliberation, we finally got around to cleaning the car sufficiently to feel good about applying the heavenly elixir "RAIN-X" to the G-ride that our friend Mike gave Matt for a birthday gift. It created an incredible shine...and it did repel water, and to a lesser extent bugs . However "RAIN-X" met its match in Sicilian rain....well if you can call the wet dirt*, that falls from the sky at times, rain...
It surrendered...and will need to be reapplied...regulary. Great stuff for normal rain and small insects though!

We love our cat...did we mention we got a cat?...His name is Harry (after Harry Potter because of a unique patch of white that he has over one eye) he's the loudest largest cat we've ever owned. It's like owning a pet alarm clock...that we unfortunately trained to wake us up every morning at 5:30AM. He's pleasant enough...a tad bitey at times. We'll probably give Harry his own entry soon!


Much love,
ChristyMatt

* The dirt is picked up from the Sahara and deposited as rain that leaves a fine dirt sheen on our solid black car.