Challenging

I've been doing a bible study through BSF (bible study fellowship) and this morning I was quickly trying to finish my questions that I didn't do all week. Studying John 6, I was challenged by verse 35 where Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." Do I truly believe that? That Christ fulfills my longings for those deep cravings of life? Am I always satisfied by his bread? Is my thirst quenched when I go to him? That challenged me to ponder these things when I am just clawing for more and more for what this life gives. He tells me I will never thirst or hunger. Am I believing in that?

Visiting Friends and Jack

This past weekend, Jack and I got to get away to Atlanta. I stayed with my friend, Laurie, and her husband, Jonathan, and two daughters, Elise and Audrey (she has another one to come in November!). Laurie was a dear friend at Auburn that I met when I went to China my sophomore summer of college. I then got to know her even better when we roomed together my senior year. She is very good at keeping up with her friends, even with juggling a family. I would describe her as a great encourager, witty, and sincere. It was great catching up and being with her girls and Jonathan. Jack and I also saw my friend, Melanie and her two boys. Mel is also a great Auburn friend, I met her at RUF and roomed with her my Sophomore year. Anytime I see Mel again, it's like we've left off when we last saw each other. No one else can make me laugh like Melanie and she is so talented. In fact, she was sewing Huxley's monster costume when I arrived. It was such a great chance to see friends, but I wish it would have been longer.
On Saturday, Jack and I headed to Lynchburg, TN to tour the Jack Daniels Distillary. We arrived on the main road to find a loooong line of traffic to the Distillary and we found out it was the Annual National BBQ cookoff. Just as we were about to call it a day and try again later, we found a parking spot. Good thing we did, because it turned out to be a great day. Our tour guide was absolutely hilarious and we had some good BBQ. (Notice the original safe that Jack kicked, which it turn got infected and he died later from gangrene. )

Fear of the unknown

The other night, Jack and I watched a TV show that we got from netflix called 30 days. It is hosted and created by the guy who did Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock, where he ate McDonalds for 30 days. In this series, "participants face their fears and prejudices when they spend 30 Days living someone else’s life". The first three episodes were on Minimum Wage, Anti aging, and Muslims and America. I especially enjoyed the Muslims and America episode where a Christian man from West Virginia went to Michigan and spent 30 days with a Muslim family. It went through his stereotypes, his struggle to not compromise his faith, then to changing how he viewed Muslims. He wore traditional Muslim clothing from his house to the airport and to Michigan. He said it was the first time he was stopped by security. It really showed how lots of americans have sterotypes and fears of Muslims since 911 and maybe even before then. I highly suggest seeing it to challenge your thoughts towards Muslims. I know it really challenged me to open up to those different than me and have dialogue about it. This series makes you think about others than yourself. Opens your mind and your heart. I like that it challenges me and enables me to see a small view of how it is to walk in someone else's shoes.
One of my close friends, Alicia, who went to high school and Auburn with me is married to Mark who works for Common Path Alliance. They are an organization dedicated to initiating dialogues of trust and building relationships of peace between Muslims and Christians around the world. They exist to unite people who have been divided by religion by seeking our common path to God. I love the way they get community and relationships moving through being honest and loving. Definitely check out their website on what they are doing and encouraging others to do. Mark speaks here in Nashville occasionally so I can let you know when he does.
And now, to make fun of my own race... I picked up a gift for a friend today I couldn't resist: "Stuff White People Like" by Christian Lander. I have seen the author's website and heard interviews, but the book is hilarious. Here are a few of my favorites:
1. 80's night
2. Wes Anderson Movies "(They) have this way of being sort of funny and a little cleaver, so white people in the audience will laugh like crazy. Also, if they don't get the joke and other white people start laughing, they'll all join in."
3. Film Festivals
4. Standing Still at Concerts-"Music is very important to white people. It truly is the soundtrack to their lives... most of the music white people like isn't especially dance-friendly. More often the songs are about pain, love, breaking up with someone, not being able to date someone, or death."
5. Expensive Sandwiches
6. Knowing What's Best for Poor People
7. Apologies- "White people are so used to apologizing that they start all sentences that might cause disagreement with "I'm sorry, but Garden State was a better film than Hard Eight."
8. Netflix
9. Public Radio
10. Indie Music- "White people hate anything mainstream...If you mention a band you like and the other person has heard of it, you lose. They own you. It is essential that you like the most obscure music possible."

Free Download of the Week

Civil Twilight has the free song download of the week on Itunes! "Letters From the Sky" is beautiful, the rest of the cd is good, too. (Their name has nothing to do with Twilight, even though the lead singer does look like Edward)
I also watched an interview with Christian Siriano. I thought it was hilarious because they were asking him about the words he's made up and at the bottom of the screen the definition would flash up. Ha. This was on the morning news, people. Feel free to use these words in your everyday jargon. I have already used ferosh several times.

FIERCE-You either are or you aren't. You can't become fierce. This is the highest fabulous.
FEROSH-When something is fabulous, but not quite at fierce point. Used in a sentence: "Jacob is so ferosh, but Edward is fierce"
TICK-TACK_TOE-When all Tackiness has come together and created a perfect score. This also comes from the word "Tickety Tack". Used in a sentence: "Traci's outfit was so tickety tack"

Hell to the No

Glee is my new favorite show. Singing, snappy comedy, and that woman from all the Christopher Guest movies (Jane Lynch). Refreshing after watching so many reality shows. I think one of my favorites has been the song that got everyone talking in the premiere episode, "Don't Stop Believing". Last night just might have topped that one, "Somebody to Love". It gave me chills. Kristen Chenowith was the guest star, aka Ga-lenda from the original Broadway of Wicked and recent Emmy winner. My favorite was "Last Name", followed by "Maybe This Time". I think she played a great drunk, trashy, older woman. If you haven't seen any of the shows and you like comedy and singing, do yourself a favor and WATCH! The Glee Soundtrack comes out November 3rd!

"Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man tat you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." Psalm 144:1-4

"I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint...I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph." Ps 77:1-3,11-15

Defying Gravity

This month in Nashville Wicked is playing. I tried to read the book, only got half way through and gave up. It just was a little dark and too sexual for me (not to mention boring). TPAC was offering a lottery 2 hours before each showing to win $25 orchestra level seats, so I shot over there and tried my luck. People kept coming and coming. My winning luck was over, but my friend, Jordan, called while I was waiting and said she had an extra ticket. Wicked was excellent. Defying gravity was my favorite song. So much emotion and such a powerful voice. Ga-lenda was hilarious and her voice was fantastic.
So speaking of fantastic, what is not is all these women sports reporters on the football field. What is with this trend? When did we need to know what was going on the sideline by a women in heels? I am all for power to the women, but come on. I have a theory: I think they have to be women asking coaches questions because otherwise, they would get hit in the face. A man is not going to hit a woman.
Confession #4: When Sean Kingston's "Fire Burning" comes on, I don't change it. I sing along and I kind of like it. There, I said it.

Me want food!

Here is my shopping trip for this week. I think I did a really good job, I only spent 44$ and saved 21$. I did several "stock piling" by buying meat that was on sale at Kroger. I think I am getting better at this! I got great deals on ground turkey, family pack of ground chuck, and roast. My meal plan this week: Sunday-Burritos, Monday-Mahi mahi, quinoa, and veggies, Tuesday- roast and carrots, Wednesday-NFG (off night), Thursday- Stuffed Potatoes with left over roast, Friday-Lasagna or quesadillas, Saturday-Carrabas (using gift card!). By planning meals ahead and using left overs really helps save time and money. I am trying to freeze more stuff, I'm just not used to doing this. I am dividing up the meat into servings in ziploc freezer bags, making sure I put a date when I put it in and when it expires. Next time there is a good sale on strawberries, I plan to freeze them as well. I can use those for strawberry bread, smoothies, etc. I'm going to try freezing carrots, we will see how it goes.
I was trying to keep some fresh herbs I had left over from cooking this weekend and I found a tip online. It said to cut the ends off the herbs, place in a container with water, then place a clear bag over them. Make sure to leave the bag open. I took a picture to see how long they last.

Dinner Party #3

I will go ahead and post about dinner party #3 since it is so fresh in my mind. Hope you don't get overloaded on dinner party information. Last night we had appetizer night at Katie Cowan's. I made mini frittatas and mojitos. There were so many delicious treats- mexican cheesecake (katy clement), meatball sliders (traci davies), lettuce wraps (leigh ann), prosciutto wrapped asparagus (beth harper), asparagus and potato wrapped in Serrano Ham/stuffed tomatoes/macaroons (katie cowan), onion goat cheese and tomato tarts (katherine echerd), prunes wrapped in bacon/radicchio grilled treats (mary hooper), heath bar dip with apples and blt dip and chips (anna verner), and brushetta (april ellis). Great conversation about go girl and Obama chia pet then ensued. It was a great night. Here are my recipes:

Mini Frittatas
Ingredients
Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
8 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces thinly sliced ham, chopped
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray 2 mini muffin tins (each with 24 cups) with nonstick spray. Whisk the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt in a large bowl to blend well. Stir in the ham, cheese, and parsley. Fill prepared muffin cups almost to the top with the egg mixture. Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is just set in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittatas from the muffin cups and slide the frittatas onto a platter. Serve immediately.

You can find my mojito recipe here

Opa

I have yet to post an official post about the Greek Dinner Party that was held at my house. It was the second of the dinner party series. Here are my recipes of the moussaka and greek cookies that I made. Every thing was spectacular and of course, we had Ouzo (I made everyone do a shot before dinner, except the pregnant ladies of course). This party was great because I had actually been to Greece and knew what was authentic and not just from Athens Family Restaurant. The moussaka was fabulous and almost as good as what I had in Athens. It is a little involved just because you have to roast the eggplant before. I used skim milk and it was just as good. The greek cookies were deadly. Lots of butta (as paula would say). They are hard to put down. We sat around the table after dinner for a while and we all kept eating these cookies and the baklava Melissa made. May I add, it was the best baklava I've ever had!

Moussaka
Ingredients
EGGPLANT
2 large eggplants (about 2 3/4 pounds), unpeeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
MEAT SAUCE
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus to taste
Freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes (with puree), roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
CUSTARD SAUCE
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano
Directions
Bake the eggplant: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with the oil and lay on 2 small or 1 large foil-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake until the eggplant is soft, about 25 minutes. Set aside covered.

Make the meat sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beef, oregano, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. Break the meat up into small pieces and season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until just cooked but still slightly pink inside, about 1 minute more. Add the tomato and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cover, and cook until the sauce is thickened and fragrant, about 20 minutes.

Make the custard sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and add the milk, salt, and nutmeg. Return to the heat and while whisking constantly, bring to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and stir to cool. When the sauce is cool, whisk in the egg and yolks.

Assemble the moussaka. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9 x 13 x 2-inch casserole dish with the oil. Scatter the breadcrumbs over the bottom of the pan. Lay half of the eggplant in the pan, overlapping the slices if needed. Cover with half of the meat sauce and smooth with a rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining eggplant and meat sauce. Pour the custard sauce over the layered mixture and smooth with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with the Pecorino Romano and bake, uncovered, until lightly browned and the custard is set, about 1 hour.

Remove the moussaka from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to serve.


Kourambiedes
Ingredients
3 sticks unsalted butter, soft
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for coating
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
About 45 whole cloves
Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and salt and whip until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar, egg, brandy, and vanilla and beat until all of the ingredients are integrated. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add sifted flour to the butter mixture. Using a rubber spatula, remove the dough and transfer it onto a piece of waxed paper or parchment. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes before rolling.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

After the dough has cooled, pinch off small pieces and roll them into about 1-inch balls. Place them in a single layer with space in between each, on a greased baking sheet. Repeat the process until all of the cookie dough has been rolled. Place a clove in the center of each cookie. Alternatively, shape the ball into half moons with a clove in the center of each.

Place the sheets in the oven and bake until the cookies are just slightly brown, about 15 minutes. Allow them to cool thoroughly, and then roll them in powdered sugar.
Note: I did not use the cloves and I made them in half moon shapes.

Outdoor Movie Night

Tonight for our Neighborhood Fellowship Group, we watched Tommy Boy outdoors. Some of our teacher friends brought their handy dandy projector, screen and... voila! It was awesome. Popcorn, great weather, good friends. A definite must.

Do's and Don'ts

Lately I've been trying to figure out what area of counseling I specifically want to focus on. God hasn't asked me to go to one thing, so of course I jump to experiences I know. I am extremely interested in miscarriages and infertility right now, for obvious reasons. If I hear of someone who has had a miscarriage or know someone, I really want to know what to do and say that helped me. Here is a list of things I've come up with on my and own and reading other blogs. Miscarriages are not uncommon, 1 in 4 pregnancies, so why is it rarely talked about? Why are women not confirmed to grieve in losing a life? I want to change this, get it out in the open. Why do churches surround families that have lost, but not this kind of loss? I am very blessed to say I had great support through our molar pregnancy, but there were things I found not helpful. Here are some do's and don'ts:

Don't give false hope-
don't say things like "you'll have another one" or "at least you know you can get pregnant" "maybe next year" "this is God's plan". This sends messages of false hope and it takes away from the loss they are feeling now. It's almost as if you're not letting them grieve. I know you are trying to help, but really it's making you feel better, not them.

Tell her you are there for her-
just be with her. Listen. Cry with her. Just don't try to force hope or happiness when that is not where she is. Meet her in her sorrow. Grieving with her is one of the best things you can do.

Do something without asking-
It is great to ask what you can do, but really there is nothing you can do to stop the pain. You can do things that will show love and help out with other stresses. One of the best things for me was when a friend said, I'm coming over with dinner. She didn't say what can I bring, what can I do, she just did it. It took pressure off of me to try and think up something she could do. Other things to do: bring movies/flowers, send a card, helping around the house, picking up kids, etc.

Ask how you can pray for her and then pray-
just that, find out what prayers she needs most and pray. Pray scripture over her and her husband.

Acknowledge that it happened-
I think one of the worst things was when others were uncomfortable and didn't even acknowledge my pain. They didn't know what to say, so they didn't say a thing. You don't have to come up with some amazing quote or scripture, even if you did it wouldn't help. You can even say "I don't know what to say, but know I care. I am here for you."

Also, reach out to the husband, they are hurting, too. I found that because Jack wasn't the one pregnant, that he was overlooked. No, they usually aren't as heartbroken, but they are in pain. You can't assume they aren't upset. Remember to reach out to him, too.

I hope this helps for those who come in contact with women who are having problems. Also, please feel free to give my number or email to those who have gone through a miscarriage or molar pregnancy. It helped me so much to talk to others who had been through what I had and it would be my honor to talk to them. I wanted to share a quote from Larry Crabb that is from a book called Shattered Dreams. The book spoke to my heart and it a fast, easy read. This quote said everything that I wanted to say through my struggle this year. Everything from losing the pregnancy and to getting my chemo without the results I wanted. Every week when my levels didn't go down, I kept feeling this intense pain that couldn't be explained, but I believe Larry captures it here. "When life kicks us in the stomach, we want someone to be with us as we are, not as he or she wishes us to be. We don't want someone trying to make us feel better. That effort, no matter how well intended, creates a pressure that adds to our distress."

first timer

Tonight was my first trip to the grocery with my new knowledge of coupons. I saved $28.78. Pretty good and stocked up on some good stuff (cake mixes!) to get started. I sat down earlier today and cut my coupons, organized them in my little accordian notebook, and made my menu for the week. I put all my stuff in a little tote, as suggested my faithful provisions, and I was set! I was a little nervous, but Jack went with me and they didn't tell me I couldn't use any of my coupons! I'm getting excited about the money I'm going to save so we can spend it on our bills and traveling, of course.

obsessed much?

Why, yes I am. I admit it. Isn't that the first step to getting better is admitting you have a problem? My name is Cindi and I'm a twilightaholic. Ever since New Moon is getting closer and they keep posting stuff about it, like another new preview, I am obsessing again. Entertainment Weekly is my all twilight source to all things Twilight. They have video, photo shoots, and they have pop watch, where they announce everything in the news about Twilight. I can say hours have been wasted by watching and browsing these items. I need to get back to reality, but is it not fun reliving your teen years? Being all giddy and silly? Let's not take ourselves too seriously, people.

coupon heaven

Tonight I went to a class on coupons. The words, "super double" "blinkers" and "catalina", have new meaning to me. These women mean business. Check out this website to learn more. She holds classes, but you can learn the majority of what she is teaching on the site. She does all the dirty work for you and gives you majority of the grocery stores deals each week. It is amazing. She also does meal plans. Anyways, check it out. The best part of the night: I won the free drawing!! I've never won anything, so I am really excited. And what else should I get but COUPONS! Lots of coupons. Everyone was really excited so I'm thinking it's a pretty good thing.

Graduation

Now I know this post is late, some say, but actually I just received the piece of paper saying I am a Masters in the arts of Counseling! I picked this up last week and shed some tears. It is UNBELIEVABLE where God has brought me in the last two years. There is part of me who wants to boast in what I have done, going back to school and completely changing my career, when everyone probably thought I was crazy or didn't think I could do it. This would be completely false, I must boast in what my God has done. He created this idea to counsel others in a time that I found myself fighting to be able to get the nerve to walk into the hospital one more day. He gave me courage. He gave me strength. He gave me a dream.
It was two and a half years ago that he pointed to scripture to have me go this path and confirmed it along the way. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:17-20. In actuality he has been working this in me all my life and I can definitely see where my life has piled up struggles to be able to convey to someone, I have been there.
I'm not quite sure where he will take me next and I only can pray that I listen and desire only him. I am now doing my internship for my license at Hope Clinic for Women where I see women in unplanned pregnancies, post abortion, or postpartum depression. I am loving it! I just really have enjoyed working with the college age population and can see myself working in that area. I have lots of dreams about starting something involving education on nutrition, exercise, self-worth, counsel, and the gospel for women.
A very special shout out to my wonderful and supportive husband, Jack, who believed in me every step of the way. He was patient, encouraging, loving, and always willing to quiz me before a huge test. I could not have done it without him, nor would have wanted to. He has helped me dream and stepped along with me in that dream. I am so blessed to have him in my life.
Another shout out to all of my friends who have encouraged me and told me I would be a good counselor when I may have doubted. Thanks to Judd, Traci, Melissa, Ben and Shelly for being my "clients"! HA. Thanks for putting up with it!
You guys, I did it! I am overwhelmed with joy. Cindi Burger Barrett, RN BSN, MA, NCC =)
PS. I actually "walked" in May and celebrated with a picnic along with my family and friends.

secret treasure

The Patterson House, in Nashville, is a new little gem that has you feeling you stepped right into a speakeasy. It opened recently off of Division in the old Patrick's building down from Virago. The sleekness and sophistication has you feeling you are not in Nashville anymore and the place is decked out with a blue velvet curtain, chandeliers, light green wallpaper, and wood booths. The drink menu is divided up by the spirit, so Gin, Whiskey, Brandy, Tequila, and so forth. Each drink is $11 and I know, that is a lot for a drink, but seriously this is the first time I have ever felt it is worth it. I have paid $12 for martini's on top of the Hancock building and they aren't worth it, but this is. The tax is also included in all the prices on the menu, a plus. They hand squeeze their juices and have an array of home made bitters in old medicine bottles. The ice is also special in each drink, designed to be specific to the concoction so it doesn't water it down. Jack had a whiskey drink and it had a huge ice sphere in it. My drink, the Pimm's cup, had one long piece. I have gone twice (begging to go again and again but my bank account can't take it all the time!) and I will tell you what were our favorites. Juliet and Romeo was to die for-rose water, gin, cucumber, lime, and mint. Refreshing and came in a dainty glass with a sidecar. Pimm's cup, very delicious-gin, mint, Pimm's, cucumber, and strawberry. Jack really liked his Vincent's Ruin, a whiskey drink- can't remember what's in this one, lemon, among other things. Alicia liked her daiquiri drink, it tasted like egg nog but light. Just try it and you'll see. 
Not only are the drinks great, but the food is, too. You can't be loading your bill up on $11 dollar drinks! So hit up the food. The chef comes formally from Craft in New York and Fat Duck in London, whipping up witty little plates from elvis panini, banana, peanut butter, and bacon, to tator tots and shrimp corndogs. The two menu items I have tried are the melt in your mouth donuts and the fig and prosciutto flat bread bites. The first time we went we ordered the donuts and they came out after our drinks, so we got them free =). The owner told us they are made of brioche dough and rolled in cinnamon sugar. You bite into them and they fill your taste buds with sweet cinnamon sugar, butter, and salt, all at the same time. The flat bread was also very good, but yo, those donuts were off the chain! I got them again my second time. They also have a smore dessert and truffled deviled eggs I was eyeing, maybe next time. Patterson House is a great place to treat yourself or take your out of town guests. If I could (that being I had more money and could tolerate all the calories) I would go every other week!

Last stops-Santorini and Naples

Santorini was our next stop, another greek island, which was our favorite place we went on the cruise. This place was picture perfect, pretty much what you would imagine Greece to be. I kept thinking Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or Mama Mia. Santorini is a volcanic island and one side has a super high cliff and the other is low, with beaches. The beaches are all black rock, which is so weird to see, but gorgeous. I have a friend who told us to just rent a bike of some kind and just drive. Jack and I took the tender boat to shore and once you get there, you have to get up to the cliff to the town, Fira. I think there are something like 500 steps that are made for the donkeys and horses to take you to the top. We didn't take the donkeys because we heard the locals believe they are actually souls who are in purgatory and they don't encourage it. They also looked miserable, probably not treated the best. The stairs zig zag up and are very steep. I had read lots of reviews not to walk these, unless you go down or a glutton for punishment. We took the cable cars up because there were not many people out yet. Fira was beautiful, with breathtaking views off the cliff. The houses are cave houses, with white walls and blue accents. After taking a look around, we rented a moped. As we were getting ours, we saw a couple where the wife was not quite happy with her husband. He forgot about the motorcycle license in order to rent a moped, so they had to get a 4 wheeler. As she was putting on her white ginormous helmet she said, "I feel like dumb and dumber". Ha. I like this lady. Exactly what Jack and I were thinking. 

We got our moped, which was hilarious compared to being on Jack's motorcycle back at home. It barely got up large hills, going about 15 mph, but it did the trick. We drove the most magnificent road on the way to Oia. It reminded me of Pacific coast Highway, right on the cliff overlooking the ocean. We were blown away with it's beauty. Blown away. 

Oia was great, pretty much the scenes you see on post cards: white walls, blue domes, and cliff views. We walked around the paths by the houses and restaurants, just in awe of this place. I could not believe we were here. After a while we decided to go check out a winery off of Wine Street. We came upon one that looked good and we were the only ones there! It was so great. We tried about 6 different wines-they are more known for their whites and are distinct because they grow in their volcanic land. They gave us some bread that was kind of like huge croutons. While were there two kitties came up to us, even Jack thought they were cute (he hates cats). Now this winery experience was much better-outside, looking at the ocean,the vines, and pink flowers, no warehouses.

After our redeeming winery experience, we went back to Oia for lunch. Oia is also known for having the best sunsets. People actually gather every night to just watch it, so most of the restaurants have a open view to the cliff and ocean. Our lunch was great and then we drove around the island for a while, ending at the beach. It was all together the perfect day. We did take the stairs down on the way back after stopping for a greek beer and gelato. It was steep, slippery, and we had to make sure and bypass the donkey poop. Yeah, I said poop. 

That night on the ship we ate at one of the specialty restaurants, Silk harvest. We got several sushi rolls and pad thai. Fabulous. Best pad thai I have ever had. We also both tried new drinks-Jack had ordered Sapporo, but they were out, so he tried a new japanese beer-Hitachino Nest. I tried the Lychee Sake, fabulous. I was wanting to get Sake and on the menu, it suggested this one for new sake drinkers. Mmm.

The next day was a cruise day, which was fourth of July. I was slightly sad not to be at home for the fourth, but that quickly dissolved when realized I was laying out in the middle of the ocean on the Mediterranean! The ship put on a lawn party on the top deck with some of the band playing and the singers. They played a medley of american songs and we ate cheeseburgers and fries from the grill. It was a great fourth of july. 

Our last stop was Naples and we kept hearing wonderful things about the Amalfi Coast and that Naples was not as great to visit-lots of crime. So we took a boat trip that went off the coast, where we could see the beautiful coast of houses and caves. Our boat actually went into a cave, complete with bats. We stopped at Amalfi, a little charming town with narrow streets and full of cafes and shops. Amalfi produces a lot of the limoncello, so it was everywhere and so we got a bottle (still haven't busted that one out). Jack and I stopped at a cafe and had a nutella croissant and a cappuccino. Oh, dear, I could have eaten 5 of these. There was also a beautiful church there that we took a look around that are in the pictures. We hopped back on the boat and went back to where we loaded to take a bus to Pompeii. Before going in, we went to the cameo factory to get a tour and a look at cameos I couldn't afford. Lunch was also right around pompeii and we sat with some of our fellow tour goers. I was a little nervous about this, but it turned out we met some very interesting people. One couple was your typical Jersey couple-woman with the full accent, gold jewelry, and LOTS of makeup. The other were on their honeymoon. The woman looked about in her forties, the man in his late fifties. They both preceded to brag on each other. He is a famous sculptor, who we found out sculpted that Billy Graham statue in downtown Nashville (that's not why he's famous). She does behaviorist counseling and has been on Oprah and written several books about dreams. They were unique and we did enjoy getting to know them. Lunch was so good and we had lots of it. Champagne, wine, mannicotti, chicken and veggies, pizza, and ice cream. The pizza was so good-the crust was thicker with such a rich taste and the toppings were simple- tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. It definitely lived up to the hype. 

Pompeii was super interesting, although Jack was a little toured out. Pompeii is a town that was destroyed by Mt Vesuvias and it ended up preserving the town. It was neat to see how this town lived and scary to see the "red light district" with penis' still on the street to direct you to it. 

Our trip was amazing. It really was humbling that God made this trip so delightful and relaxing. To see how others live and be in that world is just the best. We loved it and our thankful for God allowing us to do it. Thanks for letting me share it with you!