Buon Natale!

We had the squadron Christmas party on Saturday night at the Officer's Club on base. I found out about the party on Thursday when Monique (one of the other wives) mentioned something about it. So when I asked Taylor what I should wear, he said he was told that people wear everything from jeans to prom dresses! And he was right. There were FOR SURE some prom dresses and straight up high school prom hair as well...and there were some guys in jeans! I wore a pair of red pants and a sweater and I was definitely underdressed for a girl...but I know for next year...a cocktail dress would be more appropriate! Oh well, it was a fun party, but the really fun party started AFTER the one on base.

The officers in the squadron went over to Monique's house for a poker/dance/stay up all night party! We were missing a few people though, Taylor had to work on Sunday at 4:30am so he went home to bed after the official party, Bill's wife, Anne, is back in the States for Christmas because they are PCSing in a few days, Jenni's husband, Mike, was home with a sick baby, and Monique's husband Brett is deployed.

Monique is quite the trooper, she just had her first little boy the weekend we arrived in Italy, so he is now about 2 months old and her husband deployed the week after Thanksgiving for 6 months and she's staying here sticking it out! Without a job and with a 2 month old, I think I'd for sure be home! I'm such a wimp! But she had a friend watching her son on Saturday night so we had a crazy night at her house!

Chris Porta and Monique. Chris's wife, Sharity, works at the Youth Center where I will be working...eventually when all my paperwork finally goes through!

Jessica (Monique's friend from California who is visiting for Christmas), Sharity (who works at the Youth Center), Jenni, and Chris.

Jenni Piernick and I! Jenni and her husband Mike were our sponsors when we arrived in Italy. They were a HUGE support to us and we were so lucky to have them as our sponsors!

Joe and Monique...up on the coffee table singing into microphones and remotes that were not plugged in, thankfully!

And the whole night was ALL caught on video...we stayed up until about 8am...yeah, haven't done that since college!! Definitely needed a nap the next day!

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And can I also say that we played a game of Texas Hold Em, but I opted out because I didn't know how to play. Then while Chris was up getting a drink he asked me to play his hand...I warned him that I didn't know what I was doing, but a few drinks gave him a lot of confidence in my lack of skills. So I played his hand and ended up with a Royal Flush...I wasn't sure what I had, but I thought it was pretty good. Without seeing my cards he said keep betting, keep betting, and I wasn't sure, but I agreed...and obviously as I learned later a Royal Flush is the top hand you can have in poker, and I won him about 50 bucks. So he gave me part of his pot and in the end I won $21!!! Pretty good for never playing before, it probably helped that my competition all had lots of drinks!! But I'll take it!

Our basement that is slowly coming together. We finally bought the couch and TV for downstairs. Much of our Christmas from family consisted of funds to help buy needed things around the house, we got things such as, the couch, tv, shelves, tv stand, a grill, and a rug...so a very big thank you for helping us put our home together... here is how it is shaping up. Please disregard the lack of decorations done...like the lamp without a shade...it's still in progress!

A close up :)

The couch...it looks different in pictures than in person...I think it looks nicer in person, but I guess you'll have to visit yourself to confirm that one :) Visitors...come one, come all!!!

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And below...some of you UT fans will recognize this!

...the coveted Sports Illustrated cover poster. The cover of SI College Edition in 2004 that named the Best College Football Weekends. And that's right my friends, the best college weekend goes to THE University of Tennessee. In the words of Papa (my grandpa) "Who don't know that?!?!" Only the greatest school in history, I love it, I miss it.

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This poster has a little story behind it. While we were in school we got a weekly edition of Sports Illustrated College Edition in our school paper and in 2004 SI named Tennessee as best college football weekend. Well I was working at our gym on campus at the time and the TRECS received a few copies of poster sized covers. They hung two in the gym and they were immediately stolen. There were about 3 other copies and somehow it came up when I was talking to my boss one time and I mentioned how much I LOVED the posters and how it would be so cool to have one. Well that day ended up being crazy with incidents and a TON of stuff going on at the gym and we were there extra late and as we were closing my boss came down and gave a copy of the poster to me and the other building manager working that day and thanked us for our hard work.

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I proudly hung that poster in our apartment all through college and I can't tell you how many offers I got to pay me for the poster! But I stood strong and refused to part with it. I believe Taylor offered me money for it in college too...needless to say, he paid the biggest price, as he'd tell you, he married me for that poster!!! I guess he wins since he offered the most!

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While Taylor was in Korea he mentioned that poster and said I should really get it framed, I said I would look for it and agreed to frame it. My mom and I took the poster to be framed (it had to be custom framed because it's a funny size) and my mom said she and dad would do it for Taylor's Christmas. (Was that grammar right, I can't ever remember. Mom?) Anyway, as she smartly pointed out, it's going to be hanging in my house for the rest of my life, so it should at least look nice! I decided it would be more fun to be a surprise, so a few days later I told Taylor that I couldn't find the poster anywhere, I had been looking all over. He couldn't believe I could lose something like that and that I should probably look harder because it HAD to be in the house somewhere. I said it was probably somewhere with my diplomas which I can't find either (and that's the truth...still haven't found those)...so he was VERY disappointed.

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Well I got the framed picture in with the shipment to Italy and it has been sitting in a box in our storage room since we moved into the house in November. He has brought up the picture a few times since we've been here mentioning how it would look great in the basement, and I really should have looked harder at home before I left. So it was a fun surprise when I brought the picture upstairs for him for Christmas...he was very happy to have the poster and know it was not lost after all. He said where did you keep it all this time?? I said, it was sitting in a box in the corner of the store room...he said what if I had looked down there...I said I knew there was no way you would open a box down there unless I forced you. And I was right. All the boxes left down there now are full of his junk he doesn't know what to do with, but we don't really need!

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Anyway, there you have it...

He resembles the poster, right? And please take note of his signed Peyton picture just to the right of his face...he was in between Tennessee greatness right there :)

Well, we celebrated our Christmas together tonight and opened all of our presents. We are so very blessed and lucky to have such great families who love and support us. We had a wonderful Christmas and are very thankful for our families who helped bring Christmas across the big pond to us and made it feel a little more like home. We are heading off tomorrow to Austria for our ski trip...I'll report back soon. Now it's off to bed so I can navigate tomorrow while Taylor drives...I'm going to be the GPS's helper :) And I bought a map for a back up! We're set!

Buon Natale!