buon natale

Ringing in the 2013 new year

with a Neapolitan tradition –

excessive fireworks. It was truly

a sight to behold!!

We also had a lovely visit with our friend, Elizabeth, where we

took her hiking along the Sentiero degli Dei

(Path of the Gods)

January – A wonderful trip to Catanzaro where we met our

Scorza relatives

(Luke’s mom’s side of the family)

Family ski trip – a first

for Maddie and Katie.

They mastered the

slopes by the end of

the day!!

March – Seabee ball.

Trevi Fountain in Roma,

where Erin ran her 5th

marathon

March-

Maddie

competes in

her 1st

gymnastics

competition

Spring Break – Pisa,

Florence, Lucca and

Venice (Murano & Burano)

Spring Break – in Florence, learning how to make

pasta. In case you’re wondering, it was delicious!

Spring Break –

Gondola rides and

chasing pigeons in

Piazza San Marco.

It’s a tough life for

these girls!

Spring break – Allie goes bi-polar on us!!

How better to follow up spring break than a visit by

Nonna and Zia June – shown here in Pompeii

Allie the comedian,

Katie the directionally

challenged tour guide,

and gladiators in the

arena

We are studying the finer

points of wine making. So

far, we have only figured

out that we love Italian

vino!

Luke bought a moped and a pet monkey.

Just making sure that you’re still paying attention.

Katie’s First Holy Communion

April/May -

Anniversary trip

to Sorrento and a

Memorial day trip

to Anzio

May - Ischia for Luke’s 40th birthday and Erin’s 30-

something birthday

June - back to the states for Luke’s

sister’s wedding and a belated

father’s day fishing trip

July – just hanging out and enjoying our summer

July - trip to Bari. We

stayed in a “Trulli Hut”.

Bari Safari!Yes, the

animals stick their heads in the car, and yes, the kids

scream. Erin screamed

too (A LOT).

Mediterranean lifestyle.Somebody has to go to these

beaches!

August - Germany to visit our friends Nichol and

Marc. They greeted us with pretzel rolls, wine and

beer.

We took side trips to Belgium and Holland to see

Brussels, Flanders Field, Brugge, and Kinderdijk

It’s hard to find a comfortable pair of wooden shoes!

We secretly think that Nichol is holding a grudge

against Erin because she made Erin’s worst

nightmare come true…

More Germany fun – they let you control your

own ride at the amusement park!

(Can’t do that in the U.S.!!)

The storybook village where Marc and Nichol live

September – back to school and back to all their

activities (soccer and gymnastics). Happiest time of

the year!

October –weekend trip to Siena (still studying the finer

points of wine making) with a quick (18k) trail run

November - we meet up with Nichol again, this time in

Greece! She watches and corrupts the girls while

Luke and Erin rock the Athens marathon.

Finally it’s December! Honor Roll, Holiday shows,

school plays, and Christmas lights in Salerno. We

also got to see the Harlem Globetrotters.

January 2014 – A year has passed very quickly and we

start the New Year missing family and friends from all

over the world. We are grateful and blessed to be in Italy

sharing our time with new friends and new traditions.

But, some things don’t change - fireworks and wine.

The real reason we didn’t do a Christmas

card this year!!

With health, happiness and

warmth…Always…

The Greene Family