Happy Italy Anniversary (plus a day or two)

So I have been thinking we moved to Italy on August 26, 2011, but really we moved on August 18!  I missed our one year Italy anniversary!  I was going to eat 365 scoops of gelato to celebrate!  Kidding.  I was only going to taste 365 flavors. 

I went back and read through the first few months of my blog, and OH the memories!  Our home feels so much like home now, I forgot about the whole apartment hunting phase.  Or maybe I just blocked those memories out of my mind.  Either way, I can't believe we've been here a year! 

This is a picture from our second day in Europe.  We decided to head to Austria to help us adjust to the time change.  Little did we know we would still spend many of those first nights looking up at the ceiling wishing we could just fall asleep. 

Our first trip to Venice.  It took us a while to get our feet underneath us, but once we did we tried to get out and see as much as we could.  We've been so blessed to be able to travel all around and see and experience new things together. 

This is from our first trip to Verona.  We even enjoyed a night at the opera on this trip!  All of these neat places are just a hop, skip, and a jump away from us. 

I plan on doing a bigger post about our first year, but for now I just want to take a second and say thank you to my amazing husband. 

If it weren't for John Ralph I would not be living this dream right now.  He worked so hard throughout West Point to be able to pick Italy as his first post.  I remember getting frustrated that he would want to study instead of talking to me on the phone at night.  Little did both of us know that he was paving the way for us to have an amazing journey as a newly married couple.  He has given me so many opportunities and has stood behind me as I've gone out of my comfort zone to embrace our new life in such a beautifully strange place.  I can't imagine doing the things I've done in the past year without his love and support.

So, John Ralph, thank you.  Thank you for providing for our little family of two.  Thank you for always working hard and doing your best so that we could go on this journey together.  I'm so lucky to be married to you!  Happy 367 days in Italy!