I Like Mine With Lots Of Butter

Although Halloween is not a custom in Italy, my Italian babysitter insisted that I stop by her house first on the way to the "Americani Festa" at Sigonella. Bina and Antonio gave me lots of sweets and trapped me in their giant lobster net. After basking in Bina and Antonio's abbracci (hugs) and baci (kisses), I headed to the Navy base for Autumn Fest. The evening started out with Trunk-or-Treat. The cars lined up with trunks full of candy and the ghouls and goblins (and lobsters) went trunk to trunk for goodies. Last year, I was too little to participate in Trunk-or-Treat but this year I was big enough to get a whole plastic pumpkin full of candy.

Come on, did you really think Paolo and Bruco were going to get away without Mom tormenting them this holiday season?...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Carny Rides Make Me Happy

After Trunk-or-Treat, I rode my first carnival ride over and over and over again. Each time with a different lady partner. It was the best night of my life! The next day, we returned to Autumn Fest just so I could ride the "Truck" with my favorite girl, Ella. I love you Ella and I promise to never bite you again... as long as you don't aggravate me.

How Bout Them Red Sox?

The Boston Red Sox won game four by a score of 4-3 winning the 2007 World Series in a four game sweep of the Colorado Rockies.

In Italy, the game didn't come on until 2AM so unfortunately we didn't get to watch the game, but we ran to the computer first thing this morning and joyfully found that the Boston Red Sox rocked!

My parents had to bribe me with a lollipop to get me to show some team spirit by wearing this Boston Red Sox cap. Maybe my refusal to wear the hat means that I'll grow up to be a Yankees fan? Kidding! I really detest "all" hats. I scared you for a second huh?

A Memorable Birthday For Mom

Yesterday was Mom's 34th birthday. She woke to find this thoughtful card from me— It's all Dad's fault. He's the one that helped pick it out for me. Perhaps he should have actually read the card before purchasing it?! At least it made Mom laugh! Mom chose takeout sushi for her birthday dinner celebration, but before Dad and I left to go pick it up, I took a face dive off the bed warranting a visit to the emergency room. This was my third trip to the ER in my short life (remember the face dive I took off the couch and then there was the Pine Sol drinking incident!). Thankfully, everything turned out to be okay. I just had a badly bruised forehead, bloody nose and a fat lip. We got home from the ER so late that we decided to call it a night and celebrate Mom's birthday the following evening. Fast forward 24 hours. Mom finally got that delicious Oxidiana takeout sushi she wanted. Mmm Mmm so good! And a cheesecake with so many candles it almost burnt the house down.

Happy Birthday Mom. May all your wishes come true! How about no more cards claiming her son is a woman and no more ER visits!

The Weekend Getaway We Couldn't Refuse!

Before leaving Sicily, one of the things we wanted to do was visit all the Godfather scene locations on the island. Last weekend we began our Godfather/Mafia adventure by dusting off the Godfather trilogy box set and watching (and sleeping through) all 545 minutes of classic cinema while feasting on antipasti, primi piatti, secondi piatti, and dolci with our friend Meagan and her dogs, Jack and Ana. Once our memories were refreshed and our "wise guy" nicknames were assigned, we ventured out on our ambitious Mafioso experience...

First stop was Savoca, a rustic village on the east side of Sicily not too far from Taormina. Most of the Godfather Sicily scenes were shot in this town as a stand in for the town of Corleone, which was too developed for the time period that the Godfather was shot. We walked around the tiny town trying to find the acclaimed Bar Vitelli where Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) asked Apollonia's father to take his daughter out on an escorted date in Godfather I. We passed by the famous bar several times without notice because of its overgrown green disguise. Once we finally discovered the bar under all those leaves, we sat in the spot where the scene was shot next to the same beaded doorway curtains. From Chiesa di Santa Lucia, where Michael and Apollonia were later married, we strolled down the same road as the wedding party to the end of the road where they celebrated the marriage at Bar Vitelli. The road is now paved as a gift to the people of Savoca from the production.

Our next stop was Palermo, which is on the other side of the island. We followed Meagan and her two dogs. Thanks to no traffic and Meagan's superb GPS system, we reached Palermo in just a little over two hours. We did a little sight seeing before going to the Teatro Massimo where the Godfather's daughter was shot dead on the steps in Godfather III. Pictured below is Mary Corleone (Sophia Coppola) after being shot on the opera house steps. And yup you guessed it, in the picture beside her is my mom reenacting the climactic ending of the Godfather III. She is so embarrassing!

After our day in Palermo, we drove an hour south to the notorious town of Corleone. Corleone is not only famous because of the fictional mafia character Godfather Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), but also as the birthplace of several "real" mafia characters- Michele Navarra, Luciano Leggio, Leoluca Bagarella, and Salvatore Riina. It is said that the Mafia still dominates the local community. Just recently was the arrest in 2006 of Bernardo Provenzano "Boss of Bosses", who had been in hiding for more than 40 years.

After a quick drive through the town, we settled in our simple rooms at the Casa Mia Agriturismo and Principe di Corleone Winery. Bringing four dogs turned out to be more of a hassle than you can imagine. There was a pack of guard dogs at the b&b/winery that weren't too happy having canine guests! We had envisioned taking the dogs for walks through the vineyards, but unfortunately Bruco, Paolo, Jack and Ana remained locked up in the rooms the entire time. Luckily we were only spending the night! That evening we had a nice Sicilian dinner and a mini wine tasting. The next morning the owner took us to the winery out back and showed us how the wine was made.

After our morning cappuccinos, we headed into the town of Corleone for lunch and photographs. We found a nice little Trattoria that had amazing pistachio pasta. After lunch, it got incredibly windy and the temperature seemed to be dropping rapidly so we didn't stay too long to take pictures- just long enough to get this goofy shot of all the dog's butts!

We got on the road back to Catania just in time for a huge hail storm. It was a stressful ride home but we survived and lived to blog about our Godfather/Mafia adventure!

Caption Contest Winners!

Thank you to all that participated in our little contest. We had a lot of fun reading your captions. It was so difficult choosing a winner that we decided to do a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. The 1st place winner will receive a big box of Sicilian goodies and the 2nd and 3rd place winners will receive a little box of Sicilian goodies (Mom's just trying to get rid of some crap around the house- kidding!).

The winners are...

#1 Cheryl Lee Ski with...
#2 Crazy Isabelle with...#3 The Swindells with...

Congratulations and thanks again for participating!

Piaggio Ape

The Ape (pronounced "ah-pay") is a common sight in Sicily where its compact size allows it to navigate narrow streets and park in tight spots. Next month when I turn 18 months old, I can get my Italian learner's permit to drive an Ape. Stay tuned for more adventures!

Caught On Camera

This is one of my naughty moments caught on camera. Lately, I've been getting a real kick out of tormenting Paolo & Bruco—no pun intended. Not tormenting in a "I'm displaying antisocial behavior and going to be a serial killer when I grow up" sick kind of way, but more like a "let's see what kind of reaction I can get out of the dogs" playful kind of way. My parents beg me to stop teasing the dogs because dogs sometimes bite when they feel threatened and if one of them decides to bite me, my parents will be forced to make a decision that they do not want to make. They warn me, "Currier, we really don't want to have to get rid of you!"

Caption This Photo Contest!

The person who submits the funniest caption to this picture will receive a big box of Sicilian goodies. Submit your clever caption under comments. The winner will be chosen on October 18th, 2007. Good Luck!

And The Winners Are...

I was nominated by my Mimi to do the Balent family 2007 Christmas present name drawing. Here are the results...
Papi—Robbie
Mimi—Coleen
Michael—Kathy
Tracy—Carrie
Christopher—Tracy
Kathy—Papi
Carrie—Beth
Hilde—Christopher
Robbie—Trent
Beth—Michael
Trent—Mimi
Coleen—Hilde
Jonathan—Nyah
Austin—Kellie
Amanda—Jonathan
Kellie—Clayton
Clayton—Currier
Nyah—Amanda
Currier—Austin
Get Shopping! Only 75 days til Christmas, but who's counting!

Truck! Truck! Truck!

Mom dropped me off at the Child Development Center on base for an hour yesterday so she could try a Pilate's class. The timing couldn't have been more perfect! As we pulled in the parking lot of the daycare center, the firemen were there with their big truck. As part of Fire Prevention Week, all the kids got fireman hats and we took turns sitting in the driver's seat of the firetruck. It was awesome!

A Tribute to Nana

It was 25 years ago today that my grandmother, Diane Kent Currier, lost her long battle with cancer. She is the grandmother that I will never get to know, but will undoubtedly be a part of my life because my mother will talk of her often. Although my grandmother died when my mother was a young girl, she is the greatest influence in her life and the strongest woman my mother will ever know. Today we celebrate the life of this incredible woman I call Nana. We are certain she is with us. Her love fills our hearts.

About That Checkbook

Dear Mom,
Stop wasting your time looking for your checkbook. Come on, it’s been like three months since its disappearance. Seriously, do you really think it’s going to miraculously turn up after all this time? Stop complaining that you have no idea what could have happened to it because I know. I threw it in the trash. You threw a stinky, poopy diaper on top of it and then you immediately took the trash out curbside. So there you have it! Please stop bitching and moaning that you can’t balance your checkbook without the register. IT IS THE YEAR 2007... Do people even use check registers anymore? Order some check balancing software, join the 21st century and shut up already!
Love your darling son,
Currier

Bye Bye Bubba

Hello. My name is Currier and I'm a baby big boy now. It's been three days since my last bottle. My mean parents I decided it was best to go cold turkey after a few months of unsuccessful weaning. Arrivederci bottiglia! Oh, how I will miss you so!