On Their Own

As I got up from the couch after watching a show this evening, I glanced over at Pellet's cage and found this:

They did this all on their own. Aren't they silly?

Looking Out

Pellet lived with us about 2 1/2 years before Cali came along and the worst he ever did was eat Fernanda's sandal when he was a little puppy.

Today Cali decided to chew through the stringers of the kitchen blinds so she could have a clear view of the outside.

We know for a fact it was Cali because Pellet was outside... Here's some evidence:



Now what?!?!?

Fire Season

The other night we had a fire going in the fireplace. This was Cali-girl's first encounter with fire! She was very much entertained by it. Check it out:

It should be a fun winter!

School

Yes, Cali started obedience school last Saturday. The classes are 6 Saturdays in a row at 8:30am. Waking up early on cold Saturday mornings is by far not the ideal way to start the weekend, but we are fortunate to have found a great trainer and the classes are totally worth it.

Here are pictures of the first day of class:

We're practicing "relax":

The gas station on that side of town has cheap(er) gas,

so we took advantage of it:

Scenes of the end of the day - worn out

(Pellet just takes advantage of the situation and relaxes too)

A closer look:

It's Only October

This afternoon I ran in Wal-Mart for a quick errand and came across the fact that their "Seasonal" section is set and ready to go for Christmas and it's October, it's only OCTOBER!!!

After shaking my head in disbelief on how far American consumerism has come I proceeded to walk the isles. I actually experienced something I've never experienced before at the Wal-Mart Christmas section: all items were in their own place, the greeting cards were organized, decorations weren't broken or messed up. I even saw poinsettias in all sorts of colors I've never seen before - blue, white and gold!

However, I did not make a single Christmas purchase - I refuse to feed the system. Christmas sales in October are nothing but a shame.

Airport Encounter

Why is it that since I've been working in the customer service industry I've become more critical about the customer service I receive as an individual? I suppose this small problem might be found across the board from one profession to the other. When a chef goes out to eat, he might be more critical about the food than the average diner. Same with a landscape professional, he might be more critical of his neighbor's yard than Average Joe is of his neighbor's yard.

On the way to Rome, I had an awful encounter with an employee of an airline (which is going to remain anonymous because its identity is irrelevant at this point). Needless to say, the encounter (because I cannot say the "service") was ultimately beyond sub-par and the scene was not pretty - I must admit. Part of the dialogue went something like this (keep in mind I was already an unhappy customer at this point because my concern wasn't being addressed):

Fern: the information you are giving me is not what the flight attendant said in the airplane
Girl: the flight attendant and I are in different departments and follow different rules and policies
Fern: both departments should communicate the same information because for me - the passenger - all of you are "The Airline"
Girl: Ma'am, that's not my problem. I don't care.

I think it's pretty clear that I walked away with lots of feelings: anger, frustration (problem was never solved), shock and hours later, as I sat in the airplane, came compassion.

As we are growing up, some of us are lucky to hear our parents say something like - you can be whatever you want when you get older, as long as you enjoy it and believe in it.

Some people, unfortunately, due to circumstances in life cannot have this privilege. They have to get whatever job they can to make a living. Then there are others who jump from one field to another until they are able to find something they enjoy. Lastly there are those who are lucky and fortunate to work in a field they enjoy and believe in right from the start.

I believe that if someone finds themselves in a situation like I described first, they can either A. embrace it and be the best they can be or B. be miserable and a victim.

The encounter that day helped me realize how lucky I am to earn a living doing something I enjoy fully. It also put in perspective my parents' words as I was growing up and I am thankful to them for developing the strong foundation of who I am today. Lastly, it opened my eyes to be compassionate towards people like the girl behind the counter that day - people who are victims of their jobs.

Ordination & First Mass

Pablo's ordination as deacon was last Thursday - October 9th at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica in ROME!

Here are some pictures of the events that took place that day!

Families of the guys that were getting ordained were invited for lunch to the seminary. The roof of the seminary has an unbelievable view of the city and of course of St. Peter's:



Lunch at the seminary was great. It was a full Italian meal and at the end there was a toast to all the deacons-to-be:


Here's the Altar of the Chair -


Processing in -





There's always an opportunity for a funny face... here's one -



We had dinner at a Peruvian restaurant -


The cake traveled all the way from Lima. It was made by our aunt Gina who makes beautiful and delicious cakes.



Pablo's first Mass as deacon was at Tre Fontane - the place where St. Paul was martyred.

Back Home

We are back... we've been back for a day already and are slowly adjusting.

Needless to say that the trip was beautiful, the ordination ceremony was surreal and the food was amazing.

Pellet and Cali are glad to be home too. They (especially Cali) are like Velcro, they want to be right next to us at all times. Right now Cali is sitting behind me on the couch with her head on my shoulder (for obvious reasons I cannot take a picture of this cute moment).

We have pictures of the trip... LOTS. They'll start going up hopefully tonight.

All Over

In normal circumstances the phrase "we walked all over the place" is considered an exaggeration. In Rome, this is literal.

Can't complain. There is absolutley no way to take in the city and all her charms any other way than walking...

Eternal City

We are finally in Rome, after a long day of waking up early (4:30am) and lots of traveling.
We've been here only one day and it already feels like 2. Late last night we kept referring to things that had happend that morning as "yesterday"... hello jet lag!!

For obvious reasons, not much time to post. We're off to do lots of walking. This afternoon we'll be at the Via Apia - Rome's oldest road that dates back to the actual Roman times. It's nice to have been here before, so this time around we can get away from all the touristy crowds.

Not sure if we can upload pictures here, if we can we will! Otherwise, we'll take care of all that fun stuff back home.

Spell check in this computer is in italian... I apologize in advance for any typos found.