Enjoying Omaha

We finally had a day that wasn't consumed by unpacking, errands related to moving or school related preparations. (Saved that for tomorrow...)

Fabio's been wanting to go to the zoo since we got here and we picked one of the hottest days of the year. I'm just glad we didn't have kids under 5 years old in tow, like seemingly everyone else that was there. Despite the heat and humidity, we had a great time. We especially loved the penguins.



We also loved the "skyfari" ride over the savannah exhibits.





The aquarium also had this great tube display. You could basically walk through the water. Sharks and stingrays swimming all around you. Very surreal.



Then we had dinner at the Old Market area of Omaha. It's a few blocks of old, restored restaurants and shops. We had yummy food at The Twisted Fork. Sweet potato fries are the best food invention as of yet.



We are both loving our new life in Omaha. The last few months have been a whirlwind, but we are finally settled in, loving our jobs and getting used to life in the Midwest. Anyone want to come visit? :)

Our Furnished Apartment

Now that our stuff is here (thank the high heavens it made it safely!) and we're all unpacked, you can see the different some furniture makes! :)

Employed x 2

I'm a lucky girl. For lots of reasons. For purposes regarding this post, I am lucky because I found a teaching job at the end of July. A good teaching job. When Fabio got a job in Omaha at the end of June, I pretty much gave up the idea of getting a job here too. Teaching jobs in the summertime are scarce. Especially in this economy. Most schools have done their hiring and are sitting pretty, waiting for August to roll around.

There were a few postings here and there in the suburban school districts around Omaha. I applied to all of them (maybe 4-5), not expecting much, knowing that I was competing with other applicants who already had teaching licenses in Nebraska (mine is pending and waiting on fingerprints).

I had heard nothing from any school district when we pulled out of Seattle on July 25th. However, on July 26th, as we were driving from Prosser to Boise, I got a call from a very nice principal in a suburban school district regarding a 6th grade position I had applied for. (Note: I had found this job opening by accident while searching the web for substitute pay in Omaha...random.) The principal noted that it was last minute, but she would like to do a pre-screening interview at noon "today."

"Well, I would love to. But I'm on the road to Boise right now. Is that a problem? Could we do a phone interview?"

"That's not a problem," she said. She then told me that she and the district curriculum director would call me at noon (their time). For the next two hours I watched my cell phone reception bars like a hawk. At about 9:45 (15 minutes before they were to call), I told Fabio to pull over because I had 5 bars, and I had been going in and out of reception for the last hour. We pulled off on an exit to nowhere, and when I got the phone call at 10am sharp, Fabio kindly stepped out into the extreme heat to give me some privacy.

So there I sat, on the side of a road to nowhere, answering questions about instructional techniques, discipline policies and philosophies on curriculum while my poor husband sweated it out in the desert. After about 30 minutes I let him back in and I finished my interview about 30 minutes after that. I felt so good about it. The principal and I talked about her school a little and about their curriculum. I was so happy that she talked about inquiry (something I'm passionate about) and that the curriculum is teacher created. After I got off the phone, I told Fabio, "We'd be a great match!"

A few days later, we were eating dinner with Dane and Bridget at Cafe Rio, and I got a call from the principal for a second interview! She wanted me to come in for a "team interview" on Friday morning, the morning after we were scheduled to arrive in Omaha. Whew! We pulled into Omaha around 11pm Thursday night and at 8am on Friday, I was up ready to go! I met the other two 6th grade teachers, the math and literacy coaches, the principal and director of HR. They each asked me questions, and we had a great conversation. The principal gave me a tour of the school and she was so friendly and nice. She said she'd call me either this weekend or Monday. I passed another candidate on my way out, and so I wasn't feeling overly confident.

I got home, and Fabio told me I looked a little less confident than I had before I went in. I told him it was only because I had seen the other candidate, and even though I knew they had really liked me, maybe that girl was even cooler. (Not likely, but certainly possible.) :)

About five minutes after we had that conversation, my phone rang and it was the director of HR that had been in on the team interview. She told me they would like to offer me the job. "Yes, of course! Thank you!" I gushed.

"Oh, great! We're so happy! You know, I had to tell the ladies not to get too excited yet because you may have to think about it, or talk it over with your husband. But, they'll be so thrilled that you said yes right away."

I then got to talk to the principal about a few odds and ends. I think we will be friends. She seems a lot like me, and I feel very comfortable around her.

After my semi-traumatic experience saying good-bye to my friends and co-workers at my school in Seattle, this has been a relief and a blessing. I now feel like I have a purpose in Omaha (besides the all important role of supporting my husband in his career endeavors). I have a way to make friends in a new city, bring in more money, and most importantly, do something I love so much. I am a lucky girl, but I also believe I am blessed.

Our Empty Apartment...

Here's the exterior. We think it's quaint. :)

Omaha

I have been putting off this post for a while, because I haven't wanted to face the reality, but here it is. We have moved to Omaha.

Fabio called me back in June and told me with excitement that he had an interview with the IRS. I was ecstatic!

"Wow, honey! The IRS. Your dream job!"

"I know!" he said. "But there's a catch. The job is in Omaha."

My heart dropped. "You applied for a job in Omaha?! Why would you do something like that?"

I won't go into the details of the rest of the conversation, but I will give you some background on why we are not as crazy as we sound.

Yes, Fabio had a new, but flourishing practice in Seattle. We recently set up offices in Gig Harbor and Seattle. He just received new letterhead, business cards and envelopes. However, owning his own practice is not what Fabio has always wanted. After applying for job after job after job in Seattle and not having a bite, he felt it necessary to make a job for himself. Just like everything else he does, the solo practice he created to give himself experience was successful. However, he was constantly worried about the kind of liability he had. There were weeks where he didn't get one promising phone call from a prospective client. We spent many weekends and weeknights at the office trying to stay on top of the work. For the most part, he really enjoyed his flexible schedule and the challenges that come with owning your own business, but again, it was something he created out of necessity. If necessary, he would have continued growing the practice and I'm sure he would have enjoyed many aspects of it.

In March, Fabio became a U.S. citizen. His citizenship made it possible for him apply for a myriad of federal jobs. Being a tax lawyer, this meant he could apply for jobs with the IRS. Apparently, he applied for federal jobs all over the country. I say "apparently" because I didn't find this out until after he got an interview in Omaha! He wasn't being sneaky. I knew he was applying for federal jobs. I just assumed they were in Seattle. However,there just aren't many government jobs advertised externally in Seattle. Two months after he started flooding the government with his resume, he got a call from Chicago and Omaha to interview to be an appeals officer for the IRS. The Omaha office offered him a job a few weeks after his interview.

Most young tax lawyers (especially lawyers who have an LLM in tax) will tell you that working for the IRS would be a dream. Perks of this job include amazing benefits for the whole family for basically peanuts, great pension, predictable and steady income with consistent raises and promotions, 40 hour work weeks, every federal holiday off and he never has to work weekends. Oh, and best of all...we only have to pay 10% of our income every month for 10 years, and then his student loans (all six figures) will be forgiven. Man, public service rocks.

We flew to Omaha last at the end of June so Fabio could meet with his future boss and co-workers and to look for an apartment. We left Omaha feeling that moving there was the right decision for us. Fabio's boss and co-workers were amazing. They were friendly, welcoming and personable. Fabio left feeling peaceful and feeling that he could be challenged, learn from these people and enjoy their company. We found a PERFECT apartment near a park and stream and walking path. It's in a lovely neighborhood with malls, grocery stores, restaurants and gyms just a few minutes walk away. Fabio will have a minimal commute of 7 miles, and we will have a lot of space in our 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment!

I was offered a job today (yes, the day after we pulled into town...more on that later), and so I also have a purpose here. YAY! It's hot, it's humid, but we're happy about this phase in life and know we'll have lots of adventures ahead. I'm very proud of Fabio and am excited to support him in something he has always wanted to do.

Keep checking back for more posts on our trip out here and my new job!

Curveball

For those of you who don't already know, any guesses?

Lately

Has it really been a month since my last post? Has it really been that long since something "blog worthy" has happened? I'm afraid so.

Here's a run-down of the last month:

Kayaking on Lake Union/watching sea planes take off and land.

Fabio took finals and finished classes for the summer.

I finished the school year with a bang. Thursday (June 17) was our last day. This time last week I was thinking it would be the longest week of my life with a showcase of student work for parents on Tuesday, portfolios still had to be finished, my room had to be cleaned out and my stuff moved to my new room. Now it's all over, and I can't believe I don't have to go in to work tomorrow! Weird. I never get used to this feeling.

We have been watching some World Cup soccer, and miracles happen people. I'm actually starting to LIKE watching soccer! Finally! After almost 4 years with Fabio, I'm starting to understand and appreciate the game. I'm also starting to know some of the players. Forza Italia!!!

We walked the 6 mile path around Lake Union in the pouring rain.

Our local gym in Magnolia closed much to my dismay. However, much to my delight, they transferred our memberships to the new LA Fitness in Ballard and it ROCKS! Brand new equipment, a myriad of classes, TVs on every machine, 5 star bathrooms. I like working out now.

Fabio's business continues to boom and I have been able to help him on many occasions. I'm now a full-time employee of ALF (Ambrosio Law Firm).

Gelateria D'Ambrosio has opened in Ballard and we're addicted. We're talking authentic gelato just a few miles from our house. Amazing. I have no words for how delectable it is. It was opened last month by an acquaintance of Fabio's. He's from Abruzzo and a really great guy and an even better gelato maker!!!





I'm not really sure how, but this photo ended up on yelp.com. I guess our friend, Alesandro, took it and posted it. You can see me (very scary looking) and Alesandro's son, Vincenzo (Vincenzino as we like to call him), through the glass.


If the weather actually starts to resemble something summerish, this looks like it could shape up to be a great summer!

Ambrosio Law Firm's Seattle Office Now Open For Business!

We're up and running in Seattle! I can't express how proud I am of Fabio and his hard work. He was admitted to the bar only 10 months ago and already he has two offices and is so busy! He is in desperate need of a secretary/assistant, but he'll have to hold off for 4 more weeks until I am done with work for the summer.

We ordered the logo decal for the door today and it looks awesome! In the video it looks mustard yellow, but it's this really classy gold that shimmers in the sun. We LOVE it! He's getting new business cards, stationary and envelopes with his new logo. The office is about 99% done and Fabio will start seeing clients there next week.

Here is my first attempt at posting a video on our blog. I took the video with my Palm and I took it the wrong way, so when we rotated it on the computer, it was really narrow. So although it's small, I hope it can help you really understand how fabulous the office is!

Teacher Appreciation Week

It's that time of year again. The staff lounge is overflowing with fatty, empty calorie treats in appreciation of teachers. I told my friend that the best thank you would be a bigger paycheck. Oh well.

In our staff meeting today, our head of school challenged us to write a thank you note/email to a teacher that made a difference in our life. Come on, you know we all have one!

Mine didn't come until college, and thank the heavens he came along. I still get teary eyed thinking about the impact he had on the course of my life. I wrote him an email tonight:

Hi Dr. Birrell,

Remember me? Emalei Smith? :) In our staff meeting today, we were asked to think about teachers who made a difference in our lives, and my thoughts turned to you.

Thank you for being so passionate about what you do. It was contagious, and I think I caught it! Thank you for believing in me and instilling a confidence in me I had never known. Thank you for allowing me to go to Washington DC. It was there that I fell in love with kids and with teaching. I know I wasn't that great of a teacher back when you knew me, but I really believe it was your faith in me that has led me to where I am now. I think I am finally becoming confident and "good" at what I do. I'm going on 8 years of teaching now, and I still love it more than ever. Being in your class really changed my life. I have you to thank for my love affair with teaching!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Emalei

So, come on. Do it. Email your favorite teacher. Track them down and let them know that all the hard work and little pay, in the end, really paid off.

Ode to My Husband

Today, I am singing the praises of my "son of a gun" husband. ("Son of a gun" is an inside joke, in case you were wondering.) He saw an apartment, identical to ours, in our building, for rent on Craigslist, for $100 cheaper than we're paying right now. He sent them an addendum to our new lease for next year saying that we would sign it only if our rent went down $100 a month and we get a new sink in the bathroom. (The one we have now is rusty and gross.) They called back and his demands have been met! Hmmm...what will we do with an extra $1200 next year? :)

On another note, Fabio's practice is booming. Can you hear it? :) The phone is ringing off the hook, and he's decided to get an office in Seattle. His Seattle website is producing so much work up here that he really needs his own space instead of borrowing a friend's conference room. This means we stay in Seattle for at least another year, I get to keep my job with no commute, and he'll go to Gig Harbor once or twice a week only to meet with clients.

I'm so proud of Fabio! He is so smart, proactive, hard working and it is really paying off! (I usually don't do sappy posts like this, but I really felt like he deserved it.) Way to go, honey!

Oh, and he's cute too:

Day 11-13: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good:

The remains of Herculaneum in Ercolano, a small preserved Roman village destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.






Roman Bath...We couldn't believe how preserved it was!


Pompeii:

Seeing Vesuvio looming behind Pompeii:


Crossing the "crosswalks:"


The many remains of taverns. Fabio will serve you a drink now:


The amphitheater:


Our hotel in Castellemare Di Stabia:


Greek temple ruins at Paestum:







The view from our hotel room on the Amalfi Coast:


Gelato in Positano:


Boat ride from Positano to Amalfi:


Fabio was being very romantic in Amalfi:




Lemons bigger than our fists:


Somehow, the streets of Amalfi made me look thinner than I really am:


Eating pizza on a quiet street away from the tourists. Quite possibly the best pizza I've ever had. That is saying a lot:


The Bad and the Ugly:

Where do I begin? Now that you've seen all the beautiful and amazing things we were able to experience, let me tell you-I will probably NEVER experience them again. Why? Oh, my friends. You have NO idea.

Unless you have been to the Naples area of Italy, you cannot fully appreciate what I'm about to relate to you. To make it concise, I will bullet point the stress that quite possibly shortened my life by a few months over the past few days:

- In theory there may be traffic laws. NO ONE abides by them. Complete MAYHEM on the streets...mayhem that moves about 60 mph through city streets, talking on a cell phone, smoking a cigarette and wearing no seatbelt.

- Pedestrians lurking out in the street (many with baby carriages in front of them) without even looking. Because, you know, if you hit them, it's your fault.

- Drivers passing whenever and wherever they feel like it, even if it is only a one lane road.

- Has the trash been collected in the last month? Sure didn't look like it.

- Is there a parking lot at Herculaneum? We'll never know. The whole time we were there, we were worried about Fabio's parents' car we had to park in the most god forsaken neighborhood I've ever been to in the western world. Every male on the street (I think that's where all the males in the neighborhood were since I'm pretty sure none of them have jobs) was eyeing our car and us (obviously NOT Neopolitans) as we huffed the 1/2 kilometer to the archeological site.

- Pretty sure the roads haven't been repaved since asphalt was invented.

- After risking our lives on the road trying to find a parking spot around the ATM, Fabio almost gets a fine for having half of the trunk of the car in a pedestrian crossing. REALLY?! You're blowing your stupid whistle at US? Have you seen the hundreds of jay-walkers, speeders, people without seatbelts and their babies on their laps in the front seat, and scooter riders without helmets talking on their cell phones, smoking a cigarette and turning their head to talk to their girlfriend all while passing 5 cars at 60 mph through the city streets?

-The area around our beautiful hotel in Castellammare:

***I really don't understand why a nice hotel would be in this neighborhood.

- The 1 1/2 lane road that hangs precariously to the side of a cliff that snakes its way from Salerno to Positano, with 180 degree hairpin turns, all the while the natives are zooming past you, or honking their horn and flashing their lights behind you, passing you no matter that there is a blind curve 10 feet ahead. And don't forget the cars coming at you at 60 mph with a 1/2 inch between your car and theirs. They don't even blink. an. eye. while doing this!


***You may be thinking, how can she be complaining about the road when this was the view? Little do you know that right around this corner were 3 scooters, a bus and a car all moving at about 60 mph, headed right towards us. We had to stop, back up, and pray to the high heavens that no one was zooming towards the curve behind us, surely to rear-end and destroy our car and kill us in the meanwhile.

- 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) = 1 hour (Salerno to Positano)

- Our hotel driveway = I don't know, 40 degree incline with the last parking spot being a tiny little perpendicular spot. Not to mention the entrance to said driveway was RIGHT after a blind corner. How the %*(&#*&$ are we going to get back on the road tomorrow when we leave?!

- Crowded bus, almost didn't make it off at our stop in Positano.

- Climbing down hundreds of stairs in Positano. I could barely stand up by the time we got to the bottom. Fabio was trying to look happy:


- Trying to enjoy our time on the coast, all the while trying to shove the thought of driving all the way back on the highway of death the next day out of my head.

Trust me. I could go on. But, I'm sure you've read enough. I'll end with some recommendations if you ever decide to visit this part of Italy:

If you want to be "raw," take the train to Salerno and then take a ferry to Amalfi and Positano. It's cheap and keeps you off the roads. If you really want to be taken care of, just hire a tour company to take you all over the Naples and Amalfi area by coach. Do not take a car here. Ever. Don't believe the reviews you read on tripadvisor.com about how wonderful it is to drive this beautiful coastline and that parking at Pompeii and Ercolano is no problem. They're all dilusional and/or stupid.

It's really too bad that such a beautiful place has to be wasted on quite possibly the most ignorant group of people I've ever come across. I know I'm being negative, but this experience was truly not worth my life or the life of my husband, bless his heart for being willing to take me there. All I know is, you are all lucky not be planning a trip to my funeral next week.

On that note, I will say, next time you hear from me, we'll hopefully be back in Seattle. I swear, if we made it through the last few days alive, we can certainly make it back to Seattle safely. Here's hoping.

Day 8 and 9: Pascua and Alberobello

Easter Day:

Walked along a gorgeous beach to rival those in the Carribbean:




Had an amazing dinner at a restaurant by the sea (check out the anitpasti):


Who knew you could tie mozzarella in a knot?


Fabio and Anna sang their souls out during kareoke. Fabio was singing a song (in Italian) about a boy who goes to America and pretends to be an American, playing baseball, sipping soda, etc, etc. He was translating it to me and we were laughing at that silly boy, and then they announce that this song was requested by Anna and it was about Fabio! HAHAHA! They then insisted he sing it, which he did, with gusto!





Fabio had a visit with some of his friends from the "good ol' days."


Moving on to today. About 45 minutes from Taranto is a charming town called Alberobello. The entire town and surrounding countryside is dotted with these amazing dwellings called trulli. They are white-washed stone domed roof homes that keep cool during the scorching hot summers. They are so charming, and despite the whole of Southern Italy visiting Alberobello today (today is a holiday), it was a great experience. I've been there twice before, both times it was very quiet and deserted, which I think I prefer. I felt like I was at Disneyland on Christmas day with all the people that were there!

In other news, I know how to make gnocchi now! Anna taught me when we got home from Alberobello. Now I just can't wait to eat it!




Tomorrow we'll be in Pompei and Ercolano, then on to the Amalfi Coast! It's supposed to be 70 degrees and sunny. Here's hoping! Ciao!

Day 5, 6 & 7: Taranto

We made it with our luggage...in case you were wondering. It was great fun sitting straight up, trying to sleep (I slept maybe 1 hour), next to strangers, on a freezing cold train. Glad that portion of the trip is over.

Thursday night marks the beginning of the Easter rites and festivities. The streets are hopping, the shops are open, the churches are open and there is an excitement in the air. After getting cleaned up, taking a 4 hour nap and visiting my best friend in Taranto, Ernesto (the guy with the panzarotti), Fabio and I took a stroll downtown.







I thought this was so funny, even if a little sacreligous, because it looks like the KKK are praying. I'm sorry. But every time I see these guys, I think of the KKK.


On Friday we visited the cemetary to see Fabio's grandparents' graves. Fabio warned me, it's like a city of the dead. He was right. Check out the mausoleums. Nicer than some peoples' houses!







We saw where la mamma's parents are buried:


We went to the National Archeological Museum downtown on Friday afternoon. For those of you who may not know, Taranto was a Greek colony founded in 800 BC. It had a pretty prestigious history up until the Romans conquered it. It was famous for its coins and pottery and was capital over the Greek colonies. Recently, they have found ancient Greek graves in the city, loaded with lots of artifacts that were buried with the Greeks to carry into the afterworld. I had a great time snapping more photos for my 6th graders:

I loved looking at the accesories. I would wear this today:


The coins are so indicative of everyday life. The smaller in size, the less weight, which means the less value. Not the same concept we have today. To think that these coins were being circulated by everyday people thousands of years ago by the Greeks in Taranto is fascinating!


We went to the old town to try and find a watercolor shop open (no luck...it was the afternoon) and then caught the beginning of the Friday night rites:




We stopped by the bakery owned by Gianni's sister and got to watch them busy at work and smell the delicious baking focaccia:




Today (Saturday) we haven't done much. Fabio and his mom showed me the market, full of just about anything you can think of. Fish, cheese, all kinds of produce, clothing, meat (think lamb's head hanging from the ceiling), accesories, toys, etc.



We'll go out to dinner tonight with a childhood friend of Fabio's. Right now, he has another friend here visiting away. The big topic everyone wants to talk to us about is "Obama's healthcare." Everyone we talk to is shocked by the way the healthcare system in the U.S. is. "Healthcare is tied to employment?" "Healthcare is not available for everyone?" "What if I lose my job?" "Healthcare IS a right because without your health, there is no life." "Aren't people in America happy for this change?" It's refreshing to talk to people who see our system as messed up as it really is. It gets me really worked up, trying to explain to them how little this healthcare bill really changed and how upset so many people are about this change. It's amazing that this news has reached the most remote corners of the world. (Trust me, Southern Italy really is remote.)

Until next time...