Welcome to My World
On this bright and beautiful Tuesday in June I am writing to you from my little desk in my little bedroom in my very hot house in Crete. It has been a few days since you last heard from me and all about my room for improvement. Now it’s five days later and this is the first chance I’ve had to get back again to all of you. Doesn’t life get crazy like that?
Today my offering is nothing more than a little catch-up, a bit of what’s going on with Chania Girl in her corner of the world. I hope you don’t mind. Maybe think of it as our virtual coffee together.
My news (in no order of importance) is as follows:
Operation Become a Bronze Goddess (Summer #2) has begun. Thanks to a lovely friend of mine, I have been given two weeks worth of meal plans to kick start my body and my mind into a healthier way of eating. I got moving in Week 1 last week and already feel much cleaner inside and out … and I’ve dropped a kilo or two, too! It feels good to eat often and well.
We’re Off to See the Wizard. G and I have made our decision and will be moving to Oz. Last week saw me saving and printing off all the forms (of which there are a gazillion). This morning saw us getting passport photos made and criminal background checks requested. So we are on the yellow brick road and, if all goes well, should be entering Oz sometime around Christmas, give or take a little. Now, if I only had a brain … a heart … some courage … .
I Am a Football Widow. The World Cup has begun and my otherwise attentive husband has now abandoned me for his other love: the football. He has not shaved for a week. He doesn’t plan to do so for another month. His favorite outfit is an old t-shirt and faded shorts. I still hear the vuvuzelas (blaring horns) in my dreams at night. And there are still three more weeks to go!
School’s (NOT) Out for Summer. Just as I packed off my high school Greek students for a summer of sand and sea, I got to begin two new online courses – woohoo! (Insert sarcasm here.) But what am I complaining about? I can still show up and teach in my jammies or, as the case may be, in my swimsuit, and none of my students are any the wiser … unless, of course, they’re reading this blog. Hmmmm. Maybe not good idea to mention the jammies … or the swimsuit.
What about you?
What is your news?
What have you been up to lately?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Namaste,
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Photo Credit [*Noretta]
I just made fresh coffee before sitting down to read this, so I really am having virtual coffee with you! Congrats on your forward progress, and I love your updates. I’ve been rearranging things in my life so I can help my elderly folks more. When I was younger I would have been resistant and cranky about giving up things in my life, but now I feel grateful that I still have my parents and am glad to help them. So, I guess what I’ve been up to lately is growing up
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..If You Host It, I Can Digg It
I love that you were actually having a coffee as you read this post, Jean. Yes! Your news is beautiful news: that you are making more room in your life to care for your parents. This must be hard for you but, as you said, it’s a privilege that you have them and are able to help them. Wishing all of you well and sending big hugs. xx
It’s so good to catch up! I’m glad you finally reached a decision about moving v. staying. I’m sure that oz will hold lots of grand new adventures for both of you, and that’s always a good thing. As Helen Keller once said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”, so here’s to making it a daring adventure!
And yeah, maybe you shouldn’t blog about teaching in your jammies or swimsuit. I’m pretty sure that “Hot for Teacher” is an international sentiment, even if the song is purely American!
Jay´s last blog ..Hero
Jay, you have a way of always making me laugh. Thank you for this! And thank you for the great quote by Helen Keller. I’d never heard it before and never thought of life that way, but I think there’s some truth in that. Your encouragement and support are just what I needed to hear today, too, so … you pretty much rock!
Have you lost weight? You look great today. Have you done something different with your hair? If you keep surprising us like this, I won’t recognise you when you stroll past. Australia is great. Hot over Christmas. We shave Santa’s reindeer and make them wear budgie smugglers and thongs. Teaching in pj’s and swimmers! Looks like I’m heading back to school. Take care girl now has a name, see you online.
It will definitely be something to have a hot Christmas where people barbecue and go to the beach instead of huddle up ’round the fire with hot chocolate. Very strange indeed! But I’m not too put out about having two summers this year — yay for shorts and flip flops (thongs)!
CG,
Ahhh…it’s great sitting down to (virtual) coffee with you!
So, you are moving, are you! Who will I visit in Greece, now??? (or…maybe this just means I have one more reason to visit Australia!!!!) …the wizard will treat you well….
And – I’m with Jay and that whole “hot for teacher” thing………the jammies and swimsuit might make student concentration take a dive…
Enjoy the soccer (err….football!)!!!!
Lance´s last blog ..Sunday Thought For The Day
And, just like Jay, you have succeeded in making me laugh. Imagine if the pair of you showed up on my doorstep … and also brought along Julie! My sides would ache from laughing so much, I could probably skip abs at the gym for a while!
Thanks for sitting down for a virtual coffee with me, Lance. How are you? What’s new in your world? Any World Cup action happening in your house?
Hi, Chania Girl
I’m having lime juice in my ice water for our little coffee chat, and I’m inviting Lance. Lance, we’ll just move our house party to wherever CG lands in Australia (a land I’ve always wanted to see), but we’ll stop in Chania on our way, just to pay homage to where we met her. Sound like a plan?
CG, your decision doesn’t surprise me, and I’m glad your agonizing is past. Now you can get on with dreaming some new things to become excited about! Like, exploring a new country, making new friends, making it nearly around the entire circumference of the globe…
As for the soccer widow thing, maybe now’s the time to go do some things you’ve been dying to do on your own, or with girlfriends. A mini-vacation, of sorts. Surely there’s something… New recipes to try, city streets to explore, hiking and sketching to be done, window shopping with the requisite day-dreaming, books to read… Beaches to visit…!!
~ J
Julie´s last blog ..The Only Thing That Matters
Aw, Julie, it’d be great for you and Lance to rock up and join me … wherever we are! It’s going to happen one day, too. Just get ready for it!
Thanks for the affirmations about our move and for the tips on how to survive “football widowhood.” All of them sound lovely and I will probably be doing some of them but not all — it’s a new summer session for me teaching, after all.
What is your news? What is this I’m reading about little quail families?
News, ah… I did forget that part, didn’t I. It’s a summer of house guests. Marine Corps niece, out-of-state longtime friends (girl gabfest), relatives… Very nice and very welcome after all those construction years; what a guest-drought that was. Meanwhile, we have a major family illness to muster around. Pancreatic cancer. So, there’s lots of research, reading, advice-giving; a lot of hugs and smiles and much to celebrate. As for those bobbing quail heads, they ARE so adorable…! And I found an abandoned nest of quail eggs that I’ve no idea what to do with. It pains me to just leave them there. Any ideas? We’ve enjoyed watching—and listening to—two different bird families teach the fledglings to fly. One delightful Phoebe looked like an awkward airplane trying to avoid the giant shiny wall (our window), and it made a wobbly sideways loop just in the nick of time, and then I SWEAR it looked so proud of itself!
Life is grand and chock full of color, isn’t it.
Julie´s last blog ..A Brand New Venture
Life is grand and chock full of color, and I love hearing about all the life that surrounds you and your home. Every day you help make me more aware of the way both humans and nature can fill the chinks in the walls around us, even becoming the walls. Life attracts life!
I am sorry to hear that pancreatic cancer is affecting your family. Will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers. xx
Chania Girl I love this idea of “virtual coffee” – yes that’s what we have right here! LOVE IT!
I am very happy to hear that you and G have made a decision. It’s can be a wonderful feeling of weight being lifted when we exit indecision. I suspect there is still more on the emotional journey – yes excitement for the new and perhaps a grieving for what is being left. We will be with you along your journey!
My news is that I have decided to embrace career transition. It feels a bit like limbo as I’m exploring the options and deciding which direction I’ll take. I have decided to not return to corporate sales and I’m pretty wildly excited about that. Now, I just need to embrace the idea of making a fraction of the income and choose my direction.
Aileen´s last blog ..A Lighter Side Of Darkness
Congratulations, Aileen, on your choice to make a career change. As I read your post, the thought that came to mind was that limbo places are also places of infinite possibility. I hope you will let your heart and mind wander freely in this area for a while and not be too rushed to get out of it: it can be a marvelous place to be! You will learn so much about yourself!
Thank you for support about mine and G’s decision, as well. You are so right about the emotional journey still being very much ahead of us. We will take it one day at a time … as will you on your new leg of life’s journey.
Big hugs.
Joining you and every one for a virtual coffee. It seems you have adventures within adventures. This is the way to live for sure.
I have not written in a while and that’s because I’m cleaning up our office/guest room. I thought it would take a couple of days. What was I thinking?
I also got my blog reviewed by the energizer bunny Mary so now I’m going to be doing some changes and tweaks.
So here is to new experiences and coffee with friends in our PJ’s.
Manal´s last blog ..The Art of Slow
Congratulations, Manal, on having your blog reviewed by Mary. I am so curious now: What did she say? What did she like? Am looking forward to the new incarnation of One With Now … although, I must tell you, I am quite happy with it as it is. I love visiting you there!
Thank you for popping over for a virtual coffee with me. At this very minute, I am in pjs. But it’s also nine o’clock in the morning here, so that’s okay.
Sending warm thoughts and wishes today from HOT Crete.
Oh, pshaw… whaddya mean, “… if I only had a brain … a heart … some courage…”
Like Julie, I’m glad your agonizing over the decision has stopped. Forward march! What’s new to report from my corner of the world? I had a lesson on how to skip rocks… and failed miserably.
Davina´s last blog ..This is How You Don’t Skip Rocks
Oh, Davina! I read that post and I loved it! Your sense of humor TOTALLY shines through on your blog — yes it does!
I tried to watch the video, too, which will definitely be funny, but I haven’t had any luck yet. My computer gave me an ETA of sixteen minutes on the download.
Ah, well.
Thank you for being you and popping over today for a little chat. Sending very warm and happy thoughts your way today.
Oh Carla, you have such an adventure ahead of you, but you have had a similar experience before, haven’t you, moving from the USA to Crete? Believe me, you DO have courage (along with a brain and a heart!)
I wish you and G all the happiness in the world. You will love Oz, I promise.
My latest “challenge”, which I have just set for myself, is far less courageous than yours though. I have joined NaBloPoMo, promising a new blog post each day for the next month…
Ooooo, now you have peaked my interest: what is NaBloPoMo? You must share; the curiosity will eat away at me!
Thank you for the support and encouragement over G’s and my move. We would probably be more excited if the visa application process weren’t such a nightmare. But perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise: the long processing time will give us time to prepare mentally and emotionally.
Hope all is well with you. Big hug today.
I came across NaBloPoMo through a badge on a blog page, which I just had to click on, as, like you, I was curious! The web address is http://www.nablopomo.com and my profile page is at the address, /profile/joannekeevers, if you would like to see a profile page also.
The main attraction for me is learning the discipline of writing a blog post each day, for a month. By the time the month is over, hopefully the habit will have become as automatic as brushing your teeth!
Now, about your move to Oz, has any kind soul prepared you yet for learning a whole new language? I have lived in Oz my entire life, but still get stumped on some of our “Australian Slang” ! You and G will surely be astounded at Australian’s total disregard for plain English!
xxx
G is Australian, from Melbourne, so I’ve been hearing strange Australian slang for years. And I’m all the time hearing him say things and having to ask him to “spell it,” because I have no idea what word that is!
We are excited but would be more so if the paperwork didn’t seem to be such a mountain in our path … and if we weren’t so sad to be leaving the beautiful life we’ve created here.
It’s a party. Jean has coffee, I have tea. Carla, you have an uncanny knack of writing about the simple stuff of life and putting a smile on my face. It’s a gift. You must be relieved to have made your big decision. Congratulatons. Wishing you all the best, which is what you deserve.
If Jean has coffee, and you have tea, I’ll provide the tea biscuits (which are truly beautiful when I make them, by the way
). Thank you for your kind words about my writing; they bring me a lot of joy. And thank you for the congratulations and warm wishes. We need them! xx
LOL at going right back to school. My daughter is a teacher and had to jump right back into on line classes.
Tho the question is what have I been up to.
Building a door because no one will sell me one 97″ tall by 28.5″ wide. Trying to figure out all this blogging stuff.
I’m working on becoming a MMA Judge. Now that is a lot of fun only I can’t show it. LOL I will need the extra income when I retire in March. And yes I’m so old dirt calls me gramps. No the good old days were not very good. Just in case, you ask.
I have been setting on my muse and this summer I told her she could go wild if that is what she wanted.
I blame everything on her; you know how we men are. As for soccer I was a referee for 25 years and when the knees went I did too. Miss it too much to watch it. If that makes sense.
Okay I have bent your ear enough.
desk49´s last blog ..Poem #9
Hi, D49. It was nice to see you again. Thank you for popping over for a virtual coffee. I was intrigued by your years as a soccer referee ~ you must have enjoyed it immensely. I can understand why watching a game would be hard. But I’d still say, at least catch the final match of the World Cup!
Yes, as a teacher, you do and you don’t get holidays. When you do, you’re glad for them and need them; people just don’t know how much work really goes into doing what we do. It’s exhausting. Hopefully, G and I can get some time on the beach this weekend.
Have a wonderful day!
Sorry I’m late – hope there is some coffee left or at least a wonderful cup of tea…In fact, I think it is about time for High Tea?
I am in the process of getting ready to leave for Europe – let the experience begin! I haven’t traveled overseas in a decade or so and am so excited about sharing it with my daughter and hoping she too is bitten by the bug of travel, cultures, getting lost, exploring, and discovering life outside the lines!
Enjoy your last few months in Greece as you prepare to travel and move… I always find it a challenge to stay in touch with the moment when there is much to be done, strings to tie, and an adventure ahead.
The Exception´s last blog ..Considering Dreams
You are definitely, right. It is difficult to stay in the moment and, for this reason, I am kind of glad that the visa process takes a while … it allows us to get used to the idea and move slowly through the stages of both grief and excitement that we will need to feel.
Your trip to Europe sounds exciting! How long will you be gone? And where will you go? I want details!
Does this mean some of your blogging will be on hiatus for a while?
Hi Carla,
I’m glad you’ve come to decision about where you’re moving. It really helps to have a direction to go in. I wish I could have had coffee with you but I had to go into the office today.
I’m in freefall right now. House is up for sale and I don’t know where I’m going when it sells. It’s a bit unsettling.
I’m giving readings at a local tea shop on Thursday night. I do that once in a while. It’s fun and I usually meet a lot of nice people. They’re mini readings.
That’s all that’s going on with me. It was nice catching up with you!
Angela Artemis´s last blog ..Is There a Difference Between Intuition, Psychism and Mediumship?
Hi, Angela. You’re always welcome to stop by at any time; there are no time limits here. Your visits are a treat for me!
Thank you for sharing your news, too. I can imagine that it is very scary to be where you are right now (hello – I quit my job once with nothing in the world lined up and purposely didn’t try to line anything up). The term “freefall” is probably really accurate at describing how you feel; it is also the perfect place to be to truly begin flying, soaring, letting the gusts that could assail you instead become the currents that lift your wings and keep you afloat. Maybe it might be a good idea to enjoy it a little bit before you have to “land.” We don’t get these opportunities often. Call it Faith Skydiving: scary but exhilarating.
Sending all kinds of love. xx
Hi Carla – I know I’m late to the party… but I did want to say YAY! for the decision to come downunder! I’m feeling from here your relief at having the decision made. We’ll look forward to your arrival – and welcome you both with big ol’ Aussie hospitality (and heat!) Do you have any idea where in this big wide land you’ll settle?
As for me, I’ve been feeling a bit like I’m freefalling myself lately… lots of topsy-turvyness in my world. I’ve been rubbed raw by grief and discovered I’m still standing…
I know you’re a girl with heart, courage and (most definitely) a brain – you’ll definitely have an advantage when you get here
Thank you so much, Karen, for the big Aussie welcome. It will definitely be a treat to be in the same time-zone as you, not to mention in the land of koalas and kukkaburras (sp?). We are excited and just got off the phone with the embassy minutes ago. Looking forward to some new adventures, even as we are sad to be leaving here. Melbourne, btw, is where we’re headed (it’s where G’s from). Woot!
I’m so glad you stopped by today. You’ve been thought of and missed, but you need to take time for you right now and nurture yourself. Sometimes (a lot of the time) that does not include sitting in front of the computer.
Sending big hugs your way today. x