21 Years!

Our anniversary was yesterday, but we went out for dinner on Tuesday night because yesterday was a crazy-busy day.

In that dinner K gave me the gift that he brought all the way from Israel, a Swarovki crystal rainbow flower ring from Michal Negrin -- a designer I fell in love with during the trip. The next day I gave him his gift, a rainbow-colored shirt I bought at Stein Mart (later insert designer here). 

Perfectly matching gifts for a perfectly matched couple! ;-)

We tried some quick photos in the sunlight, this afternoon, but they didn't come out that great:

P.S. I don't really wear (or used to wear) jewelry, so this is actually the very first gift of this kind that K has given me. I suspect that purchased the ring unbeknownst to me after I took him into the Michal Negrin store at the Tel Aviv airport to show him how much I'd loved it, since I'm crazy for rainbow colors. 

Offer Signed!!! & Musings about the Future

Finally, this morning, the offer arrived via email. Better late than never, I guess, but I will have to wait until the end of the holidays to talk to folks at U#1 about me quitting my part-time, poorly compensated, work there.

I signed it and already filled out the background check online paperwork that was sent my way.

The best part? This contract says that I am eligible for an expectation of "Continuing Employment" following my second review, to take place in 2021 -- by then my son might be going to school at the same university if he is accepted! My husband is already talking about moving there. Not so soon, though! Until our youngest graduates from high-school at the nearby boarding academy (where both out boys will be "village kids"), we'll live here.

The plan is to buy an apartment within walking distance of campus if Kelvin gets accepted there in 2020. He has been raised "the Brazilian way" and doesn't mind living with us during college. Of course I know he will feel pressure to go where his friends are going, but he is convinced that an in-state education will be more affordable and better quality than going to a private church-affiliated university.

We'll see! It's great to be able to feel that a more professionally stable future is in sight for me! Now we lecturers at U#2 need to keep up the good fight to have more rights, namely, assert our desire to also do research (in spite of not being TT faculty) and ask for support to go to conferences and to develop professionally. "The New Faculty Majority" needs to mobilize and achieve more rights!

Last Exams!!

I administered the last two exams this afternoon! Now I need to finish the grading and be done!! 

I'm slowly beginning to feel in the mood to pack the car and travel down to Florida for he holidays with K's whole family.

This is good because I've been so exhausted that last night I felt like I wanted and needed to be home for several days before I could be ready to travel. I didn't feel like my "normal self" last night, but I guess all I needed was a light at the end of the tunnel to restore my level of energy!

Let's see how it goes because our to do list is bottomless!!

New Haircut and Curly Hair Resources!

I had a haircut and new highlights and color done to my hair yesterday by this lovely hairdresser that was recommended by my colleagues at the university! The photo is not that great, but it gives a good idea:

And I bought this book and these products to see if they will help. 

I already love the book, which was written by the woman who launched the DevaCurl line of products. I'll report back after I start using the products! I'm excited! 

New fashion for teen boys

I feel "done," but I'm only partly done

My students just finished the second exam of the day. It's almost all over but the grading... Oh, the grading! The online assignments are the most annoying, but I need to get to then ASAP! And to the emailed papers (shudder!). And e-portfolios! (Yikes!)

And I will, but I need to kick my son out of the computer and of editing his minecraft videos (sigh...). That is no easy task and my productivity this semester has been seriously affected by this new obsession of his. 

Well, good luck with grading to all of us!

A sad first

Today was the first time in my last 5.5 years teaching language that a student had the courage to bring his workbook for me to check and he had "fake" answered nearly all of the activities, mostly in English or unintelligible gibberish. For three whole chapters (out of four).

So sad! :-(  [Big sigh...]

Choosing not to do the work is one thing, buy attempting to pretend you did it just feels so awful to me! I couldn't yak to him in private, so I just quickly mentioned that he had not done the work and reminded him that it was 20% of the grade. He looked a bit upset and even slightly surprised/annoyed that he was caught. I also told him that I'll be on campus on Thursday if he decides to do the work.

I think I will send him an email. What do I say, though? I truly love these kids and want them to learn, but that was very upsetting. Did he think I would t notice? I also said to him the the activities are important and necessary and that's how one learns. And mentioned that his grade will probably reflect the lack of practice. 

Sigh... Sometimes it's hard to be a teacher! Especially at this university. I had the exact opposite experience at the other school. This young man simply disappeared halfway through the semester, but he came back two days before the final and took the missing tests and did great. He obviously did all the work. He is getting a zero for attendance (10% of the grade), but he'll pass with a good grade and a clear conscience.

I wish the semester had ended without this bitter experience!

The Last Day of Exams (not!)

Today was supposed to be my last day at U#1, but two students begged to take the exam on Thursday, so I'm not done! ARGH!! 

At least they are demonstrating they care about the class and want to do well, unlike their classmate. Sigh...

29 to go, maybe?

I will try to complete 215 posts this year, but I don't know if I'll be able to. The only reason I managed to do so last year was that we were home for both Christmas and New Year's and I just blogged a lot in the last two days of 2014.

This year will be more challenging because we will be in Florida with my husband's whole family, 18 people, 10 adults and 8 kids. This coming week will probably be insane because I have LOTS of grading to do and catching up on other things (the translation, hopefully?!), so let's see how this is going to work.

I'll try, but prepare myself not to be overly frustrated if it doesn't work.

This warm weather feels SO WRONG!

I am sweating right now in my cotton sweater, and tomorrow is supposed to be in the 70s -- this is crazy! 

I'm also upset because we bought ski passes and I'm hoping we won't have wasted our money! And of course it's scary that climate change is creeping into  our daily lives more and more. 

P.S. If you know me you'll know that I LOOOOVE warm weather, but not when it feels so wrong like this. 

Extrovert + Extremely Shy + ADD = Bad Party Goer

Sigh...

I hate parties in confined spaces with people I barely know. The noise is overwhelming to ADD me, then, because I'm shy I simply won't talk to strangers & I HATE small talk which is unbearably boring for people with ADD. The worst part is that since I'm an extrovert I actually really want to talk to people I know and I enjoy that, but my few friends are "normal" and, therefore, socializing with everyone else they know.

Sigh...

Yeah, that's why I HATE work parties. 

P.S. Another big problem is being contingent labor & feeling like I cannot even talk to same level with the TT faculty . (I'm tired of having too many chips on my shoulders... Sigh)

Last Day #1

I still have meetings and parties to attend, final exams to administer (at inconvenient times), but today is my first "last day" of the semester. My last day of classes at U#2.

In addition having to deal with another university, there is series of "last days" that comprise the end of a semester: last day of exams, last day to turn in grades. We live from deadline to deadline when working in an academic setting.

Today is my last day with a group of students I had for three semesters, though, and that's sad.

. . .

I taught the class in the morning and they clapped at the end. One of the students gave me cookies & a beautiful card! I don't feel sad anymore, it's simply over. I hope I was able to help them develop their Portuguese.

Now I need to drive back home... Sigh...

Three more times of mega-commute until next year. And I won't even feel relieved on Saturday night when I drive home after the last exam because I'll have tons of grading ahead. Oh well!

Tired

Most boring post title ever, and post too...

Sorry, but I've got nothing better. I really am tired because I have been volunteering on a church-wide project for the past four nights for over four hours...

Sigh... it's fun, but very involved. Good thing that at least tonight the boys stayed home and took a break. Tomorrow is the last night and they'll be there with us.

Last day of class for me at U#2 tomorrow, we keep going until Thursday at U#1. Then finals for several days...

very tiresome.

Three minutes late

Oh well, I was reading blogs and other stuff and now I'm a few minutes late to post this.

It's ok. I had a good time and I'll post even more in December to make up to 215 posts. Last year it was crazy, I think I wrote about 10 posts on December 31st! I will try to avoid that this year.

In any case, I'm not saying it's "the end" for me because it's not! More blog posting ahead!

Can't believe December is here, time's flying this year!

Back to Work

This evening I went back to work. I will probably have to stay up late for a few hours to be done or get up really early, but in any case, I work better under pressure (grading, writing exams, etc).

The ends of breaks are really hard, aren't they? Sigh... at least I didn't have a whole lot of grading, most of it was done before, I just need to finish some things.

Just two weeks to go! (and one week with finals at U#1, finals are next week at U#2).

Yummiest, Most Traditional Thanksgiving Ever!

It was really yummy and there weren't too many leftovers (especially because I took a plate for a friend of ours who was sick with strep). We ate the sweet potato & green bean casserole yesterday (for breakfast!) and now all that is left is the pies and cranberry sauce. Can't wait for next year!

A really good first: no shopping on Black Friday

Ok, I did get up at 7 am to purchase a gorgeous watercolor calendar and a print Ruth Simmons's Grace Laced Shoppe because there was a 35% discount and then went back to bed for a couple more hours! 

I didn't go to the stores last night, I don't need to buy anything, really. Maybe I should make a resolution of never going shopping on this date again. Sigh...

We are now headed to One of out "favoritest" places on earth:Longwood Gardens. It's far, we were late leaving the house, and we'll be there only a few hours, but it will do us good. We haven't been in there for a few years. Perhaps the last time was also on Black Friday back in 2012. Longwood brings us happy memories of the past 11 years, so it's a special thing to kick of our holiday season.

I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving, ours was yummy!! I hope to share some photos later!

When you're curly haired & sleep with wet hair

Also, the dark brown (that covered the blonde blunder from the summer) is washing away a bit... In addition to the hair being thick and tangly and feeling tough and unhealthy at the tips. I'm never ever dying my whole hair again! Only highlights for me as I've always done. I wonder if any products can help or if only growing it out and cutting will solve the problem! :-(

Tomorrow's Menu

Edited to add new photo, now with all items: 

It's hard to see, but first item is "Veggie Loaf" and further down is gravy. Oh!!! I forgot the mashed potatoes! I'll go add that now.

Mockingjay Part 2 - Awesome!

This is the first time in my life I've seen a movie on the opening week! And I loved it, it was such a great adaptation! 

Of course there are some small changes, buy they didn't really interfere with the story. I was also happy that the movie was ok even though Philip Seymour Hoffman couldn't finish filming it. I wonder how they actually did it (I'll look for stuff online).

I guess this won't be the last time I'll watch a movie in the opening week or weekend!

sleepy

I had thought of something to blog about today, thought of a title and everything, but now I am so sleepy that I can no longer remember... sigh...

So I'll write more tomorrow and just go to bed now! Good night!

The biggest compliment I've received as a professor

I almost gave it away in the title of the post, but changed my mind.

First let me tell you about the greatest compliment I received ever! (Until now, hopefully I will receive one or two more good ones in my life, and I kind of do, from my sons, once in a while)

Back in college my then-boyfriend-now-husband and I had this group of friends from our university and my high school years* [endnote, scroll down!] that was just great!  We got together nearly every weekend -- went to church, had Bible studies, hung out at my parents' house, sometimes went to the beach for the weekend borrowing my aunt's house (the beach is a couple of hours drive from the city of São Paulo). 

One of our friends had a younger sister, still in high school, but she often tagged along when he came to spend the weekends. This girl loved theater, was very extroverted and prided herself in being a little "crazy." One evening, when we were having a good time doing something (we had grand times with surprise parties and we once scripted and filmed a couple of hilarious home

movies) this friend turned to me and said: "L, you know what? You're actually crazier than me!" And I promptly replied that that was the greatest compliment I'd ever received! I love to be a little "crazy" and my sons sometimes recognize that and echo my friend's compliment.

Two weeks ago I had a student come to me at the end of class to ask me a general question, I don't even remember what it was. This poor guy is struggling a bit with various things (car accident, weird boil that appeared on his face) and I was really moved by what he said, later I almost started crying: "I'm asking you this," he said, "because you're the most approachable professor I have!" Oh dear... I'm so glad to hear that, I thought! And that's what I truly aspire to, being approachable, showing them that I really care deeply about not only their learning, but about them. I want to be even more approachable.

The poor guy didn't even stay for class yesterday... At the very beginning of class he came to me and told me he had just spilled water over ALL his things, including his computer and he had to go dry it. Sigh... I hope didn't lose the laptop!

P.S. I do have a fair share of freshmen and the other day this girl came to me after class and apologized for being late and then she asked something I had to ask her to repeat 'cause initially I didn't get it: "What happens in college when you're late to class?" :-D I think I just shrugged off and said "nothing really" (I should have added that if a student is constantly late sometimes I write that down because I have an attendance policy -- it's part of their grade, since it's a language class). I think she replied something like "oh, so then all we have to do is to show up?" Kind of, kid! As a professor friend of mine says "just showing up is part of succeding in life" (gotta ask him for the correct quote!)

* this was in Brasil, where most people live at home while in college and close to their high school friends. I lived at home [until I got married!], but my future husband didn't because his family had moved to another state and he stayed to continue in the same university.

family blogging

I won't write much because we're sitting on the couch seeing really old photos and telling stories about our childhood to the boys...

We had dinner with two families of friends, it's a Fall tradition of four or five years... different soups (one of them always squash & served inside a pumpkin). (J, I have some caldo verde soup left for you!)

I'm really sleepy, but I need to bake some vegan lemon bars for tomorrow... (lunch with the same friends plus some others to celebrate a friends' birthday).

ok, let me post this. And include this cute photo of my hubby as a young child with his aunt (not much older than him):

Rainbow Tree/ Rainbow Leaves

I'm I shouldn't be posting these photos without watermaking them for fear of the rainbow one being pinned & going viral (I'm sure there must be other ones people whose done the same thing). I'll try to come & edit the post later. I haven't backed up the photos or I'd watermak on my phone (haven't figured how to copy photos to edit one of them yet, I don't think it's possible)...

Ok, when I saw this tree I knew I could make a rainbow out of its leaves:

Look how many hues they have:

So I did that: (NO filter whatsoever)

Please don't pin until I've watermaked them!

Rainbow leaf:

Yeah, I don't like the fall, but it still brings me joy sometimes.

Bonus pic:

P.S. I did the same thing with photos from my backyard tree, but photos are on the Nikon. I'll try to share them later!

Why I don't want to be "Home for the Holidays"

Hmmm... First, because we don't ever spend them at home? And when we do its generally sad and depressing because it's only us and no family ever come anymore as they did in 2005-6 and 2008 (the only times we hosted Thanksgiving (05-06) and Xmas. 

Second, because as much as we need free time at home to clean and organize endlessly, who wants to do that in a holiday???? Not me!

So I'm really depressed at the thought of Thanksgiving at home (again!). 

P.S. We'll be in FL with my husband whole family in December!!

What to do? Aimless Holidays

I really wanted to go visit my youngest brother-in-law and his family in Montreal, but K just doesn't want to drive that far and the boys also feel like staying home.

That means that we are AGAIN without a place to spend the holiday, unless we invite some people to come here (last year it was quite lovely with our house church pastor and his family, a last minute arrangement that worked well for all of us).

In any case, I love to travel and I don't like to be home when we have a longer holiday like this. Sigh...

OK, I should actually invite some extended family and see what they say. In any case, we will plan to be with my brother-in-law who is recovering really well, since his family went back to Egypt two days ago.

I'll let you know what we decide to do.

broken browser

I'll blame the not blogging on the broken browser... :-) which is 100% true given that it just crashed again. You see, I have two (ok, actually five) Google accounts and I need two browsers, one to be logged into the blog's account and the other to my regular gmail. That is the problem and why I need two browsers (until now Chrome & Firefox, but I'm using Explorer right now -- this is a PC, BTW).

And I can also blame it on the fact that I was preparing a guest lecture on Brazilian music until 2 am. last night. (It turned out great, BTW... Brazilian music is truly one of my greatest passions, I wish I could teach it more).

I assure you that I tried writing a blog post yesterday, but the browser just wouldn't cooperate.

OK, boring tech problems out of the way... on to more posts!

He got it!

Of course it's not "official" yet because it still needs to be approved by the dean, the provost, etc... but my husband's department decided to recommend that he be granted tenure!

I'm happy for him and for us! It goes very well with Friday's news, right?

Now, if only he would get the NSF grant!! That would be nothing short of amazing. But I think K deserves it. Remember years ago when he was discouraged in the job search and got to interview at an Ivy League school?

As I said back in 2009, I knew I'd married the right guy! :-)

Restful weekend, productive day

boring post, I'm super uninspired
We had a low-key weekend and we needed it after the tiresome week and positively exhausting last weekend. We spent time with friends yesterday and that was really nice.

Today I did four loads of laundry and line dried three of them. K and the boys worked on the yard. We collected most of the leaves by using the bag on the lawn mower and then Kelvin mowed the rest of the lawn (we've been paying him 20 dollars so he can have money to use on his gaming and video making).

I needed to have done tons more or at least planted the remaining 80+ bulbs that I bought, but I've been putting that off. I'm really really depressed with our garden and yard. We basically have no lawn, it's 100% weeds and the flower beds are terrible with weeds too (especially in the back). Bushes need trimming and we don't know how to do them. It's a disasters and I don't want to say more about this right now. :-(

I still need to grade A LOT and prepare to teach this week. So I have to post this and get to work. Sigh...

I want to post some photos later. I need to write a few extra posts to catch up.

GOT THE JOB!!!!

PHEW!!!!

What a relief!! Oh, what a relief. 3 year contract. Decent salary. Now I have (and want) to ditch U#1 (where my husband works). I will miss it. Just one tiny bit. (the people a lot) Sigh...

Oh, thank you Lord!

Sigh...

The mega-commute remains, but I'm used to it by now. ;-)

52

I would have to post 52 51 more times to write 215 posts this year. I don't know if I really want to go through the trouble, as I've been doing in the past few years, just to give me a blogging goal to fulfill.

Maybe I'll try. We'll see! :-) All I need to do is to start posting photos right and left. Very easy, 'cause I take tons of photos and love looking at them & sharing them.

As you can see I'm doing NaBloPoMo very loosely this year, on my terms. I do everything on my terms, though, so that's not new! ;-) 

Traveling Mercies

I find this expression a little strange, but I use it anyway, because I strive to sound and think as "natively" as possible in English.

This has been an intensive week of traveling for our family members. My parents are probably traveling right now or perhaps have just arrived in my childhood town of Curitiba, Paraná, in Brazil (As I was writing this at 3 pm today). I am hoping they had a safe trip, hence the title of this post.

Yesterday my mother and father-in-law I arrived in Brazil from the United States. They had a safe trip, but the customs in Brazil forced my mother-in-law to pay taxes for a three-year-old computer that she had been bringing back-and-forth from the United States for three years, so she missed her connecting flight and was stuck for four hours before she could fly and join her husband who hadn't lost the flight. They got home only 10 PM, 32 hours after they started their trip.

Also yesterday, there was some serious traveling trouble with my brother and his family. They were driving from São Paulo to Curitiba (tomorrow will be the wedding of one of our second cousins) when smoke started coming out from under the hood of the car. They stopped, and there were actually flames (which thankfully didn't spread). As calmly as possible they took the children and all the luggage out of the car. The extinguisher didn't work, so my brother threw some water on the fire. 

A tow truck came and took them to a gas station by the road where they ate and waited for a long time for a taxi to come from the city, over an hour (60 miles) away. Then the taxi came and it wouldn't fit the kids' car-seats, so they had to wait for yet another taxi, so their trip also was very long. I hope the car can be fixed, or else it will be pretty bad for my brother.

I found through a comment my mom wrote on the latest facebook post by the bride that they had arrived safely, after 8 hours of travel. Sometimes social media is useful. :-)

In any case, I hope nobody else in the family has travel troubles in the near future! (my sister-in-law and nephews return to Egypt next Monday).

Two Lost Posts

I wrote two posts on my phone and didn't save them, so I they got lost, that is partly the reason why I didn't write posts yesterday and earlier today.

And now, obviously, I have urgent things to do and cannot write. :-(

I hope to catch up tomorrow. I have such a crazy life!

Great dinner!

And better yet conversations with friends afterwards!

The dinner went ok. The preparation was crazy and intense as always, but most students came and enjoyed the food! 

I'm glad it's over, though! I think next year I'm going to have my mom help me, if possible, but then it will have to be the day before he last day of classes and I don't know if that's a good idea. We'll see! 

So far so good

I've survived the weekend relatively well until now. Now if only I can go to the dinner I'm going to cook for my students without forgetting anything, that will be awesome! sigh...

... the thought that I may forget something really important stresses me out so much!

I know it would be best to be making multiple lists, but I'm not convinced lists will really help me not to forget what I can't forget.

On Thursday I actually found a very thorough list for last year's dinner in my phone's notes, but, somehow, it disappeared completely, leaving me very upset and thinking I'm going crazy or something. But I am POSITIVE that I saw it! :-(

OK, gotta go to bed. I hope tomorrow will be an even better day!

Interview done

Yeah, on Skype, short & sweet. Now let's hope they don't go rogue & hire someone else! 

And on to one of the craziest busiest weekends of all time. 

Six family members at our house visiting, a 4h30 school harvest festival tomorrow night were volunteering at. Preparing food ingredients for 50-70 people & on Sunday loading the car, going to kids' piano recital, driving to U#2, cooking and serving food to students. 

Then I have to prepare two quizzes and finish grading an exam. I stay overnight in U#2 city & come back home Monday afternoon. 

Wish me luck. Crazy busy life. 

Missing Brasil like crazy

Now that it's guaranteed that we're going  (not that we wouldn't go), I took to missing Brasil like crazy. Viscerally, physically in a way that doesn't happen often (thankfully, or it would be impossible to be an immigrant otherwise).

Maybe it's also because of how unseasonably warm it is (looooove it!!!), making me feel like I'm there in early Fall or Spring. Or maybe because my in-laws are at our house and we're talking to them and "breathing in" some Brasil and 'cause I've been calling my parents almost daily to talk about one thing or another. (I always call them a lot, but generally not everyday)

I've been having these brief "hallucinations" in which I can almost feel I'm there, in specific places. Parking the car next to the city square and going to the bank with my mom in early December, ditschy, small town Christmas decorations on the grass. Going shopping for groceries, traveling to my home state of Paraná and marveling at how green everything is. Walking around the beautiful gated community where my parents love and admiring the houses. Doing all the things I do when I visit.

On one hand I know it would be impossible to live constantly feeling like that, but on the other hand, now that's these feelings come much more rarely, I cherish them and want to try to capture the feelings and hold on to them.

I am also constantly thinking about and visualizing the places we've visited in Europe, but that is different -- I hardly have any feeling associated with those beautiful views, we were there too briefly. That's why I'm not too sad that these thoughts and images from Europe & the Middle East are becoming less distinct and frequent, but I always feel I want and need to hold on to my country.

Oops!

Oh-oh, just realized that I didn't post yesterday!

Now I am driving to work, so I will write more later.

12-hour days, anyone?

Last week I had two 12-hour days, coming back home 12 hours after I had left. And still working more hours at home.

Today was another 12-hour day. :-(

Dislike! And it was a stressful one too. Hoping tomorrow (and the next two days) will be better -- especially Sunday when I get to cook for all my students. Sigh...

Brazil 2016 Guaranteed! :-(

Sigh... tickets were finally purchased, one more item to be crossed on the super-duper-important and never-completed to-do list.

I wish I could be happy about this trip, but I'm not. I know, I'm the worst whiner in the history of whining. Should I even share my reasons to be unhappy?

Nah... maybe some other time. Main idea: only staying a month and four days. Wish could stay longer and, most importantly be coming back later.

THE OLYMPIC GAMES RUINED MY LONG-AWAITED TRIP TO BRAZIL! :-(

Yeah, we NEED to come back on Aug. 4 because any day after that and our tickets would cost 400 dollars more.

Games start on Aug. 5.

BOOOOO!

But that's not the main reason. Maybe I'll share later. Not safe to so it, though. Family troubles.

I've got an interview

Thank God!

I thought this suspense would never end… 

Now let's hope it will all work out and I'll have the three-year contract.  

Next item on my agenda is to try to take a Spring semester off without pay (and without losing my job) so we can go to Europe during the spring/summer for my husband's sabbatical. Biggest bucket list item right now!!! Maybe a bit closer to happening. 

I'll keep you posted! 

Happy & Filled: Dumplings & Fried Rice

wrote this around 2 pm today

One of the food trucks at University #2 cells dumplings, but until last year they only had pork, chicken, and seafood ones. Today I stopped by because I didn't feel like eating any of my Amy's Kitchen frozen foods and, lo and behold!  They now sell veggie tofu dumplings!

So I ordered dumplings with some fried rice on the side and I happily ate as I walked all the way to my car! It was just what I needed and it he made me so happy!!  

My in-laws and nephews are coming back tonight to spend a week with us. I hope everything goes well. I should have planned a menu, but that's so hard for me! We'll figure it out as we go along.

If only I didn't have to plan a dinner for 50 to 70 people for next Sunday! :-( at least I know that my mother-in-law can help me with the preparation of some items.

I am under very strict orders from my husband not to complain one bit, because I do this by choice, nobody tells me to do it. ;-P 

OK, I'll blog more about this later.

Blogging daily.

I'm going to blog daily again in November. In fact, I'll try to blog more than once to see if I can reach 215 posts this year. That will be hard, but not impossible. I always have too much to say... And not enough time and, sometimes, courage. ;-)

Second "Boot" Day & First Corduroy Day ;-)

I love corduroy pants, particularly colorful ones like this one (hard to find!) and I wear them all winter long.

The Most Racially Diverse Religious Faith!

Wow, I'm pretty excited about this figure right now, because diversity is something I value greatly -- and thankfully our own local church and school community has become incredibly diverse in the past five years since I moved here, reflecting the greater trends in the country.

My denomination is the most diverse in the U.S. according to the Pew Research Center!

I learned about this in an npr article about us and Ben Carson (who I happen not to support). The article does leave out one important difference between us and other protestants, the concept of death.

First "Boot Day"

I put off wearing boots for as long as possible. I do have to admit that on a rainy day about a month ago I wore a pair of short "army style" boots, but that was it. 

I know that I'll be wearing boots daily for over five months, so I wasn't eager to get started. But today was cold and raining and I just had to do it. :-(

I guess we can say that "winter" or the cold season has arrived to stay. :-(

My Only Exercise

I know I need more exercise, since walking to and from the parking garages and up and down stairs is my only exercise right now. And it is quite plentiful, in fact. 

But today I thought it was a bit too much! 

The top level of the parking garage? 

As we'd say in Brazil "nobody deserves that!" (Isso ninguém merece!) or, maybe in a better translation "I don't wish that on anyone!"

Since I am carrying an older laptop and a heavy textbook in my backpack, i'm guaranteed a good workout. ;-) now I just need to walk a little faster!

SuperGirl

I kind of liked it, but I don't know if I'll be watching again.

I just don't do TV. But I'm sure glad that we have about 9 channels now, including PBS! I'll be watching Downton Abbey when it airs here!

This was the upside of our new & better internet. If only it weren't so expensive! Boooh :-(

Random reasons why I don't like Fall

• Waking up and getting up in the dark is hard, but having short days after the time change is even harder. It's totally a lose-lose situation.

• I hate mums which is a weird name to give to chrysanthemums (the actual name of the flower and how it's called in Brazil, where I grew up -- crisântemos in Portuguese).             Tangent: Why do Americans love to shorten so many words? (Some pet peeves of mine: convo, legit, ammo. Some are not so bad, such as: app, info, memo)

• I hate the colors purple and orange which seem to be the official colors of Halloween, oh and I don't care for yellow either. (yeah, and there are tons of yellow, orange, dark red or pink/nearly purple mums around, sigh...)

• I loathe Halloween.

• I don't live in Massachusetts or New England anymore, so fall is blah anywhere else after you've lived eight years there.

• Is the season that ushers winter.

You may not believe this, but I've been writing this post for the past three weeks. First, talking on the phone, which is how most posts start out nowadays, and then editing on the computer for several days. I'm sure there are other "random reasons" that I cannot pinpoint right now, but I want to get this post out before Fall is over! ;-P

I also considered interspersing the items with gorgeous Fall photos, but I'll leave it as is. I don't have the energy to go look for photos right now. And they'd totally defeat the purpose of the post too...

I'm even more unhappy this particular Fall because I think the foliage was more beautiful than in previous years, but we did not have any time or any way (due in part to house guests) to go for even one hike or a beautiful drive out in the countryside. So sad! 

I don't think I have full-blown seasonal affective disorder (SAD), but Fall and Winter make me feel blue. I think the shortening of the days is worse, though. Once it's winter at least the days start getting gradually longer, so there's hope!! 

The things that aren't going particularly well in my life (like the 8 am class) and that of our family don't help, right? I'm not done yet with my series of "out of sorts" posts. In fact, this is one of them. 

:-(

It went well!

I've been so busy, with work, and my commute and nephews and in-laws at the house that I haven't  had time to do an update. Thanks for the question, What Now?

The surgery went well and my BIL is going home from the hospital tomorrow. Yesterday my FIL arrived from Brazil and spent the day with his son and my husband drove up with his mom to pick up FIL and see his brother.

Tomorrow we drive the in-laws and nephews (in two cars -- booo!) to stay with BIL for a week. We're exhausted, but we need to drive them. One option would be for me to drive them on my own and for K to stay home with the boys, but we're thinking we'll all go. K wants to come back home tomorrow... 

In two weeks we'll know how the healing is going. Let's hope it will be ok!

The Shadow/ Perspective/Please Pray

I wrote this last week (10/14) and I am only posting it today.

A close family member had a rare form of cancer four years ago. This person underwent two surgeries and radiation therapy and went into remission.

The tumor is back, though, exactly in the same place, and now there will be another surgery and other treatments. The surgery is happening right now, please pray for the surgery and his recovery.

We are all worried, but also confident that The cancer can be treated and go inti remission again. And hopefully this time it will last for a long time.

There are two things that we are experiencing as a result of this: there is an enhanced sense of perspective, every other worry in life pales in comparison to The thought of possibly dying from a life-threatening disease. And the second, my husband describes as this dark shadow that permeates everything we do. 

This week Next week, we have family staying at our house because the surgery will probably be in the middle of next week. Please keep a family member in your thoughts and prayers. This person is only 40 years old and has two children.

P.S. This is actually my brother-in-law we lives in Egypt. When I wrote the post we had just found out and he had not gone public with his situation, but now everybody knows.

First Frost

From yesterday 

I wasn't prepared for frost yet!

:-(

The 8 AM class

This early class is killing me!

No kidding, even a student in my 2 PM class said that to me last week.

It is only Tuesdays and Thursdays, and it's only 20 minutes from my house, but that doesn't make it any better. 

I have barely been able to get there on time for every class. Today I decides to come back home, but I generally stay in town for my 2 pm class -- on Tuesdays I go straight to a graduate class of Brazilian music which I attend to help my friend who teaches it (and because I LOOOOVE the topic, it's the highlight of my week!). 

I have this pathetic Tu-Th schedule because of the room availability and because I decided to leave the period from 9:30 am to 2 pm free so I can volunteer at my sons' school once in a while...

I never ever want to teach another 8 am class. It doesn't work for me! :-(

Out of sorts

I've been really out of sorts lately, so I'm going to write a series of out of sorts posts, which is probably not nice at all, but at least I'll get some blogging done, right?

Cheap therapy! Sigh...

Naturalization Postponed (Again)

I really, really wanted to vote for president next year, therefore I had decided that I was going to become a U.S. citizen (we both were, in fact). However, we really cannot afford the naturalization fee right now (as we couldn't two years ago when we became eligible to apply).

Sigh...

Good thing to know that I'm not the only one, according to this 2013 Time online article. I know that 1,360 (for two people) is not that much money, but it's more than a ticket to Brazil and visiting my country next year is way more important to me. Not to mention that since we're running out of time to apply before our trip next June, it may be wiser to wait. After all, it takes roughly six months and then we still need to get passports, which could take several weeks.

The upside? That's one less item to worry about in my stress-inducing to-do list. I'm a little sad, but it does take some weight off my shoulders. And maybe I can sort-out my name situation (hopefully I'll write another post about that) before becoming a citizen.

So, two less votes in this "purple" state here for whoever the blue candidate will be. I hope the state turns "blue" again in 2016 despite lacking our votes!

Back to Brown

Today I got brown highlights (with some darker blonde) all over my hair, but the brown washed over the blonde, so my hair is pretty dark right now. I'll be buying clarifying shampoo & washing multiple times and I hope that'll help to bring the blonde highlights back.

The hairdresser, who had loved the blonde on me, was pretty disappointed, but I'm happy to go back to a more normal me! My older son just said "it is weird, but better!" 

The original results from back in May are here.
Before (today):

After:

I will probably get highlights again in December for family photos, but I'll never ever go blonde again, that's for sure!

P.S. Later my son added the following: "You're not as cute, though." Yeah... I guess blondes are the cute ones . BLAH! (Sigh...) And I told him that I'll be soon adding some highlights to be "cuter." Oh well! ;-) 

What we did last Sunday -- Cool Time Lapse Video!

If anyone in your life plays Minecraft or Nintendo games (particularly in the WiiU), please tell them to check out and support my son's channel on YouTube!

And if you want to see a cool time lapse of us emptying, moving, and refilling a bookshelf, check out the first three minutes of this video:

Sent (Application/ Tenure Package)

I'm still stressed out about some of the other items in my endless to-do list, but submitting the application is no longer one of them.

Sigh...

I'm feeling at peace about it. Today New Hire even called me into hir office to ask me (in a somewhat anxious voice) whether I was applying for the position or not -- and I said I'd to it tonight, that things were crazy at home with K submitting his tenure package.

Sigh...

He spent the night from Sunday to Monday working on it and came home only at 4:30 am. I'm glad that he's done, though. He's even telling a silly joke about it which I got his permission to share in another post.

I'm cold and nervous right now because I just spent some time reading (for the first time in THREE YEARS) student evaluations.

I hate doing that. But I braved it tonight. And included only one class in my application packet. One of the most glowing ones.

I still can't believe one of my student wrote (a year or two ago) that "my attire is not appropriate" -- whaaaa? I cannot wear colorful cute clothes to work? I need to wear dark pantsuits? Or serious little black dresses. Really? Who says that?


I also drove my husband crazy editing the teaching statement. You know, I don't think I'm cut out for this after all. I don't have the thick skin, I don't have the desire to please anyone, much less other scholars. I'm too scatterbrained to do anything right.

Some students picked on my disorganization or "scatter-brainess" but, thankfully, most really "got" me and my enthusiasm, my compassion, my flexibility and my deep desire that they learn.

I know I should be reading these faithfully every semester and improving. I know. I'm BAD. I'm lazy and extremely ridiculously sensitive.

I need a new therapist, that's for sure, and I hope I can find one soon.

I'll write more about this later, but I realized something VERY depressing about blogging today. There are exceptions to the rule, but most of the people whose posts I really loved to read quit blogging because they wanted to be writers. And they went for it. Some actually did get published.

Who did not? Who is still blogging?

yeah... very very very depressing and very bad for one's self esteem. If I'm still writing here (with no audience whatsoever) it means I'm really, really bad.

Long gone is the day when blogging changed my life for the better. I wish it could still do me good.

Sigh...

Best (Relatively Useless) News Ever!

In our family we are all addicted to the internet. OK, someone of us actually uses it mostly for work and the others use it mostly for fun and a bit for work (maybe a lot for both in my case).

Problem is, for the past four and a half years, since we moved to this house, we've had really, really bad Internet connection -- DSL.

Yesterday we got a letter in the mail that told us that now we'll be able to have real high speed internet at our house!!!! For REALZ!!!

The bad part is that we have no idea how much it will cost, and we're wondering if it'll be an arm and a leg. Sigh... But we'll gladly pay it. I mean, those of us who use it mostly for leisure are happy to pay for it. :-P

We are truly happy for this, though. Especially my son the YouTuber. I will tell you more about his channel soon. Shameless son-promotion. Maybe he'll earn some money!

Overscheduling

Continuing in the spirit of the previous middle-of-the-night post, other things are bugging me as well. 

The main one is the fact that on November 8 we are ridiculously over scheduled! First, at the request of my colleague, I scheduled the dinner that I prepare for about 50 to 70 students at University number two.  

Then, I realized that this day is also the boys' piano recital day! But I thought it might work to have them play at the 1 PM recital and then I can head off to prepare for my dinner.

However, I had not realized that this is also the very last day of soccer games! And it turns out that our 13-year-old son cannot miss any games because his team does not have any extra players! So we're  thinking we can make it to the 3 PM game, but it's going to be crazy! And I obviously won't be there because I will be headed in another direction.

So, there you go, a sample of our crazy overscheduled lives! :-(

Tired and Stressed out/ Dreaded (but VERY IMPORTANT) To-Do List

I should be grading, or sleeping, but I'm blogging instead...

After all, I haven't blogged in three weeks, and it's not for a lack of things to say (as usual!!), it's mostly because I'm a bit overwhelmed by my list of "VERY IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO" and that makes me feel a bit sad and restless.

I haven't finished the translation completely yet, so I haven't billed them and we're thousands of dollars poorer (and still in debt) because of that. There isn't much remaining, but I can't find the time to force myself to sit down and do it. Especially because...

... I have to submit the job application ASAP and I haven't done that yet because stuff keeps popping up, random stuff (such as the free photo book offer that I needed wanted to take advantage of and which consumed for five days last week) and planned things: my in-laws' lovely five day visit (the longest in forever!).

Meanwhile, work keeps piling up relentlessly -- right now there are many compositions to correct and grade. That's why I should be grading, not blogging. But I should soon head to bed because I'm also exhausted from many days of going late to bed and getting up early to work (I have NOT written my planned blog post about having an 8 am class -- my LEAST favorite thing in the world is not having any weekdays to sleep in. :-( BOOOO!)

So, yeah. And there are other items in this super-very-important list:

I wasted over 45 minutes between writing the above sentence and the rest of the post because I went to check my email for a "to-do list" email I'd sent myself yesterday and then found couple of weird notification emails from facebook (I did NOT sign up for notifications from those two people, I'm 100% sure!). Those sent me down the stupid facebook rabbit hole. Sigh...

But here are the other items:

- apply for citizenship ASAP because #1(most important): we'll travel to Brazil next year and can't go out of the country before process is over and #2: I want to vote for president!

- book our award travel tickets (with our plentiful miles) for next summer to go to Brazil. We're already LATE because these go fast and dates are blocked out quickly a year in advance. We may be in trouble! :-(

So, yeah... it's impossible not feel stressed with all these really important things pending! And there are other smaller ones (e.g. sending conference paper or panel proposals).

OK, it's nearly 1:30 am. I shouldn't have napped in the afternoon. It will only make me more exhausted tomorrow.

Big News? A More Stable "Work in the Margins" Job?

Sigh...

I apologize for sighing too much in the blog. It seems my life can be summed up in a series of sighs.

"Will I ever have a 'real' academic job?" (sigh...)

"Will I have to drive so many hours to/from work for the rest of my life?" (sigh...)

"Is there any other alternative for me work-wise out there?" (sigh...)

And these series of "sighs" are pretty much endless series of angsty posts that I write here on the blog to help me feel better -- it works! but just for me! :-( look! No readers! (nah... who cares, I've said repeatedly that I'll be the last blogger standing. I guess there'll be many of us out here, talking happily to ourselves online).

OK, rant/whining session over, on to the news at hand.

So, today the job ad was posted. The ad for the three year position that everything indicates is meant to be just an "internal hire" maneuver to keep me on board, but now with more stability and being better paid.

At least that's what I think it is and what I've been led to believe. Unless the people who did this to me last year (how I reacted, the swift conclusion) are monsters and out to get me, but I don't think that's the case. At least I hope it's not! In any case, we'll find out very, VERY soon (like, in two months, max).

I suppose that the early ad for this non T-T position should tip off people that's an internal hire, maybe? Maybe not? It's a good ad (hmmm... except for a little line in there that mentions something about teaching New Hire's specialty, which is not mine)

So, yeah, less than a month to apply. I should do it in the next week or so to get it out of the way.

I feel numb. Same old same old. Better pay. I could/should stop teaching at U#1 because I'll be making the same money I make working for both places right now.

What I really wish would happen (although that would be very mean on those people who treated me badly) is: I'd get the job, sign the contract, then apply for a TT job at U#1, get that one and then have to tell U#2 "Sorry, you have to get someone else! Why didn't you treat me better earlier?"

Is it bad to wish for such a thing to happen? Maybe it is, but a TT at my husband's institution (BTW, I heard NOTHING about the one year position I applied to last Spring, not even an email to say they'd filled it. I only heard through the grapevine that they'd hired an instructor that already worked for them. DUH)

I have a feeling this will go smoothly, no "roller-coaster" ride this time. That's good, 'cause now I'm 44, getting old, middle-aged, don't know if I can handle the ride (she says, tongue firmly in cheek, defiant look on her face).

Last and First

Today was definitely the last time I purchased something for my 13 year old at Crazy 8. :-(  Their largest size is 14 and he'll soon outgrow that. Hard to believe because C8 clothes were always WAY too big for my boys and they always wore one or two sizes below their actual age. Not anymore for Kelvin!

On the other hand, today was my very first shoe purchase in adult sizes for him! It's hars to find size 7, but Target helped us out! And it was on clearance too! I know he'll outgrow this pair in no time -- he's been through 3 shoe sizes this year already, sigh... But I'm happy he's growing! 

This summer he passed me in height and is now about half an inch taller than mama. He's so proud of himself! :-) I am too!

Blue, I'd Missed You!

UH! Merica (Regina Spektor)

Maybe it's a fitting day to share this song by super genius Regina Spektor.
:-(

(Note for years from now: another shooting today)

First Day

My first day went well, it's just hard to get used to the "mega commute" all over again! :-(

Good thing that last Monday and this Friday I was & will be car pooling with a friend (not next week, though)
:-(

I can't write much because I need to go to bed, it was a looong day...

Last Day... (and Memories of First Days Past)

... technically I have one more free day, Thursday, but today is the last day before I enter the classroom and begin teaching again for 15 weeks.

So many mixed feelings. It's hard to deal with all that goes through my head as I walk through campus...

... first, a strong recollection of those pretty magical, once in a lifetime days of March 1990, my first days in college. Huge university in Brazil (over 50K students, extremely large campus). Taking a super crowded bus by myself to the other side of the city, trying to find elective classes to fill up my partly empty schedule. Navigating a strange building, classroom locations, how to order course packets and buy copies of texts (long boring lines at the copy center in the basement of the building).

Meeting new people, outside of my own little private school, religious college campus (where my parents worked), marveling at how nice everyone was (topic of the very first conversation I had with my future husband a few weeks later).

Now I'm much older and I'm in another country at a completely different university, but the excitement I see in the incoming students is the same I felt. The energy is the same and I know I'm in the right place, I belong here. Sort of.

... I have much dimmer recollections of my first weeks each Fall in graduate school. Nothing really magical anymore, and it didn't cross my mind yesterday, but my first few weeks back in that campus in 2012 were pretty magical, but all that magic has gone away.

... Now I wonder -- will I have a contract for next year again? Will they ever give me a three year contract? I go to the welcome reception and see those fresh faced incoming graduate students and I feel despondent. Do they know they're destined to adjunct life? Have they really drank the Koolaid and thing they'll get a "real job" someday?

It's more bitter than sweet now. My colleague, that I have learned not to dread anymore, full of hir empty rhetoric, so not really integrated with the other faculty, at least apparently not with lecturers. Talking of the need s/he has to publish not to be outdated (spoken by someone who finished the degree in 2012. How am I, from 2008, but hopelessly out of the game, out of everything?)

Yeah, it's tough. So I try to enjoy my last day. I printed and copied the syllabi (though not the calendar for two of the sections) and I'm preparing the name tags that I use every semester. I'm thinking of what to say and hoping that the drive goes well.

Alphabet Browser Search Fun

Wow, memes are so last decade, but I still wanted to do this one, inspired by Geeky Mom. It's a fun time killer that you get by typing each letter of the alphabet into the browser address bar. I used both Chrome & Firefox. Would have loved to have done Safari too, but I'm on my pc desktop right now. Chrome is lame having nothing for a bunch of letters...

Chrome  /  Firefox

A: Amazon.com   /  American Express (with Amazon cart second)
B: blogger    (both)
C: catalog (university #1 library)   /    c_ _ _  : teaching platform at U#2
D: drmamaesq.com   /   dooce.com
E: exchange [outlook email from U#1]    for both
F: facebook.com  for both
G: gmail.com   for both
H: htttps://facebook.com --> That's not right!   /   heatherarmstrong.com
I:  imdb.com   /   impeafro.org.br
J: (nothing -- google search)   /  johnclarkmatthews.com/*
K: knie.ch (because of my last post)   /   kris.shaffermusic.com/  (got this link from my friend Jeannette a while back)
L: learnsecurity (training security site of U#1)   /   live.ccmunited.com/  (oh boy! a live music show I watched a few months ago)
M: mail (from universtiy #2)   /    mamaintranslation.blogspot.com/  :-)
N: nytimes.com  (!)   /   newsadventist.org   (my church's official news site)
O: (nothing -- google search)   /   office.microsoft.com
P: plus.google.com (not surprising! I never go there!)   /   pc-sda.client.renweb.com (kids' school grades site)
Q: (nothing -- google search)   /   quinntopia.blogspot.com/ (model train site my kids used to visit a lot)
R:  (nothing -- google search)   /   renweb.com (kids grades, this is getting boring!)
S: significados.com.br (great dictionary site, for teaching Portuguese!)   /    sites (university #1)
T: twitter.com   / tripadvisor.com
U: (nothing -- google search)   /   united.com
V: vimeo.com   / can't say
W: www.facebook.com   / weather.com
X: (nothing -- google search)   /   xs.gy -- what is that? (afraid to click)
Y: youtube.com    for both
Z: (nothing -- google search)   /   nothing

*wow, that was random! This guy made some hilarious stop motion animation adaptation of children's books that I once bought for my kids -- including Curious George goes to the Hospital. Mouse Soup and others -- and I googled him once a while back.

Brazilian Movie to be Released in 2016 - O Grande Circo Místico

(this post is a note to myself more than anything)

O Grande Circo Místico movie is based on a ballet and its music (with lyrics, so it's more like a musical) which is, in turn, based on a really strange poem by Jorge de Lima inspired by the origin of the Knie circus in Switzerland (I saw signs while I was there!!!) (Wikipedia entry). The musical contains my "most favorite" song, Beatriz, which is the song that plays in the first part of the trailer. I think it'll be a beautiful movie:

O GRANDE CIRCO MÍSTICO, um filme de Cacá Diegues from Fado Filmes on Vimeo.

First & Last!

This was our first "stone fruit" purchase of the season from our local farm and also the last, since today was their last day open.

At least we made it before it was two late! (No such luck the past two years). As a result, I will spend a lot of time peeling and cutting this yummy fruit for freezing! 

Blurry Back to School

The past eight years are a blur...

I can hardly believe I have an 8th grader and a 6th grader. I'm certainly not celebrating it. They do grow too fast. 

To my husband's chagrin (poor man, he knows I have too much to do and he tries to help keep me on track), I stayed at the school a full 2 hours after dropping off the boys. Talking to people. Because that's who I am. And because it's the first day of my elsdest's last year at this lovely elementary school. (And I'm going back to drop off their lunch and then drive them to the town pool -- a first day of school tradition).

My favorite moment of the morning, was when three high school freshman, former classmates of my son when he was in 7th and them in 8th last year (plus 3-4 & 5/6), walked into the school. One of them paused to look at his graduating class photo on the wall and that just warmed my heart and broke it a little -- grieving in advance for my son next year. I'm getting ready to cry BUCKETS on 8th grade graduation. Sigh...

Ok, now I have to finish cooking/preparing their lunch!

P.S. they were very mad at me for wanting to take photos. :-(

Back to Real Life

I realized in the past few days that one of the big reasons why I love traveling and extensive travels suit me really well is that I'm quite good at "doing nothing" at home. And when you travel you see a whole lot of amazing stuff while "doing nothing." ;-P

I know I'm terrible that way and the worst  thing is that I'm not ashamed of myself. I work because it's best to keep busy in real life and I enjoy it, I truly do, but that's it. That's why maybe I should just be a full time non tenure faculty for the red of my life. and keep doing the minimum, not the maximum I can possibly achieve (as far as sometimes useless academic research is concerned).

Ok, I got to my office, then went to a meeting and now I have to drive my 76+ miles back home & stop at multiethnic grocery stores. More later!

Alpine dream come true

We didn't know if we were really going to be able to see the famous trio of mountains Jungfrau, Munch & Eiger, but we did! Here are some of the photos I took with my phone:

The idyllic Grindelwald:

Jungfrau:

Eiger & Munch:

Another one (with me!):

Looking at the Eiger and imagining how people climbed that rock wall!

Going back down on the train:

What an amazing day!

P.S. And we also had the privilege of seeing edelweiss planted by a small restaurant (the one portrayed above) 

The Eve of Going Home...

... the European leg of our "Epic Family Trip" was perfect. Seriously. It only rained twice, which didn't interfere too much with our sightseeing (we were in cities on those days).

Yesterday we went to one of the most famous spots in the Swiss Alps to see three mountains: the Jungfrau ("Young Lady"), Münch (Monk) & Eiger (man's name). This time we took the cheapest train ride, from Grindelwald (actually the Grund station, even cheaper) to Kleine Scheidegg. Someday I want to go to the "Top of Europe" (Jungfraujoch) and to James Bond famous Schilthorn.

It was amazing, particularly because the weather forecast had been iffy for the past five days. This short trip provided the perfect ending, the 'cherry on top' for our vacation with my parents. We drove them to the airport this morning -- they will spend the next 13 days in Madrid and then in Portugal visiting friends before they return to Brazil on the 25th.

The trip had a few challenging moments and we're really exhausted -- especially the boys who haven't been getting as much sleep as they'd like or need -- and this makes it easier to go back home.

I miss my cats, but other than that, I think I could spend most of my life traveling. ;-) Not really, obviously! I will now share some gorgeous photos from my cell phone, if its battery doesn't die on me!