Wishing I were still here...
ere I am, nearly a month after my last post, wondering again where the time has gone. I mean, I know where the time has gone - my mother's visit, countless dying and crafty projects, our road trip to Italy, cooking some of my favorite dishes for my mom, throwing a baby shower for a friend, visiting our first local fest of the season - but it seems as if it has all flown by so fast. Wasn't it just the other day I was still counting the days - heck, even the weeks! - till my mom's arrival..? I suppose the good side of all this is that the time until our next visit, which is sadly as-of-yet unscheduled, should pass in an equally rapid blur.After allowing myself one day for an all-out mope after my mom's departure, I'm anxious to jump back into things. In addition to managing various appointments for some apartment work and damage claims (oh yes, also during this month, a leak from our tub has progressed to the point of collapsing our lower-level neighbor's ceiling in), I will also be starting my new post as a once-a-week English-language playmate/babysitter for two lovely Italian children (a job previously held by Frau Dietz, until her recent acquisition of a proper, full-time academic-type position - big congrats to her!). I am very much looking forward to having at least a small job that gets me out of the house and doing something new. I'm also looking forward to time with these adorable children, hearing their family language of Italian in the house and reading from their bookshelves filled with children's stories in no fewer than three different languages. The extraordinary language abilities and behavior of European children never ceases to amaze me.
I also promise to post all about our incredible trip, with lots of photos and recommendations from where we ate, stayed and played. It was an amazing time that I feel so lucky to have been able to share with my mom - the woman who swore she'd never have a passport, let alone see parts of the world she's only seen in the movies. I have countless photos to sift through before I report back, but I promise it will be worth a stop back by the blog.
Until then, I'll be fondly remembering some of these highlights from May (and a wee bit of June)...
Finally got to spend another Mother's Day with my mom
Did some colorful at-home dying (via this tutorial)
... including my hair
A roadtrip that included stops at Lake Geneva,...
... Cinque Terre,
... an olive oil resort in Tuscany,
... and Innsbruck, Austria. (phew!)
Leftover tissue paper party poufs now taking up permanent residence on our previously-hideous light fixture
Fest season began!
Said farewell to my mom (..again) :(
Until the next time, Mom... *sniffle, sniffle*
I received a sweet consolation from the lovely Ebe from the blog Back to Berlin... and BEYOND after complaining that saying goodbye seemed to get harder every time. She noted that "the longer you are away, the more permanent the separation feels." It is gut-wrenching how much this is a double-edged sword for us expats - the more we acclimate and make our chosen new country home, the further away we seem to make ourselves from our friends and family back in the States. It is the one thing I wish I could change about what is otherwise a really great life overseas.
*Daily Drop Cap from Jessica Hische
