Today is the anniversary of when I went into labor with you. Last year I stared up at the moon and asked you to make your appearance. As I walked inside, my water broke. On the day you were born I sat on stairs outside of the hospital with a friend who had come to visit; I had left you with my mom inside and for the first time since I had discovered I was pregnant, I was alone. Valparaiso smoldered around us – the fire that had started the day prior was the largest in the city’s history and I was a new mother, heavy with the realization that I would never really be alone again.
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Equinox /
I raced home quickly today to write this down. Usually my runs turn into walks by the end but today I felt like I had uncorked something and the sentences wouldn’t stop flowing. By the time I reached my computer though, a slamming door waking the baby and my worn-out mind threatened my writing aspirations and as per usual, the ‘genius’ I felt running to my mix of Rihanna and Coldplay fell flat.
Read MoreThe Last Days /
I feel like I'm caught in limbo between an old life and a new one I know nothing about. I feel like I'm saying goodbye to someone, to the 'pre-mother me' and I guess that makes me nostalgic and a little sad. I keep thinking of all the things I may never do again - staying up all night in a strange city with new people, spontaneously taking a trip (spontaneously doing anything...), smoking a cigarette in a car with the windows down and the music blasting with my best friend.
Read MoreThe Thief of Joy /
I kept thinking how nice this particular Fall has been compared to the past few here and I was attributing its nice-ness to the unseasonably warm weather. Today when I brought it up my husband reminded me that it's likely the weather has always been this nice this time of year and that we just didn't enjoy it before. I guess between dealing with car issues and money issues and homesickness we were never calm enough to appreciate the weather (or much else).
Read MoreAutumn /
After two weeks of running around like crazy people (work, hubby's new program, visa errands, tax errands, dog issues, etc.) we decided we aren't going to leave Laguna this weekend. Even though our work schedule is pretty light by normal U.S. standards, just making the drive out of our little town (it's about 30 -40 minutes to the nearest city) is a tiring hassle at times. Add dealing with bureaucratic government agencies, expensive, far away veterinarians and a stressful first week of classes to the list and you wind up with two grouchy expats. Today we caught our breath.
Read MoreThe Game Changer /
fter having the Suzuki for exactly only one year, we finally got rid of the car that had given us more headaches and trouble than the old rusty bucket, the Nissan Patrol (RIP 1983-2011) we bought when we first arrived. We tried selling the Suzuki online as is customary here but no takers. Probably due to the fact that it had 11 owners in just as many years...Our new ride is amazing - it gets us where we're going without having to worry about wheels falling off or engines blowing up. It's a panic attack free vehicle and we couldn't be happier.
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