Happy Halloween

It's what to say today right? To be polite.

Yup here that holiday is again. My most un favorite one. This year actually doesn’t bother me at all as we are not celebrating it!

Beauty is in England (another post on this tomorrow as deserves its own space!), one son is not celebrating Halloween I don’t think, and the other son is pretending he is not celebrating Halloween but he is trick or treating I think (but pretending not to).

We are not giving candy at our house.

We were invited to an adult party and almost attended-got costumes and everything and last minute something intervened in life making it so that we could not attend. We were not into the Halloween part but we were sad to miss the party with all our buddies as like the party part!. That part would have been super fun. And we would not have felt like the losers we truly are by ourselves on Halloween.

Ba humbug. I know.

But we got into the spirit last night as had an adult dinner with our wonderful buddies who have three adorable children. Was so fun sitting there and listening to them before they went to bed for the evening talk about candy and costumes and their excitment. I ADORE these three children and they feel like nieces and nephews to us-our families are so totally engrained. After they went to bed we had Thai food and fortune cookies and just had the best talks ever, had some heated debates about education, laughed a ton, planned a big future trip together and basically indulged in a great evening. It ended by me literally falling out the door! (A story for another blog)

I am glad I got to enjoy pre-Halloween through their kids and leave them all to their costumes and makeup and candies today. Might sound silly to say but last night might have been one of the top five nights of my life. Was so simple and easy and nothing special really-but special in every way actually. The beautiful children so close to us, the friends that the dynamic between the four of us is so rare and cherished I thin for for people to get along so well sharing all our lives and joys and challenges together. Laughing, screaming a bit. Helping each other through this thing called Life. It’s what my heart has always wanted that enormous pleasure of sharing our daily lives with people we love in such a constant and continuous way. It really feels like forever. And forever is what I aim for. So much love there and respect. So balanced between their lives and our lives. A place for everyone. And all our combined children; in some ways feels like they all belong to all of us.

A village. Like it should be.

Hubby and I went today  Harvey’s for a well-deserved burger today (been really both careful with food for weeks now) and at the cash there was huge pot of treats. We each took one ad then were about to grab a second and the cashier said “one per client pls” so so so embarrassing! Felt so cheap! So we  did what any self-respecting adult would do and?

Wait until she turned her back and took two more!!!! Ha-ha we are so wicked!!!

Tonight enjoying a very peaceful quiet night a deux in front of the fire. Odd, strange, a bit lonely and a bit indulgent. Perfect actually.

Tomorrow night I have a business dinner with my Swiss colleague and co-author (and friend!) at a hotel and Hubby and the boys will chow down on some serious pad Thai with the boys  will make from .scratch. One of those boys needs some serious TLC these days-being a teen can so suck. But he is handling is all so well but still hard. And beautiful girls are falling at his feet of courseJ

So to all those adults out there who love Halloween…long live diversity! Enjoy it! Don’t scare yourselves too much! And to all those who don’t…do what you love to do.

The Melancoly of this season

I love Fall. The sun , the leaves , the reflection of the moon on the water .

I adore it all. Fall is truly glorious.

Until there are no leaves and no sun and it starts getting really really chilly and is dark in the morning and dark at night . That in between season where winter has not yet begun nor am I prepared for winter yet . There are no fires and snowsuits and après ski yet . There is just cold and dark .

And my mind does not react well to this .

I think I get midly depressed even . Or maybe midly irritable ( or majorly maybe ! ) or maybe I lose confidence in this season or lose sight of my long term goals . Or I feel sorry for myself ( which is very rare ) and I feel like the people I love I am not as connected too . Or maybe a mix and blend of all if the above . Mostly I just don't feel like myself. Not all all. I sort of lose all sorts of hope in this season for some reason. 

At this time of year I do wish I was back in my cozy corporate office and that makes me sad . Because the fact is that someone else is now on that office and I am feeling the cold and chill in my home office .

Combine this shift in light and temperature with my period being less than 3 days away and we have a nasty potion .

Combine this with my three teens who really quite frankly lately have turned  on us and have become the actual " real teens "

That the books talk about in so many ways ( more disconnected , less attached , more cool and to themsleves in so many ways ) ..... This is really not going so well at all now is it !???

No wonder I feel the need so strongly for a dog or a cat or even a goldfish at this point . The loneliness is starting to sink in . ( and ps I really don't think I like dogs or cats or fish much at all in reality )

I find it harder to get up . I want to go to bed earlier . My feelings get hurt easier . I have more time to think . I don't have a good book nor do I have the energy to get one . My days are full of work but my heart is not in it for the last weeks . I am filled up in time but not filled up in my soul for some reason .

It's time to turn the clocks back I guess !!!

(And totally totally spoiled comment below so be aware .. It's time to go to the beach and hubby and I are going in 2 weeks from today and I cannot wait ).

By the time we get back :

The holidays will be around the corner yay!

The mornings will be brighter 

My agenda for 2016 will be in place 

We will be even better at kettlball workouts 

My period will be over ( and starting again ! What a waste when no more babies )

And my teens will be .... Back to normal ? Will they ever ? Thank goodness we enjoyed them when they were younger still some excellent moments but not as many lately 

- I will have relaxed and gained some perspective 

- I need time to sleep , read , feel , connect . I need to take a break from overdrive and since march when everything changed in my work I am not really sure have taken that time yet .

A break in the sun will be good 

To get back to myself 

To get back to us 

To get back the light and the sun

Does it give me Joy ?

I am current taking a course on house organizing  with my mom and have read many books on the subject lately too .

The best one by far being the " magic art of tidying up " most parts of the books were very good , some very fanatical and one part truly inspiring .

And it is that part , and that part only that plays over and over again as I tidy my cedar closet, my mudroom and my closets today 

Does this bring me joy ?

Of all the books and courses , this is what stuck and as I touch hundreds of garments and objects I ask myself this question and often out loud .

 And the conclusion : most of it does not . And the things that do ? Give me so much joy .

( wouldn't it be nice to use this excercise in people and Colleagues in our  lives too ??? )

So I am on a mission and my mission is tidying up and simplifying Since I changed  careers not once have I not worked my regular 4.5 days a week unless a vacation . For the next three weeks however ,I have put aside 3 full Fridays to do this 

Today was a bit messed up as a big client asked me to meet her mid morning and I agreed and threw on a business suit. W as worth the effort for sure as that contract will save me many networking meetings is the future . 

But I am committed to tidying 

Just like I am to regular excercise 

These are two things that when I changed careers and now am fully in control of my own time that I knew I had to make happen . And I feel proud that they are and that I am on track with my goals . It is so so so hard to fit them into my life but I feel now is the time with the added flexibility as well as the more independent ages my kids are at .

So today I feel strong and productive . A tad bored (more than a tad actually) as I am a person happiest in my head . So if I am making a list about tidying up I am happy but if I am actually doing the tidying well then not so happy. But I also like asking myself if things give me joy and realizing how many things in my life do not and that it is time to free up that space for something simpler or something better 

And one day I think the whole "does this give me joy" will be the foundation of a very important course or keynote I will give on life in general, about the choices we make and the people around us , about the partners we choose and the food we eat, about the careers we have and the time we do not .

There is a whole lot inside of me that is bursting at the seams ( sometimes literally if I look at the way some of my old blouses now fit !)

 This year is just the beginning of joy for me . The very tip of the iceberg of what is to come professionally . I feel like I am on a discovery: digging, learning and exploring. some days are good and some not so great-but I know it all need to flow in exactly this direction.

For the first time ever I may actually be truly trusting the process. 

Time to make it all happen 

Be Gretchen

(well in this case it is Be Tarina, actually)

From the books Gretchen Ruben wrote and which I have read (Happiness Project and Happiness at Home) this is what a retained the most.

Similar to in the Magic Art of Tidying –the phrase: Does this object give me Joy?

What can I say I am a simple girl. All I need to adore a book is one life changing nugget of truth.

I have been thinking a lot of Be Tarina  as I surprise even myself lately. Sometimes I expect things of myself that I just know are not woven into my natural fabric. I often go against who I truly am at the core-or I am too hard on myself for traits that I likely can’t (and should not) change. There’s one thing about trying to develop in areas where you feel can really make a difference or that you know are toxic, but there are some things about ourselves that are just who we are and we need to accept.

I loved Ruben’s chapter on Be Gretchen.

A few things about myself that are really in that category of Be Tarina. More and more I know I can’t resist them and I can’t get down on myself for them either. They are not going away anytime soon.

1-People think of me as so extroverted. I am really not. I don’t pull my energy from other people. Don’t get me wrong I love (some) social events, I love 1-1 or small groups of friends, I liked very much working in a big company, I love (often) being with my family. But hardly any of this compares to alone time with a great book and in my own head. I am really, really in my own head and good at it too. I am not the life of the party (with no alcohol or coffee kinda hard to me too and I juts don't like either  of these substances much probably bc they make me too fun??)\

That is probably what my marriage works so well. My husband is not extroverted at all and much better at 1-1 than a group. He is funny and interesting and bright and attentive but not in an over bearing way. He doesn’t tend to get on my nerves a lot where very extroverted people do a lot even when I love them dearly. He is the perfect match for me to come home to every day and live with (vs he would not be my first pick for a wild love affair in my 20’s as he is much to calm for that type of wildness needed!) Him and I can sit in a room and read beside each other for hours, days, weeks and not get on each other’s nerves much. And we talk and talk and talk and like the same things. This is rare for me. Almost everyone gets on my nerves somehow and someway (as I am sure I equally get on their too!)

This is my secret to 19 years of successful marriage: Find someone who annoys you very little.

I have a wild side to me and a very calm side and as I get older that wild side is really diminishing.

Be Tarina

2-People get on my nerves a lot. I am irritable. I am judgmental. I can be very jealous too.

I truly don’t like this part of myself. At all. Each time it rears it ugly head I wish I could just push it away. But I can’t. This will need therapy for sure one day. I think it stems from having to have worked very very hard for where I am at in my life right now emotionally, physically, mentally, professionally. Seems like I came out of the womb and had to perpetually fight my way through life to learn some basic stuff and skills and felt to me like I had to do so much of it alone. Feels like much of my life was pushing, controlling and working for whatever reason. Or maybe that is just the way it occurred to me. The fact remains that I feel that way. And when I see people who make so many bigger mistakes than I do, are so much less deliberate, and are so random and spontaneous and not hard working yet in blissful and easy situations? I get irritated and judgmental. And jealous.

Be Tarina

And Tarina. Look into this one. It is not peaceful to stay this way.

3-I am not that social.

As much as I would like to think I am-as as good at it all as I am (as both personally and professionally I a very good at connecting and socializing) in many ways I actually dread social event or even meetings. And not out of fear or insecurity or anything like that-it almost like energy is being zapped from me in these situations and I want to preserve that energy to be in my head? It is so so odd.

Like right before we have people over I resent it. Or right before I go into a big meeting, I do dread going. It is so weird as I often end up loving these interactions. And most often the people involved I love. And the interactions are most often great and successful and wonderful. But it’s a bit like exercise for me-I never ever feel like doing it but feel great when I have.

Being in my head gives me much more energy. Reading a book bring some much more energy.

Be Tarina

4-I am very not good:

At cooking (well I am actually.. but I hate doing it it seems)

At Quebec politics (no interest, but truly naïve of me)

At animals (we shall for sure as we have a dog for the weekend here for a bit of a test. )

At kids/teens (ya ya I know I am supposed to be a family expert and everything but naturally I don’t think I am good at it)

I am so not good at so many things. The things I am good at I am really really good at-but most of life normal stuff I am sadly not good at.

5-My feelings get hurt easily. I expect to get the love I give and sometimes I don’t get it and then my feelings get hurt. I expect a lot from people. Probably too much I guess?

Enough said

Be Tarina. (This won’t ever budge)

6- I cannot deal with people and situations where communication is shut down. I am articulate and emotionally intelligent and cannot tolerate when others around me can’t do the same personally or professionally. Big turn off for me and really makes me lose respect quickly

Be Tarina

(This one seems to have been passed down to my eldest son. He has grown up in a family environment where being truthful and honest and articulate about feelings is both expected and praised and encouraged the world outside is not necessarily the same and is full of repressed people when it comes to feeling things and expressing things. I see it in his relationship with his (now ex) girlfriend)…..he cannot believe that someone he cares for would chose the easy way vs true honestly and confrontation. We share this gene for sure.

Be Tarina

So I am sure the list can go on and on but the point is that these are traits about me that I need to embrace (if that is possible) rather than resist and reject. That’s just the way it needs to go.

So that’s it. I liked writing this post. I encourage you to be who you are too. And be aware of who you are. We can all stretch ourselves, but we all have limits too and boundaries. We are all different and that’s what, makes the world turn round.

Be Tarina

Little Skirts

I love the high school our kids are attending (or have attended), I am not sure there is even one thing i could say is not good or even perfect about this school. Everyone who goes there seems to share the sentiment.. It’s almost scary how good their reputation is. 

Until now.

There is that one thing that I realized really really bothers me. And it was echoed to me the other day how much it bothers other parents too.

The uniform of the girl’s skirts is way too short. And I mean way way way too short 

As in scary short and ridiculous short.

I was reminded of this fact when we attended a meeting for parents and students re the London upcoming trip.

Our school does about 20 international exchanges a year. The school is esteemed all over the world. Never a single detail missed or complaint about any kid from this school on trips and all the international schools eager to partner with them.

But the one negative feedback around the world? Pls have your female students arrive in jeans with their top uniforms as the short skirts cause big problems with the other countries private school girls. So the schools actually ask that the girls wear jeans vs their skirts it is that bad!

This is crazy and so embarrassing.

I remember when Beauty joined the school the year prior, they had sent out a survey about the school and all comments were exceptional and outstanding as always from students and parents. The one area that was repeatedly said however was that the skirts needed to be longer.

So they adapted and year Beauty joined the skirts were made 3 inches longer by the uniform provider. So now in the school girl’s sec 2-5 had short adorable sexy little skirts and the new sec 1's have skirts almost to their knees. 

So what do you think happened?

Like every girl in Sec 1, Beauty refused to buy the new skirt. She bought three second hand ones at more than the price of new ones. So did everyone. I have not seen a single sec 1 wear the new skirt even after two years. The second hand skirts are precious and sacred and sold like hotcakes within minutes over social media 

Go figure 

For my daughter, this has not made me lose sleep as she is tall and thin and pulls the skirt off well and suits her body. But if I had a daughter who was heavyset, I would be petitioning in front of the school. It is outrageous to expect that girls should wear such skirts at a private school 

All of my daughter’s gang all have very similar builds and so I am blind to it all much of the time. None of us are overly conservative either about what our daughters wear. They try and push the limits a bit with length of shorts and skirts and mid drift tops but they also all look good, dignified and cute. It’s not something that is an issue nor are we going to let it become one. With teen girls this is part of them growing up and testing out their independence and style is a big big thing. There are many other areas that are much more important to me than the length of a skirt 

But that is unique to me as I have a daughter who feels good and confident in this mini. I also have a daughter who if a dirty old man tried to approach her and gawk at her that she would tell him to go to hell and punch him in the face!

But what about girls at the school who have to dread wearing this skirt daily and who are forced too and don’t feel flattered by it or confident in it?. It does not seem right to me.

Or whose parents are stricter about clothing... They are not supposed to send them to this amazing school? Because of a skirt?

I am all for style and we all know that style and funkiness is an important value at our school (reflected again in the converse shoes worn with the minis) but at what cost? And what does this reflect about the school?

Trust me I am not all into the modesty thing either. A blog I love this summer that believes for  reasons particular to their faith in modesty ,and posted a pic of her beautiful daughter in the most gorgeous grad dress with a spaghetti straps. The blogger literally had dozens of comments criticizing her that she says she is all about modestly but ALLOWED her daughter to wear that??  I have honestly never read such a ridiculous debate in my life. The girl looked classy and beautiful and is a teenager and not a nun!!!

I am sure that she and her parents also felt she needed to let lose a bit on her grad night regardless of their usual standards and rules and was ridiculous to have this a a source of concern on the blog comment wars in my opinion ! Maybe that one particular night was an exception and an opportunity for her too to express her femininity in way that felt good to her and her family on this special occassion!

So all that to say I am proud of the school for a million reasons ….

But i am not proud of their skirts 

I am not proud that my daughter cannot proudly go to London in her uniform and is being told to wear it on her hips or possibly even wear jeans instead of it

I think that to make up for their silliness and lack of social awareness the school should on their own buy a new longer skirt for every student and the old ones should be banned 

What do you think?

Ps – if this blog post becomes popular my daughter will kill me. She adores her skirt :)

Getting a little tired lately of the Parenting thing

Let's keep it honest here people.

My kids are grating on my nerves, especially since we got back from vacation in Spain.

My mentality sucks lately-it’s sort of like: My gosh we have done this parenting thing for so long-give us a damn (the nice word!) break. It’s like we are worn out-like an old pair of shoes. Just too much at once. And even the normal stuff we seem to be struggling with. It’s like we have expired or something. It feels ridiculous actually.

I know we will get back on track and be praying again for those little chickadees to live here as long as possible before starting their own lives …but for the moment…sending them off to college out of town sound peaceful (I did not say that!!!)

It’s a fact that we (and our kids) are not good at transitions. So as luxurious as a vacation is for us to be able to take,we pay for it majorly when we get back. Our kids don’t want us back either so that does not help. All routine has been broken, they make their own rules, and they realize how much more relaxing it is without us around. We also get used to the ease of life with two of us.

I have always known that if we were divorced we would suck at it if we had to transition back and forth between not having kids with us to having them with us. I have found in my circle of people I know divorced those with blended families who have kids around most of the time fare much better than those who have kids part of the time and then no kids half the week. (Or one week one week) I remember three collegues of mine at work always saying that they felt perpetually annoyed with their children upon their return from the other parent’s house as the transitions were so frequent and the aloneness so quiet! I think I would be like that !I suck at transition!

Let’s just say our return from vacation has not been smooth at home. The second night I think Chase lost his mind. Literally. This fairly even tempered human being just decided to start screaming at us both about our diet and health habits (that are for the record the best they have even been in our lives!) He screamed that my protein shakes are stupid and going to kill me, he told us that we needed to be eating chicken breasts and avocados and bananas every morning for breakfast (yuck! And PS I am allergic to avocado and bananas and he knows it!) He just lost it for 5 hrs and screamed and ranted and raved and called us retarded. It all started when I asked him to clean the kitchen and he said that when Didi was here she let him do it at 11pm.

He apologized but it was-fricking odd of an episode and now every time I don’t eat chicken for breakfast I feel like a big loser.

Next comes the news of the week. Beauty left her brace on the city bus and it was never found. No ..no..not the free rigid one that the government pays for..the day brace that we invested in that costs 3,500$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and is adjusted to her body with hours and hours of x-rays and corrective movement positions and tests and appts etc. And that usually is uncomfortable for weeks after and takes many adjustments to get back to comfort after an adjustment.

PS-just call this a total nightmare. She is booked to get the new brace next Thursday. I am quite certain that after 56 hours the lost and found will not find her brace at the city bus unit but let’s just hope for a miracle. (And I hesitate to even complain about this as quite frankly I would take this problem over any health problem of Beauty or anyone else) The stress I feel over this is ZERO compared to the stress I feel in the hospitals waiting for her x-rays results every 6 months. So this is minor but feels very major right now.

Anyways fact is..I feel tired of parenting this week. If I could I would hide under my blankets in bed for a week and eat bonbons and maybe even smoke cigarettes and get drunk (PS I don’t smoke or drink)..I would.

It doesn’t help that Hubby and I have set a goal to lose 5 lbs each in the next 4 weeks and so I have been living on protein shakes and almonds and cheese. And a biteful of Greek salad at night on a good day. I lost two pounds already this week but let’s just say I am a little crabby.

Also hard to have nothing to look forward to on weekends as the next 4 of them are pure work around the house. Marathon work. A friend said to me this week she cannot believe how disciplined we are with setting time aside on weekends to get stuff done around the house. I laughed as we have no choice but to do this! I hate it! But with a house and a cottage and three teens stuff needs to be done and we are forced to do this (which is so worth it to enjoy the cottage in the seasons that we relax more winter and summer) But man oh man I am not looking forward to the next month of major chores and not eating.

(That chicken and avocado and banana is starting to sound pretty good)

So ya although I love vacation……I have to say there is a cost.

And that cost for us seems to be that parenting gets on our nerves after (sorry kids can’t always be positive!)

The other day my husband got out of bed and 5 mins later came back..almost in tears and just asked me to hold him tightly. Worried as completely out of character I said “My gosh what happened” and he said……

Just can’t do real life.

Honey, as silly and dramatic as that sounds I get you. There is something about the transition of summer to winter that just does us all in mentally and physically. Throw in an extra 4k there and a ton more of radiation and some chicken breasts for breakfast and I want to cry with youJ

Last couple of days in Spain

After my great b-day celebration we went to bed and rose 5 hrs later and took a train to Madrid ( and the 6 of us slept on train )

We arrived and stored luggage at hotel and set out for the Prado museum for a few hrs .

On the way stopped for rubbed tomato bread with salt and olive oil and cafe con leche for breakfast .

 The Prado was really impressive and the collection of art it holds very very impressive !

Was neat to be with four people (including our nieces) who are such art connoisseurs. They truly share a passion and were really cool to watch (especially our youngest niece) express herself and her feelings toward what she saw that day.

We enjoyed the museum experience very much too but have preferred the Gardens... Palaces... Castles.. Parks .was great to experience this with my brother and his family as if we had been there by ourselves probably would not have visited any art museums. It's fun to gain new experiences and be introduced to the passions of others. 

After that found a really funky place for lunch (was one of my faves) and I had Brie and caramelized onions on olive bread... Curry chicken and rice ... One mini mini burger and brownie and ice-cream. And Fanta limone 

Then we all walked around the botanical gardens and brother and I had a great talk about our lives and our shared childhoods . Was so good to be with him . 

Then long walk back to hotel and then a rest for an hr and then into dinner and a little shopping in Madrid . Dinner was also great and had a bunch of grilled veggies with corse salt and salads and potatoes . Hubby had tuna carpaccio and guacamole. We have eaten very well in Spain ... Not like in Italy or Greece but some good stuff for sure and the Italian food was even better then in Italy in two cases!  I forgot to mention the panacota we ate at our pizza place was superb!

We left the resto and bid our goodbyes at the door as did not know if we would see each other the next morning before flights.

For some reason my husband ordered us the lovers package room at the hotel as that was all that was left on Madrid and we had free bottle of champagne and Lindt chocolate. We shared with  my brother and sis in law.

But we enjoyed the room with the beautiful terrace view that was really gorgeous. Was the perfect last night actually ... Time with family ... Time as a couple... Sleeping in.

The next and last morning we all did what we wanted. Bro and family slept in late ... Hubby slept in but then got up and went for coffee and then visited the castle alone and I went back to sleep in the comfy bed with the doors and windows wide open to the beautiful view outside. I slept in until 11am and then showered and sat and read on the terrace with the spectacular view of Madrid. 

Madrid was great but we definitely preferred the quaintness of Seville. We are always the same with big cities... Good to see and experience but our cup of teas are the Seville’s of

The world! 

And I counted my blessings for all the expected and the unexpected that this trip brought me. The revelations about myself, the acceptance of myself, the intimate couple times between us that have not been as easy over re last couple of years, and the appreciation of getting to have such rich family and cultural experiences in our lives 

Blessed we are. As bless us too for planning our lives out in such a way that lends itself to such deep and enriching experiences

Off to London layover and back to our bebes!!

(Back home now and totally smooth return. Had Monday off as was holiday and in evening had my mom and soul keeper and her family for my family bay dinner. Was soooooo fun. and only a few hrs so too short but felt so good to do this. Everyone spoiled me (especially our kids!!!).  We had so much fun opening gifts after soul keeper and gang left. I was, making everyone light with the bay bag my mom have me with poo poo trinkets :))) lol!

Beauty made me a video as my card and bought me a sweater and treats and boys gave me lululmeon workout stuff!!! Fun to have older kids!!! Was nice to be home. Totally in a daze with time difference and today giving myself a day with no meetings to get back on track home and work wise (love love this part of working for myself  that I can take a day and do this after a vacation)

Last few pics from trip I wanted to include on blog:

Happy Spanish Birthday to Me !

My b-day today ! (well really was supposed to posted Oct 9)

A different one in Spain ! Without my kids :( but will make up for it by doing a little shopping on my own and reading in the park while hubby explores Seville some more .

I packed my new Micheal Kors knapsack ( my b-day gift to me ! ) on my back with a blanket pillow and book and I  will shop and find a beautiful park with fountains and flowers and olive and lime and orange and pomegranate trees ( basically every corner ! ) to park myself on a bench and read :)

At 4-6pm treating my sista to the Roman bath spa we found and booked 30 mins massages for some quality girl time .

Then the much anticipated Italian dinner tonight !!!! Can't wait for those grilled veggies and homemade pasta ( love the succulent way my niece describes food )

So what was I most proud of this year ?

1- my relationship with Beauty . Our scoliosis journey together and making it beautiful . Getting her more and more each day . My perseverance 

2- my marriage . 19 years and counting . I am proud that we never gave up . That we keep on and on through the good and the bad . I have found a lot of peace in my marriage .And alot of pride in our resilience and committment together as a couple. I feel very much in  love.

3- that I have been successful so quickly in being a full time entrepreneur . Sometimes I am scared to open my eyes and see it was just a dream ? Can this continue ? I hope so !!

Things I want go focus on this year :

- health . Monkey bar gym workouts have begun but also making walking yoga hiking skiing part of what I love to do and not only what I feel I need to do . Active .active as a couple 

And good getting to a place where I can eat just eat healthy vs low carb to maintain of lose weight . I need  find my place with food . I had done really really well but still some place for sure to improve 

- my company . I want to build something extraordinary .and I will . There will be different stages of this company dependent  of where I and at with my life and family .  But one day I want to

Be travelling the world .. Speaking on cruise ships ... Taking my family with me ... And maybe even having one of two of my family members in my company with me . I want a whole lot of Spain in the future !  This year is the beginning of what I thought would always be mine :)

My birthday was truly lovely . I shopped for a few things to bring back to the kids and my mom and bought myself a nice sweater and makeup case . Then had the most delicious pizza ever with my sweet hubby ... Then the spa with sista and we had so much to talk about and get caught up on . Then a private violin concert from our very talented nieces and then the best pasta ( penne arrabiata EVER) 

The resto was set in a sweet outside courtyard and we had such a great time chatting and laughing over grilled veggies tossed in spices and olive oil and different homemade pasta. 

 Back at the apartment I had a happy birthday violin duo serenade me and my brother had gone out and bought a big selection of cakes to choose from with candles and prezzy :)

I just felt really loved

We all went to bed knowing that our sleeps would be short since the train very early to Madrid to catch in the morning 

It's going to be a good year. Caro6 told me it will be my year professionally. Simply.I believe her-she is always right:)

Spain!

Our trip to Spain  ( 3/4 of it and last few days another day)

sorry for typos..on my phone!

Everything beautiful usually starts in a chaotic way for us ... It's just how it seems to happen 

I realize theses are third world problems .. Trust me we have have our share of worse.. But always hard ( in an easy way ) when travel gets complicated .

Planned a wonderful trip to Spain to visit my brother and his family . Have been so busy lately that was actually looking forward to our 4 hr layover in NYC at the airport .

Well that never happened ... We ended up ticket counter to ticket counter in Montreal and did that for 7 hrs straight . Finally got on another flight since ours was delayed and then when about to go on runway was told that there was a weather shut down in NYC .

It would exhaust me to write all the stupid details of this extremely frustrating day so I will just say that things went downhill from there and we ended up not being able to pee of eat for a full 24 hrs and then only got to our destination 36 hrs later .

We paid loads of extra money for flights and seats that were horrible and not connected and late and ended up sitting in chairs in the back that did not recline and right beside the bathrooms . (Actually that was supposed to happen and at the last minute bossy tarina made us get normal seats . Hubby complains when I get super assertive ... Quite frankly I don't care to be seen as the nice person and sit in the smelly bathroom seats thanks very much !)

Overall a horrible frustrating experience getting to Spain  . When stuff like this happens to us re really start to question if travelling is for is .

And then what usually happens is we forget all during and after a beautful trip 

Which is of course exactly what happened on this one !!!

Day 1 -( well really day 3 !!! ) we ended up in Seville in the evening vs the morning due to all the flights . So instead of spending 6 hrs to the airport  we decided to start out trip off with some indulging and and paid for a nice hotel near airport to sleep and shower for 4 hrs . I think the reservations thought we were a couple having and illicit affair ... Little did they know I had just gotten my period ,  were both severely jet lagged and the room they gave us had two twin beds . We had the best naps ever and the shower felt heavenly .

In the evening we took a short flight to Sevilla and got to my brother's apartment .

And it soooo nice !!!!! With a huge terrace and everything even with a Bali bed on it ! Cute and cozy and we have a sweet pullout bed . Perfect 

We went out with bro and two nieces ( sis in law is at a conference in USA for a few days and we will be together second half of trip )  we strolled for a long time in the old village and along the river and ended up in a great tapas resto on the water . And most places all have cerveza sin ( beer no alcohol ) in draft ! Excellent welcoming  to this great place as usually this part of travel can be hard for someone who is used to drinking and not anymore . 

They are living in the most central and best location. Any place we go in  Europe we love - but this place especially is hard to beat . Beauty at ever corner literally . Every park .. Every building is rich in history and intricate and stunning .

Went go bed and slept on and off until 11am the next morning !!! Joined them on the terrace  for cafe and Nutella sandwiches with rubbed tomato and oil on baguette with corse salt cheese . Very spainish and yummy 

Then we headed out and walked and walked from 12:30-6:30pm and visited the real alcazar castle and it's beautiful gardens . We walked and walked and admired every corner . Stopped for the cutest mini sandwiches ( 1 euro each and 89 types

To chose from ) and stopped again for fanta limone and beers .

Came home for a rest and I fell asleep in the Bali bed and then got up to go the street around the corner again for falafel and gelato . Ps my brother is just as into food as we are :))

Great first day . It is super fun spending so much time with our nieces and hearing about their lives and interests . This is going to be a great week .

Tomorrow up early as school for girls and we are in the middle of their space so we will clear out and go up to the deck Bright and early and put the rollout bed away . 

Day 2 - we are trying to aim to be the best house guests ever ( they are !! ) so we are being super tidy and clean and like little mice out of the way of the small apt and busy school and after school schedules  . This morning we set alarm for 20 min before they woke up ( 6:30am ) and put our rollout bed away and went up to rooftop to hopefully fall back asleep on the couches up there . Problem was it was raining and soaking . Nothing a few towels the couch and our heads could not fix ! I was on the dryer side and apparently snored while hubby got aggravated and totally soaked ! As soon as we heard the gang had left for school and work we came back down into the house .

We did the whole European food thing and went to the bakery for our toast and then the grocery store for our dinner meal that we will cook for the family tonight . 

That was fun 

Then it poured some more on us and we took our umbrellas out and headed to the Turkish baths I had found on the internet . It was a really cool experience ... Hot and cold baths all in a in a roman Turkish bath setting . There was even a salt bath where your body floats with no effort needed . All in candlelight and really beautiful architecture and music .

I would recommend this experience to all . When my sis in law gets back from USA later this week I think we will need to hit this place again given that it has been our tradition for years now when visiting  do do a spa or shop together ( and sometimes both )

After Roman baths we went to a cute Italian resto and had super delicious pizza . Rain had stopped by then and were able to sit on terrace . Hubby is seriously impressed with all the non alcoholic ( very tasty ) draft beer . It's a staple here !! We decided in about 5 yrs when all kids post highschool we will rent an apt on Seville for 3 months and learn Spanish intensively and I will write a book here. We will travel to all the surrounding areas in weekends . Seville is a great central location. So much to look forward too in 5 yrs !

Then a river tour on a boat seeing all the landscapes of Sevilla and we were so tired we nearly feel asleep but was beautiful . Then a long walk to plaza des espagana where we rented a row boat and did semi circle of the plaza that way . It was really beautiful 

Stopped for beer and chips and strolled  back  and did the long walk home .

We made pasta for dinner an ate on the terrace in the apartment and all caught up about our days . If is a very cozy family feeling . Can't wait to see sista soon too !

Tomorrow off to Portugal ( only 2.5 hrs away ) to the algarve to a really cool hotel hubby booked as an early bday present for me :) we were supposed to book a cheap hotel but this luxurious one is a bday gift and I am getting a little spoiled 

Day 3 - we woke up this morning and gave up trying to be guests of the year and just stayed in bed while our hosts ate breakfast and got ready .  We kinda slept in their faces given that the bed is right beside the kitchen and the breakfast table . Oh well we did it for the first couple of days !

We chatted with my brother after he dropped the girls at school and we then left to get our car rental to take off for out two day stay in the algarves in Portugal . I slept in the car while hubby drove and then we found a beautiful little beach resto and enjoyed omelette and pizza ( and Portuguese na beer of course ! ) the beaches here are fab and all caves and rock . 

Then we arrived at our beautiful resort . A huge resort and gorgeous pool on a cliff overlooking the ocean and the beach is also very beautiful . It is October so not pure beach weather and a very rough ocean but the perfect temperature to put our feet in and slash around .

We then went up to the most amazing huge Bali bed ever on a cliff and overlooking ocean and shared a sirloin sandwich and brownie icecream .

Then we read and fell asleep for a couple of hours ... We both adore napping .

That is a good thing about us as a couple we are very very in sync of what we like to do .

After our nap we went back to gorgeous room and read on terrace in candlelight and then chose a close Italian resto for dinner . 

Going to shower soon in the beautiful bathroom and have a great sleep in the big bed . What is cool about this room is the wa

y it opens up onto a big terrace .

So far Portugal is a real treat ! Tomorrow going to

explore two more beaches and do a cliff hike between them and end up at what is known to

Be ( and confirmed by our family ) as the best Indian food ever !

- I am liking this trip a lot . A few conclusions I have come to so far :

-It is good to take breaks from email and texting ( tomorrow will be the mid way and I will check only then once (

- I am a really good person when I am not busy and stressed ( and on phone all the time ) I am so much better of a person when I am fully present ( hence my rules of no or limited use of technology often on weekends and evenings and vacations  !!)

- my brothers family is way more peaceful and zen and quieter than ours !!!! Omg ... What a contrast ! Our kids are so LOUD ( and so are we !! )  sometimes this loudness is Great and fun but sometimes it is Annoying too 

- I miss our kids and think about them lots but it is also good to just be a couple and go on our rhythm. Usually every year we take an alone trip but has been two years for us ... So therefor this year we are making up for it and doing two alone trips 6 weeks apart :))) crazy ! But since in severance package until two more months only time in our lives this may be doable and feasible from a flexibility standpoint 

Day 4 - I think today might have been my fave of all trips ever taken ( and up there high on hubby list too ! ) such a romantic night last night in our awesome hotel and candles lit by staff on the balcony .The perfect sleep . Felt like a little cocoon :)

Up early this morning ( we set alarm ) and could not tear ourselves away from the hotel so asked for a late check out and they gave us 4 extra hrs !  Slept on beach .. Swam in cold but amazing ocean towards caves on other side of beach .. Ate lunch .. Read ... Left hotel at 4pm and drove to Paria da marinha and was soooooooooo stunning ! Have never seen anything like this place except in the movies . Took tons of pics .. Felt so close and in love ... Rested and splashed in the waves and caves . Portugal will be high on my list to return to one day !!!

Then found best Indian resto ever bro referred and was worth every minute getting there . Yummy !!!!! What a super fab day . We are loving this trip . Also connected to home tonight and two kids and one mom and two friends wrote back so far . Everything is great at home . Being with my mom is a vacation in itself for our kids !! Words like fun and relaxing are used a lot by our kids . I am so happy for them that they get a break too !!! They truly deserve a break from us ( me ! )

I just feel so happy right now .

Looking forward to another great day Tomorrow with sista . An early start and late end in store filled to the brim with fun and beauty and rich history . Gosh I love Europe 

Day 5 - an early wake up again and left on train with sista and hubby to cordoba ....

Found our way through the winding slim streets to the cathedral cordoba and made our way of truly the most original and elegant and huge church I have ever seen 

Sista and hubby used the audio guides to go through and I used mine a bit . In these places I just love to walk around and soak in all the beauty and then usually find somewhere wonderful to sit and admire the view . This time it was in a church pew that was truly heavenly and a great place to just think and write and POnder and even pray a little 

We then went to lunch on a quaint inside patio . Very beautiful decor ... And I watched my hubby and sista indulge in the food . Nothing for me To eat in Corduba ! Lots and lots of eggs and pork and quail eggs ! After many amazing meals in delicious Sevilla and Portugal I am fine with a salad actually . I am a very picky ester and just could not do the cow tongue and pork lips .

Then we went and explored the Roman baths ( the real ones and not the spa ones )

Then a castle with gorgeous gardens and by mid way ( 6pm now) I am sitting at a park bench in front on flowers as fountains . I am tired ! My mind and body are tired out . Walking back soon for the long and scenic walk to the 7:30pm train 

I don't think can do flaminco tonight :( too tired ! Want to sit and chat and then set myself up with my great novel I brought and fall asleep reading 

Had a great dinner ! Fried tofu with red pepper ... Spinach with mushrooms , rice and a super yummy peanut sauce . And a huge assortment of chocolate for dessert . My brother had prepared this for us as we came in .Oh ya ... And of course fanta limone 

I am loving this trip but slowly getting all toured out ! Tomorrow I want to sleep a bit ... Eat a bit ... Go to a nice park and read and stroll along the river . Given it's my bday I think I will be allowed ! Hubby will visit the cathedral and ruins on his own while I read a book in the park and shop a little . We will meet up for pizza on a terrace and walk the girls to school together hopefully in the morning .

Happy almost bday to me :))