I’m Back

I got back from Houston on Sunday evening.  My niece’s party went well.  About 90 people showed up for it.  I seriously don’t know how my sister does it.  She’s such a social person and is always so organized when it comes to getting things done.  When I think of the working woman who is able to juggle family, work, and home, she’s the one who can do it with style and flair.

My niece is 9 months old now and is just the cutest thing!  Her temperament is so mellow and happy.  I don’t think she cried much when she was around all those people, and even when she was tired or hungry there wasn’t much fuss from her then either.

My other niece is 3 and we had a blast.  We made up songs all weekend long.  We came up with a new jingle for Chick-Fil-A and sang songs about watering the plants in the garden.  We spent some of the weekend planting the vegetable garden which was a lot of fun.  I miss working on projects around the house.  I miss my last place where I grew yummy tomatoes on the back porch.

Spending time with my family made me think a bit about the things that I want out of life.  I wonder why some people can uproot themselves from their hometown and plant themselves into a new city and make that place home, and why others leave home but never quite fit in in other places.  I also wonder why somewhere else can be home and then out of no where that place can suddenly seem like a foreign land.

I’ve realized I’m one of the latter.  San Francisco, as wonderful as it once was to me, is no longer a place that feels like home.  I’ve come to accept this and the fact that perhaps a big move is or should be in the works.  I’m not sure.  I still don’t like enough of Arizona to move back wholeheartedly yet, but I don’t feel like there’s enough in San Francisco to keep me here either.  I feel so displaced.  I miss the way my family grounds me and helps to keep things in perspective.  I long for my own place and I just can’t justify spending twice the amount of money for 1/2 the size of a place I could buy elsewhere.  I wish I had a companion to just share the mundane things in life with.  And children.  I wonder if I’ll ever have them anymore.  I’m holding on to that wish, but I know that the more I hold on to it, the less likely it will happen.  It’s a strange place I’m in right now.  I’m trying to embrace my 30s, but I didn’t think I’d be going into it the way that I am.  I often leave from family visits with two perspectives.  On one hand I am thankful for them and for the fact that we are all happy, healthy, and productive.  On the other hand, I leave quite saddened by the fact that the home and family I’d like to create and build seems like something that will never come to fruition.

How does one go on building a home and a life for themselves?  It really gets old just thinking about myself.  I spend time where I can with friends and family, but in the end I’m by myself again.  How much is it me and my perspective?  How much of it is just life and God’s plan?  How much of it is due to my own choices?  How much of it is just plain timing?  I’m trying to be content in all circumstances and I’m still learning to let go of some things.  I’m learning to love where I’m at and I’m hoping that by feeling these questions I’ll live my way into the answers.

I’m sad, uncertain, longing, resigned, hopeful, grateful, and somewhat aware of how much more patient and kind I am to myself today, and specifically in this moment and mood.  This is a big change from where I was a year ago.

I don’t know where I’m headed, but I think it’s in the ‘right’ direction.

Cheers,
RM

Houston

I’m off to Texas tonight to visit my sister.  My niece is having her “Red Egg and Ginger” party on Saturday.  It’s a chinese banquet meant to celebrate the 1 month birthday of a newborn baby, sort of like a coming out party to present the baby to society.  Of course, we are about 5 months late and forget the formalities of a banquet.  It’s chinese buffet for us all this time around.  Parents will find any excuse to socialize and party, won’t they? 

It’ll be fun, ‘tho!  I can’t wait to see my nieces and an added bonus is that my mom is flying in from Arizona and my brother is flying in from SF too!

Yay!  I can’t wait. 

Chicago, Daylight Savings Time, and Happy Birthday

I just celebrated another birthday.    It was a good one.  I went to Chicago for the weekend.  I didn’t bother taking any pics, so I have none to share.  You can knock yourself out with Chicago pics on Flickr, ‘tho.    I saw the funniest musical called, “Spelling Bee,” ate at a fancy, overrated restaurant called, “The Capital Grille,”  went to a few museums and missed my flight coming back to San Francisco.  Yes, I was one of those who screwed up due to daylight savings time.  Ironically, I remembered reminding myself to change the clocks on Friday and Saturday, but I woke up Sunday and didn’t even remember to do it.  Duuuh!!  Nevertheless, I blame Bush for this one.  What the heck is up with extending it, anyway?  The original purpose and intent for having daylight savings time no longer exists and it’s just one of those traditions that keep on keeping on without anyone stopping to question its purpose and relevancy as it applies to our current conditions and needs.  Ok, I digress.  I got a cool iPod shuffle. That thing is seriously cool.  It’s so tiny and cute.  I can’t wait to break it in on one of my runs.  Speaking of which, spring is just around the corner and I am so, so, SO looking forward to hiking, biking, sailing and all things outdoors!  I’m thinking about training for another run, too.  I probably won’t do another half marathon, ‘tho.  Those are too easy now.  ;) Ha ha…Just kidding!  I am thinking about a few 5K or 10Ks and then maybe, just maybe, the big FULL marathon later in the year.  The thought makes me anxious and nervous.  My eyes are set on Hawaii but I need to see if I’ve got it in me to commit to another training routine.  It takes so much discipline and time, both of which I have little or none of!   

Cheers, everyone!  Hope all is well!

Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello

Pics from the resort.

Pic of the boathouse at the resort.  You can see the dock for the boats and the entire lake is frozen over.  It was very strange to think that in a few months the body of water I walked across would be completely melted! 

Picture of the visitor building at Parc Omega.  All the antlers around the door was pretty impressive and the wood totem poles were cool too.

Grounds of the resort.  You can see one of the unusual branches on the tree in the center.  It looks like it created a circle.  It was very cool.

Pic of the resort shortly after twilight.  It had a very “winter wonderland” atmosphere to it.

Inside the entrance of the resort was this HUGE, four-sided fireplace.  It was pretty awesome.  We spent some time on the cozy couches playing cards and sipping hot chocolate.  Good times!

What winter vacation could be complete without a snow angel?

More Parc Omega Pics

Here are pics of the wild boar in the park.

These guys were actually fighting for the piece of meat that the one in front has in his mouth.  Here they are chasing him for it.

 

We watched the boars do this funny thing with their noses.  They wiggle it around in the snow and when they come up they look like this.  Voila – snow moustache!

Parc Omega

While I was up in Canada we took a drive through a wilderness park up there called Parc Omega.  It’s actually in the city of Montebello, which is about an hour away from Ottawa.  It’s one of those wildlife parks where you can drive your car through the park and feed the animals from your car.  There are some trails that you can stop at and walk along too.  We took a couple of those short hikes and it was totally worth it!  Deer walked right up to us and the scenery was just gorgeous!

It was really cool.  For any of you with kids or just looking for a fun experience, I suggest you check it out if you are in the area.

Here is a link of all the animals we saw in the park.

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Bison in the park.  They were less than 50 feet away!

I think this is called a “Wapiti”.  The pic is taken from inside the car!  They look so intimidating but they really were quite docile.

Two males “sparring” in the middle of the road we were driving on in the park.  I got some video clips of this too.  It was wild seeing them just yards away from the car!

One of the first animals we fed carrots to.  He stuck his head right into the window of the car!!  Needless to say, I learned my lesson – only crack the window open big enough to stick the carrot out of it!

A bunch of deer butts!  Ha ha. 

A pic of the wolves in the park.  These were the only animals (besides the bears) that are confined behind a fence.  This guy was really wanting to jump towards us – Yikes!  There was maybe 20 feet between us and a small valley between the wolf and the fence.  I wasn’t sure that was enough to keep this friendly-looking guy away from us!

These guys are called, ”Alpine Ibex”.  This guy walked right towards our car.  I could see him just eyeing our carrots! 

O, Canada!

I’m off to Ottawa, Canada tomorrow evening for some much needed r&r.  Monday is a holiday for me, so I’m taking Friday and Tuesday off and getting my arse out of this crazy place!  Although, I guess you could reasonably argue that leaving relatively mild and nice weather here in Northern California to brave the airports and the crazy winter wonderland up north would officially make the actual traveller the crazy one, but either way, I don’t care!  Ha ha! 

I purposely chose to fly through Toronto on my way there instead of Chicago.  I’m done with layovers in Chicago after my horrible experience being stranded there a few years back (and that was in good weather, too!), and it looks like that was a good idea given the new storm that just hit them today.  I might be speaking too soon, ‘tho, since my return flight does go through Chicago.  I did my best to avoid Chicago on the way back, but all the other flight schedules just didn’t work me.     Let’s pray the weather calms down a bit while I’m travelling and that I’m not stranded anywhere along the way!

I’m going up there to see the famous “Winterlude Festival“.  Yeah, I guess it’s really not so famous because I had never heard of it either until my friend told me about it.  Ha! 

There’s the Rideau Canal Skateway where I’ll be lacing up some ice skates and where I will awkardly attempt to recall the lessons I took a few years back.  I’ll be hearing Moira Kelly’s voice going, “toe pick!”, each time I land hard on the ice – ouch!  (think “The Cutting Edge“)  The Rideau Canal is this long body of water that freezes over in the winter and you can literally ice skate for miles down it. 

Then there’s also Jacques-Cartier Park where a really big international snow sculpture competition takes place each year.  I was looking at some pics from last year’s and this year’s competition and I was super impressed!  See them here.  I missed the actual days to view the sculptors in action, but their work should still be on display while I’m there. 

I’ll also make my way up to the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello for a couple of days.  The name of the resort is enough to make you go “oo” and “aah” and “oo la la”!  Ha!  While I’m there, I’ll be trying my hand at dogsledding and snowshoeing, two things I’ve never done before.  I’m looking forward to that!

I also have reservations to dine at their fru-fru ”dining salon” (NOT restaurant, mind you, but dining salon!) which, from their website, says is housed in the world’s largest log cabin!  It sounds scrumptious and a bit pretentious, but who cares!     I’m looking forward to that too!  

I’m also looking forward to a spa treatment or two while I’m there.  Mmm!!

I’ll post some pics when I return!

Prague

Dreaming.  Musing.  Travel ideas.  Wanderings.  Experiences.  Good times.  Eyes opening.  Language bridges.  New friends.

Very belated postings of some Prague pics. 

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Driving through the countryside we came across this castle on top of a hill.  It had a gothic/dracula aura to it.

Picture of a church and red rooftops of Prague, taken from the top of the clocktower in the town square.

The street where Franz Kafka once lived (he lived in the blue building).  It was the cutest little street, and each of these buildings contained tourist shops, all about the size of a closet!:

Go, Girl

I mentioned in a previous post about two recent church sermons speaking directly to my situation:  one related to my Irish friend and the other related to my apartment search.  After church today I bought the sermon cd’s relating to those topics.  I sat in my car in the parking lot of Borders and listened to both of those cd’s.  Those sermons reaffirmed in me that God is with me and that all would be ok.

When I was done listening, I went into the bookstore, not really there for any reason other than to avoid going home any earlier than was necessary.  I won’t elaborate on this, other than we are three roommates and lately there have been four.  Oh, the joys of sharing a place with single men!  Not.

Budapest Pics

Hmmm….I haven’t quite figured out this pic posting thing here.

Vienna and Prague pics will be posted soon.

Enjoy!

Uhhh…

Famous Market House … historic building where locals go to shop.

Statues at Heroes Square. Creepy black eyes!

Went on a tour of the labyrinths underneath a castle in Budapest. This was a really cool wall etching. The pictures don’t do it justice!

This was also seen on the labyrinth tour. This was carved out of a piece of stone. The details and the site of it was just awesome.

Random street statue. Again, so many cool and interesting things to see. You really need to see it in person!

This was a theatre show in Budapest. I wonder if it will make it’s way here! LOL!