International Lunch...

It is just after 2 pm on a Saturday in Foggia, Italy. I have been doing a little homework, surfing the net, and resting most of the day. I just came back from the commerciale (grocery store). I was hungry for lunch and decided to make it with what I had.
A large Italian roll (I ate about 1/2 of it), sliced open and spread with our US Philly Cream Cheese, then a slice of freshly made chicken lunch meat. I had a side dish of fresh Gigante Green Olives dripping in olive oil and light spices. Washed it all down with a Corona. ... yep, the best of 3 countries, right there in front of me!

Eating in Italy is different from what I am used to. Breakfast is mainly fresh meats, cheeses and bread, with a various assortment of cakes and pastries. You can find fruit on a side table, but it's not one of the main selections. I asked every 2 or 3 days for some scrambled eggs and if I'm lucky they have cooked them thoroughly with no runny parts. Breakfast at the hotel is ok, but I am really glad I brought my instant organic oatmeal, and found some local fresh almonds to sprinkle on top.
I am also grateful for the coffee pot I purchased and have in my room. Enjoying the smell of fresh brewed Starbucks in my room in the morning is like a slice of home for me. (no, I can't buy Starbucks here, but a friend brought some back on his last trip to the US...YEAH for friends!)
The restaurants do not open until 7:30 or 8 pm for dinner. I kind of like that, except that I need to get up early in the morning. Nonetheless it is great to see families showing up to begin dinner about 9:30 or so when I am ready to leave for a good nights rest.
It's interesting too, that all dishes are served in succession. Antipasta (appetizers), then typcially a first and then second course (one is always some sort of pasta), then dessert. At the slow lunches it can be up to 5 or 6 courses. (Takes 3 hours as you can imagine)....The good thing for me is that it is an al carte approach and I don't have to order more than I want to eat. In the US we are used to the meat, starch and veggie all coming on the same plate...not necessarily the way it happens here. Sometimes there are meat and potatoes on the same plate, but I haven't seen pasta on the same plate with meat.
I am learning to pace myself or I would have gained a bit of weight by now. Fortunately my clothes are starting to get a little baggy...not much, but a little.....That is encouragement enough for me to continue to be aware of what I consume.
I love the fresh olives of every sort and am excited to bring some facoccia/pizza flour home for my friend Christi to try. I hear the flour makes all the difference. I will never be able to eat US pizza without wishing for an Ortalano Pizza from my favorite local restaurant.
Ciao' , time for homework...can't drop the ball after this long....

It's May already

I committed to updating my 2010 goals in January and haven't even posted anything since then. I'm in a unique place in my life. I have always had goals and achieved them as soon as I committed to them.
The latest of which is to live and work in a foreign country.
Italy was my first choice and that is what I have been afforded the opportunity to do, live and work in Italy for 6 months. I'm here in near Foggia, Italy until the end of September.

School update - I am just starting week 7 of my final 10 week term before graduation on June 19th. I cannot believe it is soooo close! Super excited to have a bit of a life and be able to explore Italy.

What's next? Not really sure....I've looked at graduate school, but it doesn't feel like the right time.
Go back into management (ok, besides this senior manager job I'm doing on a temp basis in Italy)...not sure it's the right time for that either.

For now I am going to focus on finishing up school, doing a great job while I'm here in Italy and let my next dream, vision and goals come to me as God deems it is time for me to hear them.

I'll begin to post some of my Italian observations, learnings and adventures as they happen; Look for Roma weekend, the ladies on the side of the country road, wines, driving Italian style, and dining experiences.
Ciao for now!

2009 comes to a slow and peaceful end

It's been a busy and rewarding year. As always about this time of year, I reflect on the past year and what's ahead of me, usually setting my new year's goals by my birthday on the 20th.
So, how did I do in 2009 against the goals I established?? Let's see........

* Practice BALANCE - Didn't really do all that well with this one, but tried really hard.
* Master Financial Abundance Principles - ok, about a 50% on this one, at least I'm no worse off !
* Keep Drinking my 'Wake Up Water" - Yep, most days!! yeah!
* Live every day to the fullest - YEAH! - Without a doubt !
* Move More, Get to the Gym - Didn't event get close here. (I think a total of 20 times)
* Get my children's book published - Did get some more info and worked on it a bit.
* Relax on a sunny warm beach for a week - Nope, but snuck in an extra day in Clearwater Beach, Florida. (happened have a great view! - the Ironman competition was in town that weekend--big sigh!)
XX Complete more than 1/2 of my Bachelor's Degree credits - Oh yeah! And beyond! only 24 credits to go (ok, now you know where my time was spent this year.)
So, out of all of these, I really focused on the degree and by not ensuring balance I over achieved in the school department and only 'kinda' reached some other ones.
When it comes to establishing my 2010 Goals I am going to keep that in mind and be a little more realistic with what I can achieve.
No, I will not be compromising on what I want ! However, as a grandmother and someone who will be turning 48 this year, I have realized how important it is to live a healthy & happy life. Health will be a core part of my focus for the year, physical, mental and spiritual.
Thanks to you my family and friends who have supported my crazy year of people living with me, business travel and mostly the time I've dedicated to school rather than time with you. I love you and am looking forward to taking a year off before grad school. Check back in a couple weeks as the magic Birthday week arrives and I finalize my 2010 goals.

Breathe, remember to breathe!!

As much as I love the learning I'm getting at school, I am struggling to keep up.
Work has kicked into high gear too...Mesa last week, this week I'm evaluating another group and how they are doing.
I feel a bit bad but am glad to be taking off from Friday thru Tues...(wink, wink)
Class at Mhurst Frid-Sund in Advanced Intercultural Communications....
I'm going to be able to stay at my good friend Chelle's house and study until the wee hours.

Then Sund - Tues hangin with Jackson and Abagayle at thier house.
Head home and go to work for a couple of days and then back to Oregon for another class...
Then a week off!!! Yeah!!
I fully intend to work on school work and rest as I near the end of this tough term on Dec 11th.
then back for more travel and work......
I'm planning a trip to a beach for my celebratory trip in June /July.....

Speaking of celebrations....my son-in-law is graduating on Dec 12th and I am so excited for him!! After 9 years of going to school, while working, he is going to be a Chiropractor. Heather and Brandon have made a lot of sacrifices to achieve their goal and I am so proud of both of them...
Keep Heather and Brandon in your thoughts as they start the interview process next week.
Time to crash....zzzzzz

Back at it....hmm what was my first Goal?

Balance - such an interesting word.
What does that look like for me? I've recently discovered that I juggle more than balance....While I tend to think that I am balancing the different areas of my life, the truth is that I am juggling several things at once and then take on more because "I can do it! No Problem!"
Really? Well I can and have done that for years, and years. The time has come to take a hard look at what I CAN take on and what I WANT to take on.
Somehow provide a better balance and free up the time and space to RELAX,,,,
I'm heading for a weekend class tomorrow after work and the title is "Health and Healing". I've been following Dr. Weil's '8 weeks to Optimum health' this last 3 weeks and am looking forward to what else I can do, or NOT do to support me in achieving my goals.
I have another Saturday class coming up on Life from the Inside Out...the books are; Cheryl Richardson's "Art of Extreme Self Care" and Rosenburg's "Nonviolent Communication".
The timing is right for me to really get the learning from these two courses and quit trying to
DO IT ALL........"I'm not Superwoman, ADJUST!" (smile)

Wow...and Transitions

Wow, I cannot believe that summer is gone already. This summer just flew by. I am amazed when I look a the calendar. Then just yesterday, driving to work there was a fog that covered half of the valley, it was confirmed -- fall has arrived. I am so grateful that I got the house painted today. Wahoo!!!!

We will be doing the trim work tomorrow.

And ignore the OOOLLLDDD deck to the right, going to be replaced in the spring to match the front deck above. But you get the idea...so much better than that light gray color (see blog post on transformations and dozers)

I started Fall term Thursday and I thought it would be a fairly light term due to the number of credits I am taking, but now I'm not so sure. With 8 text books to read and some weekends, and a large research project to do...I'm a bit concerned but know that I will pull it off.
I have got to remain balanced and only take one day and one project at a time or I will not be able to enjoy the journey....TTFN.

It's been a sad couple of weeks...

About 3 weeks ago my beloved grandmother, aka GG fell and broke her hip. I was in a weekend class in Oregon and my sister said she would be fine until I got back Sunday night and not to worry about her, just finish my class. While I couldn't stop worrying - I know GG would have said, "oh Vicky, just get your stuff done, and don't worry about me."...in her loving slightly impatient Germanish tone...so, I stayed.

By Monday it was determined that she would not be having surgery to correct the her broken leg, due to her strong objections and the high risk of losing her during surgery. So, on Monday, the hospital discharged her and we needed to move her to a full time care facility that day.....argh...and my sister and I drove all around checking out the best options and found a great spot for her Martha and Mary's in Poulsbo overlooking the water.

I slept next to her all night that night, in the recliner in her private room. She did not want to be left alone. She had been given just 2-4 weeks to live, based on her advanced lung disease.

I still had a little over a week of school left before semester break and needed to finish up a couple of papers, talk about a tough balance. It was really hard to focus.
My boss at work was very understanding and said, take as much time as you need "Family First". So I did.

I spent many hours with GG at Martha and Mary's reading the bible and even from a Danielle Steele novel. I gave her at least a couple of foot massages each time I went there. She fell asleep almost every time I did. We spent time talking about funny memories. She remembered when I hurt her thumb while I was in labor with Heather. And while Heather was crowning she went to look and said "Well, don't know if it's a boy or girl, but it's blonde!" Then when Heather came to visit her at Martha and Mary's, they both spent time joking and laughing. Her sense of humor never wained, and she was making jokes up until her last day with us, Sunday, September 6th,,,,just 13 days after we moved her there.
She was one of my best friends on the planet and I would often go to her for advise. I will miss her so much. I am thankful that she did not suffer. I am thankful that she went peacefully and that she is with our Father in Heaven.
We are holding two memorial services this weekend to honor her and celebrate her amazing life, and I'm going to take Monday to myself to get ready for my upcoming weeks and months---just as she would have expected me to do.