In this moment, I am happy

It has taken me a very long time to get to where I am right now. Summer has officially begun, both for me as a teacher and as a season. And although it was very (very) hard for me to say goodbye to several of my lovely students and my amazing colleagues, I am at an incredible point in my life right now.

For the first time in my recent memory I am happy to be in the RIGHT NOW. I'm happy for each moment, and not worried or constantly daydreaming about tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, there were many moments in my life in the past years that made me grateful to be in the moment. But normal life stressors - work, work and more work - always crept back up. This past year has been worse than usual because I knew that it was my last year and I took on more work than maybe was sensible. I tried to take everything in, do everything I could, enjoy every moment with my students, colleagues, friends and family. But still, I was always secretly counting down the months, days, minutes and seconds until this moment. This moment where my dream of my big trip is just around the corner, but not here yet. This moment where I can just enjoy being me without the stressors. And as I look out the window at another beautiful sunset I feel nothing but happiness and excitement for today, this second.

In this moment, I am happy. 

Ode To Daddy-O

As father's day approaches, I think of my amazing, wonderful, fantastic father. If I had been able to pick a dad from a line up, I couldn't have chosen better.



From the first moment I met you
I knew you were someone who
Would always love me, always care
And above all, would always share

Your ice cream, your love and lots of hugs
And the margaritas that we like to glug
Your hopes your dreams and passions too
In hopes that some of it would get through

Your beautiful voice and never-ending songs
Ensured me that life might someday go wrong
But it was ok, because no matter what
You'd always be there to cover my.... uh...


The snuggles, the cuddles and a sweet lullaby
Makes me wonder inside a child's mind
Never ending support and sound advice
Helped me grow from a child without thinking twice

Even now, out of my house I have grown
And far away from my house I have flown
I miss my dear daddy every day
And sometime I just want to say, "Hey!"

You're the coolest guy I could have picked
And if I may, I will predict
That for the many years to come
The guitar together, we will strum

So thanks for everything you've given me
The love, the hope, the wisdom, the guarantee
That no matter where my life my go
You'll always be there, this I know

On the cruise to Alaksa together - singing, sight-seeing and endless fun with my favorite dad :)

Christmas at home is never a dull moment - champagne, you ask? Why yes, of course!

 My parents come to visit me, no matter how far. We still find time for songs and wine!

Cam Comes to Town and Caves Ouverts!

With just a few weeks left, summer has really snuck up on us here. This past weekend was no exception, with the air so hot you felt like you were melting. I'm not complaining, really, because I grew up in LA and warm weather is (kinda) my thing. But this is hot, sticky heat that makes you want to take a cold shower every 15 minutes just to stop sweating.

Anyways, I digress. This past weekend was a blessed 3-day weekend and our lovely friend and former flatmate came to visit! She came for the Caves Ouvert weekend here. What is Caves Ouvert, you ask? Well it's this very clever event where you pay $15 for a wine glass, and then wander through the vineyards, tasting the wines from many different wineries. After you pay for the glass, everything is free (unless you want some food, but I ate a sandwich in preparation!) I had fond memories of my last Caves Ouverts a few years ago, with sunshine, good company and great wines. Admittedly, I was a bit enthusiastic last time, and perhaps (cough) had a bit too much wine. This time I was determined to take it slow, and to drink a lot of water.

It was a gorgeous day on Saturday, the lake sparkling and the heat shimmering down like a thick wool blanket. We got our first taste at the winery right near the train station. Then we decided to take the free shuttle up the gigantic hill to get some beautiful views and more wine. Unfortunately, it wasn't as well organized as I remembered. The shuttle took ages to arrive and when it finally came, didn't go in the direction anyone wanted. Half an hour later, we finally ended up in a winery. The hosts were gracious, and after a few glasses at the first place, it was time to move on. The question was, move on to where? We wandered the little town of Chebrexs for a bit, and decided that we couldn't find anything. So we bought a bottle thinking we'd be walking 3-4km down the hill. After 10ish minutes of ambling around, we found a beautiful sight - another winery! We decided to camp out here; we had shade, good wine and nice company. We had made reservation in Lausanne for dinner, so around 6 we headed out to the train station in the little town and hopped a train home (no driving!) then had some delicious pizza. Despite the bad organization and quite a bit of walking, it was a wonderful day.

Caves Ouverts was followed by another wonderful day, BBQing by the lake. The weather was another perfect day, we couldn't have asked for anything better. Unfortunately, the rest of Lausanne also thought it was the perfect day to go to the lake. We got there early enough to find a nice place in the shade but were joined shortly after by a family with no concept of personal space. Then more families arrived, blasting their (terrible) music, kicking balls at our BBQ (knocking off our meat!) walking on our blankets, knocking over our wine... I have to say, it's the first time I wanted to leave the lakeside early. And leave we did, as Cam had a plane to catch. We hiked it up the hill, shiny with sweat and only then realizing how bright red we were (with SPF 50 on!!!).

Above is the lake, full of scummy grossness.... I didn't go in!

The super busy lake-side. Everyone in Lausanne was out to have a BBQ!

Do you see the blanket 6 inches from ours, just behind and to the left? What ever happened to personal space? Geez!

Cam cooking our delicious meat! We didn't have tongs or anything similar, so we used plastic forks that had a tendency to melt. Oh year, and pretty much all the meat on the BBQ had rolled on the floor at one point or another. We just popped the pieces back on the fire - eating a little dirt is good for building an immune system, right?

Failed selfie - sorry Catarina!

Back home, and we are not ready to let Cam go. If we hug her tighter, will she just get stuck here? I wish!!

Having friends and family come and visit is one of the nicest feelings. I have found that the people I love bring the most joy to my life. Okay, that and travel. And really good food. And a book that I can't put down. But having the people I love come to me to spend time together, now that is something special! What makes you happy? Do you take the time out in your life to enjoy a piece of that happiness every week?

Date Weekend in Brussels

Brussels holds a special place in my heart, as one of the first "vacations" Paul and I took together back when we were just starting to date. We were head-over-heels for each other (or maybe that was just me?) and had planned this little weekend to explore a new city together. This year, right before we leave Switzerland, we planned to visit Brussels one more time for the long weekend. We arrived in the early evening, and hopped a train from the airport to the North train station that was less than a kilometer from our hotel. With a map and directions ready, we wandered our way there. The neighborhood was, well, less than savory. It smelled quite bad, and everything was beat down and dirty. I was a bit weary carrying all my things, especially my expensive camera even if it was put away, but we looked determined and not 100% like lost, wandering tourists so we made it to the hotel without a problem.

We made it out for dinner that night, and again, I was not overly impressed with the city. Everything was a bit grey and grim (not just the sky), but we managed to find a place to eat dinner that looked ok and had decent Belgian beer. It was an early night after a long day, but the beginning of a nice weekend.

The next day, we decided to take it easy, wander a bit, eat more, and more importantly, continue to sample the local beer. First, were the galleries (unfortunately all the shops were closed because it was ascension), but was still as gorgeous as I remember.

 We walked through restaurant row, filled with people trying to get you to sit down an eat for a "good price" (although quality? probably not...). Still, there were lots of interesting colors and angles.

Finally we made it to the square, with gold-trimmed buildings surrounded a large, very crowded square. We still enjoyed just sitting there, people watching, not feeling an ounce of pressure to have to explore or see any sights. As I said, this was just a long date weekend without stress. 

I was looking back at our pictures from our first trip here- my we have aged!

Paul had all the beer last time, now I know better! Some things never change, like our love for Hoegaarden beer. Yum! We were even in the same restaurant as last time :)

 

We certainly ate better this time - oysters and lobster and other delicious things.

 Our last full day was another relaxing day, reading, mussels, fries, beer, chocolate, beer, more fries. What can I say, we like to enjoy our lives! It was my perfect kind of day, with Paul by my side, a good book to read, and beautiful sights to stop and take in throughout the day.

The next morning was our flight home, and a quick taxi and easy stroll through security lead to a no stress travel. I came home relaxed as ever and happy to have gotten a few wonderful days with my favorite person. It made me look forward, now more than ever, to our big upcoming adventure.