Mother's Day Walk

Yesterday was Mother's Day here in Spain, and as usual my dad sent my sisters and me an e-mail reminding us of the date a few days before. Why the reminder? Well, as I'm sure you will have noticed when I said yesterday, it's probably not the same day you guys celebrate Mother's Day! I think it's on a different day in every single country I've lived in!!! When we were in Mexico it was May 10th (always), in the U.S. the 2nd Sunday in May... and I needed a reminder of that because my last year of high school and first two years of college I was in a different country (Mexico then Spain)! In Spain it's the 1st Sunday in May. Then when I moved to Belgium it was back to the 2nd Sunday... but my mom was in Spain so for her it was a week earlier! Plus I got confused with publicity on French TV channels (which we got in Belgium) because in France it's the last Sunday in May! My parents visited my sister in England the 2nd weekend of March... lucky coincidence turned out that Sunday was Mother's Day there! And I have absolutely no idea when Mother's Day is in New Zealand where my other sister lives! :p All this is very confusing!

Anyhow I showed up at my parents' place with a new trio of orchids (one for each daughter).

Then we hopped in the car to go do a bit of exploring in the back country (i.e. my hiking haunts!). I chose I place I'd been curious about for a while now, only 1/2h from Alicante: an artificial reservoir with a damn built in the early 17th century! I'd been told the Pantano de Tibi is a beautiful place and the walking is easy (my mom has several frustrating health problems which don't let her do all the crazy hiking she used to love, has to take it easier now).

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Four-legged furry critter, adieu.

Luna, canine elegance.

Not a good weekend. No siree. I've been trying to write this post for a couple of days now, but just couldn't seem to do it. Opening iPhoto and trying to select photos would just make me start crying all over again... as do a number of other random (or canine-related) things.

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500 Wishes for the New Year

Ha! I'll bet you thought with that title I was going to spring this massive list of wishes/hopes/desires for the New Year on you, right? Don't worry, I may be one for overly long posts (sorry!), but I wouldn't put you through that! ;o)

Nope... it's just that as I was pondering on what to write now that we're on the cusp of a new year, I happened to notice that this is my 500th post! Woah! Major blogging landmark! Sure, a lot of those posts were mostly filler (like the Photo a Day I tried to do during the first half of 2011), but I think I've gotten some pretty decent stuff out there. Looking back I think I'm most proud of the Oceanic Blog-A-Thon which I hosted for World Oceans Day for the past 3 years (and will again in 2012! you've got 6 months to think on that). I'm also really happy with my Fishy Friday posts which I am determined to start up again! I need to think a bit more on their format though... should I continue telling fishy tales from the aquaria I've visited? Or should I go for a more scientific format? What do you think? Related to that, I started sharing some of my Diving adventures with you this year, as a result of my finally being able to take my own photos underwater (and you all know how much I LOVE photography!). Sadly I think I only got a couple of posts out because the Hiking posts all of the sudden demanded my attention! I have to teach these two favourite hobbies of mine to play nice with each other... and get back to the diving posts as they will remind me of the summer as we move into the coldest part of the year. Then there's been the fun of sharing some of the typical Spanish madness (like the Hogueras in Alicante) with readers from around the world! It's also been a hoot taking a trip down Christmas memory lane with you this month! It might not be over, since Christmas for me (and Spain!) doesn't end until January 6th! But the continuation of those posts will depend upon my being able to find more photos! My mom kind of lapsed in her photo album duties for a few years in the early '90s, so we have to go digging through photos in envelopes to find them! oops! :p

Hmmm... I'd better watch out or my musings on my blog's past will take over this post!

I wanted to take some time and look back on 2011, ponder my life... but my life just wouldn't give me the time to do it! These holidays have been so busy with all the celebrations and family visiting, I've barely had any time to even prepare the few classes I had to teach! Woops! So much for reflection! Even now I've just got 2h to get my overnight bag packed, get a shower and get dressed etc. before I head out to my parents' for a low-key New Year's Eve dinner with some neighbours. After the clock in the Plaza del Sol in Madrid strikes the twelve gongs of midnight and we eat our twelve grapes (for good luck in the new year), I'll be heading out to the next town over to meet up with my friends for a night of FIESTA!!! Which will end with me snoozing on a friend's couch so I don't have to worry about driving home in the wee morning with all the other people who shouldn't be driving either... All this has been put together in a bit of a last-minute rush... none of us had any plans other than family dinners... but a few days ago someone proposed meeting up tonight and we all just woke up and said YES!!! I'm doubly happy because it gave me an excuse to get myself a Christmas gift from my grandmother (she always gives her grandkids some money to spend on themselves), a lovely dress I've been eyeing for the past month. Each time I went into the Corte Ingl�s looking for a Christmas present for someone else that dress would just call to me, and I was like "no! I'm not going out this year, I don't have an excuse to buy a new dress!". Well, now I do! And I did! :o)  (to be fair on myself, I only buy a nice dress like this once every 2-3 years. The previous one has done one New Year's Eve and 2-3 weddings). Want a glimpse?

Still can't believe this redhead is going to wear RED tonight! :p

So, no thinking or contemplating or reflection for me tonight... except when I lose myself in the music. Which I love doing and haven't in months!

One thing I did read today has caught my attention... Kim at Snug Harbor mentioned being inspired by a friend to think of a word for the New Year, instead of a list of Resolutions. The idea is to let that word guide you throughout the new year (I found another post online explaining it very clearly here, very interesting!). I've been pondering two candidates which just seemed to cry out to me: discipline and letting go. The first as in self-discipline, I know what I have to do to get my life back on track, both personally and professionally, but I seem to be lacking the self-discipline to actually do anything about it... But I also need to learn to let go of the clutter in my life (both physical and emotional baggage). This is something that is very hard for me to do. But I did knock one thing to the side of the road this year and I felt so much lighter after and I haven't regretted it once! I'll think on both some more. Not now, I now only have 90' left to get ready! oops! :p

As for the world ending in 2012... I share this:

Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! :o)

Christmas Feasting and Playing

December 28th... a day for hearing really weird things on the news... things that you should double (and triple!) check before you believe them! For example: Iker Casillas - star goalkeeper and captain of the Real Madrid and Spain's World and European Champion National Football team - announced that he was retiring from football. YIKES!!! I heard it on the radio, he announced it on his Facebook profile, it must be true! Regular news broadcast on TV at lunch time... and the sports section starts with the presentation of Spain's new Davis Cup (tennis) Captain: Alex Corretja (yay!). Not a word about football? In this country? Impossible! So what about that massive news flash I heard on the radio?! FOOLED YOU!!!

December 28th is the D�a de los Santos Inocentes in Spain. Traditionally it's the Day of the Holy Innocents in the Catholic Church, in honour of the children massacred in Bethlehem by Herod's order (with Mary, Joseph and Jesus just barely escaping to Egypt). But in Spanish an "inocente" is also what you call someone who is naive, easy to fool or trick. So this day has become the equivalent of "April Fool's Day" in Spain and Latin America! Not so much tricks as fake funny news and jokes. Or sticking a white paper doll on someone's back. In any case, don't believe anything you hear until you've verified it! :p

Today was also the 4th Day of Christmas, and in my family the 3rd day of leftovers! Or is it 4th meal? I've lost count! My Dad totally overdid it this year with the feasts... I think he's loosing his sense of proportion... Not that I'm complaining, Christmas leftovers are the best kind!

It all started on Christmas Eve with the crazy 15 kg (33lb) turkey my Dad had ordered (to be fair he asked for "at least 10kg", just got more than expected)... for 6 people! (the 2 year old doesn't eat enough to count) I think it was even bigger than my niece! But at least it gave my Dad a chance to show off his fancy new oven he's been smiling about for the past 6 months! :p

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Christmas Trip Down Memory Lane: the mid '80s

I've been trying to divide up these Memory Lane posts thematically... the "just me" years, the "Saudi years", but I've found so few photos from the 4 year period in the mid-'80s (specially Xmas 86 and 87, there have to be more photos somewhere!) that it seemed a bit silly to split them up!

We start with Christmas 1984, our first back in the U.S., when we were living in Potomac, Maryland (my dad worked in D.C.), only an hour and a half away from my Grandmother in Purcelville, VA and my Uncle, Aunt and cousins in Leesburg, VA. So that means big family Christmas at last! Well, for Christmas Day -American style-, since we still had our big meal just us on Christmas Eve -Spanish style-. I think it's the first year I went carolling -around our neighbourhood, with my dad playing the guitar-

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Christmas Trip Down Memory Lane: the early '80s

The early '80s were the "Saudi Years"... celebrating the season half a world away from family, in a place where Christmas isn't even a holiday! They were also the years during which our family kept growing, giving me two younger sisters to tease and torment (and take care of) for the rest of our lives. ;o)

So we start with Christmas 1980 in Riyadh, when I discovered that Christmas trees came out of a box and had to be assembled!

You remember that "intruder alert" I mentioned in the previous Christmas post? Well here's the result of that big "bump", another bright little redhead (who to this day still sighs whenever she sees pictures of her "Dumbo" ears!):

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Christmas Trip Down Memory Lane: the '70s

Care to join me as I latch on to the Ghost of Christmas past and visit my past Christmases while I prepare for the jolly season?

Let's start at the very beginning (after all, it's a very good place to start!):

Yeah, I know... you can't see me anywhere in there, right? Well look again! But with an ultrasound this time! (it seems they were already "in the know" having recently gone to the doctor to check up on a little "constipation" problem...) ;o) They fled north to spend the holidays with the family in Virginia, apparently fed up of the "fake Christmas trees" on the grass in Panama... :p

On to my first full Christmas experience... rocking the bell-bottoms in Virginia (visiting from Minneapolis)!

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Join me in a few laughs...

... at my own expense! ;o)

We all need a few laughs from time to time, so I thought I'd provide a few for my blogging friends. I don't know anyone (including myself) who hasn't laughed while watching this:

Trust me: NOT easy staying up in that thing! And the more time goes by the more tired you are and the harder it gets! But it's so much FUN!!! I was laughing my a$$ off, and breathing heavily, when I got out of there! Oh, and the chuckling you hear in the background of the video? My dad making fun of me!

Unpacking memory lane

Moving is usually very annoying and downright exhausting, especially when it seems to be a neverending process because you haven't been able to get your act together all summer to tackle those final boxes (6 in the bedroom and at least a dozen or so on the balcony). But sometimes opening up those boxes can take you on a trip down memory lane!

I unpacked a couple of boxes today marked "fragile" and "childhood deco", one of which had been packed away since at least Christmas 2004 (and the other one maybe ditto). The result brought smiles:

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Snowflakes and Turkey

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

We got our first snow here today...

The snowfall made me feel all goofy and giggly at the bus stop waiting to head back downtown from the university, and I just let my inner child out again and had fun catching huge snowflakes on my tongue! :p  

(you can barely make them out, bad cellphone pic!)

When I left it wasn't sticking to the ground yet, but I'm taking my camera up with me tomorrow morning just in case the campus is all white (nothing in town). ;o)

I hadn't been planning on doing anything for Thanksgiving, too much work to do! But by the time I had finished my errands downtown (including grocery shopping) I figured I wasn't going to get much work (correcting essays, ugh!) done anyways so... I called up a friend and asked if he wanted to join me for an impromptu (and highly improvised) Thanksgiving dinner!

On the menu, homemade Mac&Cheese and grilled turkey breast fillets (I had to at least have some turkey!!!)

followed by these little lovelies:

delicious and nutritious!

Just to say, you don't need an elaborate feast to give Thanks, just some good will, good spirits and good friends!

I hope you all had a Happy Turkey Day!!! :o)

post-Halloween zombiness!

Boy am I glad November 1st is a holiday!!! I couldn't possibly go teach in this zombie state today! And thankfully I've got tomorrow to recover as well (although some tourism will be involved)! YAY for 4-day weekends!!! :o)

I hope everyone had a good Halloween weekend!

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Letting out my inner child...

Careful! Special delivery!!!

Guess what the...

... brought in today?

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The MAC is BACK! and we're both settled in Li�ge...

Yay! They fixed my computer in 4 days instead of 10! All Hail the MAC Gods!!! :o)

Unfortunately work and a social life kind of got in the way with me finishing this post sooner... (I started it a week ago!) :p

Here it is sitting happily in its new resting place, with a shiny new keyboard (one of the parts that needed changing):

As for the larger setting, well here's what a very decent student lodging (called a kot) looks like in Li�ge:

About 15m2 I believe, with tall ceilings typical of these old houses. The shower and sink in the room... well considering I'm sharing the place with a bunch of messy guys (judging from the state of the kitchen downstairs), for once I'm pleased the shower is just my own! :p

I didn't need to bring bedding and towels and blankets since a friend of mine here has inherited a lot of those things from "us foreigners" whenever we left and I knew he'd be kind enough to set me up... he even added a cushion so I'd have extra propping-up when reading! It's great when friends know you so well! :o)

A couple of details on the bed I did bring with me... take a guess which ones and why? ;o)

I can't show you the view out the window (into the back yards of various houses) clearly 'cause the blinds are broken (is on owner's "pending" list of things to do), but here's what the view looks like through the blinds:

And here's what the house looks like from the street:

A typical local (old) construction, with the entry grates for coal (for heating/cooking) from "back in the day"...

...which go straight down into the basement:

Let's climb out of the dark...

and head up into the street!

It's a calm residential neighbourhood. Technically no longer in the Li�ge city limits by a couple of blocks... but next to a bike path that rolls along the river straight towards the Aquarium and into town. A friend might be able to loan me his bike, yay! And more importantly (work-wise) only a few blocks from the University bus stop!

And see how well they welcomed me into the neighbourhood?

They set up a flee market just for me! (kidding)

Classes have started up at the University. I've met half my students and they're ok so far. Will meet the rest next week and get a better feel for the first ones. I hope to find time to write plenty of things about this city and Belgium on my new travel blog "Cris Crossing the Globe", and more personal stories and adventures (have joined the local hiking group, been out in the Walloon hills and forests twice already!) and reviews (yes! am going to start up Monthly Movies and Monthly Reading again!) and of course Fishy Fridays over here.

Figs anyone?

Wow! My cousins have kept me so busy while I'm here in Mallorca I haven't had any time to write... or energy when I did have a bit of time! :p I did manage to start designing my new "travel blog" - Cris Crossing the Globe -, but so much for writing about Mallorca while I'm here! I guess going to bed late, spending the days out visiting towns, mountains, beaches, the capital, scuba diving etc... and hanging out with the cousins and my adorable niece aren't really compatible with blogging! oops!

I did want to put out a few lines while I'm here... because there's one (amongst many!) element of this island that I've been enjoying enormously... there are FIG TREES everywhere!!! 

And 'tis the season of the green fig. YUMMMMM!!! 

Some of you may remember my mentioning my green fig obsession last summer, well once again I'm enjoying this delicious fruit with a bloody short season as much as possible! Proof? Well here I have my cousin looking for and gathering ripe figs for me from a tree by the road:

Fresh off the tree... yummm!!! ;o)

I'll write about Mallorca mostly on my new blog, I just haven't decided yet wether to pre-date them (as if I were writing them live from here) or post them on the real dates I write them... silly, huh? But I will be saving a few crazy scuba and fishy tales for here! ;o)

Crazy Birthday/Wedding weekends!

Contrary to popular belief, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth or gotten lost in the blogosphere... I've just been ultra-busy! As a private teacher/tutor summer is when I have the most work. Add to that visits from family and friends and a wedding, and I'm wondering how it is I actually have time to sit down and this now! :p

These past three weekends have been particularly nutty (in that crazy fun sense) as I've gotten to celebrate my birthday on each of them! For a year in which I hadn't planned on celebrating it much (because it coincided with a friend's wedding), that's delightfully surprising! My parents took me out to my favourite French restaurant on my Saint's Day (once upon a time a big deal here in Spain, but now only a few "names" really celebrate, I never have), the weekend before my birthday since we figured we wouldn't be able to do anything "proper" on THE day because of the wedding... So we had delightful meal � trois, too much wine, and then following the family tradition off to a movie with my Dad (Knight and Day, fun!). They surprised me with a gorgeous watch as a present. My Dad said he was tired of seeing me always with my stainless steel Swiss Army watch and thought I needed something a bit more elegant:

He's got good taste hasn't he? ;o)

But as my birthday weekend (and the wedding) got closer I had this nagging feeling that I really wanted to do something special on the day itself. I have a slight birthday superstition in that I like to celebrate my birthday on my birthday... and I want ALL the candles on the cake! So I convinced my personal chef (a.k.a. Dad) to whip something up (filet mignon and homemade mac&cheese for the first time in forever!) and a friend (the only one not in the wedding group of friends) came over and joined us for a bit too much food, some candle blowing...

and a little Crazyness... :p

Then it was quickly get dressed (had my hair done in the morning, another rare occasion for me, I usually go to the salon for a cut when required) and made up and out the door to be dropped off at the hotel where the bus was picking up the guests to take us to the Church and then party. I couldn't believe this wedding was finally happening! I hadn't realised when one of your best friends gets married and you're in town (as opposed to another country as I have been for all my other friends' weddings), there's a whole lot of celebrating and going-ons for a long time beforehand! So there I was, all excited for the big event, camera in hand (until the battery died 1000+ photos later):

or hugging the bride...

or losing myself in the music (in this weird instance Blur Song#2)

Plopped myself and my aching feet (no problem with my ankle, hurray!) into bed at 7am, then got up to head over to the groom's parents' "casa de campo" for a post-wedding bbq with close family and friends!

My dad has declared this to be the "never-ending wedding" since we've been doing stuff (parties, get togethers, spas etc.) since early June! :p

Thought that was it for the crazyness... but on Sunday night I headed over to join my two girlfriends (bride + other brunette in above pic) for drinks as it was going to be our "last night" together in a month due to various travel arrangements for each of us. In the bar I met up with a different friend who was surprised to see me and hadn't I gotten a message from B saying they were staying up in the "casa de campo" because someone had hurt their foot and they were having too much fun teasing him so we should go up there? *sigh* I said, since I'm already here ok... grrr... I get there... and

SORPRESA!!!!!!!

A birthday celebration!

They really got me this time! Absolutely not a clue! And chapeau to this friend who got me up there, great actor:

and B who coordinated it all:

Hugs all around to the lot of them!

No problem blowing out these candles (had a bit of trouble with the other cake):

Then a fashion show courtesy of some very original presents:

I've taken the first to a tailor to be altered a bit since it was a bit big (straps) and a bit too much cleavage for my taste... he'll leave just enough though. ;o)  My dad says "it takes guts to wear that dress out in the street!" and I get the feeling he'll call me "little orphan Annie" whenever I wear it! :p  I wish it were ready now so I could take it with me to Mallorca tomorrow!

I'll try to get back to some regular blogging asap... I still have tales to share about Hogueras, the World Cup, Fishy stories... When I get back from my week off I'll have fewer classes so more time for you guys! ;o)

Which reminds me... one of my New Year's resolutions was to start up a new blog, dedicated to my travels. And since I'm about to spend a week in Mallorca (and then the Fall in Belgium and perhaps -Inch'Allah!- January in New Zealand) this seems like the perfect time to launch it! I've been mulling around names and wanted some feedback. What do you guys think of "Cris Crossing the Globe" as a blog title? I don't know if the intended punning is too heavy, it's not the kind of thing I usually have a feel for. I had also thought of "Adventures of a Crazy Globetrotting Redhead". I'll be sharing travels as they happen, and also re-living previous trips to places near and dear to my heart (anyone up for a trip to the Antarctic?). I really want to find a name that feels right... I didn't give this Blog's name much thought and sometimes I regret the choice... Any opinion on those two? Any inspired suggestions?

I hope you all are enjoying your summer as much as I am! I'm exhausted but in a good way!