My Year of Meaningful (2011)

It's one of those rare bank-holiday-weekends in which we're actually sitting at home for the whole 3 days, rather than running off somewhere. Must recoup from the long week in Romania, and what better chance to do it?

But it gives one unsettled gal a lonnnnnnnnnng time to think. Hmmmm... musings:

One year ago I wrote a blog entry (which I later deleted) about the typical weekday evening of the Family W. It had this photo in it.

There was also this one:

Now I'm just blown away because I realize that this was a YEAR ago. And what are we doing today!?? How much has changed?!?! Holy shit! Not a lot! I mean good lord I took THIS photo today:

OK granted it's a frozen Between The Sheets instead of a glass of red... the BBQ I was standing at this night had steak on it instead of lambchops/sausages, it's located ON the deck now instead of up against the garden wall, and H's hair is a lot longer... and now the chances of seeing him sans-doo-rag are hovering between 5 and 10% (which really freaks me out, knowing he started the doo-rag obsession round about the exact same time my friend S's SIX YEAR OLD CHILD started the same thing...) but really the basics are exactly the damn same. We both even wear the same t-shirt/hoodie seen here. This freaks out a person who would normally otherwise not ever have the opportunity to feel such deja vu on a yearly basis, as there would typically have been some sort of uproot-and-move-location/city/country thing involved.

So let's write about moving.

We're on the 6 month countdown now. THIS is freaky. We've gone from seeing it as something sooooooo far in the distance, to seeing it as "better get ready to sell the house. Better find a place to live in Gabz-city. Did you get a quote from that moving company/dog transport/etc. yet?" It really hit home this weekend when Theo proposed moving the office from it's current location IN Gabz-city proper, out to the bush where he and L. are living at the moment, into a bigger house where he could move into and work from, until Dec., when we could move into it once we get there, providing a smooth transition. He proposed this one, which is vacant, right around the corner from where they're living at the mo'....:

http://homes.point2.com/Botswana/Kweneng/Gabane_Real_Estate/269629.aspx

This is surreal. This is me picturing myself actually THERE, typing this entry, instead of HERE.

We have set up the new blog template for the countdown to evacuation, and even the husband-unit is looking forward to posting weekly updates for the friends & family, etc. But for some reason, I'm just dragging my heels on starting the first one.... for some strange, strange reason.

Next musing from the weekend... I spend too much time at this computer. Part of living overseas means nearly every friendship I have is conducted via email. I must say I'm pretty damn good at friendship maintenence. So I don't rest until every single email is replied to out of my inbox. That takes a lot of damn time. Then there's this extra job. Everything is done between me and Theo via the net. That means I come home from work, and I go straight to work. And my fingers are so GLUED to the keyboard that I find even when I want ENTERTAINMENT, it's right there. . . on the friggin computer!!! Web surfing and music downloading is so EASY when you're just right there already. Sometimes I feel like it's my only outlet to the rest of the world, and simple, seeing as I'm sitting in the damn chair already. This thought raised it's ugly head when I finally finished a book, recently. Yeah a book. Like my 5th in a YEAR. I don't read that much. And Hannes... he finished a book too. He read The DaVinci Code, after I finished it, and forced him to read it so we could go to the movie (which we did this weekend, because he did finish it!). That was the first book he's finished since we've been married. We both spend too much time at the computer. It's true. But until the company runs itself, and whatever whatever, well? What can I do?

Next musing. The health regime. When we were in Romania we ate and drank like there was no tomorrow. It was a typical J.W. binge. Everywhere we turned, we were being treated like royalty (typical with any foreigner in RO) and being fed and pumped full of alcohol in mass quantities. They LOVE Jack Daniels over there. THe main drink AT the wedding was little goblets of Jack daniels. I am not making this up. I would post photos but Blogger is NOT being kind to me with photo posting today.

Even when Dan's sweetest cutest little mommy and daddy took us all on a sightseeing tour of Iasi, THEY BROUGHT JACK DANIELS. And snacks. And champagne. Needless to say I was wasted, a lot. We all were. We were also always eating. It's Romanian custom for everyone to make you feast. All the time. At their homes, at the wedding, when you're hanging out, etc. etc. Did I mention at the wedding there were about 8 courses? Jeeeez if I even mentioned ONE thing about how I liked *this* cheese or *that sausage*, SHAZAM!!! Out of the kitchen it would come, AGAIN, in BULK. . . "ohhhhh Jill likes it! make more! Make more!!! Quickly!!!" it was out of control.

So now we're home and we're being very good. We have to. It's off to NL in another week&a half where the same thing will happen again. So every night, the meal is planned, it's healthy, and we exercise. We've been very good, going running every other night, keeping up our daily morning walk, and even squeezed in a game of squash this weekend. Eating means menus like: cold asparagus salad & piece of meat; steak and greek salad; ceasar salad tortilla wrap with miniscule amount of dressing; fish; pure fruit breakfasts, and so on. It's difficult but we're sticking to it. And now I have to get ready to go for another run. The soldier is calling from downstairs. I stacked on some major kilos in 1 week, and it seems like it takes 4 weeks to get them to go away. So I'm glad I live with the disciplinarian. Very glad.

And finally? It was a beautiful sunny weekend. I wandered around in my bikini top, and got some sun. Lots of gardening, and quality time with the puppies and the mancakes. The end.