Living The Good Life

The Christmas craziness is past, the year is almost gone, and I am looking forward to everything the new year is going to bring. We celebrated Christmas with my family this year and it was a time that recaptured the magic of Christmas' past. My three year old nephew has finally grasped the whole concept of Santa Clause and Christmas morning. He woke up bright and early to see if Santa had remembered to bring him Thomas and the Smelting Pot. He was almost jumping with excitement while we waited for Uncle D to wake up. My sister and her husband had set out a plate with cookie crumbs and a glass with just the remainder of milk on the coffee table. The little guy was thrilled with it all. I haven't had that much fun on a Christmas morning in a long time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the family traditions of Christmas and I look forward to spending the holidays with loved ones. But this Christmas reminded me of when my sister and I used to stay up all night, waiting to hear Sant...

Okay, I have to admit that I really do not like the whole commercialized Christmas Hoopla. I'm not a big fan of Christmas music, snowman and Santa Clause figurines, or metallic garlands of green and red. I cringe each time I hear the song "Frosty the Snowman" (unless it is sung by my nephew, who gives it his own special twist) and flinch away from all the bedazzled, sparkly, moving Christmas decorations. My family often asks why D and I don't decorate for the holidays, there is no tree, no lights, not even a sprig of mistletoe. They don't understand that our home is the only respite we get from the decoration blitz. The outside world is just too much right now, I'm way over stimulated every time I walk out the door. The blinking Christmas lights my neighbor seems to add more of each day doesn't help matters either. That being said, I have found the most hilarious site to help get all those who Grinch , like myself, the holiday spirit. Elfyourself .com pro...

Each day I am making more and more progress towards being ready for the overseas teaching fair this February. As my to-do-list gets shorter and shorter, my nervousness and anxiety grows more and more. I think when we started this whole "livin' the dream" business, there seemed like there was so much to do. We couldn't possibly get it down in time, no way was it actually going to happen! But, now, as I am getting ready to e-mail the director of the American School in Poland, sending him my resume and trying to set up an interview, I am realizing that this is actually going to happen. D and I will be traviling in a few short weeks, putting on our best smiles, and trying to find a future home in a different part of the world. I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm scared. It feels exactly the same as when you are standing in line for a roller coaster you have never been on before. I love it.

I just looked at the pictures from D's and my trip to Boston this summer. Ahhhh.....how I loved it there. The energy, the people, the Italian restaurants. It could be the most perfect vacation we have ever taken. We enjoyed each other's company, we explored a part of the states that neither one of us had been to before, and we laughed a lot. We were complete tourists on the trip. We rode the Duck Boats, walked the freedom trail, and rode public transportation as much as possible. I loved that no matter where we were going, people were reading. On the bus, on the sidewalk, in restaurants, on steps, benches, and curbs. I loved that people stopped to ask if you needed help instead of just ignoring you or flipping you off. I loved that the city holds so much history, it was almost like going to the scene of a fairytale that you have heard told your entire life. Mostly, I loved the visit because D and I had so much fun together. We fantasized about moving there, where we would take ...

There is one more week of class before Christmas vacation officially begins and you can definately feel the buzz of anticipation in the air. The kids are growing restless, finding it difficult to focus, and delving into the drama of gift-giving, or not giving as the case may be. I'm just trying to keep my head above water, trying to grade as many of their assignments before the start of break, keep their attention and interest in class, and try not to daze off into the daydream of what it will be like not to be teaching for two whole weeks. D and I have a lot to get accomplished during the break though. We are flying down to Iowa in February to go to the overseas teaching fair. Yep, I'm trying to hook a job overseas for next year. My profession offers so many opportunities to see the world, and it seems like people rarely take advantage of them. D and I decided that if we were ever going to take a risk and experience life in another culture, now would be the time. We don't ...

We have almost survived the Christmas shopping extravaganza of 2006. After spending most of the day looking everywhere for that unique gift that will satisfy 18 different people, we finally settled on cold, hard cash. The gift that pleases them all. I know it is impersonal and lacks creative thought, but I figured any other gift that I would have chosen for the annual Christmas gift-exchange would also be the same. At least this way they can by something they really do want instead of having something they would rather do without. D and I went to my staff Christmas party last night. It is always so much fun to see people out of their comfort environment. Shop-talk was at a minimum and laughter was at a maximum. That is what I enjoy the most, spending time with people who know how to laugh, who aren't caught up in who has wronged them, stolen their coveted position, or secretly examining everything you are wearing for designer labels. You can't beat a shin-dig that has buckets o...

The crazy Christmas season is once again bearing down on us. I have been in denial for a few months about the fact that the shopping will not get done by itself, but I kept holding out hope. Alas, I have to head to the dreaded mall this weekend to buy my family gifts that I really can't afford and that they really don't want. I'm proposing to my family that we phase out the gift-giving craziness for next year. I would love to use the money we typically spend on tschochke items and use it to rent a cabin on the beach or a place in the mountains. A place where we can just go as a family and laugh, talk, play, just be with each other. That is Christmas. It might also be fantasy.