And We Are Back..

All of us! Greg arrived a week ago, Thursday night. He spent a few days getting acclimated. Saturday we joined our realtor/friend, Robbi, and her husband, Adam, for a drink and, on Sunday, Greg and Willow joined Adam and some of his family out on the shooting range. Vermont is extremely pro gun. In fact, it is only one of 4 states in the US where you don't need a permit to carry concealed.  Hunting, Fishing, Trapping and Camping are cornerstones of peoples lives here.  That and skiing. The snow has been falling steadily for a week now. Thank goodness for snow blowers and beastly trucks. Greg is loving his new ride.

 Only a month in and already our roots are planted deeper here then they have been in ages. At the end of the month, I am heading to New Hampshire to meet (and adopt) a sweet slobbery three year old Bull mastiff named Rose.

Also in a few weeks we are also set to have a solar specialist come out and discuss the possibility of getting us set up. currently we are using electric, gas and oil. 

Monday Greg started.. well that is not quite correct.. he started in Germany.. but he began to established himself in his position here on Monday. He is working out of a couple different locations and is getting settled. Not that it will take much. He was welcomed with open arms by those who remembered his 3 month stay here several years back as well as by those he has been working remotely with. The position he is currently in is short term. The project goes live at the end of March and once done, he will be moving into something else. What that is, is anyone's guess at this point. But we know there will be something so we are not concerned. 

Speaking of being concerned, yesterday, I found myself at urgent care with Greg. He broke out in a terrible looking rash. Despite the fact that it had the appearance of Measles or Rubella, the Dr was not entirely concerned and with no fever present has released him back to work unless we see any other troubling symptoms. Though unlikely, the Dr suggested it could have been related to some Hot Tub usage. Anyway we are monitoring him.

Meanwhile, Connor (who is now a whole 1.5 inches taller than me) is getting ready to attend high school next year. Orientations have begun. His class has about 300 students. The high school doesn't feel much bigger that the size of Carson High, however, this school is one of the largest in the entire state. This weekend he will be taking a course in Computer Game making at the local Tech college.  In July he will be going on a school sponsored learning trip to Washington DC.

Willow is making headway with her migraines. She has struggled with headaches since she was 10.  At first I chalked them up to hormones and growing and such, then we learned that her mouth was very tiny and there wasn't enough room for teeth to come in. I had hoped by the time she was done with braces the pressure would have eased up and she would be pain free. It didn't fix it but then we were off to Germany where we just could not get good medical care for her. Now we have been to see a Neurologist and a diagnosis of Migraines has been provided. She is taking a variety of vitamins to help reduce their onset as well as some blood pressure medicine. For the most part her headaches have subsided considerably, her energy has increased and her mood has improved. However, she is still fighting with issues of anxiety and depression. These problems came on about the same time as her headaches and factored largely into my decision to home school her so many years ago. At that time, she was ripping out all of  her eyelashes due to stress. Then when she got to High School her symptoms worsened a little and then they got quite bad in Germany. Some of that was environmental. Lack of sunlight, lack of welcoming people, and a general sense of isolation. However, given that Greg has similar issues, and so did my dad, it seems quite likely that genes are quite responsible and the other things just helped spiral her down. We are going to try her out on some medications soon and see if that doesn't help. She is also seeing a therapist regularly to learn how to cope.

Additionally, I have her seeing a practitioner of Eastern medicine. After an initial exam, willows pulse was strong on her right side and weak on her leftso she is undergoing Qigong treatments. Essentially, Qigong is energy work. I think I will be heading in for some work myself. From our few interactions, the woman really wants to share the nuances of her practice and I certainly am interested in learning more from her.

How wonderful it is to get back into the swing of things. 

Life in a nutshell

I've been gone from the airwaves for way too long. Or at least it might seem like it. However, my mere month long absence should not be taken personally. My attention has been on the ground, on the establishment of roots, to the things that will make my family (and me) stronger, healthier, happier. Laying the foundation for a solid future. Furnishing a home. And fighting the flu.

We have made significant strides. A house and two cars purchased. Several rooms painted. The introduction of DaBella (Willows new Kitty) to our household. School started. Ski lessons begun for Connor. A gym membership started. Many Drs. appointments made including Therapists, Naturopath, Chiropractor, Neurologist. New glasses and contacts (I can see! Bifocals already?!) The swift arrival of our household goods from Germany (in excellent condition) less than a week ago. The complete unpacking of said shipment.... Ok maybe not yet "complete", but I only have about three boxes left to open and most everything else has found its place.

Meanwhile, Greg has been attending to the business of wrapping things up. Working on his second to last MBA class. Closing a plant. The complete and thorough cleaning of the house and lastly to the scheduling and preparation of his own return to the states. I look forward to welcoming him to his new home on Feb 2. He is looking forward to it as well!

I expect that within another month, we will be very much settled and I will be spreading my wings a lot more. I am looking forward to soaring! But for now.. back to work.. or more immediately, sleep. Since it is rather late.

Giving props where props are due

Greg earned a 101.97% overall grade in his last (Insert retching sound) Accounting class. Apparently the teacher was impressed. Below are his comments on Greg's final paper. 

Good Morning America. How are you?

Willie Nelson's seems a good place to kick this blog off.  I have been on a bit of a country kick since landing Stateside. The rental cars radio didn't change for 5 days straight and amazingly no song repeated the entire time. Perhaps my sticking to the country channel  had to do with the feel of Vermont or perhaps it has to do with those "Windshield Wipers slappin out a tempo" as I finally find myself back behind the wheel (What a pleasure that is!!)  

We have been here for a week now. Its been a rather busy one. We landed late on Sunday in Montreal. There where some issues with getting a rental car. The one I had lined up was to small to hold our luggage.  They swapped it out for a car with a van that started screaming warnings at me the minute I put it in drive and after an hour long wait we were lined up with a Chrysler Town and Country which fit the bill. We left Montreal and arrived in Burlington in time to order room service and go to sleep. Jet lag and time adjustment took about 4 days to get through the worst of. I had wanted to stay up on the night of the 21st to welcome the Sun as I usually do on the Solstice but being in a hotel in the dark with kids passed out at 7 pm  made that just a little bit to difficult. Anyway,..

Monday I met with my home loan lender at the IRS. In order to secure my loan, they needed confirmation that our 2015 taxes had been submitted to the IRS. Don't get me started on the process of taxes and dual country filing and ... well... long story short ... we were down to the wire as the house closed on Tuesday. Needless to say that the IRS had changed its procedure (In the last few weeks) and it was not as easy an experience as we were expecting but we got it done and we were able to close as anticipated on Tuesday. Whew!

That doesn't mean we moved in on Tuesday.  On Wednesday our air shipment containing some dishes. towels,  lawn chairs and sleeping bags/cots arrived and were unpacked. Thursday was spent checking out the schools and getting the kids registered as well as doing some shopping and we started painting the rooms that needed it (Two of the bedrooms really needed to be toned down otherwise I love the existing color schemes of the home.) Friday our internet was installed and our mattresses arrived. We fought the holiday crowds as we ran some much needed errands to Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, and the grocery store (all just down the road and easy to get to). Saturday we checked out of the hotel and began to settle in and make ourselves at home. Sunday was spent mostly painting. We had a fantastic feast of Mountain Home (camping .. add water and waalaa) and there were a couple "surprise" gifts on the mantel for the kiddies. Today I went to the Toyota dealership and bought a Tacoma and the last of the painting was finished.

Whew. It has been a very productive week to say the least. The work is by no means done but the bulk of it for now has been seen to and the next few days will be spent attending to smaller details... Like lining up Eye Dr. appointments. Willow keeps laughing at me because I have to take off my glasses and bring things right up to my face to read... could it be time for bi-focals?

The wind is whipping outside and more snow is on the way. It snowed 2 inches on Thursday. I bought a snow shovel on Friday to take care of the driveway and the woman at the registered said, "So you are gearing up for the season." I guess that means we can expect a lot more to come.

It is beautiful here. We are in the middle of a valley with a giant lake not more than 20 minutes away. Already it feels like home. The kids are doing well with the change. Connor is going to do great at his school. And although Willow is a bit overwhelmed by the size the the high school she is happier than I have seen her in a long time.

Meanwhile in Germany,...  The house was packed up on Tuesday and loaded on Wednesday (Hopefully the delivery will be around Jan 20th). Some rental furniture was delivered that afternoon so Greg has a place to sleep and work.  Thursday and Friday he took a Holiday with some friends and  toured a mine and enjoyed some beer and a statue of Karl Marx. Over Christmas he stayed at home and just relaxed. His school course wrapped up. He has two more classes to go before graduating with his MBA in May. He also came in first in the world wide "manufacturing simulation game" that he took part in. He is quite the strategist. In not so happy news, he learned today that the plant has been sold and that things are officially shutting down later this week after he makes the announcement to his team and immediately lets them all go. It is not an easy position to be in and I am hoping that it goes as smooth as can be for him.

With this news, it is pretty certain that he will be on a flight out here at the end of January. We will be waiting..... Unless I devour the children first.

It sure is good to be back! I can't wait to start exploring. As always, more to come soon.

Quick hello before I go

It has been a crazy sort of month filled with the details  and challenges of buying a house in Vermont while living abroad, and managing the process of contract cancellations here. Germans don't move often and their system reflects that. For instance my cell phone.. I can't just go in and cancel it with the payment an early termination fee. I have to submit documents proving my citizenship has been cancelled and then, after three more months, they will disconnect the service. The same goes for Cable, internet and landline services.  Regardless, all the pieces are falling into place and our transition will go rather smoothly. At least this time around we know what to expect at the other end.... apparently Snow and lots of it. I have not driven a car in a year and a half.. it should be interesting.  Anyway.. so it goes. The kids and I leave on the 18th and (it is now official) we close on our house on the 20th. A right and proper way to celebrate the Solstice eh?! Here comes the sun and all that. You know .. making it memorable.  Greg will be out to join us in a few months. We are taking it in stride.

Connor has been busy lately with a new project. He has started a Youtube Channel. Its fun to see how much his editing skills have improved. Check him out at Creed Games.

I could probably go on .. but I wont. I have chores and calls and preparations that demand my attention. I probably won't pop up here again until I am stateside. Despite the insanity there, It will be good to be "home".

Inked

I got a tattoo. And like with everything I do.. well.. Go big or Go Home.  Its healing now. Still sore from the needle and I know that soon it will be itching like a son of gun. But everything comes with a price and I am most willing to pay it.

There are some key elements to the art work that now adorns my left forearm. For starters it has a bird. 

The bird is a skylark.. sort of a totem animal for me. 

Some have described this bird as a "Punk Thrush" because it has a little mohawk. After the artist got done with the outline I realized that the placement of some feathers made it look as though the bird had a ginormous set of balls. Quite fitting in my mind. When I went in for the coloring I asked him to leave it as it was. I explained that it added character. He didn't understand.. But being German this was to be expected but he left it alone anyway.

Another element of the design is the rainbow radiating out of the lighthouse. The rainbow is styled in the Bauhaus tradition of Herbert Bayer's Chromatic Twist (1970).

As Weimar is the home of the Bauhaus movement, I thought it a fitting symbol of our time in Germany. It is also a symbol of "Hope"  and of dreams that carry me through life and feed my soul. 

Some day we'll find it. The rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers and me. La da da di da da dum da duh da da dum di da ohhh 

The words "Chasing Rainbows all my days" are lyrics from the Iron Maiden song, Ghost of the Navigator.  This song speaks of Homers Odyssey.  It is a personal anthem of sorts. Paying tribute to the epic adventure that has so far been my life. 

And now for the big colorful reveal:

Now that it is done, I set my sails for new lands and new adventures. Come what may. 

Do you do accents?

Not really. I do my own voice. Sometime I do it funny. Here is one way I have decided to expand my range:

*This is a link*

Its a YouTube Channel. It My YouTube Channel.