Torn between two choices
One of those times you see the road split
I lean toward my inclination
And make peace with it
Suppressed feeling and urges
Return with renewed power
Foresight and hindsight beckon
During every waking hour
The co-pilot is turned off
I am at my control
I choose my own sacrafices
And I honor my soul
Life without consequence would be too shallow to live
Experience it all
And save some to give

Another me original - January 2000

Leafing through some old journals...

There is no seperate distinction between the two
The space that divides is massive
The space that divides is an illusion
Yet the energy, very real

The ripple in the water can not be felt
When it is the pebble slowly falling that you fix your eyes on

Your touch calms me, yet it is electrifying
I can not sleep one wink
As I toss and turn your words over in my mind

You call to me through dreams
And I hear you

An original by me :)

Rock Art

We've been busy working in the yard this month.  I've been moving wheelbarrel's full of rocks from the horse turn-out and decided to create some sunshine to greet us every morning when we open our door!  Kimo was there to oversee the project.

The Road Trip

Wayyyyy back in July we arrived back in New York after three years overseas.  It was Arianna's first time in America!  So much time as passed, but some of the most memorable thoughts remain in the forefront of my mind - the pride of seeing the first of many American flags flying proud, the first sights and smells of NY pollution via the highway - nothing quite smells the same and in some weird way, comfortably familiar - and driving on the right side of the road again, which made me feel uncomfortably weird!  In fact, I still find my self questioning where I should be on the road after making a turn sometimes.

But, it is the road trip that I hear calling me these past few days.  Maybe its because the weather is warming up out here in the desert, maybe its because our shag-o-licious van-mobile still sits outside my window long after I thought we would have it sold, or maybe its just the gypsy in me feeling the tugs on my wings again.  Whatever the reason,  I am ready to hit the road somewhere ~ soon.

And since I am sitting here in my living room, instead of behind the wheel of our car (Mike would be amused with that statement since I think I drove only about 12 hours across the entire country) I wanted to share some of those highlights.  Of course, being back to our roots, our families, was the absolute BEST.  Aunt Cat opened her home to me and my girls and Kimo for the first week.  Even though it was a crazy whirlwind of days and days of running and spending some long lost time with everyone in our family in both New York and Connecticut, they were treasured moments not soon to be forgotten.

A heat wave hit as we pushed off and our van broke down before we even made it to the highway. Luckily it was a small fix and we were on our way westbound in early August.  Our first stop was Michigan.  It was the first time our girls ever met Mike's brother's boys Evan and Quinn - who bonded like siblings immediately. Ray and Robin treated us to some good times out on their boat and took us on a tour of their beautiful town of Grand Haven. In fact, we had such a good time we stayed four days longer than planned.

With the kids, the dogs and the U-Haul trailer in tow, we headed in the direction of Chicago - for hot dogs and Wisconsin - for cheese.  Lots of stories still to come...

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year with bright beginnings and continued happiness the whole year through!

The Friends Club

I was so glad I was able to capture the first friends club meeting.  In attendance were, Leo, Kimo and Arianna.  Events planned for today: Belly rubs, snack time and then a long nap in the afternoon sun!  New memberships available now!

Kate and the Girls

So much to catch up on!  Let me begin by introducing our newest family member, Kate.  She is a rescued quarter horse and one of the finest babysitters ever!  We've been spending the last few months at the rescue ranch getting to know our new friends and we have decided that Kate and her two sisters Tat and Kahlua would be most welcome at our new home.  We've been working hard at building the trust these girls need to know they can depend on us to take good care of them, and know they will do the same for us.  The desert is cooling now and we are starting to spend more time indoors, so I promise to finally begin catching up on the thoughts and memories we have had since moving back to the states.  In the meantime, warmest wishes for a beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Ryan

My little boy would be celebrating his 24th birthday today. Its been almost two months since my last post and as much as I can't wait to share and re-live the fun and crazy times we've had since we packed up and journeyed half way across the planet, it was today that was most important to acknowledge.  The birthday of my only son, my cute little boy who had the ability to make you want to kiss and kill him all at the same time! What a rascal, a dreamer, an artist and a real boy's boy he was~ and will forever remain in my heart and mind.  Missing him never gets easier, but remembering him is just like breathing to me - its essential and it keeps me very much alive.  Today we will sail our balloons up to heaven with messages of love and birthday magic knowing trhat somewhere, without a shadow of a doubt, Ryan receives them...I can hear him laughing already.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN PATRICK ~ MOM LOVES YOU FOREVER! XOXO

Simple pleasures

From a vendor's stand in Famagusta.  Doesn't it make you just want to fill up a basket with breads and fruits and a beautiful bottle of wine and watch the clouds pass overhead?

It's Official

Its been a very special week for us.  The highlight was Mike's pinning on ceremony.  We are saying good-bye to Gunny and hello to Master Sgt!  Congratulations on a well-deserved promotion Mike, we are so proud of you.  Special thanks to Mike S. and Ambassador U. for officiating and making the day that much more memorable.

Graduation time

Look who's a 3rd grader now!  The end of the school year show was really great this year.  Our music teacher, Miss Kate chose Disney shows for each grade. Mikayla's class performed songs (she was a beautiful mermaid) from Peter Pan and Lydia's class did Jungle Book.  They were so great we were able to forget the 101 degree temperates we had to endure that day!

Team Spirit - Father v Son game

S

Happy Summer Everyone!

Hope your summer days are filled with "buckets" of fun!  Mikayla and her friend Lexie started off their summer with some pretty cute underwater creatures.  I guess I won't be eating any more squid in red wine sauce.  So cute!

First to go

Anita and Vanessa ,I am going to miss you guys (Brenden too) when you leave tonight. We have had some good times and shared a few sad ones too (our doggies are playing in heaven for sure), but mostly its all the laughs I will remember most.  These costumes you guys made at a moment's notice still amaze me and whenever we needed to count on the "fun" people to show up for things, you were first in line.  Argentina is so lucky to have you next!  When we started out on this life of travel, it was people like you that I prayed would cross my path.  Looking forward for that time when we will meet again and share the special friendship we will always have.  Bon Voyage my friends xoxo

Pope visited Cyprus

Its funny how the lack of air noise can make you so sensitive to the sudden appearance of it.  A couple of weeks ago (I know, I'm really behind on the news lately) I noticed a helicopter flying nearby our house - probably the first in the entire time we've been here.  I remember running through a bunch of silly scenarios in my mind of why it would be in this area.  By the time it had flown away, I had already forgotton it was ever here.  So when I was woken to the whop-whop-whop-whop of a very low flying copter I shot out of bed, grabbed the camera inside the bedstand cabinet and flung open the window to see what all the racket was about.  It was in that moment of early morning sunshine blindness that I realized that the Pope was in town and  would be only a few short blocks away from my house that Sunday morning in a stadium nearby.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to snag tickets, so I clicked away at the helicopter instead, as some sort of momento of his visit.  We knew he was coming a few months back when our priest told us he was actually staying with him at our church and we even asked the nuns if we could delay the Communion, just so the Pope could give his blessings on such a special occasion.  Obviously...we got a no-go on the idea!   I'm just glad they didn't see me hanging out the window clicking away at them, although it would have made for a far more interesting ending!

Small snippet on the visit:
The pope is meeting in Cyprus with prelates from the region to set an agenda for an October meeting in Rome to build a strategy to stem an exodus of Christians from the Holy Land, Iraq and elsewhere because of violence and economic hardship. The Middle East includes ancient Christian communities.
Cyprus was ethnically split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared an independent republic in the north in 1983, but only Turkey recognizes it, and it maintains 35,000 troops there.
The pope, speaking about the problems of both the division of Cyprus and the Middle East region as a whole, said that "violence is not the solution."

Me and my boys

The last couple of Saturday mornings have been my best.  Never stop believing in your childhood dreams~ or yourself!

Locks for Love

My sweet angel, Tara Bella, has donated her beautiful hair to one of the greatest causes there are...wigs for cancer patients.  May the recipient of these gorgeous locks be blessed with the loving spirit that resides in each and every one of those strands.

Side note:  I tried for the last 15 minutes to upload the "after" picture but each time I did, it failed.

Solar Bears

http://www.scribd.com/full/32828006?access_key=key-1fklhmb3uim3vtw2oh5b (click this link to read a great article on the team)
Just a few years back the borders between southern Cyprus and northern Cyprus were riddled with many rules and regs.  In fact the travel book I have states that the borders still close at 5PM.  Lucky for us, by the time we arrived, travellers are now able to cross and return at any time.  And lucky for Mike, who is an avid (and in my humble opinion - superior) hockey player, an ice rink of sorts had opened up in the north.  I say sorts because it looks like ice, and the team glides across it in their ice skates, but the composition of the floor is actually some kind of synthetic clear flooring that does not require water or ice.  Its really kind of crazy when you realize these guys are skating around on a type of plastic, but once the game gets going it looks and feels like you are at any ice rink in town.  What is even more amazing are that these guys are coming together - the south and the north - breaking down the borders that have been closed down since 1974.  The team he plays on are called the Solar Bears and these guys rock.  We won't be here long enough to see this new sport in Cyprus really take off, but I sure am proud that Mike is one of the forefathers of this brand new craze!

The after party

Is there any other way to spend the day after your birthday...