au revoir

I love the French phrase of 'au revoir'; it simply means until I see you next. Epiphany seems like an auspicious day to wrap up this particular blog. I began writing it when I moved to Texas and now that I'm deep into the Beltway blahs chapter, it's time for change.

I will end with the joy that things are shifting a bit at work~rearranging my hours so that I have more balance in my life and incorporating more teaching hours.

Thanks for reading for the past few years. tuned~I am hoping that my next blog's focus will be the ex-pat life.

for last year's words belong to last year's language....

Saying goodbye to not just a year, but an entire decade. 

2009-2019 took me to fourteen addresses in three states, about that many jobs, and umpteen dates.

Am hoping that this decade brings more stability and much more prosperity.

The fairies and "next year's words await another voice." 

Thoughts courtesy of T.S. Eliot

Happy 2020.

5th gear

One of the joys of working the day after Christmas is being able to drive quickly to work. Also grateful that I'm not working retail this season.

Our director got very creative about the background~this was the last day of my ESL class and we were standing in front of our corporate building, I swear.

Alba & Maria.

so this is Christmas

We finally decided that Christmas Dinner ought to be simply lefse. And maybe a few pickles; the rest is pretty much superfluous. 

The generations in lefse production. Delish.

#given

A gorgeous sunset on Christmas Eve.

A truly accurate photo.

May your stocking be full and may you find some delicious nibbles as you wait for Santa.

#joy

Not only was the mechanic early this morning, my car breezed through the emissions test (that they failed to do two weeks ago), traffic was light, and my colleauge gifted me with this decandence. I look forward to sprinkling/away over the winter.

#light

There's a ton of new construction around me, which means that there are some new sidewalks along roads that aren't being used. It's nice to have a quiet place to walk again, even if it is just a short loop. I love the frothy row of these grasses in the late afternoon light.

A couple of hours of quiet chat with a local writer friend while we watched hordes attemping to ice skate.

#until

Sunrise as I drove to work; I love winter skies.

Until I lit this candle, I did not know that dandelion and arugula would be scents that I would love in my home. My ESL tutee runs her own business. We are currently rewriting her website. From how exquisite her own home is, I welcome any gift from her.

Until I stuff others's stockings, all the teeny gifts are stashed in my Joy stocking.

Until the construction is finished, someone decorated a tree on the architect's modular.

Until the ice thaws, the ducks/geese have fled to Florida.

the VW/Audi corp tree

Happy Solstice & an offical welcome to Winter.

#save

Beauty & bubbles of laughter have saved my sanity this week. 

#name

Attended my niece's Christmas program this morning and found my December totem in this child. We're here, we're dressed somewhat festively, we're among you~but we'd far rather be home in our jammies.

This pencil also had my name on it at our staff gift exchange~it's going on my dating profile.

A gift from a student~thinking that it's going to be transformed from an old-lady brooch to some kind of twinkly hair ornament.

#spirit

#dream

Today's post is brought to you by the hashtag~dream.

Today's dreams are simple~to not be smacked by a driver with road rage.

To have one hour at work that isn't fraught with cray-cray.

And the final dream of today is for a solid night's slumber so I may tackle the actual dreams I want.

TIL (today, I learned)

While hanging out with the nieces, I learned that you can take 20 minutes to place a barrette in the right spot in the hairs.  I also learned that specific pieces of pineapple contain 'strings', and therefore are inedible. The land of a 4 yo is a wonderous and funny space.