The real question is where to have our home base in the South of France: Avignon, or Aix-en-Provence?

I need a Provence expert!!

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This week…

… has had two main focuses (foci?): Europe, and grad school applications.

Euro-planning is going surprisingly smoothly. Flight is booked, as is our EuroStar from London to Paris, and our hotel in Paris. I’m still working on lodging in London and Provence, and the train from Paris to the South, but I’m hoping to wait until we get some of our bonus points on the AMEX card we opened a few months ago. Otherwise, I’m trying not to over-plan, but we do have a pretty decent itinerary set. I only wish we could add more (and go to Italy too!)

It’s kind of funny… everyone says that they speak English in Paris, and no one has the patience to deal with your weak American attempts at fitting in. But I have e-mailed at least two hotels in Paris, in my crappy French, and gotten perfectly nice French responses. It could be different over email, but maybe I will get to practice some French over there after all!

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As for the grad school apps, I have decided to apply for two Master’s programs that are available on-campus and online (the degree will not specify that it is online, so that is nice, for those who may stigmatize that approach.) I don’t know for sure that I will actually end up enrolling, but I’d like the option to, if I am accepted. My plan for now is to get to Japan, get settled, give job-hunting a solid shot, and then make a decision about the degree based on what I find. I don’t like the idea of paying for a degree or acquiring debt, but I also don’t like the idea of getting back to the States and wishing I had taken better advantage of that downtime to remain competitive and improve myself.

I know that when I struggled finding work in NC, it was because I was either overqualified for most positions, or underqualified due to lack of a Master’s degree. If I need to specialize, and I have free time at my disposal in Japan, that may be the time to close that gap and get out of the awkward in-between phase! Of course, Lord knows where we’ll end up in 3 years, or what my goals will be at that point… but (money aside), it can’t hurt to acquire more education, right? Plus, these particular programs will help steer my resume in the direction I would like it to go – on paper at least.

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Slow down… and Smile!

I wanted to share this post from one of my Facebook friends this morning. It’s a beautiful reminder of how we should be living lives, every day.

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“As I hurried past a homeless man this morning, he started saying what we have all heard before, “excuse me, can I get a…”

Before he finished, I said “Sorry, I’m late,” and kept walking without a turn in his direction, only to hear him say behind me “… little smile.”

As I finished my walk to work feeling very small, I realized I could only apply this moving forward: Slow down, people may not be asking for quite as much of you as you assume.”

Yesterday, I lost my not-so-lil’ nephew, Dante, just 5 years young. He recently developed a rare lung condition called spontaneous pneumothorax, which caused a rapid decline in his health. He was the best dog, baby, friend, and “Bear” my sister (or anyone) could ask for. Just a big old ball of fluff and goodness. I am sure many of us can relate to the sadness my sister is going through right now. Losing a family member is truly one of the hardest things. Rest in Peace, Dante.

Spring EuroTrip… BOOKED 😊 It’s felt surreal for so long – I can’t believe we finally did it. No going back now! #england #france #paris #provence #travel #excited #broke

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…But on a lighter (or at least more thoughtful!) note…

While I was puking my guts out Monday night into Tuesday morning, I took a moment to Google some tips on relief. The first several links were – sadly – all about how to deal with cancer and chemotherapy. It gave me a serious wake-up call in the midst of my self-pity… I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, and again, and again… I am SO thankful for a healthy body.

I’ve always wished and prayed for health and happiness – for myself, for my loved ones, for everyone! I think those are the two most important things. But in that moment (I’m sure exaggerated by the situation in which I found myself), I decided that if I had to choose one, it would be health. Not that happy people are always healthy, or unhealthy people always unhappy, but happiness is so much more difficult to achieve if your body (and mind) won’t cooperate. All I could think about were the cancer patients reading the same links I was reading. All I could think about was my mother, homeless on that freezing cold night. I had it damn good, curled up in the loving embrace of my porcelain potty.

Freedom from disease of the body and of the mind is a beautiful thing. It’s so much more difficult to pursue happiness if you don’t have that. I hope I never take my freedom for granted.

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What a goofy week…

1) Uncle dies. I was not particularly close to him, and his life was fairly depressing… but still. RIP, Uncle Bill 😦

2) Mom suddenly resurfaces. After 6 months of relative silence and “treatment” (aka punishment for her recent offenses), she is back on the streets of Colorado. What is even more depressing about the whole situation (besides the fact that it’s freezing cold everywhere lately) is that my Dad seems to have harbored a belief somewhere deep down that the “treatment” was going to help. He still clings to this shred of hope that perpetually leads to disappointment…

3) I got food poisoning Monday night, and while the puking has subsided, I still get bouts of wooziness and I tire easily. Damn you, expired Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls!

4) My sister’s dog basically has two bum lungs, and needs to have his chest cut open to have them fixed, at a very high cost. If not, he dies. He’s already had several liters of air pumped out of his chest cavity already. Basically, her dog is to her what Annie is to me, so… I feel Bonni’s despair.

5) I went to the doctor before Christmas for my pre-Japan medical clearance, all on top of things and ready to go. I repeatedly asked for confirmation paperwork and signatures, but was emphatically told I did not need any. Turns out she was wrong, wrong, wrong, so I get paperwork from some random source in Japan and go back this week, still woozy from the food poisoning. She doesn’t understand the papers, so she sends me home while she calls around to figure them out. As it turns out, she isn’t qualified to do medical clearances, and I’m supposed to go to some other place that does them. Now I’m trying to schedule doctor’s appointment #3, but no one will pick up their phone! Of course, we can’t finalize or book anything until we are cleared. I can’t decide if it’s the military at large that is incompetent, if it’s me, or if it’s just the Army. Ha! 

6) I have to take the Bean to the worst vet appointment ever, but you all already know about that. 180-day quarantine started yesterday (at least it’s in-home!)

Grrr. Can this week be over already? I need a fresh start.

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And that’s a wrap!!

As of this past weekend, I am officially finished with wedding season! I know everyone has their crazy years, and this was most definitely mine, with eight weddings this fall and winter. I must say that I am very glad I went to them all, because it will likely be quite a while before I see everyone all together again. Each wedding was special, unique, and fun. I feel like Captain Jack Sparrow – “I LOVE weddings. Drinks all ‘round!”

Anyway, this past one was in Portsmouth, a Naval port city in southeastern Virginia. It seemed kind of random at first, but it came together nicely as I realized how well it fit the couple, both of whom graduated from the Naval Academy back in the day. I think this wedding wins for best DJ! I had so much fun dancing the night away 🙂

My poor little Sugar had a rough day today. One of the necessary procedures for getting her into Japan is a FAVN test, which requires a large sample of blood drawn directly from the jugular. They wisely left me in a different room so they could tie her down and draw the blood without upsetting me, but I could still hear her cry 😦

She ultimately got through it ok, but I am grateful she still loves me now that it’s all said and done! #traumatizedkitty #traumatizedmama #cat