Missing Mister

I miss Frank.

Almost here! (or there)

Looking at the calendar today, I realized I only have about four weeks to wrap stuff up. I'm really looking forward to seeing my hubby again, and I know the kids are so excited to see their daddy. As cheesy as it might sound, it's tough to feel complete when one of us is not here. I'm also just looking forward in general to moving into our own space, in a whole other place. This was an awesome decision, and I'm glad the four of us are going for it. You probably won't even have a chance to miss me, because I'll be blabbing about it all here.

Tonight was a lotta paper sorting and deciding what to keep, recycle, or shred. I have to wait a couple of weeks to actually buy my suitcases, so for now I'm mock-packing in boxes just to narrow it down as I go. I'm only bringing my large back pack and a couple of suitcases, and it's important to me to feel like everything here is neat and tidy while we're away.

Posting may get sporadic for the time being, but fear not. I will be back.

A pleasant woman; one of international intrigue and mystery.

Yeah man, check out the new passport photo. Don't anybody go thefting my identity or anything. Even if you did, I'm not sure you could handle all the pressures that come with traveling the globe and daring to look so darn good.

Internationally capable cuteness

The kids got their passports in the mail today. The three of us went to do the applications and photos not more than two weeks ago, so I'm thinking that was a pretty quick turnaround. Mine is still in progress; it's a renewal and name change. I'm a little sad to lose my old passport book. It had my stamps from Europe, where we found it easier and more cost effective to fly between a few countries. There were a couple of train rides which were fun, but it only takes a few hours to fly from A to B if you're going from, say, Amsterdam to Dublin as opposed to spending eight to ten hours on two trains and a ferry. Anyhoo, it had my Europe stamps and my original Peru stamps, and the back cover was adorned with Virgin Atlantic stickers. Losing any "accomplishment sticker" is a huge travesty of justice, but now that I think about it my new photo is better and that kind of makes up for everything.

I'm just waiting (for the greater part of an hour) for the kids to settle down and take their naps. Olivia is the troublesome one lately. She hollers and does raspberries at Nico, and he screams at her to go to be quiet! and go to sleeeep! because Nico sleeping! It's entertaining, but right now they are both wound up and it's starting to annoy me a little. I am waiting for some peace and quiet so I can get a bit of work finished, and then reward myself with a nice cold beer before they wake up from their naps which, judging by how things are going at the moment, should be some time around 7pm.

Maybe to be continued

I'm deciding whether or not to continue my blog in South America. I'll surely be busier than I am now since I'll be right there near the studio, instead of here with the work buffer zone in between me and the office space. At first I'll be busy dragging my mom out to shop for things like dishes, linens, and basic cleaning supplies. Also, I will probably have to go out and buy a washer/dryer and a stove. I think husband is taking care of the fridge, beds, sofa, and dining table. Mid-August I will finally have photos of my future apartment in the Barranco district of Lima. I've heard it's awesome, and I'm sure it will not disappoint. Three bedrooms, one and a half baths, housekeeper's quarters (aka a room somewhere in the apartment where I can stash, then find, the laundry appliances), a very adorable little kitchen, a small balcony, and a great window overlooking the street. We're right on (or right off, I cannot remember) one of the main streets, Avenida Grau.

So one thing I'm mulling over, should I decide to blog on, is what to name the Peruvian period. While I'm thinking about that, you should check out these photos of my soon-to-be new 'hood. Not sure who Javi is, but he sure knows how to shoot Barranco.

Peanut butter that I never get to eat

Packing to leave for Peru is starting to seem like the endless task. For every outgrown kids' outfit I put in the Goodwill bag, out pops another item I'm not quite sure what to do with. Be it off-season clothing of my own (Mother Nature is reversed in Llama Land) or the kids' bed sheets or my decent-size jewelry box, there seems to be a lot that could go either way. Do I really need my jewelry box? Considering there are about six pairs of earrings and two necklaces in there, I'd say probably not. But then I feel like I'll have to buy a bunch of new everyday items down there if I don't just bring what I already have. As for the bedding, I don't even know if they have the same standard size toddler mattresses in South America. Probably the internets could tell me, but again, one more thing to look up. *pfft*

In other developing news, Nico and Livi are crazy about peanut butter. And straws. And eating my cereal with milk. They eat their own cereal, dry, first thing in the morning. Then once I sit down with my bowl and spoon, they're all over me like baby birds. Peep! peep! cereal! It's a wonder I get to eat at all the way these kids claim all the food for themselves. I might be angry if they weren't so darn cute.