Belated Happy New Year

Well, here we are, halfway through January and I haven't posted. The holidays were bad. Younger daughter is in California so I am alone in the house, so there was no one to distract me from the "oh, boo hoo my hubby isn't here yet" self pity. So Christmas and New Years were pretty much a cry fest for me. Here in the Midwest our winters can be brutal, but this year is amazingly mild. My hubby says it's cold in Europe. I've pretty much recovered from the self-pity and just gone on to highs and lows of "I'm sooo happy" to "let me go bang my head on the wall because he's not here yet". We knew we were in for a long separation but "knowing" and "doing" are two different things. The Immigration website says 5 months before they get to the next step. I hope he's here before our 1st anniversary. If anything, this process makes the honeymoon last a loooong time (smiles).

Below is a photo of the street in Prishtina, Kosovo where we walked together for 6 weeks (well, minus the week we spend in Albania). My hubby took this on a foggy night on December 15, 2011. See the red cross on top of the building? I am constantly amazed that a Muslim-majority nation displays so many Christian symbols, openly celebrates Christmas, and no one complains!!

This picture was taken Christmas night. This is Mother Teresa Boulevard in downtown Prishtina.

And I wanted to share a blog with you. One Smile Journey. This is a blog by a guy from the Netherlands who has decided to hitchhike around the world. It's amazingly fascinating because he talks and stays with the locals, so he sees people and their countries from a different perspective. There is no glossed -over tourism here, just honest "what I see is what I write" stuff. I love it!!! On the right side-bar are the Categories, or actually, his journey starting from 00. Preparations to present. My favorites are Kosovo of course! I had many "omg I was there!!!" moments looking at his photos.

Well, that was my break. Now back to work!

Reflections on an exciting year

I just read an amazing post by my friend, you can read it here I am an adventurer. Bravo to living and following dreams! And she is right, you are not too fat, too old, nor too poor to follow them. I am sitting here jamming with my wireless headset, listening to Albanian music and remembering. Remembering this summer when I threw caution and bank book to the wind and flew to Pristina, Kosovo (Albanian - Prishtinë, Kosova or Kosovë) in Europe to marry my sweetheart. We had met online the beginning of the year, and as crazy as it sounds, I didn't care, because we knew we were for each other.

I was nervous....my first flight outside the USA, and a 15 hour flight with 3 hops and 4 airports. Chicago > Brussels > Budapest > Prishtina, and I only speak English. My fears were unfounded though, because all I needed to do was follow the "Transfer" signs. Everyone in the service industry speaks English and umpteen other languages. Announcements were always in three languages including English. Finally the long flight was behind me and there he was, standing in the doorway of the airport. The rest is history, our story.

We spent a wonderful 6 weeks together. We walked all over Prishtina (because his car broke down forever on day 3). We drank coffee together in coffee shops (they are all over Prishtina) and shared stories about our life experiences. We walked along Mother Theresa Boulevard at night and listened to live bands. We walked all the way down to the statue of Skanderbeg. We shopped together and cooked together and chatted with family (even though I only know maybe 5 words in Albanian). We got married at the Municipality in Prishtina. Then we went by tour bus to Albania. We swam in the Adriatic Sea. We walked under night skies so dark I could see the Milky Way. We bruised our feet on rocky back roads in Velipoja and sat on the balcony of our room to catch the cool night air. We came back to Kosovo and time was coming to a close. Leaving was hard, so hard. But I had all the documents to bring to the immigration lawyer. I left with bags stuffed to the gills with gifts, clothes, a cup and saucer set from Turkey, a gjezve from Slovenia for making coffee, and a tepsija (pan for baking burek), and my hubby's Albanian-English dictionary.

Me in front of the statue of the great Albanian warrior, George Kastrioti Skanderbeg (Albanian - Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu)

My Adventurer friend often speaks of dancing like no one is watching. I did, and I am. Literally, my heart is dancing, and I grab my little weights and and I dance to one my favorite Alban Skenderaj songs Rrufe Ne Qeill Te Hapur. It's a great workout song. I pick up a few more Albanian words and surprise hubby. And then I get back to work, so I can afford to bring my hubby to me.

 Coffee set, tiny spoons, bag of finely ground coffee and a gjezve for cooking it



 Tepsija - this is a very small one! But it had to fit in my luggage LOL

 Napkins from places where we ate and food labels. I love Jeta burgers! I don't know what they put on them but I order them with everything. I love burek, too, and mantia me mish, and it's a yogurt-lover's paradise over there! Lots and lots of yogurt, all kinds and flavors. And Dannon, too LOL!!

 Yummy so sinfully yummy almond sugar cookies drenched in syrup

Kosovo has very good spring water!

Gifts from my new family. I used the cam on my laptop to take the picture. You can see it reflected in the glass.

Diten e mir

Mystery Solved

I always wondered about this tapestry. I've had it for years, not sure how I aquired it, but it must have been from a yard sale. I couldn't figure out where it was from, until I was watching TV in Kosovo with my new hubby. Wait----I have that pattern. "What?" See, the covering on the lecturn in front of that speaker! I have that pattern on a weaving at home! I think. So when I came home (sadly leaving hubby behind while we jump through the immigration hoops) I took some pictures. Hubby said yes, it is handmade Albanian! Pictures on the internet showed some weavings with the exact same black border, sort of a stepped zigzag.

And here is a close-up

I knew it was special, I just didn't know why LOL!

My Turtle / Tortoise Collection

The group of three at the bottom right were my first. They are made of ceramic and were bought in the 1960's out in California. I have since seen the same set made of plastic. The one in the middle on top of the round rock is carved from stone with a streak of Opal in it. That one is a gift from my SIL in Australia. The funky light blue one and the small dark red and black one behind the rock are made with that plastic clay you bake in the oven. I made them. The others were collected at various times over the years.

Friendship

I love these stamps that are on a letter from my friend. Click on the picture to see full size.

B-day

My daughter and her bf took me and my other daughter to dinner at Don Pablo's for my B-day. We had a lot of fun!

It was a set-up! The waitress stuck this on my head. And I had two mango margaritas.

Breezy day

Today is breezy, cooler and drier. It only sprinkled a little. I actually got clothes to dry on the line! The house is open, the air is fresh for a change. It is quiet, except for the ever-present noise of the traffic. A good day for reading and for thinking. I almost tackled rearranging the living room, but decided nothing will move right until I get rid of this 55 gallon fish tank. So I did some reading. And some thinking and daydreaming. Daydreaming is good, didn't you know? Well, I spoke too soon. It's sprinkling.