The Who About Ren

Yes, I am behind in getting to this so shoot me! It's rather boring to read a blog if you don't know something about the people writing it, or in this case the main person who occasionally jots something down in it. I don't think my story is unlike so many stories I've come across thus far, making even more difficult to make myself sound the least bit interesting but I suppose somewhere along the line some bit may stand out or at least be relatable to someone.

When I was young I longed to travel and as soon as graduated high school I left home for California. I loved California but hated college so I returned home with my tail between my legs and went to work. When I was 21 I headed out again to California and stayed about 3.5 years. Next I moved to the South...I built a house and then married and then got sick. Soon after I got pregnant and gave birth to a son, Fishey.

I spent the next decade dealing with my illness, my disastrous marriage and my son's illness. I tell people I don't know how I ended up in the South a total of 20 years, but I know exactly how... and I left the second I could. I had to wait a dozen years (I was told) until the release of my ex who was in prison, so that I could get sole custody of Fishey. I prepared for over two years, dealt with the legal matters for almost a year and we were gone half a year later after selling off all of our belongings.

So now I feel freer than I have in two decades. I honestly tried to find a place to relocate to in the States but nothing seemed to be the right fit. I looked for three years. I asked friends for suggestions. Nothing. Along with the fact that Fishey's issues in school were compounding year after year and I couldn't stand by and watch him fall further and further behind finally caused me to make a decision to hit the road for a while and give him the opportunity to learn about the world by seeing it first hand. I never thought I would be able to teach him but it's working out just fine. Never mind the fact that I am getting to finally do what I wanted to do and I'm doing it with the person I love the most in the world.

A picture Fishey snapped of me by one of the fountains in front of St. Peter's Basilica.

August 28, 2012

What We've Been Doing - in a NUTSHELL

I know I haven't updated in a while but we've been a little preoccupied with getting out of town and getting moving on our travels! Let me do a brief synopsis of what's happened since I last blogged:

1. We sold off the rest of our belongings and quickly left Dodge! (If it hadn't been for the help of a stranger who became a friend it would have never happened! So a huge THANKS goes out to JW to coming through for us when we needed help!)

Just one shot of the huge garage sale that lasted a week!

2. Due to unforeseen family issues we opted to leave a week early and take our vacation in Virginia Beach, VA, which allowed us to visit one of my dear friends EF! He's a ton of fun if you like satirically humorous, beer drinking, cigar smoking, yummy food loving dudes who are too smart for their own good. Since I like that sort (in limited doses) it was greatness! We had the best food with him and he helped us escape "United-Hades" (a story for another entry).

View from the Hilton Oceanfront (NOT "United-Hades")!

3. We made it to Los Angeles without a hitch and had an absolute blast with my best friend of 22 years, NA! We stayed with her folks and she had her two wonderful kids with her! Big shout out to CA and LA! Y'all are the BEST and we miss you like crazy! Fishey mentions one of you at least once a day and so do I! CA, I almost bought you a skateboard in Berlin but I couldn't remember all the stuff you talked about in Venice Beach and then I remembered the gravel driveway! LOL You guys feel better and have fun in school tomorrow!

Me (left) and LA in Los Angeles!

4. We left LAX and did our first international flight to London Heathrow! I exchanged my first US currency for Euros, figured out how the Heathrow airport works and then headed to Berlin, Germany! Arrived in Berlin and we got our first passport stamps from the Tegel airport!

The rest of the story of Berlin etc. will be in another entry, but that at least catches me up until 09 Aug which is a month and now I'm only 10 days behind of today and that's not too shabby. We are having fun so far and finding loads of loveliness here in Germany!

Countdown Starts!

One month from right now we'll be over the Atlantic Ocean on our way to London and then pressing on to Berlin! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! So much to do before that day arrives ~ especially since we leave 3 days prior to that for Los Angeles to see my best friend! So many plans to make and things to finish selling and wow, I guess I'd better get a move on, literally!

From Sad to Sadder...but Plans R Coming Together

I really hate to have a blog filled with sad news and planning details, but it seems that's all I have to report lately. Two weeks ago I reported the sad news that one dog was put to sleep and tonight I have the sadder job of reporting our other dog left us for a new home. We've only had her 14 months but I'm more heartbroken over losing her than I've been over the loss of any other dog. Maybe it's because of the five dogs I've had in my life, she's the only one I've let go of before they saw the end of their long happy lives. It seems like the ultimate betrayal to me, even though the couple that took her are super nice, seem more than equipped to deal with a dog who is as special as she is and have another dog with similar needs as hers who needs a playmate, plus our dog (cry ~ now their dog) was even nice to the husband which is miraculous for her because she normally tries to eat men. All of that hasn't lightened the load of guilt I feel though. She was given to me at a time when I needed her the most and she's attached to me like glue. The lost look on her face when she stared at me out the car window may never leave my mind ~ not unless I see some really happy video of her playing with her new dog friends. Let's hope that happens, and soon!

On a happier note, we have new and improved travel plans that include a Fourth of July trip to see relatives down south, a trip to Los Angeles, and a trip to Maui before we head to Europe! It looks like we're back to starting out in Frankfurt but still heading north from there then working our way back around through Berlin, Dresden, over to Bonn and then to Baden-Baden and who knows where from there.

Right now I'll be happy to get a good night's sleep and wake up feeling rested and ready to start a new day without any pets to take care of (which hasn't happened in over 40 years except for over a few short months of time).

A Sad Day Indeed

We said goodbye to our beloved Caesar today. He was a faithful, loving, canine companion for more than sixteen years and this happy picture was taken just this past spring. He enjoyed playing frisbee but had really grown too blind to catch it anymore, though he still tried his best at least twice before going inside to rest. The end is never easy but I believe only the selfish hang on, refusing to let go when it's obvious the time has come. So let go we did, though it made for a sad day, indeed. Caesar, we will hold you in our hearts as long as they still beat within us.