Fancy That

Here We Go Again

Well, the boys had their first day of school on Wednesday. After two days, this happened:

Over the next few days Fiji will be experiencing some serious storms. One of the tropical disturbances has the probability of reaching Category 1 or 2 cyclone level.

So, the boys and I will get an extra day at home while we wait out the storms.

Today marks the start of something new. The boys are beginning their first day of school as members of Year 4 and Year 2. To be honest, I do not believe they are nearly as excited as I am at this prospect. I even made them chocolate chocolate chip muffins for breakfast this morning!

I asked them a few days ago if they wanted me to join them this morning or not. If not, they would need to be confident to find their names on the class rolls and navigate their way to a new classroom. John thought about it and tentatively said no. Thomas on the other hand had a big yes to the "mommy coming to school" option. So, we all loaded up, and I frantically took a picture before we headed on our way:

I know we are quite lucky to have the opportunity to go off to school. It means that I now get a slice of sanity back (when I am not dealing with house maintenance issues). I am looking forward to attacking my to-do lists so that I can enjoy their time home from school.

The boys managed to find their names on the lists and we headed off to their classrooms. Once outside, I gave them each a hug and they said they could take it from there. Big kids showing off for their friends. I did catch this one final wave...

Jan 20/21

It was an interesting day yesterday. Since we live in the future here in Fiji, I never really know which day to name when considering worldwide events.

Back stateside, it was a big day, Inauguration Day. There seemed to be a lot of tension and unease that from news sources and social media that the whole event might be tampered with or not occur at all. Maybe one of the benefits of living abroad is that I did not feel this tension, surprise, or relief that the whole day went smoothly. Maybe I have more faith in the government and societal structures. This statement is a bit of a dichotomy because I have learned in this military life the one thing I do count on is that if a task is thrown to a higher up gov structure there will inevitably be roadblocks, missteps, and probably a lot of cursing on my end.

Here in Fiji, the Ambassador left. He was probably the last political appointee from the previous administration to leave their post. So, now we will wait to see if President Biden will send a new political appointee our way or a seasoned member of the Foreign Service.

Thus, it was an interesting day and filled with wonderful memes.

Mid week Post

Oops! I was hoping to write a little recap every week. Alas, I could not even keep to that commitment at twenty days into the new year.

I won't let that stop me! It was a busy week. The boys still had off from school and so a majority of my time was spent entertaining them. There were many requests for playing Minecraft or the Wii. I admit, I gave in quite frequently. I know in just another short week the two of them will be off at school. They did have a play date with some friends. That also meant I got to have a little adult conversation time while they hung out.

The entertainment factor was more difficult than usual because our pool is out of commission. It is leaking about 5 cm or so a day. We finally got a pool company out to drain the entire thing and determine where the leak was coming from. It turned out that there were three problem areas, the hydrostatic valve at the bottom of the pool was broken, the ladder was scraping a hole in the side of the concrete, and the filter gaskets were shot. They are now all fixed. We will be testing the pool later this week to ensure it was just those three spots. Maybe we will be able to get one final swim in before the school year begins.

Andrew and I had a couple of busy evenings. We said farewell to some fellow defense attache community members, held an event at our home, and then invited a few friends over to watch Bollywood (as they are heading to India for their next post).

I also got my gears going with the school board for this year. I started off with a Governance committee meeting. It was good to see my fellow committee members. Although I enjoy it, I feel this volunteer work has been particularly draining. I know I made a commitment but I am definitely ready to pass the torch over.

Oh one final tidbit - I was bit by a dog last Friday. It was a friend's dog, not a Fiji street dog. So, it made the experience surreal. Also, I definitely fainted once I looked at the wound for too long. I was so close to getting it cleaned and covered up but it just was not in the cards. I have a few extra bruises besides the bite wound. I decided to take the last few days off from running because it got me right on the outside thigh muscle above the knee. I can't wait to get back to running. I miss my exercise high that sets me up for the day.

Start of the Second Full Week of January

Long title for a post - but it is spot on accurate. We have started the second full week of January. We had a rough week last week as we started back to work. Lots of long days ensued.

We spent the weekend taking down all of our Christmas decorations. That is always sad. But it is now all packed away and ready for whenever we happen to move this year. At least there will be no thinking for those few boxes and containers.

In other news, our pool is leaking. Go figure this weekend would have been the perfect time to get in a few swims but alas, we let it start to drain on Wednesday. Hopefully by letting it drain we can identify where the leak might actually be - pump, return jets, pool lights, or the bottom of the pool itself. I would love for it to be figured out before school starts again. Our luck, probably not.

Been seriously considering removing myself from Facebook. I need to collect all of my photos and such first. That might be a post for another day.

Working on Me

Three months ago yesterday, I decided to make a change. My body was not moving the way that I like. That is it hurt to walk up and down, bend over, and run. Since coming to Fiji, I have added about 20 pounds of weight to my body. That is saying a lot. I needed something to change.

I decided on Oct. 4, 2020 to do something about this. I felt like I needed some accountability too, so I signed up for Noom. This platform has provided me with a lot of psychological research and better nutritional information to help me. Looking at the food I was eating, how much of it I was eating, my emotions, and exercise, I have made some headway.

As of yesterday, I am down 10 pounds. My clothes (which I've had to buy larger sizes of recently) are fitting more loosely. I am eating smarter - more healthy for me. I do not avoid bananas, or apples, or veggies at meals. I am careful to eat mindfully - eating my food slowly and with purpose. I've cut out most sugary drinks, limit my alcohol, and think long and hard before having a snack. I try to avoid having my phone around at meals. The emails, phone calls, and text messages can wait. I have been running a lot more. It used to feel hard to run 3 or 4 times a week. Now, I run 6 times a week with little knee pain. I do a small body weight circuit. I also throw in a few minutes of rowing every few days. Lastly, I do a little breathing and meditation exercises.

I am finding that I am having a slightly sunnier disposition. I am sleeping a little bit better. I am trying to be less worried about life in general. I am a perpetual worrier so this has been my biggest obstacle.

I believe I can accomplish the things that I want to. I have a lot of little to-dos that I would like to square away before we leave Fiji. I think it is possible. I need to be conscious and mindful of giving adequate time and presence to each task but they are doable.

Noom asked me today to come up with a version of the Serenity Prayer. In case you do not know, it goes like this:

Here is what I came up with:

I will make this my mantra for the year.

Looking Forward

2021 has begun. This year holds a lot of promise. Well to be honest, given last year, the bar is set pretty low for good things to happen.

I plan to get a bit healthier and maintain the healthy that I already am. I ran 850 miles last year. I am going to see if I can get to 1000 miles this year. I joined a team with my family members to run 2021 miles for the year.

I also plan to be a bit selfish. That is, I will look to do those things that make me happy - playing piano, cooking, and reading.

This year holds the promise of moving from Fiji to a new assignment. We are not sure when or where we will be going. Our family is ready for a move and a change of scenery. This also means that we will be working to purge our unused items. This process always seems to be an uplifting on for me. Only the necessary items stay.

With the advent of vaccines, there is the hope of the world returning to some sort of normal life. I hope that we can take some trips, go on a vacation, and most importantly see friends and family.

So, 2021, let's do this thing!

2020 Recap

I understand it has been quite a while since I utilized my blog. My intention is to get back to writing and documenting what is going on with our lives with a bit more control that is found in social media these days.

What better way to begin this new chapter, then recap 2020.

We started out the year in Suva, Fiji. John and Thomas began the school year, which runs from Jan to Dec because we are in the Southern Hemisphere, in years 3 and 1, respectively. They attend a wonderful school and we couldn't be happier with the International Baccalaureate education they have received this far.

Covid-19 dominated much of the year as one no doubt knows. For us, that meant a split second decision on March 25. I had hurriedly packed bags in the event of an emergency a day or two earlier. Fiji had cases in Lautoka and had seemed to have it under control. But it hit Suva. That was the tipping point for us. Myself, John, and Thomas made the quick decision within 2 hours of a plane departure to return to the US and leave Andrew in Fiji to do his job. We damn near didn't make it out of Nadi due to some changes with NZ customs and immigration. Thankfully our friends in the embassy worked a miracle and got us clearance. We flew from Suva to Nadi to Auckland to Los Angeles and finally to Newark. It was a whirlwind. We thankfully had N95 masks and wore them for nearly 36 hours straight before we got to a hotel. I decided mid flights to quarantine in a hotel for 14 days before we went to my parents house. We did all that we could given there were almost no guidelines and precautions in place.

The boys continued the next two terms of schooling via distance learning. I learned how tough it was to manage expectations for the two of them. I had been enrolled in an M.Ed program but I withdrew given the uncertainty and the difficulty of managing my own kids learning.

We spent the next 5 months with Grandma Dee and Grandpa Nick when our two weeks were up. We bought masks, kept inside, and washed hands frequently. We tried to enjoy simple things while we worked through distance learning - walks in the park, pork cutlet night, McDonald's night, running through the sprinklers, walking Walter, drawing, reading, etc.

Our return trip was just as harrowing. We had to find just the right Covid-19 test and get the rest results turned around in a super short window of time. Thanks to my cousin, we had the magic happen. We headed on our return trip, literally back the way we came on August 18. We had to quarantine again, but this time we did so with Andrew in our new house. While we were away, Andrew managed to move us from our old residence to a new one. So, we got two weeks of getting used to our new home together. Thankfully we cleared another PCR test on the twelfth day of quarantine and thus, on the 14th day received the freedom to move about within the country.

The boys were able to return to school and we got to return to a relatively normal existence - no masks and almost not social distancing. It has been a blessing.

But what about me, you ask? Without my own learning to do, I have been focusing on me and my health. I've committed to only one group - the school board - instead of lots of committee work. I am trying to return to the activities I enjoy and should work on - piano, music, cooking, running, etc.

Glad to close the chapter on 2020.

Welcome Back

I have let my blog go dormant for obviously too long. I need to rectify this situation. I have updated my layout a bit and plan to write more frequently. What will I write about? I have not a clue at the moment. Count on it being whatever strikes my fancy. Fancy that? Hahaha.

To bring everyone up to speed, it has been an interesting five years. The short of it is, we have lived in India, gone back to Washington, DC, and are currently in Suva, Fiji. Well, we had a short departure from Fiji due to Covid-19 but that situation has rectified itself. The picture above is the view from our house.

This is sufficient enough for a getting back into things right? Oh well, it will have to be. I promise to check in again soon.

Skillet Penne with Sausage, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Spinach

Things have been busy. But I stumbled upon a new tasty cookbook from America's Test Kitchen. I am eager to slowly start incorporating some of these recipes into our rotation. So without further ado...

Skillet Penne with Sausage, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Spinach

from The Make-Ahead Cook

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb hot or sweet Italian sausage (remove the casings)
3 cloves garlic minced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 lb penne pasta
1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine
6 oz of baby spinach

Steps

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon. Cook until no longer pink. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 sec).
2. Stir in broth, water, pasta, and tomatoes. Bring to a vigorous simmer and cook. Stir often until the pasta is tender and sauce has thickened, about 15 - 18 minutes.
3. Stir in spinach, a handful at a time. Cook until it has just wilted.
4. Season with salt and pepper and serve with some yummy cheese.

Finished Product

I didn't manage to score a finished picture. And then before I knew it, it was all gone. I was hoping for some left over but oh well. I guess that is the best thing for a meal...for it not be around for very long.