Well, as we expected, our return to the States has been accompanied by a bit of a 'snowball' of tasks associated with our plans: nexus passes are on their way, files are being organized, Colorado preparations are underway, grammar is being studied, and work is being pursued to get ever last possible cent in the bank.... to name a few. It really is exciting considering all the possibilities this plan offers such as jobs all over the world and time off between assignments to relax and process everything we are experiencing. We are looking forward both to our time in England and to our time in a yet unknown country in Asia or Eastern Europe.
We have been trying to truly appreciate the lovely town which has served as home for the last 6 years, so we are visiting many of those special places like the Bagelry, La Vie en Rose (delicious pastries), and Boulevard Park. This weekend we hope to take a trip to Anacortes to say our goodbyes there; while we likely will return at some point, it will never be the same, and what this area has been to us on our journey is significant and unique.
In the evenings, after updating files and attending to all the preparations, we have been watching the Star Wars films. They really are fantastic, being just as, if not more, interesting now than they were the first time. This has provided some nice balance in our lives, allowing us to be present while we are still preparing for the future. They also seem to have some pretty forward thinking commentaries on life and spirit embedded in them. In that vein of thought, we will continue along this path, reading the omens, and keeping you posted on what we think the Universe is saying about what we might do next.
"Luminous beings are we." -Yoda
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Sunny times in England
Here we are in a very sunny England enjoying the weather and the country and Wimbledon - exciting being here for the tennis and Evan has even got into it! Unfortunately Murray was knocked out in the semi-finals ....
Highlights of our trip so far include (in no particular order):
- Visiting the Borough Market in London - a fabulous food market with hundreds of stalls selling all kinds of delicacies
- Walking both ways to the end of Southend pier (1 1/3 miles long out to sea) and enjoying the peacefulness of being on a jetty so far out in the sea
- Walking the northern England coast at Tynmouth including walking past the ruins of a medieval monastery and catching a ferry across the mouth of the river Tyne
- Surprising Andy's mum and dad with their anniversary trip on the Orient Express, the famous train from the 1920's
- Sitting in a cafe window in Newcastle/London/Southend sipping a skinny latte and watching the world go by
- Andy getting to volunteer to blow molten glass in a demonstration at the National Glass Center in Sunderland
- Walking along the river Thames in London - past the Tower of London, St. Paul's cathedral, Tower Bridge, the Globe theater, etc.
We've also (of course) been catching up with friends and family and enjoying all the things English that we miss, including fish and chips, Indian curries, and the little sidewalk cafes. Have been purposely not doing a lot of organizing and planning as we need a little R and R before we are back in the States next week finalizing all our plans for the next few months.
Just finished reading "Thrive" by Dan Buettner (Secrets from the world's happiest people). Here is a quote from this book (highly recommended):
"Here's a 103 year old woman who has no money and no real possesions, is living in a borrowed house, is half paralyzed and mostly blind, and she feels blessed .... How is that possible?" ........... :)
Highlights of our trip so far include (in no particular order):
- Visiting the Borough Market in London - a fabulous food market with hundreds of stalls selling all kinds of delicacies
- Walking both ways to the end of Southend pier (1 1/3 miles long out to sea) and enjoying the peacefulness of being on a jetty so far out in the sea
- Walking the northern England coast at Tynmouth including walking past the ruins of a medieval monastery and catching a ferry across the mouth of the river Tyne
- Surprising Andy's mum and dad with their anniversary trip on the Orient Express, the famous train from the 1920's
- Sitting in a cafe window in Newcastle/London/Southend sipping a skinny latte and watching the world go by
- Andy getting to volunteer to blow molten glass in a demonstration at the National Glass Center in Sunderland
- Walking along the river Thames in London - past the Tower of London, St. Paul's cathedral, Tower Bridge, the Globe theater, etc.
We've also (of course) been catching up with friends and family and enjoying all the things English that we miss, including fish and chips, Indian curries, and the little sidewalk cafes. Have been purposely not doing a lot of organizing and planning as we need a little R and R before we are back in the States next week finalizing all our plans for the next few months.
Just finished reading "Thrive" by Dan Buettner (Secrets from the world's happiest people). Here is a quote from this book (highly recommended):
"Here's a 103 year old woman who has no money and no real possesions, is living in a borrowed house, is half paralyzed and mostly blind, and she feels blessed .... How is that possible?" ........... :)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Can't Stop Us Now!
Things are all coming down the pipeline hard and fast now. It turns out that Evan was able to participate in commencement since he had so few units left to complete; this is apparently the way it is done; if one is to graduate in the summer, he walks in the spring commencement ceremony. Evan decided to participate for a certain sense of closure and accomplishment, though the proper celebration will take place in August. This marked another milestone in our journey, and it seems everything is happening very quickly now. Andy's parents returned home safely. Next we are off to the UK for a bit, then we have only a month or so before quitting our jobs, completing the CELTA, and taking off! There is much to do practically speaking, so we have posted a color coded list on the fridge of items to be completed each month until out departure.
Our NEXUS interviews are scheduled for after we return from the UK, so we will have those passes in time for the course. Andy's parents have excitedly agreed to caretake for Colorado while we teach, so the arrangements for her to move to the UK are also being finalized. Evan's 33rd birthday was this week, so that was a highlight (fleeting, as they all are with so much excitement), and now it is all about packing and cleaning up for the trip. Andy has already told his supervisor about our plans, and she was graciously supportive and hopes he'll return to work when we are in Bellingham.
With all that said, it is time to sign off and get on with things.... in the spirit of a lecture we went to on Evan's birthday, we are going to WALK OUT and WALK ON! Our next post will be from England.
"No one is coming to help. Now what?" - Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze, Walk Out Walk On
Our NEXUS interviews are scheduled for after we return from the UK, so we will have those passes in time for the course. Andy's parents have excitedly agreed to caretake for Colorado while we teach, so the arrangements for her to move to the UK are also being finalized. Evan's 33rd birthday was this week, so that was a highlight (fleeting, as they all are with so much excitement), and now it is all about packing and cleaning up for the trip. Andy has already told his supervisor about our plans, and she was graciously supportive and hopes he'll return to work when we are in Bellingham.
With all that said, it is time to sign off and get on with things.... in the spirit of a lecture we went to on Evan's birthday, we are going to WALK OUT and WALK ON! Our next post will be from England.
"No one is coming to help. Now what?" - Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze, Walk Out Walk On
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Moving forward in a 'summa cum laude' way
Not a lot of news regarding our plans - been busy with mum and dad touring and visiting and casino-ing. Having a very nice time. Felt exciting having mum and dad arrive as it felt like the start of all our new plans.
CELTA - we have bought our books to start learning more of the grammar that we need to have as a pre-requisite for the classes. Have been initially approved for a Nexus pass - this is the fast pass for border crossings USA- Canada - next have to schedule an interview in the next 30 days with USA and Canadian immigration - this will make the crossings very quick and easy for the training.
Evan is wrapping up his last week of term - only a photo project and one more class to complete for his degree. He just received notification that he will graduate "summa cum laude" (= "with highest honors")!!! Very well done!!!
That's all for now. Lots more to come!
....
"What's the worst thing that could happen to you? Take a chance tonight and try something new" (Kylie Minogue - 'Get Out Of My Way' song from Aphrodite album)
CELTA - we have bought our books to start learning more of the grammar that we need to have as a pre-requisite for the classes. Have been initially approved for a Nexus pass - this is the fast pass for border crossings USA- Canada - next have to schedule an interview in the next 30 days with USA and Canadian immigration - this will make the crossings very quick and easy for the training.
Evan is wrapping up his last week of term - only a photo project and one more class to complete for his degree. He just received notification that he will graduate "summa cum laude" (= "with highest honors")!!! Very well done!!!
That's all for now. Lots more to come!
....
"What's the worst thing that could happen to you? Take a chance tonight and try something new" (Kylie Minogue - 'Get Out Of My Way' song from Aphrodite album)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
International teaching and a completed Capstone Project
Quick update - mum and dad arrived safe and sound yesterday from the UK. Lots of sunshine today to enjoy Washington at its best. Planning little trips and days relaxing - including (of course) some time at the casinos!
Other updates - well we've narrowed the countries for our job search following our English teaching certification in September - short list is China, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. We have selected these countries because they pay well, are relatively easy to get jobs/visas as newly qualified teachers, and are safe and interesting places. So that is all getting quite exciting. ... Next step with the plan is we need to develop our grammar skills - this is a pre-requisite for the classes, and we were admitted to the program on the understanding we would know a little more than we did on the interview (!)
With Andy's parents visiting, that also means that is is not too far off for our trip to the UK in June. Nearly time to get ready for that.
Also, further good news this week was Evan solidly passing his Capstone Project for his degree with flying colors - what he had expected to be a draft was passed with an A by his adviser with just minor corrections. The degree is now within easy reach!!!
So, it now feels like we have moved onto the next step in the plan - the last few months of slog and hard work are starting to pay off, we can relax a little and let the next few months roll on. The countdown can begin!!!
.....
"The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it" (Chinese proverb).
Other updates - well we've narrowed the countries for our job search following our English teaching certification in September - short list is China, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. We have selected these countries because they pay well, are relatively easy to get jobs/visas as newly qualified teachers, and are safe and interesting places. So that is all getting quite exciting. ... Next step with the plan is we need to develop our grammar skills - this is a pre-requisite for the classes, and we were admitted to the program on the understanding we would know a little more than we did on the interview (!)
With Andy's parents visiting, that also means that is is not too far off for our trip to the UK in June. Nearly time to get ready for that.
Also, further good news this week was Evan solidly passing his Capstone Project for his degree with flying colors - what he had expected to be a draft was passed with an A by his adviser with just minor corrections. The degree is now within easy reach!!!
So, it now feels like we have moved onto the next step in the plan - the last few months of slog and hard work are starting to pay off, we can relax a little and let the next few months roll on. The countdown can begin!!!
.....
"The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it" (Chinese proverb).
Monday, May 2, 2011
Europe and Asia starting to firm up
So things are moving on. We have been looking further on in the year (after our summer trip to the UK and our CELTA class) and making firmer plans. We want to spend some longer time in the UK again later in the year to really get more of a feel it when we are not just on a quick one or two week trip there. Also, it would be nice to spend a bit longer on traveling in Europe - but we don't want to blow the savings all at once! We have been doing some research and budgeting, and with a pretty strict budget we are pretty sure we can make a couple of nice trips happen while we are there. We have pretty much decided to spend two weeks in Malta (a small Mediterranean island country), and a week in Morocco. We would love to go to Israel too, but it is much more expensive, and we are saving our cash for doing some working and traveling in Asia once we have gotten our teaching qualifications. Current frontrunners for these longer term places in Asia are South Korea, Japan or Hong Kong (which we really liked when we were there in 2009). Now we have sorted out Europe options, we will now be looking more closely at these Asian countries for living and working ....
Evan has continued to work hard to get his degree finished (this will also make his teaching prospects and pay as a teacher higher too) and turned in his first draft of his Capstone Project this week - all 66 pages of it - a really interesting paper. It is a discussion of observances of religious practices around the world using 7 of the countries we have visited on our travels, both from the eyes of a traveler and from an academic perspective. He chose Cambodia, Spain, Nepal, Egypt, England, Indonesia and Argentina as the countries to analyze and discuss. Hopefully his adviser will like it. Andy was very impressed.
Andy's mum and dad are just a couple of weeks away from their visit, so we are also getting ready for that. Both looking forward to it. With their arrival comes our planned slight deceleration with our very busy work/school schedules - Andy will cut back down to around 35 hours a week (has been up to 45 or so) and Evan should start to wind down a little both with school and his private practice (which has been pretty much fully booked the last few months).
Well that's our news for now. More to follow!
.....
"What are you waiting for?" (Lope de Vega)
Evan has continued to work hard to get his degree finished (this will also make his teaching prospects and pay as a teacher higher too) and turned in his first draft of his Capstone Project this week - all 66 pages of it - a really interesting paper. It is a discussion of observances of religious practices around the world using 7 of the countries we have visited on our travels, both from the eyes of a traveler and from an academic perspective. He chose Cambodia, Spain, Nepal, Egypt, England, Indonesia and Argentina as the countries to analyze and discuss. Hopefully his adviser will like it. Andy was very impressed.
Andy's mum and dad are just a couple of weeks away from their visit, so we are also getting ready for that. Both looking forward to it. With their arrival comes our planned slight deceleration with our very busy work/school schedules - Andy will cut back down to around 35 hours a week (has been up to 45 or so) and Evan should start to wind down a little both with school and his private practice (which has been pretty much fully booked the last few months).
Well that's our news for now. More to follow!
.....
"What are you waiting for?" (Lope de Vega)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Updates ....
As Evan works closer towards completing his degree, and we are clocking up many additional hours at work, we've been pretty quiet with all the other stuff. However, as May approaches we are looking forward to a visit from Andy's mum and dad later on in that month, and starting to think about fun trips and places to visit. They will be our first proper visitors to our new home.
And then when June rolls around, we have two weeks off to go back to the UK for the 50th wedding anniversary celebrations. Just made plans for all of us (Andy, Evan, mum and dad) to take a 4 day trip up to Newcastle right at the end of June to see Aunt Sheila and Uncle Alf. Have a surprise organized with Steve and Sharon to mark mum and dad's big day. We're thinking that we probably won't do another side trip to Europe on this trip, to save time with family, as well as money for the bigger plans. However, have also found very cheap coach tickets to Paris and Amsterdam....
So at the moment, not much else to report. We're really getting ourselves well positioned to do some much bigger stuff later in the year. We have many ideas, but are just letting it all unfold right now as to the order we do it in. Still serious about teaching English overseas (obviously as we wouldn't take on the CELTA certification training), working as therapists (Hawaii, New Zealand) and traveling. But with exciting plans in May, June and onto July, and then the classes starting in September, the next few months will likely fly by. So we'll see what happens in October!!
The weather here is now very spring like, so we have been enjoying evening walks and time out on the beaches and parks around here. Time to appreciate what we have, and how far we've come.
And then when June rolls around, we have two weeks off to go back to the UK for the 50th wedding anniversary celebrations. Just made plans for all of us (Andy, Evan, mum and dad) to take a 4 day trip up to Newcastle right at the end of June to see Aunt Sheila and Uncle Alf. Have a surprise organized with Steve and Sharon to mark mum and dad's big day. We're thinking that we probably won't do another side trip to Europe on this trip, to save time with family, as well as money for the bigger plans. However, have also found very cheap coach tickets to Paris and Amsterdam....
So at the moment, not much else to report. We're really getting ourselves well positioned to do some much bigger stuff later in the year. We have many ideas, but are just letting it all unfold right now as to the order we do it in. Still serious about teaching English overseas (obviously as we wouldn't take on the CELTA certification training), working as therapists (Hawaii, New Zealand) and traveling. But with exciting plans in May, June and onto July, and then the classes starting in September, the next few months will likely fly by. So we'll see what happens in October!!
The weather here is now very spring like, so we have been enjoying evening walks and time out on the beaches and parks around here. Time to appreciate what we have, and how far we've come.
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