the weekend according to iphone

I'm still planning on sharing some more Yellowstone with you, in the mean time this quick post on how we're spending our weekends lately.

 New shorts on a budget. Making Banh Mi for lunch. We have a new to us car. (Why don't I have my WA drivers license, argh)

 Manito Park

 I'll never get over how pretty the Palouse is, sorry for calling you ugly back in December 2011, I feel bad about that. Also, new to us car is taking us places

Sundowners and a 'catch the sunset' kind of  up hill hike.

Exploring Mt. Spokane and all it's snow-less glory.

Celebrating at Manito Tap house with Amanda. Yay Artisan Spirit Magazine, Summer!

Riverfront

a Sunday afternoon before a public holiday Monday must be one of my favorite occurrences ever, right up there with free ice creams, receiving hand written letters and spring blossoms.
  Add together: a willing meandering partner, a moody sky competing with late afternoon sunshine, appreciation for my new home town's biggest attraction and you're bound to get a pretty content lady over here.

I'm in America now, 12 things to 'get over'

moving to a new country is by no means easy.

nope, not at all.

new everything. new home, new (at some stage)job, new people, new rules, new language, new favorite bar, new favorite tv station, new seasons ... the list goes on.

i love new, really i do. but what often gets me is not that everything is so 'new' but more what 'isn't no more'.

no more family home, no more job i know and love, no more friends close by, no more afrikaans, no more sushi with belinda or sunday church with rosalye and karlin, no more sunshine, no more many things.

and this for me is what gets hard.

i find myself often complaining/noting/whispering/sarcastically pointing difference out to ben.  who by law is now obliged to listen my many observations of 'this is different in Johannesburg South Africa'. bless his heart.

recently i discovered how annoying i've become about certain issues or differences or what ever they are.  so i've made a list of things that are just different here, not always for the better, not always for the worse, it's just how it is. and by saying something about every time is just holding me back.

time to deal woman.

1. it's winter
yes, it's summer back home, and people are complaining about some sort of heat wave or whatever, but for me, it's winter, it's freaking cold, and will remain so for, what, the next 4 months?
deal with it.

2. wine and fruit are more expensive.
no need to roll your eyes at the paying R60 for a bag of clementines, or R45 for strawberries. Even the usual R60-80 for a bottle of wine.

what am i saying, we discovered the 2buck chuck at Trader Joes... it's less than R20... what was i sulking about again? never mind... oh, fruit! yes, comparatively it is pricey. and will remain to be so.
so get over it and drink more wine.

3. they drive on the other side of the road here.
as they did in Hanoi, so seriously, i should get over this too. stop walking all the way to the driver seat... every time.

4. people have bigger space bubbles here.
i've mentioned this before, and while it still strikes me as odd i do need to get over that too. i've discovered that i'm actually getting used to saying 'excuse me' when i walk with in earshot of strangers.

5. green card
it's expensive yes, but we've paid sent it all off.  stop sulking about how expensive it was, and how nerve wrecking the wait is. it's my own fault for falling in love with an attractive, adorable American. get the card, move on... to happily every after.

6. lack of violent crime
there's no point in explaining how certain crimes would not even make the local newspaper never mind the evening news.  i need to stop rolling my eyes at stories like ' sock monkey Christmas wreath stolen' 'man with pants around ankles tries to get into homes' ... crime is never funny. and pointing out how countless murders and violent crime is almost a boring fixture in Jo'burg is not amusing. 

7. friends and family are far.
while this sucks, it's time to get over it. not stop missing them, just deal until they are not so far anymore. this is by far the hardest part.

8.  showing ID when buying wine.
stop saying "now that's compliment", because they have to ask if you look under 40... so the Trader Joe cashier is not flirting, he's doing his job. Also, I should rather be more concerned when not asked for ID.

9. South African slang.
people here don't know what 'braai', 'bakkie', 'tekkies', 'lekker' is. and that's okay. from now on its BBQ, truck, sneakers and __________ no english word can possible have as many meaning as 'lekker'. so, stop it.

10. Measurements.
Learn about pounds, inches, ounces, miles, yards and so forth.  i can not always rely on my smart husband to translate the differences in measurements.  i'm here and that's just how it is.

11. Trader Joe's is the closete things to Woolworths
and i like it.

12. Parking
yes, it's easier to find parking in Johannesburg, congratulations, now get over it.

so there, 12 things to work on for me. so if you'll excuse i'll go give myself a splash of cold water and a slap and continue being happily married, exploring Spokane and dreaming of summer...
  because has hard as adjusting and starting over is, it's totally worth it, now that i've discovered where the 2.5usd wine is now that i'm with my beloved and have proper winter shoes.

is it NYE yet?

yes, i know i mentioned yesterday how i don't love christmas. gasp says America (and probably Germany). eh, i don't feel a very strong desire to explain to you why today.

what i will share is this. i love new years eve/day, it might just be my favourite. no pressure, no 'traditions' that have to start weeks and weeks before. just a moment in time, with a bit of a build up to it. 

can you even name three songs about new years eve? can you?

 there's 'new years day by U2' and then the 'still a major hit' in Vietnam 'happy new year by ABBA'. oh yes and 'final countdown' by Europe.
well, i can name three songs.   point is, you're mostly guaranteed not to hear these songs a million times on repeat over the span of 6 weeks. and hell, i'd even listen to these songs on You Tube right now.... hold on....

just linking these songs is getting my pumped up.  especially the the 'final countdown' one, seeing as it might be the end of the world tomorrow, how you doing there East side?

anyway,

today the post is about loving on the age old event of saying goodbye to the old, and mentally and emotionally preparing for the new of the next year.  i'm a big fan of new and fresh starts.

i love thinking about where i spent the previous new years eve... a starting point of the reflection process, then working my way through the joyous and disastrous events of the year. (which i will share in upcoming posts)

lastly for today here is this fun fact, the last three years have been very eventful as far as NYE locations go.  allow me to share them with you briefly:

-let's start with three years ago, ah yes, 2009/2010 in Hanoi, Vietnam (when Ben should totally have kissed me but got shy and didn't)

-the year 2010/2011 NYE was spent with Ben, who has since the previous year decided to kiss me. so he was around to kiss me for this NYE... in Hong Kong

-and finally, the 2011/2012 together (very much together) in the heart of New York City, in view of the ball drop,

more photographic proof of being in NYC

see

confession: we stood in our spot from 9pm in order to see the ball drop (and experience the general splendor of a NYC NYE) but in the moment of counting down both of us actually FORGOT to look at the ball... because the countdown can be rather emotional you know... or something

this is the last photo of ben as an unengaged man... here i'm thinking "ben is very attractive and being very quiet at the moment" and he's thinking "i'm planning to propose to this woman, if only she'll finish taking my picture and eat her hot dog so we can go find the perfect spot in Central Park, also, she's adorable"... i imagine.

this year: downtown (or where the champagne is) Spokane... seriously, where can a person go after NYC?
i'm excited.

ps: i love 'happy new year' by ABBA. love it, you and me both Hanoi.

a favorite: walking

i don't know how clear i have made myself on this subject here, but in case you don't get it by now, i love to walk. man i freaking love it.

i love that it's a walk friendly place (i'm sure New Yorkers would disagree, but i'm from' drive your car 100m Jo'burg'), it's safe for me to walk (i'm sure Europeans would disagree, but i'm from 'take of all your valuables off, leave your phone, take the dog Jo'burg'), i love that there are places for me to walk to, and oh the places i have walked so far (getting to that), i love the therapy that walking has on a 'new housewife, in a new country, far from many lovely things (despite the no walk, dangerous Jo'burg i've just mentioned).

simply, walking does me all kinds of good and all kinds of good come of it.

last friday, going a little crazy from spending so much time in our wonderful apartment, i took a stroll, and tourist style met some more of Spokane, my, er, home.

correct me if i'm worng, but this has something to do with the bloomsdale race? which apparently is a real big deal here, hence these running figures with the weird asses. (totally going to run bloomsdale to fit in by the way)

ah this river, i've never really lived close to anything this beautiful, and it's walking distance. the rush of the water and quietness of going during a weeks day is about as therapeutic as it sounds

look mom, walking under  a bridge by myself without pepper spray.

#booradley seems to be quite the Spokane gem of a store. I spent more time in here than i care to admit

#atticus gift shop and cafe an instant favorite ... not that i've been able to buy anything at said stores yet. #newlywedbudgetingistricky

last day or two, see you later summer and lover

i've been home now for about 4 full days and still the jet lag is kicking me right in the face. while i unsuccessfully try come out of this haze let me share the last bit of my summer time spent with my wonderful best friend, who i marry today in two months. 

last date, incredible food at Casper Fry in the Perry District

.

romantic stroll around Manito Park, as couples do

our favourite yard sale finds, cause we're a little kitsch like that, and we like it like that.

relaxing in the back (woods) yard with our 2 dollar yard sale blanket.

i already miss washington trees

around here alone

i think it some kind of an accomplishment, to like one's own company. something i need to master to truly enjoy and not 'simply get through' the next three weeks.
i'm getting married in less than three months, relocating, starting so much more new than the next bride, so here's to enjoying the calm and the space and the chickens and the dog Meg... and my point and shoot Canon camera.
oh and the glorious long summer days!