Time is flying!

Wow how time flies when you are having fun! When I left my child and my pups at my mom's I remember thinking "it's going to be forever before I see any of them again". The tickets are bought the plans are laid and things are coming together smoothly. YAY! In just a month from now we will be on our way to the states to see family and friends and I am so excited. I can not wait! We will be there for 3 weeks and I know it is going to just fly by. My pup Keeta will follow us home in Jan. and I am so excited. I just know she is going to love it here. There are kids all over the place and they love to play with the dogs. :) She will be so spoiled and that is the way I like it. I have to give props to my mom, she has taken great care of all my babies. My daughter in University is being well fed (she has two Grandma's there so she is getting yummy food and tons of attention) and My dogs are being taken care of so nicely.  Being half way across the world is alot easier when you have so many people making sure things are taken care of at home. I am so lucky! I thought I was going to be so bored when I got here and man was I wrong. I have not stopped since I got here. There are so many things to do. I love it! I have joined a gym and I love shopping (haha who doesn't) and the various coffee morning and such are wonderful! I have made some great friends. :) Well I am going to leave this one short and sweet. I am off to an Indian craft fair for charity!

Happy Diwali or दिवाली मुबारक

Well it is Diwali here in India and what a celebration it is! The colorful lights are decorating all the building (Christmas lights) and the sidewalks and door ways are decorated with Rangoli's (see pictures above). The fireworks are out in full force and everyone is dressed in their best. The sari's that come out during this time of the year are by far some of the most amazing designs ever. The colors are so beautiful and they are decorated with many gems. It is truly a sight. How blessed am I that I have this opportunity to experience this? Everyone asks me daily "how are you adjusting to life in Mumbai?" I tell them all the same thing, apart from missing family and friends I can not complain. The experiences are priceless, the culture is rich and everyone is more than helpful. Yes, there are some modern day conveniences I miss but those are few and I am learning to live without them. I can feel myself becoming more healthy without all the snack foods and fast foods and I am learning so much. Now don't get me wrong, I miss the states and can't wait to visit in December, but I would not trade this experience for anything. They celebrate Christmas here as well. There are many catholic Inidan's here so I won't miss out on any of it. I will be in the states for Christmas and New Years but still if I was here I would be able to celebrate and decorate just as if I was home. I just hope my friends and family get the opportunity to come and experience this as well. :) The house is settled and things are returning to normal.  That is a great feeling. Our daughter is doing absolutely wonderful in school and can't wait to come for a visit and we can't wait either. We are truly looking forward to seeing friends and family in December. I can't wait to bring back gifts and stories. I only wish the flights were shorter. Oh well though, you can't have everything! It is the beginning of winter here but trust me it is not like back home. It is still in the 90's. There are some days where a breeze is blowing and it is about 80 and feels amazing outside but the next day is usually hot and humid again LOL. The Indian's say it is getting cold and I have to giggle because It is so hard to imagine anyone cold in this weather! I have bought myself some Kurta's and they are very comfy. I don't think I will be wearing any sari's anytime soon. The amount of fabric is crazy and the technique for wrapping them is very tricky. For now I will just admire them from afar! :) Well I will sign off of here for now. Until next time.........Namaste!

Painstaking progress!

I can't beleive how long it has been since my last update. I have to apologize but getting settled in took more work that I thought. The boxes are unpacked and pictures hung on the wall. I can call my house my home now. Adjusting to life here in India has been easier than I though. Being in India itself is pretty amazing. Being surrounded by so much culture is just unbelievable.  Just taking a simple drive is not so simple. The traffic here is something out of the cartoons but I am not driving so it is ok I suppose. I laugh because crossing the street here on foot is alot like being in a real life frogger game! The people here are amazing. I do get alot of stares but I am getting used to it. The men stare for obvious reasons and the women are not sure what to the think. Daily interaction is always very nice though. They are always trying to help, sometimes to a fault, but always trying to help. I feel extremely safe here. Even walking at night I have no worries. the only thing that is hard are the beggars. In the states they keep the distance here they touch you. There are animals everywhere. I am still getting used to sharing the streets with cows, stray dogs, goats, pigs and well the occasional naked man running down the street!. Yes I said naked man haha. That is not the norm but it definitely is something you can see here. I am used to seeing the kids running around naked but a full grown man, that was a new one! I am making friends and shopping. I guess that means I have no complaints huh? LOL I will say there are some things I can't find here but for the most part you can pretty much find anything you want and need. I have eaten a little bit of Indian food but for the most part I eat what I am used to. No problems here. The nice things is everything is made from fresh vegies and such. Not many canned goods. Much Healthier I guess huh? My Birthday was great. Brian took great care of me. :) I have joined a scrapbooking group and I am truly enjoying that. I have done one coffee morning and we went and had drinks out last night. It was really fun and I actually got to drink a bit because we were walking home! Although I am still adjusting, things are moving along quite nice. I still have some settling in to do but life is slowly beginning to take a normal turn and I am keeping my self quite busy. Now if we could just get ahold of a transporting machine to use for family and friends to visit life would be perfect.  I can not wait for our first visitors from the states :) I miss my friends and family and wish i coudl share each day here with them! Soon......Love you all!

Dazed and Confused!

So the day has come and gone and I am now a resident of India. Wow, I am a resident of India! What a long trip. I have never sat on a a flight that long and the Paris airport was a joke.  I could not wait to get somewhere where I could just sit normal and lay down flat. I am still not sure what to think of the looks I get. I know they are not giving me dirty looks but everyone looks so confused as to what I am doing here LOL. Heck I am still a bit confused! Although I am pretty jet lagged today I went to see my apartment for the first time. Wow what a sight. so empty. It was kind of nice to see what Brian had been talking about all this time. It still isn't ready but I guess that is just the way it goes here. Manju, our maid,  is so very nice and amazing. She knows what we need and is quick to tell the workers to get busy doing it LOL. I like her. She is taking me shopping tomorrow so I can see some places. Sarang, our driver, is very nice too. He told me he has been driving here for 30 years and for me not to hesitate to ask any question and he will help me with an answer. They both seem ready for our lives to be a bit normal. Manju is ready to see how our house will look. I think because it tells you alot about someone and she is still trying to read us. No matter what she seems to be on our side, they both do, and it is nice to have someone on your side when you are lost! It has pretty much rained non stop since I got here. The Monsoon season should be over or at least ending by now but Sarang says this year it seems to be longer. I guess we brought it with us. haha I hope it stops soon because I can not go sight seeing as it is that is for sure! The pictures will have to wait a bit. Well I am done for now as I am giving in to my jet lag and might lay down for a nap. I hope to update everyone again soon.

Time Flies

It's been a while since my last blog but in my defense I have been crazy busy. I have dropped my daughter off at college, got her settled in and spent some much needed time with family and friends. It is so hard to believe this journey will begin officially in 6 days. I am excited, scared, nervous and ready! Although leaving my daughter was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, it was so wonderful to see how grown up and responsible she has become. I was so proud of how well she handled all of this change that came about this summer. She is going to be an amazing Geologist or Geophysicist. (I am still not sure which she has decided on.) I am so glad she will have all the family and friends and of course her boyfriend to keep her safe and happy. I am convienced she is going to do great. Have you heard of Skype? It is an amazing thing. I am so grateful to whom ever created this!! Talking on the phone is great but if you can see them and see a piece of home it can make all the difference in the world. While Brian was in India sometimes we would just watch TV together. Now that is amazing! I always felt close to him and I am looking forward to being able to skype with my daughter, family and friends. This alone will keep me sane :). Brian and I met at the airport Saturday and I can not tell you how excited I was when I saw him walk through the door at the airport. I felt like a kid waiting to get out of bed on Christmas morning! It felt so good just to hug him! He is at work this week but it has been so nice waking up with him, making him breakfast, drinking coffee with him and well just being a wife again. I am enjoying having my bestfriend with me physically. We talk to Heather often and I love getting a text saying goodnight mom, I love you! It definately puts me at peace for the night. I have had alot of changes this summer and I feel like they are going to help us as a family grow into an even stronger family. I can't wait to share my adventure with my friends and family. The pictures I will be able to take alone put a smile on my face. I can not wait to finally take some classes in photography. I have talked about this for so many years now. I just want to jump in with both feet! I am ready to grow. I want to explore everything. This is going to be a great adventure! I hope my friends and family will have the opportunity to come visit and take part in our journey and make it that much more special. So hold on everyone, it's going to be a great ride!!!

Tic Toc

A week from today I will be moving my daughter into the dorms at Texas Tech! I can here the clock ticking away. I struggle with this in more ways than one. On one hand it means that I am that much closer to getting to hold my husband in my arms again but it also means I will be dropping my daughter off at school and saying my goodbyes. She is an amazing young lady and is going to do fine with all the love and support she has surrounding her there in Lubbock as well as here in Houston. This week will be a whirlwind as we get loose ends tied up and Heather all packed. I will definitely be leaving half my heart in Lubbock. She is my heart and soul. I also start physical therapy for my back while taking steroids. Fingers crossed this treatment works so I don't have to worry with an injection. I am dedicated to making this work. Finale diagnosis is a herniated disk in the lower back. Brian got the keys to the apartment in Mumbai and will stay there off and on while they finish getting things settled before I get there. I can not wait until our stuff arrived there and we can start making it our own. Things will feel much better then. We havn't had many hits on the house here in Houston but that is ok. I have to just have faith that it will all work out. I am ready to start this adventure. My mind is open and my camera lens is ready!!! Until next time......

A Continuous Stream of Chaos

It has been a little chaotic since my last post. I am in Lubbock visiting with family and friends for a few days while my daughter is on vacation with her boyfriends family in Utah. I figured it was a good time  to go visit. It has been crazy since before I left. After finally getting the insurance squared away I made my appointment for my back. It has been bothering me for several months now and really affecting my day to day life. It was time to get it checked out. Well, needless to say it couldn't be simple.  I had an MRI done that same day. I got the results back yesterday and I have bulging disks in my lower spine. I will go see a orthopedic spine specialist next Thurs. Fun, fun I tell ya. I am keeping my fingers crossed they can get this take care of before I leave. It is amazing the things you have to get done before a huge trip like this. All those things you put off and put off come back biting you in the butt. I had to get my eyes checked and glasses and contacts ordered and such. I still have to go to the dentist and get Heather all squared away too. Why do we procrastinate? This is going to be something I work on. This might be a difficult task as I hear in India things move at a VERY slow pace. Everyone procrastinates. I am going to try and be better. As I write out my to do lists (over and over again) I realize things that I haven't even thought of before. I have address changes to do still and I have to decide what address to change things too LOL. See why I titled this the way I did? You never think there will be a time that you will have to do all those things you put off doing in a very short amount of time. What a waste. I could be stress free right?? Yea right LOL. I don't think my body could function properly without stress. It is like a drug and I need the antidote! Brian will get the chance to look at our apartment in Mumbai today (tonight my time). I am excited and nervous all at the same time. Things have not run smoothly so I am sure there will be a hiccup or two but I am ready for them. I have a tall glass of water!! Bring them on!! I am looking forward to seeing the pictures. We had our first dealings with trying to buy over the counter medicine that we take for granted here in America. Brian had heartburn and needed some Tums or Rolaids. Well you think that is easy enough right? WRONG! They don't have either of those over there. I was here on the computer trying to research the equivalent over there. Well there really isn't much. I only found homeopathic treatments for the most part. We did end up finding something that will work but it was not simple that is for sure. You would think with Indian food there would be a huge supply of antacids LOL.  Now I am racking my brain thinking "what should I buy before I go over?" I can see it now, going through customs and they open my carry on and I have all these over the counter medicines. Yea that wont look weird! haha. Can you see me trying to explain to customs why I am hoarding all this medicine! Well I know things will work out and we will adjust to things over there. I have faith that we will have what we need. It is just hard to see that picture when it is not yet finished being painted! We will get there though, just wait and see!