Some Words

Hi there.  I thought this morning would be a good time for a bit of a what's going on lately post.  Currently I am sitting on my terrace, it sounds so much grander than it actually is.  Think tiny folding picnic table from IKEA, a few potted plants, a short string of lights, about five half melted candles on a Turkish plate and some hanging plastic bags filled with water in an attempt to ward off the flies.  Lest I forget the constant construction noises.  Drills, jackhammers, men shouting to one another from scaffolding, dump trucks, delivery trucks and the like.  There you have it.  I don't intend to minimize it's loveliness.  It is the place I am found most mornings and evenings.  Cup of coffee or wine in hand and usually a book close by as well.  Today it is my computer.  For some odd reason I felt the urge to catalog a few memories.

This week found me with an unexpected clear schedule.  Thing 4 left for football training camp near Graz Monday afternoon, leaving me Tuesday-midday Friday on my own. Essentially.  Husband Jared has had work all week but the evenings have been ours alone.  Such an odd experience.  In between empty nesting, as we call it.  Mostly we've eaten left overs or chips and salsa for dinner, lounged on the couch together until late in the evening and managed a few uninterrupted conversations about important things.  Ed Sheeran was in concert here Tuesday so we walked to the stadium where he was playing and listened from the outside.  First off, I absolutely love that we can walk everywhere.  About a mile in and we heard the concert begin.  Once we arrived at the venue there were people everywhere.  Peering in through the fence, a few enjoying a picnic and the music outside the walls and some even brought their own chairs and beer and took up shop.  Free show, yes please!  What struck me was that the security did not so much as blink at these bystanders.  They were almost welcomed to get in as close as they could, take video with their mobile phones and selfies too.  I can't imagine that happening in the States.  We listened to a few songs and then made our way home amongst the stars.  Kudos to us, we both closed all three rings on our watches that day too!  

Yesterday I visited the butterfly house in the city.  The Schmetterlinghaus is an art Nouveau palm house from the Imperial family.  The architecture is lovely and it is located about 200 meters from the Opera House and right behind the National Library, another one of my favorites.  They claim to house over 400 butterflies and forty different species.  I don't think I saw all of them on my trip but I will say the flora and fauna left me gaping.  Due to the tropical environment necessary for these creatures the temperature is kept at about eighty percent humidity.  It was a cool ninety five degrees outside yesterday and with the heat index maybe closer to 100, not much different on the inside of this habitat.  Let me just tell you that my dress was stuck to my legs, sweat was literally dripping from my face and my hair,  and well, the the frizz factor intensified.  All this in the name of research.  I am going to toss this one out there into the Internet void, I might be attempting to write a children's book.  Will someone please hold me accountable?  I wasn't aware that I wanted to undertake such an endeavor but lo and behold I can not stop thinking about it since Husband Jared had this idea.  I have never once thought about writing a children's book.  Ever.  Don't get me wrong, I adore children's literature.  You should have seen my collection before moving.  They were one of the hardest things in our home to part with.  Anyhow, the idea started growing on me.  What I can't seem to decipher is whether the idea seemed more attainable then an adult genre book and that is why I began to like it or if I truly want to write children's book.  I do know that after Husband Jared presented a title to me I could not for the life of me stop thinking about it.  Every time I began to play with the notion of writing this title would pop into my head.  If you know me you know I do not believe in coincidences.  At all.  Therefore I am lead to believe that this title might actually be the start to a children's book.  Time will tell.

Summer may be coming to an end but the heatwave continues here in the city, as mentioned above.  Which in turn means most of the Viennese are fleeing to cooler temps.  I can't blame them and next August I think we'll be doing the same.  For this year though that means finding out that our doctors, dentists and the like are on holiday for the remainder of the month, in turn making the scheduling of all those "back to school" appointments a bit more challenging.  Also, restaurants and shops that we frequent might be unexpectedly closed too.  Like yesterday for instance, when I wandered over to my favorite French bakery for a reading lunch after the butterfly house.  My mouth was watering just thinking about the salad with fresh baguette and the after lunch Melange and sweet treat waiting for me.  Only upon arrival a sign was posted in the window telling me that I would have to postpone my lunch until 20/08.  Boo.  I mean of course I understand the importance of a summer pause and the necessity of such a concept but this realization left me a bit undone.  Much pointless walking ensued after this discovery and I could no longer think about lunch.  Strange how that happens.  A consuming craving unrealized and then suddenly nothing sounds good.  Oh well.  I bet you can guess who will be their first customer on 20/08, that's right, me!

Let's see, what else is there to share.  I had a self realization that I am a nester.  As in, I feel a need to fluff and spruce as we near the back to school season.  I never noticed this before but here I am, a few days away from Thing 4 beginning his junior year of high school and I'm running to IKEA.  Nothing major.  A couple pillow shams, new candles, a picture frame or two, and rearranging existing art already in house.  This brings me a sense of satisfaction and makes me happy.  I do try to embrace all the seasons and transitions around us, those that we jump in wholeheartedly to and yes, even those that are sprung on us with no advance notice.  I suppose I have made this nesting a sort of unconscious routine with every new school year.  The organizing and clearing out clutter all seem to be steps in preparing for a fresh start.  And new supplies, oh how I love new school supplies!  Who doesn't love a sharp and pointed yellow pencil with a brand new gummy pink eraser on the top, just waiting to fill in bubbles and write names and stories and make mistakes?  Again, I digress.  With this season of schooling there aren't new supplies to be bought, Thing 4 has notebooks and pencils left over from last year, and there are no teachers to write notes to in preparation, no paper work to fill out (thank you Jesus), and no new backpack or lunchbox to be purchased.  He will open his laptop, likely place his headphones over his ears and listen to a recording, complete a lesson and do some independent reading.  I will have papers to proof and my parental login duties for our online school but beyond that the school year looks a whole lot different than it has in the past.  Of course tradition remains and there will be a first day of school dinner and ice-cream treat, that coincides with the nesting.  Wink, wink.

This summer has been filled with podcasts and reading and study guides too.  I shared a few of my favorites in this post but here's what's on the reading list currently: "The Bondage Breaker", by Neil Anderson, "Everybody Always",by none other than Bob Goff.  I am about half way through with this one and loving every sentence.  When Bob writes I can hear his voice.  Husband Jared and I heard him speak at a conference we attended a few years back and I do believe he is something special.  The pages are filled with stories, encouragement and his great big heart.  There's my endorsement, if it holds any weight with you.  I've been working through the study guide of Suzanne Stabile's "The Path Between Us" with a dear friend and the discussions and self realizations we've walked through have been oh so good.  And challenging, sometimes cringe worthy and other times I've laughed until tears have been shed.  I recently finished "The Masterpiece", by Francine Rivers.  Another story written about the redemptive and life changing love of Jesus.  A quick read but I rather enjoy a lighter fiction read every now and again.  At the top of the recently read list is "Educated", by Tara Westover.  Wow.  All I can say is read this.  Well that and it is brilliantly written and I could not put it down.  Next up is Tamar Adler's, "An Everlasting Meal".  I hope to make it through my 2018 to read list before Christmas this year.

Other happenings have included multiple trips to the Stadionbad, or in English, the Stadium pool.  Thing 4 rather likes this pool because of the diving board.  Me, on the other hand, not so much.  Yet, I will still go because spending time with him and watching him flip and jump and kick the ball around with strangers is what he loves to do.  It is a glorified water park with too many speedos to count, a few topless ladies, kiddy pools, water slides, a wave pool and lap pool and more people than it can hold at capacity.  You have the snack bar and a handful of plastic loungers, grassy areas and shade too.  Really all you could ask for on a day when 30 degrees Celsius is forecasted.  Entrance requires payment and that is the other kicker, but hey to cool off and spend a couple of hours in the sun surrounded by hundreds of our neighbors, it's not terrible.   I've been riding my bike up and down the canal and the people watching has been fantastic. I've witnessed graffiti artists, random music trios, sunbathers, after work cocktail drinkers, kinder on scooters and old couples walking hand in hand.  And that was just a mere 400 meters from my house.  On the agenda in the next week, categorize this year's photos in appropriate folders on the hard drive, mail Thing 2's birthday package, schedule investment education meeting for Thing 4 and visit an infamous cemetery here in Vienna.  Our lives here in Vienna are nothing if not typical.