Honey have you seen my….?

4 Aug

Have you seen my phone, keys, wallet, Ipad, recharger, badge…? So much stuff to keep track of. This week I let go of a big one, the badge. I remember when it wasn’t necessary to swipe a badge to enter a building or an office. No picture was hanging from my lapel to identify me as NOT an intruder, crazy gun toter or perpetrator of domestic violence.

Wednesday was my last day of state employment. I was touched by the kind sentiments of folks who expressed sadness over my departure. The question of the day was, “are you excited???” Funny enough, I wasn’t. We have a huge adventure looming on the horizon with much to accomplish in the next two weeks. However, I did finally hit excitement yesterday when we set a departure date, two weeks from today! Yesterday we signed papers to put the sale of our house into the very capable hands of our dear friend Suze Miller. Once we depart, the house will be staged and sold rapidament (gracias a Dios). Until then, I will be very busy.

No More Stinkin Badge

No More Stinkin Badge

One last thing, we had a family get-together last Wednesday to celebrate my retirement and got a surprise gift we didn’t expect. My youngest son and his fiance are expecting a baby in January, a little girl, Sophia Aria Fisher. Life just get’s better and better.

Hunter's getting a sister!

Hunter’s getting a sister!

Bacalar Collage

Eyes on the Prize

Tags: , , , , ,

Down to Our Skivvies

28 Jul

I have been down to my skivvies two other times in order to seek adventure. Yes, I was a baby Torta long before I knew it. Once I moved halfway across the country and another, halfway around the world. In 1974, I arrived in Austin via Southwest Airlines. They had just celebrated their third year in business. The plane left Love Field in Dallas, propellers spinning with a little curtain between the pilots and the rest of us. I carried two suitcases to start my life as a University of Texas student. Three months prior, I had been in school in Central Mexico and was bemoaning the fact that I had to return to NJ. One of my teachers said, I know just the place for you. The University of Texas at Austin. Me – “ok” and that was that. Long before the days of Google, I knew nothing about my chosen destination. A friend back home flashed this weird hand configuration when I told them my plans and exclaimed, hook ’em horns. Me – “ok”.

On the plane, I quizzed my seat mates as to how far it was to the University from the airport. They gave me a look and a ride to the housing office and bid me good luck. I had almost no money and no idea where I was going to sleep. Ah, those were the days. The sweet woman in the housing office found me a couch in a University co-op. I was a couch surfer before the term was coined. Half of the residents came in at 3am and the other half got up at 5am, but the price was right.

August will be 39 years since that adventurous arrival. The time has been peppered with a two-year stint in Japan and vacations to Belize, Mexico, Thailand, Greece and Turkey. Pulling up roots and moving on is long overdue. The closets are empty as is the attic. My final day at work is Wednesday. In another week we should have a departure date.

SW Airlines Ad 1974 SW Airlines Entices
Hookem Hookem

Tags: , , , , ,

Image

Goes to Mexico

21 Jul

All along as we prepared for our life changing move to Mexico, we’ve been dividing possessions into what goes to Mexico and what doesn’t. Books, winter clothing, furniture, photos, children’s report cards, yarn, yarn and more yarn, gone to Craig’s List, Goodwill, Half Price Books, shipped to adult children and sold at garage sales. At the same time, we’ve been wrapping, boxing, labeling, weighing and giving value to the rest of our possessions. Labels must be in English and Spanish and added to a spreadsheet for review by imigre as we cross the border.

So what ARE we taking? yarn (of course) camping equipment, tools, exercise equipment and CDs, casual clothing (I’m going to burn all my work clothes LOL) some furniture, rugs, quilts, art, kitchenware, Lisa’s new TV and my new sewing machine, two kayaks, water skis and assorted prized possessions. All must fit in our 6×10 cargo trailer and in the back of our truck and weigh less than 7K pounds. Once we are all locked and loaded we will take off for our 28 hour drive to San Antonio, Laredo, Monterrey, Puebla, Villahermosa and Bacalar. Photos will be taken and experiences blogged. At this time we have no estimated date of departure. It will be soon, VERY soon. Stay tuned and as always, comments are appreciated.

Packing containers

Packing containers

Goes to Mexico

Goes to Mexico

Cargo Trailer

Cargo Trailer

Route to Bacalar – http://goo.gl/maps/13Xoq

Tags: , , ,

UpDate of the Tortas

14 Jul

As we prepared this week for the FINAL garage sale, it was helpful to be inspired by a TED talk “Get Rid of Your Crap” by Adam Baker. It provided the perfect attitude adjustment that kept me in a mood feliz while watching a steady stream of shoppers haul off our crap for a pittance of what we paid for it.

At noon, we loaded the remaining crap into the back of our truck and headed off to our favorite AIDS services thrift store Top Drawer. On the way we stopped at Texas Truck and Trailer to order the camper shell and tow package for our south of the border adventure. This was a huge CHECK off our to-do list. Next stop Half Price Books, where we waited almost an hour to sell three boxes of books and CDs to net us $12. Woohoo! Lisa spent $3 on a Twilight vampire book, and it was the first time we ever got out of there with $$ in our pocket.

After unloading at Top Drawer we scurried home to meet a potential Craig’s List buyer for my beloved scooter. The man was a federal judge who’s eyes lit up when they saw her. After a spin around the block, we sealed the deal. I’m so happy she’s gone to a good home and I will miss her. Now for the house to sell as easily. Our income for the day covered almost to the penny the cost of the camper shell and tow package. The credit card remains at zero balance. That’s really good.

I was reminded this week by my friend Terry that perhaps the house will not sell when WE want it to, but when we NEED it too. Wise man.

Last Garage Sale

Last Garage Sale

Digging Through Crap

Digging Through Crap

Off to the Thrift Store

Off to the Thrift Store

Gonna Miss Her

Gonna Miss Her

Tags: , , , , ,

Life is Better When You Play

7 Jul

My youngest son Dylan hated to have his diapers changed when he was little. Before I could fasten them at his hip he would flip over and crawl away from me at the speed of light on chubby little hands and knees. I would grab his ankle in a power struggle that he would loose and we both would hate. One day, I spontaneously grabbed a paper bag mask that my older son had made at school and popped it on my head. My baby lay mesmerized by the eye holes and jagged teeth, while I quickly fastened his diaper. Voila, struggle averted.

Dylan also would talk to puppets. Putting a sock puppet on my hand, I would stand behind the door with arm extended and he would carry on a conversation with my talking hand. Puppet – “Mom just doesn’t understand, right?” Dylan – “Yeah!” in a teary little voice he poured out his heart. We worked out many problems talking to the hand.

But the biggest problem was getting Dylan and his brother out of the community pool on those hot Texas afternoons. They loved to swim and treated each day as if it were their last opportunity ever and held on to the moment for dear life. In an effort to avoid the usual anger, threatening, and arm-tugging style of parenting that I resorted to in those days, I asked them if they wanted to play a game. Little eyes looked up at me with interest. I told them that I was a mama lion and they were my babies and there were hunters that we needed to avoid to get home safely. I took off on the adventure to find them running to keep up. We traversed the neighborhood from bush to stick tree, to the corner of a neighbor’s house, crouched low and whispering…shhh we must be quiet so the hunters don’t see us. We arrived home to snacks in a happy mood and my children didn’t seem to know or care that I’d pulled a fast one. I was the one who learned something important. Life is always more fun when we play.

Yesterday was a day packed with activity. We got up early, cleaned, ran errands, grocery shopped, and showed the house twice to perspective buyers. At seven o’clock, we finally sat to an anticipated quiet evening. Within minutes our friends called to remind us of a dinner invitation that we had completely forgotten. We were thirty minutes late! Oh, well, off we went again, laughing at our oversight. We had a wonderful dinner and appreciated our friends who worked hard to connect with us before we are “outta here”. The day ended with many items checked off our to-do list and a lovely dinner with friends. We played, laughed and avoided the hunters. Mission accomplished.

Dylan still loves the pool.

Dylan still loves the pool.

Dylan and his son Hunter.

Dylan and his son Hunter.

My Son and his family

Our Son and his family

Tags: , ,

Miracles Involve a Shift in Perspective

30 Jun

I remember the day my daughter was born. After months of indigestion, not being able to sleep (due to the gymnast residing in my belly), yeast infections, and a changed center of gravity, I went through this scary, uncertain experience called birth. I was 24 years old. It was painful and I didn’t know how long it would last, but in the end, I got the most beautiful gift…mi hija. Those were the days when you had to wait for someone to announce, “It’s a girl” or boy. After she was born, I was amazed at my body that had grown a child, birthed it into the world and was fully equipped to feed her. I had very little to do with it really, but I had faith and trust in this miraculous process.

There are times when I feel like I’m giving birth to this experience called, “moving to Mexico”. I’ve felt much less stressed this week. The house is prepped for selling and we have shown it several times. No one has backed a Brinks truck up to our door and unloaded the required bags of money (my vision). Today and every Sunday we are having an open house until it sells.

We are butterflies struggling out of the cocoon to spread our wings and fly. The struggle is itself part of the miraculous process that is required to throw off the cocoon and strengthen our wings for that migrational trip south. At times it is difficult to hang onto this enlightened perspective, the struggle is part of the process and something to be embraced with lessons of its own.

Visiting Bakersfield

Napping @Grandma’s

2011_Alex_Felice

Taking silly pics with the computer.

San Diego Tea Time

Stressing About Being Stressed

24 Jun

I detach myself from preconceived outcomes and trust that all is well.
~Anita Moorjani~

This is not the sexy part of the Adventures of Dos Tortas. Lisa got out of the hospital on Wednesday with a diagnosis of IBS (Irritible Bowel Syndrome). The combination of less than stellar eating and stress equals severe abdominal pain for her. For me it translates into chest pain and heart palpitations. This is NOT the fun part. At this point, all we can do is TRUST. We have no control, none, zilch, zippidy-doo-dah on the control. We KNOW the house will sell. We don’t know when or to whom. Our rental house is sold and closed. The FOR SALE sign on our present house is out on the curb and we’ve already had a serious looker. They’re bringing a contract. We’ll see.

If you’re considering selling all your possessions (or giving them away) and moving out of the country, here are some things I suggest:
~ Either do it by yourself or have an amazing partner who is “all in”. We have a solid relationship and by that I do not mean the absence of conflict. We have each other’s backs and are numero uno, each to the other.
~ No matter how much time you set aside to prepare, the end will be loco. There will not be enough massages, positive affirmations, meditations or meltdowns that will get you through this process unscathed. We have an incredibly supportive family and friends and that has helped so much.
~ It really helps to have a job that allows you some flexible time to search the web, write a blog or communicate with realtors. (It helps if it pays pretty well too.)
~ Be frugal…rarely eat out, invest in your future, be driven and committed. I mentioned it before, but the book YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE (Robin & Dominguez), played a big part in getting me to this place.
~ Even if you would NEVER sell all your posessions and move out of the country, start today downsizing, simplifying, and being more frugal. All this STUFF takes up a lot of life energy. It must be bought, maintained, stored, disposed of, passed down, cleaned, and organized by you or someone after you’re gone.

Pictures of our house.
There’s also a detailed description on Austin Craig’s List that I posted last night. Please pass this information on to your friends. Maybe their dream is to chuck it all and move to Austin.

Sunset Lake Bacalar

Sunset Lake Bacalar

Tags: , , ,

A Sidebar

16 Jun

The Tortas were off on an adventure of a different sort this past weekend. Lisa was hospitalized for some tests to discover the source of a nagging abdominal pain turned severe. It’s been going on for quite sometime, but as she is a disabled veteran without health insurance (not able to be on my health insurance since we cannot legally marry) the wheels turn very slowly at the Veterans Administration. That being said, my planned blog will be postponed for now. I cannot close without saying that veterans deserve better medical treatment than they are getting. I viewed a hospital that is understaffed and without infrastructure to handle it’s patient load. This problem started last September and has taken this long due to delays of crucial tests. Finally showing up at the ER on Friday took 9 hours and repeated demands for pain medication. But we are optimistic and very grateful to the kind staff that are keeping her comfortable until we can figure out what is causing this problem. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Until next week dear readers.

Tags:

If Men Wore Skirts

9 Jun

Can you imagine going to work, or to the grocery store or church and seeing men wearing skirts? Now imagine how our world would have to change for skirt-wearing men to be the norm. There would be gender equality and a balance of power? Pink and blue beanies would not be the uniform at birth? A lot would have to change in our country to see men comfortable enough to wear skirts.

The change going on in OUR lives isn’t quite as dramatic, but sometimes it feels like it is. We are letting go of all things familiar, jobs, family, neighbors, friends, a home of almost 18 years in a city where I’ve lived since I was 22 years old. I am getting rid of the old, the borrowed and the blue. And I wonder why I feel tense. One week I blog about being fearless and the next, about being stressed out. Arghhhhhhhh.

Because I am committed to honesty I tell you that this is NOT easy. Even though we both want it, have planned it, are excited about the move and the life that we are going to, my body somehow resists. I have been to the doctor who told me that my heart and BP are fine. I meditate, exercise, eat well and get enough sleep. Am I scared? I can’t imagine of what. We have no deadlines really. Things will work out fine however they do. “This too shall pass” is my mantra. I also tell myself that feeling this pressure in my chest is NOT a character flaw. I cannot control the anxiety I feel as much as I want to argue with my body that, “this doesn’t make sense!!” It is what it is and sharing my experience with you helps relieve the pressure. I don’t KNOW it all and I don’t want to appear as if I’ve got it all figured out, because I DON’T. There is a message here that I want to be open to. Perhaps if I do more listening than talking I will hear what it is. This last thought only came to me as I wrote it now. So I get to be fearless in listening to my body. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Enjoying a Sunny Lake Bacalar Day

Enjoying a Sunny Lake Bacalar Day

My Daughter's Wedding 5/13

My Daughter’s Wedding 5/13

Tags: , , , ,

Marry Me

2 Jun

In the middle of planning our escape to Mexico, my daughter was planning a wedding…..and what a beautiful wedding it turned out to be. I arrived last Monday to northern California wine country to assist with the decorating, staging, hand-holding and oooing and aaahing. There was much hugging, kissing and eating, LOTS of eating. I had nails painted, hair fluffed and makeup applied. I also squeezed into underwear two sizes too small that I was too cheap to replace.

The weekend was the coming together of a large, diverse family, four moms, three dads, nine siblings and their spouses, assorted cousins and children. We got to know each other and fell in love with our beauty, willingness to work together and our mutual love for these children who love each other.

The toast I shared at the rehearsal dinner:

Felice and Doug – May 31, 2013
November 18th, we got the call
He went down on one knee! 

She said “yes”, next came the text,

Of a ring selected perfectly.
Now when’s the date?
We can’t wait till summer,

The sooner the better,

No one’s getting any younger.
May 31st it is,

Not that far away,
Save the dates, invitations, wedding showers & a gown without delay.
Families and friends said yes,

As the wedsite counted down,

OMG is this fun?
The flowers, the cake, the lights and the rings,

The dancing and rituals, “I hope no one sings!”
Doug and Felice – a toast to your day,

Before the honeymoon provides a much needed get-away.
The start of a new family,
No one could be prouder than we your parentals,

Tricia & Jerry, Steve & Terry, Max and Lisa and most of all me.

Escorting my daughter on her wedding day.

Escorting my Daughter on her wedding day.

2013 wedding lineup

Jumping for Joy

Jumping for Joy


2013 Engagement

Tags: ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →

Emilie Vardaman

travel and random thoughts

Your Hand in Mind

Musings of a human factors engineer after her brain was released...

Adventures with LoLo

Surviving Yucatan

Smoothing out Mexico's rough spots.

Surviving Mexico

Adventures and Disasters

Perking the Pansies

Jack Scott's random ramblings

WordPress.com News

The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.