First I want to apologize for not having any pictures posted lately. I have taken plenty but for some reason when I upload them to blogger, they delete themselves. I think that it has a lot to do with my laptop. Maybe when I get my PC and some extra time I can work things out. I have a lot of great pics already!
Everything is going fairly well here, I have to say. We went to look at the house that we want to buy last week. It's an older home but the lot is huge. There are about 100 olive trees and many fruit trees. There are fig trees, pear trees, pomegranate trees, apple trees and more. From the balcony there is a view of the sea and Mt. Olympus across the bay. It really seems like paradise. I just don't know how ready I am for that sort of thing. I am definitely not complaining I am just a little squeamish. Kosta has been running around trying to file paperwork for the purchase. He had to translate our tax papers again, yippee. Yesterday he went to Kozani with his mom, Iza and Foti to get more things accomplished. They are coming back today and I can't wait. It's weird for me to only have one child around.
Last week I met another American, so that's 2 that I've met here so far. It's nice to have someone to relate to. Anyway, the woman that I met last week moved here 5 years ago with her husband for a lot of the same reasons that we did. Kosta and I went out for pizza with her and her hubby last Saturday and it was great because they had some very useful information for us based on their own experiences. I got the low down on the schools that we are considering and also what you can and can't find in stores here. We had a great time!
Tomorrow I have to go pick up an American friend from the airport. She's doing a tour of Europe this month and is breezing through for 3 days. It'll be nice to have her here, I hope she brings lots of sunscreen!
Life is good!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
I surrender
I knew that our daily schedule would change shortly after arriving, it always does. I just didn't' remember how drastic the change would be. My neighbors all said that I would have to change my ways in order to manage life here. As a stubborn independent American I was slow to agree. The days passed and our jet lag has subsided and we still can't find a daily routine that we are comfortable with so I have surrendered to the hours that Greeks keep, at least Greeks on vacation.
For us, a typical day begins at 9:30am. We crawl out of bed put our swimming suits on and walk over to Yia Yia's (grandma's)condo. There we have a long leisurely breakfast that takes about an hour or so to finish. We still have a hard time with that. Today Kosta suggested that we find some cornflakes at a local store and just have that for breakfast-its quick and easy.
Next, I take Alexandra back to our condo for her morning nap while Kosta and Yia Yia take the kids swimming.
At about 2pm (or as close to it as possible) we have a long lunch. So far Yia Yia has made stuffed peppers, pastichio, faslolakia, briam and much more, so we are eating well. There is bread at every meal which is killing me because thus far my kids were only familiar with wheat bread which they would have only a few days a week. Bread is so bad for us!!!-but its also so yummy! :)
After our long lunch the kids take a nap at like 3:30pm or 4pm! Yep, it bugs the hell out of me and I tried to resist but if they don't sleep at all they turn into little monsters. I wake them up at around 6pm and then we go swimming again. We swim until about 8:30 or 9pm and then take showers only to sit down for dinner at 9:30 or 10pm. After dinner we may go for a walk or sometimes(if we are lucky) the kids want to go to bed.
Last week we went out for dinner at a local taverna at 10:30pm. It was completely packed. I would have never even considered taking my kids anywhere at night past 8pm in the States, but here its a lot different. It was nearly a disaster though because the kids were falling apart as each minute ticked by.
So, I surrender. As long as we are at the summer house I will just try to enjoy myself and stop trying to maintain any routine.
For us, a typical day begins at 9:30am. We crawl out of bed put our swimming suits on and walk over to Yia Yia's (grandma's)condo. There we have a long leisurely breakfast that takes about an hour or so to finish. We still have a hard time with that. Today Kosta suggested that we find some cornflakes at a local store and just have that for breakfast-its quick and easy.
Next, I take Alexandra back to our condo for her morning nap while Kosta and Yia Yia take the kids swimming.
At about 2pm (or as close to it as possible) we have a long lunch. So far Yia Yia has made stuffed peppers, pastichio, faslolakia, briam and much more, so we are eating well. There is bread at every meal which is killing me because thus far my kids were only familiar with wheat bread which they would have only a few days a week. Bread is so bad for us!!!-but its also so yummy! :)
After our long lunch the kids take a nap at like 3:30pm or 4pm! Yep, it bugs the hell out of me and I tried to resist but if they don't sleep at all they turn into little monsters. I wake them up at around 6pm and then we go swimming again. We swim until about 8:30 or 9pm and then take showers only to sit down for dinner at 9:30 or 10pm. After dinner we may go for a walk or sometimes(if we are lucky) the kids want to go to bed.
Last week we went out for dinner at a local taverna at 10:30pm. It was completely packed. I would have never even considered taking my kids anywhere at night past 8pm in the States, but here its a lot different. It was nearly a disaster though because the kids were falling apart as each minute ticked by.
So, I surrender. As long as we are at the summer house I will just try to enjoy myself and stop trying to maintain any routine.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Our journey
Our journey started on July 7th, early in the morning. We woke up and started to pack the last few things that were left out of the suitcases and tried to clean up around the house without much success. My family will, thankfully, take care of our mess.
Kosta decided to hire a limousine to take us to Chicago since we had so many bags as well as there were 5 of us and a cat. The limo arrived just before its scheduled arrival at 9:15am. I was near a front window when I saw it pull up and I immediately shifted into panic mode. I saw our neighbors from both sides come out of their homes to send us off. I left the room and burst into tears. I didn't think that I could handle the what was to follow. I finished what needed to be done and then found Amalia, to put her in the pet carrier. I called my mom to let her know that we were leaving because she planned to meet us half way to Chicago. Our neighbors were waiting outside and the kids were running and playing. As I went outside I was really trying hard not to get emotional, it took everything. Again, I wasn't saying "good-bye" only "see you again." We got into the limo and we kept waving as we drove down the street, until we couldn't see our neighbors anymore.
The limo stopped in Kenosha so that we could see my mom and get a few hugs and kisses for the road. We took pictures and hugged a lot. That was hard. We left from there and headed for Chicago. It was so hot that day and the air conditioner in the limo was scant. It just wasn't getting cool enough so we were all sweating for the whole ride. When we arrived at the airport we were so relieved to go inside because it was so much cooler. That lasted about 10 minutes. It was so hot out that it even felt hot in the airport after a while. It took a little less than an hour to check in. After checking in and paying for Amalia's ticket, we headed for the security check point. The line was long but was fluid. We had a little issue with Izabella at the security gate because she didn't want to let her stuffed horse go through the scanner. She screamed bloody murder until she got it back. Plus, she refused to go through the metal detector in protest. I had to take Amalia out of her pet carrier and the baby out of her stroller. Once we finally got through and Izabella got her horse back we were on our way to board the plane. That was easy since the flight attendants for Luftansa were wonderful. They carried the cat in and also some of our bags. Our flight was wonderful, no turbulence and no delays. It just seemed like we were on that plane forever. None of us slept very much, maybe and hour here and there so by the time that we reached Munich we were all toast.
We had to go through customs in Munich and that went well also. Again, I had to take Amalia out of her carrier only to discover that she had peed herself, yay. So I had to hold my poor kitty and she was so smelly the German woman that helped us seemed peeved. Oh well, what can we do?
We had 4 hours to kill before our flight to Thessaloniki. We had breakfast and freshened up. I cleaned Amalia up also. So things were going pretty well until Kosta took Foti with him to get some coffee. That's when it got scary. Foti decided to wander away from Kosta when he was getting his coffee. As soon as Kosta realized that Foti wasn't with him he ran over to me to see whether or not he came back to where I was sitting. My heart dropped and I jumped out of my seat to look for him. A woman that was traveling with us watched Iza and Alexandra while we went to find Foti.
The staff at the airport didn't seem to be too concerned that a small child was missing. One woman told me that it would be "impossible" to lose a child in this airport, not what I wanted to hear. I ran to all of the places that we had been before, no Foti. I had her call the police anyway. After about a half an hour I saw the silhouette of a small boy sitting on the floor. I couldn't tell for sure if it was my little Foti or another boy. As I drew closer I knew that it was him and I ran over to pick him up. My little bug was so tired and disoriented that he didn't really react. He almost fell asleep as I carried him back toward the terminal that we were waiting at, that was 6 terminals away. The woman that said that it would be impossible to lose a child in the airport noticed that I had my boy in my arms and just said, " oh good, now I can call the police to have them stop looking," as if it was ridiculous to begin with. So now we had our Foti and couldn't wait to get on the plane to Greece so that we could just relax for a little while.
That is exactly what happened. Everyone, except for me, slept for about and hour on the flight to Greece. The kids couldn't even wake up once we had landed. Both Foti and Iza were in the stroller sleeping while we were at the baggage claim and didn't wake up even when we put them into the car. It was hotter than hell also. Luckily we had 4 people waiting at the airport in Thessaloniki to help us with everything.
We drove about an hour to my mother-in-law's summer home and the kids finally woke up. We were so glad to have made it safely to our destination, but it was HOT. We rented a place in the same complex as MIL (mother-in-law) so we put our bags there and let the cat out. She was scared and tired. She drank a lot of water and retreated under the bed. I figured that the tiles were cool and she needed relief. The day after our arrival she vomited blood and I knew that she wasn't well. She stayed in the shower all day and tried to run out the door a few times. She was hot and sick. I did everything that I could to try to comfort her, but I knew what was happening. She stopped eating food and wouldn't leave the shower, even when I needed to take a shower. I would move her out and she would crawl back in. She didn't even flinch when I brought her tuna. I used a syringe to try to feed her but her jaws were clamped shut. Early Wednesday morning she crawled under my bed and passed away, three days after we arrived. I can't help but to wonder if it was cooler if she would have recovered from the trip without incident. I also wonder if it was just that she was so old. Nevertheless, we have lost our kitty. Kosta and I buried her on a hill under an olive tree. It' s beautiful there as it is peaceful and there is a breathless view of the sea.
So after the first week of adjusting to the time difference, Alexandra's teething and losing Amalia things are starting to look better. Alexandra's fever from teething has ceased and the kids sleep through the night. We now have air conditioning, Internet and a phone. I am so thankful that Kosta installed AC. The week ahead will be a scorcher.
I already have a few funny stories that I will share. I haven't had too much time to communicate with anyone via email or Internet so I thought that I would give you all a look at how our trip went. Until next time...
Kosta decided to hire a limousine to take us to Chicago since we had so many bags as well as there were 5 of us and a cat. The limo arrived just before its scheduled arrival at 9:15am. I was near a front window when I saw it pull up and I immediately shifted into panic mode. I saw our neighbors from both sides come out of their homes to send us off. I left the room and burst into tears. I didn't think that I could handle the what was to follow. I finished what needed to be done and then found Amalia, to put her in the pet carrier. I called my mom to let her know that we were leaving because she planned to meet us half way to Chicago. Our neighbors were waiting outside and the kids were running and playing. As I went outside I was really trying hard not to get emotional, it took everything. Again, I wasn't saying "good-bye" only "see you again." We got into the limo and we kept waving as we drove down the street, until we couldn't see our neighbors anymore.
The limo stopped in Kenosha so that we could see my mom and get a few hugs and kisses for the road. We took pictures and hugged a lot. That was hard. We left from there and headed for Chicago. It was so hot that day and the air conditioner in the limo was scant. It just wasn't getting cool enough so we were all sweating for the whole ride. When we arrived at the airport we were so relieved to go inside because it was so much cooler. That lasted about 10 minutes. It was so hot out that it even felt hot in the airport after a while. It took a little less than an hour to check in. After checking in and paying for Amalia's ticket, we headed for the security check point. The line was long but was fluid. We had a little issue with Izabella at the security gate because she didn't want to let her stuffed horse go through the scanner. She screamed bloody murder until she got it back. Plus, she refused to go through the metal detector in protest. I had to take Amalia out of her pet carrier and the baby out of her stroller. Once we finally got through and Izabella got her horse back we were on our way to board the plane. That was easy since the flight attendants for Luftansa were wonderful. They carried the cat in and also some of our bags. Our flight was wonderful, no turbulence and no delays. It just seemed like we were on that plane forever. None of us slept very much, maybe and hour here and there so by the time that we reached Munich we were all toast.
We had to go through customs in Munich and that went well also. Again, I had to take Amalia out of her carrier only to discover that she had peed herself, yay. So I had to hold my poor kitty and she was so smelly the German woman that helped us seemed peeved. Oh well, what can we do?
We had 4 hours to kill before our flight to Thessaloniki. We had breakfast and freshened up. I cleaned Amalia up also. So things were going pretty well until Kosta took Foti with him to get some coffee. That's when it got scary. Foti decided to wander away from Kosta when he was getting his coffee. As soon as Kosta realized that Foti wasn't with him he ran over to me to see whether or not he came back to where I was sitting. My heart dropped and I jumped out of my seat to look for him. A woman that was traveling with us watched Iza and Alexandra while we went to find Foti.
The staff at the airport didn't seem to be too concerned that a small child was missing. One woman told me that it would be "impossible" to lose a child in this airport, not what I wanted to hear. I ran to all of the places that we had been before, no Foti. I had her call the police anyway. After about a half an hour I saw the silhouette of a small boy sitting on the floor. I couldn't tell for sure if it was my little Foti or another boy. As I drew closer I knew that it was him and I ran over to pick him up. My little bug was so tired and disoriented that he didn't really react. He almost fell asleep as I carried him back toward the terminal that we were waiting at, that was 6 terminals away. The woman that said that it would be impossible to lose a child in the airport noticed that I had my boy in my arms and just said, " oh good, now I can call the police to have them stop looking," as if it was ridiculous to begin with. So now we had our Foti and couldn't wait to get on the plane to Greece so that we could just relax for a little while.
That is exactly what happened. Everyone, except for me, slept for about and hour on the flight to Greece. The kids couldn't even wake up once we had landed. Both Foti and Iza were in the stroller sleeping while we were at the baggage claim and didn't wake up even when we put them into the car. It was hotter than hell also. Luckily we had 4 people waiting at the airport in Thessaloniki to help us with everything.
We drove about an hour to my mother-in-law's summer home and the kids finally woke up. We were so glad to have made it safely to our destination, but it was HOT. We rented a place in the same complex as MIL (mother-in-law) so we put our bags there and let the cat out. She was scared and tired. She drank a lot of water and retreated under the bed. I figured that the tiles were cool and she needed relief. The day after our arrival she vomited blood and I knew that she wasn't well. She stayed in the shower all day and tried to run out the door a few times. She was hot and sick. I did everything that I could to try to comfort her, but I knew what was happening. She stopped eating food and wouldn't leave the shower, even when I needed to take a shower. I would move her out and she would crawl back in. She didn't even flinch when I brought her tuna. I used a syringe to try to feed her but her jaws were clamped shut. Early Wednesday morning she crawled under my bed and passed away, three days after we arrived. I can't help but to wonder if it was cooler if she would have recovered from the trip without incident. I also wonder if it was just that she was so old. Nevertheless, we have lost our kitty. Kosta and I buried her on a hill under an olive tree. It' s beautiful there as it is peaceful and there is a breathless view of the sea.
So after the first week of adjusting to the time difference, Alexandra's teething and losing Amalia things are starting to look better. Alexandra's fever from teething has ceased and the kids sleep through the night. We now have air conditioning, Internet and a phone. I am so thankful that Kosta installed AC. The week ahead will be a scorcher.
I already have a few funny stories that I will share. I haven't had too much time to communicate with anyone via email or Internet so I thought that I would give you all a look at how our trip went. Until next time...
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Last Post from U.S.A.
I am logging in for just a few minutes before I try to get an hour or two of sleep. The last few days have been filled with anxiety, happiness, love and sadness...and any emotion in between. The kids have been anxious as we keep them informed of where we are in the moving process. I think that they may handle it better than me.
We're set for our new adventure. I can't wait to see what lies ahead! My next post will be from Greece. I won't say good-bye to my family and friends, instead, I will say "See ya later"! The chaos is coming to a plateau!
We're set for our new adventure. I can't wait to see what lies ahead! My next post will be from Greece. I won't say good-bye to my family and friends, instead, I will say "See ya later"! The chaos is coming to a plateau!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Busy, Busy, Busy
Kosta's last day of work was Friday. I think he is relieved to be finished working and looking forward to the new opportunities that await him. It was also a sad day for him as he will miss seeing people that he worked with for over 10 years. I brought the kids to his office so that we could say our good-byes later in the day and I even felt sad to know that I wouldn't be seeing a lot of the people that have become part of our lives over the years.
Friday night we went out for dinner with Tom and Lisa. They treated us to our favorite gathering spot, Jalapeno Loco. I believe that it's the best Mexican in town! Thanks Tom & Lisa!
Although it's great to go out to eat and visit people, the kids aren't as entertained as we are. Saturday I took them shopping with me for some last minute things and they did OK, I think I was the one that was about to lose it if we were to continue any longer. We went to Southridge Mall so the kids had entertainment between shops. We went to one store and then I went to buy them a cookie. After the cookie, we went to another store. The next stop was the train. We can't go to Southridge without riding the train! After they got to ride the train I went to another shop with the promise of visiting the toy store, if they were good, on the way out. Kosta had given the kids $5.00 each to spend there. So, they managed to behave well enough to go to the toy store. While we were shopping, Foti had his $5 bill in his hand while he was trying to decide what to spend it on. For one moment he decided to put his money on the tray of the stroller and abracadabra...it was gone. There was a group of 3 little girls in the same aisle that we were and I knew that they took it, I just couldn't prove it. They were giggling and pointing and looking for toys that cost just a little bit more than what they were originally planning to spend. I knew this because they were discussing it just minutes before. They originally had only $2.00 to spend and "wala" all of a sudden there was $7.00 and their choice of toys grew which, in turn, made them just a little more excited. My poor little bug didn't even understand what had really happened, just that his money was gone. I talked to the store manager and we both agreed that there was really nothing that we could do unless we actually witnessed them take the money. The manager was really nice and gave us a gift card for $5 to use on another visit. I think that was really nice and not expected. So, the kids got their toys and we moved along.
Next, I had one more store to go to on our way out. I was shopping for a new bathing suit of all things. As I haven't lost nearly the weight that I wanted to before the move this was a little more painful. While I was searching for my new expanded size, Alexandra let out a scream. I looked over at the the stroller and there was Foti, covering his ears. I knew by looking at him that he definitely had something to do with the reason for her scream and I was right. He bit her finger. I couldn't believe it! In the middle of the store he bit the baby's finger! I was definitely the crazy mom out on Saturday. So that was it, we had to leave.
I decided not to attempt any shopping on Sunday so I just took the kids to the park. We picked up a few Happy Meals from McDonald's on the way and had a little picnic as it was an absolutely beautiful day. The weather was in the low 80's F . It was just beautiful. Later that evening we had friends drive in from Wausau. It was great to visit with their family and see how much their kids have grown. I think that it was the first time that all of our kids were finally big enough to play together without too much adult interaction. We also had a few "pop-in" visits as well.
Yesterday we drove out to Mukwonago to have a barbecue. I just love Mukwonago! It's so rustic and peaceful. Our friends' home is on a perfect lot that is serene but not too removed from civilization. It's one of my favorite places in Wisconsin. Thanks Brian, Paul, Nancy and Stevie! We had a great time and we will miss you!
We arrived home in the evening to meet more friends for a night a great conversation and great pizza. We ordered from our favorite, Lisa's Pizza. We are really going to miss that pizza! Oh, and we will miss you too Allen & David!!
Today will be filled with errands and more visits. I can't believe how time is just slipping by. I feel like I won't have enough to get everything done and see all of the people and do all of the things that we had planned for our final week. I have come to realize again that this time I am leaving for good, this is not just another vacation. So, as the days are winding down, I won't be posting as much. It won't take long for me to get back online though. We have my sister-in-law getting high speed access set up for us. Until then, we will be enjoying more barbecues, fireworks, friends and family!
Friday night we went out for dinner with Tom and Lisa. They treated us to our favorite gathering spot, Jalapeno Loco. I believe that it's the best Mexican in town! Thanks Tom & Lisa!
Although it's great to go out to eat and visit people, the kids aren't as entertained as we are. Saturday I took them shopping with me for some last minute things and they did OK, I think I was the one that was about to lose it if we were to continue any longer. We went to Southridge Mall so the kids had entertainment between shops. We went to one store and then I went to buy them a cookie. After the cookie, we went to another store. The next stop was the train. We can't go to Southridge without riding the train! After they got to ride the train I went to another shop with the promise of visiting the toy store, if they were good, on the way out. Kosta had given the kids $5.00 each to spend there. So, they managed to behave well enough to go to the toy store. While we were shopping, Foti had his $5 bill in his hand while he was trying to decide what to spend it on. For one moment he decided to put his money on the tray of the stroller and abracadabra...it was gone. There was a group of 3 little girls in the same aisle that we were and I knew that they took it, I just couldn't prove it. They were giggling and pointing and looking for toys that cost just a little bit more than what they were originally planning to spend. I knew this because they were discussing it just minutes before. They originally had only $2.00 to spend and "wala" all of a sudden there was $7.00 and their choice of toys grew which, in turn, made them just a little more excited. My poor little bug didn't even understand what had really happened, just that his money was gone. I talked to the store manager and we both agreed that there was really nothing that we could do unless we actually witnessed them take the money. The manager was really nice and gave us a gift card for $5 to use on another visit. I think that was really nice and not expected. So, the kids got their toys and we moved along.
Next, I had one more store to go to on our way out. I was shopping for a new bathing suit of all things. As I haven't lost nearly the weight that I wanted to before the move this was a little more painful. While I was searching for my new expanded size, Alexandra let out a scream. I looked over at the the stroller and there was Foti, covering his ears. I knew by looking at him that he definitely had something to do with the reason for her scream and I was right. He bit her finger. I couldn't believe it! In the middle of the store he bit the baby's finger! I was definitely the crazy mom out on Saturday. So that was it, we had to leave.
I decided not to attempt any shopping on Sunday so I just took the kids to the park. We picked up a few Happy Meals from McDonald's on the way and had a little picnic as it was an absolutely beautiful day. The weather was in the low 80's F . It was just beautiful. Later that evening we had friends drive in from Wausau. It was great to visit with their family and see how much their kids have grown. I think that it was the first time that all of our kids were finally big enough to play together without too much adult interaction. We also had a few "pop-in" visits as well.
Yesterday we drove out to Mukwonago to have a barbecue. I just love Mukwonago! It's so rustic and peaceful. Our friends' home is on a perfect lot that is serene but not too removed from civilization. It's one of my favorite places in Wisconsin. Thanks Brian, Paul, Nancy and Stevie! We had a great time and we will miss you!
We arrived home in the evening to meet more friends for a night a great conversation and great pizza. We ordered from our favorite, Lisa's Pizza. We are really going to miss that pizza! Oh, and we will miss you too Allen & David!!
Today will be filled with errands and more visits. I can't believe how time is just slipping by. I feel like I won't have enough to get everything done and see all of the people and do all of the things that we had planned for our final week. I have come to realize again that this time I am leaving for good, this is not just another vacation. So, as the days are winding down, I won't be posting as much. It won't take long for me to get back online though. We have my sister-in-law getting high speed access set up for us. Until then, we will be enjoying more barbecues, fireworks, friends and family!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Summerfest Begins
(This was yesterday's post-I've been experiencing laptop difficulties.)
Today is the first day of Summerfest in Milwaukee. I can't say that I am too excited. Although it is meant to be a whole lot of fun I have to say that I have never really had a great time there. The food at the festival is always great, I will admit ,but it is just way to difficult to try to enjoy eating in the crowds.
Here are some reasons for my lack of excitement.
1. It's too damn crowded.
2. Too many drunks, I mean really drunk drunks.
3. Too many macho guys getting in fights.
4. People from everywhere descend upon our beautiful city only to abuse it and act like idiots...and pee everywhere.
5. It's too damn crowded.
6. Even if you go to see an act, you are lucky if you can actually see or hear the act that you want to...(excluding the Marcus Amphitheatre of course).
7.If you have to drive through the city like I do, you will get really frustrated by the massive amount of cars with drivers that have no clue as to where they are going.
8. My neighborhood gets trashed.
9. Did I say that it's too damn crowded?
10. Even if you don't drink, you'll definitely smell like you've had more than your share by the time that you leave.
Again, this event is supposed to be fun. It is a blast for a lot of people but I can't nor did I ever get into that type of fun. How much fun is it to get stepped on, sworn at and have tons of beer spilled on you? In the past I have been burned by cigarettes, soaked by beer and punched, just by walking through the crowds. One of my sisters was slammed up against a brick wall once and her only way out of the situation was to punch the drunk woman who squashed her. My sister would NEVER punch anyone. I never liked dancing on picnic tables because they are too wobbly and you might get pushed off of one of those as well.
I guess that I have come to realise that if you really want to enjoy the event without worrying about the condition that you will be in when you leave is that you just have to be drunk. No thanks.
But even if you don't drink and want to brave the crowds go ahead and enjoy what the festival has to offer. Originally it was meant to be a lot of fun without all of the riff-raf behavior of today.
side note: just in case you are wondering...
yes I do like to have a good time
yes I do have a drink from time to time-I just don't get drunk for the sake of getting drunk, to me, that's just stupid.
Today is the first day of Summerfest in Milwaukee. I can't say that I am too excited. Although it is meant to be a whole lot of fun I have to say that I have never really had a great time there. The food at the festival is always great, I will admit ,but it is just way to difficult to try to enjoy eating in the crowds.
Here are some reasons for my lack of excitement.
1. It's too damn crowded.
2. Too many drunks, I mean really drunk drunks.
3. Too many macho guys getting in fights.
4. People from everywhere descend upon our beautiful city only to abuse it and act like idiots...and pee everywhere.
5. It's too damn crowded.
6. Even if you go to see an act, you are lucky if you can actually see or hear the act that you want to...(excluding the Marcus Amphitheatre of course).
7.If you have to drive through the city like I do, you will get really frustrated by the massive amount of cars with drivers that have no clue as to where they are going.
8. My neighborhood gets trashed.
9. Did I say that it's too damn crowded?
10. Even if you don't drink, you'll definitely smell like you've had more than your share by the time that you leave.
Again, this event is supposed to be fun. It is a blast for a lot of people but I can't nor did I ever get into that type of fun. How much fun is it to get stepped on, sworn at and have tons of beer spilled on you? In the past I have been burned by cigarettes, soaked by beer and punched, just by walking through the crowds. One of my sisters was slammed up against a brick wall once and her only way out of the situation was to punch the drunk woman who squashed her. My sister would NEVER punch anyone. I never liked dancing on picnic tables because they are too wobbly and you might get pushed off of one of those as well.
I guess that I have come to realise that if you really want to enjoy the event without worrying about the condition that you will be in when you leave is that you just have to be drunk. No thanks.
But even if you don't drink and want to brave the crowds go ahead and enjoy what the festival has to offer. Originally it was meant to be a lot of fun without all of the riff-raf behavior of today.
side note: just in case you are wondering...
yes I do like to have a good time
yes I do have a drink from time to time-I just don't get drunk for the sake of getting drunk, to me, that's just stupid.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
After a few extremely exhausting days I think that I have gained most of my strength back. We are caught in the middle of a heat wave and it's been at least 90 degrees F every day. That wouldn't be so bad if the dew point weren't in the 70's. It's been so sticky! I'm so thankful for my central air and wonder how I will cope without it next month. I guess I'll just have to sit in the sea a lot.
I haven't had time to keep up with the news but I did manage to learn that our Paris Hilton was released from jail yesterday. Boy, I'm glad. Now , I can move out of the country. I just don't get it, she is an heiress, right? So why didn't she have a driver or someone drive her for her late night burger that landed her in jail. And if she was driving on a suspended license, that is even more pathetic. The most pathetic thing about the whole story is that she received so much media attention regarding the jail sentence. It's a shame that our media focuses on our celebrities so much, even when they are criminals, when there are truly tons of other news events happening in our country and across the globe that warrant more attention than this pathetic heiress. So, I will stop giving her more air time now.
I do want to mention that now I know how to make naughty kids...just don't pay any attention to them. As we have been so busy with the move my answer to any of their requests has been, "not now", " maybe later" or " just watch some TV." It saddens me to have done that, but the last few days have been chaotic. Izabella and Foti are fighting constantly. Now Foti has learned that biting his sister could get him some attention, negative attention, but attention nevertheless. What also doesn't help is that the kids have almost no toys to play with and our house is nearly empty. Luckily, my sister, Joanna, had them for a little while on Monday as well as our neighbor, Lisa. And Lisa, is SO wonderful that she brought over her daughter's play kitchen and a whole basket of toys for them to play with until we leave. (What will I do without her?)
Since things have slowed down a bit I have been able to sit and read with them and even enjoy lunch with them again. I am the type of mom that will let dust bunnies run free in my home before I will let my kids down. Yeah, I know, where am I moving? The country where everyone constantly sweeps their balconies and clean is never clean enough. Anyway, back to what I was talking about... Having been so busy makes me realize just how important it is to have the time to spend with your kids and that it has put into perspective (once again) just how lucky I am to have the opportunity to stay home with mine. The next time I want to complain about how tired I am or how unappreciated I feel, I will think about how sad they have been without me doing what I normally do.
I haven't had time to keep up with the news but I did manage to learn that our Paris Hilton was released from jail yesterday. Boy, I'm glad. Now , I can move out of the country. I just don't get it, she is an heiress, right? So why didn't she have a driver or someone drive her for her late night burger that landed her in jail. And if she was driving on a suspended license, that is even more pathetic. The most pathetic thing about the whole story is that she received so much media attention regarding the jail sentence. It's a shame that our media focuses on our celebrities so much, even when they are criminals, when there are truly tons of other news events happening in our country and across the globe that warrant more attention than this pathetic heiress. So, I will stop giving her more air time now.
I do want to mention that now I know how to make naughty kids...just don't pay any attention to them. As we have been so busy with the move my answer to any of their requests has been, "not now", " maybe later" or " just watch some TV." It saddens me to have done that, but the last few days have been chaotic. Izabella and Foti are fighting constantly. Now Foti has learned that biting his sister could get him some attention, negative attention, but attention nevertheless. What also doesn't help is that the kids have almost no toys to play with and our house is nearly empty. Luckily, my sister, Joanna, had them for a little while on Monday as well as our neighbor, Lisa. And Lisa, is SO wonderful that she brought over her daughter's play kitchen and a whole basket of toys for them to play with until we leave. (What will I do without her?)
Since things have slowed down a bit I have been able to sit and read with them and even enjoy lunch with them again. I am the type of mom that will let dust bunnies run free in my home before I will let my kids down. Yeah, I know, where am I moving? The country where everyone constantly sweeps their balconies and clean is never clean enough. Anyway, back to what I was talking about... Having been so busy makes me realize just how important it is to have the time to spend with your kids and that it has put into perspective (once again) just how lucky I am to have the opportunity to stay home with mine. The next time I want to complain about how tired I am or how unappreciated I feel, I will think about how sad they have been without me doing what I normally do.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Check it out for yourselves...
Here it is in all of its glory. Can you believe it? I had to take pictures so everyone could really understand what I am so bent up about. This is not just another box to put in the truck...
and it's taller than our car! Now, let's think about it again. The man lives in the U.S. and his mother lives in Greece. He sees a beautiful curio cabinet on sale at a furniture store and wants to buy it for her. He doesn't own a truck so he calls my husband to help him pick up this piece of furniture. It's way too expensive for him to ship to Greece so he keeps it in his apartment and/or storage for about 2 yrs. And now we are moving our things overseas and he didn't think twice about including his freight.
Anyway, enough about him. I have to get packing. The movers will be here in a few days so I am running out of time. We are almost completely finished. I still have to go to the basement and sort through a box of old photos. I have way too many photos since photography is my hobby and I completely forgot about the basement box. I hate my basement because it's unfinished and full of spiders.
My sisters and friends are having a going away party for us tomorrow so we have a lot of work to do today since Kosta is still working during the week. It didn't help that I was sick last week and Kosta was the week before. We will be fine after the movers come. We will just live out of suitcases for the next few months. Well, I have to get working!!
Friday, June 22, 2007
The Opportunist and the Container
There is a certain Greek person that we know here that drives me over the edge. He doesn't think twice about imposing, in fact, I think he has mastered the art of shameless imposition. Since the day that he arrived in the U.S. he has relied on my husband to find him a home, a job, friends, cars and more, much more. He is constantly screwing up his life and waits for my husband's advice or help to fix it.
For those of you that know me well, you will probably know of whom I am speaking about, but for the purposes of this blog we will call him N. Before I go into what he is up to now I will give you a list of idiotic and nerve-wrecking behavior that has impacted my family and my every last nerve.
-First, he decided to move to Milwaukee because his mom knew my mother-in-law...not my husband. (can you see where this is headed?)
-He arrives and we drive him around town to look at apartments, nice apartments. He rejects every one of them and finds his own rat hole, complete with drug addict neighbors, the kind that knock on the door for a dollar or two from time to time....and then he complains about it.
-He didn't take a shower for his 1st week here, because he couldn't figure out how to work the shower. Sister-in-law showed him how to TURN THE FLIPPN' HANDLE.
-skip ahead a year or two because some of it might just seem too unreal....
-My husband goes to Greece to visit his family and N. wants to send something along for his mom. He comes over with an antique SILVER TEA SET and a leather trench coat, I am not kidding. It put my husband's suitcase over the weight limit.
-He decides to move to another big city in the U.S. and dares to ask us if we know anyone there that can help him. I stayed out of it. But, my husband gave him a name of someone. He moved there, rented an apartment, rejected a job that our acquaintance offered him and moved back here less than a month later only to arrive at our doorstep needing a place to stay. My son was only 1o days old.
-I will skip another year...
-He buys his mother a curio cabinet because it's a " good deal". My husband has to go get it with his truck. My husband asks how N. is going to send it to his mom. Hmmmmm....he didn't think of that.
He hangs on to it for a year or so and decides to move to another city. He puts the cabinet in storage. (is this still a good deal for him?) That city didn't work out for him either so he comes back here 2 weeks later.
After we tell him that we are moving back to Greece for sure he is struck with a great idea, he can put his mom's cabinet in our container. Never mind that she doesn't live where we are going, but at least it will get to Greece. Hubby tells him that we'll take it only if it fits. N. thinks that it will fit for sure because it's a container, hell if you can fit a car and the contents of a 3 story home into it, surely there will be room for one more piece of furniture. Ever since his great idea he has called every week to talk about it, you know, so we won't forget. Tomorrow my husband will go get the dang cabinet, so it will be here when the movers come and we seriously don't think that it will fit. My husband told him that it is the LAST thing to be loaded and if it doesn't fit...N. will have to figure out how to get it back to his apartment without his help. It's all so annoying.
I feel bad ranting about this but when does it end? I do realize that he is really good to our children and he thinks the world of us, but how doesn't he know that what he does is just out of control? His mom is wonderful to us also and I think that she feels bad for us having to deal with him. I can't wait to see how this turns out. ARRRGGGH!!
For those of you that know me well, you will probably know of whom I am speaking about, but for the purposes of this blog we will call him N. Before I go into what he is up to now I will give you a list of idiotic and nerve-wrecking behavior that has impacted my family and my every last nerve.
-First, he decided to move to Milwaukee because his mom knew my mother-in-law...not my husband. (can you see where this is headed?)
-He arrives and we drive him around town to look at apartments, nice apartments. He rejects every one of them and finds his own rat hole, complete with drug addict neighbors, the kind that knock on the door for a dollar or two from time to time....and then he complains about it.
-He didn't take a shower for his 1st week here, because he couldn't figure out how to work the shower. Sister-in-law showed him how to TURN THE FLIPPN' HANDLE.
-skip ahead a year or two because some of it might just seem too unreal....
-My husband goes to Greece to visit his family and N. wants to send something along for his mom. He comes over with an antique SILVER TEA SET and a leather trench coat, I am not kidding. It put my husband's suitcase over the weight limit.
-He decides to move to another big city in the U.S. and dares to ask us if we know anyone there that can help him. I stayed out of it. But, my husband gave him a name of someone. He moved there, rented an apartment, rejected a job that our acquaintance offered him and moved back here less than a month later only to arrive at our doorstep needing a place to stay. My son was only 1o days old.
-I will skip another year...
-He buys his mother a curio cabinet because it's a " good deal". My husband has to go get it with his truck. My husband asks how N. is going to send it to his mom. Hmmmmm....he didn't think of that.
He hangs on to it for a year or so and decides to move to another city. He puts the cabinet in storage. (is this still a good deal for him?) That city didn't work out for him either so he comes back here 2 weeks later.
After we tell him that we are moving back to Greece for sure he is struck with a great idea, he can put his mom's cabinet in our container. Never mind that she doesn't live where we are going, but at least it will get to Greece. Hubby tells him that we'll take it only if it fits. N. thinks that it will fit for sure because it's a container, hell if you can fit a car and the contents of a 3 story home into it, surely there will be room for one more piece of furniture. Ever since his great idea he has called every week to talk about it, you know, so we won't forget. Tomorrow my husband will go get the dang cabinet, so it will be here when the movers come and we seriously don't think that it will fit. My husband told him that it is the LAST thing to be loaded and if it doesn't fit...N. will have to figure out how to get it back to his apartment without his help. It's all so annoying.
I feel bad ranting about this but when does it end? I do realize that he is really good to our children and he thinks the world of us, but how doesn't he know that what he does is just out of control? His mom is wonderful to us also and I think that she feels bad for us having to deal with him. I can't wait to see how this turns out. ARRRGGGH!!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Duh!
I really can't stand when people talk on their phones and drive inattentively. What's worse is when they talk on their phone and try to back up. For instance. tonight we were outside for a little while after we saw my sister, Gina, to her car. Shortly after our last wave good-bye an SUV came barreling up our driveway so that it could turn back in the direction from which it came. I sneered at the driver, who was a young, attractive woman -talking on her cell phone. Never mind that she could have hit my children if she would have appeared 1 minute sooner but what's worse is that after she made eye contact with me, she backed up into a car right behind her on the other side of the street. She stopped her car after I told her that she dented the car behind her. How could she not realize that she totally backed into that car? Next, she hangs up her phone and hops out of her SUV to assess the damage. Let me just say that she was still holding her precious phone in her hand and also not wearing any shoes. How can people drive without shoes? Those pedals are not easy on the feet! Anyway, her jaw dropped when she saw the HUGE dent that she put on the parked car. Her next move was to stop and look at us for a second before she slowly tried to make her way back into the driver's seat. My jaw dropped and then she stopped and said, " do you know whose car this is?" Sweetie, of course we don 't know whose car it is. There are only 10 apartment buildings in a 2 block radius! Next she says, " oh, then should I leave a note with my information on it?" Ah, yes....duh. So she wrote a note and put it on the car's windshield. Then she drove away....duh. If Kosta and I had not been outside she would have never stopped. Apparently, she had another important call to make.
I called the police and they told me to just look at the note that she left on the car to verify that everything seemed legitimate, as well as leave a note in the case that the owner of the dented car needed a witness. I think that it's a shame that the police don't want to respond to situations like this anymore. So, I wrote a note and shoved it through a crack in the window. I will probably get a call in the morning.
I called the police and they told me to just look at the note that she left on the car to verify that everything seemed legitimate, as well as leave a note in the case that the owner of the dented car needed a witness. I think that it's a shame that the police don't want to respond to situations like this anymore. So, I wrote a note and shoved it through a crack in the window. I will probably get a call in the morning.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Dominic's Party
The birthday boy just off the stage!
Izá is quite a natural!
It was REALLY hot last Saturday at Dominic's party but we had fun anyway. The kids got to play on a water slide so they were fine. The adults started looking at the weight limit of the slide so that we could get some relief also. The temperature was in the lower 9o's (F) and it was extremely humid as well. It's been the same since then. Too hot to do much outside.
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