Yachting Like A Rock-Star

I partied like a rock-star on a yacht this weekend. Like-a-rock-star!*

 

Our morning started off at the docks – where we boarded a dazzling yacht. We are talking full on, rapper-style, all-white yacht. We knew very few (or more like none) of the people along for the ride, but the group could easily be described as a fit, tan and gorgeous. As soon as we reached open sea, girls peeled off their cover-ups to show flat tummies and tight bottoms. The men were just as fun to look at – perfect six-packs, short, tight suits and covered in oil.

The trip to the island took a few hours and was exactly what I expected a yacht full of gorgeous people to be like. The DJ spun tracks, drinks flowed, the sun shone and I genuinely felt like I might be a rock star – or at least part of rock star’s entourage.

The island itself was not much to look at – less than a ¼ mile in length and covered with sand and shrubs, its great appeal is the fact that large groups of people gather there on the weekends to wear bikinis, dance and drink. Technically, this is illegal, but seems to (thus far) have been overlooked by the government.

As the day wrapped up, I looked around at the yachts floating on the bright blue sea, the beautiful people dancing in the sunset, and the many nationalities speaking a variety of languages and it took my breath away.

I love the idea that everywhere in the world there are groups of strangers coming together for a good time – fun, love, and sunshine really can unite everyone.

*And like a rock-star all place/people names have been redacted to protect the peace-loving, party people.

5 Ways to Make a House a Home

I recently wrote a post about living abroad and how you can’t just force a place to become a home (read it here). That said, there are some easy ways to make a new place feel homier.

1. Pets

I am a pet person. Having a little animal prowling around the house makes it feel full and busy. There is just something about having this creature dependent on my coming home each night and waking each morning. Even at her evilest (and our cat is very evil) she still makes me feel loved and needed. Every time we’ve moved, we’ve ended up with a pet mere weeks after arriving. There really is nothing like it.

2. Color

I love color. It is such a quick and easy way to make a place my own. Moving to Kuwait, where everything is brown, I have become obsessed with adding blues and greens into our daily lives. Paint is the easiest way I know to make a room feel ‘mine’. I choose the color, I pick the place, I give the effort and suddenly the room is stamped with my personality. B prefers plants. There are so many colors, textures and types. He loves moving them throughout the house and is always extra excited when a new one sprouts. However you choose to add color, do it. It will take you a lot closer to creating a ‘home’.

3. Traditions

Back in California, I had a weekly girl’s night. Once I arrived in Honduras, I felt left out knowing these nights were taking place without me. Part way through the year, a new friend offered to start hosting a bi-monthly book club and I practically cried from joy. I have since realized that I need ‘traditions’. Weekly girl’s night, monthly softball games, yearly friends-givings, whatever form they take, once they become a regular part of my life, the more content I feel in my new ‘home’.

4. A Bit of 'Home'

Everyone comes from a different life when they move abroad. I came from a place steeped in community. Therefore, I had to bring a little of that community with me. I brought a quilt that my hometown gave us on our wedding day and cards my sister wrote me as I left. My friends and family are also fantastic at mailing letters to keep me appraised about what’s happening back 'home'. Every little bit helps. 

5. Memories (Old & New)

It may seem obvious, but it is important to keep adding to your home as you keep living life. When we first moved in to our new apartment, I filled it with photos of the people we love. Whether I simply stuck photos to our fridge or hung them in a display, I tried to get them up fast. As the year progresses, I keep adding new photos and such. The happy buddha reminds me of an adventurous trip to Sri Lanka with a new friend, the camel connects me to my new country and the photos can change whenever the need arises. The more you can fill your space with the things that make you happiest, the quicker you will feel ‘home’ again.

Home is Where My Heart Is...

Living abroad is great for so many reasons. Meeting new people, experiencing new adventures and learning about new cultures are just a few of the perks of moving every few years, however there are difficulties with being “new” again and again. And one of those difficulties is creating a ‘home’.

Over the last 20 years my definition of ‘home’ has evolved. For the first 17 years of my life, ‘home’ was a steady never-changing location. My parents raised us on a gorgeous ranch in Northern California. ‘Home’ was as permanent as it could get. My sisters and I were the 6^th generation on the same land. The view out my bedroom window only changed if we rotated rooms. Even the house color stayed the same. There is a lot to be said for permanence. It gave me the freedom to experiment with who I was and where I would live because I knew that ‘home’ would always be there.

When I went off to university, I didn’t go far. I traveled 2 hours up the interstate to the welcoming town of Chico. I spent the next 10 years there, attending school and then taking my first teaching position. At some point, ‘home’ evolved to mean the town of Chico instead of my parent’s house. ‘Home’ was now the downtown shops, the summer sunshine, long walks in the parks, days floating on the river, long boarding to the bars and the many friends I loved and depended on. Home was a city and I loved it.

When I first moved abroad I tried hard to make my new house and city, my ‘home’.  I hung photos and painted walls. I met people and ate at local places. I visited city landmarks and tried to create traditions, but I slowly came to realize that I couldn’t just make a ‘home’. It had to sneak up on me. It was a difficult realization. It meant a lot of homesickness and a lot of time worrying about what I was missing back ‘home’. It meant being hesitant about making new friends because I had ‘real’ ones back ‘home’. It meant comparing everything, and I do many everything, to ‘home’. I began to fear that the only way to make a new ‘home’ was to let go of the old one… and I didn’t want to let go of it. Not ever.

I am now currently wrapping up my fourth year of living abroad and my definition of ‘home’ has evolved again. I now realize that ‘home’ can be many places at once. My parent’s house is - and will always be -  ‘home’. It is a sense of immovability in the ever-moving life I have created and I am so lucky to have that. Chico will also always be ‘home’. It is my past ‘home’ and our future ‘home’ and I love all the people and life that is continues to grow and change there.

Most excitingly, where I am right now is ‘home’. I finally feel ‘at home’ abroad. Living in an 11^th floor flat overlooking the Arabian Gulf is ‘home’. B is here with me and always will be. I have realized that ‘home’ doesn’t’ have to be a house – but it can be. It doesn’t have to mean you will know the people forever – but it is wonderful to hope for that. It doesn’t have to fulfill every part of me – but all my ‘homes’ together do. Most importantly, ‘home’ is ever changing which is okay. It stretches to include family and friends, to include my past, my present and my future, to include those people I see every day and those I only speak to once a year. Home really is where the heart is… and my heart is in so many places around the world... Lucky me.

Photos (top to bottom): Zamora sky, parent's barn (photo credit: Robin), Bidwell Park, Chico storage unit, our Honduran front yard, our Kuwaiti apartment building.

A Riot of Colors

Shopping in Sri Lanka was an assault on the senses. A riot of colors greeted us at every shop. The masks, the costumes, the paintings were full of art and culture and life. It was glorious.

Choosing gifts (for others and myself) was so very, very difficult. At one point, I considered shutting my eyes, spinning in a circle and buying whatever my fingers touched first.

In the end, though, I settled on being inspired by the colors, the artistry and the memories they triggered. Elephants remind me of Lizz and Julie, cats scream Kitty, puzzles are all for Parker and owls, well owls, are so very, very Robin. 

I love shopping!

Money Katz

These guys rocked the photo booth. Very GQ.

Boots!

Photo by Ben Sheriff Photography - www.bensheriffphotography.com

Boots! I love boots! I have one pair I wear constantly and tons of others for special (and not so special) occasions. B also loves boots. He has only 2 pairs but they get worn everyday. He even wore them to play softball in. A man pitching and scoring runs in steel toe boots - sexy! So, of course, we had to have everyone wear boots in the wedding. And we are so glad we did. Have you ever seen such a collection of hot, hot boots? Love.