Settling into Malta... Finding a "Home"

Yesterday marked a week that we've been in Malta. We've been hitting the pavement hard, seeing houses & apartments throughout the area from the embassy east to the sea. While apartments are luring, with their rocky, turquoise views... all so breathtaking... in good conscious, we chose a country home instead. The fear of two daring girls exploring a high rise balcony was too much. And after 2 years of being a bit "cooped" up in our Dhaka apartment, we needed to spread our wings and enjoy some of our own outdoor space. 

Today GSO/FM (the embassy handy dandies) took a tour of the house, looking for any electrical or safety issues. It received a glowing review, only needing a security fence in front of the pool (yes, I said POOL... yippee) and some deterents around the balcony railings. So in about 10 days, we hope to be out of our temporary hostel hotel, away from the laundry hanging, poor water pressure, noisy streets and hard single beds (well, a "full" bed of two singles pushed together in our room), and on to start "living" our next two years in Malta.

(The office, "wine cellar" door, kitchen and dining areas.)

The house is in a small village between the ocean and embassy, a short 5 minutes to Ceiba's new school & about 10-15 minutes for Chris to work. Part of it was an old stable; the owner gently built around its history, staying true in design and carefully decorating. The stone is amazing, and it feels like a castle in places (especially the master bedroom). It's a quiet place, as when we went the other night to see the house in the night (wanted to see if it was brightly lit and quiet), we heard nothing but the crickets outside. Imagine we will need the drone of fans for a while, until we remember the quiet nights of our old woods home in Illinois. And I'm sure the neighbors will know the girls first names and some colorful vocabulary from hearing our discipline echo down the narrow, stone streets.

(The 2 living rooms, door to guest bath/laundry, back patio and spiral to 2nd floor)

Cannot wait for our things to arrive, though our UAB (air freight) is here awaiting us already. Our HHE should be just a week behind our move in date, we anticipate. Most rentals in Malta come fully furnished and equipped, so we shouldn't miss a beat until our effects arrive. Hope our king bed fits through the door...

 (Guest bed with private balcony, girls' bedroom overlooking central patio with garden)

 We couldn't have found a better fit, and we hope no quirks come up later. But their taste is spot on with us, a bit quirky and eclectic. The garden area is picture perfect, and their attention to detail is lovely. We can't wait to borrow it and call it our own for a spell!

(Landing stairs to the "castley" master, upstairs bath)

**After note to you FS peeps or explanation to others, most Foreign Service housing is previously arranged and provided upon arrival... complete with some stellar furniture (sometimes a few years behind in style). A few areas remain LQA (Living Quarters Allowance), where you are allotted a budget to find and maintain your own housing. Sometimes this is a curse and sometimes a blessing. Malta utilities are high and most everything is imported, so you have to chose with your pocketbook and not your eyes. Hopefully we made a good choice, time will tell!

Next stop... MALTA!

After three days of movers for storage, HHE and air freight, carpet stretching, travel planning (and changing... several times), taking the car to sell and driving away from our beloved house, we are bound for our next adventure...

MALTA!

Isn't it just now our bidding season, you may ask? Yes, but we bid on some NOW positions and alas, Chris was awarded Valletta, Malta. We were in a good position stateside, where we could move quickly... really quickly, in less than a month, so off we go abroad again. We joined the Foreign Service to live abroad, so we are thrilled with the chance to go out again!

Chris is already with the girls visiting family in St. Louis, as when things derailed with the move “plans” in Texas, it was less painful to go separately and let them unwind with family in Illinois while I wrapped up things in Texas. We’ll enjoy some time there before heading to Washington DC and then to our new island home for the next two years. 

An island... in the middle of the Mediterranean... with turquoise waters and stone walls, history and fresh produce. 

After 2 years in a crazy, but beloved, developing country and a quick stint back in America, we have butterflies for what this new chapter holds. 

Stay tuned, I hope to get back to Beyond the Cornfields more often with enthusiasm!

Puerto Vallarta break

I miss the photo diary that once was my blog.

A lot...

So I'll skip the chatter and just show some pretties from our week trip to PV last week. 

I am a Runner

I am a runner.

When I was a little girl, I ran through cornfields and cow fields, across logs over creeks and down rolling hills of wheat. I ran after lightening bugs at night and after June bugs in the sunshine. I ran after my sisters and puppies and kites. I ran far. I ran fast.

When I was a teenager, I ran around tracks of cinders, along field roads doing telephone pole drills, up rock piles by the high school. I ran after boys and from boys. I ran with confidence, ran and jumped through the air and leaned across finish lines. I ran with love of the sport, genuine and pure. I ran because I was good at it and it made me feel powerful. I ran on teams with members I'll remember forever. I ran partly because my dad ran and told stories of his love, because I shared it with him. I ran alongside the love of my life. And I ran fast... really fast.

When I was in my 20s, I just didn't run. And I got fatter. And my mind got boring.

I am in my 30s... barely, but I am. And I am running again. And it feels grand. It is no where near the elegant and sexy caliber of years gone by, but it's still running.

About 2 months ago, Chris reassured me to pay the money I didn't think I could justify to have a neighborhood trainer help me get back in shape. In those 9 weeks, I have gone from a unsightly mile to under a 10 minute mile. I strive every few weeks to "test" myself and increase my body's abilities. Gone from 30 pushups in a minute to 55 pushups in a minute to diamond pushups. I do squats and situps and crunches and jumping jacks and so many other calisthenics that is makes my body hurt. And while my body will not likely go back to what it once was, it feels good.

But my mind feels even better than my body.
And that makes me smile.
I love that I feel happier, more confident & healthier at old than at young.
Keep it a coming!

Regardless of how fast I move...
I am forever a runner.

Cozumel

We went on an awesome Disney cruise out of Galveston with the girls to Cozumel. The best part, was Gma & Gpa joining us! Those pics will come, but for now just felt the need for a small artistic outlet tonight.

Most of this you don't really need. I did add to my dias de los muertos collection and restocked my vanilla supply though :)