Happy Holidays
First and foremost, Happy Holidays to all who celebrate this time of year. And to all, we wish you peace and happiness.
I guess it is way past time for me to post a LJ update. I have been neglecting LJ for quite some time now. I've been so busy with work and travel requirements that I just haven't had time to myself. A couple weeks ago I was in six different countries in the space of one week. I know some people do that on vacations but this was strictly for work requirements. I did send a few emails out from airport lounges while awaiting various flights. At least I hope they got sent to some of you. When stealing bandwidth sometimes it is hard to tell if messages get dispatched or not.
We came back to the USA a couple weeks ago for both business and a vacation. We spent a few days in Fairfax, VA, our home, to see family and friends. Rick and I both had meetings to attend with our respective organizations - he with his law firm and me with the Company. Then we drove down to Charlottesville for Thanksgiving with Rick's Mom an Dad and several other relatives. From there we drove down to Florida to see my Grandma and have Thanksgiving again with her and several of her friends. I did most of the cooking, which was a lot of fun.
While there, we also looked at several houses we were interested in. Most of you don't know that Rick and I decided that when my work with the Company is over and done with, maybe seven - ten years from now, we want to live in Florida. And both of us really like the area where my Grandma lives. It is landlocked but it is also safe from hurricanes for the most part. It is a small city but there are always things to do and we are close enough to other attractions throughout the state that travel is easy. There are also several universities in the area so if I decide to teach, I can most likely find a job. Rick will have no problem finding a job with a law firm. His experience now virtually guarantees his a partnership within many law firms.
Anyway, we have had our eye out from afar for just the right kind of place. Despite the current housing market problems, real estate is a good investment if you find the right place at the right price. My grandma sent us a photo of two different places, both in the same development and while we were there, we toured them and loved them both. Naturally we liked the most expensive one the best. Ha! So we set up financing, put a deposit on it and are going through all the stuff one does when buying a place. We even managed to get the place covered with insurance. That was a major factor since so many companies pulled out of Florida after all the hurricanes hit the state back in 2004. They really took major financial hits and many dropped their customers like a hot potato. Try to insure a house along the coastlines. IF you can get coverage, you probably can't afford to pay the premiums demanded and still buy the place unless you are Donald Trump. Now, we are just waiting until the process reaches conclusion and the house is ours.
I have had a bit of a medical adventure while back in the states. One morning I woke up, opened my eyes, and what did I see? There was substantial blood inside my right eye and I could see it blocking part of my vision. I was lucky to get in to see my ophthalmologist who took the time to schedule me for later that morning for a laser session. Because of my diabetes, I have a profusion of new blood vessel growth on my retinas and they used the laser to "spot-weld" them. In the first session they zapped me about 500 times. Same for the second session. And I have one more to go. It is amazing what they can do these days. Most likely some time after I get back to Europe, I will have to have the left eye done too since he said that it was just as bad as the right one. Hopefully, once I am done I won't have further trouble for awhile.
Right now I am still in Fairfax. Rick flew back to Brussels a few days ago and I drove his BMW (very fast HA!) back to VA from FL. I'll be flying back to FL to take care of some more of the paperwork on the new house purchase and will then fly back to Brussels once that is done. When it is time to write checks, we'll come back to Florida for that. One of the best parts of it all is that my Grandma is going to sell her house and move in with us once it is all furnished and she'll live there while we are in Europe. Since it is new construction and built of concrete block, stone, brick and stucco and meets all the latest hurricane codes, it is much safer for her than her older home. Plus, the development is gated and guarded so her personal security will be much greater.
So, anyway, those are the things going on with us. I miss Rick and can't wait to see him but I am enjoying being home and am super-excited about the new digs. Photo ahead....
Here is a photo of the place taken before it was quite finished. They were in the process of laying the sod on the lawn the day the photo was taken. The place is huge, about 6800 square feet and some of the ceilings are over 20 feet tall. There's also an enclosed pool, spa and summer kitchen out by the patio. The place sits on just over an acre of land.
So that's it from here. Once again, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Tim
I guess it is way past time for me to post a LJ update. I have been neglecting LJ for quite some time now. I've been so busy with work and travel requirements that I just haven't had time to myself. A couple weeks ago I was in six different countries in the space of one week. I know some people do that on vacations but this was strictly for work requirements. I did send a few emails out from airport lounges while awaiting various flights. At least I hope they got sent to some of you. When stealing bandwidth sometimes it is hard to tell if messages get dispatched or not.
We came back to the USA a couple weeks ago for both business and a vacation. We spent a few days in Fairfax, VA, our home, to see family and friends. Rick and I both had meetings to attend with our respective organizations - he with his law firm and me with the Company. Then we drove down to Charlottesville for Thanksgiving with Rick's Mom an Dad and several other relatives. From there we drove down to Florida to see my Grandma and have Thanksgiving again with her and several of her friends. I did most of the cooking, which was a lot of fun.
While there, we also looked at several houses we were interested in. Most of you don't know that Rick and I decided that when my work with the Company is over and done with, maybe seven - ten years from now, we want to live in Florida. And both of us really like the area where my Grandma lives. It is landlocked but it is also safe from hurricanes for the most part. It is a small city but there are always things to do and we are close enough to other attractions throughout the state that travel is easy. There are also several universities in the area so if I decide to teach, I can most likely find a job. Rick will have no problem finding a job with a law firm. His experience now virtually guarantees his a partnership within many law firms.
Anyway, we have had our eye out from afar for just the right kind of place. Despite the current housing market problems, real estate is a good investment if you find the right place at the right price. My grandma sent us a photo of two different places, both in the same development and while we were there, we toured them and loved them both. Naturally we liked the most expensive one the best. Ha! So we set up financing, put a deposit on it and are going through all the stuff one does when buying a place. We even managed to get the place covered with insurance. That was a major factor since so many companies pulled out of Florida after all the hurricanes hit the state back in 2004. They really took major financial hits and many dropped their customers like a hot potato. Try to insure a house along the coastlines. IF you can get coverage, you probably can't afford to pay the premiums demanded and still buy the place unless you are Donald Trump. Now, we are just waiting until the process reaches conclusion and the house is ours.
I have had a bit of a medical adventure while back in the states. One morning I woke up, opened my eyes, and what did I see? There was substantial blood inside my right eye and I could see it blocking part of my vision. I was lucky to get in to see my ophthalmologist who took the time to schedule me for later that morning for a laser session. Because of my diabetes, I have a profusion of new blood vessel growth on my retinas and they used the laser to "spot-weld" them. In the first session they zapped me about 500 times. Same for the second session. And I have one more to go. It is amazing what they can do these days. Most likely some time after I get back to Europe, I will have to have the left eye done too since he said that it was just as bad as the right one. Hopefully, once I am done I won't have further trouble for awhile.
Right now I am still in Fairfax. Rick flew back to Brussels a few days ago and I drove his BMW (very fast HA!) back to VA from FL. I'll be flying back to FL to take care of some more of the paperwork on the new house purchase and will then fly back to Brussels once that is done. When it is time to write checks, we'll come back to Florida for that. One of the best parts of it all is that my Grandma is going to sell her house and move in with us once it is all furnished and she'll live there while we are in Europe. Since it is new construction and built of concrete block, stone, brick and stucco and meets all the latest hurricane codes, it is much safer for her than her older home. Plus, the development is gated and guarded so her personal security will be much greater.
So, anyway, those are the things going on with us. I miss Rick and can't wait to see him but I am enjoying being home and am super-excited about the new digs. Photo ahead....
Here is a photo of the place taken before it was quite finished. They were in the process of laying the sod on the lawn the day the photo was taken. The place is huge, about 6800 square feet and some of the ceilings are over 20 feet tall. There's also an enclosed pool, spa and summer kitchen out by the patio. The place sits on just over an acre of land.
So that's it from here. Once again, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Tim