We're back ..,

Hey folks,
the summer has been full:
- moving back to Victoria,
- starting a new job for Col (Software Project Manager),
- train tripping (Callum and I) half-way across Canada (we attended the Winnipeg Folk Festival, hung out with Kelly and co. at her family's cottage and reconnected with my Manitoba relatives),
- spending delicious time with family and friends,
- exploring the wet and wild west coast,
- hanging out on Hornby Island,
- camping at Long Beach,
- doing French AND Canadian paperwork.

Feels weird to be back. Still missing France and our community there. Settling in though - especially with loads of playdates, school around the corner and a job search on (for me).

Our new address is #56 - 1708 Newton Street, Victoria, B.C. V8R 2R2

Hope all is well with you and that your summer has been full of wonder.

Ciao (probably until Christmas),
Ramona

Just a quick note to let you know that we are in the surreal land of transition. We are still celebrating the year and a half that we lived as Europeans. At the same time we are embracing being back in Canada. Feels weird to have one foot in each country, but like an ear infection blasted by antibiotics our sense of balance is returning.

Callum is now six and thrilled to see his friends, grandparents and the ocean. He had a great time visiting relatives in the U.K., particularly his new cousin. Colin is working at his new job as Project Manager and will be in California later in July to meet his team. He is still speaking French with flair. I am determined to get fit, be creative and go through every single box we have packed and let go of stuff we don't need. I intend to enjoy my last summer with Callum and am heading out to the Winnipeg Folk Festival and Kelly's cabin near Kenora for two weeks, then camping with friends and their kids and reveling with gusto in what the west coast has to offer.

Our new address is #56 - 1708 Newton Street Victoria, B.C. Canada V8R 2R2 and we can be reached at (250) 590-0355. I am posting pictures on FACEBOOK so that you will drool and come and visit.

Hope you're healthy and laughing.

With joy, Ramona

WINTER 2010!

BONNE ANNEE - Integrated Goals for 2010

At the beginning of each year I pretend I am pedantic. I set up a plan for the next decade (I'm not joking), and lay out S.M.A.R.T. goals for the upcoming year (Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timely). I state in my journal what I am striving for in the following categories:

1. RELATIONSHIPS: Marriage; Mother-Son; Extended Family; Community; Int'l Community
2. MYSELF: Physical; Spiritual; Intellectual; Creative; Educational; Professional
3. As a FAMILY: Finances Present; Future Finances; Professional; Educational; Fun

I also set two mini-goals, adventures that contribute to the overall well-being of me and my family.

To make sure I'm on track, throughout the year I regularly reflect on/write about:
a. What I'm grateful for
b. What risks I've been willing to take
c. Where Callum is at
d. How Colin is doing
e. What's up with our extended family
f. What's going on with our friends/community
g. I check in on creativity/health/time in nature/quiet time/spirituality
h. Whether I'm living a life of service/writing/work
i. Financial check-in and budget alignment
j. What's new regarding France
k. The weather

This year my goals are STREAMLINED.

CALLUM - PEACE OF MIND
Callum is being picked on for not being/speaking French. There are a lot of kids who like him but no one to share his thoughts with, and no one to get his back when a group of boys decide he's an easy target on the playground. He's feisty, the "pack" gets a reaction, so it continues.
ACTION: I have a meeting with the Directrice, his teacher, the school psychologist and a work colleague of mine who out of the goodness of her heart is willing to be the interpreter. I am looking for solutions and I WILL facilitate change.
ACTION: Circus school - to foster skills he's proud of and to keep up his self-confidence. It will also give him collateral on the playground.
ACTION: Vitamins - Omega 3's help him stay clear and focused.

COLIN - FINANCIAL RESOLUTION, ROMANCE and HONESTY
For my husband I want a clean slate, for us to be free of debt and living in a balanced way that allows us to enjoy life in the present while making sure we're preparing for the future.
ACTION (finances): We've worked out a weekly budget and a timeline for debt clear-off-ment. We've been financially solid before, there's no reason for us not to make it happen again.
ACTION (romance): One date a week minimum, whether it's outside the home or in.
ACTION (honesty): Every day. This'll be hard, but it needs to happen. I can be martyr no more.

ME - PHYSICAL HEALTH (Derek Pritchard once told me, "If you don't have health there is nothing else."It's the foundation of being.) and SPIRITUAL HEALTH
ACTION: More sleep (more than 4 - 6 hours a night) through training and discipline.
ACTION: Exercise (3x a week minimum) with a goal (the 200km MARCH in the Netherlands).
ACTION: Writing (1x a week minimum)
ACTION: Studying French (1 hour per classroom hour- 5 hours in class/week)
ACTION: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants. (Great book - I forget the title).
ACTION: Time in the mountains (1x a month minimum) and feel the ground beneath my feet EVERY DAY.
ACTION: Do something new every day.
ACTION: Do something kind every day.

While it's not explicitly stated in my goals, family and community are extremely important to us. If I can manage the rest we'll have more energy and time for those we hold close to our hearts.

So as you begin this fresh year may you find yourself inspired by the natural wonders around you, by the people you meet, by the surprises that have yet to unfold. As I used to say to my compatriots at Outward Bound:
BE SAFE
HAVE FUN
BE TRUE TO YOURSELF

With love, passion and compassion,

Ramona Joy

WRAP-UP for 2009

I can't believe 2009 is over, our son is five, we're living in France and we've actually been to England, Paris, Disney, Germany, Italy, southern France, Alsace-Lorraine, up Chamchaude and Chamrousse, down to Carcassonne and the Mediterranean Sea, hiked in the Alps, eaten at least 50 kinds of cheese, made at least 50 friends, had soul-mates visit, been in caves, to the circus, gathered nuts, swam in Alpine lakes, attended French music festivals and light festivals and drank our way through Christmas markets. That is only a small taste of what the year has been like. More thoughts in my New Year's posting, but in the meantime to quote a friend, "I wish everyone enough".

If you are interested in photos (which convey our experiences more eloquently than my words), you can access the screen-size (and down-loadable) versions of my slide shows through the Picasa website (photo web albums). To do this I believe you double-click on a slide show in my blog. It will open up a new tab in Picasa web albums. To return to the blog just click on the original blog tab.

Thanks for taking the time to view this window into our lives here.
Though we have met many interesting and warm people in France, we very much miss our family and community that are located elsewhere.

Lots of love and hope to see you soon,

Ramona

Steve's Visit

Sledding at Chamrousse (1650m)