2018

To say that 2018 was a year of change and challenges is something of an understatement. The more people I ask, the more confirmation I get that it was rough for many of us so I console myself with the fact that at least I'm in good company on this one.
It has been a year of loss and adventure, all mixed in a broth of contrasts. Among the losses that have hit me hardest has been the death of my dear friend Sharon whose absence only now seems to be settling in as something permanent and real. Particularly on these dark winter mornings when I wake, after having spent a night dreaming of a shared conversation does the pain of it feel especially keen.

We also got a darling little kitten, Lucian's furry baby who was the light of his life. But then we lost her after about 7 months to a parasite or something, we're not sure what happened, but it broke our hearts to have her go.

Fortunately not all of the changes have been as heartbreaking.
Some of them have been positive, including Luci's and my move to Westcliff. It feels like we've gone home, stepping into the embrace of a family we'd almost, but not quite, lost touch with. Like the best sort of family reunions.

Foremost among the adventures of the year is the building project we've undertaken. Let me be clear that building a house was not on my bucket list but it appears it will be numbered among the things that I am going to do with this life. Who would have expected that development? Not me, that's for sure. But there you have it, 2018 has been an odd one.

In some ways, building this ADU has been not unlike our year-plus travel adventure. Mihai wanted me write a blog devoted to the build and I might have had the fortitude to do it had the events of this year not taken some of the shine out of my desire to write. Also, there's the fact that people might be eager to browse through photos of Budapest and Athens but probably don't have much interest in photos of sweaty people digging a big hole in their back garden.

That being said, I will still include some photos just for grins and giggles and who knows, maybe there is someone out there who likes photos of sweaty people digging holes? If there are, I worry about them..

These two are the bedrock of the project. You can tell they're important by the matching outfits.

This is the core crew. Notice how the unskilled labor force has been segregated to the left

On occasion we get additional helpers which might not always move the project along in a forward trajectory but certainly makes for fun days

There were other deaths and there were losses of limbs (in some cases literal, in others, functional) but then those moments of pain were assuaged by the joys of new pets and Romanian friends and family coming to visit the States for the first time ever and Abbott Square theme nights and vacations and other bits and pieces of joy that make this life the messy ball of wonder that it is.

So we look ahead to what 2019 has in store, hoping for more adventures and less of the other bits.
It will be a big year for Lucian as he will graduate and then (if the house is finished) begin his life adventure living on his own (with a house full of vrothers, that is).
As for Mihai and I, we are beginning the process of moving back to Romania. This time there will be no shipping containers or mislabeled boxes, no vans stored in my sister's yard in Florida. If we haven't gone full Marie Kondo, we've at least learned to have confidence that we can find whatever we need in Europe.
What we won't find is a house full of people and it's strange to contemplate the image of the three of us (Mihai, Silviu and me) drifting about in Villa Ionescu without throngs of children and guests. Which means I might just be able to keep up on the housekeeping without hiring help. That will be a first.
Also missing will be Sharon. While I never expected her to visit Romania a second time, I had entertained ideas of bi-monthly marathon telephone calls during which she could fill me in on the details of how much she was enjoying retirement.
Alas.

Sharon Pritchard Jan 20,1950-August 19, 2018

Until we meet again, my friend.

Wrapping Things Up

It's hard to believe that after more than a year and a half of planning and talking about this trip, it has come to a close.
Originally we toyed with the idea to go from Hungary to Austria for skiing and more sight-seeing but after we looked closely at that itinerary, we realized that trying to fit one more country into the schedule would mean that we would spend a month racing from place to place, with very little time spent at home. Two years ago we went to three countries and it left us no time to be with friends and family in Craiova which was a bummer. (I know visiting multiple countries sounds glamorous but for anyone who has undertaken an overly ambitious trip, it's actually exhausting and somewhere around week three, no one knows or cares where they are, they just want to lay in a hotel room until the world stops spinning.)
This time around we made the decision to spend the last week in luxury and by that I mean we hung around Obedin. It turned out to be the place we all preferred so it made a perfect end to things.
In addition to lounging around the house in our pajamas, we socialized and worked, proof of which is in the photos and descriptions below:

Tibb was so excited to see us when we got back that it broke all of our hearts to think about how she's going to miss us once we're gone. Here she was lying, one ear up and waiting for the slightest sound of the boys getting up in the morning.

Cards with Alex (who is also going to really miss the boys)

One of our dearest friends from Craiova Gara is Dan who has since moved to Romanian Sign Language. They meet at the same time as Gara so at our final meeting we went upstairs and hung out with Dan and discovered, much to my amazement, that I could have a pretty decent conversation in Romanian Sign Language.

Over the years I have met a few Deaf people in Romania and I swear in times past I was unable to effectively communicate. Somehow, mysteriously, between then and now it's all changed, a fact that really excites me because I think when we go back I'm going to go to a few meetings in sign language since I really fell in love with some of the friends there.

After the meeting we walked downtown and tried a Spanish restaurant which had the best hot chocolate that Logan and I have ever had 

When we came out of the restaurant it was snowing and it continued to snow for the next two days.

Game party with Andra, Radu and Andrei. Radu and Andrei's parents came  over later but unfortunately I forgot to get a group photo.

The boys hauling wood for Silviu. Proof that it's not all fun and games around here.

Not post of Obedin is complete without a photo of Nuța

Tuesday night volleyball! (we didn't get a photo of everyone playing since Mihai and I had to leave and have dinner with Gabi and Carmen)

Then it was off to Bucharest for the last day and half. We got upgraded at the hotel and had access to the "executive suite" which we discovered just meant a lot of free snacks, drinks and tv.

Although I did a fair job getting photos of people, I'm still missing quite a few folks: Simona, Gabi, Carmen, Silvia, Cornel, Svetlana and no decent ones of Lenuța, the list goes on....
At the last minute I remembered to get Vali, our faithful transporter friend and my brother from another mother.

A random selection of photos that Lucian took and would like to share which includes the frozen pond and some pictures of Budapest and the road between Romania and Serbia

I can't wrap this up with words in any meaningful way, this is the best you'll get. Leaving is always emotionally draining for me and this time around was particularly tough. Until next time, dear readers.
Distanța este foarte mare.