Hi Jan, I just read your latest communication. You have a way with words that makes the reader want more. You should be greatful that you have that gift. You know me...I would not have been able to give those colorful descriptions with the reader left wanting more...I would have only focused on the facts and not given any of the dreams and hopes that you are experiencing. Pete and I are still thinking about buying a house in Mexico but who knows at this point. We would like to spend part of the year there and then part in some part of the US where it isn't too cold and with a smaller house here. I don't know if that will happen or not but we continue to hope. It is more appealing with the political landscape at this point. I can totally relate to your struggles with the Italian language. I am still taking Spanish but it is a struggle coming up with a question using all the right words and in the right order and using the correct verb tense. And the older I get the more of a struggle that is. I think you need to just focus on one 'win' at a time and if you don't, it is too overwhelming because there really is SO MUCH going on, with just one of those challenges, not to mention all of them together. I have checked into a lot of the challenges that you are facing overseas with comparable challenges in Mexico...there are some of the same ones with the language test and a few others. I am going to continue taking Spanish at the community college and hopefully I can get some practice speaking and listening to Spanish. If I read it, I can understand a lot of what is being written but understanding the spoken word is SO difficult for me...the important thing is to practice listening and speaking...but I know that is difficult with Italtian since there are probably not a lot of Italian speakers there. In that regard, I definitely have an advantage there but maybe they have Italian classes there that you can take and that will go along way in helping you achieve your goals. Thanks for sharing your journey and Merry Christmas to you and Tom.!
Thank you, John. You are very kind. I think the biggest thing I got from your words is the need to focus on the wins - small as they may feel, each one matters and they add up! Absolutely!!
I enjoy seeing you on Duolingo. Wish we were learning the same language! :)
Thank you again for another marvelous update on what’s happening in your life! (sorry about the car!)
I’m extremely grateful we got to spend time together again this year in Sicily - and look forward to doing that more often!
Cut yourself a break. You’re doing a wonderful job managing all the moving pieces. AND enjoying life along the way. The house will eventually come together and in the meantime, you still enjoy being there.
If I’ve learned one thing over the last few years with several challenges, I have faced is that being flexible and open-minded will take you a long way!
Do I have everything I want in Sicily, no! But I am most definitely grateful for what I do have and I do enjoy every minute of being there!
Wishing you and Tom every blessing this Christmas season!
I love how thoughtful you are about even the smaller things in your life while staying incredibly grateful. Navigating language barriers, bureaucracy, and getting things done from afar is not easy. Many people assume money solves those challenges, but the wealth of experience you have gained is often even more valuable and often more satisfying. The house looks beautiful and slowly you will get there. Happy sounds like the perfect little companion, and Mazie will bounce back once everything is settled. Wishing you a productive and happy 2026!
Good perspective, kids and animals appreciate simple things. I'd like to be laying in some sunshine now as we're having a blizzard. But the snow does look beautiful.
Hi Jan, I just read your latest communication. You have a way with words that makes the reader want more. You should be greatful that you have that gift. You know me...I would not have been able to give those colorful descriptions with the reader left wanting more...I would have only focused on the facts and not given any of the dreams and hopes that you are experiencing. Pete and I are still thinking about buying a house in Mexico but who knows at this point. We would like to spend part of the year there and then part in some part of the US where it isn't too cold and with a smaller house here. I don't know if that will happen or not but we continue to hope. It is more appealing with the political landscape at this point. I can totally relate to your struggles with the Italian language. I am still taking Spanish but it is a struggle coming up with a question using all the right words and in the right order and using the correct verb tense. And the older I get the more of a struggle that is. I think you need to just focus on one 'win' at a time and if you don't, it is too overwhelming because there really is SO MUCH going on, with just one of those challenges, not to mention all of them together. I have checked into a lot of the challenges that you are facing overseas with comparable challenges in Mexico...there are some of the same ones with the language test and a few others. I am going to continue taking Spanish at the community college and hopefully I can get some practice speaking and listening to Spanish. If I read it, I can understand a lot of what is being written but understanding the spoken word is SO difficult for me...the important thing is to practice listening and speaking...but I know that is difficult with Italtian since there are probably not a lot of Italian speakers there. In that regard, I definitely have an advantage there but maybe they have Italian classes there that you can take and that will go along way in helping you achieve your goals. Thanks for sharing your journey and Merry Christmas to you and Tom.!
Thank you, John. You are very kind. I think the biggest thing I got from your words is the need to focus on the wins - small as they may feel, each one matters and they add up! Absolutely!!
I enjoy seeing you on Duolingo. Wish we were learning the same language! :)
We have so much to be grateful for. And small struggles keep us grounded. Thank you for the update.
Thank you, Alice. Happy Holidays!
Thank you again for another marvelous update on what’s happening in your life! (sorry about the car!)
I’m extremely grateful we got to spend time together again this year in Sicily - and look forward to doing that more often!
Cut yourself a break. You’re doing a wonderful job managing all the moving pieces. AND enjoying life along the way. The house will eventually come together and in the meantime, you still enjoy being there.
If I’ve learned one thing over the last few years with several challenges, I have faced is that being flexible and open-minded will take you a long way!
Do I have everything I want in Sicily, no! But I am most definitely grateful for what I do have and I do enjoy every minute of being there!
Wishing you and Tom every blessing this Christmas season!
Thanks, Fran. Being flexible and open-minded... Perspective! :)
We have good lives. Very good lives.
Wishing you every blessing of this season. xo
I love how thoughtful you are about even the smaller things in your life while staying incredibly grateful. Navigating language barriers, bureaucracy, and getting things done from afar is not easy. Many people assume money solves those challenges, but the wealth of experience you have gained is often even more valuable and often more satisfying. The house looks beautiful and slowly you will get there. Happy sounds like the perfect little companion, and Mazie will bounce back once everything is settled. Wishing you a productive and happy 2026!
Thank you, friend. And to you!
Mazie is currently lying in a sweet stream of sunshine and I’m reminded that “everything I need to know, I’ve learned from my dog” ☺️
Good perspective, kids and animals appreciate simple things. I'd like to be laying in some sunshine now as we're having a blizzard. But the snow does look beautiful.
It always does when it first falls! ☺️🤍