February - CHEIFS are Champs (again) and a bunch of quick things ...
Warm weather - growing kids - struggles.
February has been a little slower, which was welcomed. I have been able to do a few more lunches, dinners out, and hanging with friends. Planning the next few months so we can be efficient with the kids, travel, and the summer is vital so we have been investing time there as well …. just a few things below
Quick Hits
How ‘bout those CHIEFS!!! Superbowl champs …. the violence at the parade is disappointing and scary.
My buddies and I continued our tradition of ‘phones off’ the night before the game (it’s on at 2am here), and we watched with a small crew of about 10 over New York City bagels and bloody marys the next day. What a game! It’s so hard having your phone off to the world from 10pm to noon the next day. We just can’t chance a spoiler text message!
It’s easy to have a week or even two go by before I realize I haven’t really driven a car - or watched TV.
I got back to the COMEDY club - amazing night … I LOVE live comedy and have found they have decent comedy here (small venue, famous people testing the US market with the expats here). I found a few buddies who enjoy it as well … but I’d even go solo! Laughter is the best medicine, they say …
Living in the Mediterranean does not mean you automatically eat ‘the Mediterranean diet’ - junk food and unhealthy options are plentiful. (P.S. The bakeries are so hard to walk by in the morning!).
I realize we get invited to less in America since we moved here - but if you go somewhere or toss a party, invite us! We may just fly across the pond to the USA for a birthday or holiday party!
The toilets here - just can’t plug them. Aint no lie. Deuce Magicians.
I’m going for 100 pushups a day all year - so far so good.
Travel plans are still coming together. We just returned from Semana Blanca (ski week), where we returned to Baqueria - really not by choice, but it worked out that way. It’s always a blast to ski with the kids. I have a quick run to the island of Mallorca for a few days to work remotely and meet a strategic partner at work. The kids then have Semana Santa (Easter break) and we are going to South Africa for about 2 weeks. I land for a day and turn to Atlanta (a RARE work trip!) for 5 days or so…whew!
Kids are already enrolled in summer casals (sleep-away camps) and we are planning to be in KC and the Cabin 2 weeks early July (give me some FIREWORKS!). Kids go back to camps when we return and then we relax in the Costa Brava for 2-3 weeks before school starts (if you missed it - we are staying next year!).
I hope all back home are with healthy minds - even if not healthy bodies. Last year, we had health issues in the family, but they were all urgent/injury-type things - not cancer, heart disease, major back issues, surgeries, etc. I hear of friends and loved ones in America going through these times with disease and surgeries, and just know your mind is important - control what you can …. your thoughts, ideas, and effort into doing what you need/can to get better. Also, don’t just take a doctor’s word for it - do your own research and get more advice. Nobody cares about your body as much as you do….
Zurich for WINE! Alex and I ran to Zurich, Switzerland, to grab the wine we bought in Argentina in December. They would not ship it to Spain, Italy, or France (all world-class wine countries not allowing it in!), so we sent it to a friend I did my MBA with who lives in Zurich. We drove 22 hours over 3 days - and talked the entire time. Brotime is awesome … so is Switzerland fondue and a giant steak cooked on a sword in a beer hall! PS - we have some AMAZING malbec and Argentinian wine … so, come over and we can have some :)
It’s warm. The ski or winter season is not like it should be and we are seeing trees bloom months early. I am sitting in a plaza outside writing this - and it’s over 17 degrees (64 Fahrenheit) in FEBRUARY. It should be 10 or closer to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m texting with my Midwest buddies today, and it’s 70 degrees in Minneapolis and South Dakota. Be kind to the environment. Recycle - walk if able - do what you can - be nice.
Semana Blanca #3
As I said above we hit Baquiera again for ‘Ski week’ - where the school has off all week long so all (students and staff) can go ski. We had friends that went all over Europe to ski - and we had a great crew in Baquiera again. Skiing, lunches, and relaxing evenings. It was a great trip as expected even if not our first choice of where we wanted to go (long story). One thing again stuck out to me - the FREEDOM these ski instructors feel. Hayes coach for the week, grew up in Argentina, now lives in the Pyraneese mountains all winter to ski, then goes back to Argentina for a few months, then spends the summers in the south of Spain (Malaga) or in Mallorca (an island off the coast). He is not wealthy and likely makes about 25k or less per year, but he knows how to live - even at the age of 25 or whatever. He likely doesn’t have anything fancy but makes a little money every year and spends it wisely. He lives the way he wants …. nobody tells him otherwise. I love it. He isn’t ‘rich’ in the typical way, but as I continue to learn from many here, they are ‘rich’ in many other ways outside of financial.
Growing kids
It seems the kids are growing so fast. I know people say it all the time - which is one reason I’m working less, traveling with them more, and doing what I can to enjoy them at this age (lunches, bike rides, etc) while they are here. They will be gone BEFORE we know it I’m confident.…
Ellory is going through a pair of NEW shoes (not shit cheap ones but Nike’s) every 2-3 weeks. Hayes instructor said his feet are bigger than his and he expects Hayes to ‘grow like the shit Jon in the next few years and be awkward on his bike and ski’s’ so he prepared me to prepare Hayes - they are learning Spanish well, reading like champs (Hayes really sucks at writing though … it must be from my genes). Hayes is going to start hitting plaza’s with friends for a Fanta and a cookie to ‘hang’ without parents - Ellory has been asked by the 5th-6th grade Volleyball team to join them for an ea practice and games after the coach saw her playing and was very impressed with her skill level at 8 years old.
Hayes is learning little by little about organization and responsibilities. I still need to set him up with the allowance and chores - he has been asking for it. He lost his high-dollar ski gloves while on the Dad's Ski weekend and had to earn the money back before he could ski again. He picked up horse shit while all the other kids were at a birthday party riding horses and we had him in Alex's backyard for an evening - then on a buddy's terrace picking weeds and mopping. He learned how hard it is to EARN money for sure ….. more on this!
Struggles
I don’t really know who or how many read this blog - it’s meant for me and the family in the future …. but I know some read it, and that makes me happy and proud. For anyone reading this one (I think it’s blog #31), just know it’s not all fun and rainbows here. It isn’t all dinners and vacations. Just like any of you, there are plenty of struggles. There are many weights and challenges on me daily, and just like everyone else, I just do my best to deal with them. We had an amazing life in America - and have an amazing life here - but struggles there follow here; some struggles are left behind, and new ones form. As they say, ‘the struggle is guaranteed’. No need to go into details in this format - and I know I’m not alone with daily struggles. I hope your struggles are ok, and you feel like I do that you are capable of handling them with a smile and a positive mind. My struggles are minimal compared to the joys, but they are still there. The glass is always 100% full here all day, every day - but ….. the struggles are there.
Quotes I’m thinking through -
It’s a lifestyle - not a vacation.
Diversify your happiness portfolio. If you take all your happiness or joy or even fulfillment from one (or a few) things or people, it’s not good. Just like having all your wealth in one stock is not good, you should spread your risk. The chances of the job ending, a friendship changing, or kids leaving the house are real, and you should diversify now before it’s too late.