Things That Made Me Happy Today

• This morning, I tried on a sundress that I wore on my honeymoon and discovered that it was too big! I promptly took it in to be altered.
• Today, I am wearing a new sundress and Olivia declared, in English and Portuguese, that I was very beautiful today.
• I was able to stock up on another non-FDA approved drug. One that stops vertigo attacks within a half hour (approx) and which my babysitter calls her Meniere's attack SOS (She raves about it - It's Stugeron Forte if any of my friends in medicine are curious). I have 120 pills. They do not expire until 2014. I hope I never have to use one. But, the pharmacist recommended I have one on me at all times, especially one in my car. She stated that it works much better than Antivert (AKA non-drowsy Dramamine) and does not cause drowsiness in most people. I believe it's been approved in the EU since 1955. I'm not going to contemplate why the FDA hasn't approved it. I'll just get angry because it probably has something to with politics or something so entirely stupid, I'll just start crying and yelling at innocent American doctors. I never imagined I'd get so excited about scoring non-FDA approved drugs. DH likes to tell me that there's a reason they aren't approved in the US (The US knows everything there is to know about proper medicine, right?!). While I don't want to be on any drugs, of course, both of the drugs have been approved here for so many decades and have yet to be pulled, I trust in them.
  
• Today, I am on day three of feeling 85% normal. Since April, I usually spend two-three weeks straight suffering from a loud buzzing in my right ear. It sounds much like someone running a vacuum cleaner next to my ear at all times (and just as loud). Nothing I do gets rid of it. After a mini-Meniere's attack on Saturday, the ringing went back to the way it's been for three years and other than that, I only suffer from mild pain and mild ear pressure. I do not expect this to last more than a few more days. However, today, I am so happy about it, I cried. Oh, to feel normal again. Bliss, I tell you!
• I had a wonderful seaside, sushi lunch with a good friend. The food was delicious, the views spectacular, the weather warm and breezy and the company perfect.
• My girls spent a good half hour this afternoon getting along while they "did" my hair. Currently, they are aspiring beauticians.

The only thing that could make this day better would be the girls going to bed just as nicely as they did last night (they were PERFECT)!

Last Days Abroad

Our days in Portugal are, sadly, numbered. However, I am becoming eager (yes, I did just say that!) to move on. Though, it will break my heart to leave.

It is our last week in the place we've called home for nearly two years. Then, we move on to temporary housing for our last 10-days.

Olivia is spending her final days at school by going to the beach with class every morning.

Lila has been running around with me - tending to final move odds and ends. She's pretty easy to travel around with.

Matt is on his FINAL business trip. This time, Turkey. He's actually had some free time to explore and is really enjoying himself, albeit, busy working in between exploration jaunts.

Today was a good day, as far crossing items off our list. It looks like I sold our car (we can only ship one home and that will be the 4-Runner. We're buying a Prius when we get to Kansas), I was able to get something fixed on the 4-Runner, secure our temporary housing, make the dog's health certificate appointment (in order to fly back to the States), find shoes for the ball we are attending this weekend, schedule hair and nail appointments for the ball, get my lip waxed, pick up an outfit for a play Olivia is in on Friday and so on. I love being productive like this!

If you've been wondering why posts have been shorter over the past few months and comments on your blogs have gone down, and wonder why I am now eager to get back to the States, it's because I am in the process of being diagnosed with Meniere's Disease (see link for more info). There is so much I have to say about this and will post a lot about it when I am ready. For now, I am now eager to get back to the States for more testing and further, more pro-active treatment (possibly holistic on top of modern medicine etc).

As my first ENT here told me, "It's a very heavy diagnosis." I'm still in the fairly early stages of this chronic (life-long), disease. It varies from person to person. Some people spend their entire life with it suffering mildly, some suffer more severely, some are completely debilitated, some go through weeks, months, years or even decades of remission and for the rare, lucky few, it goes away and never comes back. The cause is really unknown though there are several speculations. Some of which may or may not relate to me and which I'll investigate when we get back to the States. There are several treatments. Some treatments work very well on some patients and some find that very little works. I believe my Meniere's started in Alaska, three years ago, with the now famous ear infection (all my friends in Alaska and my entire family and friends outside of AK know about that time period).

Admittedly, I am suffering from some reactive depression. I do not like not knowing what the future holds for myself and the impact this may have on my family. I'm also very concerned that I have it bilaterally as my left ear has started to bother me too (much more mildly, for now). So, there is the fear of losing my hearing bilaterally and suffering from very severe vertigo, eventually. However, being a self-admitted hypochondriac, I'm hoping that the left ear symptoms are there because my hypochondriac mind is playing tricks on me.

This disease is entirely unpredictable and that scares me. However, it just so happens that one of our babysitters has it and functions quite well. She has been a source of encouragement, as has a friend who's father has suffered with it for a couple of decades and, despite rough times here and there, he also functions just fine. In fact, he hiked the Grand Canyon with my father a few years back and my father never had a clue. He's never said a word about it.

So, I am only eager to get back to the States for further testing, care with doctors who speak fluent English and so on. I'm currently on a drug that is not FDA approved- it's been approved here for, I believe, two decades, and while I like it and have a six-month supply, I'm going to have to look into other options in the US. Or, buy it out of Canada. According to my specialist here, he very recently went to a conference in which the EU has declared that this drug, in high doses, does, indeed, reduce severity and frequency of attacks and he's a little pissed the US does not offer it to their patients. If there is any real great documentation and facts to their findings, I'm sure the US will dispute them.

As I said, when I'm ready to talk about it more, I'll blog about it. Talking about it too much upsets me and stress plays a big factor in the disease (as it does in most diseases). If my disease becomes very active, I'll probably start an entirely separate blog on the subject, as a therapy of sorts and probably private (meaning, I'll send out an email and you can subscribe to the private blog only if you want to. It will not be made public - I don't need hundreds of sufferers commenting with their success and/or horror stories for the time being!).

So, that's it for now. For the most part, all is good and the move is going fairly smoothly. I think, better than expected, so far. I hope it continues that way. We are eager to get back to the States and visit with our dear friends and family before settling in our new home!

We do have a little bit of time left in Portugal and we are going to enjoy every second of what has been a beautiful summer so far!

The Algarve

Liv and I share a carousel ride at the MarineZoo

After nearly two years living here in Portugal, we made it to the Algarve. The Algarve is among the most popular tourist destinations in Portugal (it's where Michael Phelps celebrated after his epic Olympic wins), mainly for the Mediterranean climate, beaches and reasonable prices (in comparison to other parts of Europe). English is commonly spoken and many local newspapers are even published in English. The British, Irish and Germans frequent the Algarve on holiday and many even make the Algarve their home.

I've been itching to go for months, begging Matt on a near daily basis. This week, he was able to get some unexpected time off and I threw together the trip in just a few hours. I was able to find a reasonable deal on an apart-hotel (the girls got their own room - score!), complete with a kids pool, fantastic restaurant (I had the best rabbit and the best tiramisu I have ever had at this restaurant) and ideal location.

I'm trying to learn how to save more money on trips, especially in the food department (I'm a bit of a foodie and, therefore, am usually fairly resistant to pack lunches, eat at fast food restaurants, or cook in our room - I really appreciate getting to know the local gastronomy and food is where I think splurging is hardly ever a waste - unless the meal and/or service was horrible - which has been rare for us so far) so I packed up food for our breakfasts each morning (which did save us a bit) and some snacks for the road.

I also made sure we each brought a reusable water bottle. I absolutely refuse to buy bottled water (unless I can't get tap water served to me at a restaurant). I am sure there are places in the world where it would be in your best interest to buy bottled water. However, so far, I have yet to have a problem finding a safe tap water source in which to fill up my water bottle. Can you believe that I have yet to get sick from tap water (in my entire life - and my family did travel a lot growing up)!! Who knew that tap water could be so safe and, well, free!

Sorry for the reusable water bottle pitch. You all love a good lecture don't you!

On to more important things - like pictures from our trip. Below are pictures from the MarineZoo and our hike around some of the beaches.

Lila and I hiking on trails around the beaches. I'm wearing a dress because I forgot that I had packed gym clothes (but I did remember that I had sneakers - can we say, "mom brain?") that would have provided me more comfort than this dress!

Liv had a blast being buried by daddy.

Beer kiosk open and ready for service, mid-day, off a main street - refreshing.

Liv and Matt take a plunge down a water slide at MarineZoo

Lila hiding from the dolphins (see below). She loved the sharks, was petrified of the dolphins - poor, confused child!

Olivia enjoying a cool dip in the MarineZoo kid's pool

And, finally: These recent US college grads know how to enjoy a vacation (minus the stupid water bottle)...anyone want to guess as to what they are reading? Seriously, even I didn't leave home without one of these books!

Update: The answer to what the young women are reading is: "New Moon" - book two in the Twilight Saga. And, until you've read at least 100 pages of the first book (it'll take you an hour or less to read 100 pages), no dumping on the Saga is allowed.

"I'm Portuguese"

Olivia likes to tell us that she is now Portuguese. She has become quite an affectionate child with her school friends, much like they are with each other, and in a way unlike most American kids (hugging, holding hands, kissing on cheeks and often, lips). I'm sure this will wear off in time as we settle back in the States next month.

My sister, Andrea, reminded me to get some "evidence" of Olivia speaking Portuguese. So, here is a video of Olivia conversing with her babysitter, Maria (Don't ask me what she's wearing. It's clearly one of her apparel creations). They are discussing grandma, grandpa and Aunt Andy. In the end, she asks for more food and tells Maria she is going to get a chair for her baby. She's really cute in the beginning because she thought I was taking pictures and not video. Enjoy.

Aunt Andrea Recap

Lila at Festa da Crianca (Children's Festival) in Cascais on Sunday. This was taken moments before I "lost" her. Every parent's worst nightmare. There were, oh, I don't know, 1,000 people down at the festival and as we were crossing into another tent, I thought she was next to me or with my sister. Apparently not! Try finding your child when your grasp of the local language is barely beginner level. Can we say, "PANIC?!" Long story short, after 15-mins (all the while I was thinking I would never see her again), my friend, Amanda, tracked her down. Someone had noticed her down at the BEACH wandering around!! She had told my sister she wanted to go to the beach. I guess she was serious!

Olivia and her friend, Katie, at the festival.

Andrea had always wanted to go to a Cirque du Soleil show. It just so happens that a show was taking place in Lisbon. So, for her college graduation present, I brought her and then took her out to dinner (see picture above of her enjoying fresh coconut water after the show).

Andrea and I showing off our Cirque tickets. No pictures allowed in the show, unfortunately. Too bad because it was fabulous!

Lila playing with my hair while waiting for our lunch to arrive in Lisbon. This is one of my great life pleasures and she nearly put me to sleep!

Lila showing off her beautiful eyes!

Andrea and her nieces at the beach (notice Olivia's temporary tattoos on her belly. She will not let us take them off!).

Mommy and Lila catch some rays

Andrea boarded the plane this morning and is off to take her nursing boards! She studied hard each and every day she was here. We know she'll do well and can't wait to hear the news that she passed!

Auntie

Baby sister and I at the beach

My baby sister (recent graduation picture above) arrived late this weekend and my girls have been eating her up! Seriously, they have ditched me for her (except at bedtime when they cannot resist putting me through bedtime angst)! Lila cracks me up each and every time she yells, "Auntie!"

Mostly, we've been relaxing. The weather has been fabulous and we hope to spend a little time on the beach this afternoon. I've introduced her to the local food and wine (YUM).

Yesterday, we went to Obidos (walled-in city an hour away). We shopped around for local handmade goods and had lunch. Here are a few pictures:

Dad and Andrea

Beautiful flowers spilling down nearly every wall of the city

Grammy and Gramp's Visit

My parents are here! The timing is perfect because Matt is away for another week. I have been able to sleep in for two days in a row (this a real treat)! My father has brought the girls to the beach a few times already. I really slack on getting the girls to the beach. It's 200 yards from our house and I think any other family would spend most of their free time there. I, on the other hand, take it for granted and do feel really guilty about it.

Anyway, here are two photos (above and below) of each grandparent reading one grandchild a book (Pinkalicious and Purplelicious):


Aunt Andrea (my baby sister) arrives tomorrow morning and we plan on doing girlie things like pedicures and hair styling. The visit to Portugal is my sister's college graduation present. She just graduated from nursing school (congrats, baby sister!)! Hopefully, our kids won't infest her with a toddler nasty virus as she has her nursing board exams soon after the trip!

Barb's Visit

This past week, our friend, Barb, flew in from Vermont. Matt was away for most of the trip but I had a great time being her tour guide (above picture is of us at St. Jorge's Castle in Lisbon).

Lila at Pasteis de Belem (best cream pastry shop in Portugal)

Pasteis de Nata (cream pastries) warm and fresh

No trip would be complete without tastes of the local cuisine. So, each day I sought out a local dish, local pastry and wine (For those of you wondering - yes, I may have gained a pound or two - I refuse to weigh myself as long as my pants still fit - and they do. Travel and guests visits are "cheat" days. I'm back to being "good." At least for the next few days before we head to Ireland and I surely gorge myself on Irish cuisine and beer) for Barb and I to dine on.

We had some very delicious food and wine, including grilled cuttlefish with ink. The cuttlefish tastes a lot like grilled squid. If I have it again, I'll have it without ink (that is an option) because I didn't really love the inky taste and what it did to my teeth (see picture below)!

Cuttlefish ink - though, my wrinkles probably stand out more

No trip to Portugal would be complete without a trip to a winery and I took her to my favorite winery on the Setubal Penisula. There, she stocked up on some wine and reported back to me today that it all made it back home!

Lila and I at winery

Moorish Ruins - Sintra, Portugal

Barb's visit was the last of visitors for a while. However, I've discovered, during the past few weeks, that I love cooking for people. I've made a lot of homemade dishes including lemon-ricotta pancakes, apple-oat pancakes, french toast casserole, egg cups, bread, carrot cake, pizza and sauce, and more. It's a lot of hard work cooking for more than just my family and, thankfully, all of our guests have helped out with the girls while I cooked (and helped out in the kitchen too) and helped with clean-up. Barb rolled out the pizza dough so nice and thin that the dough turned out to be the crispiest, tastiest dough I've baked yet!

Aside from the nasty cold Barb came down with (why do all our visitors get sick a few days after they arrive?), her trip was a success. The weather held up and we were able to stay on the itinerary I had planned out before she came.

Well, we did have one scare. Olivia hid on the babysitter I had watching the girls on Tuesday morning while Barb and I were a hour away in Obidos (walled-in city). I got a phone call as we were almost ready to head back home. I tried not to panic as I raced back home. But, she had been missing for over an hour and the local police were now on the "case." Fortunately, fifteen minutes into our race home, she had been found. Sound asleep, curled up on the floor beside my bed, wrapped in our thick down comforter (don't ask me how the sitter missed that one). She had hid from the sitter because she didn't want to take a nap. She got one anyway and scared the crap out of all of us!

We'll miss Barb and look forward to seeing her in July during our trip "home!"

Just Pictures

We said a sad goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa McQuilton and Aunt Maureen yesterday. Olivia woke up, discovered they were gone, and cried for a long time (it was heartbreaking).

Here are a few more "people" pictures from their trip (the above picture is of Uncle Mick, Grandma and her girls):

Lila generously loaned Anna Bear to Grandpa to comfort him while he slept

Uncle Mick and Lila

The Siblings with their father in Lisbon

Ice Cream Crisis

This was taken over the weekend in Lisbon. Grandma took care of the crisis by getting her a new scoop!

Drowning in Wine

Bacalhoa Vineyards

Yesterday, my SIL, FIL and I drove to the Setubal Peninsula to visit wineries and indulge in the local gastronomy. While we waited in between tours, we stopped by a local restaurant for a local dish of grilled "black" pork, homemade french fries, salad and wine (I thoroughly appreciate meals in which I know everything being served on my table is not only locally produced, but often organic and/or raised in the wild. This was one such meal). My SIL and I really liked the house red wine. We liked it so much so, I asked the owner where I could buy it, thinking it must be from the winery across the street. He told me that it was from a private winery located 2 kilometers down the road. He then proceeded to give me directions.

Driving down the dirt road to the winery just a few minutes later, we didn't know what to expect. Turning onto a somewhat sketchy, narrow, bumpy dirt road up to California Winery, I was even more skeptical. I parked right in front of the vineyards. The store looked like a barn, minus the cows (and smell). However, I took one look at the prices and nearly broke out into a song and dance. I purchased a 20L box of red table wine (that's 20 bottles of wine) for approximately 24 US dollars (boxed wine is more popular here and, actually, really good in comparison to the often poor quality boxed wines in the US).


I was a little nervous when we sampled some of the wine with dinner tonight. There was a chance it wouldn't taste the same as the wine we had with lunch yesterday. Fortunately, it was just as good! And, of course, I'm thrilled that I was able to get such a great deal (We estimate this amount and quality of wine in the US to be about $9-$12/bottle. We paid approximately$1.20/bottle)! I know I will not find wines deals like this when we get back to the States. I'm only sad that I hadn't stumbled upon something like this sooner! For the next three months, I will be drowning in wine, in the truest sense!


Here are two other pictures of our wine experience at Bacalhoa Vineyards:

Let the Fun Begin

Matt's family is here for the week (his sister is here and his brother will be here at the end of the week). The girls are thrilled!

Here are a few pictures of the first couple of days of their visit.

Lila scarfs down a cream pastry - sure to make a mess of grandpa's shirt

Sharing laughs and art time with grandpa and daddy

Aunt Maureen, Grandma, Lila and Grandpa at Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, Belem

Aunt Maureen and dirty-face Lila Kate

Come Along and Walk With Me

Locals enjoying the sun, views, good company, and a bica (espresso).

A good friend and fellow blogger recently reminded me to do this post when she, recently, did one of her own. The weather here has been spectacular. I am a sun person. I need lots and lots of it. So, I take advantage of going for a power walk whenever I can. The Atlantic is directly across the street from our house. So, I thought I'd take a brief moment to share with you some pictures of what a walk looks like to me. These pictures do not do the scenery justice.

Here's a peak into my world during a walk anyway (but, really 100x's more beautiful):

Short walking trail just beyond the cafe with views of Cascais

Cactus on the trail

I don't know the name of the tree pictured above. But, as I walk back home, I find myself veering off the side of the ocean and onto a back street where trees such as the one above are aligned. It's aromatherapy at it's best. Almost a lilac smell - but, not quite. Sometimes the floral scent mixes with several other scents that I will take with me, memories of sorts in my mind, when I leave Portugal - the smell of the sea, baking bread and grilled fish.