Long Time, No Post - Short update

Highlights from the past six months:

Mr. Wendell Roc is now one year old! Roc started preschool in September and loves it. He gets to spend time out of the house, in a different an environment. He has five teeth with one more that has just broken the surface. He walks using a walker and stands sturdily. He is very friendly, smiles and says "hola" to almost everyone he sees passing by on the street. He loves watching pigeons, dogs and cats. He is very observant and curious. We are enjoying watching his personality develop. It's very lovely.

Happy birthday, Roc!

In March we moved to Terrassa from El Vendrell. We didn't really start settling until after we returned from the Holy Land in May. The move changed our daily routine quite a bit. I went from having daily support to managing a home on my own (obviously, my husband helps when he is not working) and taking care of Roc full time, right at a point where he became much more alert, aware and active. It has been an abrupt change - one which I hope to write at more length with time.

With May, came the end of the academic year and I had to wait to start many activities, making for a very long summer. Thankfully, now that fall is in full swing, I have started participating more in the life of society: Catalan classes, English language interchange, quilting classes, driver's ed, children's classes and study circles. This involvement has helped a lot in terms of emotional, social well-being. It's nice to slowly meet people, create bonds and friendships, and connect with the community in a variety of ways.

In July, my mom visited and we went to southern France. It was wonderful and beautiful. We visited Provence, in and around the Luberon/Vaucluse area during lavender blooming season. Some parts of the region are rich with ocher, and ocher mines, which we visited as well. The trip was really a feast for the senses - sights (blues, yellows, oranges, greens), smells (lavender, herbs, fruits), tastes (Provencal cuisine, fresh summer fruits like melon, cherries and yellow plums, gourmet ice creams), sounds (nature and quiet - we stayed in a rural area, nothing like not hearing sounds of a city) and textures (of the aforementioned). It was blissful and I long to go back.

Family photo in front of Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque in Gordes, France.

My mom with Roc at Le Sentier des Ocres in Roussillon, France.

Finally, I want to leave you with this song which popped in to my mind as I started to write. Mostly because of the opening lines from Timbaland: 

It's been a long time (long time), we shouldn't of left you (left you),
Without a dope beat to step to (step to, step to, step to, step to).

Hope to see you again soon!