in a mood...

I woke up 'on the wrong side of the bed' - so the saying goes. lack of sleep and still sick I started my day with the memory of my mother asking "rebecca, are you in a mood?" which I generally answered with a glowering look from beneath my eye lashes as I strained my neck upward to make sure she clearly saw my expression (remember I was only 2' tall and my mom well she's kind of tall). I don't recall her ever really taking me seriously as she looked down smiling.

how could I be 'in a mood' when on vacation I wake to a cup of coffee with the perfect amount of cream, a smile and kiss delivered to me in bed. maybe facebook would snap me from my sullenness. as I scanned the less than interesting (still in a mood) I found an insightful blog entry by ben. my mood shifted as ben's words and the caffeine mixed together in harmony. suddenly motivated I headed out into the sun/snow (yes, it's snowing as the sky tries to be blue) to restock the cold medications. you see, now we are both sick.

honestly, it's snowing

the soft snow flakes landed on my eyelashes as I looked up, the smell of fresh baked bread (alplerbrot bitte) and the ever patient pharmacist lifted my spirits. why was I cranky in the first place? I searched my thoughts, my emotions and wondered is there really a right or wrong side of the bed. for that matter which is left and which is right?

when sick there's time for reading (shantaram by gregory david roberts), sleep, television or googling. here's some of what I discovered about the wrong side of the bed:

the brits claim

more on the expression

feng shui of it

while purposelessly surfing the internet my calendar reminder popped up turning my thoughts to us10 (like the new look) and shawna's upcoming aloha clinics (yes, I'm signed up).

even though I'm in switzerland, windsurfing is never far from my mind or my eyes...

hr in biel/bienne

a little maui in migros

neighbor's van

so, if you find yourself 'in a mood' maybe it's time to try the other side of the bed.

windorwithout expanded...

grateful for life and february's extra day...

it's march 1st and I'm grateful that february had an extra day this year. I'm still in the old country and even though jimmie hepp's pics show great conditions on maui, I am having a fabulous time. who wouldn't when this is what greets me at the coop grocery.

wall-o-chocolate

after my less than stellar snowboard showing it was time to try skis. maybe just maybe I would have more talent? we headed to champery in the valais part of switzerland. staying the nite gave us a chance to enjoy the val-d'illiez thermal pools and then of course, eat. 

my swiss escort asked what I was in the mood for and my immediate gastronomique desires were moules frites an odd yet amazing dish I discovered while in la test de-buch, france. being in the valais (french though swiss) we weren't sure my stomach's desire would be fulfilled. oui! l'hotel national delivered the biggest moules frites I have yet to encounter.

 

going in for more

best frites of the bunch

after many, many moules I was stuffed, a bit tipsy and had impressed my swiss escort with my eating skills (if I could only wow him tomorrow on skis).

the sun met us as we ascended the alps and the apprehension of skiing pitted my stomach just a bit. I recalled the red plastic skis my mom strapped onto my snowboots when I was 2 1/2yrs old and I loved it from that moment. windsurfing has become my passion so I wondered if I would feel the same joy as I used to.

morning in the alps

they still have these lifts?

chavanette aka swiss wall

are we going there? should I be scared?

no, that is not me in red - that's me below, I didn't look much better

yes, I survived 'the wall' but without style points

all I can say is no wonder everyone and their grandmother skis. skiing on the new skis is so easy. to quote one of my swiss/american windsurfing peeps "the new shapes are like going from a longboard with a dagger board to a quad!" he was right and it seems foolish that I had abandoned skiing long ago. as we enjoyed our new found love, we went over the mt into france where the crepe was delicieux but the snow not as nice as in switzerland so after making new friends we headed back over for more runs.

when exhausted we called it a day, headed into town (which reminded me of home) for window shopping and enjoyed the mountain sunshine. without new snow this week the alps are going to be hurting for snow so we have other sight seeing plans. maybe just maybe we'll get in another session before heading back to maui.

am I glad that I trekked across the globe to freeze my arse off, get a cold (I'm being well taken care of), take a beating on the snow, try to understand a language that is unwritten so difficult to learn, eat amazing food, explore the city, rekindle my love for the mountains, and read by the lake enjoying the swans? yes I am. you know me, life is a leap of faith and sometimes I land on my feet and sometimes I fall flat but always get back up, brush myself off and set on down the road. between you and me, I like where this road is heading...

I can sit and watch the swans all day long

windorwithout expanded...

where have I been? I'm on vacation. what? my life is a vacation? true, but that didn't stop me from booking a ticket to switzerland aka 'ch' (don't make me explain the history of 'ch'). under 'philosophy' on my fb profile it says: "windsurfing, surfing (forever a beginner) and a bit of snow on occasion works for me..." so when the offer was made, I took it.

staggering off the plane, jet lagged, stiff, hungry, wondering how to communicate my needs in a language I don't speak found me at the train station window "one way to biel" hoping my pearly whites would solve any language barrier issues. "veal?" he said with a serious look. the jetlag made my brain a bit slow but I thought what kind of country is this where they have a town named 'veal'. that's just wrong. so I tried the french version (thankfully, biel/bienne is bi-lingual). "bienne". this worked and I found myself on the final leg to my destination.

arriving to below zero temperatures was a shock and I admit there was a moment I thought 'what the heck am I doing? did I just leave maui, waves, wind to freeze my arse off?' if you agree and think I'm crazy (you won't be the first) let me explain. it's like testing a new board. would I ever say no to that? of course not. who knows, it might end up being the best board I've ever tried so why not take it for a test ride?

believe it or not from time to time throughout my life I have been a city girl - manhattan, atlanta, denver. I like to try different things so exploring the city of biel/bienne is exciting. not only the historic old village but roaming the more modern streets reminds me that city people like to wear the color black, men in suits (not bathing suits), women in high sexy boots navigate the ice, variety of food choices and the hustle of city life.

as I stroll the city streets I wonder if the euros realize how much history they have, if they appreciate that they are the basis of how my life came to be in america. do they look in wonder at the old buildings - noticing the hand cut stones or the ancient hand laid cobble stone streets.

old/new merge

sweetheart, something for valentines' day?

not all our time has been city life. I took my ego for a beating and strapped a snowboard on after 9yrs of abandoning the sport for windsurfing. let's just say it was NOT pretty! the crashes were brutal, my technique made me wonder if I was ever even any good at it during my mountain life and my swiss mountain guide has the patience of a saint. as much as I wanted to blame my very bad showing on the board it was just as in windsurfing = operator error.

is EVERY swissie here?

looking good while standing still

actually made a turn

no matter how hard the falls (or how long it took to dig me out of the powder), no matter how much humiliation my ego endured, the scenery was breathtaking, there was always a smile waiting for me at the end of each run, the day ended with tasty fondue and much needed spa time.

rob this one's for you!

the sun is shining, I have checked in with my maui peeps, solved minor problems from across the world, and have figured out how to download the bachelor as his quest for love is near the end. more adventure just around the next turn...

I fell in love, it was not my intention. it just happened...

source

falling in love was the last thing on my mind. admittedly, I was prepared to be 'content' or simply 'satisfied' so I was surprised to find more joy than I thought I might.

it wasn't love at first sight (you know me, a skeptical optimist) but after a few times I knew it was what I was looking for. don't get me wrong, nothing is perfect and there are a few things that I don't care for but one day I realized that I had completely overlooked these - that was the day I knew it was love.

I could go on and on telling you how happy I am or how you wish you were me but instead...

is it the color combo of purple/red that makes my heart skip a beat?

is it the range it gives me?

is it the control it gives me even when I'm out of control?

or is it that I'm just feeling sentimental due to valentine's day and that ben, the bachelor, is one step closer to love?

source

whatever it is, I am one lucky girl...