Hello Stranger! 2019 Is Almost Over!

Life managed to take an auspicious switch on the street, so here I am again once more =)

What can I say? I had been extremely good duper busy inside the remaining 6-7months that I failed to simply have the time to come in right here and give the standard blogging love. I clearly sense horrific approximately it. And very responsible. However, as bad as it's far, we all have to make decisions and set priorities.

Before I provide you with an replace of what I were up to, allow me display you my Christmas tree!

I wanted a silver tree this yr however I could not simply allow go of my gold embellishes so I made a truce to myself and settled for both silver and gold. I bought some of the glass and silver embellishes at the Monschau Christmas market.

So what has happened to me in the ultimate 6-7 months?

Back in October 2019, we sold a house (to be built) and in past due March this yr, the house turned into brought. Like maximum of the brand new houses built inside the Netherlands, the builder added the house to us on "casco" phrases which means "bare". The new owner of a house will ought to do the interior completing of the walls, ceilings, flooring and everything else. This way we can be responsible for contracting these kinds of at once with suppliers and settlement people.

Well, what do .... This was one hell of an adventure! The Dutchman and I even have sworn by no means ever again to do this! We had to scout and address a number of contractors. One contractor for the lawn, for the ceramic floors at the floor floor, for the kitchen, for the stucco walls, for the portray, etcetera. The complexity of it all is one of the motives I needed to forestall blogging because Murphy's Law seems to say hey all the time.

Then in July, we moved into the new house. No motives wished, we all realize what transferring is like, proper? Here is a preview of the residence, the kitchen, and the dining region... Still masses to be achieved. The doorways to the garden will be repainted black... I might be putting a vertical lawn at the wall of the kitchen.... And on the wall aspect of the dining, perhaps a few paintings that I do now not realize but because I need to keep the indoors modern and easy.

By the way, we noticed this cute furry aspect on foot on our fence. She's emerge as a regular appearance now. Dutchman and I badly want to adopt a cat... *sigh*

We failed to sell our apartment, as a substitute, we determined to lease it out. The housing market is going insane right now so we need to make the most of it. Hence, we have to renovate it first before we begin contacting a real estate agent. We nonetheless had plenty to do with the brand new house, however we ought to depart it as is due to the condominium. I have to say that I am quite proud of ourselves for doing all the renovations on our personal. Because the condominium become large, it became a whole lot of difficult guide work for us. The bedrooms, for example, had carpet flooring and to make it smooth with protection, we set up timber laminate floors over it ourselves.... In three bedrooms! As you may see, my hands were having muscle anxiety in the remaining weeks.

In addition to all this, the corporation I labored for introduced in July to forestall the sports of our division global. It all came as a surprise. Suddenly, I am coping with HR. All people are becoming fired and we don't know while.

But per week after the information went out, I started out receiving calls from recruiters and companies. The competitor desires to hire me!

Two more weeks passed, my new supervisor asked me to be accountable for the winding down of the business in Europe and to live until the give up of the yr. Most of my colleague's remaining day turned into the end of September and even though we acquire severance pay and further bonus, the more months paintings till the end of December and the extension bonus offered to me became like a blessing in conceal.

Also, because I turned on my availability on Linkedin, I acquired such a lot of messages from recruiters, maximum of them from big businesses. Suddenly I am having talks and conferences. They failed to seem to be "interviews" at all. I became completely floored at the attention however I had to say no to numerous those Fortune 500 organizations. It's a crazy residence! Isn't there may be pronouncing... "When it rains, it pours?"

Nevertheless, I signed with the competitor however since my settlement with the current employer strictly ends on 31 December 2019, they must watch for me to join them in January 2019. The opposition clause became, of direction, waived because of the situation.

And oh, in among I travelled to England (UK), Brno (CZ), Lesvos (Greece) and Bari, Polignano a Mare, Alberobello, Matera (Italy). I also visited 2 Christmas Markets in Monschau (Germany) and Gent (Belgium).

I failed to recognize this became TARDIS, the fictional time gadget until a person pointed this out to me on Facebook.

Flying above Vienna, Austria. Vienna became the nearest worldwide airport to Brno, Czechia. I needed to power nearly 2 hours to Brno.

I rewarded myself with this normal Czech "duck" delicacies for dinner on the primary evening.

Moi ingesting a pita gyros on Agios Isidoros Beach in Lesvos Island, Greece and this dog desires his proportion as well.

Moi in Matera, Basilicata, Italy. Matera is a town of (historical) caves!

With the Tulli houses in adorable Alberobello in Puglia, Italy.

Monschau Christmas Market in Germany.

The Ferris wheel on the Gent Christmas Market.

Towards the stop of the yr (this changed into while we completed renovating the condo), I bask in furnishing the new residence. I had been all over the us of a canvassing, checking, from side to side to ensure I actually have the precise ones I wanted with the right expenses. I have visited so many interior furnishing and garden center shops, online and offline. This house stuff is a lot of hard paintings.

Although I am not accomplished with the residence venture, the positive development could be very a great deal seen now in the domestic and I am pretty satisfied about it.

Lastly, I hosted 2 Christmas dinners at home! Consecutive dinners on the 25th, the primary day of Christmas (for 7 humans) and the twenty sixth, the second day of Christmas (for eight humans), each dinners were a 5-route dinner, nicely absolutely 6-route because to the bubbles and canapes.

Both evenings were fantastic and I will truely do this once more next year. Check out our Christmas desk dinner below.

Too bad the two units of Christmas trees table decors (silver, white and inexperienced) can't be without difficulty seen in this picture angle.

Inspired by using my latest Italian journey, the Christmas dinner subject become a piece Italian. This is the primary course, a few Burrata cheese paired with Italian meats (Copa Stagionata, Prosciutto and Spianata Romana -) and grilled veggies (aubergine, paprika and courgette).

Then the day before yesterday I got struck with a flu! I suppose it had something to do with the huge number of humans at the Batavia Outlet I visited. I did a few quick give up of the yr buying there with Bru. Well, I am an awful lot higher now.

This is what I ate this morning. Noodles. My consolation food =)

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As you can see it has been a whirlwind of activities inside the ultimate 6 months!

But I am again... The large hurdle has handed.

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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)