Cutie Pies All Around

We've been enjoying our new roles as Tante Lissa and Nonkel Troy (tante and nonkel are cute Flemish words for aunt and uncle) lately. I've been trying to capture the little ones with photography. All I can say is that it takes lots of patience to be a child photographer!

Jack Casey with grandpa Steve

Ria Rain

Amelia Louise sharing a laugh with grandma Kathy

We've also been getting to know our friends' daughter Lukah Gracy. She even called Troy "Uncle Twoy" yesterday! Pretty sweet.

Oktoberfest in the Northland

On Friday Troy, my dad and I ventured to Duluth to help my sister celebrate her birthday. It was a perfect fall day. It was sunny but that deliciously cool autumn crispness was in the air. We drove up the north shore of Lake Superior to the New Scenic Cafe for lunch. Troy and I shared an upscale version of a BLT (with tomato and jalapeno bacon) and a yummy beet and baby spinach salad with bleu cheese and walnuts.


The Fitger's Brewhouse was hosting their 1st ever Oktoberfest down at Canal Park this weekend and so after lunch we made a stop there to check it out. It was pretty cool, there were liter beers and the Chmielewski Funtime Band was playing songs silly like "In Heaven There is No Beer."


On Saturday my sister, niece and I took a stroll on Duluth's lovely lake walk. I'm realizing more and more how much I really love that city.

Feelin' Minnesota

I'm really slacking in my blogging lately. I don't think I've ever gone two months without posting a single thing. Yikes. I'm going to try to do shorter posts so that it doesn't seem so daunting now that I haven't been online as much.

As we are hunting for jobs and funding, we are temporarily living with our folks in Minnesota. I have to admit, I'm enjoying the time with old friends and family. And the lovely fall evenings.

Coming home in the late summer/fall reminds me how much I love this place we're from.

Near where we camped post-BradFest at Tettegouche State Park

BradFest consumed much of our first month (and more) home, but it was a great success. Our friend (and Troy's EMMI collaborator) Steve generously offered to drive up from Charlottesville with the robots in order to perform. We had a total of 15 performers, including bellydancing and music from seemingly every genre, from rock to rockabilly to alternative country and hip hop. The way that businesses, musicians, artists, friends and family came together to make it happen was truly heartening. It was a wonderful healing event for all of us and a fitting tribute to our departed friend.

Soon to be MN kids again

It's hard to believe that in another few weeks we'll be back in Minnesota! It's a bittersweet feeling because we are sad to leave Belgium and still need to figure out funding and jobs to eventually get back to our life in Charlottesville. But I have to say, I'm really enjoying the idea of hanging out with family and old friends for an extended period of time. And Minnesota in the late summer and early fall is really lovely.

"Home" has shifted so much for us in the past ten years. It seems that just about the time I feel settled someplace, we are moving somewhere new. The positive side of this is that we now have friends all over the world. And even though I'm a stubborn Cancerian who hates change, I'm learning. I've gotten a lot better at accepting change and rolling with it.

Moving incentive

Here's my little niece Ria Rain. She's now six months old and I haven't met her yet. And we haven't met Troy's nephew Jack either! I think I'll look at their pictures when I feel sad about leaving Belgium. What could be better incentive to head back to Minnesota?

Creative Planning

We recently found out that Troy didn't get a teaching appointment at U.Va. next year. This complicates our plan to return to Charlottesville a bit since it means that neither of us has a guaranteed income. One positive thing to come out of this is that we've been forced to start thinking more creatively about what our next move will be.

After talking with a fellow writer this past weekend, I'm seriously contemplating starting my own writing and editing business once I return to the states. Knowing that we are still in limbo for a while is a scary realization. It makes me want to create something of my own to hold onto. Even though we'll eventually return to Charlottesville so that Troy can finish his degree, that will still likely be a temporary move. What I've found out this year is that I really enjoy and can (at least sort of) make a living at writing. I just love being able to work from home and set my own schedule. And theoretically, writing can be done from anywhere, which means that subsequent moves might not be so painful. There is still a lot to work out, so please let me know if you have advice or contacts for me as I contemplate this new career direction.

BradFest

Troy and I have been spending a great deal of time lately on the planning of a benefit concert for this summer. Bradfest will be an event to memorialize our dear friend Brad Rozman, who died unexpectedly last May. Brad was an amazing person and an incredible percussionist and our plan is to raise money to support local youth and young musicians in his name.

Brad was an immensely talented musician who touched many lives in his brief time. Most recently he was known for his work with Duluth bands Equal Xchange and High Volt Rustler, both of whom recently released cd's featuring Brad's work posthumously.

In the wake of Brad's death, his family and friends have banded together to create the Friends of Brad Memorial Foundation. Our initial, proposed projects are to work with local musicians to create a free after-school music program for middle and high school students on the the Iron Range (modeled after the Music Resource Center in Charlottesville, VA, and the Mark Sandman Music Project in Somerville, MA), to establish a visiting artist program to enrich the student experience at St. Cloud State University (where Brad studied), and to create a fellowship for young professional musicians residing in the Duluth/Iron Range area.

Our hope is to make this benefit concert an annual event. So far we've got a number of local and regional bands slated to perform, including Arcwelder, a band that we have begged out of retirement for the gig. In high school, a bunch of us used to drive 3 1/2 hours (each way) to go see them play at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Troy and Brad had a band that covered their songs too. Needless to say, we are all honored and thrilled that they are going to participate!

This is a truly ambitious undertaking and it's been challenging to organize something of this scale from afar, but it feels good to know that we can hopefully make a difference for some young musicians in Brad's name. It's not going to be easy, but we are attempting to channel his tremendous, positive spirit and unbridled enthusiasm for this effort.