Hello.

 

Hi, I'm Annie.

Mother of 3,
spouse to G,
writer of things,
former batgirl,
sister,
daughter,
lucky friend,
and American
living in Australia.

Basic Joy = my attempt to document all of this life stuff, stubbornly looking for the joy in dailiness. 

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On my bookshelf
Annie's bookshelf:

Mama, Ph.D.: Women Write About Motherhood and Academic LifeMountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the WorldThe Sweetness at the Bottom of the PieThe Island: A NovelThe PassageSecret Spaces of Childhood

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« nine and a half | Main | The sun came out »
Wednesday
May072008

A great mail day for a wanderer

Look at what my friendly postman brought me in the mail!

New, renewed passport
Mine expired in March & I've felt a little jittery without one
What if...
I win a trip to Prague
or there's a really cheap airfare to Greece
or I get invited to the Fringe festival in Edinburgh
or Sue needs emergency help in Ireland
or someone needs me to accompany them somewhere?
So now I've got one again
and my wanderer heart feels at ease.
{and it only took two weeks!
I highly recommend getting one now
if yours has expired or will soon}

A red, white, and blue airmail envelope
with sheets and sheets of thin crinkly paper
filled with information and stories
and discussion of child development in developing countries
and love from Mali.
Those red and blue edged white envelopes
used to make my heart go pitter pat (and still do)
back when I was corresponding with
(okay, I'll admit it)
a handful of young men serving abroad.
And in my formative years
my grandpa Pax would send lovely detailed letters
about the flower boxes in Germany
the oompa bands passing by his seat in a sidewalk cafe
the mountains the foods the accents the smiles in Italy
the warmth the richness the spicy smells in Turkey.
I don't have to look far to figure out where I got my wanderlust...

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Reader Comments (6)

This is my first comment here - but I read you often. Agreed, all responsible adventurers should have a valid passport - those unexpected foreign jaunts are always lurking just around the bend. Congratulations on your renewal!

05.7.2008 | Unregistered CommenterKenny and Linsey

I've had the papers for months, I just need to fill them in-reading your post makes me want my passport right now! I'll imagine myself filling out the papers on a beach in the Greek Isles, or a hillside in Germany, or a Belgian chocolate shoppe...the dreaming is endless!

05.7.2008 | Unregistered Commentercalibosmom

I've had a current passport for several years, but never gotten a stamp in it. Sigh. Maybe someday...

05.7.2008 | Unregistered CommenterChristie

[I love uncle Pax! :)]
What a fun bundle in the mail.
All I got were bills and adds...
and,
how do you win a trip to Prague?
{sign me up too!}

05.7.2008 | Unregistered Commenterseven smiles

A passport is like a recommend. You need one whether you get to go or not.

05.7.2008 | Unregistered CommenterTravelinOma

Renewed mine a year ago after the dreaded lapse. Still awaiting an adventure . . . probably just to Canada.

05.8.2008 | Unregistered Commentertjhirst

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