All I want for Christmas is… my residency card in the mail. It doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? Oh well. This holiday season, I find myself residing on a lovely rock between Northeastern Africa and Sicily. My Schengen visa will expire in a handful of days, at which time I’ll essentially be trapped in Malta – perhaps ‘trapped’ isn’t the best word – until I get an official decision from the government stating that I can stay; the alternative would be getting told to leave immediately. Because of this, J and I opted for staying in our new home and having our first just the two of us Christmas… plus this grumpy-looking cat, Molly, that we are sitting for a friend.

The lifestyle that I’ve been living these past four years isn’t for everyone. I move a lot and scrimp and save in order to go places and do things that inspire me. Unfortunately, this comes at a cost: I don’t go home to see my family and old friends very often. While I accepted this and “got used to it”(if one ever truly can) a long time ago, it’s a particular bummer around this time of year.

This was my second winter of escaping real winter. Last year, I found myself being flipped from a kayak into a Tasmanian bay. Although this year was a lot more tame, it was equally snowless. While I’m not afraid of winter- a good Midwestern girl loves a nice snow- I can’t complain about having two very sunny Christmases in a row.

Happy Holidays, everyone!