Kangaroos in Austria

At age fifty, I found myself divorced, broke, and living in one of the most expensive cities in the world: Newport Beach, California. I had been married for twenty-four years to the father of my two children when I asked for a divorce. The marriage had long been an unhappy one. I moved out of our home in the vineyards of Temecula, California and into a small apartment in Newport Beach. After a few short job stints, I ended up working at a boutique on Balboa Island. My income was barely enough to cover my monthly expenses, and the divorce left me without any alimony. I was living day-to-day, hoping everything would work out. Then one day my daughter talked about how great her recent trip to Graz Austria had been. I had never been to Austria but she said that it would be the perfect place to live. The weather was similar to Newport and the streets were lined with tiny cafes. It was a pedestrian city so a car was not necessary and the people were friendly. Much to Christina's surprise, I packed up my belongings and moved to Graz. The crazy day- to- day events prompted me to write friends and family. Eventually I had enough stories and encouragement from others to write a book.