tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55588287906930067902024-03-13T15:53:53.914+01:001000 Types of Cheeses and Countless AdventuresK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-37978351099395893442010-08-08T22:01:00.001+02:002010-08-08T22:01:54.804+02:00Why can't everyone have what they want?yeah yeah we all ask ourselves that same question at least 20 times a day...no? It is something i am really having to learn to just get over as it seems my lot to rarely get anything remotely resembling something I "want". On the flip side I have a lot of things in my life that I never really new I wanted to start with.<br />
<br />
<br />
OK enough of that.<br />
<br />
I know I promised that I would start writing more often. Well I always promise that don't I? I also always have thousands of excuses why I do not write.<br />
<br />
The main reason is I am tired of being so unhappy and do not really want you to know about it. The Boy says I should write. He says that he would not hold my words against me because well come on lets face it 90% of my unhappiness is sorta wrapped up in him right now.<br />
<br />
Here I am almost 31 weeks pregnant and I have no idea what even tomorrow will bring. And where is the man that I love you ask? He is off in Israel with his family and I am here. I am here worrying about everything but not really able to do anything about it all. Thats one thing i really hate is to be so damned helpless.<br />
<br />
There are so many things that need to be accomplished in the next 9 weeks that I can cry just thinking about it. But perhaps the most daunting is the whole issue of my immigration status. Fact is my visa expires the 28th of September. The Boy and I planned to get PACSed so that I would have the right to stay but even that seems against us as there are no appointments available until November. To answer the question in your head no I have no idea what I am going to do. And there really isn't much I can do until he returns from vacation (must be nice). So those of you that are prayers or have maybe Sarkozy on your speed dial can you please say an extra word because I may not know much right now but I do know that I want to stay here.<br />
<br />
Other than that the Boy needs to find a job, we need to find a new apartment that we actually fit into, we need to find doctors for me and also for the french fry once he arrives. As well as all the Doctors appts at the hospital getting ready. At this point I just feel like it is impossible.<br />
<br />
I joined this great online group called MESSAGE Paris where lots of anglophone moms get together and whatnot. I have had three "mommy dates" in the past week and it has been really nice to meet new people. I hope to get to know them better. It is hard though to have to correct people on the fact that I am not married and then to find a way to answer the obvious questions of why I am so aloneish here. It chokes me up every time I have to find a way not to say the only person in Paris who comes even close to acknowledging me or this baby cannot stand up to his parents. I even had one mom ask me if i felt a little stupid staying. Truth is sometimes I do. Sometimes I feel like I am setting myself up for the worst. Other times I feel like I just have to be patient and know that things will work out. How does one decide to stay or go?<br />
<br />
On the conversion front things are really crummy. Turns out the few people I have spoken to and have tried to get info from I have learned that pretty much all of the conversion programs in Paris start the 1st October....and you cannot start later. GREAT guess who is due to make his grand entrance the 17th of October thus disqualifying me from starting this year. Yet another pile of pooh on my life because neither the Boy nor his Family will take me seriously as wanting to convert unless I begin taking classes and making progress towards conversion. Talk about a Catch 22 in my life. I even had a Rabbi (who was quite kind) tell me that the Boy's family should help me begin to learn and integrate Judaism into my life in the interim. Kinda hard seeing as his family wont allow me into their house let alone speak to me.<br />
<br />
<br />
So yeah those are the reasons off the top of my head that I dont write very often.<br />
<br />
Maybe I will write again soon maybe I wont.<br />
<br />
Till then<br />
<br />
Be WellK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-86258567764153021662010-05-10T19:59:00.000+02:002010-05-10T19:59:25.361+02:00Go get a cup of Tea or Joe and then come to read.Is there not some saying about a snowball effect? I am not really sure how it goes but I can definitely tell you this is what my life has done the past few months. To be honest I have written this blog entry in my head approximately 45972 times but never really let it come out my fingertips because that would do something even the wondrous K8e was not prepared for. That would make my life real. And lets be honest who out there actually wants their life to get REAL?!?! dreams, fantasy, someone else's. All those things sound great to me. But as many of you know mainly being the 6 people who read this blog and the one girl I went to High School with who now resides up there where its realllllyyyyy cold but her smile and unfairly luscious hair bring out the sunshine; I am not a fan of real life. I have been actively running from it openly for the past 3.5 ish years. But foolish me should have known that crap always catches up with you.<br />
<br />
Can you tell I am totally avoiding actually getting to any kind of point here? Cause I would NEVER do something like that. All right (seriously can you believe I am nervous about just typing something), so I am going to sit here and try and get so many things out into the real world. Because EVERYONE knows the real world exists totally in internet land.<br />
<br />
Yeah yeah I am going. So I suppose ill just do what I do best and just get to my written diarrhea and see where it goes. I will do my best to try and focus just as much on the crapola in my life as the goodness. But lets face it, how much does it suck to only ever write about either the super good or the super bad? I usually try to write about the middle which therefore gives away the reason I SUCK AT BLOG WRITING. My life is never in the middle.<br />
<br />
Well back in the fall I found this Graduate program in Paris that I absolutely fell in love with. It was tailor made perfect for me. So even with a "broken" leg I TGV'd it up to Paris and visited the University. Convinced that this was without a doubt the program for me I began to get all my ducks in a row to apply. In January I was finally freed from my plaster prisons and headed back to Paris for a week to study for and take the GRE. I also had the opportunity to visit and sit in on a few classes. I felt like all the pieces were falling into place. The week was filled with take-out chinese, GRE vocab, time with The Boy, and finished up with my Favorite Belgian, the BBall Lawyer, visiting and us going to see my true love and favorite author, Oscar Wilde. Those of you who have known my since the days of Mrs. Mackenzie's 12th grade English are all to aware of my complete obsession with him and The Picture of Dorian Grey. Seriously I feel like that book is the basis of EVERYTHING. All right i digress. So yeah the week was great and I became certain that my immediate future was going to involve spending two years living in Paris and finding a way to save all child soldiers in the world. That was until I took the GRE and while I literally knocked the essays out of the park I also proved for the 234th time that I cannot do elementary math and SUCK at analogies and antonyms. Its not like we all ever use those things any way. We have Google and well Google has ALL the answers to everything.<br />
<br />
So back to Lyon I went to finish preparing my application and send it in so this school could of course accept me and my future could begin. Here is where everything got well Hiroshimad.<br />
<br />
A bit of a back story is required here; I have had this weird health thing going on for the past few years. Weird as in doctors in both France and the United States look at my "situation" and quite literally step back, scratch their heads and say I don't know. For the past 4 years this has been happening. I have been diagnosed with everything from brain tumors to thyroid cancer to ( yes this was really said) bad energies. The consensus of most of the doctors was to sit back and continue to scratch their heads while waiting to see if anything new developed. All the while I get to walk around as a freak of nature wondering if my body will suddenly implode. In all of this my birth control was started, stopped and changed and never once did my lady visits decide to come to any kind of routine. Not that I was complaining what woman doesn't like not having to be psychotic and in pain for potentially six months at a time. Ok yeah I think I have given you enough and managed to be vague enough to move on.<br />
<br />
So since the Boy and I are adult human beings I continued my pill and every 40 days or so would take a test just to make sure things were "fine and dandy". It even became a bit of a joke between us. I know we have a sick sense of humor. We are weird we like it move on. Well one monday morning in early February I figured I would take a test because it had been a while so I sleepily did my buisness and hopped in the shower while the test sat on the washer. Ignorantly going about my morning it was not until I was toweling off my hair when I almost broke my neck. The test did not say not pregnant. Not at all. There it was sitting there laughing at me saying pregnant. What the hell?!? I take my pill everyday, I see the Boy maybe once a month, I have plans, the doctors said this was not even possible with this situation. I repeat what the hell?!?!?!? What do I do now? I tried calling the Boy but silly me it was 730 in the morning, the only time he sees that hour is when he is still awake working on a project due at 9am. So I called the Ironwoman because well she is the only person I know who is awake at that hour. Following her directions I proceeded to take two more tests and both of them cruelly laughed at me.<br />
<br />
I continued trying to contact the Boy and finally got ahold of him and quite clicheyey ( how would one write this) gave him the news. His first response you ask? How? I went straight to a doctor and you can better bet throughout the day I bought three more tests and had blood work done and of course all laughed at me.<br />
<br />
Right about now many of you are probably sitting there thinking yippee or thats great or awww K8e will be a great mom. Then there are those of you who are already thinking of the many ways I am doomed for damnation and deserved to have my nose hairs plucked by Dante. All of you folks just shove off and live in your little bubbles. And i mean that in the nicest way possible. Those of you in the middle and curious to see how things turned out; yeah you Girl up there with the hair that makes me uber jealous (where in Europe do you find hair products less expensive than gold that do that to your hair) and that one other person still reading. Go fill up your cups but this time skip the cute little nespresso and move on to the booze. I am telling you, you want the hard stuff now. While I am thinking about it, it will probably be easier just to skip the cup and bring a bottle of your favorite memory wiper and head on back.<br />
<br />
The next few days were a haze of hormones and tears. Not to mention that I could smell everything and I mean everything. Which is not so cool when you live in the Gastronomical capitol of the World. These people use EVERY part of the pig in their meals. So my new best friend and I became quickly acquainted as the vomiting began. The tears were because remember how I told alot of you to just screw off a few minutes ago? Yes I know you are still there even though you will remain anonymous and never comment, but I know your there. Well my life was suddenly full of meanness and horribleness from a certain parent (I wont tell you mine or his) stated that I should be made to get an abortion. To hearing that I was the most irresponsible person in the world to well I am just not going to repeat them because just trying to force myself to remember them makes me want to cry.<br />
<br />
The worst by far in the entire situation was the Boy's reaction. It was very bad not good horrible. Most of my male friends actually offered to be violent for me. Which only made me laugh because they are either Gay, on the other side of the world or the most geeked out Brit you have ever known, and lets face it Brits are not so sure about the whole violence I mean come one their police don't even carry guns. Moving on. Just a few days later the Boy informed me that he needed time alone to think about things and would not give me any idea of how much time this meant but made it clear that there could be no contact at all. Now picture this I am a 28 year old single girl living in France with a "situation" that has just found out she is pregnant and her Boy wants no contact. Fear not complete emotional breakdown ensued. So much so that just a few days later I ended up in the hospital with a UTI. Yeah the hospitals and I we are great friends almost as close as the porcelain deity. But not quite. Fortunate or not the "no contact" rule lasted just 48 hours.<br />
<br />
But then the shear rage fighting began. He said everything horrible in the book from he was too young to he thought maybe he could find someone prettier someday and other things that inspire the geeked out Brit(GOB) to google ninja assassin skills. And I threatened to leave him forever and never let him know this baby or me or how long my hair might get or my dietary habits. Yeah folks that hormone business is no joke. I do have to pause here to thank The Other Dad (even though she was a girl)TOD, Ironwoman, The Aussie, and St. Mambo because they exuded such support that I do not know how I would have otherwise made it through that period. There were other people who were very kind and it is OK to hate me if I forgot to mention you here. I still love you but come on I have a lot to get out here and my hands are still shaking.<br />
<br />
Somehow through fits of rage and hatred I realized the biggest problem in this whole situation. What is it you ask? I am happy to tell you. I was still desperately and hopelessly in love with the Boy. And he was with me. But suddenly the world was all about the fact that I was not Jewish (yet). Seriously world it cannot be my fault that the entire Jewish population of France HATES me and does not want to help me or wants permission from the Consistoire. And folks they simply do not ever give permission to convert. They wouldn't before and what on earth is to make me think that they would now that I am baking a "half-jew" illegitimate child?<br />
<br />
There was much irrationality that ensued and for the sake of the fact that you are probably either having trouble seeing the screen clearly because you are drinking wine like water or your tequila bottle is hurting your teeth because you keep missing the gaping hole in your mouth.<br />
<br />
So I did manage at the end of March to find a family who was running a Rich Jewish event for Passover (see previous entry) and set off to work. I have to tell you people that was 5 of the best days of my life. I met a wonderful little girl from the states who taught me everything I now know about Passover and for the first time I began to really think that things were possible. I was going to find people to help me convert. Even the other girls I was working with were terribly supportive. This was until the Friday morning of Passover. Otherwise known as the Anniversary of my Fathers Death. Yeah a bad day. Well guess who ended up in the hospital? No it was not that sweet little girl. It was me I was 12 weeks pregnant and managed to come down with viral meningitis FOR THE FOURTH TIME IN MY LIFE. I am telling you people I am a medical marvel!!! I should also mention that the only people who knew I was pregnant were the girls I was sharing a hotel room. I had to tell them because well if I was not peeing I was puking.<br />
<br />
And of course on the day I finally get out of the hospital what does France do? They have a rail strike. So I had to manage to get from some city in some area in France to Lyon and home. The highlight of that trip was the Cambodian taxi driver I had in Lyon whose parents live in Houston. The funniest thing about it all was that we spoke french while talking about Texas....a bit odd...but then again normal in my life.<br />
<br />
Highlight of that was that the Boy arrived just two days after me in Lyon and we spent almost two glorious weeks together. Where we fought like hell and loved like hell. And through it all I realized that he was potentially more attached to this pregnancy than I was. I caught him on more than one occasion kissing patting and doing other super cheesy weird things to my belly. But what gave it away was the way he looked at my freakishly growing belly. At first I thought it was because he just could not wrap his head around how quickly it is exploding but his eyes were not really filled with fear. It was something else. Something there really isn't a word for him. And you should have seen the pride on his face when he was the only one who could find the heartbeat with the little at home Doppler thingie. I still cant find anything other than my own heartbeat. :(<br />
<br />
The "worst" part of his visit was that I met LaMOM. I could regale you with an entire book about this three hour encounter right here but in interest of respect and kindness and the fact that you are already completely intoxicated right now I will spare you. For now. Just know that I survived and have a whole new perspective on the Boy!<br />
<br />
So this weeks plan (and its been generally the same for a few weeks so might happen) is to get me all packed up here in Lyon and move me to Paris the end of June. Where we will be moving into a 30Square meter (300ish square foot) STUDIO apartment. I maintain that this is until we find something a little more realistic for a couple with a baby. We will also have to get Pacsed in August or September so you know I can legally stay in this country and such. And hopefully somehow things will work out and people will realize that a baby is a miracle and a good thing.<br />
<br />
So yeah I left out lots of information about the "situation" and the potential outcome, as well as both general family reactions but I am tired and you are about to go pray to my deity. So I suppose I shall leave you for now. Perhaps I will continue more information on this but I really want to start planning on all of the exciting things and how things will be good.<br />
<br />
So I shall leave yo for now with my new hearing aids (oh yeah another souvenir of the last few months) and craving french fries (because thats what is growing in me rather than a baby) and remind you all to drink a large glass of water and take a tylenol now. You will thank me in the morning.<br />
<br />
<br />
Be Well,<br />
K8eK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-87615091147086778252010-03-26T21:51:00.007+01:002010-03-26T22:19:29.882+01:00Big changes = ConstipationI have spent most of the past two weeks engrossed in re-watching the TV show Charmed. Unfortunately I love it just as much as I did when I would anxiously await a new episode each week. I say this because not only does it leave the average person feeling completely inadequate but also reminds me of just how lazy I have had to be lately. <div><br /></div><div>I can however completely relate to what constantly feels like the ultimate battle. Whether its is a school, or Boy, or family, or just one of the millions of other things in life that can well just get in the damned way; we all have our daily ultimate battles. Mine as an "etranger" in France usually involve filling out 5472 copies of the same paperwork to the same office so that they are able to not file something very important. My roommate the GBFF and I have been dealing with just this. See in France all students are entitled to FREE MONEY to live while they go to school. How much you get I am convinced is completely representative of your dedication to fill out every piece of paper known to mankind in quadruplicate. Ironically we are on the tail end of our "struggle" and I will be receiving more than most who actually work in America. Just to go to school!!!?!?! And this country wonders why it is broke, and I wonder why they HATE to let foreigners stay on a permanent basis. </div><div><br /></div><div>Another of my Ultimate battles is the attempt at learning more about Judaism. Other than ulcers and social acceptance of short jokes Napoleon left the people with an institution known as the Consistoire. This is well in France it is the Vatican of the Jewish people. But not as ornate and unless you are Jewish or have a parent who is THEY WILL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU OR HELP YOU. Even more so if you are an anglophone. I have spent the past year and a half trying to get my foot in the door and well folks I am running out of toes. I have however been bit blessed by sheer chance of where I had lunch and will be leaving on Sunday for Divonne-les-Bains where I will be working with 40+ kids at a Pesach event. I cannot begin to share my excitement at participating and experiencing my first Jewish holiday. I will be sure to let you out there in the ether know all about it. Please send all your positive thoughts.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have much other news but am really not at liberty to say. I am however going to make it a serious goal of mine to start writing more here. Not really for all of you out there because well im pretty sure no one other than "The First Real Kiss" and that random girl who cant sleep at 430am and has read all the news and gossip sites already, reads this. Do not worry missy I have been there all to many times as well. But I want to get myself back into the habit of writing. It is one of my few K8E superpowers and I really need to get better at it. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Till we meet again. BE WELL!</div>K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-72333074837277269332009-06-05T17:14:00.002+02:002009-06-05T17:32:44.759+02:00change is rough :(<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Jeeze</span> I am not really sure where to start with my supposedly regular updates. I do however have an excuse. Boys <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">cpu</span> is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">caput</span> and he has all his animation projects due for school therefore he seems to have custody of my computer. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Withdrawals</span> have been heavy.<br /><br />So in just a few weeks I make the big move up the hill. Wow that sounds so much cooler than it actually is :). But all this packing and canceling and arranging is a big old pain in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">butteroo</span>. Then I just need to decide when to go to the states and arrange to get the new visa. I am thinking <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">July</span>, any ideas?<br /><br />In the interest of full disclosure I will go ahead and let those of you know who <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">don't</span> already. I am in the process of having some medical tests done. I have known something has been wrong for some time now. So the first round of tests all came back and well none of them were all that great so they are ordering some more extensive ones. Hopefully I and you will all know soon what is going on and that there is some magical pill or injection that will fix everything. Here is to hoping.<br /><br />Things with boy are going well. He has been <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">uber</span> stressed and also has managed to be patient with you know crazy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">katie</span> :). Of course as is everything in life there are things i wish that I could change and fix but if i had to decide for certain there <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">isn't</span> a chance in hell i really would. I am curious to see where this can go.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">OK</span> well I am not sure that I have anything else interesting to say so ill let you go for now :)<br /><br />be well.K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-29043589424973484372009-05-11T17:23:00.002+02:002009-05-11T17:31:04.694+02:00alarm clock = cranky pantsWhat i wouldnt give these days to fall into some kind of regulated sleeping pattern. Up until almost 6am and slept until 2pm...seriously they should cast me as the overweight moody chick with great big chachas in the next hit vampire flick...sometimes i have even been known to be funny...my only request as payment...a resident card to stay in France without all the redonculous drama.<br /><br />spent the day being a rather domesticated goddess...and by day of course i mean the last 3 hours i have been awake. if only i ended up in this kind of a cleaning mood when i was actually at MY HOUSE. seriously people who think i am sloppy should come here its a way better example :)<br /><br />So the goal for tonight other than a shower is to master the french verbs the Plumberess has given me to learn for class Mercredi. If you ever want to feel stupid try to learn french...and if you want to feel even stupider do it the way i did by living here for more than two years. then waking up one day and going OH CRAP my french is crap. Problem is i can kinda read and pretty much understand but i cannot speak so well (unless being helped by my friend vodka tonic, then im FABULOUS) and writing well you can all see how crap my grammer is in english now imagine it in a different language...yes i will be sending all regular readers ( are there even any) gift bottles of paracetemol shortly.<br /><br />So on that note I must continue on by hanging up the laundry and showering, while hoping Boy is wrong and there is not really a leak in the shower.<br /><br />Homework for you folks....ideas for blognames for Boy, cause im just not diggin it. Need something with a bit more flair :)<br /><br />until the next time.<br /><br />be wellK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-51788175677781606512009-05-11T03:51:00.002+02:002009-05-11T04:15:58.223+02:00back by repeated request from boySo as the title belies i am here not because i am feeling particularly inspired but because after almost 6 months of nagging The Boy has worn me down to start writing again. I think he secretly hopes i will rediscover a passion for it, well we both probably secretly hope so.<br /><br />I do not really know where to start to update people on the happenings in my life as I am not really certain what you all know if anything. Perhaps there really <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">isn't</span> anyone reading this except for the random <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">facebook</span> friend i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">prolly</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">haven't</span> spoken to in 5+ years who reads everything everyone posts but never comments on anything.<br /><br />As many of you have probably noticed I am still in France. Yes that means I have to tell Alice, Garrett, Collin and Nicole that they were right and i was wrong. Sometimes it blows me away to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">think</span> i am here so long yet others i think wow i just got here. I am finally starting to buckle down on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ol</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Francais</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">business</span>. You would think that it should be easy to learn a language in the country it is spoken? Right? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Nooooooooo</span> not at all. Everyone speaks <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">English</span> and they <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">luuurrvve</span> to practice it all the time and what better experience than that American girl who has <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">crapola</span> french. Yeah so now I have started tutoring and in the fall i hope to be taking intensive classes so that at some point maybe ill be one of the cool kids who speaks french.<br /><br />Other than that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">hmmm</span>..I went on one trip at the holiday to Manchester to spend it with the family of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">AsianFrenchie</span>. It was a decent time which was made wonderful by certain realizations.<br /><br />Let us all go ahead and address the elephant in the room. Because those of you whom I may not have spoken to in a while or gosh forbid years probably are still rereading the title of the entry with a bit of confusion.<br /><br />Yes <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Internet</span> I am actually seeing someone, and have been for long enough to call it well the longest relationship I have ever had. Well just keep calling him The Boy until I come up with something better. For those of you stateside sitting there yes he is in fact French and wait for it...he is an art student...from Paris. OK so some of you are laughing and others are sitting there saying a big fat I TOLD YOU SO!!! Mainly that is Alice sitting there saying that. I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">don't</span> know how many others were that spot on on how i would end up meeting someone on this little journey.<br /><br />so yeah this relationship <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">business</span> teaches you tons of things about even more crap.<br />1. this caring about someone <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">business</span> is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">hard butt</span> work. all the damn time. There is no day off in making these things work its a constant thing.<br />2. the work is worth every smile, laugh, hug, kiss, experience, yeah you get the picture.<br />3. I am a little to honest about everything and often to early. Yet I have managed not to scare him off. yet...<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">OK</span> enough of the cheesy shite about him. So as many of you might know I live in this amazing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">apartment</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Vieux</span> Lyon that is super old and super cool and awesomely located, minus the 5 flights of circular stairs (particularly not fun with a. my ankles and b. any alcohol consumed within the last lifetime). Well as of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">July</span> 1 i will sadly no longer be residing there. Well not so sadly really. As much as I love the place its just not fiscally smart for me (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">lookie</span> i am pretending to be responsible). So I will be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">re venturing</span> into the world of cohabitation, with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Frida</span> and her man. While i am sure that there will be natural growing pains i think it will work out just fine. in fact i am a little bit excited about having people to socialize with in my own house :). kinda <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">coolio</span>.<br /><br />what else is going on you say? well there are lots of potential changes in store for me but nothing that i am really comfortable sharing right now....yes k8e too has her secrets, sometimes. But I will try to keep you all updated as possible.<br /><br />So my goal is to try and write here once a week given that time permits. I know I know I have said that before but well maybe this time can be a bit <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">diffo</span>. :)<br /><br />for now its 4am here in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">franceland</span> and i want to catch a few sheep before the sun scares them all away.<br /><br />talk at ya soon<br /><br />be well<br /><br />k8eK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-64313446792838148302008-11-18T04:13:00.002+01:002008-11-18T04:16:32.790+01:00So I have not taken the time to write on here for quite a while. I have to pass a bit of curiosity because there was a comment about how I used to steal lunches. I am quite curious to know who that was. But alas that is probably just one of life’s many mysteries.<br /><br />A lot has happened in the last few months. Many of them good and some not so much. I went to the states for a few weeks this summer and realized just how much Europe has become my home. The thought of having to move back there someday gives me well pretty much anxiety attacks. What scares me the most is that it truly may not be possible for me to stay here. I have to find a job that is willing to help sponsor my move to France and let’s just say those are not easy to come by. So if any of you have any ideas or leads please help me out.<br /><br />On top of that it brings to light my insecurities about my own skills set. I am good at many things but am I truly great at anything? Have you ever had to sit down and think of a skill that a country needs so much they want to keep you? Not so great for the confidence mojo. If only I were some fancy surgeon or great philosopher.<br /><br />Nonetheless with Thanksgiving approaching it is a time for me to reflect. I have not been able to celebrate this holiday which happens to be my favorite in several years and it is still weird without it. I am however able to think about all the wonderful things that I have found in my life.<br /><br />I have made a handful of friends, most of them by accident, that I am truly uncertain what I did to deserve these people in my life. I have had lovers whom have taught me things I never knew about myself and what I look for in people. I learned through one that it can be important to invest your feelings and while things may have not worked out at least I know that my heart is not completely frozen solid and someday when the time and the man are right things will be good. This was a very important lesson for me after well after having my heart broken once and my body another time. Do not worry I do not want your pity. We have all been through these things in some regard so really my life is no different from yours.<br /><br />This year I learned that while I may not be the average bear there is something about me that people are drawn to, now if that is a good thing or not I will leave that for you to decide. I can make people laugh and like Isaac said all those years ago my biggest challenge in life is that when I really want to I can actually see people for who they really are. Maybe that is my big skill, not terrible marketable though. But I have learned through my time in France to use it and to embrace it as my own. Be certain it bothers many people but at the same time those who respect it are the ones I want to be involved with in the first place. I can not help sometimes wishing just like Frederick Douglas all those years ago that I simply did not know.<br /><br />Another thing that I have learned is that history may not be for me. Do not get me wrong I love it. But it just does not make my blood boil and I want that in life. I did believe that by now (just a week before I turn 27) I would have already figured out what that is. Do you think that maybe it is because I have always searched it out? Maybe if I stop looking it will find me? I have great opportunities that come along every once in a while but the decision to stick with them is difficult. I am not a very good finisher.<br /><br />I have also learned that sometimes the worst mistakes that a person can make (asides from breaking the law) are often the best. I have made some less than ideal choices lately and well I cannot say that I would change a single one of them. I met a kind man who taught me much and men not so kind who taught me even more. I could tell you some stories that would make your head spin or piss your pants laughing but this is not really the place for that.<br /><br />Mostly though it is the friends in my life who have changed me so much. As a teenager I knew exactly who I was and because of a heartbreak that took me many years to get over I completely lost sight of that. My friends today wherever in the world they may be have brought me back to that girl who dances in the waterfalls with children and has absolutely no verbal filter whatsoever. They have taught me to be the honest person I once was. And for that I truly owe them my being. They do not really make a greeting card that says all that. But really for those of you that read this please take a few minutes to think about the people who have changed your life for the better whether it be the homeless man who says hello on the bridge every morning, the person whose name you don’t know who always raises his pint with a nod to you, or the friend who knows what you need before even you do and without ever saying or expecting anything is your strength when even they may not believe they have it for themselves.<br />I want to challenge you to find a way in your own manner to show them that they matter. Buy them a pint drop them a card or simply look them in the eyes and say thank you. This is my thanksgiving and birthday wish this year. For you to realize just how many wonderful people there are in your life. They may need to hear it.<br /><br />I will go ahead and post this on my blog and my facebook so if it rs feeds twice I’m sorry about that.<br /><br />To my sagi crew from the last 18 months thank you for everything the drunken nights, the tears, the travels and all the smiles.<br /><br />To my friends still in the states. Thank you for not going away and always truly being just a phone call away.<br /><br />To my family I know that the hardest thing you ever had to do was let me go. It was hard for me as well and thank you because I finally know how to breathe.<br /><br />To Mary thank you for your helping transitioning to a really life here. I will always be grateful to you.<br /><br />To Marion thank you well there are not words you are not a friend you are my family and without you I would often be lost.<br /><br />To Erie Alice and Annemarie thanks you for the laughs the looks of shock and the excitement that you may someday be a character in my sure to be unsuccessful book.<br /><br />To the Johnny Kitchen/Walsh friends thank you for the raised pints and nods and no longer arguing about that extra 50centimes.<br /><br />To all my Pint/Cofee/Tea buddies the gossip just wouldn’t be the same without you J<br /><br />To L and J I perhaps owe the most thanks to the two of you because you while neither of you may know it somehow managed to dig out the ice and find not only my heart but pieces of my soul. I wish you the best in the paths that you chose and while I know ours may not cross know you left your mark on mine.<br /><br />To N,V,M,M, E,B,D,S,R you each have something special to offer. Fight to find that person and make them the happiest ever and if you maybe already have show them.<br /><br />To those I cannot mention you all know who you are. Just a simple thank you in this time and place.<br /><br />How many people are there for you to thank? Prolly quite a few more than you thought. And there simply aren’t enough words but try.K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-5909792801092777352008-05-22T00:24:00.002+02:002008-05-22T01:11:58.975+02:00Peaceful nightsI feel like such a rotten kiddo for never updating this blog. I am sure that on a subconscious level I have many reasons but I will for the most part just claim laziness. It is so hard to believe that another school year is come and gone. While grades wise this year was nothing to write home about I feel like it is a year where I learned more than possibly any other year.<br /><br />Knowing that family and potentially my old girl scouts read this I will try to keep this all at a g rated level.<br /><br />I have put alot of work this year into bettering my french which is suprisingly difficult to do in France. While the French are all about their native language they are not at all about helping "outsiders" learn it. Most often times they will insist on using their horrid english which in reality is probably worse than my french. I am not exageratting at all. I have a prime example. There is a french man that I have been on/off dating since about January ( no do not get your hopes up Katie is not in a serious relationship at all), well call him the French Electrician (FE). So FE and I are having dinner on my balcony and he informs me that he has signed up to take english classes....IN FRANCE?!?!?! Shocked I ask him why and he responds that he wants to learn how to communicate better with me. Now normal women would be flattered by this, however as many of you know normal is never a word used to describe me. I ask him why he just doesnt keep helping me to work on my french. FE just sits there and shakes his head. He carefully looks up at me and says no because your french is too terrible. A french man is paying to learn english because he would rather do that than help me improve my french. Thank you mom for raising me in the south and thus making it impossible for me to pronounce anything like a civilized human. :(<br /><br />So to battle this I am still planning on staying for another year. I am jsut waiting for the paperwork to go through on the Texas Tech side so that I can get everything ready for my new visa. I will show him terrible french. Somehow I will continue to improve and show them all wrong...at least I hope too.<br /><br />And on top of that for the love of god I need to actually write a thesis. I mean all of you that know me know that as soon as i get really going on it I will be done in no time at all and it will be great but you also know how much of a procrastinator I am. Oh what a tangled web we weave.<br /><br />Have any of you read the book The Year of Yes ? I feel like the whole of the worlds female population needs to be required to read this book. It really changed my perspectives on many things about life and dating...for starters it helped to convince me to start dating again. Which is no small feat. So last October I started my own year of yes. It has been an interesting ride that has met with 2 quazi relationships and at least 10 interesting first dates since then. Some of them were wonderful and some of them oh heck could I write some stories that would make your head spin. And I would love to tell you some of these stories but I am pretty sure that a great many of you would stop loving me if I did. :) No I know you wouldnt and maybe in time I will.<br /><br />I have been approached by a not so small publishing house to work on the possibility of a book based on some of the blogs and stories I have written over the years. This is such a sureal idea. I still remember Miss Keyes in 10th grade telling me that I could never be a writer and Dr. Zitterkopft in Kansas telling me that she was impressed I remembered Shakespeares name and should not bother trying to interprit his works. Yes work I for a while was an english major until I was basically told I was too dim and uncreative to ever succeed at that. That is pretty much how the world of history got stuck with me, I was told and eventually believed that i was not good enough for writing. Ok so this opportunity would basically mean that I would not end up in the world of history at least not for now. I mean god knows i am aware of the fact that I will never end up on the NYT bestsellers list, heck an editor would prolly need 45 years just to fix my terrible spelling. But it really is weird to all of a sudden have this option thrust before me that I never thought possible. Is there a chance that I am not meant to be Katie Nolde PhD am I meant to be Katie Nolde, akward and potentially successful writer of sorts? How weird is that?<br /><br />So if people read this please give me a bit of feedback...im curious to know what youd think about it all. Would you be running to the bookstore to shell out 14.95 on my ramblings and would you do so knowing that there are probably mentionings of you in there that may or may not be entirely positive or negative? Yeah its a tough call isnt it?<br /><br /><br />All right I think that is enough for now.<br /><br />Be well,<br />KatieK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-10698323949154859072008-02-17T17:36:00.002+01:002008-02-17T17:59:14.474+01:00It is amazing how you wake up one day and realize how much time has passed. I have been here in France for almost 14 months now and it still seems like I just got off the plane a few hours ago. I find myself at least once a day thinking either to myself or outloud jeeze I really live here.<br /><br />You know I came here to learn alot of things and was in search of even more. I have learned and found so much and yet at the same time find myself noticing that they are not the things that I "planned". I think it can be summed up in really one thing...but do not fret in true Katie fashion I will elaborated. In the time since I have been here I have learned how to breathe.<br /><br />Original boy told me that would happen before I ever decided to come for sure but in the end he was right. It is not always easy heck most of the time it is very hard. And with every exhale there is some terrible mistake or dizaster. The beautiful thing though is that every inhale is so fresh and clean and pure that you just push through the glory to the next breathe. I was never sure that this was even something that I was missing in my life but now that I have this knowledge I feel as though I only just began living.<br /><br />Through all this living and breathing I have learned another very important lesson. The unbelievable value of the people in my life. Whether they be past or present or in Europe or the United States. I used to say that my goal was to really touch someones life and change it for the positive in some way. But I never took the time to stop and think about all the people who have taken the time to touch my life.<br /><br />One of the hard things about growing up is that you lose touch with some people before you ever realize how important they really are to you. I had some people back in the States that were so amazing I could almost cry thinking that it has been this long since I have seen and in many case spoken to them. They are buying houses, having babies, and i suspect a few are even getting married soon. They are graduating from University and starting new chapters in their lives. While I am sad that I have lost touch with some of them I still find myself so lucky to have ever found them. These people gave me strength when I thought I had none and let me go when they were not ready. In the end I know that they will be the standard by which I will "judge" people in the future.<br /><br />Then there are the literaly hundreds of people that I have met since I got here. Some of them are amogst the most amazing and some of them have not neccessarily been my favourite people in the world. But in this land so far from where I grew up they have become my family of sorts. And while I make mistakes that make me unworthy of them at times and they do the same they really are amazing additions to my life. It is so hard to believe that this is the third generation of people that I have met here in France. But they also remind me that sometimes it does not take an ocean to grow apart from someone sometimes all it takes is a foolish mouth and a wall. Yet rather than regret the way life evolves I can sit back and look at the amazing things I have gotten to do and learn with them. I mean seriously in the last year i have been well too many places to list.<br /><br />Wow I guess this is a pretty lofty entry but well sometimes I can be pretty lofty. It all really is so great. Mainly because these are all things I never knew I was missing in my life. And sometimes you have to sit back and go with the change because the next inhale will be even more fresh and amazing than the last.<br /><br />On another note. I have tried to contact the people close in my life both here and in the states. It seems though that everyone is quite busy so I guess this will be a good way to do it...if anyone even reads this anymore. So I have some kinda big news...no I am not pregnant or getting married :) but I have decided to remain in France for another year. and both of my universities have approved. So short of having the new visa in hand it is pretty official. I have no idea how most people will react but I know that my life here in France is not over yet. And I have to wait because when it is time for me to go back I will know.<br /><br />be wellK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-63568278819102778952007-08-12T13:59:00.000+02:002007-08-12T14:16:13.617+02:00Shall we off?In a little more than an hour I am off on the next great adventure. Believe you me I am stoked. The last week or so has been much better than the previous three. I was able to have a last meal with a friend I made this semester. While in the end the night was a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">disaster</span> it was good to see him one last time. I have also been spending a great deal of time with the Nanny Clan. They consist of 3 girls from New Zealand who are working as nannies. I heart them tons! While I was only able to see two of them as the third is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">gallivanting</span> through Paris. We had what they dubbed a TEXAS week. They hung out with me (a Texan), learned how to play Texas <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Hold'em</span>, and went to their first Tex-Mex <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">restaurant</span>. We even had a watermelon on the balcony. They took several pictures that when I get copies ill be sure to post. We also as is the case when any group of girls is let loose together went shopping. While it was glorious and wonderful I think that the magnetic strip on all our cards is broken. Basically it was just good to see people. We talked about how excited we are to meet all the new people this fall and are hoping to take some classes together. This would be great as they are fluent in French and I get all <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">tongue</span> tied every time a french person looks at me waiting for me to speak. It is so bad.<br /><br />While I am thinking about it I wanted to thank <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Scarlette</span> for commenting on the last blog. I have not heard from her or any of the girls in forever and was worried that I was a bit <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">forgotten</span>. It really meant <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">alot</span> to hear from her and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">McBrooke</span>. Even after all these months here I miss my Girl Scouts terribly. Okay enough <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">sap</span>.<br /><br />So this next adventure will be pretty cool. I am taking the train to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Belgium</span> to meet up with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Silke</span>. On Tuesday we head to Glasgow and will spend the following two weeks working our way south before heading back. There will even be a 2 day trip to Dublin. AND!!!! the queen is not in residence in London so the Palace is open for tours. If we do anything this trip other than of course the Guinness tour I want to go on a palace tour. Would that not be the coolest thing.<br /><br />All of this of course is given that my gimp leg manages <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">all right</span>. Previous walking experiences with the Nanny Clan and the Goodbye Friend have led to the removal of skin on top of my foot because of the cast rubbing, and yucky swelling. But we shall see. I am taking my crutches and a good attitude. I know <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Silke</span> will stop and rest and such and besides this can be like a taster trip to decide all the things that I have to go back and see in depth. You know because there is going to be a GIANT <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Egypt</span> exhibit in London starting in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">November</span>. I swear if it were not such a patriarchal field I would have gone into ancient history in a heartbeat. But alas I am a girl therefore only relegate to potential successes in late and modern historical fields. Such is life.<br /><br />I am so giddy about this trip. I guess I will type at you all soon. Maybe on the trip or if not when I am back and begging for the next great adventure.<br /><br />Be Well<br />K8eK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-62939278267264708522007-07-31T22:49:00.000+02:002007-07-31T23:32:25.566+02:00Canned fruit and pretty perfumeSometimes I feel like I am living in a TV show. Not in the people are staring sense but in many others. There are new episodes and seasons. Often there are guest stars and every once in a while there are running characters. It is silly is it not that one could think that? Or maybe we all think that every once in a while.<br /><br />Here I am only 25 years old doing things that people do not even dream about. How lucky am I. I feel like I am stuck in the middle of November sweeps and the writers are not holding anything back at all. Maybe they are trying to positron me for an Emmy or a golden globe or maybe they are looking at establishing a long running show. Either way it is one heck of a ride.<br /><br />Okay enough of the metaphors for now. I am at the point in my life and school where I have to seriously evaluate what comes next. It is all anyone talks about and it seems that it is all that I can think about. (It does not help that I have been stuck in bed for the last 2.5 weeks with my leg in a cast alone) It is time though for some honest reflection and maybe a few ideas.<br /><br />Two years ago my path was set and I knew exactly what I was going to do and how I was going to get there. It was simple and clear. I have to confess that the only thing that remains of that girl is her name. Many of my dreams are still similar but in reality one day someone came into my life, turned on the lights to the world and said it is all out there what part of it do you want? How do you react to that. Well I did the typical Katie thing and totally ignored it for as long as I possibly could. Yet it was always there these opportunities and options and I never took the time to look at them carefully.<br /><br />Now it seems that I have nothing else to do but to look at them. And I have to make some kind of decision. When I was in High School I desperately wanted to write. I wrote on anything about all sorts of things. In the 10th grade I had an English teacher that was wonderful. After class one day we were talking about writers in my grade and she said that there were two who were utterly capable of writing and had a future in it. She went on to tell me that it was not me. I stopped writing on napkins and in spirals and looked for another dream. Down the road I found history. I do not think that I have ever been really in love but i imagine that it feels something like i feel for history. To learn about other people and their choices and how they changed and impacted things gives me a rush i cant explain. The only thing more exciting than that is to be able to help someone else get as excited about it as I can be. To literally see passion and curiosity wake up in a person is amazing. I can only compare it to my high school days as a mascot. One year I had a football father come up to me and get teary. He told me that I made the games worth coming to. I think that moment was the closest to self pride that I have ever been.<br /><br />Let me get back on track here. I have to come up with a plan, a goal, something to move towards. So I am going to lay out here the options that I see laying before me and some of the input that I have received from family and friends. Feel free to tell me what you think. I know that most of you will not and that is all right too. I bet you are asking yourself why I am writing about all of these things on a blog that my family and friends and even some of my teachers read. I do not have a specific answer. I kept other blogs that held many chapters of my life but I really am kind of over being several different people for everyone. Trick is i really am only one person and that is all ill ever be. You can take me or leave me and do not worry while you can hurt me by leaving you cannot break me. People are good at leaving in part i think its in our genetic makeup, whether it be by choice or not. I will be all right heck I will be better than all right and whatever path i end up on whether it be one i thought of or from a window I have not even seen yet i will be great.<br /><br />I have a cousin who says that our family is really good at making people above average and under extraordinary. I used to think that he was right but really he is full of crap. We all build a safety net and this was ours...our genetics. Well here are my options throwing out genetics.<br /><br />1. Finish my masters degree and go on to get my Phd (hopefully at UConn). I would be only the second in my family ever. I could then get a job as a professor and spend my life in academia teaching and researching about the lives and times of people throughout history. I think that this is the option that most people want me to choose. It is safe and is totally capable of keeping me comfortable and content. Maybe someday I could even publish my dissertation.<br /><br />2. I could finish my masters degree and apply for the Peace Corps. I love to travel and with my background in education, childcare, and AIDS i would be an ideal candidate. I could go to some amazing place and touch the lives of people who have so little. If I could teach one child or prevent one woman from contracting AIDS i would have succeeded more than i ever though possible. This is a difficult option for many reasons. The connections that I have in this world would undoubtedly move on just as they have since I have been here in France. They get married, have babies, and they even die. Most of the people close to me are very against me going away for at least 2 years again. When do you decide where the line between you and them is?<br /><br />3. I could finish my masters degree and move to Florida. I could live in my house and maybe become a high school teacher or teach at a community college. I would have a relatively easy life. Plenty of time to travel and do new things. But it would be a ceiling a final step, a place that I go to not go any further. Maybe someday someone would come into my life and we could be content there. This is another option that people are fans of.<br /><br />4. I could finish my time here in France and go back to tech. I could not only finish my masters in History but attain a second in English, perhaps creative writing. Then I could see where the next step took me.<br /><br />5. I could stay here in Europe forever. I could travel and write and maybe if I stayed somewhere long enough i could start painting again (did you even know i used to paint?). I could lead a terribly fantastical life fraught with adventure and surprise. The next step would always be an anomaly. I have not met anyone yet other than me that thinks this is even remotely a good choice. But something about it entices me.<br /><br />6. I could finish my masters degree and look for a job in the "real world" Maybe with the government or something. Become a white collar American. Another safe choice albeit a bit rigid. Family really likes this idea ALOT.<br /><br />So these are just a few of my options that i never really knew I had. I think that you would be overwhelmed too. I feel better putting them out there for the world to see.<br /><br />On a different note my ankle is doing well...i think..its in this horribly uncomfortable cast that makes it hard to walk. And the stitches feel super weird all the way down there. Cast comes off Sept 7 and then I have some intense physical therapy. Who would have though that i came all the way to France to have my ankle reconstructed.<br /><br /><br />Be Well,<br />k8eK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-11665294728835625402007-07-02T21:17:00.000+02:002008-12-10T11:52:00.240+01:00<div><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div>Hello all, </div><div> </div><div>Well I guess it is not really all as there are really only two people whom I know read this and one is my mother. PS Thank you Aunt Nancy for calling me just to check up. It really meant a lot. </div><div> </div><div>Lets get started I have absolutely no excuse for taking so long to update. I cannot even say that nothing has happened because so much has. Ill give the readers digest version first for those of you who don't want to read all the way through. I believe that the last time I updated was sometime in Avril. Well since then I finished classes, went to the US for two weeks, Alice came to visit and we went to Prague, Amsterdam, Geneva, and Paris; I moved to a new apartment in the same building, I was given a surgery date for my ankle of July 13 ( yes I am aware that is Friday the 13), and the last of my new found family here in France has returned to their respective homes and countries.<br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Those of you that are interested in K8E ramblings feel free to continue all others thank you and you are now sufficiently caught up on my goings ons.<br /></div><div><br />It is hard to think of where to even start. The last few months have been overwhelming in so many ways. Interesting thing though is that they are positive overwhelms. The most impacting will seem silly but to me it is a big deal. I am not good at good byes, I never have been. Not since my step dad died when I was a tyke (this whole other story about a glass of milk, perhaps another time). For a great portion of my life I have not had to say goodbye. People simply leave, are not going away for ever, die, or I go away. I don't mean that at all in a feel bad for me way. Lets face is most of the time it is me leaving or me managing to get other people to leave (98% of the time my own darned fault).</div><div><br />But this is different I am in a position now where I am expected to say bye. How weird is that. I mean I know that back home I went out to dinner with friends for my farewell dinner, but really it wasn't bye I will see them again. Yet here I find myself going to these dinners, drinks, group hugs where I am to say goodbye to people whom there is a great likely hood of me never seeing again. To put it simply I just do not know how to do it. Part of me is still that little girl in the back room playing thinking that everyone elses lives just pause or cease to exist when they are not in my life anymore but the rest of me is old enough to know that is not at all the case. It is strange for me to see these people whom I barely know that have well they have accepted me for who I am. Another really new phenomenon. Some people I met for just an evening like the Belgian Dr. Student or the Glorified Pool Boy and others I knew almost the whole time I was here like Silke and Dan. They never once question who I was or what my motives where and for the most part never expected anything from me. I wonder if maybe this is what philosophers are talking about when they say as you get older you make family not friends cause its true they each and every one of them were part of my family even if just for a short time. Is this what it means to feel like you are home? </div><div><br />If it is then moving to France was the smartest thing that I have ever done because I truly have missed out on this feeling and these people who so seamlessly fit into existence. And in the end it makes me appreciate 100000 times more the people that I know are back home. The Collin and Nicole who still take care of my mail even if they are ready to divvy up my things if I decide to stay ( WHICH I HAVE NOT), Amy who gets in touch with me halfway around the world to tell me she is marrying the guy of her dreams, Garrett who wakes up to look up phone numbers for me while I am in Europe (cheaper than info.), Tim who avoids me just as much as I avoid him (yes we are both okay with it), Staci who is up for the impromptu Vegas trip, the people who remember my postcard collection and send me some now and again (thanks Kathryn and Katie), and Alice who flies halfway around the world so we can stay up until 7am at some Bistro in Paris with a bunch of Belgians. I am the luckiest woman in the world because those people whether we are still getting into trouble 30 years from now are with me forever. How cool is that. And as my life continues on this path that I am so uncertain of I get to meet more amazing people who will impact my life in ways that I cannot even begin to acknowledge. WOW!<br /><br /></div><div>Okay enough philosophizing you want to see pictures and here about what I was up to :) </div><div><br /></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082687725836371922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RolVjrK3B9I/AAAAAAAAAxo/kdeEIr3uFNY/s320/DSC00012.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>I went to an doctor while I was in the USA and he stuck me in this cast. I spent two and a half " wonderful" weeks in it before the French doctor promptly took it off so that I could get strong enough for surgery. Ironic is it not that you have to have a healthy strong ankle in order to repair the fact that you can not walk without hurting it. :)</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082687730131339234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RolVj7K3B-I/AAAAAAAAAxw/SCOkQ-Yx6Ss/s320/DSC00169.JPG" border="0" /> You can see that Karrie, Ducky and I had a lot of very important bonding time. That blob on my right side is actually Ducky.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082687743016241154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RolVkrK3CAI/AAAAAAAAAyA/2lw3n43i0Z4/s320/DSC00254.JPG" border="0" /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082687734426306546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RolVkLK3B_I/AAAAAAAAAx4/45y8sQaHi_4/s320/DSC00245.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><div>These two photos were taken at dinner the night before I left. I was especially grateful for this because I did not get to see most of these people before I left the last time. </div><br /><div> </div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082691625666676754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RolZGrK3CBI/AAAAAAAAAyI/RcUQ_P4s-1U/s320/DSC00347.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><div>Alice came to visit for a few weeks and we had a fabulous time. We were able to meet up with Silke and her friends in Paris. This picture above was from a pub called Wallace here in Lyon.</div><br /><div><br /></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082691629961644066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RolZG7K3CCI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/xas5gcLj-Fg/s320/DSC00398.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><div>When we got to Prague we decided to take this car tour of the city from this kid who thinks the fall of communism was the worst thing ever (you can imagine how well we got along). And boy was he in love with this car. </div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082691638551578674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RolZHbK3CDI/AAAAAAAAAyY/AT5CPoO6-J8/s320/DSC00425.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><div>This was also in Prague in front of the original Town hall. Most of it was burned by the Nazi's but this clock that represents the plague managed to survive. </div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082691642846545986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RolZHrK3CEI/AAAAAAAAAyg/YWir9aAI3b4/s320/DSC00433.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><div>While we were in Amsterdam we managed to fit in a trip to the Anne Frank hous which was far more moving than either of us had anticipated. Everyone should try to go there at least once in their lives.<br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082691651436480594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RolZILK3CFI/AAAAAAAAAyo/wWo8aR-GaoY/s320/DSC00605.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><div>Here are Alice, Silke and I at Versailles. We spent 9 hours there and still just barely managed to see the orangery. AKA big area with more than 800 orange trees that Louis XIV had because he was jealous of "some other not royal guy".</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082696285706192994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RoldV7K3CGI/AAAAAAAAAyw/alFd1bAPSEI/s320/DSC00624.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p>I don't remember whose idea it was but we ended up renting a canoe on the Canal at Versailles. We probably should have been more prepared for the fact that we would then have to row ourselves. We survived unscathed and surprisingly enough no one ended up in the water although we were a bit wet. </p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082697977923307666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/Role4bK3CJI/AAAAAAAAAzI/Fkqa6HJRypM/s320/DSC00789.JPG" border="0" /> <p></p><br /><p>The last night we were in Paris Alice and I went on this awesome outing. It was dinner at the Eiffel Tower, a river cruise, and the night ended with seeing the Moulin Rouge. Each and every peice of it was as wonderful as I could imagine.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082696298591094914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RoldWrK3CII/AAAAAAAAAzA/HkV1_JT5jNc/s320/DSC00948.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>I figured I would end this post with an entertaining photo. Leave it to Alice and I to be super silly on the night cruise in Paris. Seriously how could we not be everyone all around us was kissing..</p><p>I will do my best to update after i get home from the surgery but I know that I will be out of it for a few days. If you want to email me your phone numbers so I can call when able I will. Otherwise if you just email me at <a href="mailto:katie.nolde@gmail.com">katie.nolde@gmail.com</a> I will just email back so you know everything went alright.</p><p>love to you all.</p><p>Be Well,</p><p>K8E</p><p> </p>K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-55811902591606371762007-04-18T12:03:00.000+02:002007-04-18T12:30:55.786+02:00To quote the fabulous Amy C = I got the mean reds!Here goes yet another seemingly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ridiculous</span> post about my leg. I think that at this point I am not entirely opposed to simply cutting it off and feeding it to the lions. But that might possibly be a little drastic.<br /><br />So I had yet another scan of my leg where they determined yet again that I had no breaks but some serious tears in the ligaments and a great deal of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">inflammation</span>. That was on Monday. Tuesday I went back to see the Sports Doc and gave him the results. I told him that the swelling does go down with this orthopedic sock. And it is true that the pain is better when the swelling is down. He really did not give me a chance to tell him that when I take the sock off it swells back up. My goal of the appointment was for them to schedule the surgery so that at least there is a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">time frame</span> on the end of this whole ordeal.<br /><br />I am not by any means someone who wants surgery. I am however someone who is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">familiar</span> with her own ankle and the amount of times that she has injured it. I also remember all the doctors in my past telling me that if I hurt it again I was going to need surgery to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">re-stabalize</span> my ankle. I ALSO REMEMBER THE SAME MAN TELLING ME THAT JUST A WEEK AGO.<br /><br />Well he has done an about face on his previous decision and is now saying that after 7 weeks in a boot cast I can just walk like its nothing and that he <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">does not</span> think that I will need surgery. But he will not decide for at least another month. ?!?!?! Which means that if I do end up needing surgery. My ENTIRE summer will be wasted instead of just the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">beginning</span>. Talk about <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">frustrating</span>.<br /><br />I have been able thus far to make jokes and find the lighter side of this whole ankle order but at this point I feel like I have wasted two months...IN FRANCE. I was not able to go to class, or to travel, heck I did not really get to spend much time with new friends other than those in the building. My life had to pause in this amazing place because of my leg.<br /><br />Now the stubborn Katie in me wants to force her leg to be as miraculously better as the doc thinks and get out there and live life in France and her beautiful spring. But the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">scaredy</span> cat Katie is all to aware of the fact that she hurt her ankle this badly by simply walking. What is to say that it wont happen all over again. Is there a term for having a phobia of walking...other than crazy.<br /><br />Okay <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">that is</span> all out...I am going to try to stop talking about my ankle and its ensuing dramas unless there are valid..and scheduled for really real updates.<br /><br />THE OTHER FRONT.<br /><br /> This week is the last week of classes and next week are finals, presentations and turning in of papers. I have to still write a paper and get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">a hold</span> of the notes for a class that I was only able to attend like three times. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Fortunately</span> I can rely on the fact that I already have a degree in Political Science. This should help me to muddle through the final. As for the paper and the presentation we all know too well that i only really function in the ninth inning so I am confident that too will be done. Then I have the French final on Tuesday. That should run rather smoothly.<br /><br />Once those things are done I will focus on getting my work done for my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">TTU</span> classes. I am quite lucky that they are being so patient. I also need to figure out about scheduling my trip to the states to get my visa stuff taken care of. I was hoping to make it back for two weeks but at this point that might be hard. I think that it will be weird to be stateside after a few months here in France.<br /><br />HAPPY SECTION<br /><br />This past weekend Jane and I went to Paris for the weekend. We <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">did not</span> have much of a plan just a go and relax weekend. I think that I am getting the photos from her tomorrow and I will post them then.<br /><br />Until then Have a wonderful day :)<br /><br />Be Well<br />KatieK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-58847121687744485912007-04-10T23:52:00.000+02:002007-04-11T01:20:29.302+02:00CCF = It is FranceWell world out there it is official. I have to have surgery on my ankle. Of course though there is a catch. They cannot operate until the pain and the swelling are gone. Yes this basically means that I cannot have the needed surgery to fix my ankle until it is for all intents and purposes better. Then the surgery will be done. My ankle will be in a cast for 6 weeks and then I face 3 months of physical therapy. After that I should be good as new...which is better than it will have been since I was 13.<br /><br />The doctor was trying to assess old injuries which apparently you can see in my scans. He asked me how many times I have seriously sprained my ankle. My best guess is that I have hurt it 12 times in the last 12 years. Which basically means that I am a gimp. But now I am a gimp who knows what the next few months will be like and strangley that is a bit freeing and empowering.<br /><br />I have quite a few things that I need to get done in the next two weeks. None of them are particularly overwhelming but necessary nonetheless. My goal is to have the majority of these things done by the 24 of Avril. I know that I wont be able to get all of my TTU stuff done in that time but that is what respit is for. I have to read 11 books for that and write short papers on each. My goal is to have 5 of them done by the 24 of Avril. After that I can work on the others and get the 25 page paper done. As well as all the work for the other class i am taking.<br /><br />TO DO:<br />CLT Class Work - 5 pages<br />CLT Presentation- 10 minutes + Power Point<br />Paper on the Schengen Treaty - 13 Pages<br />France into the EU - 5 pages<br />EU Integration -Final Exam<br />French- Worksheets<br />French -Final Exam<br />Book Review #1 - 2pages<br />Book Review #2 - 2pages<br />Book Review #3- 2 pages<br />Book Review #4 - 2pages<br />Book Review #5 - 2pages<br /><br />I guess in reality I totally have my work cut out for me. But it will be a good diversion from the fact that I kinda feel like I moved all the way to France to have surgery. Hopefully next week I will have some kind of a date for the surgery. I have not decided if I will post the date mainly because I do not want people to worry. I do not know yet.<br /><br />Have a great evening.<br />k8eK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-64164271928192503782007-04-06T03:24:00.000+02:002007-04-06T01:25:01.505+02:00French doctors love their adjectivesWhile I have not been on any amazing adventures I figured I would give a so far update of the goings on in my life :). I am almost half way through the Avril break. I am trying to make the best of being stranded in Lyon by getting lots of French done and tons of reading for my courses back home.<br /><br />I have made a new friend at <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Physical</span> Therapy. His name is Ronny and he is from New Zealand. He plays Rugby for the Lyon team. I know very little about Rugby so I tend to be rather unimpressed but other people think it is pretty cool. He is a nice guy who has been kind enough to drive me around the city and get me out of the apartment once in a while. Last week we went up to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Fourviere</span> and to the International City where the Zoo is. I also got a chance to make a few people in the building hamburgers. I think that they were a hit. I really do enjoy having people to cook for.<br /><br />I have been kinda laying low this week and just taking a bit of time to reflect on the things that I am truly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">grateful</span> for. As some of you know 2 Avril was the 1 year anniversary of my father dying. While there are times when I miss him terribly I almost feel that I need not worry because he is always here. Maybe that is my happy spin for it all. But there are so many things to be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">grateful</span> for. I am here in France doing something that I love and meeting amazing people all the while having these amazing experiences.<br /><br />There has been one interesting thing that I have learned lately. While the French do not often speak <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">English</span>. They are masters at adjectives. Well the doctors are at least. I had the MRI on my ankle on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Lundi</span> as well as the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Cortisone</span> injection. The injection was quite painful and you could literally see my foot swell up. I am supposed to be patient because supposedly in a few days it is going to feel loads better. So far 3 days later and I actually think it hurts more. Wait I digress. Once the scan and the shots were done I had to wait for the results. 130 Euros later I was ushered into a room where the oddly white haired doctor came in. In broken <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">English</span> he told me that I had no bone fragments or fractures. But I have HUGE tears in my ligaments and that my ankle is probably unstable. Keep in mind trusty leaders this scan was done almost 6 weeks after the original injury and they are still seeing HUGE (yes that was his word) tears. I have an appointment with the specialist again <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Mardi</span> and hopefully we will come up with a course of action then. In the meantime I had to see him to get some pain medication to counter the inflatable foot I have since the injection. He looked at my scan and came out and said that I had a BAD BAD BAD BAD (yes he said bad 4 times) Sprain and that I would need a very thorough exam on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Mardi</span>. <br /><br />See what I mean about the overwhelming adjectives. I am trying to remain optimistic and have been going to Physical Therapy, but it just does not seem to be getting much better. In the mornings my foot will look normal but by the evening it is swollen and funny looking again. I have taken a few pictures but I will go ahead and spare you the experience. What I am getting at is that I am coming to terms with the fact that I may well have to have surgery here in France. Maybe if I just embrace it then somehow it wont turn out that way at all. Who <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">woulda</span> thunk all this trouble just from tripping on a street in Prague. So the wait and see method is in full effect.<br /><br />Hope you all have a wonderful Easter :)<br /><br />K8EK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-12165245825425285082007-03-16T13:56:00.000+01:002008-12-10T11:52:04.915+01:00big black bootA thousand apologies for taking so long to post a new entry. I am not going to bother making excuses as to why. I am well into my third month here in France and while it has been challenging for reasons I never expected it really has been the time of my life.<br /><br />The last time we spoke I told you I was headed on a trip of a lifetime across Eastern Europe. I went on the trip and it was...magical. :) These are just a few pictures of the trip. While I am not new to blogging I am to this particular type and it is really hard to upload pictures onto the site. I am certain that there is some simple way to do it that I just have not figured out yet.<br /><br />Before I explain all the pictures I will remind you..wait you never knew...that three days before we left on this trip Jane (New York by way of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Philippines</span>), Sarah (North Carolina), and Alice (Australia) pressured me into riding a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">velo</span> (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">bicycle</span>). Not 15 minutes into the ride I made the most beautiful face plant onto a side walk. I wish there had been a camera because I probably <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">actually</span> flew over the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">velo</span>. So in many of the pictures you can see the progression of my face from super swollen and red to scabby and gross and eventually just an odd scar on the side of my face. <p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042508836064370706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RfqXEe5ioBI/AAAAAAAAAwM/KJA8MOchA2Y/s320/DSCN2050.JPG" border="0" /><br />Here we are setting out on our adventure. This is Jane, Alice, and I. This picture is taken in Geneva right after we left the train station. We left for the trip at 6am so I am not really sure how we are all still awake.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RfqYCO5ioCI/AAAAAAAAAwU/Jmm0HwQzFJA/s1600-h/DSCN2111.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042509896921292834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RfqYCO5ioCI/AAAAAAAAAwU/Jmm0HwQzFJA/s320/DSCN2111.JPG" border="0" /></a> Here is a view from the top of the tower at the Saint-Pierre Cathedral in Geneva. You can see in the distance the Geneva Lake and a geyser type thing spouting from it. We did not make it all the way over to find out exactly why it does that or if it is natural. I will <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">definitely</span> have to find this out on another trip.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042510897648672818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RfqY8e5ioDI/AAAAAAAAAwc/8Jr7EuD1gVA/s320/DSCN2127.JPG" border="0" /><br />A very important lesson in travelling to other countries is to know what days of the week things are closed. We did not do this before we left. While we were in Budapest on a Monday most things were closed. We were however able to see bits and pieces of Hungarian Culture. This is a balcony that we walked past. It stood out from the literally thousands of plain balconies.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042510901943640130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RfqY8u5ioEI/AAAAAAAAAwk/ziboma_g-eU/s320/DSCN2142.JPG" border="0" /> Here are Jane, Sarah and I in front of the only exhibit that we were able to get into while in Budapest. It was an amazing exhibit that looked at the life and art of Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Gogh</span>. </p><p><br /><br /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042511730872328274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RfqZs-5ioFI/AAAAAAAAAws/6aS53jZucjU/s320/DSCN2230.JPG" border="0" /> It is possible that Vienna is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Not that I have seen many places. The first place that we went after checking into the Hostel was the gigantic <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">cemetery</span>. Alice (Australia) is a giant music fan and was super excited when we found the graves of many of histories most popular composers. This picture is actually of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Mozart's</span> grave.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042513517578723426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RfqbU-5ioGI/AAAAAAAAAw0/kOG67PI0EZI/s320/DSCN2262.JPG" border="0" /> Here is the Castle in Vienna. Inside of it we were able to see some interesting exhibits on the royal silver...yes that means silverware and plates. While that may not have been my favorite we were able to learn about Empress/Queen Elizabeth better known as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Sisi</span>. I think that she may be a drastically overlooked monarch in the USA. She is fascinating and has a movie that is considered one of the most famous things to come out of Vienna called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Sisi</span>. I have not seen it nor have I been able to find it so if anyone of you have seen it or know where it is please let me know.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042517370164387954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/Rfqe1O5ioHI/AAAAAAAAAw8/6YYybMkOYhk/s320/DSCN2316.JPG" border="0" /><br />Prague was by far my most favorite city on the trip. I left the group when we got there and went on a tour given by an Ex-Pat from the UK named Paul. Turned out I was the only person who signed up for the tour that day so I got a private tour of Prague. This building above is in Old Town. And was the City Hall. You can see on the right how the building just stops. At the end of WWII when the Nazi's were pulling out they set fire to the building but it only burned to that point. Instead of rebuilding it they chose to close it off there as a reminder. On the left side is a fascinating clock. It depicts a story of the plague and every hour the skeleton tells the bad people that they are going to die, yet they never do. If there is one place so far that I recommend going Prague is most <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">definitely</span> it.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042517383049289874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/Rfqe1-5ioJI/AAAAAAAAAxM/rc3jQEmlC00/s320/DSCN2375.JPG" border="0" /> Again in Prague this time on the (I believe) King Charles bridge. There are 30odd statues along this crooked bridge. This particular one is of a religious person who had angered the king and was thrown off the bridge. (According to Paul the tour guide, Prague was very consistent in dealing with people they <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">didn't</span> agree. They threw them out a window or off a bridge). Legend has it that the area below it became very lucky and people there were not affected by the Plague. Now people come to this statue and make a wish for luck. A funny little known fact about it is that some time ago people came along and rubbed out the little dog and now people often wish on that rather than the actually "lucky" figure. </p><p>Alice has a theory that one of the 8 people we were with must have wished on the dog because not only was I badly hurt in Prague but we ran into some immigration problems getting into Germany. But that is all for later in the entry.<br /><br /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042517378754322562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/Rfqe1u5ioII/AAAAAAAAAxE/oyNCbTubTjc/s320/DSCN2366.JPG" border="0" /><br />Prague actually has the largest castle in the World. You can see it off in the distance behind me. The Cathedral there is actually built inside of the castle grounds. It was so beautiful. The Current President has a flat inside the palace that he sometimes stays at. </p><p>While I was not able to get a good photo of it. There is a bridge that connects the Palace to the Cathedral where the King could travel without mingling with the commoners. Legend has it that when the Cathedral was being built one of the builders looked down and saw his wife with another man. He then threw a brick down and killed one or both of them . He was later executed but the other builders thought that he was such a good worker, they secretly built a statue of him holding a brick he is about to throw. It was hidden so that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">no one</span> could see it unless they were looking for it.<br /><br /><br /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042906184963760290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RfwAdO5ioKI/AAAAAAAAAxU/pQuK6UeGwBM/s320/DSCN2431.JPG" border="0" /> This road is called the Golden Row and it is actually inside of the palace grounds. This is where the knights, kings men, and goldsmiths lived. Hence the name the Golden Row, It almost looks like a miniature <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">village</span>.<br /></p><p></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042906193553694898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RfwAdu5ioLI/AAAAAAAAAxc/vAO8_S8MQGU/s320/DSCN2432.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>Here is me inside one of the doorways in the Golden Row. If you know me then you know how short I am.</p><p></p><p>As we were heading to the bus terminal on our way out of Prague I tripped. Yes I was just walking. Well I managed to tear the ligaments and possibly the tendon in my ankle. It has been nearly a month and they are still uncertain if i broke it. On 26 March I have an MRI to try and figure out why it is not healing at all. This is the reason I have not really updated...wait I am getting ahead of myself. </p><p>While we were on the bus we were pulled of by the German Authorities because we apparently had the wrong Visas. So after 14 hours of being detained they ended up letting us pass to Berlin anyway. Unfortunately even though they sent me to the hospital my leg was in pretty bad shape. </p><p>The only part of Berlin that we saw was through a bus tour because I could not walk. We did take the time to go to a flea market though and it was great fun. I am not including any pictures because I really hope to return someday and include proper photos of an amazingly historical city. </p><p>I have been back from this trip for several weeks but unfortunately have not seen much more than the inside of my apartment and the physical therapists office. I have been unable to go to school or really do much of anything. I have been able to get out a few times but not for anything particularly noteworthy. Because of my leg I will be unable to do any travelling during the upcoming break in Avril. I plan to use this time to get some reading done and get caught up on papers for school both here and back at Texas Tech. </p><p>I would not say that I have necessarily been homesick but I miss many of the people back home and well am a bit <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">surprised</span> at how few people I have heard from. Oh well. </p><p>I hope that you are all well and I will try very hard to be better about updating. </p>K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-64641965010393280032007-02-08T20:11:00.000+01:002008-12-10T11:52:06.126+01:00Week 5 already?!?This week was relatively low key. Okay that may not be true at all it was fairly eventful. Not only have I been out most nights but people have been coming over for meals. It is always great fun to sit around over a decent meal and just get to know each other. This dish below is by far the most popular one that i make. It is Chicken (poulet i think that is spelled right) Curry with Cashews over rice. I think it is quite tasty and there are never any leftovers. Not to mention that my apartment and my hall always have this super nice odor.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/Rct6oW1rT4I/AAAAAAAAAvA/ZrE2BuVXW1g/s1600-h/DSCN1948.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029248242633363330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/Rct6oW1rT4I/AAAAAAAAAvA/ZrE2BuVXW1g/s320/DSCN1948.JPG" border="0" /></a> I am slowly but surely gettting my apartment in order. As many of you can tell the theme is Orange :) only the best color ever. But look at all the empty room for wonderful postcards :) I kind of like the way it is starting to look. And yes girls I actually make my bed every single day and you should too. :)<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/Rct6om1rT5I/AAAAAAAAAvI/7A2O2_M6nI4/s1600-h/DSCN1942.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029248246928330642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/Rct6om1rT5I/AAAAAAAAAvI/7A2O2_M6nI4/s320/DSCN1942.JPG" border="0" /></a> A few weeks ago it snowed here in France and I was able to take this neat picture from my balcony. I have a bit of a decent view which is quite nice. The snow however was just simply quite cold. Too cold.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/Rct6o21rT6I/AAAAAAAAAvQ/6TvbZcBCdDs/s1600-h/DSCN1727.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029248251223297954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/Rct6o21rT6I/AAAAAAAAAvQ/6TvbZcBCdDs/s320/DSCN1727.JPG" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029245442314686226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/Rct4FW1rTxI/AAAAAAAAAuI/basvxCBF7cQ/s320/DSCN2020.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div> Here is a picture of Jane (New York), Jelena (North Carolina), and I last Sunday at the Tex Mex restraunt. It was so much fun. If any of you make it here we will have to go to this place again..Such an awesome experience. </div><br /><div></div>This weekend I was going to head off to some random city in France but I think that instead I will take it easy. The next month is going to be crazy enough. For our big trip that starts next weekend we have decided to add a day in Vienna, which means that I will be going to 5 Countries in 7 days. WOW! And the week after that there is a Film Festival in Nice that Jane and I are planning on going to. I know I have plans after that but I really cannot remember them all.<br /><br />Well I guess that is all for now. Hard to believe that I have been here for 5 weeks already. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend.<br /><br />Be Well<br />k8eK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-2907881874156235442007-02-04T19:10:00.000+01:002008-12-10T11:52:06.353+01:00Please be patient with me.<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RcYmfzOAJyI/AAAAAAAAAs8/UMJa1MJGMVs/s1600-h/DSCN1781.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5027748361772476194" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RcYmfzOAJyI/AAAAAAAAAs8/UMJa1MJGMVs/s320/DSCN1781.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I think that this is a picture of me at the top of the Arch D'Triumph overlooking the Eiffel Tower..But all I can see in the post area are web numbers.<br /><br />I am so very sorry about the irregular posting. I am trying to figure the least complicated way to upload pictures for you all to see. Right now that web link in the previous entry seems to be the best bet. But I am certain that there is a better way.<br /><br />Things here are very good. I hosted a dinner party on Friday evening and almost 40 people showed up. It was an ingredient party where everyone brings something and we see what we end up with. Our dishes were awesome; Eggplant and pesto over angelhair, Pineapple(here it is called Anana)Chicken, and grilled mushrooms and corgettes with crab meat and rice mixed with a cucumber sauce as well as 2 quiches. Those were our main dishes. I guess maybe I forgot just how much I love to cook.<br /><br />Classes have begun and I have decided to only take three classes here. They are Theories of EU Integration, Comparitive Legal Traditions and Contemporary Indian Society. My French class continues throughout the semester. I am also taking two graduate courses back at home so my work is definately cut out for me. Even though I only have class on Monday Tuesday and Thursday.<br /><br />The University has paired me up with a French Buddy..although mine is actually from Russia. Her name is Elena and she is quite sweet. She is studying international buisness.<br /><br />Do not fret though I am managing a few trips. Last weekend I spent a few days in Paris. I cannot tell you the last time I was so cold. In two weeks we are planning a large trip during our first vacation. I will be going to Geneva, Budapest, Prague and Berlin. That should be one wild adventure. In April I plan to go to Germany for a week to meet Sigi and Renata.<br /><br />It is really so hard to believe that I have been here for a month. At times I miss certain things about home so much that I could cry. Slowly though I am finding things here to do that are equally as wonderful. Today I sat on my patio for a few hours and just chatted. I also have taken to cooking for several people in the building. Which is another thing that I love. It is a great way to get to know new people. I also love that here in France I have to slow down. It can be fustrating at times but in the end I rather like that I can sit in a Cafe and have an espresso and stay for 2 hours. And the dinners here are an event. At least 4 courses and all so wonderful. I have even tried escargo (snails). They were wonderful.While I have been fortunate to meet new people I desprately miss my old friends and my girls. I spoke to them the other day and it really was the highlight of my week. I have also missed hanging out with Garrett and my weekly dinners with Amy not to mention my four day political/religious talks with Joe and being the third wheel in the Collin/Nicole marriage. But there is a british guy named Dan who reminds me so much of Garrett and Stephanie and I have our gossipy lunches/dinners. I know that it is not the same I dont know its so hard to explain. I have this amazing opportunity and it is working out so well. The truth of the matter is that I could not have made it here if it were not for the help and support of all of you. OK enough sappyness.<br /><br />Tonight we are going to Hotel De Ville (City center) and having dinner at a resteraunt that claims to be tex-mex :) I will reserve judgment until after dinner.<br /><br />I do have one favor to ask those of you who read this. Some of you already know that I collect postcards from all over the world. I wanted to know if maybe in your free time you could send some from the different places that you are. It would be an interesting addition to my collection not only to have postmarks from all of your homes but also since they will be coming to France. Thank you so much. If you do not have my address it is 42 Rue Des Herideaux Lyon, France 69008.<br /><br />I hope that you all have a wonderful evening :)K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-75353643011687077252007-02-03T15:25:00.001+01:002007-02-03T15:25:17.867+01:00http://picasaweb.google.com/wanderk8K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-91977298907286746212007-02-03T15:03:00.000+01:002007-02-03T15:22:43.976+01:00<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/wanderk8/Paris/photo#5027307023818035666"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/wanderk8/RcSVGjOAEdI/AAAAAAAAAB0/FjtBmJRMTXs/s288/DSCN1735.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/wanderk8/Paris">Paris</a></td></tr></table>K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-22569742626333889732007-01-16T09:42:00.000+01:002008-12-10T11:52:06.908+01:00Getting into the swing of things.Here are just three pictures from my trip around the city this weekend. The blogger is acting funny and wont let me put any more up. I just wanted you all to get a chance to see a taste of the city I now call home.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RayTmf26v_I/AAAAAAAAACI/5266XRPmAIs/s1600-h/DSCN1579.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020549974207414258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RayTmf26v_I/AAAAAAAAACI/5266XRPmAIs/s200/DSCN1579.JPG" border="0" /></a>This is just a random wall that is built into the mountain. I think it will be a goal of mine to find out exactly what it is. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RayTmv26wAI/AAAAAAAAACQ/MpAfZQbb70Y/s1600-h/DSCN1582.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020549978502381570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RayTmv26wAI/AAAAAAAAACQ/MpAfZQbb70Y/s200/DSCN1582.JPG" border="0" /></a> One of the many churches in the city. You can see behind it on the right the Cathedral.<br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RaySPf26v-I/AAAAAAAAACA/ndzNxhnwWJo/s1600-h/DSCN1578.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020548479558795234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RaySPf26v-I/AAAAAAAAACA/ndzNxhnwWJo/s320/DSCN1578.JPG" border="0" /></a> This is the Abbey St. Ampere. So beautiful. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Ok well I hope that you are all well. But I guess I am wondering who is reading this. I know that members of my family are but I have not heard from any of the Girl Scouts since I left Lubbock. Oh well i am sure they are quite busy doing exciting things. </div><div> </div><div>Have a wonderful week. </div>K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-73168953865760814122007-01-08T07:40:00.000+01:002007-01-08T07:46:38.525+01:00My first days in France<span >well my travels have hit their skids and I am here in France. It was quite difficult getting the apartment squared away. When I first moved in the heat did not work nor the toilet or the cold water. Talk about overwhelming when you do not know the language at all. But it is all coming together and in a few hours classes will begin for the semester. </span><br /><br />I am certain that once classes begin and I am able to meet more people I will be more comfortable here. It is still very hard to believe that I am in France. There are some differences that are constant reminders that i am not in the states any more.<br /><br />My goal is to put some pictures of my apartment and the area up in the next few days..<br /><br />Be Well<br /><br />k8eK8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-44654296202782357952006-12-20T18:29:00.000+01:002008-12-10T11:52:07.652+01:00<span style="font-family:arial;">Before I left Lubbock the Troop went to the Texas Tech International Cultural Center to learn more about France and why students study abroad. These are a few pictures of our trip.</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RYl1kPgqzSI/AAAAAAAAABU/-RTmnscSowk/s1600-h/DSCN1402.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010665325925682466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RYl1kPgqzSI/AAAAAAAAABU/-RTmnscSowk/s320/DSCN1402.JPG" border="0" /></a> I think that the above may be our last group shot. I am uncertain if a parent was able to get a picture at the Christmas party<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RYl1k_gqzTI/AAAAAAAAABc/_ivezVYaeJA/s1600-h/DSCN1404.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010665338810584370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RYl1k_gqzTI/AAAAAAAAABc/_ivezVYaeJA/s320/DSCN1404.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>We have a bit of a tradition that whenever we are taking pictures we take a cute one and then a silly one..Always a Blast :)</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RYl0u_gqzQI/AAAAAAAAABE/oPuvSpOAk1o/s1600-h/DSCN1397.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010664411097648386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RYl0u_gqzQI/AAAAAAAAABE/oPuvSpOAk1o/s320/DSCN1397.JPG" border="0" /></a>You cannot tell very well but they are all reaching for the French flag above them. </div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RYl0vvgqzRI/AAAAAAAAABM/se3wwj6ggwc/s1600-h/DSCN1400.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010664423982550290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RYl0vvgqzRI/AAAAAAAAABM/se3wwj6ggwc/s320/DSCN1400.JPG" border="0" /></a> They are some silly girls but what can i say they have a silly leader :)<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RYl0CfgqzPI/AAAAAAAAAA8/TT621GdQjKU/s1600-h/DSCN1396.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010663646593469682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RYl0CfgqzPI/AAAAAAAAAA8/TT621GdQjKU/s320/DSCN1396.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />This is by far my most favorite..The ICC has a map built into the ground and right here all the girls have their fingers in France. </div><div> </div><div>I really do miss them. I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday :)<br /><br /><div></div></div></div>K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-59367774485191368182006-12-14T19:13:00.000+01:002006-12-14T19:20:30.266+01:00First leg of the trip<span style="font-family:verdana;">Hello World,</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">It is so strange to no longer be in Lubbock. But in less than three weeks I will leave for France. That is so exciting. It was hard leaving everyone in Lubbock and the scrapbook that you girls made me has quickly become one of my most prized possessions. I am staying with my cousin Kevin and tomorrow i will finish the drive to Florida. 800 miles in one day by yourself is hard. So i like that i can take a bit of a break here. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">On the France front it looks like i know where i will be living. it is called the Le <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Saggittare</span>. I hope i spelled that right. When i get there i will be sure to post pictures of my new apartment. The only problem that i have found so far is that i will only be able to live there from January until June. So I will have to find somewhere else to live in July and August. And I may even end up somewhere new in September. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Jeeze</span> that is a ton of moving for me. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Ok</span> well I hope that you are all having a wonderful time. Thank you again for the amazing scrapbook. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">K8E</span>K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5558828790693006790.post-858152089389607382006-12-05T04:21:00.000+01:002008-12-10T11:52:08.396+01:00Only a week left<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RXTnbMyT0fI/AAAAAAAAAAM/m4VQl2mFypA/s1600-h/DSCN1241.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004879540390187506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RXTnbMyT0fI/AAAAAAAAAAM/m4VQl2mFypA/s320/DSCN1241.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RXTnb8yT0gI/AAAAAAAAAAU/olHtsKOxKak/s1600-h/100_0723.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004879553275089410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RXTnb8yT0gI/AAAAAAAAAAU/olHtsKOxKak/s320/100_0723.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RXTndMyT0hI/AAAAAAAAAAc/-rXJJwiD-xM/s1600-h/DSCN1223.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004879574749925906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RXTndMyT0hI/AAAAAAAAAAc/-rXJJwiD-xM/s320/DSCN1223.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RXTnd8yT0iI/AAAAAAAAAAk/6fCv8szDY9k/s1600-h/DSCN1233.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004879587634827810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XyEBDh73zss/RXTnd8yT0iI/AAAAAAAAAAk/6fCv8szDY9k/s320/DSCN1233.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:courier new;">Well it is official now. I will be leaving for France on January 3, 2007. This blog will be a place for people to not only see what I am doing in my travels but also to leave notes letting me know what is happening. I am learning about this blog process and will try to improve it as we go.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Courier New;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Courier New;">k8e</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Courier New;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Courier New;">We had our birthday party last month and these are some of the pictures from it.</span></div><br /><div></div>K8Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291680215372395183noreply@blogger.com1