It’s Been a Long Time

It’s been a while since I’ve posted.  It seems as though life is simply passing by too quickly.  Between running Taylor and Treila all over the place to various activities, I don’t have time to stop and think.  I’m on reaction mode instead of pro-active.  But it’s a good life.  I would trade all the running around with them for anything in the world.  They make me so happy.

Anyway, we have just come through the Thanksgiving holidays.  We had some wonderful time with family.  Now we are heading into the Christmas holidays.  We have 3 more weeks of school before being out on break, then we are out for 2 weeks.  The following week will be 2011.  Wow, how time flies.

I just turned 49 last week.  Next year will be the big 50!  The years to follow will probably move very quickly.  I will be 60, 70, 80, etc. if the Lord allows.  I pray for grace and mercy to go before me and my family as we try with His help to serve Him all the days of our lives.  We are thankful for the people that God has put before us and the blessings that He’s given us.  I pray He finds us faithful!

Just Another Day

I haven’t blogged for a while.  I’ve been really busy.  Just an update:  I’ve been home from Europe 1 month today.  I don’t have my pictures sorted, uploaded or printed.  I have had 2 leg surgeries since I’ve been home and will have 2 more before school starts back. I’m not sure what classes I’ll be teaching yet, so I can’t prepare that much just yet.  I guess that’s what in-service days are for.  I have changed my mind on how I’m going to do my grades.  Some students will be happy, others will not.  But I contend that currently, testing is still the best measure of how much knowledge a student has gained.  After all, us teachers are going to be graded on how well our students do on tests, then they need to step up to the plate and be able to perform on tests.  Oh well, I’m probably preaching to the choir.  I’ll write more beneficial information later on.

Don’t Settle for Lemonade from Lemons…Instead Expect God to Provide Lemon Chiffon Mousse!

God is AWESOME!  We started this trip with a run of untimely happenstances.  But God has shown us a little bit of heaven!  God’s people must have prayed for us.  After our motor home accident on Thursday, June 3, we rented a car and drove until I was too tired to drive any more, so we spent the night in the car at a rest stop in France.  Then, Friday night, June 4, we stayed at the most wonderful alpine resort-type hotel.  It was the Hotel Sonnerhof in the small village of Utting….Germany, close to Oberammergau.  It was great!  The room was wonderful, but the breakfast was unbelieveable.

We then went to see the Passion Play at Oberammergau on Saturday, June 5.  Although it was in German, that didn’t matter.  Once we left the play, we headed for Schwangau, the site of Neuschwanstien Castle.  We couldn’t find a hotel, so we slept in a parking lot almost the same spot that I slept in my car 20 years ago.

On Sunday, June 6, we went to Neuschwanstein Castle and then on to Dachau Concentration Camp close to Munich.  From there we headed to Austria.  We stayed in a wonderful hotel in Soll, Austria called the Hotel Tyrol. Again, we had a wonderful breakfast at that hotel.

On Monday, June 7, we headed towards Venice, Italy by way of the Nationalpark Hohe Tauren in Austria.  It was amazing.  The scenery was magnificient.  I’ll try to post pictures soon.  We continued on through the Dolomites of north eastern Italy onto Venice.  We stayed at the Camping Fusina campground on the outskirts of Venice.  We rented a little caravan (mobile home) for the night and did laundry. 

On Tuesday, June 8, we went into Venice by ferry from Fusina.  We walked around the streets and finally got to San Marco’s Piazza.  We went to the cathedral and was finally allowed to enter once we had attained their standards….meaning, I couldn’t take my laptop backpack into the cathedral, I had to check it at an secured location.  So I did, but I took my laptop out and carried it with me.  Then I get back to the front of the line and find out that Treila can’t go in because she has on shorts.  Well, I had 3 large headscarves with me so I took 2 of them and knotted them together around her and made her a makeshift skirt.  We were then allowed to enter the main part of the church, but not the treasury, crypt, behind the altar or where they were having a prayer service.  Overall, the city is overrated and dirty with poor walkways and too many beggars.  Anyway, after returning on the ferry back to Fusina, we left and went towards Pisa where we found a campground called Mugella Verde in Mugella, Italy, where we stayed in our car. 

On Wednesday, June 9, we awake and went toward the Cinque Terre area of western Italy.  We went to the village of Vernazza.  It was a breathe of fresh air to see Italy from that vantage point.  Then on to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower.  Magnificent!  Lastly, we are in a wonderful hotel, Best Western Guinigi in Lucca Italy. 

I’ll write more later!

Days 4, 5, 6 and 7

We finally left Ft. Lauderdale on day 2 and arrived on day 3.  We couldn’t make it to Paris, so we took our car to Wurzburg Germany.  Day 4 - After Wurzburg, we went back to Frankfurt to pick up the motorhome.  We then headed for Paris. We slept that night in the RV in one of the aires (parking area at the rest stops).  It was a very restful night.  The next day we arrived in Paris.  Our GPS ran out of battery while we tried to find the campground.  Unfortunately, we drove within Paris for about 5 hours. 

We went through the Muslim, Jewish, and “Red Light” districts.  Although very sad, it was a little funny when we drove down the road where the “Ladies of the Niight” wait on evening employment opportunities.  I think the profession must be legal there because the heavily tree-lined street seemed to have a different “Lady” hanging out by it.  Then the funniest thing was how the “Gentlemen” came to escort the ladies for the night.  We saw one such “Gentlemen” pull up with a trailer.  We were speculating that he was having a party of some type for the “Ladies”.

By the time we finally found the campground, they had closed the gate for the evening.  So we went looking for another, only to pull our van back into another aires location.  We slept well again.  But we still  had not seen Paris beyond it’s “ladies” and very congested traffic. 

Day 5 - We decided to get a campsite for that night first before heading into the city.  We found a campground in Maisons Lafitte, France.  We checked in and walked about a 1/2 mile to catch the train into Paris.  We ate at a wonderful restaurant and had a variation of pasta.  We then went to Notre Dame Cathedral.  From there we went to the Louvre. We really enjoyed the artwork, but seeing the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory was great.  Taylor really seemed to enjoy it a lot.

From the Louvre, we went up the Champs –Ellysees to the Arc de Triumphe.  We then went to the Eiffel Tower.  WOW! We had a fun-filled, packed, tiring day.

Day 6 – THIS JUST WAS NOT MY DAY!

We woke up and got ready at the campground.  Performed maintenance on the RV and headed on our way to Visp, Switzerland.  However, just a few kilometers down the road from our departure, we went into the town of Sartrouville, France .  While there, I had an ACCIDENT.  I decapitated the motorhome.  My CPS instructed me to go down this street.  I didn’t see any height limitation signs, so I went driving “down” this road.  About the time I realized that the tunnel we were heading into was too low, I slammed on my brakes, but I was too late!  I heard this cracking sound and Treila screaming.  She had been hit by some of the debris and had cut her finger. She started crying bloody murder.  I think that this was from shock than actually being hurt. 

The police were wonderful.  They couldn’t speak English and I couldn’t speak French, but the young men who helped me were great!  They had to deflate the tires and helped me to back out of the tunnel.  They stayed with me until I was on my way.

Unfortunately, the company I rented from wasn’t available.  I waited about 5 hours before giving up on them(36 hours later and I’ve still not heard from them).  Our agent told us to go ahead and that the motorhome to the Paris location.  However, they didn’t have any more rentals for us and daylight was fading fast.  The Paris RV folks called the taxi and we left for the airport at Orly.  From here I booked another car to drive the duration of our trip.

After we left the car rental company, we headed for Germany.  We stopped to eat a Chinese meal that was wonderful.  We couldn’t find any place to stay, so we slept in our car.

Day 7 - It was a long trip

We continue on our way to Visp and changing our minds to skip Switzerland .We booked a hotel and arrived at our hotel that I booked this afternoon.  It was a nice hotel within the country side.

 

I’m falling asleep at my computer, so I’ll finish later with pictures!

Days 2 and 3….I Finally Left on a Jet Plane

Long story short, after getting to the airport in Ft. Lauderdale for our Flight to Frankfurt, Germany on Friday night, we had a delay, then it became a longer delay.  Our 9:50pm flight didn’t go at all on Friday.  We were put up in a hotel, given food vouchers and told to return to the airport Saturday morning at 9:00am.  Well, we got to the airport and then had to wait some more.  We then learned our flight was delayed again until 2:00pm.  A little while later, it was delayed until 4:00pm.  We finally did leave at 4:30pm.  We landed in Frankfurt around 7:45am today (Sunday) morning.

We got our luggage and then I let Treila go to the bathroom.  We went through customs and proceeded to the car rental booth which was about 1/2 mile from the customs area. I got the key to our Mercedes and Treila asked where was her purse.  Rachel (my cousin for those of you who don’t know) said she remembered Treila taking it into the bathroom.  So Treila and I walked all the way back and had to go through customs again just to get to the bathroom.  Miraculously, the purse was still there. 

We then proceeded to our rental car only to find that we didn’t have enough space for all of our luggage.  So we made due.  All luggage that went in the trunk did and the rest was placed in the back seat with Taylor and Treila.  We then got in the car and started towards Munich (plans changed….we lost part of our time devoted to Paris, so we are reworking our schedule).  Right now we are stopped in Wertheim between Frankfurt and Munich. 

By the time we got down the road to Wurzburg, I was totally exhausted.  So, we pulled over by the side of one road and propped a map up on the steering wheel and took a nap. We have seen some beautiful old sites. We checked into the Novotel Wurzbug for a good night’s sleep.  Here are some of our pictures.

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Day One – I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane

Today was the first day of our European trip.  It seems like such a long day because I didn’t go to bed last night.  I spent too much time yesterday trying to do other things.  It finally all worked out, but I am really tired.  Right now I’m sitting in Bass Pro Outdoor World in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  We have an 8.5 hour layover before our flight out tonight for Frankfurt.  We rented a car and went to “brunch” at the IHOP.  It was wonderful.  The food and the service were great.  The waitress spoke as though she were from Jamaica.  She was great.  We decided to rest right now at the entrance on the wonderful furniture that is available.  We love this store, if nothing more than for the wonderful place to rest.  Anyway, our flight tonight is an overnighter, so we think we will be able to sleep just fine.  So far we’ve driven around and done nothing but see what all is going on in Ft. Lauderdale, Dana Beach areas… We are now at the Ft. Lauderdale airport trying to get to Frankfurt.  This has got to be one of the noisiest airports I’ve ever seen.  They do have wi-fi so I tried to Skype Tony, but his webcam went out.  So he could see and hear us, but we could only hear him a little over this noisy crowd.  Anyway, I don’t have pictures yet to upload, but tomorrow we will be in Frankfurt and then on to Paris. 

Counting Down The Days

I’ve been so busy.  I’m trying to get it all together to finish out the school year for my students.  For my Algebra 2 kids, all they have left is their final exam.  For my Algebra 1 kids, they have one more section to cover and a test.  I have to complete my “end of the year” list before I can “check out” on May 26.

I’ve also started packing for our trip to Europe.  I still have a lot to do including getting all the “stuff” for motor homing together as well as all of our clothes and electronic paraphernalia.

I’m not sure how much stuff to take right now.  I definitely don’t want to take too much, but I don’t want to have to buy too much stuff in Europe once we get there.

We leave in 12 days.  So little time and I thought I’d been planning this for about 1 1/2 years. Keep checking back for our updates while we are on the road.

1000 Year Flood of 2010

Yesterday I heard that some of the officials at the US Army Corp of Engineers said that this was probably a 1000 Year Flood.  There are no records with flooding of this magnitude for Middle Tennessee.  I think they were going off of geology and other experts to come up with that 500 Year figure. 

We are so blessed that we were not gravely affected by this.  However, Tony did have a harrowing experience on Saturday and I foolishly had gone out and it really could have been bad since I did drive through water that I shouldn’t have done.

Our home and property is fine.  More importantly, our immediate families are fine.  We did hear last night that 2 on Tony’s cousins homes were flooded out and possibly an uncle and another cousin had damage.  Tony’s boss’s home had at least 5 feet of water in it.  They evacuated to other family. Yesterday afternoon we went to help him move furniture and other personal belongings.  It was really sad to see all of the people displaced and trying to clear their homes.  They were lining the roads with furniture, household goods, clothes, and de-construction debris.

There is much more to do so we will have to see where we can help within the next few days.  To those who have been given much, much is required.

Taylor’s 8th Grade Dance

It’s been almost 2 weeks since Taylor’s 8th Grade Dance, so I thought it was time I posted photos of her in her dress.

She is so beautiful and was so excited.  She has such a great time that it made me so happy to see her happy.  I love this “not so little anymore” little girl.  I remember the day I found out I was pregnant and the day she was born was so emotional for me.  At the sight of her, I cried!  She was and still is so precious.  ….After I cried, well, I threw up (anesthesia).

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What a Great Weekend!

Mother-Daughter Day with Taylor was GREAT! Then on Saturday I made Taylor and Treila their Easter dresses.  Then Tony and I had some time to spend together when we went to town to shop and eat dinner. Easter Sunday was gorgeous! Church and family!  What could be better?

Today is work day.  It’s about 4:50am and I have a load of clothes in the dryer and another in the washer.  I have about 4 more loads that I want to do this morning.  Then I have a whole list of things to accomplish today…hopefully I can get at least 1/3 to 2/3 of it done!

I got a notice about Taylor’s dress; it is suppose to be shipped today!  Can’t wait to see it on her.  Then we can get her shoes.  We got her jewelry on Friday. Then I want to get her mask.  I need to make her hair and nails appointment today before I forget!

Mother-Daughter Day

Today, Taylor and I are going to Nashville to shop.  We’ve actually never had a totally mother-daughter day and we are both excited about not only the shopping, but spending time together.  We are going to be looking for things for her 8th grade “get together”.  This is a big deal as next year everyone will be in high school. I ordered her dress online last night.  I hope it gets here in time and that it fits. She almost has the “perfect” figure for a model and the beauty that goes along with it.  Yes, although not an official teenager, she does sometimes display the attitude.  But for the most part, she is a wonderful loving ‘tween who has the maturity level of a responsible adult most of the time.  She has a heart of gold and cares about people.  Oh, yes, she also told me that we needed to buy “Me” some clothes as I need some new things.  I told her we could go by Goodwill.  She told me that I needed to spend a little money on me at somewhere like Old Navy or similar.

The dress we ordered for Taylor:

I’m So Excited

Today is the last day of school before Spring Break!  Right now I’m a little weary of the classroom.  It seems that the students are becoming lazier and less respectful and more disruptive.  It will be good to have a break.

On the other hand, Taylor and I are going to look for dresses for her 8th Grade Paris Masquerade Dance.  She already knows which dress she wants, then we have to pick out all the accessories.  Tomorrow is a mother-daughter day to do this.  We are going to have a great day together, just us!

I also have to finish our Income Taxes and finish some projects prior to our 2nd yard sale scheduled for next weekend for our Europe trip.  It is less than 2 months before we leave and the excitement in all of us is building.

I’ll write more later!

Excitement is Starting to Build

We leave for Europe May 28, 2010.  I have the following accomplished:

1. Passports
2. Airfare from Ft. Lauderdale to Frankfurt Germany
3. Reservations for Motor home
4. Passion Play Tickets
5. Travel Insurance

What I still have left to accomplish:

1. Airfare from Nashville to Ft. Lauderdale
2. Reservations for car rental for 2 days in Frankfurt
3. Reservations for hotel in Paris for 2 nights
4. International Camping Carnet (card to go camping and get discounts at campgrounds)
5. International Driver’s License
6. Getting Tony’s computer set up to Skype and use email (he’s not going with us)

These are the major items.  I will need to accomplish quite a few little things. I have all kinds of lists made that I need to complete the follow-thru.

The Spaghetti Supper was successful.  This weekend we have a Yard Sale.  Then a second Yard Sale is the weekend of April 9-10.

OK...What Can I Accomplish Today

Today I am trying to finish my paperwork for my school evaluation and my teacher licensure. I am now going from an apprentice to a professional teacher. The application isn't very hard, but it's just something that I need to concentrate on. I'm taking a small break as I have been working on my Future Growth Plan for about 1.5 hours and I need to complete it.

Today the 11th graders are taking the ACT and the other students are in the gym for intramural sports. I hope to utilized this time to complete my requirements for my paperwork today while this is taking place.

Last week, my time was so consumed with Teacher Technology In-Service that I didn't have time for anything else. Oh well, I'm doing it now....BREAK is over! Back to work!

TMI – Too Much Information

Today another teacher and I provided in-service training to fellow teachers.  Whew, am I tired.  At first, I thought we were going to have about a 4 hour session.  Then it was cut down to 2 hours.  So we were going to split it to have about an hour’s worth of information each.  Well, this morning we realized that with the time constraints we would actually have about 30-35 minutes each.  This was definitely not enough time!  I started talking and couldn’t quit because I had planned too much.  I had really wanted the teachers to go out onto the web and explore all the different software that I had suggested.  But that was not to be.  I felt like I hadn’t done an adequate job because I didn’t have enough time for them to play.  However, maybe there will be more opportunities in which to dig deeper into specific content that can be utilized.  At least I will have a few days to recover from all this excitement.

Ode to the Night

Whilst I ponder away the evening sitting at my humble place of employment waiting fruitlessly for those who would beseech my wisdom as to their fledgling's slothfulness, I am enthralled with the wonderlust of the tecnological realm that awaits.

Heavy-hearted with what seems to be the eternal pinings of my soul toward that futuristic land of the proverbial OZ, I tend to think that it is truly "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and therefore not within our grasp of ascertainment.

Now that you've followed this junk, I'll tell you what I'm doing. I am adding another blog post to use in my technology training session this Thursday.

Life Has its Ups and Downs

I’ve been preparing for our trip to Europe.  I’ve been trying to keep abreast of the latest flight information and when I can get the best airfare.  I’ve also been looking at motor home rentals as that is how we are planning to travel while we are there.  In addition, I’ve been looking at information on the various towns and regions that we will be visiting.

Low and behold, I get sick.  UGH!  It’s not fun.  Now I’m anticipating medical tests and quite possibly surgery in the near future.  I can’t stand how I feel now, so I’ve got to get better quick!

I have been blessed with excessive snow days so that I haven’t had to be in school on the days when I’ve felt my worse.  Today, however, was not a snow day, but I took off anyway.  This is one of those definitely don’t feel well days.

On top of this, I have Girl Scout cookies that I need to sell.  We need to have a booth sale, but I don’t feel like doing that right now.  I guess I’ll just have to pay for about 150 boxes out of my pocket until I feel like setting up a booth.

Oh well, this too shall pass.  I will either get better or I won’t.  If I do, I’ll go to Europe; if I don’t, I’ll go to heaven.

Yesterday was Successful…What about Today?

When Tony got home, I was able to get some housework done.  I were doing pretty well when he was called back into work.  Anyway, our house looks a lot better now.  I still some more to do…actually a lot more.  But I’ll keep on “truckin”.

Taylor has to complete her Chemistry take-home test.  She has most of it done, but has been procrastinating each day that school has been cancelled.  But today, she finished it!

There is a Girl Scout leaders’ meeting today that I need to attend.  I usually miss them because I’m working and they have them during the day.  Then Taylor has tumbling class late this afternoon and then we head to church.  My day will be “full” with doing stuff.  I need to get some work done that I’ve been procrastinating about.

TODAY IS THE DAY TO CLEAN!

Tony is only working a few hours this morning.  Then he is coming home to “coach” me.  For you see, I never “learned” how to clean house.  I get overwhelmed when I look at the big picture.  He helps me to focus on one thing at a time.  As soon as I get off this computer, I will be tackling one job until it’s done.  Then I will move to the 2nd, then the 3rd and so on.  Good thing he knew getting into this marriage that I don’t clean well.  He’s a “keeper”.  I am a packrat and a clutterer, but I’m very thankful that I’m not a hoarder.  I want to get rid of stuff, but just don’t know where to start.  Hopefully, I can post a note of success at the end of this day!

Need To Work

My husband is on his way home from work, but I’ve spent all day either on the computer or watching TV.  I have been so lazy today.  It’s a good thing that we are out of school tomorrow.

Anyway, we did have fun this weekend playing in the snow.  I hope to have more times like this with all of my kids…Taylor, Treila and yes the biggest kid of all “Tony”.

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This is a test

I’m testing my blog setting.  It seems to have gotten messed up.

Life is Happening!

I’m trying to get ready for a really busy late Winter and early Spring.  We are planning to have a Spaghetti Supper on March 6, and then 2 major yard sales and BBQ chicken sales dates to help raise money to go to Europe. 

With all the activities that the kids have, I feel like I’m pulled from pillar to post…but that’s OK!

I’ll write more later!  Oh…the picture below is a test of putting a picture into the blog.

Don’t wish your life away…but

I am so glad that school is over with for today and I’m hoping for a better day tomorrow.  The students must have taken such a “get on Mrs. Curtis’s nerves” kind of pill today.  Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching, and I love the students.  However, there are times when I  don’t like them.  I wish that parents would raise their children to be respectful of adults, instill a love of learning, and try to do what’s right.  But I suppose that since the family unit doesn’t really exist any more, the students are just thrown to the wind to literally raise themselves. So, I’m glad today is over and tomorrow is another day.  Hopefully, a better day! 

Lord, please help my students to do right and please help me to be a positive influence!