A WEEKEND OF CELEBRATIONS

So, last weekend was really fun, and really exhausting. I had three birthday parties to go to: one for my friend, Agathe; one for my roommate, Sylvia; and one for my friend's baby, Matteo. I had a lot of fun and laughs, and wanted to post the pictures taken:)


Agathe's party


Matteo's first birthday


Sylvia's party

One more sleep til I go home!!!!

Lots o stuff happening over here:)

I spent last weekend with the first family I worked for, which was a ton of fun. The girls were 7 and 9 years old when I lived with them for 3 months...now they are almost 14 and 16! So we talked girl talk, watched a buttload of movies (4 to be exact), and ate. We stayed in our pjs from 7 pm Saturday night to 5 pm on Sunday! I love weekends like that:) We started snapping pictures around 4.45 pm on Sunday, before I had to leave, which is why Caroline and I are still in our pjs. Charlotte had already changed since she was the designated fresh bread-getter in the morning.




This is a video we shot being silly....during my MSU soccer years, my team had this crazy game they would play on long bus trips where they were each a vegetable and talked as if they had no teeth. It would be sooo hilarious that sooner or later someone would start laughing and that would be the end! It was too funny....so I introduced the game to Caroline and Charlotte when I first arrived many moons ago, and they never forgot it:) So, this is us just being silly...

This week will be pretty hectic, as it usually is before I leave to go home. I guess I'm just that popular that everyone wants to hang out with me before I leave;) LOL! I have a LOT of cheese to eat this week with 2 fondues scheduled, and some badminton to win (sorry, Nina, just because it's the Christmas season does not mean I will let you win;) )...then next weekend will be crazazy as I have 3 birthday parties to go to. I'm thinking I will be exhausted by next Monday. Which is ok, because I only work on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday I'm off, and Thursday I leave!!!! As they say here, 'Youpi!!'

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season:)

Woo hoo! It's officially the Christmas season!!

Well, I spent the last few days running here and there. I did a ton of babysitting, which I don't mind and actually enjoy:) I know that's a crazy thought for most of you! Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon I looked after Tim and Alixe, who are now 6 and 8 yrs. old.....it is impressive to see kids grow up soooo fast! When I first met them, Alixe was just turning 13 months and wobbling as she walked...Tim was 3 and speaking to me in Swiss-German half the time:)

I spent 15 months looking after them and becoming insanely attached to them, so I had a blast hanging out last night. They totally wore me out! From games to foosball to hide-and-seek to the famous 'guili guili' game (I chase them, catch them, and tickle them....it's become the favorite game to play when I come visit!). They finally crashed at 11 pm, and slept til 9 am....and then the fun began again! I'm pretty exhausted right now:)

So, they are apparently going to become professional photographers, these two. They really know how to use my really expensive camera really well, so we all took tons of pics. I'm posting the album below....and added some photos that were taken while I was living with them.

Have a great week! Only 2 1/2 more weeks til I go home!!!

My sister sent this to me last year, and I decided to do it again! Too funny!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9600205570

THANKSGIVING CHEZ MOI

Well, it was another successful Thanksgiving dinner this year...and it was hosted chez moi (at my house). I stressed quite a bit for this, but everything turned out great. It's always so great to be surrounded by awesome friends, and I enjoy sharing this American holiday with those who are not familiar with it.

I tried out 3 new recipes, which were a big hit. I think the most favored dish was the sweet potato casserole, which I have actually never eaten before! And I even forgot to put one of the ingredients in! But, apparently, everyone loved it, and I even had to pass out the recipe. For those of you who are always looking for great recipes, try www.allrecipes.com! I got all my Thanksgiving ideas from there....

I probably would've been ready to pull my hair out if it weren't for my kitchen helpers! Arnaud played 'doctor', and took care of the turkey (it's apparently too dangerous for women to remove heavy birds from the oven and baste them;) ). Mira and Kat listened to my commands and did a great job on all of the dishes. And Agathe helped me prepare the famous apple pie...which was another winner. I am so fortunate to have so many amazing friends here!

And one of my highlights (there were many!) was quoting the movie 'Spaceballs' with Kat for what seemed like an hour! Who knew that we were such dorks and could remember virtually every line to that classic??! 'Ludicrous speed?! Sir, we've never gone that fast before!' 'What's the matter Colonel Sanders? Chicken??!' Ahhh, greatness.....pure genius.

So, we had a Bazaar today at the UN, which was pretty cool. Crowded, but interesting. There were about 70 or so countries represented, with food stands from all the countries selling their cuisine. Then there was a separate building filled with stands that were selling goods from those countries. I was a bit disappointed with the American stand...there seemed to be only candy! So I bought a Hershey's Almond Chocolate bar and went on my merry way:) I know that Swiss chocolate is world-renowned, but I really do enjoy Hershey's!

I finally started getting extremely irritated with the small space and millions of people, so I dragged Mira out so we could breathe fresh air....I kind of get claustrophobic in those types of situations, and it doesn't take long before I'm ready to threaten to kick someone's ass if they don't move outta my way or stop bumping into me!

We made it back to the office around 3 pm, which means we took about 3 hours for lunch:) Gotta love the UN culture! I try not to do it too often though!

I've officially started counting down the weeks til I leave to go home....3 more weeks from this Thursday!! I can't wait to arrive at the airport and tell Kim where I want to go eat first:)

Hope to hear from some of you soon! Ciao!

Thoughts for the Future....

Well, thanks to Kelly's heads-up to the lsclive.tv link, I was able to watch my alma mater, Midwestern State University, play against West Texas A&M in the Lone Star Conference semi-final game. I was really impressed that they present the games live on the internet, and that you can purchase them. I had great quality during the first half, but it sucked big time in the second half....I was sad to see MSU lose 1-0 to the stinkin WTAM girls, and thought that there might've even been a little entertainment/revenge at the end of the match when a few of the players started pushing each other. No such luck, though, as the ref pushed them apart!

This got me to thinkin'....first, about how much I miss the atmosphere on campus; second, about how much I miss the game; and third, about how much I miss coaching. Ok, my coaching experience is limited to 4-6 year olds and 13-14 year olds. But there is something very rewarding about it, and I miss that. So, I might start looking into what it would take to be an Assistant Coach at the university level. I know it's not all fun and games....well, there are a lot of games;)....but I think that I would enjoy it, and be good at it.

Watching the game tonight had me reliving some of those moments, both good and bad, from what seems like forever ago. I guess it has been 8 years! Wow....I am getting old! There are so many, but the one that still rings in my head (and heart) is our last game of my Senior year. I can't even tell you how many times that shot I took, and barely missed, has replayed in my mind! It would've been sweet....if it hadn't hit the crossbar, post, and goal line before being cleared! Maybe when I'm 80, and senile, I will have forgotten all about it;)

From our alumni 'game' (it got rained out, so we went to eat instead:) ), last year: Cat, Coach Jeff, Lindsay and me

I received another contract, which I signed just yesterday.....they really take their time! But, I'm just relieved that I will be at the UN until the end of February. And then the stress will start all over again!

On a random note....how do you guys like my new widget?? It's a NeoPod, and I LOVE it!! You guys can even leave messages for me on it...just click on the smileys:) I have no idea who looks at my blog because 90% of the visitors are in cities where I don't know anyone. So, it's kinda cool that totally random strangers are reading this!

Anywho...I have some big things coming up. Notably, my Thanksgiving dinner that I'll be having on November 17th with about 10 of my closest friends. I'm sure I'll be feeling absolutely no stress on that day;) But I'm sure I'll post pics....so stay tuned:)

A bientot! See you soon!

Well, it only took 6 years, but my dad finally made it over to my neck of the woods!

I guess all of my nagging during the past 6 years finally paid off! My dad asked me in mid September if he could come visit at the end of that month. I was so shocked, and asked my boss if I could take 5 days off, to which he surprised me by saying, "Go ahead!". So, we changed the week so that he arrived in October, and ended up spending 3 days in Geneva, and 4 in Munich, Germany.
I realized quickly that it might be difficult to find a place to stay in Munich since we were arriving during the last week of Oktoberfest. It was hard, but we found a hotel that was set off the road, with a (raging) river running behind it. In fact, it was so loud in the room when we opened the door that I was under the impression that we had an air-conditioning unit in our room! I was so excited about that since it's hard to find hotels with A/C, but after 3 hours I realized that there was no box-looking-thing that could've passed as the unit! So I closed the window, and presto!, NO MORE A/C! It was actually the 'rapids'!! I am seriously posting a pic of that....

So, Munich is awesome! First, GREAT food! I think my dad was more impressed with that than most other things! Then, there was so much to see and do, either in Munich, or right around it. The first full day we were there, we went on 2 tours: 'Hitler's Munich' and 'Dachau'. I was really amazed with how much of a role Munich had in Hitler's rising. We went to many different places that were significant in his history, and the history of Nazi-ism. Then we grabbed something to eat, with one of those GIANT soft pretzels as a snack to share (which was a mistake...I told him we should've gotten 2!). Now, when I say GIANT, I mean gigantic! This thing is bigger than your face!
Afterwards, we met our next guide who took us to Dachau, where the first concentration camp was built. They've preserved it, for the most part, and we walked through the museum and then the barracks, gas chamber, and crematorium. It was really interesting to have a guide who was Israeli, and my dad had a lot of questions for her during the tour:) Afterwards, we went to eat at the Hofbrau House, but it was so packed that we decided to eat at a restaurant directly across from it. I think that is where all the Germans eat, actually! All the tourists go to Hofbrau:) Anywho, we had this amazing meal....so amazing, in fact, that my dad asked to eat there again the next night, which we did.

On our second full day there, we took another tour, but this one lasted all day. We drove down to Bavaria to see 2 of King Ludwig's castles, which are located in the southeast part of Germany, bordering Austria. This king definitely liked the gold color.....everything was covered in a thin layer of gold, so it was a bit much for the eyes at times! We also stopped in a little village inbetween castle visits, and my dad picked up some souvenirs. They are very well known for their wood-carving skills, and handmade crafts. And every 10 years, in this small village, there is a play that opens that brings in huge audiences. It's called 'Passion of the Christ', and the next play opens in 2010....it looks like it would be amazing.

After that, we drove down to the Neuschwanstein Castle (or 'schloss' in German;) I am tempted to start learning German after 4 days there! Cool language.) We had to hike up this trail leading to the castle, which took us about 30 minutes. This was ok for my dad since he felt he had eaten too much since he arrived in Deutschland, and wanted to burn some calories! When we arrived at the top, we were reminded of just how organized the Germans are....everyone had their ticket, which had a number on it, as well as the time the tour started. If you didn't get in the correct lane, at the correct time (and I mean, EXACT time...not 3 minutes after!), you missed your opportunity! It was insane, so we felt stressed about this until we were in the castle. Our guide was part robot/part woman...no lie. She was so monotone and looked straight ahead, but at no one in particular...almost like she was looking at the top of someone's head. Then when she finished talking, at the end, everyone was making little comments about how robotic she was. Seriously, she must hate her job.
Anyway, we got back to Munich around 5.45 pm, and did some more souvenir shopping. I was so excited to see a ginormous Esprit store there, and I bought 2 suits for work. I think I might fly back again just for a shopping day!

We got back home on Saturday the 6th, and spent the rest of the time organizing bags for my dad's trip home the next day. I made a raclette dinner, and we watched a few episodes of The Office, which I think I finally got my dad hooked on!, and then crashed. We had to get up at 5.30 the next morning for the airport, and 3 hours later I was back in bed. It was a great trip, and I'm so happy that my dad finally came over to visit and see a bit of where and how I live. Now I'm waiting for other family and friends to make their way over the ocean;)

So, as far as work is concerned, I'm still waiting to hear about my next contract :S It's unsettling, but I know everything will work out the way it is meant to. I fly home to Abilene on December 13th, and will be there for 3 weeks....well, except for 5 days, when I'll be in Boston!

I hope everyone is doing great, and that I'll hear from you soon! Auf weidersehen!

GOTTA LOVE GENEVA!!

Man, oh man! You guys will never believe the Thursday night I had!!! Well, for most of you, you will probably have zero idea of who I'm talking about, but oh well. My friend, Nina, received this invitation for a grand opening celebration of a new jewellery store in Geneva called Avakian. She called them and asked if she could still go, since it wasn't her name on the invitation, and they said, 'Sure!' So, she called me up 2 weeks ago and asked if I would like to go to a cocktail at the Restaurant des Eaux Vives....which is one of the most chic places in town. I said, 'Sure!' cuz, you know, it was free!! Well, I forgot about it and was at home last night still in my very casual work clothes...when Nina rang the doorbell and asked if I was ready. I was thinking, 'I kinda just want to stay home....but it might be cool, and besides, free food and drinks!'

Holy Mother of God.....this was not a 'cocktail'. This was about 200 jet-setters from all over the world! I'm talking FAMOUS people, and extremely rich people! We walked in, and immediately I was embarrassed because of how I was dressed! Women all around me were wearing dresses that looked like they were worn on the Red Carpet! Maybe they were! They must have spent at least 3 hours in the hair salon, with some of the 'dos I saw! We felt as though we were in a movie....then we saw all these photographers taking pictures of Mr. Avakian and this extremely tall blond woman, who was beautiful. She just happened to be Adriana Karembeu, the supermodel who made WonderBra famous!! She is apparently a superstar in Europe, and has been recorded by Guinness as having the longest supermodel legs ever! I swear, she's 6'1'', but about 5'8'' of that is legs....unbelievable. She is also married to French soccer star Christian Karembeu. I found her official site, but it's in French....but you can at least see what she looks like. http://www.adrianakarembeu.fr/

So, since we had no idea who she was, we continued walking around looking at all the jewellery showcased that evening. Not exactly my taste - a little over the top- but it was still cool to see. We planted ourselves at one of the tables and picked off little finger foods that were soooo delicious, and we quickly befriended one of the servers. I guess maybe because we felt more on his level than anyone else's there! They kept refilling our glasses with champagne, and they even had a sushi bar that was sculpted out of ice! It was so funny...all these people were so elegant, and had probably seen parties much bigger and better than this one, but we were so mesmerized with this ice bar...Nina kept touching it to see if it was really ice! I don't think anyone could say that we looked like we fit in! So, after eating sushi and TONS of finger foods, and downing glass after glass of champagne, the entertainment finally started. So, we didn't know who Adriana was -our friendly server told us later who she was and was shocked that we could be that stupid!- and we didn't know who the singer was. I had heard of her, or her name, rather, but never heard her songs. But when she started singing, it was like listening to Heaven! Lara Fabian can be described as the Celine Dion of France, and everyone knows how much I love Celine! But Lara's voice is a bit softer....she sang so many beautiful and amazing songs, and I instantly became a fan:) It was cool to hear her say that her mother is Armenian and her father Italian....my grandmother was Italian, and my grandfather was Armenian. Mr. Avakian is Armenian, but I have no idea if that was why they asked her to give a private concert. Either way, I was so impressed with her singing that I will go and download her songs tonight!

See if you can see this link properly...it's one of her performances: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hg3DNNrH1M

So, after that, we were left with our jaws on the ground, but decided to stuff our faces with their very yummy desserts. I ate soooo much sugar that, for sure, was packed into all of the little tiny finger desserts, that I was practically bouncing off the walls as we left. Which, by the way, was awesome because they gave us each a gift bag, and a brochure booklet, that had a beautifully wrapped box of chocolate and, in mine, an Avakian bracelet. Nina got a ring. I don't think it's worth as much as the other jewellery we saw that night! But it was super nice and I'm wearing it right now!

I told Nina that if she ever intercepted another invitation to a party, that she needed to invite me again! But next time, I will try to dress for the occasion so I don't blend in with the servers:)
Kiss kiss, dah-lings;)

Surprise Birthday Party!

Well, as most of you already know, my awesome friends threw me a surprise birthday party on Sept. 9th. My friends, Rick, Katherine, and Sylvia were able to keep this from me for 2 weeks, though how they managed to do that, I still don't know! I always find out about surprises, so the party planners were really pleased with themselves when I walked in to my apartment Sunday evening totally shocked:) Way to go, guys!

It turned out to be a funny story because I was feeling totally bummed out that no one had responded to my email inviting them to a birthday dinner on my actual birthday (the 8th). On Friday night, I was griping to my roommates that I thought it was just kinda rude that no one would even reply yes or no. Then I cornered Rick and K at a bar, where I just happened to run into them, and asked them if they were coming to my dinner. Poor things....Both of them, and Nina, too, ended up going to dinner with me both Saturday and Sunday evening, plus Rick and K even paid for me to go play Laser Tag on Sunday. They must have spent a ton on both dinners, which were not cheap, plus Laser Tag, plus my gift. I still can't believe they went to all of that trouble to organize this for me. You guys ROCK!

We got to eat at one of my favorite restaurants here called Gaucho, which is Brazilian and awesome:) Fortunately, Sylvia and I didn't have to go too far afterwards since it's in our apartment building. So, after a long weekend full of celebrations, I was super happy about my birthday this year. I would have to say that it was the best one I've had while I've been in Switzerland, for sure! Maybe the best one ever!

I'm not sure how many of you received the Evite invitation that Rick sent out, because they used the addresses from my blog list to contact everyone. But some of the responses from friends and family living in the U.S. were pretty funny:)

Anywho, here are some pics from the birthday bash!

L to R: Arnaud, Mira, Larissa, me, Nina, Sylvia, Katherine, Rick

Katherine and me

me, Kat, and Sylvia

Mira and me

Me and Lou, who I don't get to see anymore:(

Favorite Kid Memories

So, I constantly hear about the cute things that my friends' kids are doing....which I love! But then I started thinking about all the kids that I've looked after, and all the cute and funny things they have said or done. And before I forget, I'd like to write some of them down to share with you:)
*After my first week in Switzerland, one of the little girls, Charlotte, who was 7 at the time, comes and sits on my lap before we sit down to our fondue dinner that we were having with her former nanny and her fiance, and the rest of the family. She looks at me and says,"Don't worry. Just because she (the former nanny) is here doesn't mean we'll forget about you." Too sweet, and it has stuck with me for the last 6 years!

*Moving on to the second family: After spending a lot of time with the 2 1/2 year old, and using a lot of 'kid' language, I overheard Leah talking to one of her dolls, using one of my many catchphrases. But she couldn't quite get it all out in one breath..."Oh, my good....ness.....grac..c..cious" I had to duck behind the furniture so she didn't hear me laughing:)

*The third fam was fun, and I spent the longest with them...15 months. Alixe was only 16 months when I started, and Tim was 3. So, I would speak in French to Tim, and English with Alixe. Whenever A. got mad and threw a fit, I would pick her up and put her in her crib. Then I would say, "You can come out when you're finished. Are you finished?" She would continue to cry for about 20 seconds and then say, in English, "Fin...nished." The coolest feeling was knowing that the few English words she learned and spoke came from me, and me alone. They are now 6 and 8!
Tim and Alixe, the first month I was there

*Skipping the 4th, and hellish, family and moving onto the 5th! Ahhh, the Lewertoffs!! Endless hours of entertainment everyday! I think that Zach, who was 3 at the time I was there, is probably one of the funniest kids I have EVER met:) Example: on our way to the park...a daily ritual....Z. was always dawdling behind me and the baby, and his older brother, Mikael. I finally turned around and said, "C'mon Zach. Put some pep in your step." He stopped and looked at me, and said," But what are you talking about?!" I tried to explain, but I lost him after a couple of minutes. So, the next day...same thing...only I turned and noticed that Z. was limping. So I stopped and asked if everything was ok. He looked at me, and with dead seriousness, said," I have some pep in my step, and it hurts!"

Zach, and his older brother, Mikael

*Another day at the park with Z. and his brothers: there were about 200 adults and kids all over the park, and Z. looked around and asked,"But, where are all the hoomans?!" I said, "But Zach, humans are people, and there are tons of people here." His reply,"What are you talking about? I do not see any hoomans!" I gave up!

*One of the little boys that my friend was looking after was a ham! He was about 2 years old, and sitting next to me in his parent's kitchen. My friend was preparing his lunch, but I guess he was already hungry! As I'm passing his chair, he looks at me and whispers, "Chocolate" and then turns, as if it wasn't him who said it!!! I guess he was practicing the art of subliminal messaging!

*This same little boy, on the same day but a few minutes after the last incident, saw me making toast for myself. I'm just about to put it in my mouth when he asked me,"Do you want some?" I was a bit confused, so I repeated his question to make sure I understood correctly. I said,"Do you want some??" He replied,"Yes, please." and holds out his hand. Can you believe he was 2 and pulled this off??! I gave in, and gave him some:)

There have been so many great moments with these kids. It's so awesome that I am able to keep in touch with almost all of them, and to have seen them grow these past few years. I should've written everything down at the time, but I was too lazy;) The stories mentioned above are only a fraction of all the great memories I have of all of them. For all of you moms out there, I highly recommend writing down those funny, cute, and touching moments you have with them before they're forgotten!

Salut tout le monde!

Man, this summer has been boring! Everyone should be forced to take vacation for at least 2 weeks...and it should be paid! Well, I say that, and everyone around me is doing just that. But since I am on a tight budget until the end of October, I just have to sit tight in Geneva and do nothing. Fun.

I have made some pretty big decisions about next year, but I think I will keep them under wraps until things are more definite. So, I have spent much of my free time planning, organizing, etc. to determine my next steps. I have also spent a crapload of time playing solitaire, baking, and surfing the net...all very exciting.

I love reading my friends' blogs, so if you have one and you haven't already told me about it...pass it along! Angie and Kelly....your blogs are always so entertaining! Maybe because it's chock full of kids' stories, which I love to hear about:)

I will start playing on a basketball team in a couple of weeks, which I'm excited about. I actually haven't played in 15 years, but what the heck? I'll give anything a try...especially since every time I find people to play soccer with, they disappear or move and I'm back to square one. I love team sports, but Switzerland is not well known for them....they prefer hiking, biking, skiing and tennis (thanks to Federer!). At least b-ball will tear me away from the computer....I've become addicted to The Office trivia challenge on Facebook and spend hours trying to catch up with the others who have already accumulated 30,000 points! (Each question is worth 10 pts, so it will take me awhile to get there!)

Anywho, I just wanted to pop in and say hi:) I would love to hear what you all have been up to this summer!

Well, it's been awhile since I posted anything so I thought I would bring you all up to speed on my exciting life;)

***The following has been modified as a certain someone, who shall remain nameless, mentioned that it could be viewed as insensitive;)***

First, no more boyfriend. We broke up last week and it was a mutual decision. He said it best when he stated that we just weren't compatible. I think the majority of this comes from our cultural differences. It was better to separate, but it I think he took it harder since, as he told me, I was his first love. But at least we both gained positive things from the relationship, and that is what's really important.

Secondly, I signed a new 3 month contract at the ITC!! So, my contract officially ends on Nov. 9th....then I will have to wait and see again about a new one. But I'm still happy:)

I waited, impatiently, for the new Harry Potter to come out last Saturday. Since mine arrived in the States (I wanted the same cover artwork as all my others), I had to borrow my roommate's once she finished. Which didn't take long because she planted herself on the sofa for 2 days and read...from early morning to night. So, I started Monday and finished Wednesday night and I can now sleep more soundly knowing the end of the awesome story. I can't wait for the last 2 movies!!

Also, I have officially booked my ticket to go home at Christmas:) So, I will arrive in TX on Dec. 13th and leave on Jan. 4th....I am so excited!! But December is a long way away:( I'm hoping I will have the chance to go home for a week in November so that I can go to a wedding (so excited for you, Monica!), but it will be dependent on if I get another contract. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can go!

Well, that's all I have for now. Hopefully, more exciting things will start happening in my life or else I'll have to change the name of my blog!

I've learned.... That telling someone how stupid they are, doesn't make them any smarter.

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I 've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

PRAGUE....YOU GOTTA CZECH IT OUT!

Ok, I know....that was a bit cheesy, but I swear I saw 5 billion t-shirts with that phrase printed on them. For those of you living in Europe, Prague is definitely worth the Easyjet trip. It was extremely beautiful and romantic....and easy to cover in 2 days:)

We arrived on Friday, but to a unusual landing. We were descending, not far from the ground, when all of a sudden the pilot revs up the engines and pulls us back up into the air. There was another plane blocking the runway, so we had to circle around once more before landing. But it was just the weirdest feeling to be going down, then suddenly upwards....at least it was not due to some major problem...


The next 3 1/2 hours were by far the most challenging! First of all, Czech people are not very friendly....they don't smile that much, or at all, and have rough personalities. So that took some adjustment...but what I got really pissed about was the fact that when I asked this lady for help at the airport, she gave me directions that led us OUT of the city. Why on earth would tourists be staying at a hotel located nowhere near the city?! That would've been my first question to myself if I was this lady! She was also kind enough to keep my paper with all the hotel details...which would have been extremely useful later on! So, we tackle the heat and humidity to search for the buses she told us to take....we find our way, only to realize that the 2nd bus we've gotten on is going away from the city. We get off at the stop she said to, only to be completely lost. Normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal. But it was after 1 pm, and I was starving! Heat and hunger are not a good combination!

So, there we are...stranded in the middle of nowhere, but next to a football stadium. NO ONE speaks English!!!!! The whole time we were there we could not understand why more people did not speak at least English....Prague has become such a big tourist destination, so it would seem more likely to find someone who speaks at least a little. But, NO...they don't. So,we asked for directions and did not understand one word they were telling us. Which didn't matter, since no one knew what we were talking about! We kept walking and walking, when finally we stopped to call someone in Geneva who would be in front of a computer. Our helpers were unable to find the hotel on the internet, and I did not have enough credit on my phone to call again. Fortunately, Alejandro found this guy who was able to mime his way through the directions and we were on our way back to the city. He also gave us a printout of a map, which would come in handy later on.
Finally, around 3 pm, we arrive in the city center of Prague!! I was FLIPPIN starving, and growing more and more irritable by the moment. Again, we asked a jillion more people where to go....still no English. 30 minutes later we find some people who can at least point us in the right direction, and we arrive at 3.30. Moral of this story: TAKE A TAXI FROM THE AIRPORT!!!

So, because of all that crap, I was exhausted and starving. We ate at KFC simply because I did not feel like looking for a nice little restuarant....I just wanted food in my stomach! ('Get in my belly' from Austin Powers is stuck in my head now!) As we sat there devouring our food, a massive storm blows through...so we stayed there til it was over and then decided that we needed a nap. We did not care that we were there to see the city! We decided that everything could be seen in one day! So, after our nap, we went to eat...again...at this really great restaurant called Louis Armstrong. It was, of course, jazz themed and the food was excellent. They had classic jazz songs playing the whole evening, which added something extra to the restaurant.

The next day was an extremely LONG day! We started from Prague Castle, which they say is the largest castle in the world. I don't know if that's true, but it was pretty big.

Then we walked down to Charles Bridge, where they had some amazing statues...

We continued to the Old Town, where we saw the Astronomical Clock, Tyn Church, and Charles Church. We pretty much stuck around this area for the rest of the day since it was so beautiful. We got tickets to a music concert held in Charles Church, which was really great. There was a organist and violinist playing music from Bach, Vivaldi, and a couple others....

We stopped by this Museum of Torture, and I realized that there are some extremely sick people out there that can come up with some twisted, psychotic ways of torturing people. Some of the instruments we saw are still being used today in some countries! Hard to believe that that kind of barbarism still exists hundreds of years later...I left feeling slightly ill, but it was very interesting!

Then we walked around some more and waited for our tour at 8.30 pm...The Ghost Trail...oooooohhhhhhh. I laughed so hard during this thing that by the time it was over my cheeks were in pain! The lady was hilarious! It was quite obvious to us that Prague does not really have ghosts (well, not like they do in Great Britain!) so this tour company must have invented stories....and the way the lady spoke was just too much. I wish I could've filmed the entire thing, but I only got the last 'ghost story' which was not the funniest part of the whole thing. Even though it was not the SLIGHTEST bit scary, we both enjoyed it a lot.

Then we just walked around the town for a bit before heading back to the hotel...all in all, it was a great trip and a great city. I definitely recommend it....but just prepare yourself mentally for the lack of English spoken:)

So, I guess that will be all the traveling I do until either I decide if I want to go to Slovakia to play in a softball tournament, or until my birthday in September...we're thinking of going to Amsterdam. But, either way, it will be a long summer of work with no vacations in sight:( Back to reality....

WORLD'S LONGEST UPDATE

Hello everyone! Long time, no update:) Well, be prepared for the world's longest blog update! I have seen and done so much within the last 10 days that it will be impossible to keep this short.


Soooo, without further ado, let's start with day 1:
Kim and Lee arrive on the same flight from N.J. and do their best to stay awake as long as they can. They finally succumb to their fatigue around 11 am and I let them sleep until 2 pm. Since I couldn't wake them easily, I was 'forced' to poke them or rustle noisy plastic to get their eyes to at least open. We walked around Geneva for what seemed like hours, taking in some sights, and running some of my errands;) Then we went to the Old Town for dinner, and then met up with Rick, K, Sylvia and about 20 others to go watch Pirates of the Carribean at 9 pm. I really enjoyed the other POTC movies, but I was a bit disappointed with the third. It was WAY too long! Lee fell asleep for about half the movie....I don't blame him! Then we walked home....if only Lee realized how much we would be walking in Rome, I don't think he would've asked to walk everywhere in Geneva!
Day 2: The only day that I slept in past 8 am! We woke up and got ready to meet Nina in the park for a picnic....it was a beautiful day, so we walked around some more (I swear I lost every calorie I consumed during the last 10 days due to all the freakin walking we did!). Kim and I took Lee to the train station, where he left us for 2 days to hang out and play with his other friend in Lausanne. This was our chance to finally jump on a bus and go home! We relaxed, watched episodes of The Office (I'm trying to get Kim hooked!), and went to bed late.

Day 3: Got ready for my friend's baby's baptism at 12 (which was actually at 12.30, and I forgot! Kim was really happy about that!) Alejandro met us for that, and after the baptism we headed over to Sandra's house for yummy lasagna and garlic bread:) I think we stayed til 4 or so, then headed back home to do some more relaxing and to watch some more Office.

Day 4: I was all geared up for this day! I was supposed to have a softball game and Lee's friend was coming in to play with us...the rain stopped in the morning, and it turned out to be a somewhat nice day. But JUST as I was headed out the door, I decided to check my email once more (I am an addict!), and sure enough received an email that the game had been cancelled. We were pretty bummed about that, but met up with Lee and his friend at the train station and decided to see some more Geneva sights....there really aren't many, though! We headed on over to the Red Cross museum where I will tell you one of many stories that made me irate --> So, we enter the museum and I notice that there is a list of discount categories (students, elderly, etc.), and I thought that I would just ask-- because it doesn't hurt to ask, right? -- if U.N. employees get a discount. Apparently, that was the worst thing I could've asked! The guy looks at me and says,' Let me tell you something. The worst thing you could ask a Swiss person is if you get a U.N. discount! It is the ultimate insult! Now, I'm being nice by warning you....but the next person might not be. People who work for the U.N. don't pay taxes, don't.......*I lost him at this point because my blood was boiling and I was trying to stay calm*....and you should never, ever ask any Swiss person that again.' WHAT?! What happened to a simple 'No, we do not accept your U.N. badge'? Is it really that hard to say?! I had a few encounters like this during the past 2 weeks, so I am really on edge now....the next person with a crappy attitude who crosses my path had better watch out. I will definitely lose my temper next time!
So, we toured the musuem, which was quite interesting actually. A Swiss person came up with the idea for the first Red Cross, which was used primarily for soldiers during war. Then it slowly evolved into what it is today. I really admire those who work for this organization!
Afterwards, we walked down and took some pictures in front of the main gates of the U.N., then headed to Old Town for food. Then we went home and started packing for Rome:)

Day 5: Took our time waking up and getting ready to head to the airport. We arrived in Rome around 5 pm, and jumped on the bus to the city center. Funny story: We got onto this coach bus and there was practically no one in it, so we all took our own seats. Well, people started flooding it after awhile and Kim and Lee ended up having seat buddies. So, I'm sitting there feeling pretty good about my extra space when all of a sudden this HUGE man gets on the bus and starts waddling down the aisle. He's looking for an empty seat and, of course, the only one is next to me! So he squeezes himself in- he stomach was pressed against the chair in front of him- and his fat spills onto me! Kim and Lee were doing their best to not start cracking up. This flippin ride lasted 40 minutes!!! My leg was sweaty- good thing I had jeans on!- when I got off the bus because his stomach/leg fat was resting on my leg. As soon as we got off the bus, Kim and Lee were already cracking jokes:) I learned my lesson and doubled up with Kim on the way back on Friday!
We dropped off our stuff at the hostel...if anyone needs a cool place to stay in Rome, we all highly recommend this place. It's called Legends Hostel and it's 5 min. walk from the main train station. The people are very cool and sooo helpful, and one of them even made pasta for everyone every night! So, we checked in and headed off for dinner- pizza, of course!- and then next door for a few drinks at the Yellow Bar...another very cool place. Lee met people wherever he went, and it didn't take him long to find people from Virginia. So, he hung out with them for awhile and Kim and I headed back to try to get some rest before our first long day on Tuesday.

Day 6: Woke up to a beautiful sight of pouring rain. Nevertheless, we got our umbrellas and rain jackets and headed over to the Vatican. Has anyone else been there? Good grief! We stood in a line that would put all amusement park lines to shame! Fortunately, it moved fast...we were in after only a 1 1/2 hour wait:) But I think it was definitely well worth it....the Vatican is full of all kinds of different art, and everyone anticipates seeing the Sistine Chapel. I have some really cool pictures from inside, so I will be posting them here. I have to say that I was surprised when I saw the Sistine...it's not at all what I had expected. First of all, it is huge. Second of all, the images were a bit different that what I had remembered seeing in books. I think all of us, and those we talked to, thought it would be different. But it was still amazing....his paintings depicted images from Genesis, which I also didn't know. There were so many people in the room that we were all getting annoyed by the people who kept bumping into us. So we left after 15 or 20 min. and headed out....we weren't allowed to take pictures, so I don't have any from there. They were definitely strict about picture/video taking!
After, we went to eat some really good pasta right across from the Vatican. You would think that the food wouldn't be that great since it's right next to a huge tourist attraction, but it was awesome! So, after we ate, we did some MAJOR walking. First, we headed on over to the Pantheon, then the Trevi Fountain, then to the Spanish Steps. I have to say that I am very impressed with my map-reading skills! Rome is really not all that hard to get around. It's just massive, so it wears you out.

We enjoyed some of Italy's famous 'gelato', or ice cream, and sat on the steps in front of the Trevi Fountain. I'm not a huge fan of ice cream, but the gelati in Italy was amazing! One night I had vanilla ice cream with fresh fruit, and it was the best vanilla ice cream I have ever had in my life....something so simple can be so awesome!
We were dead on our feet by the time we made it to the Spanish Steps, so we hopped onto the Metro and headed 'home'. We dropped off our stuff, then headed out for dinner. This was one of two meals that I wasn't too impressed with. But, oh well, you can't expect great food from EVERY Italian restaurant! We headed over to the Yellow Bar again, had a few drinks, then Kim and I headed back while Lee found his friends and stayed around there.

So, now we're up to Day 7! Got up early, again, to make the 8.30 train to Naples, then head on down to Pompei. I don't know how many of you have seen Pompei, but I was definitely happy that I made the 3 hour trip down! It's this city that had been destroyed in 79 A.D. by the volcano, which is still active, called Mt. Vesuvias. All 10,000 inhabitants were buried under the lava, and somewhere down the line it was discovered. And now, it has been partially excavated- one third of the city is still buried- and you can walk around this city. I had no idea what to expect, so I wasn't expecting much. But, holy sore feet, this place was massive! The 2/3 that had been unearthed was like half the size of Abilene-where my family lives- but I know that is an exaggeration:) But we did walk around it for about 3 1/2 hours and still didn't see everything....there was even this one part called the Garden of the Fugitives, where someone in the 18th century found what used to be a wine cellar from Pompei...inside were the casts of 13 bodies. They had tried to escape the lava by burying themselves in a wine cellar, but ended up suffocating to death from the smoke. The are in the same position that they died in....I will definitely post that picture! It was really worth the trip, and I recommend it to anyone going to Rome to add an extra day for this excursion.

We got back around 6.30 pm and changed for dinner which was, by far, the best meal we had there! I had found this restaurant in Kim's Rome guide called Il Quadrifoglio, and it was not cheap, but not too expensive. So we decided to go at least once to a 'nice' restaurant. It's always a good sign when the other customers are Italian....it means that even the locals think it's pretty good:) So, Kim and I had the best eggplant parmigiano we had ever tasted and Lee went for the Swordfish pasta, which he gave 2 thumbs up;) We also had a tomato and mozzerella salad, which is one of my favorite dishes, and loved that as well. One thing I love about Italy is the quality of the food....simple things like tomatoes...they were so red and ripe, and the taste was amazing. Even Kim and Lee said something about it....after our meals, we sprung for the melted chocolate and fresh fruit dessert....yum. We were ready to be rolled out after that!
Kim and I attempted, yet again, to go to bed and rest up for the next day...and Lee was off to play with some new friends he met at the hostel. Lee definitely became sleep deprived at this point...every night he came back at 2, 3, or 4 am and woke up at 7 or 7.30 am for a long day of sight-seeing. Apparently, though, he has had some practice doing this!

Day 8: The Saint Domitilla Catacombe, the Colosseum, and Roman Forum....I really enjoyed this day, but I was ready to collapse afterwards. My feet had hurt all the other days, but on this day I wanted to just sit and not move ever again. After we had FINALLY found the catacombes- no thanks to the idiot bus driver who did nothing to help when I politely asked in my *best* italian- we followed some other semi-lost tourists on a sidewalk-less busy, wind-y, street until we finally saw a sign for one of the three catacombes. We left them, and found ours- the sign was nicely displayed behind some tree branches- and joined the tour. It was very cool...in this particular catacombe, there had been 150,000 bodies buried there. We walked through the tunnels, and saw how they buried them. It became a place where they could bury Christians because their religion was not accepted in Rome, and they were cremated, as were all Romans at the time. Apparently, Christians believed (still believe?) that if their bodies were cremated, then their souls would not reach Heaven. So, they started burying them underground...it was some very cool history, but also very short. The whole tour lasted only 25 minutes or so, and it had taken us almost 1 1/2 hours to get there!

Next, we caught a bus and then walked to the Colosseum. If you all are already sick and tired of my historical facts, then you might not want to read anymore! Because this one was awesome! There were about one million people killed for sport in the Colosseum....and over 500,000 animals slain by Gladiators or other animals. They had been importing wild, exotic animals from Northern Africa and, as a result from all of the 'sports', had made most of them extinct. They crammed about 60,000 spectators into the Colosseum in 8-10 minutes! They used whips to make people run to their seats....don't do that anymore, do they:) They had this ginormous- love that word!- awning that about 300 people worked to raise and drop so that the audience was protected from the sun, but also aired out because of the stench of all the dead animals and humans. Before the passageways were built underneath, the arena had been filled with water and naval battles were staged for fun...usually re-enactments of real battles. Then, because that didn't work for too long- forgot the reason why- they made passageways underneath and put a wooden floor above those and covered it with sand to absorb all the blood. The word 'arena' is actually Latin (I think) which has something to do with 'sand absorbing blood' or 'absorbing blood'...something like that! I tried to pay attention to everything the guide was saying, but he was talking really fast! Well, there's A LOT more where that came from, but I'll leave you all with just those cool facts and you can hop on down, or over, to Rome to find out the rest;)
Then we walked over to the Roman Forum, which is like a big park of old ruins, and took some pictures. I was just about dead after all the walking, but decided that I really wanted to look at some of the shops. Long story short- WHAT? Me getting straight to the point?!- I dragged Kim and Lee all around to find some specific shops but with no success. So, in the end, Lee left to go back to the hostel and Kim stuck around with me. At this point, I was completely deflated and decided to at least sit down and eat some gelato! That cheered me up *a bit*....but the golden rays of sun shone down on a little place I like to call 'Furla'. Well, everyone calls it by that name, but I was so happy! So, I finally decided on one (they're a brand of purses for those of you who are clueless, or a man) and left happy:)

Then we hopped onto the Metro, got back to the hostel, and got ready to leave again to meet my good friend, and high school rival (go Coogs!), Heather Perry. She has officially left Texas behind her to be closer to her Roman fiancé, Mattéo. So we met up with her and headed over to Trastevere, a quaint part of Rome, to have dinner. I was sooooo tired from all the sight-seeing that I didn't make it very long. They were nice enough to drive us directly to our hostel, which Kim and I were VERY thankful for since our feet were in an enormous amount of pain. Attempted to go to bed, again, before midnight but still with no success. There were some new people in our room that night, and we started talking....finally turned off the lights around 1 am.

Day 9: Last day in Rome:( Actually, by this time, we were ready to leave. We were exhausted and wanted to sleep in 'our own beds'. We shopped a bit in the morning, and headed off to the airport in the afternoon. Arrived to a cold, rainy Geneva- yeah!- and just relaxed.

Day 10: The day from Hell. How I love these days....when everything just doesn't go your way. It started off by getting up at the butt crack of dawn to get my eyebrows waxed. You know, to look pretty for my graduation;) Went to the bus stop only to find the street closed, asked the guys where the buses were and followed their crappy directions, still didn't find them and ended up walking a kilometer to a tram, grabbed another bus to the mall, ran in so I wasn't too late, only to have the girl behind the counter tell me that they didn't have my phone number to call me and inform me that the lady was sick and wasn't coming. I just looked at her and said, 'But I just spent the last 45 minutes in the bus to get here!' She was a bit shocked that it took me that long, but it does! So, she did it instead and I walked out feeling a bit better. Then I literally ran from bus to bus to get home to wake up Kim and Lee. We walked around buying souvenirs for their friends and families, and I owed Kim a bit of money and decided I would pay for her souvenirs. My card was declined....4 times. Soooo, I decided to go withdraw money instead....machine ate my freakin card! So, it's Saturday afternoon- and banks don't open til Monday- and I have no way to pay or withdraw money for the rest of the time they are here. I was NOT happy. So, we go back home and I find out that the plug I bought for my laptop does not fit. GREAT. I LOVE returning things at the store *extreme sarcasm*. I have a throbbing headache, and decide that I better do it that day since stores close here around 6 or 6.30 and I wasn't sure if I could make it during the week. So, I go back and stand in line...20 minutes later the guy tells me I'm in the wrong line. Of course I am....So I go to the other line, and HE tells me I need to go to a different guy. Wonderful. I go to the next guy who, fortunately for him, was extremely nice. He tells me to go down and get the cable I need...I go down and encounter another Swiss idiot who fails to understand the concept of good (or even decent!) customer service. He doesn't even look at me as he tells me that their store doesn't carry what I need, so he can't help me. I asked him if he had any other solutions....no. 'I can't help you if we don't have the product. You need to look elsewhere.' It took everything in me to not smack the crap outta this guy! So I get my money back and leave....but poor Kim had to endure my mood until after I finished my nap:)

Day 11: GRADUATION! This was an awesome day! I arrived at 8.30 am to the President Wilson hotel, grabbed my cap and gown, and starting taking pictures. Then I found my awesome friends- Agathe, Jerôme, Kim, Lee, Sylvia, Kevin, Alejandro- and got some more photos.

The ceremony was a bit boring since they had so many speakers, but I was happy to hear Joseph Blatter, who is the President of FIFA, speak and even mention the 50 million women soccer players in the world. Very cool. I received some Honor Society medal for International Scholars (because of my GPA, I think). Walked across the stage, shook hands, posed for the photographer, and then went outside with the rest of the graduating class for some group photos. Afterwards, found Sandra, who had brought baby Mattéo, and Rick and Katherine. We chatted, drank some wine, ate some finger foods, and had some fun. I was so happy with everyone being there that I didn't even freak out when I saw my idiot ex, Max, try to walk over to me. Rick and Katherine cracked me up! Rick's like,'Take my camera' and Katherine says, 'Take the jackets'...as if they needed both hands free just in case things got out of hand....too cute! Thanks, you guys, for being my protectors! So, I was spared an encounter with the retard and enjoyed the rest of the time there. We then split and Kim, Lee, Alejandro, and I went to get a kebab. Well, I didn't eat much because I was saving room for my dinner at Gaucho, a really good Brazilian restaurant in my apartment building. We got back home and crashed for a couple of hours before heading on down to the restaurant. There were 7 of us, and we had a really nice time. I think everyone enjoyed the food;) We finished around 10 pm and headed home....which, fortunately, was not *too* far!

Sandra and I after the graduation

Kim and Lee packed, and we turned out the lights around 1 am only to have to wake up at 5.45 am.....they were off in their taxi around 6.45 am and I got ready for a long first day back at work.
Did I not tell you that it would be the world's longest update?!! I think I will have to split this up or something so you can all follow it better:)
Well, I will probably give another update after my trip to Prague in a couple of weeks....so, until then, take care and I hope to hear from you soon!