The European Tour: Paris

I think that Paris was DoodleBug's favorite part of her European tour.

From a few of her emails:

•   We're safely in Paris!!! We got off the train and figured out how to take the metro to our hostel. (impressive, huh?). We just got to the hostel about twenty minutes ago-it's so cool! I think it's kind of in the ghetto...but the people staying here are super nice.
• The hostel is this little house with two bedrooms downstairs and an attic upstairs that is split into three rooms. There is a toilet room, a bathroom (shower), and a room with two sinks. There's also a common room with a laptop-where I'm writing this email. The guy who runs it is so nice! It's just a really calm spot. We're exhausted from yesterday and our train ride today, so we're just going to lay low tonight and plan for the next few days.
• Dinner is in about half an hour, so I may grab a shower before because I feel so gross. Also, I stepped in dog poop on the walk here and it got on my pants- awesome. 
• It's so much fun here!!! We've met so many great people from all over, we're currently drinking wine with people in the common room, so many great stories! We're going to the Eiffel Tower tomorrow, I'll send pics. Miss you!!!!!! Love!!! 
•  We had an awesome day in Paris- we went to the Eiffel Tower, l'arc de triumphe, and the champs élysées.
•  We've met some cool people and one person from the hostel came around with us all day, super fun. We're going out tonight, but were going with a group so well be safe! Tomorrow is supposed to be raining so were going to hit the museums and indoor stuff. I'll let you know what we do!!! 
• The people who run this hostel are really nice, and really clean. All four of us are in our room and the lady literally just busted in to vacuum, kind of hilarious.
• Anyway, I also met this really hot French guy while we were out at the bars last night...

Oh my.

All of her emails from Paris contained loads of exclamation marks though the excitement would have come through without them.

Ok, while you're watching the slideshow, see if you can figure out from two of the pictures why I chose this particular song. Besides the fact that DoodleBug is a MAJOR Joni Mitchell fan that is..

Did you guess the reason for the song?

Part 4 of the European tour is coming--- Amsterdam and back to Stuttgart!

The European Tour: Zurich and the Alps

If you're looking for the Monday Listicles post, it's just below this one!

At the end of their first 7 days in Europe, DoodleBug and Gibbsterrifc headed out for Zurich, Switzerland. Gibbsterrific has an auntie and uncle living in Zurich so the girls stayed with the family. This was fantastic not only because it's awesome to be able to stay with locals when you're visiting a foreign country but it also cuts your mother's worry way down! Face it, you do tend to hold your breath when your kid is traveling. At least until she returns home.

While in Zurich, they took a trip and train ride to see the Alps.  

Stay tuned for Paris and Amsterdam! 

The European Tour: Stuttgart

Not my tour. DoodleBug's. Because opportunities fall into the lap of the lovelies but not their mother.

So, I travel vicariously.

DoodleBug and Gibbsterrific (friend and roomie) had this trip thrust upon them by the generosity of friends and Gibbs' dad. Must. Be. Nice.

I wouldn't know, personally.

These two girls enjoyed Europe for 21 days. Twenty-one.

Lucky. Ducks.

The first leg of the journey took them to Stuttgart, Germany where they spent 7 days nannying for two little darlings belonging to friends.

Please forgive the fact that the video/song will just cut off at the end. It took me forever to get this thing going with the music...the last slideshow I made was on my computer not this poopy headed thing I'm using until I get a new one.

Next, Zurich and the Alps! Stay tuned!

Birdie Goes to London

Just wanted to share a few pictures of Birdie and Evwardo's trip to London! Ok, maybe more than a few but y'all know how I am about pictures. They had a fabulous time and met some really nice folks. And, being young as they are, had no trouble with jet lag.

Birdie standing beside a piece of the Berlin Wall.

Birdie at the Tower of London---

 Taking an audio tour...

This was one of Birdie's favorite places---

 But the Globe Theater was her absolute favorite. They saw Richard III while they were there and Birdie said it was the best play she's ever seen!

Tower Bridge and Olympic rings!

A view from the London Eye---

 One of the few pictures of them together---

The White Tower---

Even I knew what this was---

Awesome chandelier in the Victoria and Albert Museum...
 

 Evwardo and Sherlock Holmes...well, a statue...

They figured everyone had to have a shot of this---

 Evwardo on Chelsea Bridge--

Evwardo on Millennium Bridge about which he said, and I quote: "I thought this bridge was awesome. It's also pretty impressive that they were able to rebuild it so fast after it was destroyed by the deatheaters in Harry Potter."

The Imperial War Museum---Birdie is standing in between the cannons---can you see her?

I hope I got all that right. I'm sure they'll let me know if I didn't .

They saw more places but I had to narrow the pictures down or y'all would be here all day long. I also left the pictures of the food they had out because, seriously, they make me hungry!

If I ever disappear, I've probably hopped a plane to London for some of their delicious fish and chips! 

Another Modicum of Idiocy

Since Birdie was coming home last weekend and it was the first time we'd left Tucker at home AND because we didn't want Mimi to have to stay any longer than necessary (she was granddog sitting Tucker for us)--whew!--the husband and I decided to drive home after staying at the wedding reception for a couple of hours. (That's right- you don't have to be young to do dumb things).

People who are used to being asleep by 10:00 at night probably shouldn't begin a 5 hour drive home at that time. But we did. And we used the GPS on my phone to do it.

If you can tell in the photo below, the directions highlighted in BLUE is the route the husband wanted to take. It's the way we usually travel home when we're in that general area of NC. Of course, we'd never started from this particular place in NC, but still. The directions highlighted in PINK is the route mapped out for us by my GPS. They make a nice oval shape, see? And there's less than 30 minutes difference between them in the amount of time it takes to arrive home.

Which would have worked out fine. If our brains had left well enough alone.

That first stretch of road in blue- that starts near Greensboro, NC? Yeah. That's called 73 S, 220 S AND 74 E. That's right. ONE road- THREE names. The husband was not amused. And it's sort of like a 4-lane back road. No lights-except the moon. No gas stations. No hotels/motels. Just farm land. Probably really pretty during the day. Oh, and no service---or, intermittent service. At best.

So, this road goes on FOREVER and I'm not getting service. The husband continues to not be amused. He is also not amused by the signs we are seeing as to which towns we'll be traveling through...eventually. Over to my side, meanwhile, I am quietly tapping the hell out of my phone (as if that will make service miraculously appear) and yelling at it in my head. Brilliant is what I am.

FINALLY, we spot a place to pull off- it's closed, but there is light.

The husband: "I don't think this thing is taking us in the right direction."
Me: "It's just not taking us home the way you're used to going."
The husband: "I think it's taking us WAY out of our way to get home."
Me: "I think you're letting your mind focus too much on the signs instead of just letting the GPS do it's thing."
The husband: "Fine. But I think it's a piece of crap." (He really did say crap. We had not yet entered the cursing phase).

He gets back on the road and we continue on.

When we finally hit civilization, the husband's lack of amusement intensifies. Greatly.

The husband: "What the fudge (no, he did not say fudge)?! We're in (explicative) ROCKINGHAM?!
Me: (crickets)
The husband: What the hell are we doing in (explicative) ROCKINGHAM?!
Me: (crickets- but thinking: What the hell are we doing in (explicative) ROCKINGHAM?!

Meanwhile, my phone is about to die. Yep. Insult to injury. Are you wondering why I didn't just plug in into the car charger? Well, I'll tell you why I didn't just plug it into the car charger. Because DoodleBug never returned the car charger when she borrowed it to go to All Good last summer THAT'S why. So I have to go in and out of the navigation app over and over again.

The husband wants to look at a 'real' map.

The husband: "I need to look at a map."
Me: "Ok, get one when you get coffee." (This is our first stop for coffee because, up until this point, there have been zero opportunities for coffee stoppage)
The husband: "I think there's one in the side pocket of the door."
Me: "Great." (thinking to myself--what year was it made?)

He looks at the map but says little to nothing. 

The phone GPS is still telling us to stay on the same road. We're going in the right direction. I tell this to the husband who replies with, "Hrmph." Or something like that. We continue. And we're back in the middle of nowhere. To turn around would mean going back at least an hour in the other direction.

We come to another civilized area and pull into a gas station. The husband wants to look at the map. Again. Because, you know, the roads might have changed since the last time he looked.

And it is decided that we will NOT continue as per the GPS instructions but, rather, go about 50 minutes off the track and then, now get this---right down to the very town that the GPS was sending us where we would take I-95 (which is a straight shot to I-26 which is a straight shot into Charleston).

See the map below? We were in Bennettsville and just needed to head straight down to Florence and hit I-95. He wants to go over to Dillion and THEN down to Florence.    

Guess who's cursing now?

Anyway, we made it home by 3:00 am. Which was only about an hour and a half later than we should have arrived. Of course, some of this is attributed to the 4 stops for coffee. And then the stops for letting the coffee out. And let me just say, once again, that it is totally unfair that guys can pee anywhere.

Tucker was delighted to see us. Mimi---well, she had been up at 3:00 am the previous morning welcoming Birdie home so....

I was up at 7:00 am to walk Tucker and make the breakfast that DoodleBug asked me to make in honor of Birdie's arrival.

You remember DoodleBug. The one who still has the phone charger for the car? Don't worry. We have a new one now. The husband bought it during a coffee stop so I could charge my phone. Just before we got on I-95. You know, just in case.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

We had to drive 5 hours to attend the wedding on Memorial Day weekend. It was well worth the effort as a splendid time was had by all!

But, all along the way, I noticed so many signs. Of stupidity.

And not just where other drivers were concerned. The actual signs themselves were often stupid. Like the one there on the left.

Really? You have to tell people not to stop on the railroad tracks? Who doesn't know that you should NOT stop on the railroad tracks? Who doesn't know that the likelihood of getting hit by a train increases dramatically when you stop on the tracks? Who doesn't know that stopping on the tracks when a train is coming results in imminent death?

Seriously, I'm thinking that if someone is stupid enough to stop on the tracks....

And then there's the discussion between the husband and myself about the sign on the right over there.

The husband: "What the hell does that sign mean?"  
Me: "I believe it means slippery when wet."
The husband: "What, so the road is more slippery in this area than others when it's wet?"
Me: "Apparently so."
The husband: "I don't think that's what it means."
Me: "What does it mean then?"
The husband: (making 's' hand movements) "Don't drive like this."
Me: "You mean swervey?"
The husband: "Yeah. I mean, what else could it mean?"
Me: "Uh, Slippery When Wet."

I think I'm beginning to understand why they make a sign that reads, "DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS"

What I learned while on the 5 hour road trip to the wedding:

1. There are ZERO decent radio stations once you leave the Charleston area. Thank God for iPods.
2. The DOT (Department of Transportation) does not give a rat's a$$ about the gazillion pot holes and sizable cracks on I-26. 
3. Playing the license tag game is no fun without the lovelies there to play along.
4. The husband drives like we're in a car that's part of a video game being driven by a 14 year old boy.
5. Next trip will require Valium. Or a plane ticket.
6. It is DUMB to travel on a holiday weekend. 
7. Women miss the hole in the toilet in public restrooms. How that is humanly possible I have no idea but they do. And it's disgusting. If I wanted urine on my toilet seat, I would go into the men's room. 
8. The husband's driving is 100 times worse if he needs to use the restroom.
9. There is no sense in yelling at the GPS in your phone. It does not listen. I'm guessing that, even though the voice on that thing sounds like a female, there's actually a man in there. 
10. The only thing I miss about living in the upstate is the way the Kudzu looks hanging off the trees. 

Tips to a few certain people:

1. If you own a gas station near the interstate, you really should: A. Keep it clean (Not a single restroom we stopped at was clean); B. Have more than one stall in the women's room; C. Keep the toilet paper stocked; D. Have the towel option for drying hands---that blow dryer is stupid; E. Make sure the toilet seats are not broken-particularly if you insist on only having one stall in the women's room; F. Make sure the locks on the doors work; G. Make sure you have hooks on the doors for women to hang their purses/coats/whatever.
2. To the lady in front of us at Subway: Low calorie subway subs lose their low calorie status when you keep saying to the lady--with regards to the mayo--"More...more...more..." until you have about half a freaking bottle of the stuff on your sub. 
3. To the DOT: Fix the damn holes and cracks.
4. To the people in the fast lane: When the slow guy in front of you moves to the slow lane, that is your cue to speed up or move to that lane with him.
5. To the young girl in the red car: Just because you're young doesn't mean you have to be stupid.
6. To the guy in the gray truck: When the thought of changing lanes pops into your pea brain suddenly and without provocation, you should LOOK before you ACT. Moron.
7. To the DOT, again: At one point we were on ONE road. It's name was (and I kid you not)- 73 South, 74 East, 220 South. We were on one road with three names traveling in two directions. Not funny. Make up your mind.
8. To myself: no more watching of the Final Destination movies if that's all you can think of when you pass a logging truck.
9. To the DOT (yep, one more time): Why can't we have pretty flowers in the medians on SC roads like they do in NC? If we're going to have to suffer with the roads being in treacherous conditions at least we can enjoy the scenery. 

There will be more about the trip home soon...stay tuned---

Did you travel over the holiday weekend? Or did you play it smart and stay at home?

AUNTIE

The oldest living person in our family (that we really like) is my mother’s sister, my Aunt Betty.  And she is a marvel.  Aunt Betty never married, I’m not sure why as she did have proposals, so I was slightly doted on by her (which never bothered me one little bit).  She has a PhD in Housing and Interior Design from Florida State and has taught at Virginia Tech and UGA—a couple of other places too but these are the two biggies and the ones that I often visited.  No matter where Aunt Betty was, she always, without fail, came home for Christmas and to go with us to the beach every summer for vacation.  And she always took time to do special things with me from letting me stay with her for a weekend to taking me to Six Flags over Georgia to a trip to Washington, DC.  My favorite trip was when she had completed studying in Nevada and had my grandmother and me fly out not only for a visit but to drive us back to SC just so we could see some of the US.  We went to Lake Tahoe for dinner one day and I was amazed at the mountains being covered in snow in the summer.  She took us to the Golden Nugget in Reno and we saw Liberace.  I was only 12, but I remember that he was the funniest, most talented person I had ever seen.  When it was time to leave and drive back, she took us into California.  We went into the Redwood National Park and I was completely in awe of those big trees.  I took roll after roll of film just of the giant Redwoods.  She took us to Disney Land in Anaheim, CA.  We had the BEST time!  It was 1970 and one of the big things for women was wigs.  And Aunt Betty was wearing one when we visited Disneyland.  She got on to ride Space Mountain with me and as the employee was explaining certain things about the ride, Aunt Betty asked, “Will my wig fall off?”  She rode with one hand holding onto her wig!  She took us through the Redwood National Forest.  She drove us just into Mexico so that we could say we went there.  It was the dirtiest little town I’ve ever seen but I loved it.  I bought my mother some Spanish lace there.  She took us to the Grand Canyon and we were simply amazing by it.  We went through Texas where we stayed a few days with one of Aunt Betty’s friends from Florida State.  I’ve never seen such flat land before or so many cattle (steers?) nor have I ever been so HOT.  We drove through a thunder storm that produced to best light show I’ve ever seen to this very day.  It was one LONG drive to get through Texas.  We went through Helen, GA and Gatlinburg, TN and I am still in love with both of those quaint towns.  She took us to Old Salem in Winston Salem, NC and to the Biltmore House.  We saw so many beautiful sights on this trip and I have never forgotten it.   Aunt Betty took us to places she thought we would enjoy the most, and we did.  (I still have some of the photos from the trip but none are scanned into my computer and that takes forever because my computer can be a stubborn cuss).

Aunt Betty continued the tradition with my daughters.  She always took all of them every summer on trips to NC: Biltmore House, Old Salem,  Lake Junaluska, Tweetsie (UGH…LOL), Cherokee Indian Reservation, Discovery Place; in GA: Helen, Epworth by the Sea, Callaway Gardens, St. Simons, Unicoi State Park; in TN: Gatlinburg, Dollywood; in VA:  Williamsburg; in SC:  Christmas Tea at Winthrop University, Kings Mountain, Brattonsville…

 All those experiences were fantastic.  But what kind of person is Aunt Betty besides one who thinks her niece and great-nieces should have travel experiences?  She’s the person who will drop whatever it is she’s in the middle of and come to your aid.  She’s the person who stopped everything when Granddaddy died and stayed with Grandmother until she passed.  She’s the relative and friend who comes to stay with you at the hospital instead of visiting for an hour and going home.  She’s the person who is always thinking of everyone else and never herself.  She’s the person who takes care of plants and animals like they were people and she treats people like they are saints.  She’s the person who takes food to someone’s house when they are not well or have lost a loved one- and stays to clean up after the other visitors.  She’s nonjudgmental and she loves unconditionally.  She’s the person who gives and gives until she has nothing left and then goes and finds something and gives that as well.  She’s a friend, a sister, an aunt, a daughter, a teacher, a student—of life.  She’s a conversationalist.  She’s thrifty.  She’s patient.  She’s a Methodist.  And she loves soap operas. 

Aunt Betty is one of the most wonderful people I know.  Although she will tell you that she is blessed by us, we all know that we are the ones truly blessed to have her in our lives .   

Aunt Betty and Mother

Aunt Betty on Christmas Eve sometime in the early 60s

Mother and Aunt Betty, Christmas Eve- early 70s

Aunt Betty, Grandmother, and Mother 1990

        

This is the 29th day of NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) for the month of March. The theme for this month is: in a word! My chosen word for today is: AUNTIE and is based on today's prompt: Who's the oldest living person in your family? How much do you know about him or her?