Aaah... Joseph.

Well, for those readers who don't know: Joseph is my 16 year old brother and he had a car accident on November 30th, the Sunday following Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the details are (and I'm afraid will always be) etched in my memory. To make a long story short, I will let the pictures do the talking and will simply say that I am very very very thankful that he is still with us in person with only two broken arms as lasting effects of the crash. I sat down in church this last Sunday and as I gathered my thoughts over the last week, my foremost prayer was one of thanksgiving for the gift of my brother and life. But as I started to pray, I was suddenly struck by how inadequate my prayer seemed. How does one express appropriate gratitude for such a tremendous gift? I can only say that this incident has brought a new awareness to my day-to-day thoughts and life suddenly has a silver lining. Perspective is vital and I have certainly found a new one this week. So, here's to the TRUEST Thanksgiving that I have ever known.

SH*T SH*T SH*T

Shit. Well, to my scant loyal readers who have not received a post in absolute AGES... I am in complete despair. I have started a job in Louisville that is at will, meaning that I only work when I tell them that I want to. My intent was to try it here for 6 months and see if I liked living in one place again. I am two days in to my job (orientation only!) and I am having serious cold feet. I want to run so far in the opposite direction that I think my feet have already taken off and I am clinging desperately to a railing, attempting to make an honest and fair effort. I am trying to remain calm but I am desperately fighting the urge to lay down like a child and wail my misery. I have one foot in the boat and it is already drifting from shore... while my other foot is firmly planted on land - I must make a decision or I WILL end up in the water! I hope someone is getting some humor from these horrible analogies. *Sigh* Any advice would be welcomed...

Europe!

Well - I am finally home and I guess it's time to post on my trip. I cried when I left London. I was not ready to leave my new friends or come home yet. But I guess all good things must come to an end. Here is a quick itinerary of the trip:
London, Paris, Beaujolais Wine Region of France, Nice/Cannes [into Italy] Florence, Rome [into Greece by ferry] Corfu (for 4 days!) [back into Italy by ferry] Venice [into Austria] Vienna [into Germany] Munich [into Switzerland] Swiss Alps for 2 days [into the Czech Republic] Prague [back into Germany] Rhine Valley/wine region of Germany [into The Netherlands] Amsterdam!. And on the final day, we drove through Belgium on our way back to London. Countries that I saw in transit: Liechenstein, Monaco, Vatican City, Belgium. Grand total: 14 countries in 30 days. yay! I cannot say enough about the friends that I have met on this tour. This has definitely been a once-in-a-lifetime trip that will forever stand out in my memories. I wish I could put all of my pics on here, but...:). There are over 3000, so - enjoy what's here.

Prost! from Germany and into the Swiss Alps!

On my way into switzerland today, having a great time but definitely getting tired of living out of a suitcase. tomorrow im traveling to the highest post office in the world on top of the jungfrau mountain. yay for snow!!!!

Sad to say goodbye to Greece

Well - I'm only in Greece for about 12 more hours:(, of which most will be spent on a ferry. But we had a fantastic 3 days on the water, laying on the beach and getting some sun. I was able to do some reading and have a toga party!!:) I did some swimming in the Ionian Sea! I'm having a great time, trying to bolster myself for the 2nd two weeks of the tour. It's really hectic! We go to Venice tomorrow, can't wait to ride a gondola. Thanks for all the comments - can't wait to see everyone.

Tomorrow Rome!!!

Things are going well ' in Florence tonight and then its off to Rome tomorrow. havenàt been able to figure out how to post pics from my camera yet so i think the pics will have to wait until i return. climbed the duomo in st maryàs church today ' fabulous views of florence!! canàt wait to show everyone pics! Give miss M hugs for me, mom!!!

FAST POST FROM NICE, FRANCE

Having a great time here: everything has been so hectic; this has been my first opportunity for a post; paris was awesome; climbed the eiffel tower; saw notre dame; headed to italy tomorrow - another stamp on the passport!!! was in monaco last night; went to the monte carlo casino and drove on the grand prix!!! florence for two days, then rome for two days then corfu greece and fun in the sun!!!!

Home at last.

Okay, so Joe and I finally made it home. (Minus a mirror!) And unfortunately, my internet is not currently working, so the posting has been put on hold. I am currently sitting in the parking lot of Panera in Evansville IN. It's amazing what I'll go to for internet!!! At any rate, I am starting to pack for Europe - 3 days, people! I am having anxiety but not like I thought I would. I'm starting to develop a calm: the most important thing is to have fun. PLUS: I received my travel documents and it has a list of 10 commandments for traveling. #1: Thou shalt not worry. I'M CURED! The pics here are of random Seattle art that I meant to post before. Cheers!

Excitement. Awe. Disbelief.

So, my brother Joseph flew out to see me in Seattle. My assignment in Seattle is completed and Joseph came out to drive home to Kentucky with me. The trip started out well with a visit to the Experience Music Project in Seattle. This was followed by a visit to Twin Falls ID to see some much-missed friends of mine. We had a great time and Joe was treated to a great view of the scenic Snake River Canyon. Proceed to day 2 where we traveled through the Grand Teton National Park where we watched the sunset and stayed in cabin in the park. Translate to: almost complete solitude, no telephone, no internet, not even a television. Hello card games. Day 3: Today! We drove into Yellowstone where we proceeded to have a GREAT day. We made an impromptu decision to leave the park from the Northeastern entrance and travel slightly north into Montana to catch I-90. This was great in theory and turned out well but took a little longer than expected. The road was the Beartooth Scenic Highway and for those who don't know it, this road is only open for a few months out of the year. There was still several inches of snow in many places. So, gorgeous drive; we stopped in Billings MT to eat at Cracker Barrel. Sweet! Then we're (sing in tune) "ridin' along in our automobile..." and ... it's approximately 2215 about 20 miles west of Gillette WY and I say "Oh my God, Joe!" and Joe says "Oh my God!" Me "Oh my God!" Joe "Oh my God!" Well, he must have heard us because we got by with just a few scrapes. About 200 feet in front of us were 2 deer. The speed limit is 75mph here and I'm cruising at 82 mph. I slam on my brakes and by the time we get to the deer, I'm only going 30 to 35mph, but... at the last minute, the deer decides to turn into my car. To the point: I have a dent in the left side of my car and I am now missing a side mirror. No major damage and considering, I think we came out smelling like a rose:). Enjoy the pics here. A quick recap of the highlights of our trip: moose, buffalo, antelope, Old Faithful eruption, hitting a deer, a drive to the top of a gorgeous mountain. 2 days left... we'll see what happens!

Bust.

Well, I visited Mt St Helens on Friday, but... sadly I was unable to see much of the mountain or the crater caused by the eruption in 1980:(. But, here are a few pics that you might still enjoy. I did spend some time with two very entertaining and lively gentleman who watched the mountain erupt. It was an experience unlike any other. Nothing beats a first-hand account. 17 days and counting to Europe! (For those of you who haven't seen it, there's a countdown on the bottom of the page!)

Update!

Okay, for those of you who haven't heard: I am going to Europe after I finish my assignment in Seattle. I fly out of Louisville to London on September 16th and I come back on October 16th. Yeeee! Can't wait! Oooh - AND - Joseph is flying out to see me on September 5th and on the 6th, we are driving home to the big K-Y. Proposed POA: Big Sky country, through Yellowstone, across South Dakota, (perhaps a stop in to say hi to our favorite aunt and uncle?:) and then across Missouri. I am completely excited. Any advice on traveling in Europe and avoiding jet lag would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

The Sadness:(

Well, Christina left today... and in a rush. We woke up at 0600. I was supposed to be at work at 0700 and take Christina to the airport before I went. We - Are - Awesome. Christina made her flight and I made it to work by 0710. I won't even begin to describe what I looked like, though, or how tired I am now. . . Or how sad I am to come home to an empty place. It's been a fun summer, Christina. However, M is letting me know (in no uncertain terms) that she is not happy about the family breakup. Here is what I found when I came home tonight:


OH - and here's a pic of our last night together at the Mariners' game! You suck, Mariners! Cards fan for life!

This is why I'm falling in love with Seattle...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQeX7h40ugo

Success! ... and Pain.

Well, Christina and I climbed to the top of Mt Si today in North Bend, Washington. Elevation: approximately 4000 feet, total 4 miles one way. Arduous journey but definitely worth it. Enjoy the pics!

Go Mariners! and Naked Bikers?

Goodbye, family...

Quick updates: The job is going very well, the summer weather is great in Seattle and so far, it's been a fun summer. Well, for the last four weeks, Christina and I have been in very good company. Mom came out with Aiden for almost two weeks and then left two days after Chris arrived. Chris was here for 5 days when Jon arrived and today, Chris, Aiden and Jon flew out. We are very sad to see them go. It's been fun having the kiddo here:). Here are a few pics of our time together...

Visitors!

Mom and Aiden are visiting for a couple of weeks - yay! Here are a few pics of late...

A sigh of relief...

I am finally in one locale for a while. I visited Mom and Dad in Kentucky for the week (and got to see my favorite aunt!:) Elizabeth and Bryan graduated high school and Holy Name respectively - I also got to see 2 of Michael's baseball games - sweet! Both were wins! I start work next week so I am taking the opportunity to breathe a huge sigh of relief. Miss M is settling into her new place - she has a doggie door and everything! She goes out anytime she wants:) More to come...

Katie's Visit

Since I've been working since Katie left, here is an update on our visit together. We went to Yosemite, saw WILD black bear (Kate has pics); we travelled over the Sonora Pass in the Sierras (at a whopping 9624 feet elevation), my brakes started smoking on the way back down and we had to pull over and let them cool off. (I wasn't the only one though!)We saw an old ghost town that was absolutely one of the coolest things I've ever seen. We laid out, I got a sunburn - and we just had a lot of fun. I'm missing her now, BUT - I have 5 friends flying in from Louisville today and I'm off for 6 days. And I only have one week of work left! Yippee! More updates to come.

Oh ... Miss Katie!

In a few short days, Miss M and Miss Katie will be reunited. I cannot tell you how excited M will be when Katie gets here. Kate, everytime I say your name, her ears perk up and she cocks her head to the side like she's trying to remember the last time she saw you:) This is a picture of your last time together in Cali over a YEAR ago:(. We are way overdue for a reunion. Can't wait to see ya, Kate!

Yo, Yo, Yo... SEMITE!

Today M and I went on a grand adventure to Yosemite! We got up early and got to see the sunrise as we drove toward Yosemite. It's getting crowded already! The snow is melting off so we did get to see quite a few waterfalls but here in a few weeks when Katie comes... oh man! We are in for a treat. Enjoy the pics!

Big Trees (aka Calaveras State Park)

Okay! So I am at Jane and Larry's (and Jon's!) this weekend for Easter. The pictures above are from when Emily was here to visit and we went exploring. Work here sucks - really bad, but I keep reminding myself that I only have 9 weeks left. I WILL SURVIVE! And I have a great place to live right now, so - if anyone wants to come visit... the house is always open. Love you guys, Jules