~~ They're leaving the nest, sew it's time for a trip - or two - or three...~~ D~'s bag ~9/22 ~~

[Chicago Mo]

Oh that's fantastic, I hope she is getting lost in photography too... Cannot wait to see what she captures.
Nothing like going to another country and grabbing a bike see the hillside and end up at SUBWAY?!?!

I have my French daughter (remember the aupair?)over there i wonder if they will be anywhere near where she lives? very south...

 

[Wood Nymph]

I received several snaps from Allison - and I woke this morning to a bunch of videos - which I love.

It is really nice that she is taking the time to let you know what she is doing everyday. She is such a good daughter.

Nothing like going to another country and grabbing a bike see the hillside and end up at SUBWAY?!?!

My sister and brother-in-law lived in Singapore for a year and a half and he ate lunch at Burger King everyday. It was an epic fail on his part. My sister was daring and ate from the sidewalk vendors - and lived to tell about it.

 

[Iamthequeen]

I must confess that I ate at McDonald's when I was in Florence and also in London. In my defense, I had been sick with a migraine when we were in Italy and I was having trouble keeping food down and I knew I'd be able to eat a hamburger and in London, I was by myself for a night and McD's was the closest place to eat. I didn't want to wander too far by myself after dark.

 

[Hardheadedwoman]

Catching up! On page 138 so far but saw your FB post! So excited for Allison, she's going to have a great time! Excited to hear about your Oct trip, too! I'll be heading to WDW again in Feb for Princess.

Xoxo
Lissette

 

[DMGeurts]

That's so awesome she's able to go to all these places so young! I was over 30 before I traveled anywhere north of Tennessee!!

And they have Subways over there? I don't know why that shocks me, but it does for some reason.

I agree - I love that she is able to do this and really living it, not just being a tourist. I have a feeling this won't be her only long trip over there - I foresee she may enjoy it much more than home... Which would totally break my heart - but I would understand, it is wonderful.

Yes - I was 28 when I took my first ever flight - to WDW... So, I totally understand... And then the travel bug bit me badly after we took out trip to Amsterdam - At that point, I learned, if I could handle an overseas flight - I could handle anything... So, that's when the girls and I got brave enough for our girls trips... Best decision and best memories ever.

I guess so??? She says it's a little different, but overall the same. She said that her only options for "American food" are Subway and McD's... But both are different than the American versions..

What is it with dogs and wrecking carpets? We had to replace the carpet in our upstairs halfway since cloe put a whole in. It needs to be replaced again but I would love to get rid of the carpet there and on the stairs, so it is a big job.

Gosh - I don't know??? But I wish they would leave it alone. MM has been permenantly banned from the living room and he is not happy about it.

Awww... That is terrible. I know your pain - I just took the carpet off of my stairs - and I have yet to figure out exactly what I am doing with them. I plan to figure that out very soon here and tackle that project. I also want to paint my upstairs hallway floors white - along with the steps... Since we have authentic farmhouse plank floors up there, I really want to accent them and keep them original.

Oh that's fantastic, I hope she is getting lost in photography too... Cannot wait to see what she captures.
Nothing like going to another country and grabbing a bike see the hillside and end up at SUBWAY?!?!

I have my French daughter (remember the aupair?)over there i wonder if they will be anywhere near where she lives? very south...

I think she is? I hope she is - she has her camera with her. I do know she was having issues with finding a power converter to charge it though... I keep forgetting to ask if she's found one.

Bahahaha... Yes - only my child. Gotta love her!

Ooooh - I think she could be close? Lets' chat privately about this...

It is really nice that she is taking the time to let you know what she is doing everyday. She is such a good daughter.

My sister and brother-in-law lived in Singapore for a year and a half and he ate lunch at Burger King everyday. It was an epic fail on his part. My sister was daring and ate from the sidewalk vendors - and lived to tell about it.

Oh yes... We have been snap chatting through out every day... It's almost as if she isn't gone at all. Which warms this momma's heart a lot.

Yikes!!! I can see doing that once in a while... but wow - not sure I could eat BK every day? LOL I think I would much rather try my luck with the sidewalk vendors too.

I must confess that I ate at McDonald's when I was in Florence and also in London. In my defense, I had been sick with a migraine when we were in Italy and I was having trouble keeping food down and I knew I'd be able to eat a hamburger and in London, I was by myself for a night and McD's was the closest place to eat. I didn't want to wander too far by myself after dark.

I totally understand - I think I would too under those circumstances.

Catching up! On page 138 so far but saw your FB post! So excited for Allison, she's going to have a great time! Excited to hear about your Oct trip, too! I'll be heading to WDW again in Feb for Princess.

Xoxo
Lissette

Welcome back! It's great to see you here! Don't worry about catching up too much - it's just boring stuff. LOL All of my Disney updates are up to date on the first page here - so once you read that - you are up to date on the important part of this PTR.

Ooooh - congrats on another trip on the horizon - exciting!

***************************************************************************************

Just a quick check in - I am off and running early today...

Yesterday was rough... I had every intention of working hard all day upstairs and then this happened:

So, I spent 3+ hours adjusting the timing on Mr. Rocket... I was not happy about that. I don't like messing with the timing, as you can really destroy your machine... but a very nice gentleman in one of my facebook sewing machine groups sent me the service repair manual for mine - so it was actually fairly simple to do... Just took a lot of time, and taking apart/putting back together properly.

So, my work day was pretty much shot. I was really disappointed in that.

Then last night, power went out, just as I was making dinner... It flickered a few times and the last time - I thought it would be back on quickly again... and then it was gone. A few of my neighbors called the power company and they gave an estimated time of 8pm for restoration of power... Grrr... So we packed up the meal I was making, put it in our dead fridge and then drove to Victoria's work to have dinner. It was good - just not what I'd planned.

The whole day pretty much didn't go as planned - which is unusual for me.

Today... I have to go grocery shopping... I am also meeting Myrthe's mom for lunch... Then to the airport to pick up my cousin who is staying with us for a few days. I am hoping to sneak a bit of work into my schedule somewhere today... but we will see. My plate is pretty full!

A few pictures from Allison over the last day...

I hope you all have a wonderful day and a wonderful 4th of July weekend - if any of you are traveling, please travel safely!

D~

 

[lovedonaldduck]

So, as soon as I committed myself to checking in here daily again, I miss a day. And then I'll probably miss the next 4! I spent yesterday at home with Charlotte waiting on repair men. We have been having intense thunderstorms in our area and on Sunday our house took a lightning strike. Yesterday was the last of the repairs so hopefully we can get this all put behind us now. It's been an expensive week. Tomorrow we leave for Orlando for our 4th of July trip. We are renting a large house in one of the communities close to Disney with a couple other families. We'll have a pool and spa in the backyard and a pool table and foosball table for the kids. The community has a large pool with a waterslide and some playgrounds so we just plan on hanging around the house for the long weekend. Between the 3 families, we have 7 kids from age 4-11 so it will be hectic but we all have so much fun hanging out together - adults and kids. I am ready for this break.

I know you and I had talked about this privately, I got laid off in February. I just found something part time in May so we are still dealing with that - we are set up to be a two full-time income family so I am ready to get back to that ASAP.

I hope you have a great 4th! I don't think I'll be back on here until the middle of next week since we aren't heading home from Orlando until Tuesday.

 

[dalmatian7]

Have a happy 4th of July weekend everyone!!!

In Allison's defense, when I was in France as a teenager, we found a BK when we visted Versailles. We were only a two days into our trip and jet lag was hitting hard and our first few dinners in Paris were terrible so we were looking for familiar food. Luckily, once we hit some other areas the food was much better. I am still searching for this baked pear thing in a rum sauce we had. sooo good. and crepes and bread and butter, and crepes, did I mention crepes??? I would like to sample any of those desserts in her pictures.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Allison's journey is already so exciting!!! Is she going to be able to see Disneyland Paris while in France? I sure hope so

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!! I look forward to checking back in next week

 

[WDisneyMom]

Ohhh! Those Dutch treats looks tasty! Enjoy your weekend with your cousin and family.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

All the snapchat pictures of Allison are great! France sounds like so much fun...that is on my bucket list of places to go one day.
Good to hear that you were able to fix your sewing machine!
I hope you have a great weekend!

 

[DMGeurts]

So, as soon as I committed myself to checking in here daily again, I miss a day. And then I'll probably miss the next 4! I spent yesterday at home with Charlotte waiting on repair men. We have been having intense thunderstorms in our area and on Sunday our house took a lightning strike. Yesterday was the last of the repairs so hopefully we can get this all put behind us now. It's been an expensive week. Tomorrow we leave for Orlando for our 4th of July trip. We are renting a large house in one of the communities close to Disney with a couple other families. We'll have a pool and spa in the backyard and a pool table and foosball table for the kids. The community has a large pool with a waterslide and some playgrounds so we just plan on hanging around the house for the long weekend. Between the 3 families, we have 7 kids from age 4-11 so it will be hectic but we all have so much fun hanging out together - adults and kids. I am ready for this break.

I know you and I had talked about this privately, I got laid off in February. I just found something part time in May so we are still dealing with that - we are set up to be a two full-time income family so I am ready to get back to that ASAP.

I hope you have a great 4th! I don't think I'll be back on here until the middle of next week since we aren't heading home from Orlando until Tuesday.

Hahaha... No worries - I am always here.

That is terrible! I hope you, your family and your house are all OK.

Sounds like a GREAT place to stay and a wonderful trip! I hope you have a great time! You definitely deserve this break!

I sure hope you are able to find a good full-time job soon... I totally understand, we would not survive on one income... We could do it, if we cut back everything to the bare minimum - but it would be tough. Sending pixie dust your way for that.

Thank you - same to you! Enjoy your much needed time away! Will you be hitting the parks at all?

Have a happy 4th of July weekend everyone!!!

In Allison's defense, when I was in France as a teenager, we found a BK when we visted Versailles. We were only a two days into our trip and jet lag was hitting hard and our first few dinners in Paris were terrible so we were looking for familiar food. Luckily, once we hit some other areas the food was much better. I am still searching for this baked pear thing in a rum sauce we had. sooo good. and crepes and bread and butter, and crepes, did I mention crepes??? I would like to sample any of those desserts in her pictures.

Thank you - same to you!!!

Hahaha... I don't think it's terrible that she went to Subway - there are worse places to find. And venturing out, by bicycle in a foreign country - that in itself is a big accomplishment - I'd want to go somewhere familiar myself. I am glad you were able to find better food in other areas... And that sounds delicious! I am anxious for her time in France - it should be amazing!

Have a great weekend!

Allison's journey is already so exciting!!! Is she going to be able to see Disneyland Paris while in France? I sure hope so

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!! I look forward to checking back in next week

I agree - I am having so much fun following along with everything she is doing.

She will be going to DLP - but that will be on a different trip - they are taking a long weekend specifically for DLP later in the summer. This trip is their annual family vacation.

Thank you - same to you!

Ohhh! Those Dutch treats looks tasty! Enjoy your weekend with your cousin and family.

I Know - I wish she could send me some. LOL

Thank you - we are having a good time.

All the snapchat pictures of Allison are great! France sounds like so much fun...that is on my bucket list of places to go one day.
Good to hear that you were able to fix your sewing machine!
I hope you have a great weekend!

I sure am enjoying following along with her... Snapchat is very new to me, so it's a little strange that a lot of our communication has been this way... but I will take what I can get.

France is also on my bucket list - one day!

Thankfully I was able to fix it and I think it's better off than it's been for a while - so that's good. I just wish it wouldn't have set me so far behind.

THank you - same to you!

***************************************************************************************

I had a great, but crazy day yesterday....

I went for a walk right away in the morning - I do believe I was out there at about 6:30.

I dropped V off at her class - and then I went grocery shopping at 3 different stores. Then I had to drive 20 miles south to our vet office to get dog food.... I felt like I was running all day!

I came home, dropped off a load groceries - showered, changed and picked V up from her class.

Earlier In the day, I'd received this snapchat from Allison... I guess I'd never really thought about it...

But it's true.... 2 people had to fly 4000 miles in opposite directions for this to happen. On the same day, the daughters had lunch together on one continent and the moms had lunch together on another continent! Cool huh?

After lunch with Myrthe's parents, V and I went out to get Josh's birthday gift and then to the airport to get my cousin and his girlfriend... She is just the sweetest. It is so nice having them here. He usually comes every year at this time, but last year was the first year he stayed at our house.

On the way home we stopped for a few more groceries - You know, the cheap fruits and vieggies from Aldi's.

And then we sat at home all night and visited, it was a good night.

This morning, I was able to Skype with Allison for about 30 minutes, it had been a few days, so it was great to see her and to catch up.... She will have very limited internet over the next few weeks - so I am glad we got this opportunity today.

Today, I am planning to hang out with my cousin and his g/f most of the day, and just relaxing. We will probably grill later, if it stays nice... I need to check the weather.

I Hope you all have an amazing day and an amazing 4th of July weekend!

D~

 

[FantasiaMagic]

I like the pictures of you and M's mom and Allison and M, very cute!
Enjoy the time with your cousin and his girlfriend!

 

[solana131]

I thought I was watching everything unfold on FB, but you sneak some extra in here
It is so neat watching Allison's adventures through you. She is one lucky girl!
Your house is just gorgeous! I love all the little extra touches you have added.

Gotta run, trying to get these two boys of mine out of the house today to enjoy our gorgeous State of Maine

 

[Terkina]

How fun that you had lunch with Myrthe's parents and Allison had lunch with Myrthe on the same day

Looks like Allison is having a great time i Europe.

I hope your sewing machine is working as normal again.


St.Petersburg was ok. We didn't get robbed. We saw the Winter palace, took a canal boat ride and got to see a lot of huge palaces and nice architecture. We walked A LOT ( I was in my wheelchair). On our way home yesterday we had to fly from St.Petersburg to Stockholm where we had to wait 3 hours for the next plane. The plane from Stockholm to Oslo was one hour delayed. And we only had one hour between our flights in Oslo. So we didn't make it to our flight to Tromsø. We got rebooked to a flight the next morning (today). Got a free night at the Raddison Blu hotel at Oslo airport and got a free meal. This morning we had to get up at 05.45AM to catch our flight at 07.55AM. We checked in and went straight to the plane. I slept most of the flight back home. When I got home I had some lunch before driving to my grandmother to pick up my cat. As usual my cat didn't want to go home. So as soon as she saw me she went under the couch and she refused to come out. I had to move the couch to get her.

 

[tatar63]

Loving all the updates on Allison ! It looks like she is so happy , which I am sure makes you happy! Victoria's hair is GORGEOUS, she is one beautiful girl . I must get back on track with better eating habits, I hope that is going better for you also!!!

Monica

 

[Chicago Mo]

Allison will remember this trip FOREVER! This is wonderful! i really cannot wait to see her photo's and such a sweet thing! they are having lunch and so are the moms! Hope you ALL had a great lunch!

Hope you had a wonderful 4th!

 

[kittylady1972]

So glad Allison's trip is going so well. It makes it so much easier that you can see and video chat these days. As much as technology makes us feel disconnected this is one way where it helps us stay connected.

Enjoy your time with your cousin!

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Hi! Back from vacation....and caught up on your updates. So sad about your carpet -- I would be unhappy with the dog, too! Hopefully you'll be able to patch it so it won't be noticeable.

Looks like Allison is having a wonderful time in Europe! What an amazing adventure for her! I love that she's trying to experience the culture as a "local". And she has the most gorgeous eyelashes. Too funny that you were having lunch with Myrthe's parents at the same time Allison was eating with Myrthe!

I had to laugh about Josh's potential reaction if you paint the china hutch that coral color...LOL....my husband would have the same reaction!

I'm glad you were able to get your sewing machine fixed!

 

[disny_luvr]

Playing catch up again...

I'm so glad that Allison arrived in Europe safely. She is going to have an amazing summer! Will she be visiting Disneyland Paris on her trip to France?

Sorry your sewing machine wasn't working but I'm glad you were able to fix it.

I can't believe your dog chewed a whole in the carpet. It doesn't look bad though.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Glad I didn't miss much while I was gone! The house in Orlando was great. Other than daily grocery runs (it's hard to shop for 13 people and not forget or run out of anything), we didn't even leave the community. We took the kids up to the community pool a couple of times, did a 500 piece puzzle, cooked, cleaned, ate, drank, did a grown up craft (menu boards for our kitchens), managed a couple of scavenger hunts and 4th of July trivia for the kids, swam at the house, played with glow sticks and sparklers, and watched fireworks from the pool and screened in patio. It was great!

We vacation with the same families for Spring Break and 4th of July each year - we are already planning next year's trips. Thinking of changing it up and maybe doing a cruise and a beach house next year. I'd like to rent a house over Spring Break in Orlando again since our kids have early Spring Breaks next year and our seasonal passes won't be blacked out! We'll see what everyone decides.