saving private ferg...lol

well the title only describes one day...the ones leading up to it are pretty boring...

Saturday- well after an exhausting wk in the UK, we got to sleep in til 8:55 then had history, i wasn't feeling good so i skipped the 2nd session and slept. after lunch i felt better so i worked on my journal for Miss Nan's class. and continued doing so the rest of the night. we did have a thanksgiving dinner though...although it was a southern dinner and not a northern one...no corn casserole, noodles, bread stuffing, fried turkey, home made rolls...but other than that it was ok lol.

Sunday- we got up, had church, studied, ate lunch, studied, slept, and studied some more, had supper, and studied til 3 am.

Monday- today we had to shots of history one w/ a test and one w/o. then we had chapel, then lunch...then my favorite class ever...world lit...seriously...who came up w/ this curriculum???...they should be tortured to death...ugh...then as soon as we got done w/ that torture, ev and i went to h&m and got some hats, got a phone card and chilled. we came back and studied, ate supper, then studied until i passed out on the table at 2:30 and apparently ev made me go to bed but i don't remember ever going to bed, i just remember waking up this morning and not knowing how i got into my bed lol. calling mom, dad, and gram and gramps always makes a day better...even if you do find out you have ZERO $$$ left in your bank account...i guess thats what you get for going to the UK...

Tuesday- well today ev and i were supposed to wake up at 7 and finish studyin for our wonderful history test BUT...that didn't happen so we got up at 8:30 for our 8:30 class. we went and miss nan had pity on us and she let us have an open book test. so i think i did ok, so i came back upstairs, shaved, cleaned up then took a nap til lunch. after lunch ev, ferg, and i hit a train towards spa and got off at Theux...well this apparently isn't the correct stop we were supposed to get off at according to Dr. T, so we spent 40 mins tryin to find the Chateau de Franchimont (old castle's ruins) so we finally found it and walked up there inspected it and walked around up there. while ev and ferg explored i took a seat then ev called to me from the top of this hill, so i head down to them and on the way down i hear ferg shout "NO!!"...they were making a contraption w/ their belts and ferg's camera to lower the camera into this hole we found in the side of the castle that must have been a ventilation hole in the castle dungeon. well while in the process of taking his belt off he knocked his ipod off on to the metal crate and it fell off the metal crate 25 ft to the bottom of the hole......soooooooo....we devised a plan to get ferg in and out of the hole safely to recover his ipod. we sent ev off to a decent sized tree to cut it down w/ his swiss army knife and ferg and i got our belts and camera bag strap tied together. i went down and help break off the tree then ev and i carried it up the hill, we thought ferg had ahold of it but apparently he didn't b/c he dropped it back on ev's head lol. so we put the tree down in the hole, and ferg climbed down to a ledge then jumped the rest of the 20 ft of the hole. he grabbed his ipod (which now has a broken LCD screen) and started climbing up the tree to us. he got up to the ledge and we threw him the contraption of belts and as soon as we could reach him we pulled him up to us. he was shaking he was so scared b/c the tree was bending so much and there was a bunch of rocks at the bottom of the hole. we got him out safe n sound, then ev tried climbing the wall, which was collapsing a little bit with every step, w/ every step rocks were flyin down at me and ferg so he climbed down but got stuck in thorn bushes so i had to go up and untangle him, then we all sat and chilled for a while on top of the hill overlooking the city, then we ran down the mountain at 4 and sprinted down the street to hit the train just b4 it left. we got back to verviers, chilled, ate, and chilled the rest of the night.

p.s- don't take a $300 ipod w/ you when you go exploring...bad decision! lol

2nd Freetravel...ugh...

Thursday- we had classes til 10, ate lunch, said our goodbyes and hit our trains to Bayeux. we got there around 8, watson and i set up our tickets back to paris for the next day. then the 8 of us: Than, Kim, Loren, Chad, Leah, Watson, Sarah, and I grabbed a hotel for the night, a cheap one so it was nice. and we walked around Bayeux for a while, we grabbed some food for the week, then headed back to the hotel. i ate supper, watched some tv, took some benidyl (bad idea) and went to bed.

Friday- well taking benidryl is not a good idea when ur only gonna get 5-6 hrs of sleep so watson and i were miserable for the first hr of our waking lol. we got up around 7:15, cleaned up and met the group by the trainstation for our tour of Normandy at 8. our guide was really cool and knowledgable, he grew up in Bayeux so not only did he have the local's stories but he had all the research perspectives also. our first stop was the german cemetary. they have black crosses on their graves. on some of their headstones, since some of the soldiers weren't 18 yet, their birthdate is not on there. there's also a mound in the middle b/c when the cemetary was built they messed up so they had to make a huge unkown soldier grave. we then went to the cemetary museum and our guide showed us on the map where all the cemetaries were and other interesting things then we headed to St. Marie du Mont. this is where the 82nd airborne landed on D-Day on accident. one man, john steele, got stuck on a church steeple and hung there acting like he was dead for 2 hrs b4 he was shot in the leg and taken prisoner. that church now hangs a manican of him from the steeple and has stained glass windows honoring the 82nd AA. after the church we walked over to the airborne museum. it had a sherman tank, half track, c-47 plane, a glider, jeeps and other WWII airborne memorabilia. we watched a movie there about the 82nd AA. then after the museum we headed to Utah Beach, this was the easiest beach to liberate, it was also the first beach to be liberated. the liberation was led by Theodore Roosevelt Jr. who was a general, this was rare for a general to lead the 1st charge; he asked 4 times to do it and on the 4th time the army let him. the reason it was the easiest beach is b/c they landed about 1 km to the west of where they were supposed to land and there was only 70 germans there facing 24,000 GI's so it was easy to liberate and to take the rest of the coast from behind and flank the nazis. i got to see an H-boat which was cool. then we went to Point du Hoc, this is where 225 rangers set out to climb a 100 ft cliff and take over a german fortification on the top. by the time they got to the top they only had 135 men and after 2 days of holding the fortification they only had 90 left. at first the rangers went to the wrong cliff but their ammuntion craft was hit so they turned around and went to the right cliff and scaled it (they started climbing the 100 ft cliff at 7:10 and the first guy up was there at 7:15 and all 135 of them were up by 7:35!!! amazing!) they would've had a more successful and less casualties if their timing was on but they were 40 mins late. the germans had a good fortification w/ mines and everything but our GI rangers were just too much to handle. after point du hoc we went to our guides hometown where once one of the allies' petroleum pipelines went through. then we went to where the allies had one of their artificial ports, then we went to Omaha Beach, the most difficult beach, where 30,000 GI's attacked. the reason it was so hard was b/c of the mountains w/ bunkers on it surrounding the beach and the 2 88's positioned on the beach and the snipers on the mountains plus all the beach obstacles. afterwards we went to the american cemetary on top of omaha. it was beautiful. we saw 2/3 of the medal of honor winners (for my national guard buddies: the one medal of honor winner was a "weekend warrior" he took 35 POW's by himself w/ a grenage and a bayonette...talke about a bad bad man) and when we left all the GI branch songs were being played it was really nice to hear something american again. after that we we went to another port and it was getting dark so we headed up to this 360 degree WWII theater. it was a really graphic and accurate movie of real WWII clips and pictures compared to what normandy looks like today. after the movie we headed back to the trainstation, paid the guide, grabbed our bags and were waiting at the trainstation by 6 for our 6:21 train to paris...ugh....the start of the worst 18 hrs of my life! soooo here we go:

the train didn't get there until 6:45. and once we all got on it went about 1 mile in 30 mins!! (note: we have only 50 mins in paris to get from one station to another one on the other side of paris to catch our train to brussels) all b/c of leaves on the track this is happening. so we finally start moving along and get to paris w/ 25 mins to get to the other side of paris. we sprint through the metros, and every sub has a 3-6 min wait. we finally get to the station just 10 mins late for our train...after alllllllll that...just 10 stinken mins....soooo we start callin around and getting info on different trains. i switch our tickets to the next morning at 6:50. then we sat down and tried to sleep at the station until 1 am when an officer came and kicked us out and we walked down the red light district and found the cheapest looking hotel and paid stinken 110 euros for 5 hrs in there...ugh...it was a long night...

Saturday-so we got a lil sleep, got up showered then headed back to the trainstation to catch our 6:55 train to brussels praying that we make it in time to catch our flight to dublin. so we get to brussels at 8:15, run off the train and out the door to find a shuttle or a taxi to the airport, so we find a taxi at around 8:25 or 8:20 idk, and we tell him that we need to be there at 8:50 and he laughs and says 9 is the best he can do. so he flies to the airport and we get there pay him 140 euros, and go to check in and w/ ryanair they close the checkin 40 mins b4 our flight at 9:30...i begged the lady and she said no...so we sat around depressed and thinking what we could do b/c we just missed our flight and pretty much screwed over our whole trip so we sat for an hr or 2 debating and thinking of what we could do. we go and talk w/ several ppl and get a bunch of information on trains, planes, and automobiles!...and even hostels and stuff to do...and we decide just to buy another ticket to glasgow, scotland. it cost us 37 euros a piece but now we have a flight to scotland and we don't have to lose all of our flights that we had. yes we're out of some money but after forking out as much as we have already i'm not too concerned. so we bought our tickets and headed back to the trainstation w/ hopefully all the necessary information we need to get there tomorrow. at the trainstation we go to Info and grab a schedule from verviers to brussels and we were able to come back to verviers for the evening so we don't have to pay for a place to stay tonight and can get cleaned up and all that jazz....mama T, and Lisa are amazing! they cooked us a nice hot meal and just boosted our morale all around! if it wasn't for them the whole week would have been miserable probably but thanks to them it wasn't bad. hopefully the rest of the trip will be better. don't worry bout us we'll hopefully be fine just pray that the rest of the wk goes smoother

Sunday-today we got up at 4:45 am, packed, grabbed a lunch, and headed to the station to catch our train to brussels. we got there around 7:10, and hit the airport shuttle at 7:30. we were at charleroi 3 hrs b4 our flight. at 2 hrs, we checked in, paid for our luggage, and headed in to the gate. it was about an hr and a half flight to Glasgow. i slept the whole time. we got there at 12:25. the ppl of scotland are awesome and they speak english!!! we grabbed a bus into the city and grabbed some info and left our bags off at our hostel then walked around for a while then it got dark at 4 so we were in bed by 8 after we had communion.

Monday- we got up at 8, got ready and hit a train to Edinburgh. we hit up info once there and got a bus tour around the city for 16$. its a beautiful city! we went and saw and toured the edinburgh castle and saw the scotland royal jewels. the oldest in the UK. then we hopped on the bus and toured around and went to shops. watson and i bought kilts lol. we went to the queens palace but decided not to go in so instead we went to starbucks and chilled and waited for the next bus then we headed back to the station. i bought a meal at KFC so we could all split it when we got back. we bot back around 7. it was pitch black and raining. so i heated up our meal, split it up and we ate and went to bed.

Tuesday- we got up at 8, ate breakfast and left by 9:30 for the bus station then to find our other hostel. it was a 30 min walk. we checked in and dropped our bags off and headed to the kelvingrove and transport museums for the day. there were cool. we went back to the hostel and chilled then watson and i took a walk. then we got back and i did some more research and we went to bed early around 8 b/c we had a long day the next day.

Wednesday- POP'S BIRTHDAY! at 2:30 we woke up b/c leah forgot to switch her clock. so we got up, and i called dad, and we chilled til 3:30 then we walked to the bus station and got there at 4 and waited for our 4:45 bus to the airport. we got there round 5:30, checked in, got starbucks, and hit up some souvenirs. then we boarded around 6:20 and arrived in london around 8ish. we grabbed our bags and bought a train ticket for 30$ ugh...english pounds are bank account killers!...we got to liverpool station, got some info, grabbed an underground pass, and went in search of wicked tickets...we got lost several times but after about 1.5 hrs we found the theater and bought tickets for 15 lbs. we then went in search of our hostel. we dropped off our bags and went to buckingham palace...our equivalent to like the white house kind of but not really lol. it was nice. then watson and i headed to chinatown...it was pathetic so we left in the rain back to the hostel. checked in, rested, cleaned up and headed out to our show around 6:30. we got there around 7 and relaxed and the show started at 7:30 it was an awesome show...#2 only to lionking in my opinion. then watson and i went and saw big ben at night. it was neat. afterwards we headed back to the hostel. i checked somethings on the internet then we went to bed around 12 or 1.

Thursday- we got up around 8:15, cleaned up and packed, ate breakfast, then headed out for st. pauls cathedral. it was really nice. there was alot of security b/c of all the different US thanksgiving services there. then we headed back to whitehall place and westminister abbey where all the parliament stuff is and a bunch of war memorials it was nice. then we went across the bridge and waited for sarah's friend sean. he was 40 mins late. so at 12:40 he got there and we took off to the london bridge (nothing special) then the london tower, where we had our thanksgiving dinner of fish n chips lol half cold...ugh...nuttin like turkey. the tower bridge is neat. then we went over to see shakespeare's globe it was cool. then we headed to the national gallery where van gogh's painting of the sunflowers is, and a bunch of other famous artists stuff i guess lol. we then hit an underground back to where sean was parked it took 45 mins to get there. and the london security are very nice, we should've had to pay $24 each to leave the underground but they let us go b/c we played the tourist card lol. but then we had another 30 min walk to his car up hill w/ all of our bags which we've been carrying all day ugh...so we got to his car and we started out...he's not good w/ road signs or directions. lol. he missed the exit to the airport 4 times lol...so we got a 32 mile detour. but we made it there just in time for the gate to open so no worries. we got checked in, grabbed some starbucks and souvenirs and the other 3 went to the correct gate and i did not lol...i took a tram across the airport so some unknown gate and finished my mocha ate a snickers and there was still no one there and it was dark an hr b4 take off so i asked a lady and she had to call security to come pick me up and take me back to my gate lol. so i got a free escort across the airport it was unique. and no i'm not the only one...he said it happens all the time lol. we we caught our flight to dublin at 9:45, got to dublin at 11, and found a cozy seat at the airport and attempted to get some rest...

Friday- after attempting to doze off for about a total of an hr and breaking my coffee cup, i gave up and we went up and checked in at around 4 am. and we chilled then hit our flight at 6:50 and got to brussels around 9. we got a shuttle to the trainstation and got back to verviers around 12:30. we bought the women flowers for their generosity last friday. we cleaned up and relaxed and i put on my kilt...its sooooo comfy and free!! lol...over all not a terrible trip....but only 10 days left til i'm back in the states :)

week between germany and 2nd free travel

Friday- we had classes alllll day...then chilled...and went to bed b/c we were all exhausted.

Saturday- today we had classes until 2, then a group of us went to Maastricht...it is November 11, Armistice day (SP) but over here in Europe it's a big deal. we got there and everyone was wearing these rediculous costumes, and wearing red, yellow, and green. there was a huge concert band playing all these songs etc. we walked around and just enjoyed the sights of drunk ppl in costumes making fools of themselves. we ate at a slightly mexican resturant, then we were all gonna watch a movie...but nikki got sick from her beef which wasn't cooked right...so watson and leah took her back and ev and i went and watched Borat...it was hilarious!! holland movie theaters are weird they have a 15 min intermission in the middle of them...then we came back, chilled, studied, and went to bed.

Sunday- today we got up, worshipped, studied, had a few tests, until 5, then chilled all night

Monday- today was our free day so we went with the taylors to Brussels and Antwerp. i guess the famous thing in brussels is a statue of some little fat boy peeing and it's a fountain...idk seems a little weird to me but w/e...i bought all my xmas gifts (chocolate) lol. i hope y'all like it! then in Antwerp it's famous for its diamonds. and some ppl bought some rings etc. for cheap. Ev and i went off and chilled the rest of the day, stopped at a coffee shop got a drink, read the USA Today (which is a rare nice thing to do). then we headed back to verviers. i didn't feel too good today...all this lack of sleep + cold weather + always on the go is catchin up to me.

Tuesday- today we had classes allll day but i skipped some of it to get better, and it helped a lot. then after class i planned our free travel, studied, chilled, and went to bed. i was gettin kind of tired of planning our free travel b/c i was the only one doing anything! so if you ever go travelling w/ someone, make sure they are capable of helping or at least some what productive!

Wednesday- today we started class at 9, and ended at 2, then we all got dressed up a lil bit and headed to a private park w/ a gazebo for our group picture. we lost a few ppl so while we were waiting for them some kids asked if they could play with us, so for the next 30 mins we played frisbee and soccer w/ some kids it was really fun. then we got our pictures, then ferg, ev and i stayed after and played frisbee for an hr. we went back, ate, got cleaned up, packed, had devo, studied, chilled, made some phone calls to some awesome ppl and family, and didn't go to bed til 6 am b/c i was so busy. bad choice!!

the pictures are 1 of ev sleeping in a huge hand b/c we were sooooo bored...then 2 me mocking the lil fat naked statued of the kid peeing lol

Germany/Austria wk!!

Day 1 of our germany trip- we rode a trip....ALLLLL DAYYY!!! then we got to our hotel which was really nice, ate an amazing meal...weiner schnitzel is AMAZING!! its breaded veal sooooooo good. then i went to bed.

Day 2- well due to Ev's ear-busting-snoring and the fact that our beds were touching each other, i didn't get much sleep. i've also been missin things at home and ppl buuut, thats irrevelant. so we ate breakfast and headed to the trainstation, but the trains were shut down for construction...soooo we had to take a bus to Berchtesgarden. we had gotten about 1.5 inches of snow it was really nice. we got to the salt mine and made a snow man along the road it was fun...then had snow ball fights in which my LCD screen on my camera was broke...not a happy camper bout that...but the tour was fun sliding down the huge wooden railings...we had to wear really funny clothes...HUGE clothes...afterwards we ate, looked at the shops, then went to Salzburg for a lil bit then back to the hotel and we ate gyros YUMMY! then bed

Day 3- we got up at 7...ugh...grabbed a quick bite then headed back to berchtesgarden. we then took another bus to Konnigsee. and got on a boat and took a very nice tour of a lake in between the bavarian alps. it was really nice and relaxing...we could see the eagles nest from the lake. then we got to some little place w/ a church and spent 2 hrs relaxing there. then we trained back to salzburg and walked through the park that was in the Sound of Music movie...it was really really nice i think if it was summer or spring or fall it would be the best one thus far....bbbuuuuuttt...instead it was covered w/ snow and everything was dead lol. o well...then we toured mozarts houses...i guess that was aight...i kinda just ran through both...then i used a computer and headed back and went to bed.

Day 4- today we got cleaned up, ate breakfast, and headed to munich to hit a train to Dachau which was the first concentration camp of WWII started way before the war in 1933. we toured the museum, watched a movie, and walked around the camp...it was very somber. then we had worship in the chapel...Papa T made a good statement. "this is a very good place to worship, seeing as there were probably more prayers said to God from this place than anywhere else in the world." i think this was an amazing statement...pictures nor books will ever do this place justice....no words can ever make someone relive the feeling of walking on the same ground the 60 years before people were tortured and killed on....afterwards we went back to munich, grabbed some super, went to the hotel, watched some more german tv lol, then hit the hay.

Day 5-we got up at 8, ate breakfast, and hit a train at munich. then hit another train to the neuschwanstein castle...(cinderella castle) we toured it...yada yada yada...it was nice...then Ev and i went for a walk and took some awesome pictures of the castle. then we came back to the hotel, chilled, and went to bed...we were on a train for a total of 8 hours UGH...not fun!

Day 6- today we got up at 6:30 GAY!!! then we hit a train to salzburg then another one to vienna for 3 hrs. we went to the hapsburg palace...toured it...blah...then we played hacky sack out in the gardens behind it...now that was fun lol. then ev, ferg, watson and i just chilled and walked around for a few hrs. then we grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to salzburg and back to the hotel...i took a walk and got away for a while...it was SOOOo nice!!!

Day 7- Free Day!!! YAY! we slept in til 8:30 or 9, ate breakfast, and watched watson get new boots to go hiking (foreshadowing of unfortunate events for watson lol) we headed to berchtesgarden. than, loren, caleb and i went to a place and almost got a tour to the eagles nest but we couldn't so we found watson and met up w/ the guys and got a taxi halfway up the mountain that the eagles nest on....so after the crazy fast taxi ride we started our climb up the mountain...severely unprepared for a 10 mile hike up 1000 vertical meters...it wasn't an easy climb but than and i made it up just under 2 hrs. so we spent lots of time resting at the peak at the eagles nest...we didn't get to go in but we talked to a tour group about it they were really nice. then 30 mins later the other 5 guys came hobbling up. watson's heel was rubbed raw from his new boots so he was having to stop every 30 mins...we got a group picture and rested for a while then trecked back down...it was soooo beautiful at the top. i've now jumped into the swiss alps and climbed the bavarian alps its great. then we got down in an hr and 20 mins, grabbed a few taxis ate at an amazing!!! resturant...i got spare ribs, steak, and a baked potato for 10 euros. it was sooooooo good...then we headed back and went tooo bed we were soo tired...we also packed too. p.s- mom once again u were right...don't eat a 2 day old sandwich...it makes u really sick!!

Day 8- we rode trains...ALLL STINKEN DAY!! then we got back unpacked did laundry, ate, and chilled and went to bed...

HERE YA GO KIMMIE!! i hope u like ur pictures lol. miss and love ya bud! i never have ur number w/ me when i make calls home but one of these days i'll get to call ya. just think 24 more days then guess who's comin home??!!

wk between freetravel and germany

wellllll,
the day after we got back we had to get up at 8 and haver classes allllllll day....that was a blast!...not...at lunch Mama T told us this "story" that every yr she designates someone as her donkey... her and Papa T set it all up perfectly it was hilarious! i'll have to tell y'all the story later i'm too tired and have too much to do right now. but she gave me this donkey they bought in greece that is hand made its a really nice donkey i must say lol...so i'm officially the donkey of the trip!

sunday- after church we had a lit test and a paul test...umm...in the bible of Ty...thats against my relgion! but any way after classes finally ended 8 of us guys went to the park and played frisbee...it was a blast...i threw my arm out but it was worth it...then we came back and ate and relaxed. p.s-...i shaved half my beard off!!! :-O

Monday- (Amsterdam)- i planned to get up at 3:55am w/ loren and some guys to go to amsterdam early...so i got up asked them what time it was...climbed out of bed, asked evan if he wanted to go...he said no so i climbed back in bed for 2 more hrs...then we got up at 5 somethin and actually ended up catching the same train as the ppl who got up at unholy hrs of the morning. we got to amsterdam around 10 and got to harlem (Tin-Boom House) BUT it was closed...so we headed back to the city and headed for the anne frank house...it was really cool! then we just walked around the city til like 5:30 and got back round 10:30 and chilled.

Tuesday----classssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.....great way to spend halloween isn't it???

Wednesday....class, packed for a wk of germany, watched schindlers list! great movie!!... then went to bed...

FREE TRAVEL!! :)

well this is one of the greatest wks of my life! after all the stress of planning this trip we finally get to get out of belgium w/o papa and mama T or any other governing body for that matter...this trip is the epitomy(SP) of freedom! it was so nice to just make my own decisions about everything...nobody guiding me just finally being on my own! :)

Sunday- we got up, packed, went to church, ate lunch. i served at the table of a french church today...little awkward but it was good. then after lunch we hit the train to brussels....then it got exciting... the TVG train we were supposed to take got cancelled so we had to go to the Info and get new reservations to go to Lille France, they had to call the train and tell them we were coming. so we had an hr ride on the eurostar to Lille then had to run in Lille to catch the train to Lyon Part-Dieu and had to pay 20 euros just to ride it for 4 hrs. then we finally arrived in Lyon and hit a 2 hr train to geneva and walked about 10 mins to our hostel which was really nice and non-expensive and just chilled and went to bed...we got there round 11:30

Monday- we got up at 9, cleaned up, and headed out in the rain to tour geneva. we went and looked at shops then looked at the Jet d'Eaus (tallest fountain in Europe) 134 m high. then went and saw St. Pierre's cathedral and the Hotel de Ville where the geneva convention was held i think it was really cool...then we just walked around geneva til 6 then hit a train to sierre, then a train up to Bluche to stay w/ jess and alyson (our friends we met in athens that are from boston). so we chilled w/ them them went to bed...we had 5 ppl on the concrete floor and 3 in the bed....it was preeeettttty crowded lol.

Tuesday- today we got up at 8, got dressed to go sking, the girls skipped classes and came with us down the mountain to sierre...the sunrise was beautiful over the alps. in sierre we hit a train to brig then hit a train to Vermacht.....this is where i almost killed a swiss guy...(the french are still jerks!) so we get on this train that says "glacier express" regretfully we didn't know that its the ONLY train in switzerland that isn't covered by our eurail pass....sooooo the stupid jerk charges us 64 CHF for a round trip pass to and from Vermacht soooo we all paid it and took it like a champ...but he failed to mention that the slopes on the Matterhorn were closed...and we're carrying skis and poles and boots...and dressed to ski...soooo we get up there and find out the slopes and the glacier are closed....very ticked off at this moment...so we stash our stuff in lockers that cost us 9 CHF. and start walkin around to find something to do....we start toward a gorge and on the way stumbled by a ropes/ zipline course so for 29CHF we spent the next 2.5 hrs on it...it was sooooo much fun....then we got back down the mountain and went back to sierre and hung out in the room then just hit the hay.

Wednesday- today started out bad...i was supposed to call caroline (our skydiving planner) sooo i waited for some chinese chick to get off the phone then she didn't so i took a self-guided tour of Bluche that has a population of 196 and the school has 750 lol. so i get back and she's finally off and i try to use my card and its blocked...my blood pressure was sky high. so i stomp upstairs wake the guys up rudely and tell them we have to go now...so in 15 mins we caught a bus to sierre and called her from there and then we caught the train to brig then to spiez and we just missed the train to reichenbach which is where the airfield is to skydive sooooo i called her and she said just to wait that they'd pick us up there. soooo we waited til 12:30 then a guy came and picked us up in his audi...he was an awesome driver...it felt good to ride in a car again i missed it. so we get to the place around 1, do paper work incase we died lol, got 5 mins of training and then the first group went up. it was awesome watching the groups go up. we were the 5th group up...we could only go 2 at a time so evan went before us it was awesome watchin him come down from 13,000 ft high in the alps. then sarah and i went up. the view was amazing up there. we saw the 3 most famous mountains in switzerland. and the 2 lakes of interlaken. then.....they opened the door, sarah was first so the cameraman hopped out on the wing and she and hans were sittin on the doorway then she went to look over, he pulled her head back and then they were gone... this was when my heart stopped beating...i hadn't been nervous or scared at all til now lol...so i pulled my legs over the edge of the plane, leaned my head back and we launched.....OOOO MY it was the biggest rush of my life. the camerman was in front of me the whole time recording us free falling for 45 seconds....it was sooooo intense and the view was amazing...we were spinning around and just flying like a bird. then after 45 secs he pulled the chute and i pulled out my camera and recorded the fall down...we spun circles and did like cartwheels in the air it was awesome! then after 3 mins we landed on our butts got unharnessed and undressed then sat and waited for the last ones to go then we headed back to the train and went home...we played a prank on the girls it was hilarious!! i called the girls and told them that evan didn't make it and that we took him to the hospital but he's breathing hahaha...so we got back and dressed him all up in makeup and bandages and it really looked bad on his face and head and we laid him down and i made up this awesome story then they all believed it and after an hr i woke him up to get a shower and he washed it all off and came back out and it took them 30 secs to figure it out and oooo my it was great. then we chilled for a while and went to bed/floor lol.

Thursday- originally we were supposed to go to venice, buttttt....we didn't so we went back to interlaken for the day . but we walked round interlaken all day...nothing really exciting...then went back to Bluche to stay one last night w/ them.

Friday- today we got up and said our goodbyes to our awesome friends jess and alyson, packed up and hit a train to sierre, brig, basal, cologne, aachen, and verviers....all but 2 were on time but we were supposed to get back at 7 and didn't get back til almost 9 but thats ok...we got back and ate chili and told our stories and went to bed.

this was one crazy wk i hope everyone goes skydiving someday...p.s-my computer is broken so no pix til i get it fixed sorry y'all!! happy halloween!!! :)

Belgium 12-14

well these were the last 3 days before free travel so everyone is really stressed and anxious to get out of belgium.

Thursday- today we got up and had a major history test then after we took the test we weren't allowed to leave b/c they don't want us staying up late so they made us stay in the pews for almost 2 hrs! how gay is that. then we had chapel, lunch, french, and lit. then i cleaned up and planned our trip to switzerland. then we took naps and had supper. at night i called grandma and grandpa. it was really good gettin to talk to them then i called keith...and for everyone who knows keith he's got a new g/f from butler so please somebody harass him for me. lol. kim u gotta get the DL on this chick for me.

Friday- today we got up, grabbed a bagged lunch, and hit the train to Brugge at 8:34. it was a 3 hr train ride. once there, Mama & Papa T gave us a tour of the city which is famous for lace. they showed us big windmills and churches and old ladies making lace...ev, ferg, than, and caleb rolled down the hill of the windmills...it was hilarious, ev got pretty banged up. then we had free time so we walked around shops and just relaxed and goofed off. we had some AMAZING hot chocolate there too. then we headed back to verviers and studied and finished planning our trip.

Saturday- today we got up at 8 had french and paul. we did a retarded skit in french then went to the market and H&M got some crazy furry hats. then after lunch we headed to Cologne (Koln) we saw the Koln Cathedral which is huge and awesome. and there was a guy outside giving free hugs from NY weird but funny. then we just walked around the city all night and ate at KFC. it was a good change in flavor. its oktoberfest in germany so everyone is drunk and there was a guy dressed up as superman selling shots it was funny. if you're a single guy learn german and move to germany...the hottest girls in the world i think live in germany!!! its amazing!
p.s- saturday was the worst day here: my computer won't turn on anymore and i couln't get ahold of jess til 2 am to get our trip finished so i was pretty stressed but o well free travel was coming up! :)

Belgium Days 8-11

for now on i'm just writing on here when we go somewhere or something interesting happens. b/c reading about my torturous days of class is no fun.
Sunday- we had church once again in French so i understood absolutely nothing that was said. we ate lunch, and slept til supper then watched Tartuffe for class, then we had devo. and chilled the rest of the night.
Monday- class alllllll day, plus 2 tests...not an exciting day at all...
Tuesday- got up at the buttcrack of day, got on a bus and drove an hour to the American Cemetary/Memorial near Liege, Belgium. there are over 7000 American soldiers buried here from WWII. it was a very somber place. the chapel/memorial was awesome, on 3 walls it displays the progression of the war in europe, and underneath it has descriptions of each picture. my words do not do it justice and neither do my pictures so i will do myself a favor and not try to describe it any farther to give it proper honor. we walked through the cemetary which is in the shape of a cross. and just gave my respect to those men who had given their lives for my freedom. at the end of the cemetary theres a huge american flag...but the only thing is that the memorials were under construction. after we had signed the guest book we left for Dinant, which is famouse for the Citadel that over looks the city. we took a cable car up to it and got a tour from an old guy that spoke 6 different languages. it was pretty cool. then we got back down, grabbed a disgusting bite to eat, and headed to another castle called Bouillon. it was cool we explored and climbed all over it and watched a bird show w/ hawks, owls, and big vultures in it. then we went down into the town and walked around for a while. then we hopped on the bus to go to Ardennes where the Battle of the Bulge was. this was my favorite place of the day and possibly trip although we only got to spend a depressing 40 mins there. the memorial is in the shape of a star and on the columns on the inside have a record of what happened on that day. on the outside it has all 50 states and on the outside of the columns it has a list of all the different artillery, infantry, and airforce regiments that was involved from the US military. i went on top of the memorial and the view is beautiful. there are also a few german tanks still there. after spending a lil time there we went and ate (the pita was pretty good) then headed home and studied til 3 am.
Wednesday- boring day of class, got out of french early due to lack of electricity. had 3 tests today...that was a blast. then after class i went for a walk by the river and read/wrote for a while. ate supper and studied the rest of the night for 3 more tests tommorrow. p.s- ferg looks gay w/ dyed hair...i'm glad i'm not part of the "hair-dying trio" lol...(ferg, evan, watson) and i'm goin to switzerland for a wk w/ them...great! lol

and it makes me feel old when lil cousins tell u not to come home b/c they can drive...i can rem when all they wanted to do was play w/ barbies...ugh! i'm gettin old.

belgium days 2-7

First off I want to apologize for not keeping up w/ my blog efficiently. The internet here is less than to be desired for. Ok well I’ve learned that trying to cram a semester full of class into 23 days is not exactly fun. Especially sitting in pews for 3 hrs at a time. But I guess going on day trips to Holland and germany make up for it lol.
Monday- we had short classes in the morning then went for walks in the afternoon and just tried to rest up a lil bit.
Tuesday- we had class til 2 then headed to Maastricht for the evening. In Holland there was a fair so the girls rode a ride then we walked around for a while and relaxed then ate at subway. On the way home the train was stalled b/c of a car wreck on the tracks so we got back around 9 then relaxed.
Wednesday- we had class til 4:20 then got changed really quick and went on the 40 min walk to the park which should’ve taken a maximum of 20 mins lol. Once there we played a game of ultimate Frisbee…it was awesome to be able to play anything! But the playing field is the worst nightmare for someone w/ bad ankles…o wait that’s me lol…but we had a blast! Then we just did h/w the rest of the night.
Thursday- we had paul in the morning then French in the afternoon but both were cut short b/c Dr. T had to go to the hospital for his leg. He’s better now his knee is still inflamed though. After class we just relaxed and walked around town some. Then had supper and did some more h/w.
Friday- ewww Friday the 13th. Lol today we got up pretty early, ate breakfast, packed our lunches and headed out for our cruise on the Rhine River. It took about 1.5 hrs to get there then when we got there we had 2 hrs b4 our boat took off so kat and I walked around got some good hot chocolate, at our lunches and just walked around the town for a while til around 2. our boat then took off at 2:30. the shores were filled with castles it was pretty cool…both literally and figuratively lol. It was very cold on the river as u can see in the pictures. Then we got off the boat 2.5 hrs later and walked around boppard til our train came. I had an authentic brautwurst, it was ok not great. Then we got back and chilled til round 3 am…sleep isn’t much of a priority as usual.
Saturday- we slept in til 8:30 had French for an hr then hit the market place right outside the house. That was pretty cool, it had everything u ever wanted. Then we ate lunch then headed to aachen for the evening. Mama T gave us a tour of aachen, I guess its famous for Charlamagne (SP) but it was nice and relaxing. The leaves were changing so it reminded me of home. It was nice. We ate there…it wasn’t too good nikki and I got some mix plate w/ fried calamari and anchovies, potatos, olives, chicken wings, and some sauces…not very good at all lol. Then we got back around 7 and studied for French.

Belgium Day 1

well after getting a good night's rest in our house in verviers, i got up at 8:30, got ready for church, and ate breakfast. then Dr. T taught our Bible class on Revelation, it was very informative i can't wait to learn more about this very complex book of the Bible that is so mysterious. at around 10:30 we went downstairs to worship. it was a French service so i didn't understand a thing but the ppl are amazing. the congregation is mostly of African decent they are so nice and they all want to meet you. after worship we came upstairs and ate lunch which was AMAZING we had pork, pasta, rice...and veggies. no mom i didn't eat the veggies lol. then Evan and I helped Mama T out w/ dishes and serving. then we chilled and did journals while some others went out and walked around Verviers. then we ate supper and had Leek soup and sandwiches it wasn't bad. then we chilled for the rest of the night Kat and i shared pics of honduras and a bunch of other stuff then we were the last ones up at 2 am so we shut the lights out and hit the hay...(no not together)....


































p.s---no mom & linz it isn't real...y'all know me better than that...i'd passout come on lol

Athens/ Belgium

today we got a wake up call at 4:30...thats a sin i think...but w/e...so we got on the bus at 6 and took off for the airport accompinied (sp) by the gayest tour guide alive...who unfortunately didn't know that at 6 am nobody cares about the history of greece which we already knew! so we got to the airport finally, checked in, and waited at the gate for an hr then took a 2.5 hr flight to brussels. once there we hit one train...then another. then we arrived and walked 15 mins to the church. laid our stuff down and got some waffles....OOOO MYYY...amazing!!! undescribable. then watson and i explored the city then got chinese...eh wasn't very good. then i tried to hold a conversation w/ a french lady while helping her move pews and chairs...that was interesting... then we chilled and had a meeting and went to bed...

Athens Day 7

today we got to sleep in til 9, and took a beautiful bus ride along the Attica coast for about 1.5 hrs to Posedions Temple. the view was breathtaking. Katerina gave us the DL on the temple yada yada yada...then we got to walk around up on the cliffs for a whopping 40 mins. this area is known for their beautiful sunsets. its the southern most tip of Greece. then we got on the bus and headed down the mountain to the beach. we explored and walked around the outskirts of the beach then relaxed in the water for a while. after changing we went to lunch which had amazing appetizers filled w/ meat and cheese, and souvlaki w/ french fries it was ok. then we went back to the h0tel and packed for a while. after an hr we went and walked around the placa one last time and met some awesome girls from Boston who are going to school in switzerland, and they invited us to stay w/ them when we go there so we don't have to pay for lodging. then i got one last amazing crepe filled w/ choc and PB. :) then packed and went to bed...
p.s-i got a tattoo it says self knowledge :) and no we're not actually peeing lol

Athens Day 6

Today was our free day!! :) no wake up calls it was great! so i slept in til 9:45 ate breakfast and we chilled and planned the day til 1:30 then headed to the metro and tram to Glyfada south of athens. it was supposedly a "really nice beach" wellllll...it was the rockiest place on earth it was like putting an ocean over the rocky mountains...but it was nice and refreshing so we swam and laid out til about 5:30 then went to pizza hut...yuck! then we came back and chilled b/c tommorrow we have a busy day...


p.s- i love y'all and i really appreciate y'alls comments it makes it a lil easier being away from my friends and family.

Athens Day 5

well today we got up and rushed to the bus to head to Delphi- the center of ancient greece. the ride was long yet beautiful. we stopped half-way through and took pictures of a beautiful canal the Corinthian Canal which is 4 km long and only 100 ft wide...and huge ships go through it that almost touch both sides...how crazy is that?...then we continued on our way to Delphi (Del-Phee) and went through some of the most amazing mountains and i felt like i was in honduras again w/ the crazy bus driver going through 12 ft wide streets w/ 2 way traffic lol. soooo we finally arrived at ancient delphi and Katrina gave us a tour of the temple of apollo, the naval (rock), the theatre, and we walked the whole way to the top of the hill to the most well-preserved stadium in greece it was awesome. the view was breathtaking. then we went down to the museum and we saw all that...yada yada yada...sorry i'm kinda tired of seeing old dead ppl's stuff...after the first hundred thousand naked statues they all start to look alike lol. then we got on the bus and went to a resturant kinda like la cumbre. we had some really good food like some good cheese stuff, souvlaki, and some mouth watering "ice cream cake" then i went outside to the cliff and took some amazing pictures of the corinthian gulf, mountains and the place where all drinking water for athens comes from. then we came back to the hotel then at 8:30 had devo on mars hill...anthony gave a great lesson and it was awesome. then we walked around the placa for a while then we went to hard rock cafe...then we chilled the rest of the night.

Athens Day 4

Today we got up and left for Corinth around 8. on our way there we stopped and took pix of the Corinthian Canal. it is amazing. its 4 mi long and only 100 ft wide. then we went to corinth. once there Katrina gave us a tour in the museum, the agora (where Paul was tried) then around the temple of apollo. then we got back on the buss after an hour and headed to Mycenae. it is one ollllld city. it had a tomb shaped like a bee hive that we went in. then we went up to the acropolis w/ the lion's gate. it was beautiful up there. then we ate a huge lunch w/ 5 courses. it was aight...then we headed to Epidaurus. we went to the best preserved theatre in greece and sang the greatest commands...it was amazing. then we headed back to athens. we hit up some shops, got cheap food and chilled.

P.s- pray for Dr. T he's having some health issues...and keep me in ur prayers also...not for health reasons (mom don't panic lol)...

Athens day 3

today was our one day cruise of the greek islands. we took off around 9 or so and rode 2 hrs to Poros...it was really touristy...we spent about 30 mins looking at shops. then we got on the boat and ate lunch which wasn't too bad. then we arrived at Hydra, which was the most beautiful of the islands. crystal clear blue water w/ white washed houses. then after an hr walking around we got on the boat and headed to Aegina...it was nasty but we went swimming anyways. it was fun, we grabbed supper then headed back to athens around 6. we got back and just chilled.

Athens Day 2

Today we got up and went on our tour w/ Katrina we first went to the olympic stadium replica. then we saw a library, presidential palace, and royal garden. then we went to the Acropolis and saw the parthanon. then we went to mars hill and anthony read a passage from acts 17 that may have been read from mars hill. then we went to lunch which was really good. then we went to a museum. then we went to church w/ Harding's program. then chilled at the hotel.

Greece Day 1

Today watson and i woke up to at 7 Greek time and we went out on the deck of the boat and watched the sun come up over the mediterranean sea. it was amazingly beautiful!! i ate breakfast up on the top deck and just watched the beautiful scenery. landing in patras was amazing its the cultural center of europe for 2006. we got off the ferry and on a bus and headed for athens. when we got to athens we chilled then went out to eat. i got pork souvlaki. it was mouth watering!! ok amen!

Greece Day 1

Today we arrived in Patras at around 10. the Med. Sea is beautiful along w/ Greece. so we got off the boat and got on a bus and it took us here to Athens. in athens we rested at the hotel for a bit then went out to eat and chilled. the food is amazing here!!

Italy/ Greece

today we got up at 5:20 it was horrible. we grabbed some breakfast and hit our high-speed train to Bernici. then we ate at a lil resturant. mom...u were right...don't eat a 2 day old hamburger...ugh!! i was pretty sick...but then we got on our over-night ferry at around 5 and got to watch us take off at 7. it was beautiful and we sang out on the deck at night and just had a great time on the ferry.