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Seeing if I can get this image for a project...

Dear Uncle Denver,

Now I'm sure your all wondering the "real" reason that I've finally updated this blog, well it goes something like this...

We are planning a family cruise for late August to Alaska. Most of my dad's side is coming except his oldest brother (my Uncle Denver). So here's one last try to get him to come on this "family" cruise. So without a further a do...

Dear Uncle Denver,

Here is why you should come...

Main reasons to come:

• Lola doesn't have years and years to do this. She is over 85 years old and she's running out of time. She's going to die - let her have this last hurrah, the entire family in one place, at the same time, making memories (I don't his has happened since before your other niece was born).
• It's a family cruise. It can't be a family cruise unless the entire family comes.
• Rooms are based on double occupancy. This means even if you don't come we'll still have to pay for your room.
• If it's financial reasons that you won't come, well there's a solution for that too. Lola is paying for the bulk of it and I've even offered to pay for your plane ticket.
• I get you're trying to work things out with Auntie but she's here in Seattle and you're in Denver. Working things out works better if your face to face.
• If you feel Auntie is going to feel left out well, she's been invited. If she wants to come she is welcome to come.
• While we're on the subject - I miss her too. I haven't seen her for over at least 3 years. It would be great to get reacquainted. Also if she's the reason you won't come - I've heard that she's given you permission to come. Don't let her hold you back.
• I've said that I won't come unless you come. We'll be missing you along with me. (Now it definitely can't be called a family cruise).
• Think of all the memories we'll make and all the fun we'll have (Don't make me photo-shop your head into all the pictures.)
• I can't imagine this trip without you. Were family, stuck together whether we like it or not. So come with us, one week, one boat, a million memories.

Uncle Denver if your reading this right now please reconsider your decision (and call so we can talk). Both your nieces want you on this trip (the other is just not as stubborn to make you come - but don't worry I'll be nagging enough for the both of us). Your not just my uncle, your my godfather. How am I suppose to enjoy this if your stuck at home? (Now I remember, I'm not going unless you do.) This cruise is in no way complete without you. I know that the others have talked with you, but PLEASE, PLEASE come with us.

I know times are hard and life is crazy but Uncle Denver, family helps. Even in the darkest of times we will be there for each other. We need this adventure, and all of us want you along for the ride.

In December when I last saw you I basically said I was cancelling this blog - but you brought me back. I restarted this for you and our family. This trip will only come around once, by saying no you limit your possibilities and will forever wonder "What if." There is no time like the present - so please come.

You are a part of our lives. I don't care what is going on in Denver or Seattle or how complicated this whole entire situation has got. It comes down to this, this is a trip for all of us (including you.) We'll find adventure, fun, and maybe what it means to be a family.

We need you! So please let me hear the ringing of a phone with your voice saying, "See you August."

This would mean the world to me and our family. So one last chance... I beg of you to change your mind. PLEASE go with us. This experience wouldn't be the same without you. I said it once and I'll say it again - WE NEED YOU!

With all my love and hope,

SVAMS (Your 8th grade niece)

P.S. Please call - if this doesn't convince I'll just have to do it in person.

Posted

So... I "forgot" about this blog for the last 4 months.

Right now I'm on mid-winter break. Today I took the ACT (to get into a summer program), tomorrow and Thursday I have to do job shadows (that is if the Seattle weather holds up), and Friday - homework. My break of relaxing is over.

On another note, check out this awesome website for teen writers: Figment.

So coming up in school we have our 8th grade science fair, the spring open house, and high school registration. Looks like the excitement is still to come...

Officially off Hiatus

So this blog has been put on the backburner for the first month of school. I'll try to update but with homework, social life, and pure laziness who knows.

Here are some of the highlights from my first month of school:

• The football team had to make a public apology for their behavior. I won't go into the details but let's say they made our lunch lose our free-time.
• Someone tried to take our usual lunch table and then one of my friends made a move to take it back.
• Our cross country, football, and softball teams are undefeated in week 2. (not to mention our football team beat last years record with 2 wins.)
• I magically finished Pride and Prejudice in time and my essay was finished.
• I have friends in most of my classes.
• Me and my friends wanted to start a "Senior Bucket List." (a list of everything we want to do in senior year. Some of the ideas were plan ridiculous)

Let's move on to something more current. Me and another one of my friends want to write a script/book about if 120 students were locked in the gym and had to fight out for survival. A modern day "Hunger Games." We also thought of all these weapons you could have using school/gym supplies. One idea was to use white out as chloroform. Another was to use the plastic jump ropes as whips. We thought the plot would be a really good idea for a movie.

Peace, love, and middle school.

Final Count

I've been back from Europe for just over 2 weeks now. It's weird... I spent half my summer traveling. I left my house 4 days after school let out for summer and got back home with only a month of summer vacation left.

It's amazing how many places I've been to. Everything I look at reminds me of places I've been to. I miss looking forward to seeing some of the most famous sites in the world.

On a different note - have you ever had those moments where you imagine your life as a movie, well I had one coming home. Here's one possibility of what the end of my trip would be in a movie.

The shot would be my car pulling into our driveway and us getting out. My parents would go inside but I'd stay outside for a moment. The camera would come down on my face and I would look ecstatic. Then my mom would call me inside and the while I was running inside the narrator's voice would say "She was finally HOME."

Anyway I had a great time in Paris. It was funny on our first night there we were going to eat at this restaurant with another family on our tour group. We decided on one our tour guide had pointed out on our way to the meeting point. We sat down (which in itself was an accomplishment with the language barrier) and the menu was completely in French. We recognized only a few words including escargot, or snails. The adults knew that none of the kids would eat this food. So we politely told the waitress (who was smoking a cigarette) we were leaving. Then we ended up getting slightly lost trying to get to another restaurant.
Then it started raining really hard and I was wearing flip flops. The sidewalks were really slippery and flip flops have very little traction. By the time we got to the restaurant we only had 40 minutes to eat. (We watched the two families who had gotten there earlier than us eat fabulous looking desserts.)

I had the vacation of a lifetime and it was awesome.

On another note I now have to read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for honors English. I also have to do an essay on it before school starts. My mom loves anything written by Jane Austen. I on the other hand think it's tedious to read (but what do I know, I'm only 100 pages in.)

Here's the final count on my vacation:

• 11 hotels
• 6 countries
• thousands (and thousands) of miles
• 49 nuns (in Rome alone)
• 33 days (away from home)
• 24 hours on a plane
• 5 flights
• 4 metro systems (Washington DC, London, Rome, and Paris)
• 3 buses (London, Rome, and the Heidebloem tourbus)
• 2 gondolas (Venice and Switzerland)
• 1 train and boat (Venice and Switzerland)
• Infinite memories made

Also here's some of the best pictures I took in Europe...

St. Pauls and Millennium Bridge in London.

A cake at Kennisington Palace where we had English Tea.

The famous Trevi fountain in Rome.

The Coliseum in Rome.

A view of Florence.

A gondola in Venice.

A swan in Germany.

Another beautiful mountain in Switzerland.

Sunset in Burgundy, France.

Sunset in Paris.

The Eiffel Tower.

So that's it for my vacation. Next time I write on this blog will be before the first day of school. It's a new year, and anything can happen. 8th grade here I come.

Phase 3

Okay, so I haven't blogged for over a week. Currently I'm in Switzerland and one week into our 2 week Rick Steves trip. First I should fill you in on what happened in London.

Me and my mom went to 3 musicals. My favorite one was Billy Elliot. Since it's going on tour soon I'll probably go see it when it comes to Seattle. We also saw Legally Blonde the Musical. I was pleasently surprised how good it was. My least favorite was Oliver. I just didn't like it very much and the plot was very confusing.

We also went to the British Museum. I was outraged about how people were touching the artifacts. There were do not touch signs all over the place and they STILL touched them. I mean these were artifacts that were hundreds of years old. It was amazing that the staff of the museum didn't do anything about it.

On one of our last days in London we had tea at Kennsington Palace. I am now addicted to clotted cream which is basically a spread in-between whipped cream and butter. It is soooooo good.

After checking out of our London hotel we went to another hotel by Heathrow airport. It was the nicest hotel we stayed in so far. There was even a speaker in the bathroom.

Next we flew to Rome. On the airplane I got food poisoning and air sick. I felt horrible. Luckily I didn't throw up and felt much better when the plane landed.

When we got to Rome phase 3 officially started. Me and my mom are going on a 2 week family trip to Europe via Europe Through the Back Door. We got to see all the sites in Rome but it was really hot. Then we moved on to Florence which to date is my least favorite part. This is because I got over 20 mosquito bites. I was miserable.

Then we went to Venice where it was still hot. I am now terrified of gondolas. We went on one and it kept rocking back and forth. The tour company hired this singer and I didn't like it (it was overkill.) SO on that one gondola ride I was thinking half the time that the boat's going to tip, a fourth of the time how much my bug bites itch, and a fourth of the time wanting to knock the singer into the water.

Next we went to Austria which was so much fun. The hotel had a trampoline and a playground (not to mention adorable bunnies.) It also rained so hard and I LOVED it. I have missed the Seattle rain so much and it reminded of home.

Now we are in Switzerland and the cool Alpine air is certainly refreshing. Me and my mom are having our lazy day.

I might complain about the trip a little bit but four moments are really stuck in my head.

The first is when our tour guide "lost" us. He was trying to get us all together to get on the subway in Rome. HE then thought we had enough time to all get on. Eventually though only he got on and the rest of us were still at the station.

Next was when I saw a member of our tour group fall into a Venetian canal. He was trying to save this other girl who had fallen into the canal and he also slipped in. Sadly we don't have any pictures. I'm not kidding!

Next when we were driving to Austria we got in a fender bender. A car swerved into our lane and the bus hit its door. We caused a giant traffic jam.

Finally when we were in Germany my mom bought me a traditional Bavarian dress. IT cost 60 Euros and was a rash decision. Now I have to wear it for Halloween and maybe go to Octoberfest in Leavenworth.

Here's a small taste of Switzerland. I will post more photos at the end of my trip.

Anyway that's it for now.

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Popsicles Here

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, but would you if you were on your first vacation to London.

They don't speak English here. I'm serious they have a lot of different slang here for some of our commonly used words. Also the goulash of accents make it really hard to understand people.

So now I present the....

Incomplete Dictionary of English Slang

• Elevators = Lifts (this may because an elevator can lift you to higher (or lower) floors in a building.)
• Popsicle = Lolly (this may be because popsicles are on sticks.)
  
• Where's Waldo = Where's Wally (I have no clue why they would change a perfectly good book title.)
• Baked Potatoes = Jacket Potatoes (because they still have thier skin on them like jackets.O
• Bacon = Bacon (though it's called bacon you could get American bacon, or British bacon. or plain old ham.)
• Lays Potato Chips = Walkers potato chips (I don't know why.)

These are just some of the English slang I've heard over the last few days.

On another note they have some crazy potato chip flavors here in England. So far I've tried Smoky Bacon, Onion Bahji, and Roast Chicken along with other more normal flavors. By the time I'm don e maybe I'll have worked up enough courage to try American Cheeseburger or Brazilian Steak.

So long for now on my English adventure.