SOA Memories Part 6

15 years ago - traveling to Paris!! My 2nd lunch in Europe (it was McDonald's....). Buying moutarde in Dijon pour ma Maman (Mom) only to find out later it had alcohol in it (oops--we still kept it for many years just to look at it). Stuck in Parisian traffic. Riding les Bateaux Mouches at night (and NONE of my pictures turning out). Hotel Mercure renamed Heartbreak Hotel (guy problems). Best of all--finally starting to see ALL the things I'd spent the last 4 years reading and studying about in French class (like la tour eiffel--sparkling!)

SOA Memories Part 5

15 years ago - Switzerland, from the German side to the French side, and feeling the full weight of homesickness as it was the longest I'd ever been away from my family. Trummelbach Falls. My 1st lunch in Europe, eaten at Interlaken (and it was Italian....). Bought 2 more music boxes (also now in possession of nieces). Ending in La-Chaux-de-Fonds with a short choir rehearsal before our concert (and we STILL didn't get Old Joe Clark right, grrr).

Our first Pic of all of us together

 See the beautiful falls? (Gotta thing for waterfalls....) And the song they picked for the background of this video was the perfect one for how I and many others were feeling as we loved our experiences but longed a bit for home.

SOA Memories Part 4

15 years ago - Grindelwald, Switzerland. Taking Dramamine to prevent car sickness during this 2nd pass through the Alps. Tasting REAL chocolate--heaven. Discovering SNOW after our gondola ride up Mount First. My feet and back side getting very wet going down a slide on the mountain. Becoming an absent-minded criminal. Finally getting to hear the band perform.

See the wrappers from the amazing chocolate?

Beth Hornbaker Absent minded criminal??? Did you steal something Heidi??

Heidi-Marie Tice I saw this poor little flower sticking up out of the snow.I thought, "Oh how sad" and picked it without thinking. Because picking it saved it, right? Yeah.... Then as soon as I picked it I remembered: it is illegal to pick flowers in Switzerland.

Natalie Spring I am enjoying these posts more than you know. Ahhh the memories!

Heidi-Marie Tice What I didn't say is WHO told me to go down the slide first.... smile emoticon

SOA Memories Part 3

15 years ago - Stresa, Italy, one of my very favorite places of the whole tour. The beautiful Isola Bella. Viewing mountains and palm trees with gorgeous Lake Maggiore in between. The best bed in all of Europe. The only time I was able to swim in Europe. Italian GELATO! Learning to skip a rock (in Lake Maggiore). My 2nd castle.

Natalie Spring That was my first time skipping rocks too! Thanks to Kyle for showing us how.

More Sound of America memories

15 years ago - Venice & Verona! Shopping 1st meant I got my first ever porcelain doll (with the gorgeous hair, whom I no longer own) but never got to have my dream of riding in a gondola. Watching the niftiest demo at a glass factory. Getting Italian silk ties for the men in the fam. Singing in mass at St Mark's Basilica. Avoiding high tide in Venice (rather gross). Sunset over Venice  (unforgettable). Impromptu performance in the 3rd largest Roman Coliseum. Seeing Juliet's balcony.

See the awesome postcard in the upper right? I ADORE this post card. View #1:

View #2: (P.S. - this includes a things from Stresa and Grindelwald....)

Mass in St. Mark's Basilica:

Sound of America memories

This month marks 15 years of one of the greatest experiences of my life: my European tour! I am overcome with nostalgia. I've started posting on Facebook my memories, but realized I should probably put it on my blog--one of my more "permanent" places of reminiscing.

So, to catch up. Yesterday's post:
15 years ago - my first taste of Europe. Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Eating sauerkraut, bratwurst, and mashed potatoes for dinner. Having meat, cheese, and chocolate corn flakes for breakfast. Seeing the biggest snail of my life. Figuring out German money. First concert--on the cobblestone square! Buying a cuckoo clock which now hangs in my own home. Hearing the cathedral bells ring out over the town. ‪#‎SoundOfAmerica‬ ‪#‎Memories‬

Natalie Spring This made my day! Wish I could go back and do it all again. Of course with my good friend Heidi of the Alps. "Grandfather! Grandfather!"

Heidi-Marie Tice Natalie - me, too! That was one of the best months ever. And you were the best travel buddy. I'm in major nostalgia for SOA, so be on the look out for more Remembrance posts! smile emoticon

Rothenburg concert:

Today's first post:
15 years ago - Salzburg! Taking a ride in the Salt Mines beforehand (from which I still have my mini salt shaker). Feeling very sick and helpless because I couldn't find a Priesthood holder for a blessing. Visiting and singing around the Sound of Music sites. Buying my 1st music box (which a niece now has). Tasting Fanta for the 1st time and getting REALLY hyper after (something in that stuff....). Visiting my 1st Castle and my 2nd cathedral. (Almost) Eating the most disgusting seafood salad with whole octopi and seahorses in it--and thus totally losing my appetite the rest of the evening, even when the Beer Hall (in Inzell) where we performed gave us a free meal. ‪#‎SoundOfAmerica‬‪#‎Memories‬

Concert at Inzell. (Go to 2:50 to see the totally irreverent song, and thus a favorite of our repertoire.)

(Go to 2:50 to see the totally irreverent song, and thus a favorite of our repertoire.)

Today's second post:
15 years ago - Driving through the Alps, Part 1! Going on my first (and so far only) Alpine Slide--and watching Nate go flying over 3 people. Trying to hike to a lookout point at Grossglockner Pass and not being able to make it because of lack of oxygen, but later receiving flower bouquets from Kyle and Jason for trying. Experiencing my car sickness for the first time, just after we crossed into Italy and started heading down in elevation. Having my first Italian meal with the largest plate of spaghetti I've ever seen--and it was the appetizer!‪#‎SoundOfAmerica‬ ‪#‎Memories‬

My Newest Random Analogy

Brilliant thoughts come to those who sneeze!

Maybe.

We had a terrible winter here in Utah this year. Meaning: We didn't get one. Barely any precipitation of any kind. And a lot of warm weather, particularly in February. Which means things started to bloom much earlier. Which means those bloomin' things that trigger allergies which don't normally come until mid-May started in March. At least for me.

Now, here is my little personal background to allergies. Growing up, I did not suffer from them. At least, not enough that they left an impression on me. It's possible that I may have had an occasional day or two of hay fever, but it never brought much attention to itself. Especially as my father always suffered terribly from his allergies. What I had, if anything, was a sneeze compared to his days of watery eyes, sniffles, etc. Literally. I must have sneezed a few times and then it was all over. And then when my precious Little Bug ended up being allergic to everything as a child spent years of shots and daily allergy pills, yeah, I certainly had no comparison.

One spring in late high school, I helped lay mulch at our new house. AHHHHH-choo!


What a miserable couple of days! I hadn't a clue what was going on. Went in for one of my regular doctor visits (I already had enough other things "wrong with me") and asked her about it. She said mulch carried some powerful yuckiness and I was probably allergic to something in that. She gave me some free sample allergy pills. I took one, and voila! It was over with for the year. Since then, I noticed that every time I would move to a new state (5 times now), I spent the first couple of years having a few days of hay fevery allergies. If it felt a bit too miserable, I took a sample allergy pill and was fine. The sneezing et al. never lasted beyond 2 or 3 days. And within a couple of years, my body had adjusted.

But not here. Not in this different part of Utah that I moved to. I blame it on the cottonwood trees. For the last 3 years, around May, all of the sudden I'd get my sneezy, hay fevery symptoms. Within a day or two, I'd start to notice all the white stuff floating in the air, and my car being covered in green dust. Yep. I figured I was stuck with hay fever in this part of Utah for as long as I lived here. I also didn't have any allergy pills by this time, but within 2 or 3 days, it would pass.

Not. This. Year.

Wow, have I ever learned sympathy for those--like Dad--who have suffered so much from allergies for many repeated lengths of time. I am going on 6 weeks of sneezing, itchy eyes, watery eyes, and sheer exhaustion. A vast difference from 2 or 3 days. And I caved and bought no-frills allergy pills. Which didn't seem to help much. And then tried a well-recognized name brand of allergy pills--which seems to have made things worse! I know what I've been sneeze suffering is still nothing compared to Dad. But the shock and frustration of being so tired has left me the tiniest bit whiny about the whole thing. It has eked over to other aspects of life. I've certainly been a little less patient than I would wish. And the emotional roller coaster has chosen to have more lows than highs. All of which could easily be resolved if I could just get some decent nights of rest.

But!

Lessons can be learned. As I mentioned before, sympathy. But on Sunday as I was coming home from a date, and had yet another one of my body-racking sneezes, my moment of brilliance came.

Allergies are like being single!

They are! Here are some similarities:

*It's rather a nuisance--some times are worse than others.

*It can come with a great deal of pain, but I'm not going to die from it!

*It's not romantic.

*It sometimes draws attention to me.

*Most of that attention is unpleasant, but it isn't harmful. And it often comes with sympathy.

*I'm not the only one who suffers from this.

*It can be harder for others, it just depends on the season and the situation.

*I some times lose sleep from it.

*Tears have resulted.

*It can bring a lot of frustration.

*Some things/situations make it worse.

*It doesn't rule my life. Moments it seems it does, but overall no. I have my life and it is wonderful. It just has this which is some times inconvenient. And annoying. But it's a part of life!

*It brings its own humor.

*It can be fun....sort of.

*(At least this time around) medication won't solve it. But I still need to do all I can to take care of and deal with it.

*I have to remember and work at being patient and cheerful in a situation that is certainly not one I'd choose, but it's my lot right now and I can grow stronger from it by doing my best to be as Christlike as possible in spite of everything.

*It will be over when it's over.