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This port has been the one I was looking forward to the most since I got accepted into Semester at Sea, and it didn’t disappoint.

My first day in Dubrovnik, Croatia was spent in my field class for my Interpersonal Communication class. If I have not mentioned it before, this is hands down my favorite class that I am currently taking. The professor that teaches it is such a cool guy. He really does his best to be really very accommodating to the different lifestyle of shipboard education. For those of you who don’t know, the old town city of Dubrovnik is surrounded by massive walls. The walls were built during a Croatian war and was a defense mechanism. It still stands tall today. Our professor has us start the day by sitting right outside the wall and taking 30 minutes of complete silence. This exercise was meant to bring mindful awareness to the surroundings which we were experiencing. We all put our phones down and sat wherever we felt comfortable and just observed. As you could imagine, as a class of 25 plus students, who have not had any cell service, and who just arrived in a new country this was truly the last thing we wanted to do. At first the silence was hard, but after a while I found a sort of peace in the exercise. I really took the time to look around me at the new city and took in small details I would have never noticed before. After the exercize was complete we walked inside the walls. We spent some time exploring and visiting a couple of churches. The architecture was truly breathtaking. For lunch we stopped at a restaurant that had some of the best pasta I have ever tasted. The pasta was handmade and then topped with s slow roast that was marinated with a red wine sauce. The second it touched my tongue I felt I was back at home. It tasted almost identical to my grandmothers (Katy Dongieux’s) slow cooked roast. If you have not had the opportunity to experience her roast, I suggest you call her up as soon as possible and beg her for a taste.

In the afternoon my friends and I decided to go for a swim where we took our first dip in the crystal clear waters of Croatia.

We spent 5 glorious days in Croatia! Our last day in Croatia was bitter sweet. My friends and I spent the day indulging in as much food as possible, and exploring some more before having to return to the ship. For dinner we sat on the top deck and watched the Cratian sun set over the sea. Onto Morocco we go!

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We started our Moroccan adventure in the city of Casablanca. It was not like anything I really pictured what so ever. I don’t want to be negative but I was glad to visit other cities in Morocco such as Marrakech. I liked it much better than Casablanca and while in Marrakech I got to hold a monkey and even had an encounter with a Cobra snake.  My time in Morocco was mostly spent viewing the country through a tour bus and riding camels through the Sahara dessert. I named my camel Abu and I grew very fond of him. I thought that riding camels would really be similar to riding horses but it was not at all. It was SO unconformable. I do not know how people do that all day long. The best part about camping out in the Sahara was when the sun went down and the stars came out. I have never seen so many stars in my life. It was an unforgettable experience!

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My experience in Ghana was nothing short of life changing. I spent the majority of my time in a small village called Senase. We had the opportunity to stay in some of the locals houses for the duration of our stay. The children touched my heart in more ways than I can even begin to fathom. We spent the week getting to know the village children and working at the local school. I became very found of one little girl in particular named Benedicta. (She is pictured in the photo with the green wall background.) She had the biggest personality for such a little girl. The most surprising realization I had during my time in Ghana was that it really takes so little to have true happiness. These Senase villagers live a very simple life sometimes without running water, electricity, or even shoes to wear, yet they are the happiest people I have ever met. The United States culture puts such an emphasis on materialistic items and the hunger for those items are never ending. People are always looking for the next best thing and are never satisfied. It takes so little to really have what you need and you turn to the people around you and the smaller things in life for that joy. The lessons learned in Ghana will live with me forever. 

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We began our Brazilian adventure in the city of Salvador (which is the old capital city of Brazil). We spent the first day there soaking up the Brazilian sun by the pool at one of the nice hotels in town. That afternoon we jumped on a plane and headed down to Rio de Jenerio. The next day was filled with touring the beautiful city of Rio from the comfort  of a van. Unfortunately it was POURING down rain so this was the best option. Our personal guide, Nelson, became like our second father for the time we spent in Rio. He showed us all around and made sure to keep us safe. On one of the days in Rio we took the cable car up to the sugar loaf mountain. It was beautiful! They had the option to take a helicopter over Rio and over the Christ the Reedemer statue… and when in Rio…. why not? The views were spectacular and I was very excited to scratch helicopter ride off of my bucket list! The last days were spent eating amazing food and indulging in the culture. Our last day in Brazil we were back in Salvador and we just had to go back to the same hotel for that beautiful ocean view. 

I hope you have enjoyed Christian’s colorful and heartwarming commentary of her travel adventures. I am blown away by her feelings and her insight of the varies countries she visited, the people, and their way of life! I am impresses by her wisdom and her perspective as she travels through various countries!

I’m sure it is rewarding to her parents, who gave Christian this opportunity, to know that Christian loves to learn and values a wise professor who introduces her to an exercise of learning to be quiet and mindfully aware of her surroundings in Croatia. A valuable lesson to take with her as she continues to discover other countries and life in general.

Christian is learning so many valuable lesson about life and happiness. Happiness can be as unforgettable as a dessert at dusk or viewing millions of stars at night! It can be a little girl that touched her heart and shows love to her regardless of her skin tone or as she observed the Senase villagers and learned that it takes so little to be happy.

This is the perfect blog to publish on Thanksgiving morning! Thanksgiving is a time for families to be together or to be in touch with each other. Most of all it is a time to just show love and concern to friends and relatives and even to those we will meet for the first time.

I am “grateful” to all of you who are reading my blog. I wish you a “Happy Thanksgiving!” I wish you “happiness” today and everyday!

God bless you and those you love!

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After sitting in the waiting room for eight hours this bundle of joy burst upon the scene looking like he was already a few days old. Bailey had a natural childbirth, although not intended to. She just didn’t feel like she needed the help, we were all amazed!

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We just couldn’t get enough of looking at this little fellow! Shep is “the Maloney’s” and the “Rosenberg’s” first grandchild and “Gene and my” first great grandchild. How exciting! Bailey and Max intend to have more children so keep tuned in. Missing in this photo is Shep’s aunt Christian who is on, “Semester at Sea” completing her fall semester of school.

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Max’s parents Colleen and David and his sister Carleigh arrived from New York on November 21st. I asked them what their first thoughts were when seeing Step: Colleen said “my heart burst when I saw him, he brought tears of joy to my eyes”! David thought “oh my! he’s a mini Max”. Then said “seeing him brought more joy to my heart than I can imagine.” Max’s sister Carleigh said, “He so tiny, I want to put him in my pocket and keep him forever”.

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“Father and Son” and Shep in his first photo shoot. I’m sure it will be one of many as they document his life. Max kept saying to me,”I feel so useless”. Bailey is having to do all the work. I thought of this and have to say to Max, as I have seen you standing by Bailey’s side for nine months and in the delivery room encouraging and helping her through the deliver, “Just you wait Maxwell”. You will play the most important roll of your life from here on, showing Shep and being the example to him of how a man of integrity should act and live his life. You’ll show him how first of all to pray. You’ll show him how to be honest and have Godly Character. How to be a man others can count on and how to be a husband who is always at his wife’s side. There is no doubt in my mind that you Max will perform this duty as perfectly and as impressive as Bailey gave Shep life.

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There were many visits to wish Bailey and Max congratulations and to see Shep! Bailey and Max’s British Lab, Bear, also became a mother and Katy and Claire brought three of her puppies to visit. By the way the Maloney have puppies for sale from Bear and River’s litter in time for Christmas presents! See “Creek Side Retrievers” on Instagram. There are only six puppies left! If you want one of the last six for Christmas You can email: reneemaloney12@gmail.com.

The star of this Blog is Shep’s mother, Bailey Rosenberg! My first grand child and the one who has given me my first Great grandchild. I love you Bailey and I want you to know that you have impressed me through the years with her beauty, talent, integrity, and ability to love! I can’t wait for more years to come!

Bailey met her Prince Charming, Maxwell Casey Rosenberg, in the Spring of 2012 on Semester at Sea! (see Episode #13 “A Love Story” for more info on their relationship)

Max quickly won all of our hearts and we feel so very lucky to have him in the family! Max is very easy on the eyes, charming, and not afraid to express his love for Bailey in so many tender ways. Sometimes he’ll just walk by her and kiss her on the head or steal a look at her that will melt your heart. That’s what makes Max a Prince!

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Max is emotionally strong! People respect Max for his strength and determination. He is steady and accomplished in his job, and thought of as a leader with enormous potential for management. He’s patient, but also determined to seek greener pastures when necessary. He sets bold goals for himself and achieves them.

Max is lucky to be able to work from home in New Orleans most of the time. The company he works for is called LILT. I was going to try to describe it, but after my research, I believe Bloomberg states it best: “Lilt provides interactive and adaptive machine-assisted translation tools. Translators can translate documents via a web-based CAT tool. Localization providers can integrate Lilt into their existing systems via a web API. The technology is based on Stanford research.”

Bailey says the FedEx delivery man calls Max “the senator” because his name sounds like he must be a politician.

Max graduated with a BS in Economics and Finance from Bentley University, located just outside of Boston, in 2012. After graduation they moved to London, England where Max received a Masters Degree in Economics, while Bailey worked for NFL Network UK and attended college at University of the Arts London.

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Max and Bailey moved to New Orleans after they left London and Max began looking for a job in both New Orleans and San Francisco, while he worked on his dissertation to complete his masters degree. The job offer came from the City by the Bay, which was very thrilling, since his father is from the Bay Area and his parents met there. A bit of nostalgia.

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Life in San Francisco was wonderful for Max and Bailey! They lived in several different neighborhoods during their three years in the City by the Bay. Their favorite neighborhood was near the Panhandle because they lived by Golden Gate Park with their new puppy, Honey Bear. Max decided to propose during their time in San Francisco and they worked on a plan to move back to New Orleans in time for their wedding.

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Max and Bailey were married at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans on November 4th, 2017! This marriage is here to stay, it will last “until death do us part.” Max becoming part of our family is the best thing to ever happen to us and we don’t intend to let him go and he definitely doesn’t intend to let Bailey go!

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Max has always loved to cook. He and I have had many evenings creating interesting dishes. This is one of the fun things Max, Bailey and I love to do together. Max probably inherited his love of cooking because his mother’s family had two restaurants in the Capital District Region of New York.

Now his uncle owns one of them called Jimmie Casey’s and Max’s parents, David & Colleen, have opened their own wine shop in Malta, New York which carries on the restaurant family tradition. It is called Brix Wine & Liquor!

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Being the patient and determined man that he is, Max wanted to live a healthy lifestyle, so he trained to compete in IronMan before his first child arrived. So he practiced for the 140.6 mile race for a year! This race was grueling. He had to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and then run a marathon, which is 26.2 miles, all in one day! He did two half IronMan races before completing this race. He became an official IronMan on November 2nd in Panama City, FL. His first child will be arriving any day now, so he accomplished his goal! Whew!!

Max, Bailey, and baby Rosenberg will live happily in their home in the Bayou Saint John area by city Park! We are waiting “not patiently” for this baby to arrive!

Katy as you remember from my blog “Provence” is attending the fall term at Savannah School of Design “SCAD” in Lacoste, France.

The campus of “SCAD” is charming with cobble stone walks, interesting buildings and beautiful Vistas!

Just imagine waking up each day walking to class in this charming village, looking at this vista and this sunrise! Can it get better than this?

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Katy, an Architecture Major, is very interested in the texture and material used in the buildings! She’s is also interested in the patina of buildings due to age for it’s aesthetically appealing quality; for beauty sometimes comes with a little wear and tear!

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During the school term SCAD takes the students on trips. One of Katy’s favorite trips was to Paris. This is a preview of some of the sites she loved. Two of her favorite places were the Arab museum and the National Library.

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I love Paris in the spring time! I love Paris in the Fall! I just love Paris anytime!

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Two of their weekend trips were to Chateau Lacoste,”Chateau La Coste is a classic property located in the heart of the high-altitude region of Coteaux d’Aix en Provence”. The other trip was to Nimes, “Nîmes, a city in the Occitanie region of southern France, was an important outpost of the Roman Empire. It’s known for well-preserved Roman monuments and the Pont du Gard tri-level aqueduct”.

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Katy spent a day in Roussillon, “Situated in the heart of one of the biggest ochre deposits in the world, Roussillon is famous for its magnificent red cliffs and ochre quarries”.

Katy and friends spent a weekend in Barcelona and celebrated her twenty second birthday! What a trip!

Katy’s fall term ends on November 8th. It was a glorious time, lessons learned and life experienced in such wondrous ways and places! Our Katy is a special young lady and she grows in wisdom, talent, and beauty each year. We love you Katy!

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As you know from my previous post on September 9th “Christian says Goodbye, See you in December” my granddaughter is on a Semester at Sea Fall Study Program. Poland was the first country to explore. Christian says she feels the Polish culture is probably the best hands on culture experience she could have asked for. The people at the airbnb taught her so much about Polish culture and even taught her some Polish phrases.

Christian who loves horses is an equine studies major at SCAD (Savannah School of Design) in Savannah, Georgia. She loved the carriage horses in Poland! She was impressed with how well they were kept and said they were groomed to perfection. She also loved the restaurants especially one called Nova Resto which had a cute little patio and was perfect for a glass of wine with her friends! She and her friends spent a couple of hours here just talking, laughing, and enjoying themselves.

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I will let Christian give you her account of Portugal and Spain in her own words. She writes so good and with such color you need to hear it from her: “Portugal was something of a fairytale. I spent the day with my Oceanography group, on a field class, studying the marine life in the area. We visited the Oceanario de Lisboa in the morning and spent the afternoon on the beaches. In the evening I met my friends and we hit the town. We made our way to the famous Lisbon “Pink Street” and did a bit of bar hopping. The Sangria flowed and the night was a blast!

The next day we took a bus to Largos, a coastal city in the Algarve area, it is home to crystal clear water and world famous beaches. If anyone is ever in Lagos make sure to stop by the restaurant called “The Green Room” for amazing Mexican food and cocktails! The city was fantastic and it is definitely on my list of places to visit again.”

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“The next day we packed our bags and got on another bus to Seville. The bus ride was a little agonizing. We didn’t reach the city until around dinner time. A little restaurant by our Airbnb answered our prayers with Spanish style tapas and cold draft beer. Our schedule only allowed us one day in Seville so we rented electric scooters called “Birds”. This allowed us to see the city in a small amount of time. It was epic! The Plaza De Toros was personally my favorite sight to see. The colors of the building and the architecture were mesmerizing.

I next stop was Cadiz and we spent the next two days exploring the city and indulging in some of the best food I have ever had. We came across a little restaurant “La Candela” that was so fantastic. I could come back to Cadiz just to taste the food one more time!

After some market shopping, lots of gelato and more exploring it was time to get back on our floating home and hit the next country.

This adventure on a Floating University which allows students to explore the countries in Europe along the Atlantic will be invaluable to Christian’s growth as an individual. It is a known fact that the personal benefits of educational travel is a love of learning and improvement in personal responsibility. I’m sure there are many more advantages like perspective, networking, and independence, etc..

I will end this blog with a few pictures of life on this Floating University!

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Tune in for more news on Christian’s “Semester at Sea” journey. Love you and your stories Christian!

Bailey Rosenberg my oldest granddaughter is now going to be a mother. I remember when Bailey was little, she had a favorite baby doll named “Lanie”. This was her favorite toy and that baby doll went everywhere with her. So I knew that one day Bailey would be a fabulous mother! Bailey met her husband Max during Semester at Sea in the Spring of 2012. On November 4, 2017 Bailey and Max were married in St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Now around November 23rd , 2019 they will have a baby! What will it be, a boy or will it be a girl? No one knows. It is very important to Max and Bailey that they have it be a surprise.

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Christian, Bailey’s sister will be getting home from “Semester at Sea” when baby Rosenberg arrives and she plans to take exclusive possession of this baby. Guess what; she will have a rather rude awakening because everyone is planning the same thing. I wonder if Bailey and Max are worried that they might have to make an appointment to have time with their baby? Katy, Bailey’s cousin decorated the Crosby home for the baby shower. It was absolutely beautiful and Trey was the “stand up comedian.” However Max and Bailey stole the show as they usually do!

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This is a little look at some to the goodies we enjoyed and the very clever diaper roll cake that Katy made for Bailey. Appetizers were made by “Plant Based Lifestyle-Holistic Passion” in Covington, LA. Cookies were designed and baked by “Sweet Batches” in New Orleans. Other desserts (not featured in photos) were made by “Bella Linda” in Mandeville, LA. Of course Tommy Crosby unfortunately doesn’t have a catering company however he treated everyone to Sushi and hot Fish Beignets which flew off the table as fast as he replenished the empty platters. Champagne and Wine were furnished by Max’s parents wine company Brix Wine and Liquor in Malta, New York which flowed endlessly and “all” had a grand time!

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Of course there were presents and presents and presents! Lots of special notes and well- wishes from friends and family and those who gave the shower (Empress Buras, Jete’ Crosby, Colleen Rosenberg, Karleen Bouza, and Amanda Cardwell).

These are some of Max’s family who arrived from the New York and Florida to attend the baby shower. First row from left to right: Alex, Max’s 1st cousin and her husband Rocky and baby Rocky Jr. who also stole the show with his blonde curls and his adorable baby ways. Max’s mother Colleen, Dawn and her husband Jimmy who is Max’s Uncle. In back row from left to right is Max’s father David, Max’s sister Carleigh, and his cousin James.

Bailey’s parents Reneé and Craig Maloney live in Folsom, LA. Unfortunately Bailey’s brother Parker was finishing his six month hike along the Pacific Coast Trail and was unable to attend, (see blog post Titled “Made It”).

I was able to sit back and thoroughly enjoy this day. I had no duties, no food to prepare, no decorations to put up. I was to just show up and enjoy the day and enjoy I certainly did! Oh the joy of being a grandmother! I think it was the perfect day with so many blessings for Bailey and Max!

My aunt Anita Guidry was 100 years old on October 11, 2019. We were all invited to celebrate her wonderful life and accomplishments Saturday October 12th in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Anita had five sisters and two brothers all pictured in this picture except for my mother and father who are not among the group. Anita has outlived everyone in this photo including my parents.

Anita has: Five Children Twelve Grand-children

Sixteen Great Grand-children Eight Great-Great Grand-children

My son Duke and I attended Anita’s 100th birthday celebration at her daughter Paula and her husband James’s home. These are some “moments in pictures” of the love everyone was feeling!

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Anita had her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren wanting to celebrate with her! One of her sister-in-laws and my son and I were lucky enough to be included! Thanks cousins! Actual my cousins and I grew up more like brothers and sisters and I am so grateful for all of them!

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They came from Lafayette, New Orleans, Mandeville, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Tennessee, Texas, and Georgia! There were a few who couldn’t be with us this day but celebrated with her the day before, October 11th which was her actual birthday!

In 1973 Anita wrote “La Pointe de L’Eglise” the history of Church Point, Louisiana to celebrate the “1873 to 1973” Centennial.

Anita also published a cook book in 1977, “From Mama to Me” receipts handed down from her mother Ernestine Daigle Guidry and other family members and friends. You can find a copy of her cookbook in some Libraries in Louisiana.

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Anita was married to Owen Guidry on November 9, 1941 and they were happily married for 49 years! These are the family of their five children, (a few of the grandchildren were not able to attend so unfortunately are not pictured). But what a family they all are!

We all love you Anita and celebrate your life!

“Nous célébrons votre vie”

I’m not sure if it was like “going back in time” to a place where life is beautiful, easy and simple or it was being together with three generations of family living together, Laughing together, and spending uncomplicated time together. But our time together in Provence was magical!

Our home away from home was in Bonnieux. Our only regret was that we did not have time to just hang around and enjoying the beautiful home and property. The weather was heavenly so we kept the windows open and we were bathed in the essence of lavender as we slept, ate, and walked around.

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The purpose of the trip was to bring Katy, my grand daughter to school at Savannah School of Design “SCAD” at their campus in Lacoste for her Fall semester.

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The SCAD campus is in this charming village with narrow streets, paved in “calade” stone. About three hundred people live in the village but the SCAD campus makes up most of the property in Lacoste.

There is also a famous château which used to belong to the Marquis de Sade at Lacoste.

In 1771 the Marquis fled from Paris to escape the scandals created by his erotic writing and outlandish behaviour (too liberal for the era). It is now owned by Pierre Cardin, the famous stylist designer.

Not a bad place to live and study for a few months!

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My two beautiful daughters are the mothers of Katy and Bailey! We spent a glorious day in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence shopping and having lunch. The streets were lined by stone houses, winding cobbled lanes and on average it has 300 days of sunshine a year. This was just one of the charming villages we visited during our stay. St. Rémy is home to significant Roman ruins and the monastery where Van Gogh once recovered from a bout of psychosis, “just a bit of history!”

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We were driving back to Bonnieux one day and saw this mountain top village and decided to explore. We discovered this winery and decided to do a little wine tasting! Needless to say we brought back a few bottles to try. Delicious!

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We also visited Roussillon, Gordes, L’Isle our la Sorgue, and wished we could have had more time to experience them. We just could not get enough of the sights and did not have enough time to explore and savor the food and wine! We also noticed how much the French love their pets and brought them everywhere.

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One of our favorite places was the market in Lourmarin. We arrived when it opened at 9 am thank goodness. We were able to enjoy it before it got so crowded we could hardly move through the crowd by 11am.

We loved it here so much we went back another day and shopped and had lunch at one of favorite cafe’s, L’Ormeau. It was the last day for lunch in Provence so of course I had to have Duck Pâté one last time and it was served with Pear poached in Rosé Wine. I’m still dreaming about it!

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It was now time to tell Katy goodby! We left her in good hands because Pierre and Stephanie who own the charming Cesar hotel and restaurant in Bonnieux said if Katy needed anything she must come to them!

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Jete and I flew to England to visit Becky and Lloyd Dannatt and their children Neve, Frey, Sophie, and Edward in West Sussex. Becky was Jete’s au pair for two years when the twins “Katy and Claire” were born. Katy, Claire and Ryan were all in Becky and Lloyd’s wedding in July of 2004. The families have stayed close all these years and visit back and forth often.

It was so much fun seeing the children growing up and enjoying family life with them. They all go to this incredible and beautiful school Hurstpierpoint college, an independent school in Hurstpier, England. Lloyd is Deputy Head Academic for the school and Becky being a nurse substitute as the school nurse when they need her.

This visit was the icing on the cake for the most incredible trip I think I have ever taken.

Christian embarks from Amsterdam, Netherlands today September 9th to complete her Fall term on “Semester at Sea.” She will be gone 106 days and travel to 12 countries, 13 cities, and over 4 continents! The students will explore countries in Europe, Africa, South and Central America, cross the Kiel and Panama Canals. Semester at Seas will make the world Christian’s campus as she sets sail on her floating University.

Christian met her roommate Chelsea when she arrived in Amsterdam September 3rd. The girls will have a whole week to talk about all the places they will be traveling. Poland will be their first stop, then they will cross the Kiel Canal. From there they will go to Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Morocco, Ghana, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago. They will then cross the panama Canal, and Ecuador and Costa Rica will be their last stop.

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Reneé and Bailey planned a weeks vacation in Amsterdam to show Christian around and have a special girl’s vacation. They rented a wonderful home in the heart of the city and loved all the sites and sounds of this fabulous city.

Their home was cosy and comfortable and the perfect place to relax and spend time together.

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They loved the canals, architecture, outdoor cafes, and of course the flowers!

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The food and wine were wonderful! Stroopwafel is Amsterdam sweetest bites and actually you can find them now in every Starbucks! They did pass on the Herring another famous food. They loved the Oorlog french fries! They come in a crispy cone filled and the fries are topped with mayonnaise, peanut sauce and raw onions. And of course Dutch cheese was “the best” paired with a nice glass of wine. Holland is actually the largest cheese exporter in the world.

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They loved this fern shop! It is no wonder that they were fascinated with this shop since the Netherlands is among the best places in the world to pick up colourful bouquets and beautiful plants of all kinds.

Today, September 9th, 2019 Christian is boarding the “MV World Odyssey!” This ship has been meticulously maintained since constructed in Germany in 1998. It is the sixth ship in the Semester at Sea’s history.

Have a wonderful time Christian! We are all so very excited for you and this incredible opportunity to study and travel around the world.

August 25th was a very special day! Parker completed his five month, 2,650 mile long hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail passed through 25 national forests, 6 national parks and countless other federal wilderness lands. It crests scenic and pristine mountainous terrain along the west coast. This is how the trail claims its name!

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August 15th the hikers were on top of ol’ Snowy, the highest point that the PCT crosses in Washington. Parker said, “Goat rocks national forest (where ol’ Snowy resides) was the highlight of Washington thus far!” Parker met up and hiked with different sets of people along his five month hike; he explained that these groups are referred to as trail families or “trams” for short. Parker said he loved hiking this last section with such a cool and diverse group of people as these.

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The pictures shown above are of Parker and his friends making it to Washington and crossing the “Bridge of the Gods!” Before crossing, he and his friends spent two days relaxing and learning how to kite board in a town called Hood River. They were recovering by staying in the town and not hiking any miles along the trail. This is something that hikers call a “0 day.” After their recovery, they completed the final section of the trail, roughly 550 miles in 18 days before reaching Canada and the end of the hike!

Parker explained that he found joy in competing with himself as the trail stretched on. He also told me that pushing for bigger days was made easier by having things to look forward to. One of these things is an annual Elk hunt with his father, Craig and brother-in-law Max!

Parker has one more adventure planned for this year! He will be joining Max to compete in and Iron Man on October 13th in Louisville, Kentucky!

The swim will be centered around the historic Ohio River. The bike route will take the athletes over plenty of rolling hills outside of Louisville. And lastly the run will pass through four Parks and along the Ohio river.

It will be quite interesting to see where life takes this adventuresome grandson of mine! Parker graduated in Business Management and Entrepreneurship from Ole Miss so I’m sure he will own his own business one day. I cannot see him working for someone; he’s too much his own man and likes to make his own decisions. With all his talent, determination, and tenacity I am sure his life will always be wildly interesting and will be lived to the fullest! And because he is a very smart young man his life will surely include this beautiful young woman Whitney Marr who also graduated from Ole Miss in Business Marketing and make a stunning couple!