Appointment and Adventure

     I have an appointment at the French Consulate in LA on Tuesday, June 7, at 10am.  Miraculously, or so it seemed to me, there were 2 days in June which finally showed up on their website calendar a couple of days after I sent emails to both the Consulate and their webmaster.  I checked on other consulate sites (LA is the one for the SW States) and their calendars showed easy access to numerous days and appointment times.  I then thought that perhaps the LA's website was not working as it was supposed to, so I'm not sure who to blame - or thank - for getting the calendar working.
     But . . . I now have an appointment to apply for my long term stay visa.  Yay!!!  I'm am so relieved by that fact.  I immediately checked airfare and found a great deal through Southwest Airlines - round trip Denver to Burbank - for $220.  I hate driving to and flying out of Denver, but SW offers non-stop to Burbank and that's so much easier for Jane to pick me up.  She has so graciously offered her guest room to me for those 2 nights and will drive me to my appointment and then to Universal Studios!  So, I'm a happy camper!  Now, I just need to make sure all my paperwork is in order so that they can process my application without any problems.
     As I was cleaning out drawers and going through papers from the past, I came across a journal I had in which I had written down quotes from travel memoirs that I had been reading in 2008.  I thought I would like to share them with you as they seem quite apropos at this moment in my life.

          "I am moving the rudder, shifting the course of my existence . . . And there is nothing
     more sacred in life than that.  Choosing a direction, but how often do we miss the sign-
    posts?"            
                   Carol Drinkwater

          "I am taking it as it comes, making it up as I go along.  Pushing the boundaries of
     identity, hopefully to enrich, deepen, cultivate the spirit."
                   Carol Drinkwater

     I also came across a journal I kept on my first solo trip to Paris in April of 2001.  I had been numerous times to this beautiful and amazing city, but always with groups of students/friends.  But the trip in 2001 was just me for five fabulous days of exploring Paris on my own with a metro pass and a museum pass.  I was teaching mornings and doing my counseling internship at Pikes Peak Hospice afternoons.  I needed a break.  I had been randomly looking at travel websites and their "deals" and when I found this one - five days and four nights in Paris - for $500 (yes, you read that right!) I didn't even blink twice before I snatched it up.
     Then I went to my principal the next day and told him I was headed to Paris in 2 weeks.  Fortunately, he completely understood my need to escape from all the craziness which was my life at that time and was very supportive.  So, off I went.  Here's an excerpt from what I wrote on the flight over.

           "I'm really doing this.  I'm actually going to Paris - by myself - on the spur of the
     moment.  I've been thinking about it since Christmas, knowing I wouldn't have a Spring
     break or a summer vacation.
          "It's been a busy past three years.  I started my Masters in counseling, moved to another
     school, started my internship at Hospice.  It has all been wonderful, but I'm ready for a
     break. 
          "Where does my spirit of adventure come from?  I'm sure one of my ancestors must have
     been an explorer or seafarer or just someone who wanted to know what was on the other side
     of the mountain."

     Or what's around the next bend? :-)   Thank you, Daddy, for sharing your sense of adventure with me.  Andy and I spent the day in the Garden of the Gods - at the Trading Post and the Visitors' Center.  As we looked at the rocks and all the books on rocks, we thought of you.  I remembered laying all the rocks out on our camp trailer's table and comparing them to the pictures in our rock books.  Oh, what fun!
     And then, of course, my sweet Momma has been on my mind.  I think of her often, but more so on Mother's Day.  So, I shall add a couple of photos of the three of us.  Happy memories from a girl who had the best parents in the world!

     Before I go, let me thank all of you who sent up prayers and positive energy on my behalf so I could get that appointment in LA.  Such a relief!  Now, to get the house on the market and sold.
     Thank you for all your support and encouragement over the past year.  It means so much to me that many of you are following my blog and joining me on my journey!  Merci!!