Memorial Day is when we reflect as a nation on the sacrifice our troops have made for our country. Independence Day also is a day of remembrance of the price of our freedom and of the troops in general as well who have served in all of the wars. There is also Veteran's Day as well.

When I went to Europe the first thing that struck me when I got off the plane in Amsterdam was how different the air felt on my skin. I can't describe it, but it was enough that I noticed it right away. Just very different from home. Everything was so expensive in Holland. A cup of regular coffee and a slice of normal cake was 30 dollars US! :eek: The gas was super expensive. I was afraid to sneeze in Holland for fear of the price of a tissue. :p hehe Everybody smoked in Europe too (not the kids though of course :D ) and you had to remember how many bread rolls etc that you ate at your dinner since they ask you at the end and add it to your bill. The trains were fantastic in Austria and public transportation there on the whole is so much nicer than here. :)

One thing I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned yet is smoking and the amount of free stuff you get in restaurants ie. free bread and drink refills. When I went to Europe one of the first things that I noticed (apart from how different the air feels there :001_huh:) was how it seemed everybody smoked and in restaurants you had to remember exactly how many bread rolls you ate or Mozartkugelns because they would ask you at the end of your meal and add it to your tab. I panicked a little the first time that happened to me there because they put the rolls on the table and said nothing and I assumed it was free like in the US since I had ordered gulash I figured it came with my meal. When the guy at the end asked me how many rolls I ate I was shocked and couldn't remember. I had to guess. lol That was very surprising to me. They must have though I was crazy though anyway because I tipped also on top of the bill and the guy just looked at me like I was really clueless. hehehehehe :p

How to combine faiths in one nuclear family (Catholic/Protestant) Sorry, it can't be done. It will lead to a total nuclear meltdown. :p

My answer to both of these is not in Miami. :p hehe I don't know if it is just too hot, too crowded, too many people from too many cultures thrown in together or what, but yeah here it is loud and people complain a lot, not like NYC scale complaining, but pretty close. :p hehehe In South Florida there are lots of places you can walk around. Not only at the beaches but in the downtown areas of cities as well. Las Olas in Ft. Lauderdale, Coconut Grove in Miami are fun places to walk and there are lots of people out and about and things going on. Where I live now I am in walking distance of my city's downtown area and there is an arts park, live music Thursday-weekend, concerts festivals all the time, lots of interesting little shops and restaurants. There's a lovely Italian market not 5 minutes walking distance from my house that we go to quite often. :) I don't know about other states as I've only ever lived in Florida, but it exists here. :) I have a big refrigerator AND a deep storage freezer. :leaving: :lol: I can totally relate to this. I was born and raised here in the US, but my family is Cuban/Spanish and I grew up in that culture so I feel foreign sometimes in my own country when I'm in a place that is outside of the Latin community, but when I go to my husband's country (Dominican Republic) I realize how American I really am. It's really weird. I always kinda feel like I don't really belong anywhere. :confused:

hehehehe ;)

:grouphug::grouphug: You can come down here to South Florida. The people complain in English, Creole, Portuguese and Spanish on a regular basis! :D And it's definitely sunny.:p

:lol::lol: I have been to some countries in Europe, but they were all non-English-as-a-national-language countries. :) I've been to the Caribbean and the people I encountered there were all super friendly and nice.

We complain about everything. :D hehe When I'm out of the country and come back home, that's the first thing I notice, is how grouchy and complainy everyone is here, well, in Miami International airport at any rate. :tongue_smilie:

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: I'm going through the same thing with my dd. It has been hitting me hard too to think that she's almost grown and that our journey is so close to an end. We're still kicking around whether or not we should dual enroll or not, but if we do dual enroll, this is my last year teaching her. :crying: I don't know how to deal with it other than to cry and to try to enjoy and remember every single day with her.

Sounds like you need to move to an Italian neighborhood in NYC. :p hehe

I had a friend who was from Germany and her mother (also native German) always used to say, "America is the most patriotic country in the world. Every building has a flag on it." In my husband's country too (the Dominican Republic) the flag is only displayed on government buildings. People just don't have a flag waving off of the roof of their houses there the way they do here. A lot of Cuban exiles that come here to Florida absolutely break down when they see a typical American grocery store. To come from there where people have so little to here where there are just so many choices is just overwhelming.

I've had several kids and parents too ask me to homeschool their children. :confused: I always tell them no way. lol

Awwwww! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you. :) :grouphug: :grouphug:

How cool!!! :)

Oh my! How scary, but thank God he's okay! :grouphug: :grouphug:

:lol::lol: Yeah, my dd had Engergizer batteries when she was younger. :glare:

You have to send your letter of intent to your local county school board addressed to the Superintendent of your intent to homeschool. You can see a copy of what the one for my county looks like here. I do a portfolio and bring that to my evaluation every year by a Florida state teacher. She gives my dd a test and gives me the results and a letter to send in to the school board. Some parents do the Iowa standardized testing, but I've never done it, just the portfolio eval. You have to have your evaluations within one year of the date of the one before, but that's pretty much all there is to it.

My 8 year old won't work Try changing the batteries. :thumbup:

Awwww. :grouphug::grouphug: What is it about little old ladies with their purses and their scarves/rain bonnets and little comfy shoes that make them look so adorable?? hehehe I miss my grandma too. She was a character. 4'11, roundish with white curly hair and tiny baby feet. So cute!

Oh my gosh those are hilarious! :lol:

:) I love the queen. She's just so cute! :) hehe

Yeah, he wasn't too bright feeding an alligator by hand. I wonder if what he got arrested for was for doing something dumb.

I don't know who the artist is, but the painting is beautiful. I'll have to ask dh tomorrow (if you haven't found out yet by then) he's an art major. :)

hahahahaha! You should add that one to the comments! hehe Who knows why they arrested him. Don't you just love local news reporting? They're so thorough. :glare: That report was what 3 sentences maybe? :lol: