To those slogging through our adventures on multiple sites, I thought I'd post something here for your viewing pleasure. We are mostly repacked for our early morning train ride to Boston tomorrow. The butterflies are kicking in. I know that we have the essentials (and then some) in our bags, but tomorrow we'll meet some of the folks that we will be living with for the next 4 months.
I wish that we could unpack and settle tomorrow, however we will stay in temporary rooms due to the Forum on Global Engagement taking place on the ship as we travel to Montreal next week. Sooooo, our summer of temporary housing will continue until August 25. Of course the entire fall is dedicated to study of and preparation and exploration for each port, nothing static or 'settled' for 3 1/2 months for the Nelsons!
As one friend recently deemed us the 'nomad family', I have a feeling that returning to our home next summer will be a very surreal experience. Since July we have shed personal items and clothing at each stop we take (we have literally left something everywhere we have traveled this summer). Some of this was due to total lack of space in our van, but it has also helped us to prioritize and examine what is truly essential. I'm sure we have more to learn and we may regret that extra bag as we board the train tomorrow, but I think we are as slim as we feel comfortable being for a family of five traveling with school and teaching materials in addition to travel guides for multiple countries, clothing for a variety of temperatures, toiletries and medications, not to mention snacks (especially for the biggest 'kid').
Off to enjoy the last full day in a spacious home and run one more load of laundry. Just a reminder that we have the dedicated blog for Semester at Sea at this link:
http://nelsonvoyage.wordpress.com/
This site allows you to sign up for an email so you don't have to remember to check our blog, you'll get an email when we post!
Finally, we appreciate all of the support this summer with a strange variety of doctor appointments as well as flexible family and friends willing to house, feed and love this nomadic family. Keep the prayers coming for our safety and health this year!!
Much love,
Kristine (for the Nelson family)
Friday, August 19, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
For the Inquiring Minds....
I wanted to post a brief family update so that all who care to know are up-to-date. First, Kristine's knee update...I do not require surgery!! Went to physical therapy on Friday and the clicking has stopped. I have done the exercises semi-regularly (it IS only Monday) which were suggested for building up the muscles around my knee cap (I apparently have "mushy" knee cartilage). There is still tenderness, but I worry less since the clicking and popping has stopped. I will not attempt running until going up and down stairs is easy and painless. I also had part of my toe nail removed on one of my big toes. Probably something I should have done a year ago, but it was getting to be very tender and with the proposed walking schedule this fall, felt it was time to do something about it. Now I have to soak it twice a day for 10 days and avoid the ocean for a month.
This brings me to family news. After cramming MOST of our belongings into our van, we left Winston-Salem on Saturday and are currently with Louis' sister, Amanda, and her family on Signal Mountain in Tennessee. We are having a lot of fun with cousins on their trampoline and will be attempting some outings in the area this week. On Saturday we head back to Virginia for a week at a lake with friends and then to Norfolk for more family and lastly, to the DC area to visit my brother, Ray, and his wife, Ann, and depart for Boston via train on August 20! Louis went to work with his brother-in-law, Tommy, today and made headway on some things he needs to accomplish prior to Semester at Sea. Speaking of SAS, if you are unaware, we will have a SAS-only blog for those who are interested in the fall trip our family is taking and less in the regular family updates! You can also receive email notifications which are quite handy for knowing when we post about a port-of-call. Here is the link:
http://nelsonvoyage.wordpress.com/
For our praying friends, we had some plumbing issues in our house which seem to be resolved, but would appreciate any prayers for all to go well with the house while we are out of the country. Our tenants are two lovely ladies and a dog and we desire for their stay to be stress-free and uneventful!
As always, we are available by cell phone (434-906-0566).
Hugs to all.
Kristine
This brings me to family news. After cramming MOST of our belongings into our van, we left Winston-Salem on Saturday and are currently with Louis' sister, Amanda, and her family on Signal Mountain in Tennessee. We are having a lot of fun with cousins on their trampoline and will be attempting some outings in the area this week. On Saturday we head back to Virginia for a week at a lake with friends and then to Norfolk for more family and lastly, to the DC area to visit my brother, Ray, and his wife, Ann, and depart for Boston via train on August 20! Louis went to work with his brother-in-law, Tommy, today and made headway on some things he needs to accomplish prior to Semester at Sea. Speaking of SAS, if you are unaware, we will have a SAS-only blog for those who are interested in the fall trip our family is taking and less in the regular family updates! You can also receive email notifications which are quite handy for knowing when we post about a port-of-call. Here is the link:
http://nelsonvoyage.wordpress.com/
For our praying friends, we had some plumbing issues in our house which seem to be resolved, but would appreciate any prayers for all to go well with the house while we are out of the country. Our tenants are two lovely ladies and a dog and we desire for their stay to be stress-free and uneventful!
As always, we are available by cell phone (434-906-0566).
Hugs to all.
Kristine
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