The e mail I had sent to Gerry that night basically said that I was not going to finish my year there because I was not happy and was homesick. It was partly the truth but just an easy way out without getting into a huge argument or playing some blaming game.  The next morning he read the e mail, I know that because when I signed onto the grocery thing it said he had no new e mails, therefor he read it. I worried about him getting home that night because I figure he would discuss it. That night Cameron had hockey, I took him over and then Gerry showed up. He told me I could go back to the house and he would take care of Cameron. He did not say a word about the e mail. The next day (tues) Gerry sent me an e mail saying that instead of my last day being fri the 26th he wanted me out tues the 23. I didnt ask questions. He aslo said he would keep me updated on the process as it came along. I overheard him on the computer one night with Virginia, they were looking at au pairs online. We didnt really say a word to eachother over the next few days. I then heard him talking to the counsellor about a girl asking if she had been going to cluster meetings etc. He figures if the au pairs go out etc they wont be homesick. Friday comes along and I get an e mail saying he found a new girl and wants me to be on my way in a week. He never gave me any info that he had found a girl or was close to matching etc he just said he wanted me out in a week. That night I took my bartending test. I managed to make all 12 drinks in 6.5 mins instead of the 7 mins we were allowed. I spilled one everywhere and started it again, therefor I would have been done in even less time. I got 1 or 2 ingredients and garnishes wrong but ended up passing!! Thank god! I got back to the house and asked Gerry for my paycheck. He told me I was supposed to talk to Maralyn the counsellor. He went on to say that I owed him for vacation since I didnt stay the whole year but took all the allowed vacation time and said I owed half the money back for education, again since I didnt stay the whole year. I told him that no one had mentioned this to me, he said to fill out some paper that maralyn sent and that working this past week and the one coming would make everything even. I was in total shock and was completely pissed off. I was 100% broke, thinking I was getting paid that night. The next day (Sat) I had the day off. I didnt get a chance to see or talk to Gerry. I packed about 80% of my things and hung around the house for a while. The sunday I had woken up early to talk to Gerry but then the kids came home and they all left right after. I went into the city with Sonja somewhat early. We had 2 broadways to see that day. First we went and saw Hairspray. It was really good. Sonja loved it, its one of her favourite movies so she really enjoyed it. After that, we went to Applebees fonr lunch/dinner. It was only about 4 or so and our next show didnt start until 8. I talked to Sonja about what I should do with the family and all. I didnt want to stay the week because it would be doing Gerry a favour which is the last thing I wanted to do. I also had a feeling I wasnt going to be paid, so it seemed ridiculous to stay and work all week. I ended up calling Gerry and told him that he could get all of the education money back because I had not taken the courses yet and they would give refunds. (this was already more than he was expecting to get back since the program says I only owe half). I then said to him, I dont know how much I owe you for vacation, but you also said you were going to pay me extra for all that overtime I did a while back. (Overtime I did not agree to do, and am not supposed to do by rules of the program.) He had only paid me a very small amount and I sent an e mail one day asking about it and he said we will work it out, never heard anything after that. After I told him about the education and vacation, I said, since its about even, I was still hoping to get my pay for this last week. He said that he had payed me for one day that I did not work and that the program says this and that he says that etc. Basically I realised there was no way I was getting paid. I then went on to tell him that since it was so last minute and I had no money I had to get my dad to help me fly home. (none of this being true, just an easier way out). I told him that my dad used airmiles and since it was limited seating etc the only flight he could find was tomorrow. Gerry flipped out. I think he was in shock, he kept saying over and over, you cant do that. He told me it was not responsible and that I should have saved up for my ticket if I knew I was going home and that he would have no childcare for the week etc. He told me I had to get my dad to switch it or cancel it. I told him it was already booked and I really dont think theres anything I can do but I guess Ill ask and hung up. I went back and sat down with Sonja and started to panic. I told her I basically had 2 options. To go back that night, wake up in the morning and deal with him and the kids (the kids had the day off school) and then leave (because he thinks im flying that day) or to go back to the house later that night, grab my things and leave. I tried to call my mom, trying to get advice, but she wasnt home. We headed over to our next show, me freaking out the whole time. I asked Sonja if I could stay with her the night and then I would figure out the rest the next day. (I didnt want to fly home right away because I wanted to say goodye to people and had a concert thurs night that I payed a lot for and really wanted to see.) Sonja called her host father and he was a bit unsure about it but finally said he thinks it would be ok. Her host mom then called back and said they would rather I didnt stay the night. (I think they just didnt want to be in the middle and they go to the same yacht club etc so they didnt want to get involved) I started to panic again and tried calling around to 1 or 2 people seeing if I could stay the night. I had no luck and then we had to go into our show and my phone battery died. We saw the Blue man Group which was so amazing. I absolutely loved it, we had a blast. It was so audience involved, so different, so funny, it was so cool! We even got our photos taken with the Blue men after the show. After that we headed back to Grand central and took the train back to Rye. I had decided that I was going to stay in a motel for the night because I was dreading seeing or dealing with Gerry etc. It was spitting out and by this time it was about 11:30 at night. I said a teary and very quick goodbye to Sonja as she got into her cab. I walked back to the house since I had no money and also wanted it to be later when I got back, hoping Gerry would be asleep. When I got in it was 12. I started to pack the rest of my things and looked online at motels. I called 1 or 2 and found one in the next town over. I then called my friend Hector (being one of the only people I know that drives and who was very close). I told him that I needed the biggest favour ever. I asked him to drive me to the motel and he said yes and to call him back when I was ready. I continued to pack and had a lot that still didnt fit into the suitcases etc. I called Sonja to see if I could leave a couple things with her and get her to mail them later on. I finally finished packing, wrote a quick note to Gerry (dont know why) and then called hector. I told him to park down the street a bit so that if Gerry looked out, he wouldnt see us packing up the car. I lugged all my stuff out the back door and up the stairs. Trying to be incredibly quiet, NOT EASY! Biggest work out of my life lol. I put all the stuff beside the volvo in the driveway not visible from the house window. Hector came and we loaded up the car. We drove over to Sonjas and I dropped off a few things and said goodbye again. He then drove me over to the motel. When we pulled up it looked a tiny bit sketchy but I was desperate. I paid the man and he gave me my room key. There were 2 levels and of course I got a room upstairs lol. Thankfully Hector helped me lug all my stuff up. I got into the room and there were 2 beds, a tv, a fridge and a mocrowave. I was surprised at all that with the room being pretty cheap. I later noticed a small hole in the wall a hole in the sheet and the tiles coming up in the bathroom. Hector stayed with me a bit and we caught up on things and watched tv. I tried to relax a bit. I had been so shaky and nervous about sneaking out of the house at about 1:30am, trying to make sure I had everything, lugging my suitcases everywhere etc. Hector stayed until about 4 and then I bolted the door and tried to sleep. I got a wake up call for 9am. I called my mom and told her to call me back since I had no time left on my phone card. She asked if she was to call the house and I told her no. I said heres the number. I gave her the number and said room 23. She said wait what! Where are you! I told her to just call me back and id explain. She called back in a panic. She asked where I was and why there were weird non english speaking people answering the phone. I told her the whole situation and she was worried but was glad I was ok. I then called my friend Jade and she said I should have called her the night before. She came and got me around 12pm. We went to her house back in New Jersey. I stayed there for a bit and told her what was going on. She then told me she had not yet asked her host parents if I could stay. She dropped me off at the mall and I stayed there for a few hours while she worked and waited for her host mom to come home to ask. Later on after being bored stiff at the mall with no money she picked me up. She liked to stay up super late talking online and watching tv etc and then has to wake up at 7am to work. So all week I got no sleep. I got passed around to her friends through the week a bit and the mall again because she had things to do or a concert to go to etc. That was frusterating. The one night I went to the mall and long story short, I was standing waiting for my pizza and a fight broke out right beside me and next thing I know the guy behind the counter grabs the HUGE pizza knife and chases this group of guys out the front mall doors. I stood there in shock and then sat and ate my pizza hoping they didnt come back in on a rampage shooting people. My week was not going so well, I can tell you that much. I did go to the Rihanna concert though. It was at Nokia Theatre in Time Square. It was an awesome concert. Really well done and I loved it! It also gave me a chance to say goodbye to Shawn, since he went to the concert with me. After the week was done, I took a greyhound bus from my friends town to Buffalo. My dad and Maggie picked me up there and took me home. It was so nice to be home and relax finally. I needed some time to wind down mentally and physically!! I never heard anything from Gerry or the counsellor thankfully.

 
An ending is coming soon. Sorry for the wait.

Sept 30

This morning I woke up at 4:45am. Only getting about 3 hours sleep, it was tough to wake up.  I quietly gathered my things and then said goodbye to the guys. I walked over to the subway station to find out it was closed, so I called 411 and got the number for a cab. The cab told me roughly 30-40 minutes. I didnt have time to wait so I called another on, them saying the same thing. I rushed back to the hotel and asked if they could call me one. A cab came shorlty after and I paid with my visa, not having enough cash left on me. I got to the terminal with more than enough time. I got on the bus and it was a lot more full this time, so I had someone beside me. I tried to sleep the first half of the trip back but couldnt. I then just stared out the window. I got into port authority and walked over to mcdonalds to get some food. From there I went to Grand central and took the train back. Got a cab to the house and was there for about 12:30. Gerry left right when I got back. I hung with the kids and then drove garret to his friends around 2. Izzy was with her cousin playing in and out of the house and cameron was down the street at a friends. I worked on some laundry and cleaned up the disaster of a house. Later on gerry came back and Izzy said her and her cousin were going to the park with the dog. Gerry insisted I go because emily the cousin is too young. I walked over to the park with them and they played on the swings and slides etc. I held onto spanky most of the time. We stayed there for a while and then headed back to the house. Gerry was outside and I had asked Izzy what she wanted for dinner and she told me that gerry was making it. She then asked him and he said he was too tired and told them to let ME know what they wanted to eat. She asked if he was making steak and he said that I could do it and mentioned how to cook it. He then went inside and showered while I tried to figure out dinner. I went down and grabbed a chunk of meat that I saw and asked izzy if it was the right stuff. She said it was. I thawed the 2 huge chunks in the microwave and then put them on the george foreman grill. I had no idea what I was doing or how long to cook it or how to know when its done etc so I kept them on there for a while. I then put it on the plate with some beans for her and the same for cameron. Izzy sat there and must have told me 6 or 7 times how I over cooked it, and how she likes it rare, and how its too dark and how its like a rock etc. I said OK I GET THE POINT!! She ended up eating camerons beans too which was annoying. Gerry then came in and she said *daddy can you make us dinner* he looked at her and asked why and she told him that I had overcooked the meat and he said then dont eat it. He then said something like *im off right now, I work all week...*  and kept talking as he walked into his room. He makes it sound like watching his own kids is a job. I couldnt believe he said he was off and complains about working when he never takes care of his kids etc. Ugh I was so annoyed. I sat with izzy for a bit and then headed downstairs. I went and got some mcdonalds for dinner and then headed back to the house. I sat and started to worry about telling gerry that im leaving. I talked to my mom a bit and she told me to get it over with. I chatted online for a bit while I waited for the kids to go to bed. I then went to go upstairs but chickened out as soon as I hit the stairs. I called my mom back and talked to her for a bit trying to get her to convince me to go. I decided to make a tea to help calm me and thought I could stir it while talking to him so I dont have to make eye contact lol. I stood in the kitchen for a good 35 mins or more and then chickened out and went back downstairs. I ended up writing him an e mail just so I could get it over with and go to bed because I was so exhausted.

Sept 29

I got up around 8 this morning to the guys getting ready. When they left around 9:00 I tried to sleep for a bit longer and ended up getting up around 10.  I hung around the room for a bit and at 11 the guys came back and we went to a different mall and got lunch at this fifties type diner called Johnny rockets. They then left and I wandered the mall a bit. I bought something for Josh and got a postcard. I went back to the room and relaxed for a bit and talked with my mom and my dad. I had also talked to Josh the day before and found out he will not be coming at the end of the month and that the next time I see him may be christmas! I then went out to go sightseeing. I took the subway and followed the signs and got to see the whitehouse. It was ginormous. I then saw the world war 2 memorial tower. That was one of my favourites to see. I walked around the town a bit which was cool and seemed really nice. I also bought a cheap $4 souvenir t-shirt which is actually really cute. I went back to the room and ordered pizza hut to the room. I relaxed and watched tv and went down to the lobby and went online for a bit etc. The guys came back later and Matt and I went out drinking again, to some little restaurant place. The bartenders were cool, they were both gay and they kept talking to us, they were really nice. I ordered a blue hawaiian again and the first guy made it weird but it didnt taste too bad and they asked how it was and I said ok. A few minutes later they hand me another drink, this time it was blue like its supposed to be. They asked which one tasted better and I said the blue one. They didnt end up charging me for both, so I had a free drink! After that I went back to the room and slept while the guys went out with some friends.

 Sept 28

Today I dropped all 3 kids off. I got back to the house and made sure I had everything and then called for a cab. The cab came pretty quick and took me to the train station. I took it into grand central and from there walked over to burger king, got a bite to eat and then walked over to penn station. I found my bus and got on. Thankfully there were not many people, so I had 2 seats to myself. I looked out the window for a bit and then studied for my bartending test a little too. At one point the bus made this weird loud noise and the driver pulled to the side of the highway. I thought oh no, now we will be here all day. He then got back on and said he could find nothing wrong so we kept going. We made a pit stop in new jersey and then dropped people off in baltimore. I got off the bus in washington d.c and found my way over to the subway station. I took the subway to crystal city like my friend told me and then walked over to the hotel. Matt and aaron had to go back out to a seminar thing shortly after, so I headed to the little mall nearby and looked around a bit. I then went back to the hotel to shower and relax. They came back a while later and Matt and I went out to a little restaurant place and got some drinks. I got a blue hawaiian which I learned from my class and a shot. We then went back to the room and I fell asleep not long after.

Sept 27

This morning I dropped off the kids and then went to class.  We did a bunch of practicing and then some review for the final test. The 2 teachers (ours and then afternoon teacher) ended up doing a drill. One of the students called out the drinks and they were both making them so fast. As usual they had 7 minutes. The other teacher finished her 12 drinks in about 5 minutes and our teacher finished just under 7 and spilled one everywhere too, it was really funny. I got back to the house and relaxed etc and then picked up the kids. They did their homework and later on I talked to Gerry about starting later on Sunday and he said it was fine. I packed my things and bought my ticket back to NY from Washington. After chatting for a bit and finishing packing I went to bed.

 Sept 26

This morning I ended up having to drive Garret to school. Since Gerry was stupid and let the kids stay up so late, Garret slept through his alarm. He had enough time and I was not going to drive him but ended up doing it anyways, I told him he needs to deal with the consequences and if he sleeps in again im not driving him. I drove him and then came back and then drove the other 2. I headed to class and we learned about wines and beers briefly. We then drilled for about 2 hours. I got back and hung around the house for a bit and then picked up the kids. Long story short, Becky forgot to tell me that Cameron got out at 2 today instead of 3, so there were phone calls between me and becky and gerry all back and forth trying to figure out where he was. The school called the house and garret called his mom or something and they said he was in the office, which he wasnt 10 mins prior when I checked. I got him and then got Izzy and she had started to walk home because she thought I forgot about her. After running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I got the kids back to the house. They did their homework and then I made them dinner (Mac & Cheese with hotdogs) and then was off for 7. Josh has still not called and im getting more and more frusterated. Gerry had asked me if I could pick Izzy up from swimming and since I was debating going to the gym anyways I said ok. I went on the treadmill for about 20-30 mins and then drove her back to the house with me. I tried to study my index cards while walking/running but only did a few before I stopped. I got back to the house and studied some more, talked to my mom and then went to bed around 10:30.

Sept 25

This morning started off the same with garret leaving and me driving the other 2 to school. I got to my class a bit early so I studied a tiny bit. Today we learned about collins and sours.  We practiced and then drilled and then I went back to the house. I wrote out some of my cards, updated my journals and had to pick up the kids. Izzy had 2 dance classes tonight from 4:30-6:30 and is supposed to be going to swim meets 3 times a week from 6:30-8. Since she has dance mon and tues we thought wed-fri would be swimming. According to izzy she wants to do swimming 5 times a week. She was saying how I should pick her up early from dance and then rush her over to swimming, I said no, do swimming tomorrow. We got back to the house and becky came over. Long story short Izzy had the biggest kaniption fit, yelling war with her mom and I about how shes going to both and its her choice etc. Becky was then trying to do homework with cameron but he was goofing around so she got pissed off and gave up and sat on the couch. I then took over and got him to work on it. Izzy then was told to go upstairs and get her stuff ready and apparently garret had left her bedroom door open and the dog pooped in her room. She then had an even bigger fit, this time with thr loudest, most high pitched, whiney scream/shriek I have ever heard. She was yelling down the stairs to the basement telling garret to clean it up. The mom waited like 10 mins before she did anything about it, while izzy is having a 20 min screaming fit im sitting there trying to ignore her, trying to get cameron to do homework. The mom finally shut izzy up and I finally got cam to finish homework. He then had to read for 15 mins. He was sitting there with his mom and she was yelling at him to hurry up and if he didnt know a word instead of getting him to try, she would tell him and get really impatient. Garret was downstairs working on homework on the computer so I went down and checked on him. Becky drove izzy over to dance and I hung around the house with the boys. I finished my cards for my class and then made the boys a hamburger and hot dog. I then went and picked izzy up for 6:30 and took my time getting her over to swimming while she was ready to jump oout of her seat to hurry. She TOLD me to pick her up at 8:30 and I laughed and said, I dont think so, talk to your dad, Im off at 7. She said *just for me..* I laughed again and said *yea because you were behaving SO well earlier* and she said yes I was thank you for noticing. I had to bite my tongue not to say any more. I dropped her off and when we got back Gerry and garret were walking down the street so cameron rushed after them. I talked to my mom for a bit, went to get pasta for dinner, chatted a bit, studied for about 10 mins and went to bed for about 9:45. I was exhausted and stressed out. At this point izzy and garret were downstairs watching tv and it wasnt until 10 he told them to go up.

 This morning I had the day off thankfully. I got up around 8:15 and headed out to my class. Today we learned about two liquor drinks such as a black russian, cosmo, stinger etc. Myself and the other group from last week also had to do our written mid-term. There were 12 drinks that you had to write the recipe for and 3 other basic questions.I think we needed an 85 to pass and I got 95. I mixed up the alcohol in one drink and lost 2 points and I forgot to put the second vermouth in another drink and lost 2 points and mixed up the garnish and lost the last point. We practiced and did some drills. When I got back to the house, I wrote out my index cards and then talked to my dad about their trip here. It sucks because we cannot plan out anything or get details etc without knowing if josh is coming or not. I then went over to sonjas. We went over to applebees and got some drinks and food. I got a jamaican freeze which had melon liqueur, malibu pineapple rum, pina colada mix and banana. It was amazing. I then had a caramel appletini which I didnt order but was going to and told the waitress I didnt have money for it thats why I said no and then she took money off of it for me. We left there and went back to sonjas. We hung at her house for a while and later on went out to see the movie good luck chuck. It was really funny but more sexual that I had thought. From there we drove around for a bit and then I dropped sonja off and went back to the house to bed.

 Sept 23

Today I was told I have to work 10-7 but Becky said that she would be picking up the kids around 4 or 5. I mostly spent the day in and out of my room as the kids were in and out of the house with friends all day. By the end, I was ready to kill Izzy because she had been making messes all day, gave me so much attitude and didnt listen to me at all. The boys played video games and went for bike rides etc mostly with friends. After Becky got the kids I went to the gym for about half an hour. I got back, showered and then headed over to Sonjas. She had a new au pair friend over who is here from germany. Her name was andrea. We went over to al dente for dinner and sonja and I split the broccoli dish and andrea got penne vodka I think it was called. From there we went to Kellys. We got a few drinks and sat down and chatted for a while. Sonja also got carrot cake which was really good. From there we went back to Sonjas and Andrea left. Sonja and I were going to go to the thirsty turtle which is also a bar but we didnt know where it was and her internet wasnt working so we couldnt get directions. We stayed at her house and she studied with me a bit and then I went back to the house around 11.

 Sept 22

This morning Sonja and I woke up around 9am. By the time we got up and out of bed and I got dressed,  had to leave pretty shortly after. I got to the house here at about 5 to 10. Gerry was watching a movie with the kids, so I was sort of in and out of my room. He left between 10:30 and 11. I couldnt really go out with the boys because I had to wait for Izzy to call from her friends house. She eventually called and had told me to pick her up at 1:30. I tried to get the boys out to do something but apparently the park is stupid, they have already been to the nature center and everything else costs money. I got them interested in the idea of going fishing off the dock again until we figured out the rods were still messed up from last time. We couldnt get garretts hook back on the line etc. They both decided the didnt want to go anymore. We hung around the house and then I took Garrett over to hockey and brought cameron with us. Just as garrett was finishing dressing, Gerry showed up. He said that he would take over and I could go back to the house if I wanted, so of course I did. Izzy was home but was off doing her own thing and had been getting on my nerves all day, so I pretty much hung in my room most of the time. Later I watched part of a movie on tv with her and then made them grilled cheese for dinner. A bit later I went and bought a mcflurry and then headed to sonjas. We were going to go see a movie but they didnt start until about 10 and I had to have the car back by 11 and didnt want to ask for an extension on the curfew 2 nights in a row. We decided to go to kellys, a small pub type place down the street. I drove us over and it was pretty crowded when we first got there. We ordered drinks and then looked on the music player thing for some good songs. A table cleared so we sat down. We started chatting and then not too long after some older guy sat down next to sonja and started talking to us. He seemed nice and was kinda funny. He had mentioned to us that he owns a few bars and I told him he wants to hire me as a bartender. Next thing I know hes on the phone setting up an interview for me, saying he has a girl that wants to bartend, when can she come in. He told me to go in on Tues and gave me all the info. We continued talking to him for a while and he was obsessed with Sonja. He kept saying how pretty she was and how he was speechless just looking at her and even asked her to marry him LOL. A while later, he left. Then another table of guys started talking to us. We sat and chatted with them for a while and they were all from England but 2 of them live here now. Later on we left the bar and took a cab back to our houses. I pretty much went right to sleep.

 Sept 21

This morning I got up at 7. Garret wanted a ride to school because his leg was sore. I drove him to school and then came back and had to drive Izzy to her school because she had choir. I then came back and left about 10 mins later with Cameron to take him to school. I got back to the house and did some of my own laundry and then updated my page etc. I cleaned up my room and sat for a while looking throught my magazines since I dont want to bring them all home. The only thing we had to do in bartending class today was to take the midterm test, but he said we could do it monday. All of my class said they were going to do it monday. I had planned to go in for part of the time to practice but then got to doing other things so I never went. I talked to Erinn about going to kingdom for halloween and then got all excited and started looking online for costumes. Later on I went and picked up the kids. I got cameron and then had to wait forever to get izzy. She had to finish some essay thing on respect for her teacher. No surprise there. She came to the car only to tell me she was going to her friend sams. Garret had called earlier to ask if he could go to his friends house too and maybe sleep over, I said it was fine. I brought cameron back to the house and Becky came shortly after. We sat and chatted a bit and just relaxed. I then went over to get izzy but she asked to sleep over to I came back to the house. I asked cameron what he wanted for dinner and he said mac & cheese, so I started making it and then he asked his dad to go to the little restaurant down the street called Kellys. I told gerry I was making him dinner and then he just kinda said oh.. and I said well I guess I can put it in a container and they can eat it tomorrow for lunch or something. Then they left. Becky left shorly after. I had a tiny bit of the mac & cheese and then put the rest in the fridge. After that I went to the gym for a bit. I went on the treadmill for about 20 minutes walking and running. I went back to the house and showered and then a bit later went to sonjas. We sat and chatted a bit and then I decided I wanted a mcflurry and she invited me to stay the night. We went to the house and I asked gerry if I could have the car overnight and surprisingly he said yes. I got my stuff, got a mcflurry from mcdonalds and we went back to her house. We listened to music and looked through magazines and chatted and then went to bed.

Sept 20

This morning I got up, got myself ready and went upstairs. Garret left shortly after and then I drove the other 2 to school. From there I went to my class. I was a bit early, so I took some photos of the classroom. The lesson today was on customer service. It was a pretty easy, straight forward lesson. Right after that we got into drills. I dont like drills because they are so much pressure and we are still trying to learn all the drinks. Each time I did it I got frazzled and didnt know what I was doing. I can do 1 drink at a time but need to learn to do 2. Also the girl in front of me that was supposed to be helping me, gave me wrong info which was really annoying. I left there pretty frusterated. I got back to the house and when I checked my e mail, I had got one back from the guy I talked to the other night in Vancouver. He basically said thanx for the interest, but we found our 4th renter or roomate. It was frusterating because he never told me someone else was interested when we talked and he never sent the pics that night and then all the sudden someone took it :S  I updated journals and chatted a while and then picked up the kids. Becky came over shortly after. Garret did his homework and then asked to be dropped off at the high school because there was a football game going on. The other 2 were going crazy, wouldnt do their homework and wouldnt listen etc. Both the mom and I were getting really annoyed. Finally homework was done and then at 5:30 we went and picked up Izzys friend and I dropped them off at the Y because Izzy had a swim tryout. I got back and hung in my room for a bit because when I asked, Gerry said he would watch Cameron. I picked up Izzy just after 7 and dropped off her friend. I then went to mcdonalds to get fries for dinner and these new cinnamon bit things for desert. From there I went over to Sonjas. We chatted on and off for a while and she helped me study a lot. By the end of the night my brain was fried and so I left and went to bed.   

 Sept 19

This morning I got up at 7, got myself ready and then went upstairs. Garrett was already awake like usual. I made the kids lunches and then got the other 2 up. Garret left for school and then I took the other 2 over. I headed to class and today we learned about highball drinks eg. fuzzy navel, screwdriver, sex on the beach, rum and coke etc. Most of these ones were a lot easier. After that we drilled again and then finished. I went back to the house, wrote out more cards and relaxed a bit. I then went and picked up the kids from school. I got them to do their homework and later on made pizza for dinner. After that, I went to Sonjas house again. We watched tv and she quizzed me on my cards again. I left between 10:30 and 11 because I was really tired. I went right back to the house to sleep.

 Sept 18

This morning I got up just after 8. I got myself ready and headed to class. Today we learned about cream drinks such as,  a mudslide, a white russian, grasshopper etc. We praticed for a bit and then he drilled us. He yells out 2 drinks and we have to make them and then say next. The goal is to make 12 drinks in 7 minutes, because thats what our final will be. The most anyone could get was 9 or 10. It was very frazzling and the pressure killed me. I think I got 8 drinks up but I had a lot of help. After class I sat and wrote out all the recipes on index cards. I hung in my room for a while and then showered and went to sonjas. Her host mother and father were out and she was working late, so when I got there, I helped her watch Owen for a little bit. We ordered pizza from dominos and then she put him to bed and we watched the mtv music awards from like a week back. After that, she quizzed me on the drinks to help me study and then I left and went to the house to bed.

 Sept 17

This morning I got up at 7, made sure Garret had breakfast and got all his stuff and then woke up the other 2. I got my own things ready for my class and then made a hot tea so that my throat and voice would be a bit better. The other 2 got dressed and ate breakfast etc. Becky called me to ask the pickup schedule since she was getting them after school today. She called back a bit later and asked what I was doing after I dropped the kids off. I told her I had plans and asked why. She said she was going to pay me $20 to pick her up from la guardia. Or take her there or something. I said sorry I cant. I told the kids to hurry up and it felt like they kept going slower. I said I have somewhere to be so we need to leave now! They asked where and I said out. I dropped them off at school and then drove over to my class. It was easy to find and when I got in, I was a bit early. The place is really cool, it has red walls and lots of photos of students and 2 bars. The instructor went over the basics of a bar, how to set up, the tools etc. After an intro and introducing ourselves etc, we started our first lesson. Today we learned about Martinis, Manhattans and Rob Roys. We learned how to prepare them, the ingredients etc. Class finished at 1 and then I went out and got some index cards and pens. When I got back to the house I wrote out most of the new recipes we had learned. They said it was a quicker and easier way of learning. I sent some e mails back and forth with my dad about him coming here and hung in my room most of the time. Later on, I went over to Sonjas. We watched I am Sam and caught up on a bunch of things. (she was in florida for a week) She got me a really cute stuffed Goofy, wearing a plaid lumberjack like jacket with antlers holding a canadian flag. So cute! I got back from there at 11, chatted online and then headed to bed.  

Sept 15

This morning we got up at about 7. I layed in bed for a bit while they got ready and then we all got dressed and left the room. My aunt said that they were going to harlem and were not stopping along the way and said she didnt want to get in trouble which was totally understandable. I thanked her for everything and said we may meet up later in the day but said goodbye just in case. I grabbed a bit to eat from the hotel and sat and ate while I waited for the next bus to come. While I was eating a man asked me where I was from and turns out he used to live in the neighbourhood across from me. He now lives in vancouver and was telling me how nice it was and told me about the town etc which was really cool. After that I waited in the bus shelter thing along the road. While I was sitting there, some random car pulled up and asked if I wanted a ride. I said no thanx! The bus came about 10 mins late, but I got on ok and got into the city about 20 mins later. It took us into port authority. From there, I met up with Shawn. We went over to the theatre that plays hairspray and inquired about tickets. From there we went to Applebees to get a drink and some lunch. He asked me why I was quitting and leaving and I sat there and told him all the reasons. We talked for a while and then headed over to time square. I saw the naked cowboy again which was awesome, and got more pictures with him. From there we went to a few stores in time square and I found and awesome winter jacket but decided that I did not need it. We then took a subway down towards chinatown and looked around a bit. I told shawn I wanted to walk the brooklyn bridge, it was one of the things on my list that I really wanted to do. We started walking the bridge and took some photos etc and then part way through he tells me that we were in fact on the manhattan bridge. At first I thought he was joking but no... he wasnt. I got frusterated and told him we were doing the brooklyn bridge next and he laughed and told me I was crazy! We walked along and chatted and took lots of photos. When we got into brooklyn he decided to go home because he was tired and wanted to get ready and take a nap before he went out later that night. I walked over to the brooklyn bridge and took it back to manhattan. The view was amazing and there were lots of people and it was so awesome. One of my favourite experiences so far. I then took the subway back to grand central and since I was so tired from not sleeping the last few nights, still wasnt feeling well and didnt have money, I took the train back into Rye. I then walked from the train station back to the house. I drove over to the mall, got some pizza for dinner and then got my pjs on, layed in bed chatting and talking to my mom etc. Just relaxing. I headed to bed somewhat early. 

       Inside Grand Central

Sept 14

This morning I got woken up my Izzy and her friends. It was about 9 or 9:30 when I got up. They were inside on the computer a bunch and outside a bit too. I hung around a bit and then jumped in the shower and got myself ready. Gerry had not paid me yet which was annoying and had already left when I came out of the shower. I was done at 12 and Izzy was told she could do what she pleases and I left and walked to the train. I got into the city and walked up to 3ave and 60th and went into Dylans candy shop. I went one other time, when I was here at christmas time with josh the one year. I took a whole bunch of photos and looked around a bit. I then took a subway down to 14th street. They have a small park or square there that I hung around in for a bit. Down by 14th, its more edgy stuff and more alternative people etc. Some guy tried to sell me an invite thing to a salon on 5th but I couldnt afford it, and in the end he gave it to me for free. I only have to pay a $10 set up fee or something and then I can go and get a haircut, manicure, facial, massage and a few others! I then shopped around in the stores a bit. I took the train back up to central and walked around time square area, saw a wedding party and was so jealous and then headed into the M&M store. I took a bunch of photos and did some penny squishing. (you smush a picture or engraving thing into a penny. they were printed out with m&ms on them) My aunt called me because she was in town on a bus trip with a bunch of girlfriends. I met her in time square and from there we went to conway, victoria secret and a few other shops. After that we walked over to a small italien place they had made reservations at. We all had a really good meal and chatted. They are very funny ladies I can tell you that much! From there they walked back to where the bus picks them up. They grabbed a few things from the drug store and then waited for the bus. My aunt offered for me to go to their hotel with them so I decided to join them. I sort of felt like they were smuggling me on, because they didnt tell anyone and I wasnt really supposed to be there, but my aunt said it wouldnt be a problem. I sat and talked with another lady about my job etc and then we got to the hotel. We got into pjs and my aunts roomate connie went to bed and my aunt angela and I went to her other friends room. There were 6 of us chatting and having a drink or two. My aunt was funny, she was trying to tell a story and said something about a small italien school that let out chinese children or something. Lol she put a few nationalities into one sentence. Maybe you had to be there, but it was really funny. They talked about their kids a bunch and it was weird because I felt I could relate. My aunt brought up hockey season and I know what thats all about! It was interesting to hear all these women talking about their husbands, children and work when they were off on vacation. But I guess they just talk about what they love most, makes sense. They also talked about the famous friday the 13th. It sounds really cool and my aunt invited me to go out next year (in june) and I cannot wait!! We stayed and while and then headed back to the room.  My aunt Angela and I chatted for a bit and then went to bed. I felt bad because I kept coughing all night.