My List Update

Apparently I haven't posted an update on My List since halfway through 2011. I find that very strange. Anyway, this will be two parts, first I'm going to post about what I've accomplished this past year (or since 2011 I guess) and then I'll repost the whole list updated with what I need to still complete.

1. Fly first class

So this technically happened this year but it's number one on my list so I'm really excited! LOL Flying back to Buffalo from Seattle. My flight, like thousands of others, was affected by a massive snow storm on the east coast. My connection from Philadelphia to Buffalo was cancelled so I rebooked onto a new flight that took me from Seattle to Charlotte and then caught a new connection to Buffalo. For the leg between Seattle and Charlotte, the longest part, I was given a first class seat!!! It's really nice and spacious. I slept pretty much the whole time and the seats didn't recline as much as I would have liked but it was still nice. I could definitely get used to that.

4. Live in a different country...or at least a different province.

I crossed this off the list when I moved to Ontario in 2010 but in 2013 I got to live in two different countries. The United States and France. Now it's fully achieved.

37. Tour the US Eastern seaboard

This is another one that will always be under development but considering I visit St. Augustine, Florida, Boston, Massachusetts and multiple points in between, I'm marking it complete.





46. Fire a gun

It didn't have bullets but I'm sure a "real" gun will come in time. For now, this will have to do.





69. Go to Paris in the spring time

So Paris in the spring is rainy...but so beautiful. It's not too hot and it's great for walking. I fell in love with the city even though I totally didn't expect to.

72. Visit all five great lakes.

After camping at Lake Huron with Grace and Jess this is officially complete.

82. Take a trip by train

When I wrote this list I never really believed that I would ever take a trip in Europe but it turned out that was the first place I took a trip by train. Multiple trips. Between countries. This picture is me travelling from Amsterdam to Paris. My first train trip!!!

87. Visit all 10 Provincial Legislature Building (9 down, 1 to go)

Only Newfoundland is left!!!

97. Visit Melville's gravesite in Ortona

This was never on my published list but I mentally added it shortly after I wrote the list. It's something I always wanted to do and this summer I accomplished it.

Summer Reading: Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

I know I'm in France to learn French but sometimes you just need a break. I bought a few books in Paris but I finished them by the time I got to Cannes. Luckily there is an English language book store here. Apparently one of only six in France? Anyway, I went in one day and found this book. I have two complaints about it. Considering it has 850 pages, it's WAY too easy to read and, it's "Book One of The Century trilogy" but book two is still only available in hardcover and book three isn't even written yet!!!

Other than that, to say I enjoyed it is an understatement. I forced myself to leave it downstairs so I would only read when I was taking a break or waiting on someone or something but even then I plowed through it. If I had taken it up to my room I would have finished it in a few days.

It deals with the First World War, starting in 1911 and ending in 1924. It follows the stories of six families and associated characters who get caught up in the events of the war. I'm confident that anyone would enjoy it but for me it was particularly appealing for a few reasons. First, I recently visited a lot of the places mentioned in the book. Paris, Berlin and various battlefields. Second, Follett is great at weaving historical events into his fictional works and the History nerd in me got excited every time he mentioned one. Particularly events having to do with Mexico and the US like the Zimmerman Telegram and the Occupation of Veracruz. I studied both in detail in Georgia and even wrote a book review on a book that dealt with the Occupation. Aside from that the book is just really well written and I found myself thinking about different characters and wondering what was going to happen next. Book two deals with their children and I can't wait to read it.

WinterJam 2013

For Valentines Day Kayla and I decided to go on an adventure. Okay, it wasn't only for Valentines, it just happened to be that night, but it was still a great excuse and something fun for us to look forward to. As soon as our classes ended on Thursday we hopped in my car and headed north to Augusta for WinterJam 2013. If you're not familiar with WinterJam (and I can't really say I was. I just heard about it on the radio) it is a huge Christian concert that features ten acts for ten dollars. No tickets, just ten dollars at the door and you pick whatever seat you can get. They generally sell out and there was a chance that we wouldn't get in but we decided to risk in and luckily we not only got in but snagged some great seats.

There was a range of acts. None of them are my absolute favourites although I really like Matthew West and I like him even more now. The headliner was Toby Mac. I'm not particularly a fan of his music but as we suspected, he puts on an a-MAZING show. I was pleasantly surprised by Jason Castro as well. Remember him from Idol? Well he has a new record and the lead single is "Only a Mountain" which I've heard on the radio and really like. I purchased both Jason and Matthew West's newest cd's for $5 each. The top photo is Jason Castro, still sporting the dreadlocks :)

 There were a number of other acts as well: Sidewalk Prophets,a rock group called "Red" that neither of us enjoyed. The pyrotechnics were cool but the music was just loud and we couldn't understand any of it (does this mean I'm getting old?) Jamie Grace seems like a sweetheart and she did a great job. The lead singer for "Royal Tailor" was an amazing dancer. He reminds me of what a young Michael Jackson would have been like, complete with the moon walking :) There was a local group called Capital Kings who were pretty fun and another group called "OBB" who did sort of a pre-show. The whole thing was hosted by the guys from NewSong and they had a set as well.

Overall it's just a great night of music. The speaker Nick Hall talked about "resetting" and "recharging". It was basic stuff but I enjoyed it. Kayla and I agreed that our favourite act was Matthew West. He had some video testimonials from the people who's stories he had based some of his songs on and they were incredibly moving.

As I mentioned, Toby Mac (left) puts on an incredible show. Even so we left a little bit early so we could beat the crowds because we both had class in the morning. I'm glad we went though. It was a ton of fun.

Wormsloe Colonial Faire & Muster

Have you ever had a weekend or an event where it was so perfect and dreamlike that you didn't want to take the time to try and capture it with words for fear that you wouldn't do it justice? Well that was last weekend for me.

In the past few years I have realized a lot of dreams but this one was extra special. How many times have I answered the question "History, what do you want to do with that degree? Teach?" with "No, I want to work as a costumed interpreter at a historical site". Well, I present this first picture. A dream come true.

Last weekend was the Colonial Faire & Muster at Wormsloe. I was mostly just an extra body, although I was "assigned" to the cricket pitch for the afternoons (more on cricket later) but I didn't really stay there because they had lots of people and there were things I wanted to see. I think the most dreamlike part of the weekend was when I'd be looking at something or standing by a house or cannon (like the tourist I am) and someone would ask if they could take my picture. ME! My picture!!! *I* am usually the one taking pictures!!! It was awesome.

Of course I wasn't the only reenactor. All the staff were in costume (on the left is my boss John and in the middle is his boss Chris) and we had a bunch of local reenactors who only come for the Faire there as well.

Mostly I just spent the weekend helping with whatever needed to be done. On Friday John and I moved hay bales and barrels, washed 40 pounds of oysters, and I raked a bit and Chris taught me to play cricket.

During the fair I helped out a lot in the Visitor's Centre in the mornings, played cricket (some) in the afternoon, and wandered around handing out programs/taking in the festivities for the rest of the time. In the photo above John and Chris are marching in the noon day parade. It happened both days and there were speeches by reps from the Georgia Historical Society and reenactors portraying General Olgethorpe and John C. Freemont (the featured Georgia Historical person this year) as well as various sponsors. Following the speeches there was a musket firing demonstration although those went on all day along with cannon firing.

This is Chris's son Wyatt. The cutest colonist there!!!

Of course, like any good event, the real fun started after we shut the gate. (Remember that I live a good hours drive from Wormsloe). On Friday I went in as soon as my class was finished and then came home around 6pm or so. John told me I could leave earlier (because I usually end at five) but I told him I'd finish what we were doing and then head out. He laughed and replied "right, because you're getting paid and everything" (which of course I'm not. My intern-suretudeness was a big joke all weekend. That is John's way of combining "Intern" and "Indentured Servant".) Saturday after we finished a bunch of use went into downtown Savannah for dinner. Almost all the staff were there, some volunteers and many of the reenactors. I drove a few of the people that were there from out of town and by the time we got back to the site it was after 10pm. I could have driven home. I wasn't actually all that tired and that was the original plan but when I heard that a few people were staying in the museum overnight, I decided that sounded good for me too. I borrowed some blankets that John had in his truck (he went home for the night) and a pillow from Adam and Adam, Jesse, Paula and I slept on the floor in the museum over night. It was a literal "night at the museum" and it was fun. Low key. I mean we're historians after all. We argued about our favourite presidents! And Jesse read us Mark Twain from his iPhone. It wasn't the best sleep I've ever had but it was far from the worst and even though I had to run to Walmart in the morning to buy a toothbrush, it was worth it. Plus I saved a ton on gas.

So that was my weekend. The best part? Just being there. Being around all those people who love history as much as I do and LIVING what I'm learning. At the end John asked "So is that it? Will we see you again?" I told him that until I'm forced to go back to Canada he can expect to see me every Friday if they want me. And even if they don't, I'll still hang around :D I've way exceeded the 10-12 hours that I had to do for my course (heck I had that by noon on Saturday) but I love being there and I think they kind of like having me around as well :)

The Joy of Saying YES

This is fun. I already do this somewhat at Starbucks and other places but I'm really being stretched at Wormsloe. Today I arrived and John suggested I help Chris at the Cricket pitch. Me? Cricket? SPORTS? Sure! Why not? LOL It was actually a lot of fun. I have the basics of the game figured out and I managed to hit the ball a few times too. I'm not a horrible "bowler" either (bowling is what they call pitching). Tomorrow I'll be helping there for the better part of the afternoon. Okie-dokey!

Then I donned some colonial clothing and basically just shadowed John for the day. We went and picked up some barrels and hay from the maintenance area and dropped them off around the park. (Throw around 20 pound bales of hay? Got it.) And I raked some and swept the stage and then went with John to buy a 40 pound bag of oysters. I let him carry them but I carried the empty coolers and we got ice from the big house and then I stood and sprayed them all clean. By the time I left at six I was soaked but it was so much fun it was okay. I'm usually only there till five. Around 5:30 John mentioned the time and said I could leave any time. I just shrugged and said "Meh, all my friends are gone this weekend so I'm just going home to do homework. I'll stay and help finish with these. Besides, it's kind of fun." He laughed and said "And the best part is, you're not getting paid!"

Maybe that's the key. There's something fun about doing volunteer work but I think that if I can be paid to do random tasks like this, I'd like it just as much. And I'd be just as willing to help out with whatever it is that they need me to do. Just tell me where and how and I'll get it done. Not super fast and maybe not perfectly but it frees other people up to do other things. After all, that's what an indentured servant does...although he started introducing me as "intern" today and that definitely sounds more official ;)

Exploring Savannah

On Friday John asked me “so what do you do on weekends in Statesboro?” I laughed an replied “um…get out of Statesboro?” Now that isn’t always true…actually…it is. LOL This is my fourth weekend here. On the first weekend I went into Savannah with Kayla, Ben and Max. On the second weekend Kayla and I went to Florida. Last weekend I stayed in Statesboro which was fine but I have to admit, I went a bit crazy. So yesterday I headed into Savannah again. Kayla was doing part of her volunteer placement and I didn’t really talk to anyone so I just went on my own which was good. It was funny, as I was leaving I thought to myself, “I should take the route I took the first time” (sort of a secondary road rather than the main interstate that I take to Wormsloe when I just want to get there) but then I decided against it. Except as I was debating with myself I somehow took the wrong road and ended up on that other route anyway!

Anyway, once I got to Savannah, I stopped in at the visitors centre (something I’ve been meaning to do for weeks) and then actually drove right through Savannah to Tybee Island. My goal for the day was mostly just to explore. To get a better feeling for this city that everyone speaks so highly of and to see what I could find. I had some school work with me so my ultimate goal was basically just to find a place to study. The first place I pulled out my books was on the beach at Tybee. It wasn’t particularly warm but I was dressed for the weather and the sun had some heat so it was okay. I think it if it was much windier I wouldn’t have been able to handle it but as it was, it was almost perfect. The beach has these swings along the dunes and I claimed one and set up camp. It was lovely to sit and enjoy the sound of the waves while reading. I was there for two hours (which is how long my parking spot was good for) and then I headed back into Savannah.

I parked up near Forsyth Park and explored down from there (down means towards the river which is actually North but it’s how the city works). I wandered through the park for a while, watched some firemen playing Frisbee for a bit and made my way towards the main fountain. There I noticed that a wedding was just about to start so, along with a bunch of other strangers, I took a seat and watched. I had my book out and I was reading but I ended up chatting with the lady beside me (not during the ceremony of course ;)) and got some tips on places to see and to go eat in Savannah and the area. Once the ceremony was over and I had read a good bit of my book, I continued on my wandering and explored the four most northern “Squares” that Savannah is so famous for. I eventually want to see them all but not all on the same day. Breaking it up is good.

I had packed snacks and food so I had been eating all day but by that time I was a bit chilled from being outside so I decided to find something more substantial than the salad I had left. I ended up finding an “Atlanta Bread Company” which is very similar to Panera and I had some delicious butternut squash soup and half a Panini sandwich there. The best part was it was really quiet so I could spread out and get even more studying done. I have my first midterm on Wednesday so I need to spend as much time as I can going over things. Going to Savannah didn’t give me a huge amount of study time but I sure was able to enjoy what I did have. And I am sticking to the pledge that I made even before I left Ontario - that I wanted to make a point of getting out of Statesboro and getting to know Savannah. So far so good. 

The Truck Got Stuck

I'm trying to decide how to approach this entry without making it a novel. I guess with basic facts. Part of my  exchange is the Directed Studies course I mentioned in a previous post. Part of that class is a volunteer placement. I did my homework before I left and landed the most fantastic PERFECT placement for me that I couldn't have even dreamed up. When I suggested it as an option I hadn't even considered that I would get it or that it would fit me so well. But I did, and here I am. I am working as a volunteer (or, as I like to refer to myself because it is historically accurate, as an Indentured Servant) every Friday at Wormsloe State Historic Park in Savannah. Today was my third visit. The first two were sort of orientation. Taking tours, reviewing the information about the site (which conveniently is exactly what I'm learning in class all week) and getting to know people. Today, in anticipation of the Colonial Faire next week, I had some "get your hands dirty" kind of labour. A site beautification project (that makes it sound cool LOL) which essentially was raking an area outside of the visitors center and piling the debris in a truck. I filled that truck bed three times! I am SO sore now but it was incredibly rewarding work. I was able to spend some quality time with my supervisor John while we were riding in the truck. I am writing a research paper based on Wormsloe and he gave me some good information and resources to check out. The third time we went to empty the truck I went with a guy named Jesse and we had the unfortunate experience of getting the truck stuck. John and I had unloaded so many leaves that when Jesse backed onto them and then tried to pull forward, there was no traction. We tried putting boards under the tires but ended up having to have someone pull us out with another truck. Oops!

Anyway, even though I spent four hours raking and scooping debris I enjoyed every minute of it. Wormsloe is incredibly beautiful and peaceful. It brings out a poetic side in me that I didn't even know existed and just being outside in that wonderful space was amazing. I have already been fitted for colonial clothes for the Faire next week. I don't know if I can communicate exactly how excited I am with words. Being in costume at a historic site is something I have dreamed of for YEARS. It's my goal with my education and the type of work I want to do. Yes this is only a volunteer placement and it's only for a few months but it will go on my resume and help to get me a job like this full time. In the meantime, I'm going to live my dream at this amazing place.

One more paragraph. I mentioned in a previous post that I have "found a name for what I want to do". Essentially it's "Public History". That is the term I have been looking for. The best way to describe Public History is "history that is outside the classroom or academic sphere". It's a similar discipline but with a focus on making history more accessible to the public (pretty simple right?) This includes historic interpretation (where I am focusing for the most part) but also includes museum and curatorial work, some forms of archaeology, as well as documentary film making and even corporate or government historians. It's an incredibly broad filed with a ton of opportunities and I'm super excited about it. As I mentioned the professor that is serving as my advisor for the paper on Wormsloe and who got me the placement, is developing a Public History course at Georgia Southern for launch in September. He's really encouraging me to consider applying when I'm finished my undergrad. I have to admit I'm not stoked at the idea of more school but at the same time, I am freaking LOVING this work and I can actually see myself considering something like that. The fact that it would bring me back to Georgia and is generally funded, only makes it more appealing. But that's way down the road. When I finish in Georgia I still have two years of school. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy every minute of my time here, even if it is raking and getting trucks unstuck :)

CCF

Before I start talking about my program and plans for the future I want to talk about some of the friends I have made here in Statesboro. I mentioned Kayla before and as I suspected we have definitely become good friends. She's great at getting me out when I could just hibernate in my bedroom doing school work and I'm thankful for her. Lots of people have commented that they are surprised that we only met when we arrived because we've clicked so well. One of the things she convinced me to do was to join a group called CCF or Christian Campus Fellowship. I'm not involved in any groups like that back home for a few reasons. #1 is I HAVE a church family and I'm very well connected with them. #2 is the time factor. I have so many other commitments that joining another group just isn't a smart move.

Here however, my time is just taken up by classes and school work. The other factor here is that the drinking culture is VERY prevalent. I mentioned my roommates in a previous post. They have obviously now arrived and I'm slowly getting to know them. Rachel is a Caucasian native to Georgia and I've talked with her the most just because our schedules seem to coincide the most. Terri is Black and I think from South Carolina. She goes home on weekends a bit more and I haven't talked with her that much. In any case, on Thursday I mentioned to Rachel that I was going out that evening. I knew she was as well because I had heard her discussing it and when she responded with "oh, where are you going (meaning what bar). Maybe we'll run into you!" I laughed and said "probably not, I'm going to bible study." It was funny. The point of that is to say that if you don't drink in Statesboro there's not a ton to do so it's nice to have connected with a good clean group of kids who aren't interested in drinking.

We've attended a few events with them. The first was a trivia night which I of course loved. My group won (Syrup Monkeys rule!) The second night was the aforementioned bible study and that is every Thursday night. The theme for the bible study is "Jesus at the Movies". The first week was just an introduction and this week the movie was Hunger Games so it was really interesting. The themes centered on sacrifice, how Katniss offered herself instead of Primrose, and living boldly. This style of bible study is different for me but I'm appreciating it.

Friday was an all-nighter at the CCF house. I was there till 11ish and then I begged off. I'm too old for shenanigans like that :P This morning Kayla and I accepted an invitation from two freshmen to attend church with them. It was nice. Different from what I'm used to in that it was a very contemporary service but it was good to be back in a worship service on a Sunday morning. I'm sure we'll continue to hang out with this group. Most of them are from the state of Georgia so it's nice to get to know some "locals".

Class Breakdown...or are they giving me a breakdown?

Wow. Two weeks since I blogged last. Well, that feels about right. That's when classes started and I have been BUSY. This is my first time actually trying to juggle five classes and I am so incredibly thankful that I'm not working on top of it. A part of me misses it like crazy and I almost applied to the Starbucks on campus but then common sense prevailed and I realized how crazy of a move that would be. The weather has been a bit cooler so I've mostly just been going to classes, coming home and doing readings and then hanging out with friends. Here's a quick review of what I'm studying.

The US as a Young Republic 

I have this class M/W/F from 9:05-9:55. It kind of stinks to have an early class like that but so far it's kept me on track with getting to bed at a decent hour which is nice. It's also my only class on Friday's so that isn't too bad. The prof is pretty cool. Extremely knowledgeable and enjoyable to listen to except he is LOUD. I'm not sure if he's used to lecturing to survey classes or what but in our small 20ish student class, sometimes he just hurts my ears. He's interesting though and I really like this time period so I'm glad I'm taking the class. I have one major research paper due for this class and I'm still debating my topic. I have a few ideas though.

US Constitutional History

M/W 2:30-3:35 This prof is hilarious. Foul mouthed but not in a particularly offensive way. We just sit there and laugh all class. It is an incredible amount of information because I'm learning the Constitution from scratch but we have a good text book and his lectures are easy to follow. We have two case briefs for this class. I haven't even looked at the topics of mine yet.

Georgia History

T/T 12:30-1:45 This class is a massive amount of work. We have online and text book readings assigned for each class and we're tested in class to confirm that we've done the readings. We have a MASSIVE primary source research project and paper as well. The class is fascinating though. The prof (my only female one) is fiercely loyal to Georgia and specifically Savannah at the expense of Atlanta and all other states. It's a lot of fun. 

US as a Global Power

This class is just once a week, on Tuesdays from 6:30-9:15pm. It's long but the prof gets off topic a lot with little stories and anecdotes so it's not like he's lecturing the entire time. He is really funny as well. I make a point of bringing a handkerchief to class because I'm often wiping away tears from laughing. This is class is probably my most intense as far as course work. Three book reviews as well as a major research paper. I haven't even begun to think about what I'm going to write about so that is a bit scary. This class focuses on the 20th century and I took a similar one from a Canadian view point so it's really interesting. It's the most contemporary time period so it's a nice change. 

North American Public Policy Issues

This is a directed studies class which means we only meet a few times during the semester. I have an academic advisor though and I'm checking in with him regularly on the research paper I am writing. This is hands down the class I am most excited about. I could talk about it for forever but, as my Global Power prof says, to make a short story long, this prof is currently developing a Masters program in Public History and is working really hard to try to convince me to apply. I'm not convinced yet (and that wouldn't be for two years anyway) but this man totally gets me. I feel like I've finally found a title for what it is I want to do and he completely understands my goals. It's awesome. A part of this class is my volunteer placement which is it's own bundle of awesomeness but I'll save that for another entry.

So there, that's my five classes. Four major research papers. Three book reviews. Two case studies. Midterms and finals in the first four. I can do this. Gulp!

Georgia Southern Day One

Well, as you can guess I made it the rest of the way to Georgia without incident. I stayed with Pam, who I know from ScrapShare in North Atlanta on Monday night and finished the trip on Tuesday. I got to Statesboro around 1pm but it took the better part of the afternoon to figure out my way around, get my parking pass, check in, get my room key and then go and figure out phone issues. I'm not super happy with what I have set up but I picked up a bug along the road and I'm not feeling particularly well so it will do for now.

Today was our first day of orientation. It was a lot of sitting and listening. We got some questions answered but a lot of it was just officially repeating what we've already been sent. The international program is quite small, about 40 students over all and only 10 or so are exchange students so we got to know everyone quite well. So far I have clicked best with another Canadian (of all people :P) named Kayla. She actually lives next door and I can tell we're going to be good friends. Neither of us are into partying and we both want to explore the area as much as possible. I'm looking forward to hanging out with her more. There's also a girl from Denmark who is super nice, two guys from the UK, Zack is from England and Ben is from Scotland. They both have super thick accents so it's a lot of fun. There are two students from Morrocco and some from Nigeria but I didn't get to talk to them very much. Maybe tomorrow. All the staff are super awesome as well. Everything you've heard about southern hospitality and friendliness is true. They just embody it. I'm ready to start classes but I guess we have some paperwork to get through first. We have two more days of orientation although tomorrow is only a half day and Friday is a general session for all new students at GSU (international or not).

I will have three roommates as well but I'm not expecting them to show up until the weekend because classes don't officially start until Monday. That will be a whole new adventure. In the meantime I'm just working on settling in a little bit and finding my way around. It's going well so far!

Update from the Road: Kentucky

Have you ever planned for and imagined something and then had it play out so exactly as you had hoped that it ends up feeling a bit surreal as it happens? That's what the first two days of this trip has been like. I crossed the border at Detroit without issue, met a friend for lunch in Ann Arbor and then made my way down to my first stop in Ohio. There I stayed with friends and had a wonderful time. I got to see the people I wanted to see and spend time with the ones I wanted to spend time with and this morning I packed up and hit the road again. From Ohio on I don't know exactly what to expect but I'm okay with that. It's pretty much a straight shot down I75 and I'm travelling with the oh so helpful advice of "if you get lost you may as well turn around and go back to Canada" :P Anyway, I am feeling very peaceful right now. Yes I am excited but I'm not at all nervous and even though I don't have it exactly planned out, I know everything is going to play out exactly as it is supposed to.

Packing

I took my first load of boxes over to my friends house today. They are storing my things for me while I am gone since I am giving up my place. I hope to only have one more car load of stuff to leave there but I'm trying to figure out how I have so much stuff! When I moved to Ontario from BC it all fit in my car. Now that stuff has doubled or even tripled. It's nuts. I got rid of stuff too but I guess I need to pare down even more! Oh well. It can wait until I get back now :P

The hardest part has been packing up my scrapbooking supplies. Knowing I won't be able to use them for another year is sad for me. Scrapbooking is such a defining part of who I am but the way I like to do it (traditional with paper) is not conducive to this nomadic lifestyle I am adopting to this year so I have to let it go for now. Yes there are other ways to record memories (like this blog) but it's not the same as playing with little bits of paper :P

The packing is almost done though. I'll do laundry tomorrow and then most of my clothes will be ready. I also need to pack shoes and boots. I'm dividing them into "take/leave" because I'm only taking one or two pairs of boots. All my warm winter ones are staying in Canada. With average daily temperatures of 15oC I definitely don't need boots in Georgia! Wish me luck as I chip away at this. Only six more sleeps before I leave!