Stove for Sale! Stove for Sale!

Hello all!

Things are going well. I just finished cleaning up and old 1920's Kalamazoo stove that I'm trying to sell. It's a little rusty and has a few dings in it, but overall it looks pretty good compared to when I first got it. We weren't able to try a fire in it because we don't have the right kind of pipe (it needs and oval attachment) so I'm not too sure if it works well or not. So if any of you are interested, just let me know!

I just recently had a chicken BBQ. I'm afraid it didn't go as well as hoped. At my last BBQ I made about $630 but at this one only about $430. So that will be the last of the BBQ's. I have one more bake sale to do August 14th at Wal-Mart and then I think that will be all for the fundraising, or at least until I sell that stove (fingers crossed).

It looks like I finally made it. Summer school is already half over with only two more weeks to go. It's been pretty easy so far, but government is a pain. I have to do all these things that are just annoying like attend two town meetings (and take notes, get signatures, ask questions, and do a write up for each one), three hours of community service, a big policy paper and I could go on and on. But who am I to complain? At least I don't have to take it for 20 weeks instead - hallelujah.

I have all my visa documents ready, of which I can do ahead of time anyway. I have to wait for AFS to send me everything else that I need and it's killing me. I just want to have everything now, apply for my visa, and be done with it. But soon enough, soon enough. There's only 36 more days until I leave. I still can't believe this is happening.

Bake sales... as promised!

I just had a bake sale this past Saturday (my next one is July 17 at Walmart in Lowville) and made almost $230! Most of my bake sales have been about $210 or more and I think that's a good chunk of money.

It always makes me feel so good when I have fundraisers because I get to see all of the wonderful people there are out in the world. I mean, I never realized how generous people are. Many have just given me money and don't take anything I'm selling just because they want me to go and have adventures. I feel so blessed to have so many people supporting me, even strangers. They just want me to experience life and I feel like there are no words to thank them for their generosity.

Some people have interesting stories to tell me of their endeavors in Italy and some just offer advice, like not to allow Italian boys to sweet talk me or that I have to laugh at my mistakes while I'm over there, because Lord knows, I will be making plenty! One comical man flat out told me what I was going to be doing over there - "getting drunk". He could not believe that I was going over to study and learn, but simply said I was just going over to get drunk. I laughed about that for awhile.

Summer school starts in exactly a week - ugh. But I think of it as just six weeks until I am completely finished with high school. Of course there is the school in Italy, but every school is different so I'm hoping school there will be a completely new experience.

I've been labeling things around the house in Italian - mom doesn't like that too much, haha. I have to learn somehow though! I literally can not fall asleep at night because I'm thinking about all the Italian I have to learn. I just have to tell myself "Olivia, there is no way you are going to learn all Italian in 2 months, just sleep". Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't - ah, well.