Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!


o
...by the way Sharon, Andy is in good hands this holiday!

Diner a L'Ourcine

Katy, Andy, Brian and I had a delicious dinner at L'Ourcine last night. Here are our picturesque dinners and entres! They tasted as fabulous as they looked!

Yummy Scallops!

White fish.

Beef

Snails with an apple slice topping.

Beef check with foie gras

Un Homme de Neige

Premier Paris Neige

It could turn out to be a White Christmas for us in Paris! As Elise and I walked to school this morning, the flakes started falling and didn't stop until after lunch! The campus is beautifully covered in white and it looks amazing. Elise and Celia loved their first big snowfall although Elise was disappointed to learn that the snow is very cold! You can't stick your hands in it for too long before your hands start to really hurt! What a day!

This weekend Elise learned the difference between trip and vacation...as we were driving home from our last stop on the Normandy Beaches, I got lost and had to turn around in a shopping parking lot in Bayeux. Elise thought we were stopping at another beach and cried, "Please mommy, not another beach!" It was awesome; I think she thought the beach weekend in Normandy was going to be more of a relaxing vacation! She was not ready to be dragged around to all the war sites.

Here's a breakdown of our trip:

1. Clos de Bellefontain was our B&B in Bayeux for two nights. Great place and delicious breakfast, yummy American Coffee!!! Bunny rabbit Lily to play with (check out the pictures) and a fun, fun bath tub.

2. Normandy Beaches: We explored...
a. Pointe du Hoc - played in shelters, saw huge bomb craters, sat in awe at the high cliffs and tried to imagine what the attack of this site could have been like. Unbelievable!
b. Omaha Beach (Vierville-sur-Mer) and the American Cemetery - unreal!
c. Batterie Allemande de Longues-sur-Mer - Three of the four 150mm artillery are intact while the fourth was blown to pieces. We got to run around and explore the defense battery and firing headquarters. It was pretty amazing.
d. Arromanches-les-Bains - last quick stop to see some of the boats at sea and play on the beach.
...the Normandy area is quite amazing. Driving up and around the coast from Bayeux, we felt as if we could have been driving along on highway in any midwestern state. The cows, farmland, and flat-lands reminded us of our St. Louis/Chicago drives. However, suddenly you are standing on large cliffs and exploring a battlefield. It really is an amazing area and it was a fascinating historical trip.

3. Saturday was filled with site-seeing: The Bayeux Tapestry, Bayeux Cathedral, and Mt. Saint Michael. What an adventure! The Mt. St. Michael is an amazing abbey sitting atop a mount on the edge of the Seine. You need to read more about this amazing place because I won't do it justice. This was probably the busiest stop of our trip because it was full of tourists and a lot more intense than the shut-down-for-winter beaches. There were a lot of people and a lot going on on the mount; there is an entire village located just below the abbey. We loved our time exploring the abbey and it's medival architecture. It was like a maze of concrete!

Great trip all round!

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holiday season!

What a Day!!!

Nice face, eh? You're warned not to smile in the pictures!

Victory Bottle!

What a day indeed! Brian and I successfully obtained our Carte de Sejours. We are legal in France! It's a great feeling, especially considering what it took to get them...

After paying lots of money for our temporary visas and surviving a trip to the prefecture last month to obtain our recepisse (a 75 minute visit: a record I'm told), we now have our official Visas!

Brian's process went pretty smoothly, as smoothly as a visit to the Office Francais de l'Immigration et de l'integraion (OFII for those familiar) can be considered! Since he's the working man and was brought over here for a job, he was able to get his X-Ray, physical, and after a trip to the Tabac to buy ses timbres to pay for the carte (interesting process: you have to pay for the Carte with these stamp things, kind of like a cashier's check we're guessing. The best thing is that they are bought at your local bar. It was huge that we met some very nice fellow Americans that hooked us up with the information as to where to buy the stamps. We were stampless and had no idea we could conclude the carte process today. But a quick trip across the street and Brian had notre timbres!), he was holding his carte before I got my process started. One down, one to go!

My process much more adventures. After watching a film about immigrating to France and an hour and a half wait, I got called to see the social worker. Once with him, he asked me about my life in Etats-Unis: level of education, job, and whether I drove a car. Luckily, I aced all his questions and was deemed proficient in French. This was HUGE! I can now stay in France without having to take a government issued French Class. I'm feeling so bilingual and I have a certificate to prove it! However, I do have to attend a Civics' Class in February! It will be an all day class on a Saturday in February in which I think I learn all about France's history and how to immigrate properly. I know you are all jealous!

Finally, I signed a contract with the state of France saying I will be a good citizen, learn French, and attend my Civics' Class in February. I gathered up all my welcoming materials, including my French proficiency certificate, (did I mention I was fluent?), and headed over for my X-Ray and physical. Brian went out and bought me des timbres and after passing the physical, I held my beautiful Carte de Sejour!

Now we will drink our Champaign and Celebrate! We're legal! We have rights! Woo-Hoo!

Joyeux Anniversaire Elise

My lady celebrated her 3rd Birthday on Monday! My lady is getting so big! After she went to school, (I know? Can you believe she had to go to school on her Birthday?), we went to the lake to watch the ducks and visit "the bear". (Elise thinks a bear lives in the waterfall/pond thing at the park...)

It was a fabulous day and after the Celia's nap we took her new pink bike out for a ride. She's very excited about her Happy Birthday Bike and is slowly learning to control and glide on it. It's very fun.

On Tuesday I tried to order my lady a birthday cake for our celebration on Saturday. I didn't have much success and decided that either my french was really bad or that ordering a cake from a boulangerie just wasn't appropriate. So that night I asked my french teacher for help and got the right words down, (BTW, I was very close! It wasn't the french...)!

He told me ordering a cake from a boulangerie is a totally normal thing to do, so armed with my perfect sentences and a few practice rounds with Ludovic, I successfully ordered a cake today! So, Joyeux Anniversaire Elise!

Leaves, Trees, and a Bird

Elise, Celia, and I are loving the change in seasons. There are piles and piles of leaves to jump and play in all over campus! Although the campus workers are working hard to consolidate the leaves into nice, neat piles, we don't feel bad about jumping in them! (Read a blog from the past...the workers love to blow leaves and dirt into our apartment when we leave the windows open! Revenge is a beautiful thing!)

It's so fabulous to walk around town and see all the beautiful trees. There are so many great colors and I'm loving the weather. I'd be totally happy to stay in fall for the rest of the winter! It's not allowed to get any colder!

Anyways...we had a great break in the weather this weekend! It's warm with clear skies and perfect for flying kites and playing at the park. Although our kite only lasted a few flights, (very tough wind in which the wind won the kite! It swept the kite away and it is now resting peacefully on the roof of La Maison de Mexico!) Well, it was fun while it lasted! ;)

Today we got to meet Katy's Dad! We played at the park, drank some delicious chocolat chaud, and got some fabulous treats from the States via David Thompson. Elise and Celia snacked on some Oreo cookies before coming home to a peanut butter sandwich! Brian and I are really excited to use our new chapsticks! And Mrs. Thompson threw in some very special additional treats for the ladies: stickers and holiday decorations; very nice surprises considering we did not pack a single holiday item.

Oh, and the Bird: Brian and I went to see Andrew Bird on Friday night at the Casino de Paris. Fabulous venue and it was an amazing concert! Bird sounded amazing and was so on. He was incredible to watch and I loved the show! I loved being out, I love our new, fabulous babysitter, and it was so cool to just be in Paris, hearing a great show, and then walking the streets on a very pleasant evening with Brian. We even stayed out for a beer and played a little longer after the show was over. What a treat!

The rest of our day will either take us to a Trampoline Park or keep us close to home and to fix up Elise's Birthday surprise and go for a ride! She is so excited about her Happy Birthday Bike! Hope all is well!

The Maternelle

So I was having a conversation with my mom this afternoon and she asked me if I wondered what the teachers and staff at the Ecole Maternelle de Elise think about me. We both work in schools and of course have fabulous stories to share about the crazy parents we work with, so it was an interesting point brought up by my mother that inspired me to write a new blog entry. Here we go...

First, a little background. It is a huge faux pas to were your exercise gear in public. For example, many of the soccer ladies will take the metro to soccer practice on Sundays and wear their normal clothes, jeans, pants, nice tops. Once they reach the field, the change into their shorts and T-shirts and once it's over, will change back. You cannot seriously expect to ride the metro in your T-shirt and exercise shorts! How embarrassing! The best part of it all is you can be stinky and sweaty in jeans and a nice top and acceptable, but totally unacceptable in T-shirt and shorts smelling like roses! Ah, Paris! :)

Now that you have the background, you will appreciate that my school day ritual has been to walk Elise to school and then go for a run before heading back home to Celia and Brian. Thus, I show up to school with my daughter in my exercise gear and iPod. I'm sure they are very impressed with me! What am I thinking? Exercise pants and shirt! I can't be serious!

But it gets better...on the 5th of November, the kids returned to school after the Toussaint Holiday Break. Now, if you remember correctly, Elise had an extra week of school off because her class was canceled due to her teachers' illness. Thus, we did not receive any announcements before heading off on holiday. The one big announcement we missed was that there would be a school wide puppet show the morning of November 5 in which each student must contribute 4 Euros to participate. Even though Elise didn't pay her 4 Euros, she still got to watch, however I was told to bring in the Euros as soon as possible. So, I went on my run, collected all the change in the house to make 4 Euros (1, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent denominations....a HUGE envelope of change! ;) and returned to pick up Elise with payment in full!

The next day my envelope was sitting on the teachers desk and returned to me during the drop off. They will only accept 1 and 2 Euro coins for the payment. In other words, take your inappropriate workout outfit and trashy envelope of change, and come back when you can be more presentable!

I'm proud to say that I'm one of those crazy parents that I used to spend hours complaining about and making fun of with my colleagues. It feels great to be on the other side! :)

Halloween and Free Musee Dimanche

"I hate these ears...give me candy!"

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

"Mommy, why is he going like this?" Elise Fischer

We had a great Halloween Weekend here in Paris! Our MESSAGE party at the parc was a huge success and The German Vera and I planned a great party. (Do you love it? Halloween in Paris Party, planned with German! How American of me!!!)

We had about 35 kids that got to Trick or Treat from bench to bench in the Square Violet. I'm so glad we did it! Elise and Celia really got into it too. Although neither one of them caught on to the idea that you go for a collection of candy and eat it at the end. They would collect one piece, eat it, and then look for another bench to hit up for candy. It was great.

Elise dressed as a beautiful princess (thanks to Jamila's beautiful gift way back when...it came in very handy as a Halloween Costume. As you can imagine, they are hard to come by in Paris!) and Celia was a very cute puppy dog. She refused to wear her hood ears but was still adorable in her costume.

On Sunday we took adavantage of the Free Sunday Museum Day and went to the Musee Rodin. There is a fabulous garden there full of Rodin Statues, including the famous Thinker. The ladies had a great time running around in the rain and checking out the statues. It's a great museum for the little people. We have decided we need to go back and check out the works displayed on the inside and learn all about Rodin's process when we are not muddy, wet, and very dirty!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Austria

Gina, me, and Brian in Solden!

Ski World Cup in Solden, Austria!

Our fabulous apartment building in Patsch, Austria!

Alpine Zoo View. The animals were lame, but check out this view!!!

View from our apartment...Bode Miller saw the same view from his apartment right below us!

Here's a not so quick breakdown of our first European Adventure! Austria!!!

Friday! Beautiful day in Patsch. After a long night of travel, I did a little shopping with Gina and Scott before Brian headed out for a snowboarding adventure. But it's not fair to say we did a little shopping: Gina shops every day for lunch and dinner for 20 people! We filled up two carts of food and got a lot of strange looks from the locals. (no one does that much shopping in any country of Europe!) Gina is quite the trooper for having to do all that shopping on a daily basis! Not a whole lot of storage space and small kitchens makes dinner planning for 20 quite challenging. But I'm quite impressed with how well Gina adjusted over the month and she did a great job for those kids. During our stay we got to enjoy two delicious meals with the team and coaches! The rest of the morning was very relaxed: Brian rocked the Austrian Alps, we played in the sandbox and in the yard, had a picnic, and took great naps! When Brian got home we headed into Innsbruck, on the bus, (it's great to try the buses in all the countries we visit) and had a delicious pizza dinner, with suckers!!!

Saturday: Gina and Scott had to head into Munich to take a student to the ACT Testing Center there so Brian, Penny, the kids, and I decided to adventure to the Alpine Zoo! "We can take the bus into town and walk to the zoo...it's not much further than the restaurant we ate at last night. But let's take the extra stroller for Elise, it wouldn't be fair for her to walk to the zoo, around the zoo, and home. Too much!" Too much indeed! What the map of Innsbruck failed to indicate on that short distance past the restaurant to the zoo, (from the bus station) is that the short distance is STRAIGHT UP! Did I mention that the zoo in Innsbruck is named Alpine Zoo? It's the highest zoo in the world!

Unfortunately, the distance above sea level is the only thing that zoo had going for itself. It had a big, tired, sleeping bear, a lot of small cats, and a crow! Yes, they caged a crow for you to see at the zoo. We did get to see some good cows, pigs, and goats at the petting zoo part and looked at some nice moose, but overall it was not a very thrilling zoo experience. The view was incredible though and worth the marathon up-hill walk. Innsbruck is surrounded by beautiful mountains and it was an incredible, clear, crisp autumn day and we really enjoyed the views and the weather. Plus, the kids got to play on the death-trap, I mean playground while we finished lunch.

Off to home and bed and relaxing evening at the apartment building!

Sunday: After learning that we woke an hour early because of Day Light Savings Time, we delayed our departure to 7:00 AM, which was actually earlier than planned but nevertheless a good time to leave after waking at 6:30 when we thought it was 7:30, for the Solden, Austria! Brian and I snowboarded the Alps there while the Ski World Cup Opening took place. US Skier Ten Ligety came in second and that was pretty awesome to see and hear live! Everyone was going nuts and it was a very cool environment to be a part of when people are cheering for their country! It was wild and we had a great time boarding on the Alps while the whole thing was going on. I kept pretending that all the cheering from the crowds was for me and not the world class skiers that were also going down the mountain! :)

Monday: Gina and I snuck away to the mountains and did some great boarding and skiing. We had a beautiful day that was cut short for our flights. But I loved getting out with Gina on the hill, snowboarding one more time in the beautiful Austrian Alps, and just being there! It was an incredible day. It is such a beautiful amazing country!

As we dangerously rode to the airport in a cargo van with all 5 of us in the front seat: Gina driving, me in the middle holding Celia, and Brian next to me holding Elise, we struggled to get into the airport because of the festivities being held there to celebrate Austria's National Day, Declaration of Neurtraily. We were stopped by the police directing traffic because Gina wanted to drop us off and be on her way...(and not have to navigate the streets of Innsbruck in this big-ass van with no windows and limited visibility)...the cop understood what we were trying to do and let us through, totally unfazed by the method of travel with our two small children! The irony comes into play when my screaming 18 month old is told that she can't just sit on my lap on the airplane but MUST be strapped in with a seatbelt extension. She was very unhappy. We made it so far that day with horrible, illegal, unsafe travels. Why did all the rules have to start post-bedtime with a tired, tired lady? :)

But overall, what a great trip! The ladies had a fabulous time with "that boy", Owen and "his grandma" Nanna. Patsch is a beautiful, quiet Austrian village just outside of Innsbruck. There was a gorgeous steeple church right down the street from our apartment and the view of it at night was fabulous. They had spotlights on it and with the mountainous background, it was so picturesque and peaceful. The weekend as a whole was so relaxing and rejuvenating. I loved spending time with Gina and her family. There is nothing like being with old friends and we spent a good amount of time sharing the challenges of motherhood, marriage, and just life in general. I feel like a whole new person plus snowboarding super star! Two great days on the mountains will do anybody good. Except for all the times that I bailed! Note: the T-Bar is not really made for snowboarders!

Hope everyone is well!

Tuesday

Celia in her "boy" coat! I never forget her pink shoes so people stop calling her "beau garcon"! (hey...it was cheap, it's warm, it's a little big, but she can still walk! :)

The ladies stretching with mommy!

So, I am sorry for being such a lame "blogger" but it has been a quite couple weeks. We have been enjoying the beautiful fall days with walks on the quad and playing in the park. I hope you all had a chance to watch Elise climb the jungle gyms on the youtube videos posted below. She is an excellent climber and even better pole lady! She can ride that thing down without any fear! I'm quite impressed!

I have also been working a bit. Can you believe that? I successfully finished round one of college recommendations. Early decision kids are out and round two will start in November. So, I have been a good lady and layed low for a couple weeks and worked on letters.

This week has been off to an interesting start: Elise's teacher is sick so I have been asked to keep her home all week! (the week before a 10 day vacation, Elise gets to spend at home! Lucky girl!)

They have no substitute teacher system here in Paris. The gov't has already cut staff so trying to bring in someone from outside the school to substitute a classroom is not an option. Thus, when the teacher is sick, they either ask you to keep your kid home or they split them up among the other classes. So Elise's 3 year old classmates were distributed among the 4's and 5 year olds. (I had a great chat with my friend Marie-France who speaks excellent English and helped me learn of the situation this morning! Her 3 year old was with the 5 year olds yesterday! He had a great time with them but was very confused!)

I could not imagine Elise doing too well in that environment. She has a hard enough time following Beatrice (the teacher) and her classmates in French, I'd hate to make her re-adjust for the week with a new group of kids. However, I don't think I had much of an option, the director of the school said to me, "No teacher, go home." She's very sweet! :)

So, Elise, Celia, and I have been hanging out all morning. Today Elise picked out a hat and gloves so that she can stay warm for our terribly cold walks to school in the morning. Tomorrow is a normal no school day (off on Wednesday's...being a primary school teacher is awesome!) and we will be back at the Eiffel Tower for Kids' Games! But the lucky lady! Her week and a half Toussaint Holiday that starts Friday just started a little earlier! I just hope she's ready to go back on Nov. 5!

We are off to Innsbruck on Thursday night to see the Whither Family! I'm so very excited to get out of the city for a while and be with some great, old friends. It has been over two years since Gina and I have been together so it will be such a fun reunion for us and our families. Gina has been in Innsbruck since the beginning of the month with students from her school. They are doing some ski training in the town Patsch. So, life is getting exciting again and I will have some good stories for you all next week!

Hope all is well!

Monday

Gratuits le 1er dimanche de chaque moid, toute l'annee!

The first Sunday of every month is free at all the musees et monuments in Paris! It's a great excuse to get out in the morning and see some of the famous places in Paris, and for free! For our first Sunday adventure, we took the ladies to the Centre Pompidou, a modern art museum located in the center of Paris. Described as, "a spaceship that has landed in the heart of Paris", the building really does not fit in among the old cathedrals and churches of downtown Paris, however it fits the goal of the former president George Pompidou, he wanted something "eye catching"! How do you like the picture of the standing pool full of colorful modern art located in front of the ancient church? Odd, right?

We went to the top via an outdoor escalator (that doesn't allow children under 13 or strollers...this is carefully labeled at the TOP of the escalator! So we took the elevator down!) and had incredible views of the city. The pictures are a little foggy because we didn't pay the extra fee to go outside, but they still turned out nicely. You can get the feel of this incredible city with it's beautiful buildings and scenery. I loved getting a picture of the Sacre-Coeur in the day where you can get a better feel of it's placement on the hill. It really is an amazing structure located in such a perfect, beautiful spot, eh?

Okay, I'm off to do some shopping and writing! Tis the season for college recommendations! :)

Hope all is well and Happy Columbus Day Weekend!

Friday's Paella

I finally broke down and bought the Paella from the Poissonerie. Not an easy task to eat: chicken on the bone, mussels in their shells, shrimp with tails! At least the sausage pieces required no work. Delicious!

A Church, Prostitution, & Halloween Parties

Now if that title for a Blog doesn't grab you, I don't know what will...

I finally made it up to The Sacre-Coeur this week. I have decided to get out once a week and see some of the incredible sites of Paris. Also, with this incredibly warm evening weather, I have no excuse not to get out. It soon won't be as nice or pleasant to explore so I'm getting out while it's still good!

Getting to the Sacre-Coeur was an adventure in and of itself. I went from the most southern point of Paris to almost the most northern. The metro trip was easy and not bad. Stepping off the Metro into the notorious 18eme, was not so easy and very bad. However I was never scared because there were plenty of policemen standing guard with their big guns and looking mean. That didn't stop all my fine new friends from offering me cigarettes, condoms, and other "job opportunities". Let's just say I was relieved to find my way and get to the Sacre-Coeur.

The Sacre-Coeur was very fun. I met my friend Katy up there and together we explored the grounds and toured the church. Completed in 1914, the, "Basillica of the Sacred Heart" is a beautiful Catholic Church situated on a hill overlooking the city of Paris. We enjoyed an amazing view of the Notre Dame and Pantheon. A quick walk up the street led us to a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower. With the night lights twinkling all over town, I couldn't have asked for a better night and view. It was amazing! Oh, and the church itself is not bad.

You don't get this view without paying a price: being located on a hill with a fabulous view, you must walk up a tower of stairs. It wasn't back breaking or anything, I would just advice bringing your running shoes. It's a great workout.

Halloween planning is well under way and it looks like we will successfully Americanize the Square Violet on the 31st of October. We're going to take over the Parc and have the kids Trick or Treat from bench to bench. With semi-descent weather we should have a great evening. I will start to get more excited once I get costumes for the ladies worked out!

Things are fabulous here in Paris. For those of you that are thinking of coming, I am researching the streets heavily and am becoming a great tour guide! Celia and I are getting out every morning and doing our homework. Today we enjoyed the Open Market of the 13eme. I love walking through this market and watching the butchers and fishermen prepare their goods. Or I sneak in some samples of cheese and fruits from the intense salespeople. It's quite the adventure.

But like I said, the weather is great and we've got to get out while we still can. The ladies have finished their naps and snacks and we're off to climb the trees! Hope all is well in the home lands!

The Senate

From the lack of postings you may have guessed it has been pretty quiet around here. It's been a week and I don't have a whole lot to report. Which is lame for you to read, pretty great for me. I needed a lame week.

Sunday we checked out the Senate Building at the Luxembourg Gardens. Most of the municipal and government buildings and some museums were open for free all weekend. It was really cool to see inside this mysterious building that is always heavily guarded. (The president lives there, I think...). The ladies really enjoyed the experience as we walked through all the beautiful rooms and learned that some people put art work on the ceiling! And we got to see Napoleon's thrown! There was a LOT of gold! ;)

Not much else has been happening. Everyone except me is very congested and having trouble sleeping. Elise and Celia are also battling a cough but I think are slowly getting better. Brian is pretty miserable but gets less sympathy because he's not as cute! :)

Hence we have been taking it easy. I'm helping to organize our Mother's MESSAGE Halloween Party next month. We found a park that we are going to host the "Trick or Treating" in and a little cafe that will take us all in if bad weather comes our way. Look at me, PTA mom of the year in Paris! :)

We are also enjoying this freakishly hot weather. Although it rained on us about two weeks ago and every Parisian warned us that summer is gone, fall has arrived, and it will rain for the next 6 months, it is now well into the 70's and 80's, bright, sunny, and pleasantly warm. I love it! Especially since I went out immediately after our first big rain storm and bought Elise a rain coat...it's still sitting in its bag in the closet...no need for it. But I'm not complaining!

It's also filming week on campus. There are 2 or 3 different films that are using our beautiful campus as their backdrop/scenery. The other day our main building was closed off and actors were roaming the campus in big black top hats and tuxedos. Yesterday there was a great scene that we got to watch over and over again as they tried different angles, props, and lighting. It was a comedy/love story and a fascinating process to watch. I wish I knew what was going on or at least who the actors were so I could show off that I'm star gazing! But the ladies and I just sit from a distance and observe. It's pretty fun!

Okay, I'm off to get more exciting in Paris so that not every blog has to be so lame. I did take a nice stroll through the streets of the fabulous 13th and 14th last night. However being a Monday night there was not much going on, most places aren't open on Mondays. I'm going to try to make it a weekly thing to get out and see places. More on that later.

I'm off...

It's cold!

I know, I'm an embarrassment to the family. It's 18 degrees here (yes, I'm working with the celsius...you figure out the fahrenheit. I'm so French now. We eat dinner at 20:00 heures egalement!) and I need my winter coat. I don't know what I'm going to do when it's zero! We are in for a wild ride this winter. You think I'm crying now...

The picture shown above is from our walk home on Saturday. We enjoyed a fabulous birthday picnic with our friends and on our way to the Tram spotted the Eiffel Tower as we crossed the south western end of the Seine. What a great picture, eh? It's moments like these that I really love being in Paris. It's so beautiful. Saturday was an amazingly perfect day. We continued our picnic theme that evening with the ladies, Katy (my friend from Prep), and Andy (Brian's colleague). It was a fabulous Saturday.

Now I don't want to boast too much, however Friday night I tackled la cuisine francaise and I must say it turned out pretty magnifique! I made a pretty delicious cream white wine sauce with eggplant, mushrooms, and zucchini. The special sauce topped a pretty delicious chicken, cooked in capers and wine. Now, give me some gas burners and I'm probably going to take my cuisine over the top, but I am making progress with these electric burners. More on that as my cooking develops...

Such developments may come quickly: I discovered the Rue Daguerre this weekend in the fabulous 14th. It has everything a chef de francaise could ever desire: poissonnerie, boulangerie, boucherie, and fromagerie. I could easily spend a million euros there. I was in heaven walking the short pedestrian street; the fruits and vegetables looked so fresh and the fish places were amazing. There were a couple wine shops with samples outside to try and you could try and match your wine tasting with a cheese tasting from the fromagerie next store. Heaven! The street is home to one of the most famous boucheries in all of Paris. This family owned butcher serves all of the best, most famous restaurants in town. I haven't figured out which one exactly it is, but when I do... :)

Celia is done coloring and Elise will be done with school soon. Thus we are off to picnic in the park.

A bientot!

Christmas in September

We received all our stuff today. It finally came and without sounding too materialistic I must say that it feels very nice. It's comforting to look around and see little pieces of home around the apartment and feel like we have finally arrived. I can already sense the change in Elise and Celia. Elise has taken every "baby" around for a ride in her shopping cart and is loving re-opening all her toys. I do feel bad that this is what it takes to feel at home, toys and such, however after spending a month in a strange new city where it's difficult to communicate with the people we meet on the street in a lime green apartment that feels cold and unwelcoming, if my ladies are finally happy and comfortable, I'll take it.

Am I materialistic, I ponder as I blog from my iPhone.

Just kidding, I'm writing from my fairly newly purchased Macbook!

Oh geez, give me a break guys. I'm just kidding! Well, not really but I must stress how good it feels to be home. I have a decent cooking pot and warm clothes, with options. I think my new friends were wondering if I owned something more than the grey, the brown, or the blue gap t-shirt? It was dangerous if I saw them four days in a row without a break in the rotation!

But in all seriousness, we are all feeling very good after being here a little over a month. This has been the best adventure of my life. I have learned so much about myself and even after pondering the materialism issues I'm dealing with tonight, I'm still feeling good about myself. We took a leap and a chance on life and look at where it's gotten us? We are living in an amazing city with fabulous new friends and as I ride the metro up to the Eiffel Tower with my ladies every Wednesday, we are surrounded by so much beauty and mystery. There is never a dull moment.

Speaking of dull moments. I was looking for one the other day as I rode the metro to soccer. There I was on Line 6 listening to some music when the train stopped suddenly. The train lost power for about 15 seconds and then the conductor came on to explain the situation. I guess it was ironically funny but still very serious because there were mixed emotions of anger and amusement from the crowd. I had no idea what was happening but it caused quite a stir in the train compartment. People were excited and talking to one another while I just absorbed as much of the experience as I could. Then as we started on our way ten minutes later, the people on the train went back to their own business of reading, sleeping, jamming, or staring off into space. I loved it!

Okay, off to bed. We had a fabulous evening at Brian's lab. They hosted a very informal party to celebrate the kick-off of the new school year and welcome everyone back. I got to spend some time with Sophie, Brian's boss, and his new office-mate Andy; both of which are fantastic and very interesting people. Brian is really liking his new job and is adjusting nicely to the new world of science in Paris. He has a lot of colleagues and is meeting new people every day. He will make a guest appearance soon and share more with you about his new world but in short, he's happy and doing some great work.

Hope all is well!

A week of random thoughts

So I have not been a very good blogger this past week. My only excuse is that there was a lot going on and we were squeezing in activities before school started on Thursday. We went to the Science Center, Eiffel Tower, and then experienced all the Drama of the First Day of School! Busy week! Here's our week working backwards from this morning...

1. Ignorance was Bliss...So I think I liked it better when the crazy old Frenchmen and woman made their comments to me and I just nodded my head and smiled because I had no idea what they were saying. As my francais is improving, I am understanding more and more that these sweet little old men and woman are not very sweet at all! On two separate occasions this morning I was scolded by different woman because Celia did (a) not have shoes on and (b) was wearing a skirt. They were very unhappy with me! It was quite amusing though to have them wagging their little old fingers in my face slowly yelling their disapproval.

2. I survived my first Parent's Open House...for my 3 year old! This was intense. Back to School night and I brought my friend Greg to translate. The parent's association of France is intense. I was only able to get about half of what they were saying because I finally had to tell Greg to stop -- meetings, elections, democrats, and republicans. It's a well oiled powerful machine that basically runs the education system. The directrice was very supportive of them however I did sense a little tension as they reviewed their goals for the year. I think I'm going to sit this one out for the year and see how things go. Yes, I'm scared. But the rest of the Open House was great and I got to hear about Elise's schedule for the morning, their goals, and ways that I can help at home. I think Elise is really going to like it there!

3. Elise's teacher is fabulous! Elise has officially made it 3 days and today was fantastic. Although there were many tears during the drop-off, I learned that they quickly disappeared and that Elise had a great day. She was in great spirits when I picked her up and is excited to go back tomorrow. I'm feeling so much better about her enthusiasm for the school and her willingness to want to go back. It was a hard morning thinking about all those tears and sadness. But my lady is a fine, dramatic actress and I know she knows how to turn it on for me!

4. Finally, the phone! I have had my iPhone now for about 10 days and I must say that it is fabulous! I don't know how I survived life before. I just love it. The only problem is that the lady inside the phone that tells me about my messages and inbox is French and I can't understand a word she is saying. So, I can't change my outgoing message and if I need to replay a message I'm screwed! Next on the list of translations, figure out the phone!

So there you have a quick recap of my adventures. We have been getting out and seeing some of the city too! We went up north to the 3rd and saw some of the Jewish District and bought some nice treats there. We had a nice walk along the Seine and enjoyed the beautiful sights of Notre Dame Cathedral. It's the Tower and the Cathedral that really get me excited about living here. It's so crazy that this is my home. I love it.

I also wanted to share my fabulous doctor visit. I went to get a medical clearance so that I can join the Cite Sports Club and work out. So I made an appointment with a doctor I found on my MESSAGE website (the mother's group). One of my favorite experiences of the day was sitting in the waiting room with all the other patients. As people entered and left the room, there was always a greeting and response. For example, when one woman came in, she entered with a Bonjour to the entire room and everyone responded with a Bonjour. Then when another woman left, she called out a bonne journee and everyone replied right back. I just loved it!

The doctor was great. Of corse he claimed to speak no English and took my family/medical history all in French (I brought a notebook full of notes in French. I came very well prepared!). Then we chatted a bit about what I was doing and why I came to see him. He admitted that he attends some English speaking classes and spoke really great English. There were a lot of medical terms that neither of us could translate, but it is very interesting how many frenchmen will refuse to speak English. They are embarrassed if it is not perfect and won't try. I found the same thing with the Directrice at Elise's school. Luckily my translator friend Greg was there and helped us along with the registration. However as I made jokes/comments to Greg about the process and school, she laughed at all of them. It was fabulous! They are sneaky those Frenchmen!

Off to parle francais. And then work on my futbol skills!

Big Day

Celia and Elise on their Rocking Motorcycles at the Park...check out the new video of Celia below on the YouTube! (especially the little girl who pays us a visit; it's our favorite part!)

So we had a fabulously big day today! We were awarded Le certificat d'inscription for Elise which allows her to officially register for pre-school. Following the awards ceremony (basically all of us skipping out of the local town hall!) my good friend Greg called the lucky school that gets to have us only to find out that there is no space. A little blow to our big morning but no big deal because it is their responsibility to find us a new school. So we are told to meet at the school at 16:00 to discuss our options.

Armed with Greg my interpreter, we arrive to find out that someone has canceled that we are in! It's a great looking school and we start Thursday! Big Day!!! So wish us luck as we venture off Thursday morning. It's an all French Pre-school and Elise is going to be baptized by fire, but I think she is up for the challenge. We will see!

Hope all is well back in the real world! And hey, shouldn't you be working? :)