Is this for real?

A friend of mine commented during dinner last weekend on how she wishes she could go back to certain places and times in her life and just enjoy them. Although loving her Paris life, she feels it is passing by too quickly and she has to work too much. She lived in Australia for a number of years and doesn't feel like she got to really enjoy it and she worries that Paris will end in the same result: although fabulous and full of good times she also realizes she can't take full advantage of this wonderful city, France, and Europe. Work and responsibility get in the way!

I've reflected on Rachel's comment a lot this week and feel so fortunate that I have this time in my life when I'm not working and am able to really enjoy this city. And enjoy it with two of the best ladies ever! Yesterday our morning started at Musee Rodin in the gardens and ended with a popsicle

in front of the statute of Saint Michael. In between, we walked through the Musee l'Armee and along the Seine. The sun was out and we enjoyed being out and about. There were people to watch, dogs to point out (we love to see them, just not pet!), and so many interesting buildings and sites to see. We frequently stopped to sit on the grass or a park bench as we munched on sandwiches and grapes. Life couldn't get any better and it really got me thinking, "is this for real?" Am I really standing here on the beautiful L'Esplanade des Invalides stairing at the La Tour Eiffel? This city is truly unbelievable and I am a very lucky person to be able to experience it all, sans travail, sans responsibilite, mais plein d'amour et de la vie!

Life is Good!

Staying true to our theme of trying new things every day during vacance, the ladies and I visited a new park on Friday and attended a rugby game on Saturday! Two fabulous days and two wonderful new adventures!

Le Parc de Sceaux is found in la ville de Antony, a 20 minute ride south on the RER B. Antony is a beautiful suburb made up of quiet streets and unique, large maisons. The ladies and I enjoyed our walk from the RER to the parc through the beautiful tree lined streets and quickly found the playground on the parc's grounds. Elise was thrilled to find a swing (there are no swings in Paris) while Celia climbed on a large wooden bear that had a slide down its back. So far, Sceaux was a huge hit!

After the playground, we walked along a tree lined path until we came to a large opening with ponds, canals, and huge water fountains. We meandered along the pond and enjoyed watching the water spray from the fountain holes. It was a beautiful, perfect day!

After lunching on pretzels and ice cream cones and enjoying the beautiful grounds and mini chateaux,

the ladies and I found a beautiful garden full of flowers and ladybugs!

Le parc de sceaux is a great place to visit and will be a part of our park routine come summer time!

Saturday we adventured down the road to Le Stade Charlety to watch a rugby game. Andy, Brian, the ladies, and I joined our friends Rachel and Simon for the game. Simon helped us learn some of the rules and we all really got into the game and cheered on our Paris Pink Team!

We all received pink flags to wave in support of our team. Elise enjoyed them even more post game as we walked home.

Flags are fabulous fun and such a special treat to wave around the Cite! Or at our daddy's head!

Oh, and our team won! I forgot who they played, but the pink prevailed and we proudly waved our flags as we returned home. Good times!

Life has been fabulous over the last couple weeks. Paris in spring is the most amazing time of the year and we can't get enough of the blue skies and shining sun. There are people everywhere! As I walked home from my run, I strolled on the Cite grounds past the grassy quad area and loved seeing all the families and friends gathering for picnics and soccer games. It's a fabulous way of life here in Paris. The park grounds are covered by people picnicking and enjoying the weather. I love seeing so many people enjoying life and taking the time to enjoy each other. These Parisians have the right idea. Life is Good!

Spring and Mad Style

C'est le printemps à Paris et il est fabuleux!

It is spring in Paris and it is fabulous! We are on spring break so our days are free, beautiful, and long! I've decided to take advantage of the weather, and freedom of schedules, to make it a point to explore something new in Paris each day. So far the days have been filled with lots of playing, bubbles, and sunshine! (and mad style on Elise's part...what do you get when you mix a 3 year old with a new wardrobe of skirts and dresses? see above...it's unfortunate that you can't see the black and green Santa socks worn with sandals!)

Monday we explored a new street in our neighborhood and window shopped. And to welcome in the vacance, we stopped at McDonald's for some french fries! Tuesday we went to a new park in the Sevres-Babylone area and meet some new friends for a playdate. The Jardin Catherine Laboure was a fantastic find and we had a great morning climbing on the playground and playing in the field. Then we took a bus across town to meet Brian for lunch. The bus ride itself was a fabulous adventure: we saw new churches, buildings, and water fountains that we had never seen before. We love riding the bus!

Today will be a quiet day at the market in the morning before heading off to the doctor for check-ups in the afternoon. Not sure what our "new" adventure will be for the day but I'm hoping something will come to us after our rendez-vous avec le medecin! We'll see what the ladies are feeling up to post-appointment. It may have to be home and naps...not that I'd complain!

In the cooking department, I made my first risotto last Thursday! Home-made stock and everything! The results were pretty fantastic and I'm super excited for the newest recipe to add to the collection. The risotto was a very labor intensive plate but well worth the effort. I made the stock from our collection of bones leftover from the Osso Buco we purchased the week before. It was delicious!

I'm also experimenting with different eggplant creations. Last night I soaked, fried, and baked the eggplant into a fabulous concoction that complemented our tomato, artichoke, and onion spaghetti sauce perfectly! I'm making some delicious progress on the eggplant; more on that to come!

It has been so refreshing to be in the kitchen with the energy to experiment, cook, and observe. I love trying new things and then eating up the results! As a working mom these last few years, although my desire to cook has always been there, my interest in being creative or learning something new was lost to playtime with the ladies or pure exhaustion from the days work/activities. I feel fortunate to have this time now to really explore and see what kinds of creations I am capable of creating in the kitchen. Plus, it's SO much fun! Ahh, to be in Paris in the spring and Paris in the kitchen! Does life get any better?

It's Spring!

Can you tell that Celia is very excited?

...she forgot her sunglasses at home! We keep forgetting that we need them now that it's springtime!

Elise is loving the fact that she can wear her new dress. Do you love the Parisian high fashion influences on her outfit? Heart dress with stripped socks! The lady has style!

The trees aren't "naked" anymore and we are loving it! The sun has been out for 3 straight beautiful days and we've been to the park, the "bear cave", and in our backyard for hours. The days are long and it's a fabulous time to be in Paris! There are people everywhere and it's a wonderful site to see. We've all climbed out of our winter caves to enjoy this incredible weather out on the park benches and GRASS! Since October 15th the field areas of the parks have been closed. Such a silly rule but now that all the signs are gone, it's a free for all and everyone is out kicking soccer balls and picnic-ing. I love it!

60 to 0 in 1.5 seconds

Craig and Jules just left us this morning after an amazing visit and we're feeling a bit lost after an intense week of Paris site seeing and a Belgium excursion! This morning I feel like I've gone from 60 to 0 in 1.5 seconds after such a busy week of hosting and exploring. It was such a great, great visit and now it's time for us to slow down, catch our breathes, and reflect on our time together.

We all had a fabulous time showing Craig and Jules around the city of Paris. It was especially nice for me to take them to parts of the city that I don't normally get out to see often or ever. Their trip through Paris quickly turned into my own adventure of exploring this city that I now call home. It was amazing to see it pas-stroller and little beasts. I am more than ever excited about this place and look forward to exploring more of it now that the weather is beautiful! It's fun to be a tourist in your own town!

The ladies can only handle so much at a time so on Saturday after our successful Market trip where we purchased some delicious cheese, escargots, and yummy sandwiches, Brian took the ladies home . Craig, Jules, and I drank coffee, visited a church, and almost got Jules arrested in a "friendly" English bookstore! It was there that the happy couple, safe from imprisonment, bought the not-yet-America-released The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. It was a very successful day!

The Paris days were filled with site seeing, a boat tour, and lots of delicious food. We introduced Craig and Jules to the fabulous French cuisine but also mixed in many of the worldly food also found in Paris. We ate Grec Frit, Falafel pita sandwiches, and even squeezed in some Lebanese sandwiches.

Tuesday we were off to Belgium for a beer themed excursion through Brugges and Westvleteren.

In Bruges we had some beers and ate mussels frites. Brian, the ladies, and I returned to our favorite mussels restaurant where the ladies were able to visit with their bird friends and Brian and I could eat in a little peace!

On Wednesday we rented a car and traveled to Westvleteren, Belgium to taste the World's Best Beer: The Trappist Westvleteren and it was fabulous! The beer is brewed by Trappist Monks at The Abbey of Saint Sixtus. In the cafe adjacent to the Abbey you are allowed to drink the beer and that's it! They don't distribute their beer to any one else in the world and each customer is only allowed to purchase one six pack. It was quite a unique and amazing experience to drink the Best Beer in the World! With their rules and regulations, very few people get the opportunity so I'm feeling pretty cool! (See the links to learn more about Westvleteren...it's pretty awesome!)

All in all, it was such an incredible visit/trip/vacation! We finished up the week exploring Brugges on Thursday and training it home. Friday was an absolutely gorgeous day in Paris and we enjoyed each other's company for one more day before Craig and Jules had to go back to California. We already miss them terribly but will cherish this time we had together!