Celebrating 15 years of marriage!

I can't think of a more romantic place in the world to celebrate my 15th wedding anniversary than here in France. Preston and I were able to spend 3 nights and 4 days in the Atlantic Loire region of France without the children! We are so grateful to our good friends Matthew and Kim for staying with the children while we were away. We had a wonderful time just relaxing. We went to Chateau de la Bretesche in Missiallac, France. It is a resort with a beautiful chateau and several other amenities like a lake and 18 hole golf course. Cooler fall weather was starting so it was the perfect temperature to be outdoors. We were able to take leisurely bike rides and relaxing walks around the property. Although we did not stay in the privately owned chateau, we were able to "visit" it. Actually, the official tour season was over, but the hotel receptionist told us that if we happened see the gate open, then we could just go in. Fortunately we were able to get in, but we were only able to see the inner courtyard. Just seeing the outside of the chateau was impressive enough. It was beautiful. There was also a spa in the hotel were we both enjoyed spa treatments and sitting by the indoor pool.

The main idea I had for this getaway was relaxation, but we also enjoying eating great food. We really enjoyed the Michelin 1star restaurant on site. For two nights we enjoyed long leisurely meals with at least 4 courses and wines to match. The area has some of the best seafood so we also went to the nearby coastal town Le Croisic, France. There we enjoyed more basic, but just as delicious foods like mussels and fries. The weather was great the entire weekend so we did a lot of driving to see the landscape of this region that is so different. This part of france is marshy and where a lot of sea salt is gathered by hand. We also visited a village that showcased thatched roof houses that are popular in this region. I purchased a few pieces of pottery that was locally made too. On the way home Sunday, we stopped in the Loire region to visit one of the most famous chateaux in france, the Chambord. It was very impressive on the outside.

It was a wonderful getaway with a theme of rest and relaxation and we certainly accomplished our goal. I am looking forward to more adventures in the coming years and I am very grateful for our wonderful marriage.

C’est la rentrée!

C’est la rentrée or It's the re-entry, is a term used in France to indicate the official first day of school.  The first day of school is the same day all over the country and this year it was September 2, 2009.  While every school aged child in France returns to school, it is also the time when most of France returns to work after the month long August vacation.  

It was a literal re-entry for us as well since this is our 2nd year here in France.  I guess I feel like a sophomore.  I kind of know what to expect.  I know which grocery stores I prefer and where to buy school supplies.  I know lots of families at the school and most of the teachers.  I have a doctor and vet and I know lots of good restaurants!  So I can help "freshmen" with lots of questions figure things out.  But there is a lot that I still need to learn about life here in France and a lot more French language to learn.

Preston has hit the ground running and has had several trips already and many more scheduled for the rest of the year.  Fortunately he enjoys his job and is doing well at it.  But we are so busy during the week with homework and activities that it is not so bad when he is away.  Besides, we still have weekends together as a family.  Preston and I were able to take off for a few days alone and celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary, September 10th.  More about that trip in the next blog!

Lauren and John are actually taking more French this year, but they don't seem to mind.  The only subject that they have in English now is English grammar class.  So science, math and social studies are completely in French this year.  They didn't lose much french over the summer and both are doing well in their classes.  In fact, I was trying to speak French with Lauren at dinner and she tells me in French, "Mama, I don't understand what you are saying in French because your accent is so bad!"  Like I said, I have a few more things to learn about French.

Maya has had a great start to school as well.  She has joined the choir at school and this year she has decided to take guitar lessons.  She is very excited and can't wait until she can sing and play some of the songs that she has written.  

This is Daniele's last year of high school (sniff, sniff) and she will be returning to the states in August 2010 to begin college.  I am so happy that she is able to have this experience.  Attending school in Europe has given her many great opportunities.  Last year she attended Harvard University Model United States Congress in Brussels, Belgium.  And this year Daniele has already been on one fieldtrip to London, England.  She went for 1 week with 30 other 9 -12th grade students for a bi-annual school trip to experience the London Theatre.  They saw 5 plays or musicals, visited Oxford University, the Natural History Museum, and many other monuments.  She loved London so much, that she thinks she wants to move there in a few years!  

But, the biggest change for me this sophomore year is that I will rentree or re-enter a traditional college setting in order to pursue more in depth French language study.  That's right!  I am going back to school after 13 years!  I will take 15 hours of French class per week.  My goal is to accelerate the pace of learning basic French grammar in order to use it in conversation.  I start class October 12th.  I am a bit nervous and I know I will be very busy, but I also know that I will get a lot more exposure to the language and will learn it faster.  That is still one of my personal goals, conversational French.  

Here are some of our pics from the first days of school and Daniele's London trip.