The Good Life, La Belle Vie

Top 12 things I love about Christmas 2011...#7

2011-12-31T07:40:00.000-05:00

#7 Dinner at La Table de Thierry

Eating dinner at Thierry's is like being his special guest and eating in his home. Over the years we have really enjoyed taking the children with us on occasion and having a nice meal. Thierry now knows what each child likes from their entrees of escargot to making sure he has enough whip cream to go with their favorite dessert, chocolate mousse. Lauren's favorite part of the meal is Thierry's aligot, a creamy, cheesy, wonderful puree potato side dish that goes great with whatever delicious main course he makes for the evening. Normally, we have confit de canard (duck) but this night we were treated to veal. I am not sure whether the children have had veal or not since I don't cook it at home, but if Thierry was cooking it, they were willing to try. And they loved it, every bite. It has been a pleasure to watch my children blossom in so many ways, including in their food taste and comfort with speaking french. We were all right at home at the table of Thierry.

Top 12 things I love about Christmas 2011...#8

2011-12-31T07:39:00.001-05:00

#8 My Faux Christmas Tree and New ornaments

This Christmas I decided to go really simple with my decorations. Our first year we had a live Christmas tree decorating disaster so the following year I purchased an artificial tree. It has been easy, peasy since then, just take it out of the box, fluff up the needles, string the lights and add a few ornaments. It is not a spectacular tree in size by any means, but it does keep its color, shape and didn't need watering while we where out of town. Of course it also doesn't have that Christmas smell, but that's what candles are for.

I have learned that there are few traditions and things that I am used to that have been tweaked since living here in France and the best way to handle that is to just roll with it and adapt. At least we were able to keep one tradition and that is singing "Silent Night" by the Temptations after the last ornament was hung. Daniele was in the US when we decorated the tree and called just in time to sing with us.

As far as ornaments go, I was able to pick up a few new ones on our Christmas vacation and this is my favorite one. Hand carved in crystal it reads "2011 Joyeux Noel the Gray Family". I purchased it at christmas market in Riquewihr, France along with a few other items.

Top 12 things I love about Christmas 2011...#9

2011-12-31T06:38:00.002-05:00

#9 Days off

And after a week on the road just before Christmas, it was nice to sleep in our own beds with no place to go. Lazy mornings, PJ days, breakfast for lunch, late night movies...what's not to love about Christmas vacation! Besides, it gave me time to catch up on my blogging :)

Top 12 things I love about Christmas 2011...#10

2011-12-31T06:37:00.003-05:00

#10 Christmas Concerts at school and church

These are two other annual events that we have enjoyed over the past 4 years. This year, John and Maya sang with his 5th grade class, "All I want for Christmas". Maya did an excellent job leading the song.

I participated in the International choir as we sang favorites like "Silent Night" and "Jingle Bells" in french, english, spanish and german. The highlight was when a group of parents greeted the audience by saying Merry Christmas in their native tongues.

Lessons and Carols service at church was different this year, but still very nice. The choir was all female and the service was held in the morning. I participated in the choir again. Our interim priest, Father Ted led the children in singing "Go Tell It on the Mountain" while playing the banjo.

These traditions and activities are not particularly french or american, but are international and vary each year according to the participants and audience. Just another wonderful thing about this expat experience, we all have something we can contribute and it adds to the unique flavor of our celebrations and holidays that we have in common.

Top 12 things I love about Christmas 2011...#11

2011-12-31T06:14:00.002-05:00

#11 Couronne de l'Avent

Each year the parent association at the children's school hosts a workshop for parents to make and decorate couronne de l'Avent or Advent wreaths and then the wreaths are then sold as a fund raiser. This is my second year participating in this event.

We start with baked french bread in the shape of a wreath.

Then we cover it with fresh cuttings from christmas trees and tie it down with nylon string.

The last and final stage is to decorate the wreaths with ornaments, bows and candles.

The reason why I love this event so much is because it gives me the opportunity to work with the other moms of the school, French and International. Last year I met several ladies that I have continued to work with on other projects and have gotten to know better. And since my french is constantly improving, I am better able to participate in the conversations that swirl around as we made the wreaths. There was the usual talk about about raising teenagers in this Facebook age, Christmas plans and anxieties, favorite recipes, etc. The fun part was I was able to follow along whether the conversation was in french or english, and it went back and forth. The funny thing is, now that I have a decent level of french, when some of the ladies speak in spanish, I can even pick up a few words. I have certainly come a long way baby!

This event is a great way for me to express my creative side and speak french. Of course I later purchase at least one of the wreaths that I make since I make some to match my decor!

Top 12 things I love about Christmas 2011...#12

2011-12-28T09:19:00.000-05:00

I have truly enjoyed this holiday break, spending time with family and friends. It is a bit bitter sweet since this will be our last Christmas in France, but it certainly was relaxing and fun. We were able to take a vacation visiting Christmas markets in Freiburg, Munich and Fussen, Germany and Riquewihr,France. Along the way we visited with friends, toured a concentration camp and toured two castles. We were in search of snow and found it, if only for two days. Talk about full circle. We took a similar trip our first Christmas here in 2008. Christmas in Germany is the absolute best, between the food, the snow, the charming villages and the warm people, it was a great place to start off our Christmas vacation!

So without future ado, here are the Top 12 things I love about Christmas 2011!

#12 Christmas Cookie Swap
The 3rd annual event was the biggest yet and had the bonus of holiday games. It is always great fun for us ladies to come together and share cookies and cocktails and just start the season off with a little cheer. The actual baking of the cookies is a bit stressful since it is still difficult to find some of the ingredients that we are used to in our home countries to make some of our favorite recipes like cream of tartar or peppermint oil. But we just got creative as usual and improvised. One made cupcakes, another truffles, and the smartest of us all traded a batch of cookies with the resident expat baker for a nail party for his daughter! Every cookie was not perfect or the most beautiful, but they were delicious and we had a wonderful time playing charades and pictionary of holiday movies and songs.

Plateau Gergovia

2011-11-21T10:32:00.001-05:00

I am really enjoying fallin France this year. The weather is mild for a change so we have been aretaking advantage of many of the outdoor activities that are available like walking in the area surrounding Clermont. During fallbreak a few weeks ago, we drove up to Plateau Gergovia. It is said to be the site of the Battle of Gergovia between Vercingetorix and Julius Caesar in 52 BC. Although we have passed this plateau often over the past three years, this was the first time that we actually visited.

Driving up to Plateau Gergovia

memorial to the battle

Puy de Dome

Add caption

All Saint's Eve

2011-10-31T20:01:00.002-04:00

This year we were in town and were invited to a Halloween party by friends of ours. Since my crew is getting a bit old for "dress up" clothes, we had to be a bit more creative with our costumes. I think we did pretty good putting together ideas from everyday items we already owned.

Lauren was a "Rock Star" with attitude.

Lauren with one of her "fans"

Maya was an "80's party girl" with shoulder pads and all.

Preston and I decided to "spice" things up and go as Salt and Pepper! This was the best costume we have had in years and it took all of 30 minutes to put together!

Check out our "hats"

John was so into his character as a "spy", I never got a clear shot of him!

We all had a good time at the party and there were other creative costumes there as well.

Southern Lawyer and Nudist on Strike

Ceiling Fan!

80's girls are very popular!

But the best part was hanging out with friends and eating candy. Preston was even able to bring some American favorites back with him that we generously shared with our friends like Nerds, Sweettarts, and Laffy Taffy since we can't get them here in France. The candy corn however, did not make it to the party. I am not that generous. It is my all time favorite Halloween candy and I had not had any in 2 years. I had a hard enough time sharing it with my children.

Where's John? Still in character, hiding in this pic!

Bewitched!

Host and Hostess with the most!

Creepy garage dance party!

DID YOU KNOW?

Trick-or-Treating and Halloween are not widely practiced here in France. American and English expats are really the only ones that have Halloween parties. It is difficult to find decorations for Halloween parties or even pumpkins for Jack o Lanterns. There is one village in our area that has a party every year, but they are a rare exception. November 1st, All Saint's Day or Toussaint is the holiday and it is observed here in France as a national holiday and businesses and schools are closed for the day. Most people take time to remember love ones that have died and buy Chrysanthemums to place on the graves, making Mums more of a funeral flower and not a fall decorative plant like we use at home.

Winning isn't everything...

2011-10-27T04:06:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post about John fencing, he selected this activity last school year, so when he wanted to continue, I didn't hesitate to sign him up again. Since this would be his second year, he was given the option to participate in competition. Now this was an answer to prayer for me. First of all the tournaments are held one Sunday per month, so although they last all day, it wouldn't be every weekend. Secondly, I felt John needed to learn how to lose and not give up.

I love my son, but he doesn't take losing well. He is very competitive and has a Ricky Bobby mentality of "if you ain't first, you're last." I have tried to talk to him by saying things like, "it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, but how you play the game," or "as long as you try your best, that is all that matters", but it doesn't seem to help. This is a kid that gets made at the Wii game and accuses it of cheating if he loses. He is also prone to quit an activity or game that he continually loses instead of listening and learning new strategies to improve his skills. I was hoping that competition in an activity that he enjoys would not only push him to learn a new skill, but also teach him to not give up just because he is not the best. I really wanted him to learn that through practice and hard work, he can achieve things as long as he doesn't give up.

Well, the first competition was perfect for teaching him how to lose. Unfortunately he lost every single match that day. Disappointed doesn't even begin to describe how he felt. Not only was he not first, he was actually last. Preston and his coach were very encouraging, reminding John that this was his first competition and some of his opponents were in their third year and had previously competed. All I could do was give him a hug and pray that I didn't have to drag him to fencing practice for the rest of the year.

Fortunately, John is maturing and learning to not give up. He returned to class the following week determined to learn what he needed to improve in order to do better in the next tournament. And it paid off! One month later, John placed 3rd out of 20 in his category. Competing against fencers from all over the region, he only lost one match in the entire tournament! John was so proud of himself because he worked hard and it paid off.

Winning isn't everything, but boy does it feel good!

John and his coach preparing for the match

John (right)

3rd place medal

look at that smile!

Europapark

2011-08-09T05:54:00.000-04:00

Now back to our previously scheduled trip...the next day we were on our way to a fun filled weekend with friends to Europapark, a theme park in Germany. Starting with the mice for mascots, to the park being organized by different countries like Epcot, right down to rides like the tea cups, a pirates of the caribbean type ride and a hunted house, lots of things reminded me of Disney.

Europapark was amazingly clean and well organized and had entertaining shows as well. The biggest difference was that everything was in German. We watched two shows, one in German but with lots of action, so it was easy to follow the story and the other was the music of the Beatles and the cast literally sang the entire show in English of course!

The park is located just over the French border, so a lot of communication was in French as well. Fortunately, the employees wore badges that indicated what language they spoke and between my French and English we were able to communicate. Well there was this one drink ordering incident in which I was relegated back to charades since the server only spoke German. I didn't get exactly what I wanted, but I did get a drink!

I would say my favorite part about this trip was the value. We spent less on two-day tickets to Europapark than we would have on a one day ticket to Disney. And the value continued as far as our hotel and food as well. We were able to stay within 5 minutes walking distance from the park at a very nice guesthouse. It was very family friendly including a nice yard and game room and the price for 3 nights was the same as one night in Paris!

One thing that was not like Disney was the fact that the park closed at 6pm. The great thing about that is we left the park at a reasonable hour and were able to enjoy nice dinners out and go back to our hotel to rest up for the next day instead of trying to stay in the park all night.

Of course the best part of the vacation for my children was the fun we had on the rides. I would say that some of the roller coasters were more thrilling than Disney and much more smooth than coasters at home. I am glad that we all love roller coasters and have the height to ride together. As you can see from the picture, there were lots of thrills!

Maya singing and playing "Marry You"

2011-07-27T20:13:00.012-04:00

As I mentioned in one of the previous post, Bruno Mars is Maya's favorite singer. I recorded her singing his song "Marry You" a few day before the concert. She has been taking guitar for the past 2 years and is getting better. I am proud of her for sticking with it and making so much progress. Who knows where she will be in a few years?!

Bruno Mars in Paris! (part 2)

2011-07-27T19:49:00.006-04:00

Once we returned to the venue, we were escorted to a small room backstage to wait with a few other fans to meet Bruno Mars. As he entered the room, he was singing "Rollin' in the Deep" and clapping. That really relaxed everyone and created a festive mood. He was very approachable as he talked a bit and took a picture with each person. Maya was just thrilled and couldn't stop smiling. She really didn't say much, but she did note that he called her sweetie.

We remained back stage and got to meet Natalia Kills as well as the other people that Day'nah has been working with. We felt like the celebrities as she introduced us as her family. Everyone, including Natalia stopped to talk to us and to tell us how happy they were to meet the family. Day'nah was just as excited to have us there, as we were to be there.

After the introductions, we went to our seats to wait for the concert to begin. As I mentioned before, the concert was sold out and at this particular venue, the ground floor in front of the stage is standing only. I was very pleased that our tickets were not only seated, but in the center of the section.

Natalia Kills opened and got the crowd going with songs that had strong dance beats. It was a pleasure to see Day'nah on stage doing what she loves and doing it well.

After her performance, Day'nah sat with us and enjoyed the concert. Bruno Mars is excellent live. He has an outstanding band that is full of energy and very entertaining. I think they performed every song on his album and the crowd sang along, Maya being the loudest of course. In fact, most of the footage of the concert that I recorded has Maya singing on it.

Following the concert, we went to go out to dinner before Day'nah's tour bus left for London. It's hard to believe that 17 years ago, she was a flower girl in our wedding and now she is dancing all over the world. We are so proud of you Day'nah and thank you for setting and excellent example for our children to get their education and follow their dreams. Thanks also for making this special night possible.

I made a video of the rest of our pictures featuring one of my favorite songs by Bruno Mars, "Just the Way You Are"

Bruno Mars in Paris! (part 1)

2011-07-27T15:18:00.049-04:00

About two weeks ago, Preston's cousin Day'nah posted on her facebook that she would be in Paris for one night dancing with Natalia Kills who was opening for Bruno Mars. Day'nah is a professional dancer and was on a European tour with Natalia Kills and we were hoping that we would get to see her on one of her stops through France. Unfortunately that particular night was the night before we were to be in Germany for a previously planned weekend with other families to an amusement park. Complicating things further, Preston had to figure out how he could take the day off at the last minute and when I checked online to buy tickets to the concert, it was already sold out. Maya was especially disappointed that things were not working out because Bruno Mars is her favorite singer.

Well as it turns out, Preston was able to cancel his afternoon so that we could leave after a few morning meetings. I also talked to Day'nah privately and was able to confirm that she could get us tickets to the show. We would be able to not only visit with her before the show, but we could see her perform as well as Bruno Mars! Now I decided not to tell the kids, but to surprise them with the news since things were changing so quickly. I didn't want to set them up for disappointment if something fell through. What I did tell them was that we would leave earlier on our trip and to pack a nice outfit to go out to dinner once we arrived at our hotel. I just hoped that I could keep the surprise for the entire road trip, as I texted Day'nah back and forth and spoke in code to Preston about the meeting place and time. It really was hard work not the spill the beans!

Side note: Surprises are not my specialty. Let's just say I have a history of giving away surprises. Christmas was a dud this year because I accidentally left open an email that detailed all of the gifts for the children. Darn facebook!

After about 4 hours, Daniele noticed something that looked like the Eiffel Tower in the distance. I explained to her that Lyon had an antenna that looked like the Eiffel Tower, so maybe she saw something similar. I had to throw her off of the fact they we were in Paris indeed. Minutes later, Maya asked if we were in Paris because she noticed lots of large buildings. Daniele responded with, "you know Paris is not the only large city in France". Thanks Daniele for helping me out! But it was over when Lauren noticed the taxis that read "Parisian taxi"! And when we passed by the Louvre, it was a done deal. They all knew we were in Paris, but still had now clue that we were meeting Day'nah.

As we drove around Paris, I began to blame the GPS for taking us in the wrong direction from Germany when it told us that we had arrived at our destination. As soon as the Maya looked outside, she saw the marquee that had Natalia Kills and Bruno Mars on it and began to scream, "Day'nah is in there, we have to find her!" Well I continued to play innocent, telling them to try to send a message via facebook while I talked to the security guard at the venue. All the while I was texting Day'nah that we had finally arrived. Within minutes, Day'nah exited the venue and everyone was jumping up and down with excitement, including her. We had not seen her since her college graduation party three years ago, the same summer we moved to France. Since then her career has really taken off.

As soon as Day'nah got into the car, she told them that she had not only secured tickets to the concert, but we had an opportunity to meet Bruno Mars! SURPRISE!!!! As you can imagine, Maya was crying with joy and everyone else was pretty happy too. In fact, the meet and greet was a surprise for me. Like I said, plans were changing quickly, but not as quickly as my children changed into the "dinner" clothes I had them pack. They were ready and looking good in no time in order for us to return to the venue for the meet and greet! I think it is safe to say that I have MORE than made up for the Christmas debacle. This was the best surprise ever!

American History in France

2011-07-05T03:38:00.000-04:00

It is always facinating to learn a little about the history of people and places here in Europe. It is particularly interesting when that history is apart of American history. There is a group called the Cercle D'etude et d'amitie France-USA that host various events in and around Clermont to promote French-American relationships. The president of this group is a history buff and began researching connections between the US and people in this region, Auvergne, France, years ago. He created an interactive map on interesting sites in Auvergne that relate to American history called "American spots." About two weeks ago we attended a picnic hosted by the Cercle that was held at one of those spots, Chateau Dauphin.

Chateau Dauphin

The Chateau Dauphin is a medieval chateau constructed in the 12th century by Robert Dauphin, Count of Auvergne and completed in the 15th century. The main structure has been renovated and is currently occupied by Count and Countess Gabriel de Germiny, descendants of the Moré de Pontgibaud family who have owned the chateau since 1756.

The US-France relationship is that in 1777, the chevalier of Pontgibaud and owner of Chateau Dauphin, became a French volunteer of the war of American independence with General Lafayette. He along with several others left France to fight alongside Americans in our war. After the war, the chevalier was made a member of the Society of Cincinnati. The orginal members were those officers, American and French that served in the war. Today the members have to be direct descendants of the original members. As a member of the Society, the Count has on display in the chateau the original membership certificate for the Society of Cincinnati signed by President George Washington.

Order of Cincinnati signed by President G. Washington

Here are a few pics from the day:

Center photo: B. Caillot, president of the Cercle with Count Germiny

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!.

En Garde ! Prêts ? Allez !

2011-06-22T07:16:00.000-04:00

After two years of taking tennis lessons, John decided he wanted a change. So in September, he and I went to one of the local gyms to get more information about other sports that he could participate in this school year. Now I was thinking something traditional like soccer or judo, maybe basketball. Really anything that would keep him active for about 2 hours to expend some of his energy. I also wanted something he could continue into middle school and high school. I thought I had him sold on soccer until we passed the Fencing, Escrime in French, table. On their flyer were Star Wars lightsabers and at the time he was really into Star Wars. After talking with the instructor and getting a pass for one free session, he decided to give it a try. Now I must admit, I was not crazy about a bunch of 9 year olds running around with swords in their hands!

Well, now it is 9 months later and I am proud to say that John has taken this sport seriously and has learned a lot about fencing. He has learned how to salute his opponent before starting a match and the correct way to touché in order to score a point. The goal is not to constantly cross swords, but to actually touch the protected chest area of your opponent. Saturday, we had the pleasure of watching him in a mini tournament and receive his medal for participation. One of the highlights of the day was seeing Preston fence against John. John didn't hesitate to try some of his moves on his dad!

As you will see in the video below, John is very agile and has great form.

I love it when my children decide to try something new and not only like it, but love it!

Congratulations John on a job well done.

J' ♥ Lyon!

2011-05-18T01:38:00.001-04:00

Springbreak was wonderful! I can't say enough about school vacations here in France! 6 weeks on and 2 weeks off...that is a great schedule. We decided to do two short trips instead of one long one this year. The first weekend was Easter weekend and we went to Lyon, France, about a 2 hour drive from Clermont. Lyon is the 2nd or 3rd largest city in France and a transportation hub. So we have gone through Lyon several times on our way to other destinations, but this was the first time that we stayed to visit the city. It is the perfect size city to see in 4 days and easy to get around by walking or using the public transportation. They even have bikes you can rent at one location and return to another location.

Since this was a short stay and close to Clermont, we took Prince, our little dog, with us. I am pleased to say that he did great! I was concerned about the car ride because he actually gets car sick. Fortunately we didn't have a problem.

Notice the towel just in case :)

The hotel we stayed in was great and of course they allow dogs, this is France. Even going to restaurants and riding the subway was no problem We just carried his travel bag for the subway and otherwise he was on the leash. He was well behaved and I think he had a great time.

Lyon is known for lots of things, one of them is silk making. So we visited a silk museum and demonstration, La Maison des Canuts , and saw the only manual Jacquard loom still operating. I must admit that it was not the most interesting tour for John, but Lauren, my artist was facinated.

Later that day we took a 2 hour walking tour of Old Lyon. We went inside hidden passageways between buildings called Traboules. They were built in the 4th century and were used by silk makers to transport their products from one part of the city to the other without getting the product wet. Here are a few pictures of our tour of Old Lyon.

Traboule

Of course what vacation in France is complete without great meals? I tried to make reservations at one of the famous Paul Bocuse restaurants, but they were all booked because it was Easter weekend. But using my handy Michelin redbook restaurant guide and some menu advice from my French teacher, we found several cute and tasty restaurants to enjoy.

Typical Lyonnaise Bouchon

Sausage Lyonnaise

Easter Sunday we were in Lyon and missed the egg hunt at church, so I decided to surprise the children and hide a few candy eggs and gifts in our room for them. I called them over for bible study, but as soon as John walked in, he saw a piece of candy. I mean there are only so many places you can hide them in a hotel room. Maya thought she was too old to hunt eggs, but agreed to humour her mother.

Afterwards we had lovely Easter brunch and walked through Old Lyon again. We visited one of the churches and listened to some of the singing.

Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière

Lovely view

We were so fortunate to have great weather while we were visiting the Roman ruins where Lyon was founded. The children had a blast playing in the theater overlooking the city.

At the beginning of our visit, we went to the tourist office and purchased a Lyon City pass. It allowed us free use of the public transportation as well as admission to several museums and tours. It also included a boat tour on the Saône River. Now I am sure there was lots of good information given and wonderful sights along the river, but the best thing about the cruise was it was very relaxing. So relaxing that all of us, including Prince took a nap.

All in all, our trip went off without a hitch. The forecast called for rain and cold days, but fortunately we had plenty of sunshine and only a few raindrops. Our last day in Lyon we visited Parc de la Tête d'Or, one of the largest city parks in France. There we had lunch at one of the restaurants on site and enjoyed the free zoo afterwards. There is also a huge lake, botanical garden, carousel ride and train for younger children.

Flinstones??!

water fountain

Barbe à Papa (Papa's beard)

Beautiful Lake

J' ♥ Lyon!

Winter break in the US...Here comes the bride!!!

2011-04-24T08:07:00.002-04:00

The night before the wedding, the bridesmaids threw a lingerie party for Jocelyn. We also gave Jocelyn a little "married woman's" advice. It was a late evening, as you can imagine. After all, that day we started with the Bridal luncheon, followed by the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. And then we had this party. I must admit though, as busy as the day and weekend was, we all found energy because of the excitement of the day and the joy of seeing family and friends.

caterer and god-sister!

The bride and her bedazzled "J" cup

Magnolia hairpins given as party favors

Finally the big day was here! Daniele did an excellent job as our hairstylist. She really is talented. Jocelyn had a few ideas of her own and didn't hesitate to assist. Of course there were a few hiccups that morning. What wedding doesn't have those! The biggest one was the fact that all 5 bridesmaids had the same color dress except the sash in the middle was to be cream. Well one dress was ordered with the sash sand-colored! Since all of the bridesmaids live all over the world, we didn't see the other dresses until the wedding day. Each dress had been ordered and then hemmed and tailored to fit each bridesmaid specifically. We decided that if anyone of us should wear a different color, it should be the maid of honor. The problem was whether or not the dresses could be switched after so much adjustment. Well God is soooo good! When they switched dresses, they fit the other like a glove! It was so amazing how it worked out. We prayed then and there to thank God for taking care of all the details for Jocelyn's special day!

Always a beauty queen!

Using that bridal emergency kit

Lovely Kate...and this girl can sing!

My baby brother...sweet Lee

As busy as we were that morning, I am proud to say that everything went according to the time schedule. From pictures before the wedding with the wedding party and then with the family, we were not on Bush time! For those of you that don't know, we Bush's are infamous for being late...to everything. But Jocelyn was determined to start her wedding at 17:21! It represents the scripture John 17:21 that is special to Matthew and Jocelyn.

Of course there were more snags to come, like the flower girls deciding that they were not going to walk down the aisle! So the wedding coordinator escorted them!

The kiss!

Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Watkins!

Welcome to the family Matthew!

My handsome men!

And away they go!!!!

Winter break in the US...bridal showers!

2011-03-31T16:23:00.000-04:00

Our final week in the states was full of wedding preparations and bridal showers. Jocelyn lives in San Diego, but wanted to get married in our hometown of Jackson, MS, so she flew in about 10 days before the ceremony. I am so glad that I was available to help my baby sister with last minute details of the wedding and I was also able to attend 2 of her bridal showers as well as a bridal luncheon.

There were many evenings spent preparing for parties and of course the big day. Spa and hair appointments as well as ladies nights with the other bridesmaids and hostess as we stuffed gift bags and met new friends and family from California. It was a long week with many late nights, but it was filled with fun and laughter.

Hostess preparing wedding favor boxes

Maya and Lauren getting pedicures

Now time for the nails

Lea, my middle sister and fellow bridesmaid

Bridal luncheon thank you bags

Antisha, Jocelyn's best friend and matron of honor

stuffing gift bags with goodies

Mississippi shaped chocolates

Ladies putting together the wedding favors...
boxes of Mississippi shaped chocolate

Although Jocelyn had a bridal shower in San Diego earlier in the month, my mom's co-workers wanted to throw her one as well.

Beautiful antique centerpiece!

Bridal emergency kit...will come in handy on the wedding day!

Petit fours...too cute

childhood friends +20 years!

We also had a bridal luncheon for the ladies of both families to get to know each other better and pass on maritial wisdom to Jocelyn.

Nieces and junior hostesses

Future mother-in-law

Bridesmaid and luncheon hostess

Wedding coordinator

Gift from Grandma...hinting for grandchildren already!

We love you Jocelyn!!!

Mom and bride

The Beautiful bride

Sisters and friends

3 generations of Bush ladies

Stay tuned, there are more pics to come!

Winter break in the US: 3 wonderful weeks!

2011-03-29T12:39:00.000-04:00

This year, we decided to return to the United States for winterbreak. It happened to fall two weeks before my sister's wedding, so Maya, Lauren, John and I spent almost a month in the US. Now as restful as that initially sounded, in reality it was a 5 state, 7 city tour chitlin' circuit tour. We visited family and friends in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Since Preston had to work and Daniele was in school, I was the only driver to each destination. I had to build in stops along the way and chain-eat Twizzlers to stay alert. But it was all worth it. Seeing the children with their friends was a joy. And the weather was fantastic! I think I may prefer visiting in March to coming in August because the weather was so mild, a wonderful break from the winter weather back in France.

John and Dad at banquet

Mom and me

shopping with friends

Milkshakes!

French-American connections everywhere!

Girl's Just want to have fun!

There is nothing like an American breakfast!

The highlight of our travels was spending a week with Daniele during her springbreak and visiting her dorm room and campus. And of course eating good ol' American food like hamburgers, steak and breakfast! I didn't know how much I missed IHOP.

USC campus

Giant Margarita!

weekend in GA with Preston's family

I would say that the only downside to visiting this time of year was that we were the only ones on break. Our friends had school and work during the week, so we did other things like dentist appointments and shopping until the evenings and weekends when our friends were available. We did visit the old elementary school and saw many teachers, but now that the girls are in middle school, they didn't get to see any of their friends at the school. It is always bittersweet to visit because things are never exactly how you left them.

Mmmm chocolate!!!

2011-02-11T19:29:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about living here in France is the food. I mean this is a country known for its cusine. I love going out to restaurants and taking pictures of the beautiful and tasty meals. Now normally I like to be on the eating side of the experience, but every now and then, I don't mind learning to cook something new as well, especially if it involves chocolate! So when I was invited to learn how to make chocolate mousse and quiche lorraine, I jumped at the opportunity. Christiane, our host, only speaks French, so it was like a french class and cooking class in one! Making chocolate mousse is actually a lot easier to make than I thought. Now Christiane doesn't follow recipes, so I don't really have one, but I took plenty of pictures and notes, so here goes....

Take one bar of dark chocolate

Break into pieces

Add about a tablespoon of water and melt chocolate in a double boiler

Stir and allow to cool slightly

Seperate 6 eggs, placing 3 yolks in one bowl.

Add melted chocolate to 3 egg yolks

Next, take 6 egg whites, add a pinch of salt and beat until stiff and peaks are formed

Gently fold egg whites into chocolate and yoke mixture

Me, gently folding :)

Transfer the mousse into another container or small ramekins and chill for at least 4 hours in the refridgerator

Et Viola!

And what do you think we did with the remaining 3 egg yokes...we made mayonnaise of course!

Now on to the Quiche Lorraine!

Making quiche lorraine was easy, but honestly we cooked without a recipe, so I will have to practice this one a few more times.

Enjoy it while it lasts!

2011-01-21T13:52:00.002-05:00

This winter marks our 3rd winter in France. The first two were bitterly cold with lots of snow in the city. And this is more than just my southern girl opinion...even the locals said that the past two winters were pas normal. Normally, it is cold and snows only in the higher elevations. Well this year, was a bit of a wacky switch up. First of all, there was snow on Christmas Day in South Carolina and here in Clermont. Who doesn't love a white Christmas?! On top of that it continued to snow in most of the US for the next week, 49 states had snow! And here in France, where winter sports are a major industry, we were having spring-like weather! I am by no means complaining about the warmer weather, but I must admit that when we went sledding and there wasn't much snow, it kind of put a damper on things. (I'll post pics and video of that adventure and our holiday visitors in my next post!)

So what do you do in Clermont when God blesses you with warmer weather? You take lots of walks. Here are a few pictures from one of our Sunday afternoon walks around town.

Jardin Lecoq

Eglise Saint Eutrope

Our street

Of course, weather like this couldn't last forever, and just last night it began to snow. It was really cold today and the forecast is calling for colder days and more snow this weekend. So while I am already pining away for more warm weather, I know that my friends that love to ski are very glad to see the return of the normal, snowy winter. My only consolation is that we get to use our fireplace, which is always warm and cozy. If there is one thing that I have learned well over the past 2 years, it is whatever life brings you, find the good and enjoy it while it lasts!

A great end to 2010!!!

2011-01-02T08:15:00.000-05:00

It is a bit dreary outside today, so I guess I will take down the Christmas decorations and get my house back to "normal." I must admit that taking down the Christmas Tree for me is the saddest part of the Christmas and holiday season. I really hate to see it come to an end. Preston was able to take 2 weeks off of work and since Daniele was coming home from college, we decided to stay in Clermont over the break. Lazy mornings, wii competitions, excellent food prepared by Chef Preston, movie and game nights....this break has felt like a real retreat. Tomorrow, we return to our regularly scheduled chaos: Preston working until 7 pm, long school days, activity packed Wednesdays, quick breakfasts and simple dinners prepared in 30 minutes. Our lives here in France still run at a pace that can be exhausting, but we have been refreshed and energized to meet the challenges and opportunities that await us in the new year!

sunday school visit to elderly home

passing out the handmade gifts

my little angel

white christmas!

before...

after!

The Page family joined us for dinner

Jen made a yummy caramel cake!

southern christmas dinner

Happy New Year to Everyone!!!

Our trip to London to see President Bush!

2010-12-11T16:54:00.000-05:00

Yes, you read correctly, the children and I went to London to see President Bush over Thanksgiving weekend! That is President Freda Bush, my mom. She is president of the Federation of State Medical Boards and had a series of meetings in London the 1st week of December, so I decided to meet her and my father the weekend before the meetings began. Unfortunately Preston was unable to go with us because of work and of course Daniele is in school, so this was the first trip that I have taken alone with just Maya, Lauren and John.

We decided to take the train from Clermont to Paris and then the Eurostar from Paris to London on the Friday following Thanksgiving. It was reasonably priced for the 4 of us to travel 2nd class, but not necessarily easy. We packed our bags "European style" ie. very lightly and set out on our voyage. The train from Clermont left at 6 am and arrived in Paris at 10 am. We then had to change stations by metro in order to take the Eurostar to London. This was our first time passing through the Chunnel and honestly, it was not as exciting as I thought it would be. The entire ride from Paris to London is only about 2 hours and the only reason I knew we were under the water was because it went from daytime to totally darkness for about 30 minutes and then we were on the other side. The most uncomfortable part of the trip was that we had seats that faced backwards the entire trip! Not good for someone with slight motion sickness issues. But with that being said, I love that travel in Europe can be done relatively easy without a car! Once in London we took the underground to our hotel to meet mom and dad.

Clermont-Ferrand to Paris

Eurostar, Paris to London

Since it was already Friday afternoon when we arrived in London, we decided to keep our activities light. Our first stop was afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason, a department store that specializes in teas and has several beautiful restaurants.

Mom and Me

scones and finger sandwiches

English Tea!

John and Dad

Beautiful holiday decorations

Afterwards we walked to Hamley’s Toy store and purchased a few souvenir bears celebrating the 250th year of the store. And finally we walked around Piccadilly Circus to take in a few more sights and sounds of Christmas.

Cute animated display

John's favorite toy...Lego's!!!

Piccadilly Circus

Saturday morning, we started with going to Westminster Abbey, the sight of the April wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. On the side of the church is a statue of Martin Luther King, Jr. along with nineteen other 20th century martyrs that are honored.

MLK in the middle

Next, we walked nearby to the Palace of Westminster House of Commons and saw Big Ben. Across from the London Eye, it overlooks the Thames River. Now this trip was a few days before the big snow storm in Europe, so it was pretty cold outside. Fortunately, there were boat tours available that were enclosed and served hot wine and hot chocolate. It was a great way to see lots of sites while staying warm and without walking!

We got off at the Tower Bridge and did a tour of the Tower of London. As I mentioned before, it was really cold, but the highlight was to seeing the crown jewels. Since it gets dark and colder around 4pm, we headed back to the hotel to eat in a local restaurant. There I had real Shepherd's pie with lamb and a glass of cider. Surprisingly, they were both very good. I am not a big lamb eater, but it really hit the spot to have a bit of comfort food on such a cold evening.

Sunday was our last day in London, but also the day that my parents were most tired with jetlag, so we slept in. We made brunch reservations at a wonderful Indian restaurant, Bombay Brasserie. Now I normally don't really care for Indian food, but this was the best Indian food I had every tasted! The staff was very attentive and helpful with explaining the food and what we should expect. It was a great experience for all of us.

After the wonderful meal, we went to see my Christmas gift to my parents…The Lion King musical!!! I know this was Maya's favorite part of the trip. A lot of the lines and songs were just like the movie and the children loved that, but my mom and I loved that the original music written for the musical had a more African feel to them. And the costumes and staging were fabulous! I think my children are hooked on seeing live musicals.

Our weekend was short and certainly sweet. There is so much to do in London, but the best part was spending time with my parents over the holiday.

Tenerife, a terrific beach vacation!

2010-07-17T08:20:00.040-04:00

One week at the beach with my family was just what the doctor ordered. We were able to use my parents timeshare and we purchased discount plane tickets to go to the Canary Islands for our 1st European beach vacation. Most of our vacations have been like nice fieldtrips, visiting museums and sites and days filled with activities. Also, the weather on most of our European vacations has been cold and rainy even in the spring, so it was time to find hot, sunny weather and lay around and do nothing except spend time with each other. So we headed south...

Tenerife is the largest of the 7 Canary Islands of Spain in the Atlantic Ocean off of the coast of Africa. The temperature is ideal year round with the highs reaching the mid 90's and low's in the mid 70's. The island itself is a full of contrast in the landscape. From the peaks of Mt. Tiede, a volcano located on the island to the desert like areas with cacti and of course the beautiful beaches. Strangely, the north part of the island was much cooler and overcast we needed jackets when we got off of the plane. But the southern part of Tenerife was beautiful and sunny everyday of our vacation. We stayed at the Hollywood Mirage Resort in Los Cristianos in South Tenerife.

The resort catered heavily toward British tourists, so English was spoken everywhere and it had everything you could think of from sports activities to childrens clubs to entertainment and bbq's. Many of these activities were free and the resort restaurants were very reasonable priced, making this actually one of our most afforable vacations. And we had a lot of fun too! We spent lazy days at the beach and the resort pool. We also visited a fantastic waterpark and took a 3 hour sailing cruise to see pilot whales. In the evenings we had family game nights and watched movies. We even participated in the resorts X- factor talent show one night! There were about 11 people in all and guess which 3 Gray family members were selected to perform? Well, I put together a video of our vacation and of course the performances. We had a very relaxing and restful time on our perfect beach vacation!

It has been awhile!

2010-06-20T16:20:00.015-04:00

Ok, so it has been awhile since I have posted anything on the blog. You may even be wondering what has been going on with the Gray family for the past 3 months. Well, a lot! So here is the the quick run down...

April...1 week in Rome extended to 9 days because of the volcano in Iceland (but I was not complaining!), Maya's 13th birthday and Daniele's 18th.

May... 4 days in Normandy visiting the Dday beaches and American WWII memorial cementary, rugby championships, Daniele returned to South Carolina for the prom and it snowed, yeah I said snow!

June...Kermesse (the annual school carnival) for John and Lauren , Maya's chorus program, Lauren's art show, going away parties, Church community picnic where Preston roasted a hog, and in 5 days....Daniele will graduate from high school!

I think I have been in the state of denial for the past 3 months! Between the weather and my baby going off to college, it has been easier to just stay busy. And speaking of the weather, it has been really cold and rainy, frankly awful for this time of year. This is the coldest spring that I have ever had in my life! There is just something wrong about wearing boots and leather in June! I am trying to think warm, happy thoughts as we approach the 1st day of summer.

As far as taking time to write the blog, I had been so busy with french and running the house as well as helping Daniele with her applications for college that when all decisions were made about which school she would attend, I just wanted to curl up in the corner and sleep for a few months. I also have been all over the place emotionally, so writing the blog was the last thing on my mind. Now facebook is another story. (don't tell Preston, but he may be right about my addiction, lol)

I plan on writing blogs about those activities I have not shared over the past few months as well as some of our vacations to come. Not that things are slowing down, but I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. Or is that the train that will hit me when I drop my babygirl off at school in 60 days!

Since it is still snowing, I might as well enjoy it!

2010-03-13T08:18:00.001-05:00

I must admit that winter is not my favorite season. I don't like to be cold and I don't care for the shorter, overcast days. This winter seems to be particularly long and cold. We have had more snow this year than last year. In fact they even closed school one day because of an unexpected snow storm. That being said, I do want to take advantage of living in a colder climate to experience some winter activities that I would probably not try in the states. Although we enjoyed skiing last year, we haven't been at all this year. The only winter activity that we have done this winter is sledding around Christmas. So last week we tried racquetting or snow shoeing for the 1st time.

After digging out our ski gear and of course long underwear, we were prepared for our walk in the snow. Although there were just a few snow flurries with no accumulation in Clermont-Ferrand, by the time we drove just 40 minutes, we were at Lac de Guéry and there was lots of snow! We rented the racquettes and poles and began to follow the signs. It was cold and snowing, but it was, for the most part, a nice day for walking in what looked like a winter wonderland. The course was 5.5km or 3 miles and was a very good workout. On one part of the trail we climbed up to see a waterfall. On another part, we could looked down to see the frozen lake. There were lots of people out, but not on the trail with us, leaving us alone for a peaceful walk. Well, as peaceful as it could be with 4 children.

Lauren and John enjoyed leading our group and always staying a little to far ahead. When we yelled for them to stop, they would commence to sword fighting with the poles. Daniele was ok, enjoying taking pictures and she has basically learned not to complain. Maya, on the other hand, was less than enthusiatic. During one of our breaks, she decided to start a snowball fight with people that were "annoying" her, namely me, Preston and Daniele. Well, that ended with Daniele on top of her!

As much as we enjoyed our peaceful walk, the icing on the cake was walking on water! Well, we actually walked on a frozen lake. Many people were out fishing on Lac de Guéry, so we walked out on the lake as well. I must admit it was a little scary. I just kept thinking about what I would do if the ice were to break. While John, Lauren and Preston were running on part of the lake, Daniele, Maya and I played it safe and stayed close together and close to the shore. We had just finished looking through a fishing hole, when I turned and my foot slipped through what must have been a snow covered fishing hole! I felt like Peter must have as I grabbed Daniele for dear life! Fortunately, it was just a small hole and I didn't even get wet nor did the ice crack. I know Daniele helped me to my feet, but when I looked up, Daniele was on the shore! I think she walked on air!

After all of that excitement, or torture as Maya called it, we drove home to find a warm house and lots of hot cocoa!!!

Relaxing Retreat

2010-02-24T17:22:00.058-05:00

Sometimes it is just nice to get away for a long weekend and just relax. That is exactly what we did 2 weeks ago. The children were out of school again for winter break and while it seemed that most of France was headed to ski vacations, we opted for a quieter, slower vacation in the Dordogne region of France. This region is known for its castles (more than 1000!) and for foie gras (Goose or Duck liver). Because this was technically the off season, most of the chateaux and tourist sites were closed to visitors, but the natural beauty of the area was magnificent.

We spent our days driving the country side. Most of the roads were winding 2 lanes that connected medieval villages and chateaux to one another. We were able to visit one chateaux, Castlenaud, and its medieval weapons museum.

John and Lauren had a ball playing and pretending they were in war scenes. I also loved that the children were able to see some of the history that they are learning in school. Lauren and Maya in particular are learning French history and were able to recognize some of the places and people that they have read about.

We also saw caves as we drove along the Dordogne River were people first lived in prehistoric times as well as during medieval times.

la roque st christophe

Sarlat-la-canéda is a cute town where we had lunch and were able to try the regional specialty, foie gras. Preston enjoys the whole liver, while I prefer foie gras in the pate form. The children however refused to eat any once they read about how the animals are forced fed to enlarge the liver. I can't argue with their position and there are certain things that I won't eat either. At least they did eat the confit de canard and pomme de terre sarladaise (fried duck and potatoes fried in duck grease, just a note, I still don't know how French people stay so thin!).

As far as the town of Sarlat, it was beautiful with an italian flavor and I loved how the stone of the buildings had a golden hue. We spent the afternoon walking around getting a much needed stroll after such a large, delicious meal.

Although I really enjoyed the history and the beauty of the region, truly the best part of our trip was the house we rented from an American couple, George and Linda. Mulberry Tree Cottage is a beautiful, spacious home away from home. George and Linda were very accomodating as host and thought of every little thing to make our stay comfortable for us. From the welcome note on the fridge and wine and chocolates, to restaurant recommendations and driving us to the store in the nearby village, they were there to help and answer questions. The modern kitchen was completely stocked with every utensil Preston needed to prepare delicious meals, and they even had bathrobes and extra blankets that added an extra touch of comfort. From their English language DVD collection, we watched the Lord of the Rings triology each evening in the cozy living room and although the house is a former abbey, they had wifi!

The house has a huge yard with a heated swimming pool and jacuzzi, gotta try it next time we visit, and the swing set on the property was a welcomed change of pace for us. It really was so peaceful and quiet. I forgot how much I missed having a yard since we have lived in an apartment for the last 18 months. They also own chickens that provided us with fresh eggs every morning. I really enjoyed getting to know George and Linda as well. We will certainly return in the future for another stay and a backyard BBQ when the weather is nicer.

Sleeping in and lazily exploring the country side was a needed change of pace. I love the hustle and activity of European cities, but it is nice to get away for a quiet retreat.

Vinidôme 2010

2010-02-10T09:49:00.081-05:00

You may remember that one of my personal goals when moving here to France was, among other things, to learn about French wine. That has proven to be a difficult task. In fact I have given up a few times, only to have my interest peaked again. I mean, wouldn't it be a shame to live here for several years and not know anything about wine?

Well, this past Sunday, Preston and I went to Vinidôme 2010 here in Clermont-Ferrand with our good friends Robin and Oscar. Vinidôme is a wine exposition held once a year with well over 300 wineries from all over France. Each winery has a booth were you can taste different wines and talk to the wine makers themselves.

Last year, Preston and Oscar went alone. 3 hours and 5 cases of wine later, Preston returned home. Not only was I surprised at how much he spent (did you have to buy cases, they don't sell just 1 bottle?!), but I was also surprised that he didn't buy wines that I preferred (the real issue). All of the wines he purchased were reds and I like white. What was he thinking? Well it all worked out because I actually grew to like some of the wine and we didn't have to buy any more red this past year. However, this year I knew I had to go to "supervise".

Our goal this year was to buy enough wine to last over the next year as well as get a larger variety of wines, ie. stuff that I like too. I also thought this would be a great opportunity for me to learn more about French wine. Well, let me just say that Vinidôme was OVERWHELMING!!! With all of those wine vendors from different regions, it was just information overload. Now I know why Preston got a little carried away! I quickly changed my strategy from learning about new wines to finding wines that I know I like and tasting those. That's the real advantage to Vinidôme. You get to taste everything before you buy it. Most of the wine is priced better at the expo as well, so you can get a better wine for a lower price.

All in all it was a very successful evening. The task was to purchase wine and that is exactly what we did. After several hours of tasting...we purchased 7 cases of wine and 3 cases will be delivered next week! I guess I did a pretty good job "supervising"!

We had a fun evening and hopefully have enough wine for the rest of the year. We now have plenty of everyday table wine as well as really good ones for special dinners and guests. I still don't know much about French wine, but I do know that I like what we bought!

Christmas with Family, Part 2

2010-02-04T17:54:00.002-05:00

Okay, I can't believe that Christmas was over a month ago. Where did the time go?! I have been sooooo busy with university French classes that I just haven't made time to blog much lately. Between my school work, the children's school work, activities, and life in general, I have been going full speed! But I miss sharing our adventures and keeping friends and family up to date, so....I'm back!

I want to share some pics of my parents' Christmas/New Year's visit. This is a post that I started at the beginning of January...

On Christmas Eve, my parents arrived! Paris with Connie was fun, but what I really wanted was my family together at home during the holidays. I tried not to plan too much since my parents would only be here for a week, but I wanted to share as much of our life here in France with them as possible. The first night was easy since it was Christmas Eve. We went to church service where the children participated in the Christmas pagent. My mother was so happy to see that even though we are in a different country her grandchildren are still taking part in church activities.

After service we returned home for a raclette meal. This is Swiss/French traditional meal and is great in the winter time. How can you go wrong with meat, cheese and potatoes?! It is a very filling and delicious meal. We took a day trip to Mont Dore, a nearby ski resort, to play in the snow. Ok, mom and dad just kinda stood around, trying to stay warm. But Connie and Preston were like little kids, rolling in the snow and playing.

The other days were spent catching up on sleep that was lost on watching movies into the wee hours of the morning. We went out to dinner a few times and invited friends over for a few nights as well. It was great to introduce my family and my new friends to each other. We celebrated New Year's eve and my mother was able to present her book Hooked on another evening. On Connie's last night in town, we all went to one of our favorite french restaurants, La Table de Thierry. We had the entire place to ourselves and very personalized service from Thierry himself. The meal was excellent!

Our week was full of laughter, good food, family time, celebration and late nights. There was not one outstanding moment for me, but many moments that I will always remember.

On January 1, my parents left Clermont and returned home. Although I was exhausted, I was completely satisfied and full of joy. We all were so thankful to have this precious time with my parents and aunt. This was certainly our best Christmas in France!

Christmas with Family, Part 1

2010-01-09T13:50:00.051-05:00

Although the beginning of the month was a little rough, it ended really nicely. I received the best Christmas gift ever...Preston's Aunt Connie and my parents, Lee and Freda, visited for Christmas break! We were so excited to have family here with us this year.

The first one to arrive was Auntie Connie. We drove to Paris to pick her up and stayed 1 night so that she could see the sights. We have become experts in touring Paris in 1 day. We even know the metro stops by heart to most of sights. Although this is our 5th trip (can you believe it!) to Paris, there is something about that city that I just love. I really don't mind visiting often. With so many things to do and see in Paris, on each trip we try to experience something new, but there is always something that we want to do the next time we go back.

Visiting during Christmas time was a different experience for us. Although it was cold and sometimes raining, the christmas lights and activities were very festive. We also enjoyed staying in the Rue Cler area of Paris and discovering good and reasonably priced cafes near the Eiffel Tower. Auntie C had a great time seeing all of the places and things that she had read about. One of the new sites for us was the Versailles. It was our 1st time there and it did not disappoint. Yes the decor was over the top and the palace was immense, but what would you expect to find in the house that was built for the King and Queen who moved out of the Louvre!

After 2 days in Paris, it was time to return home to Clermont. My parents were flying into Clermont and we had to prepare for Christmas day at home with family.

December 2009...Oh what a month!

2010-01-03T04:35:00.039-05:00

December started off with a bang...a bang of sick bugs! During the first 2 weeks of the month, all of us, except for Maya, had either a stomach flu or THE flu or both! It started with John having a fever at the Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. By Monday I was in Urgent care with him because he was dehydrated. Thank God I am improving in my french because although our doctor speaks english, no one did at the hospital. Preston was out of town so I had to take John alone. Fortunately he didn't have to stay overnight.

Tuesday, I was feeling fine except for a dry cough, but by Wednesday morning, I could not get out of bed! I went to the doctor and got Tamiflu prescriptions for everyone, but I had to send Daniele to the pharmacy. I had never felt so bad in my life and I had no energy left. Daniele also picked up masks and hand sanitizer and John and I were on quarantine. Preston was still out of town.

Thursday was Lauren's birthday and Maya and Daniele fixed breakfast in bed for Lauren. I was still to sick to move. Although quarantine was still in effect, by noon, both Daniele and Lauren were home with the flu. Maya was the last one standing and Preston wouldn't be home for another day. My friend Bethany made dinner and sent it over. I cancelled Lauren's birthday party that was scheduled for Saturday and for the rest of the weekend, Maya and Preston took care of the rest of us.

I was glad that Preston was finally home, but I was hoping that he would avoid the bug. We were able to have Lauren's party around lunch time, but by 4 pm, Preston couldn't keep any food down. Unfortunately, he was sick with a stomach flu. Maya is still the only one that has not gotten ill!

Needless to say, I have been really behind on everything...including writing the blog. So I will try to catch you up on a few of the highlights of December!

American Cookie swap Party...

My 1st ever cookie swap and it happens in France! This is not a french tradition, but it was fun exchanging recipes and hanging out with friends.

French Class Christmas Party...

I am taking a french class at the local university and most of my classmates are college aged students from China. I am the only American in my class and there is another Michelin wife from Japan in the class as well. So when we were asked to bring in goodies for the christmas party, most of them were asian treats that I had never tasted before. Some were good and some were not so good. We played games in french, but the best part was watching my french teacher eat the asian food. She didn't like anything!

Christmas Programs...

Although I had missed half of the practices, I was feeling better in time for the Christmas program at church. We put together a choir to sing several songs during the lessons and carols program. I had a lot of fun leading a song with Paula. John and Lauren also sang with the childrens choir.

The school also had a program and John and Lauren participated in that one as well. The cutest song was an Australian song were Santa uses 6 white boomers (male kangeroos) instead of reindeer. Since it is summer in December in Australia, it is too hot for the reindeer. Never really thought about it until they sang the song.

Lauren's Birthday Party...

We eventually had the party 1 week later and it was a great success! Lauren and one of her friends got their ears pierced together the night before and the following day for lunch she had other friends over to make crafts and hangout.

Christmas Circus...

How does a clown learn to fly like the angels he sees in the sky? Is it by juggling for the angels? NO! Is it by making wings out of cardboard? NO! According to this French-Brazilian performance, he must die! And what better way to go than by an angel stabbing you?! This was the story line and conclusion to the christmas spectacle we saw. As you can see in the video below, the performance was beautiful, but the story did not quite get me into the christmas spirit.

Putting up the Christmas tree...

This year I decided to buy an artificial tree after last year's disaster. Although it was shorter than I wanted it to be, it was already on sale for half price 4 weeks before christmas! So I paid 25 euros for it. Not bad! And since I don't have that many decorations here, a shorter tree was perfect. Decorating the house for christmas was quick and easy. Printing and sending out Christmas cards was not and for the 2nd year in a row, I have not sent out Christmas cards. I have got to do better next year!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Ours was wonderful because of 3 special visitors. I will share all of the details of our Christmas break soon.

Giving Thanks

2009-12-01T15:46:00.019-05:00

Since Thanksgiving is an American holiday, everyone in France, including my family, was at work, school and going about their normal day last Thursday. The American expat community and friends celebrate with a community dinner the Sunday following Thanksgiving, so I decided that we would join them and have Thanksgiving dinner then.

Several American mothers were asked to come in and speak to the English classes for the French students to explain some of the ways we celebrate Thanksgiving and why. I spoke to a group of 3rd graders and explained how my family celebrates Thanksgiving today. I told them about how my family was gathering with aunts and uncles and cousins to share a large feast with wonderful dishes like, turkey, sweet potatoes, dressing and greens and more. For us it is a special occasion and we take time to tell each other what we are truly thankful for. We also pray together and thank God for his blessings. After questions were answered, we served pumpkin pie and the children sang a cute song about not wanting to be a turkey. (I had never heard it before, but I guess it was about Thanksgiving)

Leaving the school, I begin to think about all of the wonderful memories that I had of Thanksgiving, of family and friends back home and I decided to fix a meal for the family. As everyone started coming home, they were surprised to find me in the kitchen baking turkey, mashing potatoes, cooking cabbage (I still can't find greens here!) and preparing to bake a sweet potato pie. Daniele was the most surprised of all. I didn't think she cared as much, but then again, this is her last Thanksgiving at home before college. I was really glad I changed my mind and cooked dinner. Sitting around the table for the first time all week with the entire family was a blessing and we shared with one another what we were thankful for. We all have so much to be grateful for.

Here are some pictures from our community dinner last Sunday.

Father and son fishing

2009-10-29T11:24:00.006-04:00

John and Preston have been long overdue for some father and son time, so Preston took him fishing last weekend. They went to a local lake that also has a stocked pond with trout. This was John's 1st time fishing, so it was a real treat. They left early in the morning and were back by mid afternoon with 8 large trout! I was impressed that they were so big! Icouldn't wait to taste the catch. Preston and John cleaned the fish and fried it for us for lunch the next day. The pictures say it all, It was great!

Le Puy en Velay

2009-10-17T17:33:00.037-04:00

Le Puy en Velay is known for its lentils, lace and green liqueur, Vervaine, as well as for having a medieval renaissance festival once a year. The festival is called Le Roi de L'oiseau or the Bird King festival. Each year the locals as well as visitors dress in medieval costume and the entire town is transformed to medieval times. There were peasants and street musicians as well as people in velvet gowns attending parties and dancing. Lauren had a costume from last school year and John had a sword, so they were ready to participate. Preston tried to rent costumes for the rest of us, but thankgoodness they were all rented out! I was perfectly content to walk around and observe.

In the past, the festival centered around the Bird King contest. The person that shoots the most birds with a bow and arrow would be crowned Bird King and would not have to pay taxes for the year. Although the contest is still held as part of the festival, they shoot targets instead of birds and the prize is no longer free taxes. Believe me, Preston asked.

It was great to walk around the cobblestones and see the women washing in the fountain or hand making lace. We watched several exhibitions at the base of the cathedral and sampled the local food. We ate fruit pies, crepes and drank hypocrat, a spiced wine. Of course we had lentils and a verveine flavored dessert for dinner at a quaint little restaurant. It was a fun day for all of us, especially John and Lauren. They had a great time pretending to be a lady and a knight. John didn't have a complete costume, so we bought him a few pieces before the night was over.

We had such a great time this year that I hope that we can go back to the festival again. I might even go all out and rent costumes for the whole family!

Just Don't Quit!!!

2009-10-07T14:22:00.028-04:00

I bet you think we have lost our minds, climbing in the trees like that! I can hear my mom saying now, "Just because some French people climb trees, does that mean that you have to too. So if they start jumping off bridges...." We actually had a really great family day. It was John's birthday and we wanted to do something, well, different.

We went to Parc Ecureuil or Park Squirrel, just outside of Clermont. Now I have NEVER been on a ropes course in my life, but I was willing to give it a try. After a brief explanation, in french, and a short walk through of how to connect our harness to the ropes, we were off, ON OUR OWN, to climb. There were patrols stationed throughout the park, but basically you were on your own. The first course we did was a green level course that all of us were old enough and tall enough to handle. It was about 3 to 6 feet off of the ground and not too challenging once we got the hang of it. The first time we went through it took us about 30 minutes to complete it. You begin each section of the course by connecting yourself with two hooks to the upper rope. Each time you move from one section to another, you must unhook your harness, one hook at a time, and reconnect to another rope. The entire time you are connected to a rope and standing on either another rope or a platform or something. Believe me, you are secure! Once we convinced ourselves of that, the second time we completed the same course in about 10 minutes! There is nothing like knowing what to expect next. Even the zip-line at the end was not as bad the second time around.

After lunch, we allowed Lauren and John to climb the orange, childrens' course twice. It was a nice break for us big people and enough of a challenge of them. Lauren had a tough time swinging into a rope configuration that looked like a spiderweb. She was really scared, but we told her, "Just don't quit", and she did it! John's problem was not being scared enough. He would not slow down. He actually slipped and scratched his leg on one of the parts because he was trying to run! But like I said, it was very secure and he was connected to the upper rope the entire time. He thought he was spiderman and really enjoyed the ropes course.

Well, Daniele, Maya, Preston and I decided that we would do the Blue course. This was the course after the "easy" green and we knew that we didn't want to do the red or the black courses. Surely we could handle the green since it is rated for 11 year olds! First of all we started 10 to 15 feet off of the ground and I am sure we went as high as 20 feet! That is high when all you have is a couple of hooks connecting you to a rope! Although you know that you can't fall, it sure looks and feels like you can! That little tarzan swing that Lauren had was nothing compared to the one we had. You could not just lean over and grab the next, you had to swing. Let me tell you, there was a lot of jungle calling and screams that day. To make it worst, there was a group of young kids impatiently waiting on us at every station. There really is no way to pass one another, so they had to wait. We were not going to get through this course in 10 minutes! Each part got progressively challenging and we seemed to get higher in the trees! At one point, Maya would not move. She wanted to get down, but there was no way to get down. She had to finish the course. So we all had to encourage her and talk her through each stage. We just kept saying to her, "Just don't quit!" She took her time and although she was scared, she did it. By the time we got to the last station, the zip-line, we were so happy to see the end, we jumped on it with no hesitation. Needless to say, we didn't do THAT course again!

At the end of the day, I was very proud of everyone in the family. Not only did we have fun, but we tried something very different and challenging and we met our challenge! I reminded the children that sometimes life is like that ropes course. It can be scary and challenging, but God is our harness and no matter how difficult things get, we can't fall. We will finish what we have started if we Just Dont Quit!

Celebrating 15 years of marriage!

2009-09-30T11:34:00.035-04:00

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!

2009-09-19T03:54:00.034-04:00

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.

Going back home

2009-08-31T04:05:00.069-04:00

This summer, the children and I decided to return home to the US for 7 weeks. We had not been home for 10 months! The children were ready to see friends, eat at IHOP and just relax for the entire summer without speaking French. Preston had work responsibilities until August, then he would be off for one month. That's right, ONE MONTH. August is the month when the entire country of France is on vacation! Just about everyone in France is off of work. Stores are closed and services are very limited during this time. Basically, you can't get anything done, so you might as well go on vacation too! Vacation time is one of the many benefits of living here in France.

Since we had not been home for almost a year, we wanted to see everyone we could, eat everything we missed in France and catch up on our tv shows. For the past year, the only shows that we really watched were the ones that we could find on Youtube. Although we have CNN broadcast in english and many popular US tv shows are dubbed in French, it is not the same. I mean, the joy of watching tv is that it is mindless entertainment. And watching depressing world events or translating old episodes of "Friends" or "My Wife and Kids" is not mindless!

So with our mission clearly stated, we began our summer "vacation." Here are the numbers:

7 weeks

13 cities

Jackson, Mississippi

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Atlanta, Georgia

Orlando, Florida

Irmo, South Carolina

Greenville, South Carolina

Albemarle, North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

Milledgeville, Georgia

Byron, Georgia

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Dominican Republic

Edisto Beach, South Carolina

And tons of friends and family!

WHEW!!!! It was a full schedule, but we enjoyed it! We ate at the Cheesecake Factory (no cheesecake in France), Carrabas, PF Chang's, Monterey's Mexican, Chick-fil-a (several times), Bone Fish, Zaxby's, Cracker Barrel (no big breakfast places in France), Hyman's seafood (shrimp poboys) and finally IHOP. There were several other resturants that we visited, but these were the restaurants that we missed the most. However, the foods that I really missed were the homemade dishes. BBQ ribs and chicken, macaroni and cheese, fried Misssissippi catfish, greens, lowcountry shrimp boil, shrimp and grits, cornbread, homemade pound cake! MMMMMMMM....these are the dishes that cannot be found in France! It tasted so good to be home!

As far as friends and family, we were really blessed by how many people we were able to see! I was able to catch up with high school and college friends. We visited our old neighbors and church family in North Carolina. In Columbia, we were able to participate in VBS at our church and attend Sunday as well as Wednesday night service. The children were able to hang out with their school and neighborhood friends. It was soooooo good to see people and be welcomed back with open arms. Here are a few pictures of the people and places that we visited.

We were also able to take one week to spend with our individual friends alone. Preston went to the Dominican Republic with college friends, I went to Charlotte, NC with long time girlfriends, Daniele stayed with her best friends in Columbia, SC, Maya and Lauren stayed with the Bower's Family in Columbia, SC and John went to Hilton Head, SC with his best friend. We spent our final week in the US at the beach in Edisto Beach, SC. I really do miss the warm water and the sand of SC beaches. It was a great way for us to relax before returning to France. My parents, my sister Lea and her family, my sister Jocelyn and my brother Lee joined us for the last weekend to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary. It was the perfect way to end our summer vacation.

But as much fun as we had, we will NOT do this next year! We were blessed to have this opportunity to see everyone, but we were worn out! In fact, before the end of our tour, all of the children were ready to go home.... to France! Finally, they were calling France home. So, the long visit back to the US accomplished many things. We were able to see some of our favorite people, eat some great American foods and visit some of our favorite places. But most importantly, we were gone long enough to miss our lives in France. We were ready to go back home.

London

2009-08-29T04:50:00.013-04:00

Just before we went to the US for our summer break, we spent the last weekend in June in London. Fortunately there was a heat wave in London at the time, so it really didn't rain much. In fact we had sunshine and the "heat" was very mild compared to the humid heat of the southern US. We had perfect weather for our quick overview of the city. Honestly we could have stayed an entire week because there is so much to see. We took a double decker bus tour and saw many famous sights like Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus (a big square like Times Square) and Big Ben. We didn't get to see the palace guards with the big hats since it was not a day for the changing of the guard ceremony, but I took a picture of the guards on horseback.

However, the highlight of the trip was seeing the musical "Wicked". This was the first musical that we had attended as a family and we loved it! It was the "untold" story of the "wicked" witch of the west. As I watched the lead played by a young, black English girl, I couldn't help but think about Maya being on stage one day, somewhere in the world.

As far as the food goes, we were told that there is great Chinese food in London. So we ventured to China town and had peking duck. Delicious! Of course we had fish and chips with green peas. It was a short trip, but very sweet and the perfect start for our summer vacation.

June 2009, a very busy month!

2009-06-19T14:35:00.023-04:00

Here are two links to Youtube videos of my talented children. They all worked really hard to prepare for these performances with their classes. Let us know what you think!

Video of John and Lauren at Kermasse

Video of Maya's choir concert

The past few weeks, we have been really busy with end of the year activities at school, church and everywhere else. We had a choir concert, Kermasse (school carnival), and our church picnic. Clermont's professional rugby team, ASM, also made it to the French rugby finals and that event was a huge game and party. This was the same weekend that we had visitors from the states, shout out to the Bowers' Family. Whew! I am tired from just writing all of that! I have also been to garden parties and birthday parties, all the while doing my regularly scheduled activites. Daniele and Maya also had final exams, talk about a busy schedule! But we had such a great time with our friends, showing them our new home and city and of course taking them to Paris and back in one day! Thank you so much for visiting!

Although things are busy and a bit crazy, the hardest part of June is saying good bye to friends that won't be returning next year. Since there are so many people from around the world that live here temporarily, every June is filled with goodbye parties for many families that have become apart of the community. In 10 short months, I can say that we have gotten close to several families that will be leaving. So it is with this life, but we are thankful for the experience and the time that we have had with these wonderful families. Here are a few pictures from over the last few weeks. I plan to continue posting blogs during the summer, but hopefully I will see most of you during our US tour!

Another long weekend

2009-05-24T08:37:00.077-04:00

For this past long weekend, we stayed home. I wanted us to take a break from all of the road trips and visit more of the sites in and near Clermont. As much as I love to travel, I needed a break, or at least a chance to rest before the big summer trip back to the states in June.

So Thursday, we went to the Michelin Museum, L'aventure Michelin, located here in Clermont-Ferrand. We really enjoyed learning more about the history of the company and the innovations it has contributed to the tire industry. The children had a great time because most of the displays were interactive and written in French and English. Preston was able to show us some of what he has done over his 14 year career with Michelin. A friend of ours, Laurie, was also with us for the visit to the museum. I could only take pictures in the lobby, but the museum is really quite impressive and well worth a visit.

We took a day trip on Saturday to the Dordogne Region, about 2 and 1/2 hours south of Clermont. We specifically went to the Gouffre de Padirac. The drive was beautiful and the weather was perfect. We drove through cute villages and winding roads along the French country side. We were almost to our destination when we ran into a traffic jam of sorts. As we were coming around a corner, the road was completely blocked by sheep moving from one pasture to another. It was fun to watch the sheepherders and the sheep dogs try to move the herd up the road.

Finally we reached the Gouffre de Padirac. A gouffre is a large chasm. It was enormous! We took the stairs all the way down. Once you descend, you go to the underground part where there is a lake whose only source is rain water. A river flows underground as well. We did part of the tour by boat and part on foot. There are huge stalagtites and stalagmites, made from the water depositing calcium over the years. It was fascinating because there is no natural light, therefore no vegetation. Our tour was in French, but our guide said that she would also do it in English. Well her English is like my French, very basic. So she would go on and on about some interesting facts and the group would nod or laugh. Then she would turn to us and say one sentence like, "This is a lake of rain water". Fortunately, my comprehension of French is better than my speaking, so I got most of what she was saying in French. But at least she tried to speak English. Again I couldn't take pictures once inside, but I scanned a picture that we purchased of us on the boat. Although there was an elevator, we decided, ok I decided, that we would take the stairs back up. We rewarded the children with icecream afterwards.

We then drove on to Rocamadour, France. It is a city built into the rock. It was fantastic! We started our tour at the top, walking down to the village. After a little shopping, we walked up to the cathedral. In medieval times, many religious people made a pilgrimage to this city because it is believed that a man who knew Jesus and witnessed the deaths of Paul and Peter was a hermit in this area. There had been reports of miracles and healings. It is still the 2nd most visited religious site in France. Again, an elevator was available, but I decided that we should continue up another set of stairs to the castle on top. By this time, my children were really tired of me and my effort to add exercise to our entertainment (exer-tainment!) by walking up so many steps throughout the day. But they survived and we had a great day and a lovely weekend close to home!

Hiking into Puy de Pariou

2009-05-18T11:40:00.046-04:00

Since we have been here in France, one thing is obvious, French people are very active outdoors. Here in the Auvergne Region, we are surrounded by beautiful volcanoes and national parks just outside of the city. The weather is very agreeable for outdoor activities as well. We are in the middle of May and there are still cool breezes in the air. It is not hot and humid like in South Carolina. But the warm weather is not the only time when French people enjoy physical activities outside. When it snows, many people enjoy skiing or snowboarding. Now that it is warmer, more and more people are on bikes, taking walks and jogging. There are many trails just outside of the city with clearly marked paths for all levels. And get this, it is May and there are no bugs! Mosquitoes are one thing that I don't miss about the South.

Daniele and I walk most days for about 45 minutes for exercise and Preston has purchased a new toy, a road bike. He pretty much does this without the family since I am not much of a cyclist and the kids are too embarassed to be seen with him in his outfit!

Sundays are very popular days for family activities like hiking the nearby volcanoes. So, this past Sunday, we climbed our first volcano and had a picnic lunch in the crater. Puy de Pariou is a dormant volcano and is apart of a chain of volcanoes here in the Auvergne region of France. It took us about an hour and a half to climb to the top and descend into the crater for our picnic spot. I was very excited about the hike, but the children were a bit reluctant. We were all out of breath by the time we got to the top, but it was worth it. The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze in the air. In fact, the higher we climbed the cooler it got. We had to put on jackets once we reached the top. It was a challenge for us, but we are all glad that we did it! The view was excellent and eating lunch in a volcano? How cool is that!

Later Sunday night, we went to a very good restaurant in the village of Chateaugay called Le Vigosche. It was excellent. The specialty of the restaurant is local food from the Auvergne Region. Auvergne food is typical french country food meaning lots of meat, potatoes and cheese. We loved the Truffade salad which is potatoes and cheese, with bits of bacon. Preston had the duck made with peaches and I had fish. The house dessert is the Pain perdu aux pommes caramel which is French toast, apples and caramel. Delicious! The restaurant atmosphere was lovely and very family friendly, including a children's menu. We had a wonderful French dinner and a fantastic day!

Mother's Day, Fête des Mères

2009-05-12T18:41:00.001-04:00

I have been intrigued by her every since I saw her from a distance soon after we arrived here 10 months ago. We have passed her on several trips, but have never taken the time to stop. She is only about 15 minutes outside of Clermont, near the village of Veyre-Monton. So two weeks ago, we decided to go see her up close...the Vierge de Monton. It is the biggest statue of Virgin Mary that I have every seen! I don't know why, but I love it! It is white and sits on top of a hill. She is holding baby Jesus in one hand. I guess I like it number one because it is so big, it cannot be ignored. Secondly, it reminds me of Jesus' humanity and diety in one when I think of her and His conception.

As I prepare to celebrate Mother's Day twice, May 10th in the US and June 7th in France, I think about what kind of mother Mary must have been. The struggles that she went through as she cared for, taught and nurtured her son, the son of God. She must have had wonderful expectations of him, her 1st born. Did she ever think that maybe he would be a great king or a great leader loved by all, instead of him being crucified and mocked? Did she ever think of his future and imagine a wife for him and the grandchildren that they would give her instead of the short 33 years of his earthly life? Or did she always have the insight and wisdom to know that his ultimate sacrifice would be the salvation of the world?

I believe that Mary was a great mother and his biggest cheerleader. She believed in her son and trusted God with her life and his. She was able to let Jesus be the man that God intended him to be, not the son of her dreams. She was not an overbearing presence in the bible, but she certainly was an important part of Jesus' life. As I raise my children to go on to do great things for God, my prayer is that God's will be done in their lives, not my will. I pray that I may be an important part of their lives, their biggest cheerleader and supporter, but never a hinderance to their call by God and the plans that he has for them. Mother's Day is a great time for me to reflect on the importance of my call to care for, love and nurture the children that God has given to me.

Paris with Paula

2009-05-07T11:35:00.004-04:00

Paula enjoyed her 3 days in Clermont and they were very relaxing. After shopping, eating and recuperating from our Barcelona trip, it was time to go to Paris. Paris is a beautiful city and is full of history and great things to do. Since this was Paula's first time in Paris and she didn't know when she would ever return, we tried to see everything. We saw the Eiffel Tower, a Moulin Rouge show, took a boat tour along the Seine, saw Notre Dame cathedral, did the Louvre in 1 hr, saw the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs d'Elysess in 40 hours. I think we set a personal record!

When we first arrived in Paris, we went straight to the Eiffel Tower. Afterwards, we had dinner and then we went to the hotel. Paula, Preston and I were going to the Moulin Rouge late show. We didn't take the children, but we could have since the minimum age is 6. When we arrived for the 11 pm show, there was a line around the corner and up the block. People were dressed up for an evening out to a cabaret show. It is a Las Vegas style show with singing and dancing in elaborate, revealing costumes. There were probably 60 women and 10 men in the production. Everything was in French, so I am not quite sure what the show was about. In between some of the dancing, there were three different acts, a juggler, a vantrilloquist and acrobats. Before it was over, they did the famous French can-can, but they didn't sing the Lady Marmalade song!

The next day we took a Navette batobus on the Seine River for our transportation around Paris. From the base of the Eiffel Tower, we sailed to other sights, first getting off at the Notre Dame. This was my first time seeing the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris and it was beautiful. After lunch, we went to the Louvre. We got there a 5 pm and they closed at 6 pm. So we did the 1 hour tour. Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory, Napolean's coronation, and whatever we passed along the way. Finally, we took the batobus to the Arc de Triomphe and walked the Champs d'Elysees. We were exhausted. Sunday morning Paula's plane left and we returned home to Clermont. It was a great springbreak. But I needed a vacation after this vacation!

Barcelona, Baby!!!

2009-05-07T02:50:00.037-04:00

WARNING: This is a long blog with a 7 min video at the end. What can I say, it was my 1st trip to Spain!

Throughout this blog, I have links to many of the pages that I researched to prepare for our trip. Just click on the highlighted and underlined words for more information.

As you can see from the pictures in the previous blog, Spring break, it was rainy and cloudy, but that would not stop us from having a good time. We just grabbed our umbrellas, hats, rainjackets and kept it moving. There was so much to see. Barcelona is the capital of a region know as Catalonia. In fact, people in that portion of Spain speak Catalan and Spanish. The area is so beautiful, close to the sea and the mountains. It has inspired many artist and some of Spain's most famous artist come from this area.

Antoni Gaudi was a very unique architect and certainly ahead of his time. He was born in Catalonia and his architecture is known all over the world. His buildings are so creative and are works of art. His work gives Barcelona a look that is like no other city. As I began researching what to do and see in Barcelona, I learned at lot about the work of Gaudi. La Sagrada Familia, the church that Gaudi was commissioned to design, is a great example of Gaudi not following convention. It is very different and strange looking as far as churches go, but a sight to see none the less. It is also interesting that it was started in 1882, but has never been completed. The work continues as funds are raised through donations and tours.

Gaudi's buildings were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's and are Art Nouveau style. Other buildings that we saw were Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. I enjoyed the fantasy that Gaudi's work brings to the city and the boldness of his ideas. Parc Guell was my favorite display of Gaudi's work. The park overlooks the city and exhibits many structures, including Gaudi's personal house. Many musicians and artists were there entertaining and the park was full. It was a great day, with lots of sunshine and we really enjoyed listening to one instrument in particular, a wok-looking instrument called a Hang. We liked it so much, we the bought CD.

My next favorite part of Barcelona was Las Ramblas. We enjoyed rambling down Las Ramblas, a major street in Barcelona. Daniele, Paula and I enjoyed shopping for one of a kind jewelry, hand-made and hand painted pieces. Preston liked the art work and the street performers were plentiful. La Boqueria, a market on Las Ramblas was a great place to buy fresh fruit.

On Good Friday, while walking down Las Ramblas, we were able to see part of a processional of a religious brotherhood. This is a traditionl that is common throughout Spain. They were wearing the traditional Capirote, or cone shaped hood and robes. Unfortunately, the KKK stole the look from this catholic tradition. I am not sure why the brotherhood wears them on Good Friday. Nevertheless, the processional actually gives me something else to think of when I see hoods and robes now. Besides thinking of all the people that have been terrorized and killed because of hate, I can think of the brotherhoods that wear them on Good Friday in Spain and remember that Jesus died for me because of His love!

Easter Sunday was really rainy, so we stayed in and cooked a big breakfast in our apartment. Later that evening, we attended a flamenco show. We had great seats close to the stage and the children were captivated. The intensitiy and the passion of the dancers was evident. The show was held in a restaurant in Poble Espanyol, a display of spanish architectural replicas. We met up with two other expat families that we knew would be in Barcelona at the same time for the dinner and show. Friends, food and flamenco, a great way to end our time in Barcelona!

Tossa de Mar, Spain was our last stop before heading back to Clermont. It is a small village on the beach that has parts of its original 12th century wall in tact. We had lunch, walked along the beach and took lots of pictures. The weather was not warm enough to get into the water, but it was sunny. Instead of sand on the beach, there were actually tiny pebbles. This was very different from South Carolina's sandy beaches and warm water.

Well, after all that reading, here is the video. You can also see it fullscreen on Youtube by clicking the following link to "Barcelona, Baby!"

Spring Break

2009-05-06T10:03:00.001-04:00

For springbreak, the children were out of school for 2 weeks. We decided to take one week to travel since Preston was off as well. Preston's sister, Paula, was also on springbreak, so she met us in Barcelona. She would be our 1st family member to visit us! She found a great price on a ticket from Newark, NJ to Barcelona and from Paris back to Newark. This way, we would spend the first 5 days in Barcelona, 3 days in Clermont, and the last 2 days in Paris.

So, we put the 7th seat back into the car, packed a barf-bag kit for John and headed south. On the way down we crossed Viaduct de Millau, the tallest vehicular bridge in the world. It is taller than the Eiffel Tower and it was impressive. The scenery was different in this part of France, the Languedoc region. It is amazing how different the landscapes are in every region of France, considering this is a small country. Each mountain range has a different look as well. God is so creative! We stopped for lunch then continued our trip, crossing the Pyrenes Mountains, into Spain. Our next stop was Barcelona, baby!

When you visit, be prepared to bring stuff!

2009-04-26T17:07:00.003-04:00

Ok, technically, Gigi is our 1st visitor. But we have had several of our friends to see us here in France and even one family member, all associated with Michelin. They have been a great support to us and certainly we are glad to see familiar faces from time to time. We have had the pleasure of having many meals with friends who can relate to working and living in Clermont. In fact, Preston is out entertaining some of our visiting friends/Michelin people tonight. One of the great things about them coming is that they often bring us much missed goodies from the states like:

Little Debbie Honeybuns for Lauren
Carmex chapstick for Maya
Aunt Jemima syrup and Pancake mix for John
Ebony, Essence, O, Time, etc. Magazines and Twizzlers for Me
Grits, Texas Pete Hotsauce and Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce for Preston
Spree candy, Wheat Thins and Jergens Lotion for Daniele
HP Ink for our printer

Preston's cousin Shon even gave Preston his 1st haircut here back in September. Ever since, Preston has been doing it himself!

Although we have found suitable substitutes for many things, there are just somethings that there is no substitute for. Thank you Shon, Steve, Shelia and Brian for all that you have done so far. I look forward to your next assignment here and our next "package."

Our First Visitor!

2009-04-24T19:40:00.025-04:00

Thank you so much Gigi "Trailblazer" Campbell for spending a wonderful week with us in March. It was our pleasure to host you here in Clermont and to discover parts of Paris with you as well. We spent 2 days in Paris visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Sacre Coeur and other sites. We were too excited to have a familiar face with us. Having Gigi here was like a little bit of home. She even brought us gifts from our church family in Columbia. We really miss you guys too!!! Gigi was a great guest, trying new foods, going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and driving the countryside around Clermont with me. We had lunch with some of my friends and did a little shopping in Paris as well. See, we know how to treat guests right and we are looking forward to many more visitors, hint, hint! Here are some of the pictures from Gigi's visit to Paris.

The visit was great, but the icing on the cake was a surprise party for my 3?th birthday!
Preston is a very thoughtful husband and he enlisted one of my friends here to help him pull off the party. I wanted to have a party so I picked a date, planned a menu and wrote a guest list. But with everything going on, I decided to just have lunch with friends. Well Preston took it upon himself to throw the party for me. It was good to get together with adult friends and celebrate! I was able to spend time with people that have really helped me adjust to life here. I call them my France survival team. Kim and Paula were not able to make it to the party and were really missed! I really appreciate my new friends for their prayers, coffee talks, lunches and for those that are French, their expertise with the language! I am looking forward to many more adventures with you ladies.

Preston goes to Asia!

2009-04-07T07:00:00.004-04:00

Preston had the opportunity to go to Asia on business last month. In fact he was in China on his birthday. He was in Shenyung, China for a week and then he travelled to Thailand for a week. He had a great time in both countries, but he really enjoyed Thailand. In fact, I wouldn't mind a visit to Thailand with in the next few years. The pictures were amazing!

Listen to me! Vacation in Thailand?!! That is certainly a new thought, but I am so grateful for the amazing opportunities that we have had in the last few months. Our horizons have been expanded and our expectations have been exceeded!!! God is so good!

China Pictures:

Thailand Pictures:

Maya is 12!

2009-04-07T04:13:00.007-04:00

Maya had a wonderful 12th birthday sleepover. There was a total of 6 girls including Maya. Of course there was pizza for dinner (Domino's!) and the highlight was the Bon-bon cake. It was a two-tier "cake" made only of Maya's favorite candy! I ordered it from the candy store near the school. She loved it! The next morning for breakfast, Preston and I made a traditional American breakfast complete with pancakes, bacon and eggs. Thanks to Shelia, we had pancake mix and syrup from the states! Shelia comes to France every quarter for business and always brings us treats The most requested items have been honeybuns, wheat thins, pancake mix, syrup, lotion, hair products and most importantly, magazines!!!

Now one of my good friends called me crazy for having the sleepover, but honestly it was the easiest one yet. I was a little nervous because we live in an apartment on the 3rd floor. I made arrangements for John and Lauren to stay with friends, so I had 2 less to worry about. I am not sure if it is the age of the girls or what, but these girls played quietly! I guess they are used to living in close quarters and know how to play quietly. However, I have noticed that people in France are generally more quiet than people in the US. In the movie theaters, restaurants, even outside, we are the loudest every where we go! So I guess American sleepovers are louder too, because our 1st French one was not!

Maya is really maturing into a beautiful preteen. She has made some really good friends with very different backgrounds. Maya is doing a lot better with her french and is still a top student in school. We are working on getting her more outlets for her singing, but she always has a song in her heart and she continues to sing all the time. I am very excited about what God is doing in her life as I watch her grow.

Carneval at Massillon

2009-03-24T07:51:00.011-04:00

Last Thursday, the children had "Carneval" at school. They were allowed to dress up and have a parade for the parents. The kids had a great time dancing and playing in the courtyard. Sugar and nutella crepes were served for snacks. Here in France, crepes, beignets and bugnes are traditionally eaten during this time of year, Lent season. Most schools held parades on Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. Our school, Ecole Massillon, decided to wait until mid-Lent to have its celebration because the weather is usually better. And it certainly was!

John was Superman and Lauren was a USA cheerleader. The event is mostly for the primary school children, but the secondary kids couldn't resist the party! Maya and Daniele were there to participate and do a little electric slide, macarana and chicken dancing!!! I love to dance, so I had a great time too!

Pictures from Italy, Winter break 2009

2009-03-08T16:56:00.011-04:00

Preston has the opportunity to do a lot more traveling than he used to when we lived in South Carolina. In early February, he was in Italy for one week. It also happened to be the first week of winter break for the children, so we decided to join him on Wednesday and make a long weekend out of it. The children and I drove from Clermont to Cuneo, Italy, about 6 hours away . The first 45 minutes were great...then we ran into snow...then John threw up. Here I am in the middle on now where France, 5 hrs from my destination and John is car sick and it's snowing!

We pulled over at the next rest stop, cleaned John up and continued the rest of our journey. Fortunately, the snow stopped and John slept. We drove through the Alps and Italy without any more problems. The rest of the weekend was spent sight seeing, relaxing, eating great food, burning Preston's fingers ("Only in Italy") and enjoying my family. It happened to be Valentine's Day weekend, so many of the museums were free or reduced price. We were able to go to the Egyptian Museum (the 2nd largest in the world after Cairo) and the National Museum of Cinema. The Egyptian museum was excellent! The presentation of the beautiful artistry and skill of the Egyptians was superb. The children were excited because they were able to see things that they had read about. We also enjoyed the National Museum of Cinema because it showcased the history of film making, from moving pictures to the present technology.

Here are some pics from our trip. Daniele took some of the color shots and all of the black and whites. She really took some beautiful pictures.

International Short Film Festival

2009-02-20T10:09:00.020-05:00

Every year in late January, Clermont-Ferrand is the host of the Festival du International Court Metrage which is an international short film festival. All over the city, venues show 2 hour sessions of short films (30 minutes or less) from all over the world. I was able to attend 2 of the sessions. The first one I attended was right next door to our apartment at the university. I went with the Chit chat group one morning while the children were in school. As a group, we had coffee first and then walked to the theatre. When we arrived, there was a long line to enter the theater and across the street, police had gathered in preparation for les greves.

I will take a minute now to try to explain "Les Greves". Les Greves is French for the strikes. Strikes are quite common all over France, including Clermont. They are usually well organized and have lots of participants. Honestly, I don't always understand why people strike here, but I know that they happen often, at least 2-3 times per month. Les Greves are when unions get together and protest certain conditions or policies. They are mostly peaceful demonstrations with signs, bullhorns, noisemakers and lots of people. Often if one group strikes, other unions will strike as well in support. The first time I saw the strikes was in October when the farmers were on strike. They brought cows, tractors and pickup trucks to the city and the bus and tram drivers were on strike to support them, making it difficult for people to get around the city. Anyway, this time the public university students were on strike against new policies put in place by French President Sarkozy. They put up lovely pictures depicting him as a criminal.

Back to the short film festival. We saw several International Films. Some were in English with French subtitles, some were in French and some were in other languges with French subtitles. They were actually pretty good and understanding the storylines was not very difficult. In fact, I had more trouble understanding the British English slang! I did better reading the French subtitles on that film. A few nights later, Preston and I went to see films from or about the continent of Africa . They were also very good. Other sessions were just for children and teens. Maya and Daniele both had fieldtrips to the festival. For 2 weeks, the entire city was full of people from all over the world presenting and watching the films. Well, the Court Metrage has inspired me to make a short film of my own entitled, "Only in Italy!!!" This past week we went to Italy for part of winter break. That is the setting for my first short film.

Enjoy!!!

I can't believe it has been 6 months!

2009-02-19T04:34:00.082-05:00

One year ago this month, we told our children that we had accepted an opportunity for Preston to work in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The following are pictures from that breakfast.

The only reason why Daniele is not in the pictures is because she took them. We shared the news with her about 2 weeks earlier. And since she is such a caring big sister and budding photographer, she wanted to capture their raw emotions in pictures.

After months of preparation and anticipation, on August 19, 2008 we arrived in France with great expectation of our new way of life. Well, 6 months later, we have learned a lot about life in France. There is a difference between our Fantasy of what life here would be like, the Reality that we have experienced and the Dreams Come True . Here are our top 10...

#10
Fantasy: We already own the perfect dog! Prince is a French Poodle!
Reality: In France, what we call a Poodle is a called a Caniche. But in Prince's case, there is some dispute. 50% of the time someone comments on our cute Caniche and the other half of the time they say he is a lovely Bichon Frise. Given Prince's spotty past, this is no surprise! But that is another story. Let's just say they are probably all right!
Dream Come True: Either way, Prince loves France and France loves Prince! Everywhere we take him, he is very popular, especially after a haircut.

#9
Fantasy: We will learn about fine wine and cheese!
Reality: There are over 365 different varieties of cheese and approximately 11 different wine regions within France with thousands of different wines available.
Dream Come True: We know more now than we used to and we are having fun learning!

#8
Fantasy: We will learn about French food and French cooking!
Reality: I didn't like to cook before and I still don't like to cook.
Dream Come True: Preston does like to cook and has learned how to make Confit de Carnard (duck). We have purchased and used a raclette (similar to fondue) and we have tried escargot and frog legs! Of course Preston has not given up his love of BBQ!

#7
Fantasy: We will eat French bread and croissants daily!
Reality: We eat French bread daily and croissants once a week.
Dream Come True: We live less than 2 minutes walking distance from a GREAT bakery!

#6
Fantasy: We will travel every weekend to cool places in France!
Reality: We sleep in on Saturdays just like we did at home.
Dream Come True: We take advantage of the long school breaks (2wks off every 6 wks!) to visit the surrounding area and other countries like Italy and Germany. Very cool!

#5
Fantasy: My children will attend a Bilingual International School and have lots of new friends!
Reality: The younger children have made lots of new friends. There are a lot more students in the primary section of the international school than in the secondary school. In fact, there are 15 students in the international school grades 9-12 and only 5 international 11th graders. The International school is apart of a larger private French Catholic school, but Daniele doesn't have classes in French (see Fantasy #1).
Dream Come True: Daniele has emerged as a leader, helping with the student council and Variety show production. She is also more competitive academically. She will have the opportunity to attend Harvard University Model Congress in Brussels, Belgium in March with the school. And did I mention that every 6 weeks the kids get 2 weeks vacation!

#4
Fantasy: We will make lots of new French Friends!
Reality: As expats, most of our friends are expats as well.
Dream Come True: We have met people from all over the world, but it took moving to France to meet some really great South Carolinians!

#3
Fantasy: We will live in an apartment in the center of town.
Reality: Living in town is noisy, especially on weekends, and our 3rd floor apartment has no elevator.
Dream Come True: Our apartment is in a building that is probably over 100 years ago. I love the character of the building, the antique mirrors over the fireplace, the 6 in molding on the baseboards, the hardwood floors, the huge doors that open into the living room, I could go on and on. But as much as I love antiques, I love the new American kitchen!

#2
Fantasy: We will loose weight effortlessly since we are living a healthier lifestyle by walking more and not eating fastfood!
Reality: We have gained weight in pursuit of Fantasies #7, 8 and 9
! As far as the fastfood thing, did I mention we live 3 minutes walking distance from Subway? And you already know that we have McDonald's.
Dream Come True: We really do walk a lot more. I walk about an additional 40 minutes a day when I walk the children to school. Preston walks to work (about 40 min a day) We walk to the mall, French lessons, grocery store, everywhere we can.

#1
Fantasy: We will be bilingual in 6 months since we are immersed in French language.
Reality: If French is a pool of water, Daniele and I are still in the shallow end. We get about 6 hrs a week of French language class. Other than that, there are so many English speakers and French people that know a little English, we can get by. Maya is waist deep, she has about 3 classes that are completely French. Lauren and John are up to there necks in French, with half of each school day with French teachers and French as a 2nd language classes. And Preston is completely underwater. He not only works in French with his team, but he conducts workshops entirely in French.
Dream Come True: Preston really is bilingual. The rest of us are coming along. We really are understanding more and more everyday. In fact, our ability to speak and understand French helped us in Italy last week, where some people speak French as a 2nd language and not English!

The distance between our fantasy of France and the reality of life here is shortened by the unexpected blessings of our wildest Dreams Coming True!

Torino, Italy (Feb 2009)

Skiing 101

2009-02-04T05:12:00.020-05:00

We decided that one of the things that we wanted to try while living here in France was skiing. Many people told us about how much more affordable and accessible skiing is in this area. Although we don't get snow on a regular basis in Clermont, we are about 45 minutes from beautiful areas in higher elevations that get great snow. Before Christmas, we went to Super Besse to rent skis for the season. We went with another family from SC that moved here a few months before we did. We had to rent the skis, ski boots, batons for everyone and helmets for the kids. By the time we dragged all of the gear to our van, we were exhausted. Afterwards, the kids had a ball playing in the snow. Even the dads joined in. The moms however, found a very cozy spot in a cafe to sip cocoa and cappuccino. Now that's my idea of fun!

The weeks following the ski rentals were spent gathering the necessary gear for skiing. Thermal gloves, ski socks, long underwear, fleece jackets, ski googles, ski pants, ski jackets, snow boots. I had no intentions on any of us getting cold. After several trips to the sporting goods store, we were ready!

Our 1st time out was January 17th. Unfortunately, Lauren was sick, so Daniele stayed behind and studied while the rest of us took our 1st lessons. We signed up for group lessons that include transportation to and from the slopes and lunch. We left at 8 and returned at 7 pm. All in all the day was successful. I only fell 3 times! And once was because Preston careened into me! Preston fell more than 3 times, but he made more progress than I did. Both John and Maya did ok. Learning anything new is frustrating. The hardest part for me was getting used to walking in the ski boots. Learning to get back up after falling with the skis on wasn't easy either.

The 2nd lesson was on January 23rd. This time the entire family was able to go. Again the boots were really heavy, but getting the skis on was easier and stopping was easier too. In fact, we were able to go to more difficult runs this time, still the baby slopes, though! Again it was frustrating. We were only able to stay for the morning session this time. And that was a good thing for me. I got a little ticked off at the instructor. He was a little too busy flirting with the new student and continued to rush me, the slowest student, along. At one point, the few "les gros mots" that I know came to mind! Preston stopped translating for the instructor after one of my dirty looks. I think I scared Preston.

So far, Lauren hates it, John is the best, Maya likes it ok, Daniele wants to try again, Preston is doing ok, and I am sitting here with my knee propped up because I think I pulled a muscle. I guess I am not as young as I used to be!

2 lessons down, 4 to go!

Proud to be an American in France!!!

2009-01-21T04:33:00.017-05:00

The Inauguration of Barack Obama was celebrated around the world, including Clermont-Ferrand, France. We were invited to the home of another American family to celebrate. A good friend of ours and co-worker of Preston from the US was working in Clermont, so we invited her to come and watch as well. We all gathered around the tv as CNN International broadcast the entire event live and in English! The inauguration was shown live in French on another channel as well. What a great moment in the history of the US!

Christmas Day and the rest of the Break

2009-01-11T15:00:00.018-05:00

This past week back to school/work was really hectic and I am just now getting around to posting pictures from Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and the remainder of our break. Christmas Day, we cooked a traditional meal with hame, chicken, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, greenbeans, peach cobbler and ice tea. Daniele helped with the cooking and everything was good.

A few days after Christmas, we were invited to have dinner with one of Preston's co-workers and his family. There we had a traditional French meal. First there were aperitifs and champagne. Escargots, oysters, and foie gras are very popular during the holidays. Later that evening we attended a gospel concert with Preston's co-worker and his wife, La Nuit du Gospel We had a great time.

The group was from New Orleans and sang a lot of traditional gospel songs. It was really good to hear familiar, spiritual songs. At first it started out like a concert, with most of the audience sitting. But it didn't take long for the music to move people to their feet. I was standing the entire time, singing along and praising God. Amazing Grace, Oh Happy Day, were just some of the songs. Most of the audience probably didn't understand the words or the ministry from the group, but they did enjoy the music and they knew it was the Gospel, the good news about Jesus. Afterwards, we got to meet the group and the band. I guess Preston got a little to caught up in the spirit and invited the entire group back to our apartment for dinner. He invited 12 people to our APARTMENT and it was almost midnight! Fortunately the group declined, but we had a great time hanging out.

New Year's Eve was pretty laid back. We brought in the New Year with 2 other American families. We decided to bring escargots. It was fun to see the reactions on everyone's face as they tried them.

Zurich, Switzerland Christmas Market

2009-01-01T11:19:00.036-05:00

Zurich was the last stop on our tour. The city of Zurich was not our favorite. Let's just say it is not as family friendly as Rothenburg or Strasbourg and it was very expensive. The christmas markets were interesting as well. The first one we went to was outdoors in the historic part of town. It was very eclectic and had lots of vendors of things that were not Christmas, just the things you would find at the average flea market. However, I was able to find one ornament.

One highlight was our visit to Starbucks, but the best part of Zurich for us was the indoor Christmas market in the train station. It featured the largest indoor christmas market in Europe. On display was the most beautiful tree of our entire trip and I am sure the most expensive. It was decorated with 7000 Swarovski crystals of all shapes, sizes and designs. It was absolutely spectacular!

Zurich is certainly better suited for adults and couples. Later that evening, Preston and I enjoyed an adults night out with 2 other couples. We had a fantastic dinner at a Spanish Restaurant. The last morning of the trip was Christmas Eve and it was time to return home. We were looking forward to our first christmas dinner in France and a much needed rest at home. Yes, it's beginning to feel like home.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany part 2

2009-01-01T10:42:00.015-05:00

There is more to Rothenburg than christmas markets. And since we stayed 2 days, we were able to visit museums and walk around town. The first museum that we toured was the old prison. We also visited the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum, a doll museum and museum about the history of German christmas traditions. But our favorite historic part of Rothenburg was to walk along the wall of the city. We had a great time imagining what it must have been like to patrol the city. One section of the wall even had canons in place. It was better than being at Disney!

There were lots of Americans visiting Rothenburg, so most of the merchants spoke English, always a plus when you don't know German. We could have stayed here another day, but we had one more stop to make to complete our Christmas market tour.