Voila France!

Adieu l' CAB (Farewell CAB)

2009-02-25T16:59:00.000-08:00

Lilly's last day of school was sweet. How vividly I remember her first day and the excitement she felt. When I went to pick her up that first day she was exhausted and overwhelmed. The second day we arrived at the school she put on her slippers and then turned to me with tears welling in her eyes as she said, "I don't really want to do this anymore." She cried and I cried as I left her at school that day. From there on out we had to work our way into a French school day. I wasn't ready to let my baby go to school all day and she wasn't ready to spend the morning listening to gibberish that she couldn't understand. Once a week she stayed full day. By the middle of January she was enjoying herself more and more and she was understanding French! On this last day of school she spoke French to her teacher Elizabeth and to her little friends Harry, Ruben, Maria & Maya. I'm so grateful to the teachers and staff at the CAB for their patience, thought and care they gave Lilly. Really there is nothing cuter than a little child speaking French. My little Lilly you did good this year. You were so brave and you are so smart. I love you for rising to the challenge that this year had to offer you!

Bonne Vacances (Happy Vacation) read the sign on the pathway out of the school yard. As I read the sign to Lilly she hiccuped a little cry. I so didn't want this to be a sad day for her, but it's hard to think about not returning when you've had such a growing experience. We collected Clara and her good friend Emilee and we headed to Fontainebleau for ice cream and a ride on the carousel. After all the last day of school is meant to be celebrated! Adieu l'CAB!!!!

préparer pour la pluie (prepare for the rain)

2009-02-25T16:53:00.000-08:00

You never know when it's going to be sunny in France. One must always préparer pour la pluie. This little corner by our front door always makes me smile. There is something so cheery about a sturdy & cute pair of rainboots!

Romance à Paris (Romance in Paris)

2009-02-25T16:30:00.000-08:00

Taylor and I decided early on that we would try to maximize every possible opportunity this sabatical year had to offer. One of my favorite indulgences was our bi-monthly trips to Paris while the kids were in school. We would drop everyone off in the morning and head straight to the train station. On the ride in we would pour over guide books, read the French newspaper and enjoy just thinking about the possibilities for our day. Inevitably our first stop was a bakery. No matter how many times I enter a French bakery I can't help but snap pictures. Food in France is so pictureworthy! Taylor is the best in a bakery...he always tries something new and he ALWAYS buys something to take along for the journey.
My most favorite big city in the world is Paris. You just never know what sites you will see and culture is oozing everywhere. For instance just look at this guard dog standing watch in front of the eyewear store.
Sometimes our day in Paris was packed with hitting museums and we ate baguette sandwiches on the run. Other days we went simply because we could...these were some of my favorite days. I love sitting at a cafe and ordering the plat du jour (plate of the day). Lunch is never disapointing in France!
From the flower shops to the palace gardens beauty is everywhere.

Since this was the last week of school we knew it was our last date day in Paris. We sat on the green chairs in Luxemborg Gardens, took a little rest and talked about this charmed life we have been living. Life is truly wonderful!

fonctionnement des chemins (running paths)

2009-02-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

There are many perks to living in a small village. One of my personal favorites happened to be the open fields surrounding Bourron Marlotte. While I'm not a huge runner, I did enjoy walking and running through the fields, past the gardens, stately homes and over the cobble-stone streets. Here are just a few of my favorite running paths.

petite voitures (teeny tiny cars)

2008-07-24T23:17:00.000-07:00

It's so much fun to spot the most petite voitures in Paris. They almost look like they are made for cartoon characters. Wish we could take one home. Sure makes parking easier!

Riding the Alps

2008-07-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

Taylor, Greg & Doug Thomas headed off early Friday June 20th for a boys retreat in the alps. Of course they took their bikes. The main objective was to ride the steepest & most difficult passes of the Tour de France: Col du Galbier, Col du Telegraphe, Col de la Croix du Fere & l’Alp d’Huez. It was really difficult riding over 12,000 feet of climbing up hill. Needless to say they were hungry, tired & satisfied at the end of their two-day journey.

Poppys

2008-07-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

Every couple of weeks there is a new crop of color filling the fields and roadsides. The red corn poppy is a flower (or weed to some) of wartime remembrance. It was one of the only plants that grew on the battlefield. It thrives in disturbed soil, which was abundant on the land due to intensive shelling. During the few weeks the plant blossomed, the battlefield was colored blood red, not just from the red flower but from the carnage of those who fought in battle. For this reason the plant became a symbol for the lost soldiers.

Fete de la Music

2008-07-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

Saturday June 21st was the Fete de la Music. That is the one day a year anyone can sing or perform music on any street in France…just in case you are wondering it’s not legal to spontaneously Christmas carol or to play for cash on the corner. You need a permit to do these things. At our little marche Saturday morning there was an organ grinder playing music and singing old fashion French folk songs. Too bad that can’t take place every week.

Vaux le Victome

2008-07-24T22:55:00.000-07:00

Vaux le Victome has the most interesting legend behind it’s history. Fouquet was the finance minister to Louis the XIV. He was a true patriot to the king, but the king was so jealous he never even noticed his allegiance. Fouquet built a magnificent chateau with art work and landscaping that surpassed all chateaus. He had a big fete to show off his new home & invited Louis. Well, the king couldn’t believe that Fouquet had a house better than his sooo that night he had his soldiers rip him out of bed and sent him to exile & eventually death (it is believed that he was the man in the iron mask!)! Hard to believe a person could be so jealous. Louis went on to build Versailles, but we think Vaux le Victome has lots more charm & beauty. This was the only chateau we have visited where the kids could dress up in traditional costumes and really imagine what it must have been like to be a princess, queen or musketeer. Brought back memories of playing in Grammie Randall’s dress ups with cousins.

Marathon day in Paris

2008-07-22T23:23:00.000-07:00

We had a marathon day in Paris with our cousins. It all started climbing the steps at the Sacre-Coeur for an overview of the city. We ate lunch among the artists at “artist square” and then to the Opera Garnier. It was surprising how much the kids enjoyed visiting this sight...I think they were hoping to spot "The Phantom of the Opera". Our visit to the Louvre spotlighted the really famous pieces of art: Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, The Wedding Feast, Venus de Milo to name a few. The kids were fully engaged and had a great time. Uncle Greg played a great game giving us a minute to study a painting and then he would ask questions about varying aspects…I was amazed at the detail that the kids noticed. We enjoyed one of our favorite dinners – crepes from the street vendors. There is something so appealing about getting a crepe and sitting along the Seine and enjoying the ambiance of it all. After a needed break sitting on a cruise boat that gave us a tour of Paris from the Seine we headed for the top of the Eiffel Tower and a nigh time view of the lights. We hadn’t planned on staying late for this and we didn’t have any jackets so it was a bit chilly at the top. The last train for Fontainebleau had already taken off so we knew we had to run fast to catch a train into Melun where Taylor met us with the van & drove us home. The kids had to run a long ways and they had walked all day long. I was amazed at their stamina. We didn’t take a stroller and Lilly managed to keep up with us to the bitter end. Everyone was all smiles on the ride home, which means it was a totally successful day!

Bruge Belgium

2008-07-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

Our day in Bruge Belgium was fantastic. The architecture is so unique. All of the old houses display the date they were built. We loved the varying roof lines, colors and designs. There is a huge clock tower in the town hall. We climbed all the way to the top and enjoyed hearing the bells that go off every 15 minutes. The canals were so beautiful and we loved taking a boat ride through the city. There is an original Michaelangelo statue in a grand old cathedral in Bruge. Nothing quite like really wonderful original artwork. It’s been fun to go to these old sights with our cousins. Especially since this is their first time in Europe. We’ve almost become a little too flippant about seeing so may glorious buildings so we were glad for Thomas and Eliza’s enthusiasm to remind us how amazing these sites are.

Bruge was heaven for Olivia our chocolate crazed girl. She inherited her love of chocolate from her dad. They made sure we tried several different varieties from several different chocolate shops. Olivia's favorite...dark dark chocolate!

Belgium is F L A T! This makes for fantastic bike riding. We loved seeing literally hundreds of bikes parked in groups outside of big buildings. This must be the Belgium version of a "family bike". I think it would take a very skilled driver to maneuver this through the streets of Bruge.

The lace makers still exist, but I think it's almost a lost art. The kids loved watching this woman work her magic with all of the little bobbins.

Bruge has some pretty tasty fries. You can choose from a big variety of sauces…not just ketchup and mayo. They have seet sauces and savory spicy sauces. We had our fill along with some delicious homemade waffles. Little treasures seemed to be everywhere!

Utah Beach

2008-07-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

Since we are from Utah we made sure we visited Utah Beach as well. They had a really great old film about the war. All of these visual aids helped us learn and try to imagine what really went on. The kids enjoyed seeing uniforms, ration samples & fighter tanks and planes.

Point du Hoc

2008-07-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

Point du Hoc has amazing bunkers and craters that the kids went crazy exploring and running through. After all of these years the holes in the ground still exist, only it’s now covered with green grass and wild flowers. Quite a beautiful picture and contrast from what it must have looked like after the war. We had to be careful where we ran for fear of twisting and ankle in a hidden trench.

The American Cemetery

2008-07-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

The American Cemetery was a favorite. The photos and quotes that adorn the building said it all. Freedom was the goal. Those young men who fought had no idea where they were going or what they were up against, yet they gave all they had. The kids were especially interested in walking through the graveyard & reading where the soldiers came from

Omaha Beach

2008-07-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

Visiting Normandy was a really wonderful experience. Our hotel was in a little village right next to Omaha beach. The beach in the village was completely covered with huge flat seashells. It was so cool.

First stop of the morning was the bakery for breakfast. We ate at the pier and enjoyed looking at the fishing boats then headed out for the day. The kids had all written reports about the different beaches and aspects of WWII & D-Day. We were all touched at Omaha beach as we walked along the sand and tried to imagine how difficult it must have been to forge through the waters onto land and up the hedges. Grandpa Paul Herscher was one of the lucky soldiers who survived the first wave onto Omaha Beach. We thought a great deal about the struggles he went through along with so many other soldiers. It was sobering to think that only 1 out of 9 soldiers survived that day.

Giverny

2008-07-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

June 15th Taylor’s brother Greg & his wife Emily & three of their 6 kids Tom, Eliza & Isabel (the triplets stayed home) finally arrived. We have been looking forward to their arrival since December! They flew into Paris, got their rental car & headed towards Normandy. We had planned to meet them there, but Emily called while we were driving & we realized we were pretty close on the freeway soooo we took a detour to Giverny & met alongside the road! It was quite a sight as the cousins all exchanged hugs & squeals of excitement. Everyone has grown taller and older. We stopped in Giverny and enjoyed a couple of hours touring Monet’s home and gardens. It felt like we were walking right into one of his paintings. The flowers are incredible and the variety breathtaking. Color is in every corner. I especially loved the lily pads and Japanese gardens and bridge. There are huge bamboo plants and it feels like you are in a totally different climate. Every path was picturesque…we took lots of photos, but would have preferred a Monet original instead!

la famille Reed (The Reed family)

2008-07-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

Not many folks have the opportunity to move halfway across the world for a foreign experience & have their front door neighbors do the same thing in the same village. Mark & Tifiny Reed along with their children have had their own wonderful adventures in France this year and we have been lucky enough to share in many experiences together as well. We’ve tried many a new bakery, shopped the markets, traveled to Spain, picnicked at the chateau & adventured through the forest of Fontainebleau to name just a few fun times. Monday night (July 1st) they came over for dinner & we laughed at how a year has changed our lives & perspective. Mark said, “I never thought I’d get used to drinking warm soda, but here we are!” The Reed’s returned home on the 9th. It’s nice to know that when we are all feeling a little lonesome for our French days we can step out front and reminisce on our lawns on Browning Avenue. Thanks Reed family for making our year in France so much FUN!

American Independence Day

2008-07-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

American Independence Day: There were no parades or fireworks in France on the 4th of July. We did our best to celebrate & remember the USA. I fixed pink sprinkle pancakes with raspberries for breakfast. Clara & Lilly organized a parade and float on the bridge in our house. Our friends from Australia were over so we tried to create a little feel of Americana for them. In the evening we were invited with the Reed’s for dinner at Hal & Suzi Gregorsons home. The kids ran through their beautiful backyard & we all enjoyed watermelon & potato salad for dinner. As much as we love France we also love America. We are looking forward to free & clean toilets, drinking fountains in every building, convenience stores, big parking places, ice, bbq & reuniting with family & friends and all of the other wonderful freedoms & opportunities that the USA offers.

Dernière journée d'école (Last day of school)

2008-07-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

July 3rd. Looking forward to summer…la dernière journée d'école brings: the last day of leaving the house by 8am, the last day of walking through the big green school gate, the last day of passing the ASVP street guards, the last day of eating canteen, the last day of CE2, CM2 & 4eme for Clara, Olivia & Spencer, the last time of having a school day in a French classroom, the last day at Leonardo Da Vinci International School & the hardest of all the last time to say “au revoir” to many new and loved friends. Funny how sad we all feel now. The sadness is because we are ending a life changing experience. As everyone was shedding a tear or two because school was over I thought about all of those mornings not so long ago that there were tears because they didn’t want to go to school…it was hard, a new beginning and a real challenge. They overcame the challenge, learned, grew & have realized how satisfying it is to reach a worthwhile goal. We had to have just “one last party” to celebrate. About 20 friends & several parents came to our house after school for a grand fete. It was total chaos, noise and fun. A couple of moms were nice enough to spend an hour filling water balloons for a fight that lasted all of 25 seconds. Afterwards we walked to the park in our village and the kids played. We were completely taken off guard when a gigantic rain storm hit and everyone was soaked to the bone…had we known we wouldn’t have wasted our energy on the water balloons! It was a riot. The kids were thrilled for a natural shower. We had a feast of French dip sandwiches (this is truly American because my French friends have never heard of it!:), salads and fruit. Olivia made a DVD slideshow of the school year. Everyone gathered around the computer to watch. It brought several tears and laughs. So many good memories, so many good times, so many good friends. We feel like the luckiest family in France!

Mon professeur (My teacher)

2008-07-03T06:27:00.000-07:00

We are all saying good-byes to our teachers. Mon professeur (& Taylor's too...he was just more advanced than me!), Catherine Couvreur and I became a great friends this year. I took one grammar class and one conversation class every week. All of the women in my class were awesome. We had so much fun and laughed a lot. Catherine said we were the "fun class" of the day...maybe not the most studious of students, but we tried. Considering that before I arrived the only French words I knew were Bonjour and Au revoir I think I have come a long way. I will miss my Monday and Thursday morning buddies, but hope I can continue to learn this beautiful language as we move on. Merci beaucoup Catherine!

Canteen

2008-07-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite questions to ask the kids after school is, "what did you eat at canteen today?" I think canteen has been a true culinary cultural experience. It's not your usual "school lunch" formula. First of all the children in France have 2 hours for lunch. They have plenty of time to eat the three course meal that is served every day in the school canteen. All food is served using real plates, cutlery and cups. There are big baskets of baguettes and you can have all the baguette you want with your meal (this is good for those days when the food isn't all that great). The food selection is quite remarkable. For example this year the menu has included: chicken, rabbit, fish, sausage, muscles and liver to name a few. They have had on average 8 different cheeses and a variety of vegetables. While this all sounds amazing for "school lunch" there are plenty of days that it's just not good. One particular meal Olivia has dubbed "slugs served in barf sauce". Desert is limited and usually they are given yogurt or "canteen custard" (no one likes this one!)

The canteen workers take their job seriously. They serve the food and then walk around the tables making sure the kids eat what is on their plates. You can always get seconds, but no one usually wants them unless of course they are having French fries! The girls and their friends have several tactics to make their plates look empty. Everyone is encouraged to take canteen or go home for lunch. If you have food allergies or you just can't tolerate canteen you can try to find a spot in the "lunch box" group, but space is limited. There are no tables or spaces for lunch box and parents have to come and supervise. Personally I've been thrilled to not have to pack lunches this year and I've loved all of our "canteen conversations".
The Canteen building
Serving up lunch

Filling water jugs
This is the best "main dish" served at canteen...chicken and fried potatoes...too bad I didn't go on the day they were having "slugs served in barf sauce"!

The "lunch box" group eating on the playground.

Au revoir CAB

2008-07-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today was Lilly's last day of school. It wasn't easy for her to say "au revoir" to her teachers and friends. The beginning of the year was difficult. Lilly didn't want to go to school...she couldn't understand anything. About a month into school she came crying to me saying, "I hate school and I hate French. I hate it how girl rhymes with pooh!" ( the word for girl in French is fille - pronounced "fee". She knew it sounded close to a potty word, just couldn't remember which one! As the year has progressed she has made some cute friends & she can now communicate with them. After school we headed to the center of Fontainebleau for ice cream and a few victory rides on the carousel. When we left the school Lilly said, "I'm so sad to leave. The CAB is the best school ever AND I love speaking French!"

Lilly & her teacher Elisabeth
Emille Chappelle, Clara & Lilly on a "victory" ride at the carousel.
Anna, Mathilde, Lilly, Maya - CAB classmates 2008

Euro Cup 2008

2008-07-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

The grand event of European sports took place Sunday night. The 2008 Euro Cup captured everyones attention...especially Spencer's! We had quite a rivalry going with Grammie & Grandpa Randall who are living in Germany & of course are big German fans. At the Taylor Randall house we are all fans of Spain - Spencer's all time favorite football club. We called Grandpa after Spain's first goal...we're not so sure he appreciated hearing from us at that particular moment. Spencer's good friend Arthur came over to cheer & watch the game. Spain won 1-0. After the game the two boys went running through the streets cheering & laughing. Our bakery lady wasn't too thrilled and yelled out the window telling the boys to be quiet!

La famille Benoit

2008-07-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely dinner Saturday evening with la famille Benoit. They fixed a delicious 4 course meal and the kids all enjoyed trying new delicacies including saint jacques (scallops) & auberguine (eggplant). Hervie is French and Ivona is Polish. Both are fun, kind & interesting people. During dinner we asked Ivona to tell us about her life growing up in Poland under Marshall Law. It was a real eye-opener as she recalled getting only one pair of shoes a year using a shoe coupon...one year there were no shoes her size so she had to take a pair a size too small. Food was scarce, but they always managed to find what they needed. For 7 years she never even saw a banana or an orange. The most impressive part of her story was that she said, "you know it wasn't as bad as it sounds. We may not have had money and things, but we were happy. We were learning, helping each other and trying to push for freedoms in our country. Life was still good." It was just a really enjoyable evening...thanks for your wonderful hospitality!
Anna & Olivia

Melun Olympics

2008-06-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday the Melun ward had an Olympic gathering of sorts. We played all kinds of team games including the giant tug-o-war. Everyone played hard and "pulled together" for a fun afternoon. Attending these church functions is especially great for the kids because they have no other option...they have lots of opportunities to practice their French. I can definitely see what a difference a year makes in this regard. Everyone has a good understanding and can carry on a conversation. That's a "gold medal" performance as far as I'm concerned.

Dîner en blanc (dinner in white)

2008-06-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

There is one château in Bourron Marlotte (our village). It is privately owned & only open to the public once a year for the " dîner en blanc". Basically everyone comes with their own picnic/fabulous dinner and it is mandatory to be dressed in white. You bring EVERYTHING...tables, chairs (these you can rent if you want at the château), REAL china, cutlery, goblets, linens, candles, flowers, food & drink. Let me tell you I felt like I was walking in the scene of a movie when we entered the château grounds. It was magnificent...kind of like what you might picture heaven to look like. The tables were so beautiful. Huge candelabras on some & tiny tea lights in a circle on the grass around the perimeter of others. There were huge long tables for big groups of friends and tiny tables meant only for two. Anything goes as long as it's white.

The kids came for the early part of the evening (this all started at the wee hour of 8:30pm!) so they could see the château grounds and just experience the fun of the evening. They had some pretty cool entertainment as well. It was all very French, almost surreal & quite a beautiful site.

We had a great evening with INSEAD friends the Franks, Adners & Thomas'. It was filled with hilarious conversation, amazingly delicious food and an incredible ambiance. If you are ever in Bourron Marlotte at the end of June I highly recommend that you plan to attend!

La Godinette

2008-06-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the school year we went to La Godinette for a lunch break with our friends the Thomas'. It was the beginning of a fun and yummy tradition. Every couple of weeks Taylor or I would take the kids out of school at lunch and walk to our favorite creperie. Yann is the owner and he is one of the sweetest and most kind people you will meet in Fontainebleau. We have become friends due to our frequent visits to his restaurant. A few weeks ago we ran into him at the local supermarket. He came and gave us the typical French greeting of a kiss on each cheek. It's fun to have a little restaurant where you know the chef & you love the food. Thursday was our last "school lunch" date at Yann's. We took the Thomas kids with us just for ol' times sake!

Spectacle des enfants (children's program)

2008-06-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

The end of the year spectacle des enfants was a grand highlight for Lilly. Her class acted out several little fairy tales & Lilly was one of the narrators. She has been practicing for weeks. Her teachers said that she has a great memory & that she's manages to keep all of the other kids on their cues. Lilly seems to love the spot-light & she did a fantastic job.

Here are the maternal teachers from the CAB. Lilly's English teacher is Kim (2nd from the left) and her French teacher is Elisabeth (3rd from the left). We are grateful for all of their dedication, hard work and support of Lilly this year.

Natation à la piscine (Swimming at the pool)

2008-06-26T05:47:00.000-07:00

One thing I love that the French school system does is natation à la piscine. They start the kids when they are young, easily encouraged to over come fear and they don't have body image issues yet. Both Lilly and Clara benefited from the swimming program this year. It's quite a grand task if you think about it. They have to transport classrooms of children in big buses to get to the only public pool in town (it's at INSEAD where Taylor works). They have to get everyone dressed in swim-wear and then back in street clothes (most of this happens in the dead of winter when it's cold outside)! Then the biggest task of all - they have to instruct & watch hoards of children at the pool.
In the beginning Clara was quite anxious about swimming. There was NO free-play or free-swim in the pool. ONLY instruction. However, as she gave it a chance she decided she liked it. They used all kinds of floating devices to have the kids swim around, down and over in the water. Lilly's biggest complaint was that they kept her with all of the little kids (the ones her age!) and they didn't let her have a go in the deep pool.

This week both girls said, good-bye to one more aspect of their school life here in France. It's been quite an experience.

Scotland

2008-06-26T05:44:00.000-07:00

The second week of June Taylor went on one of those "once in a lifetime" trips (at least that's what we keep telling ourselves...somehow every day something wonderful comes our way and we say, "gosh that's just a once in a lifetime opportunity!) He met Jared Rutter & Steve Earl two of his good friends and golfing buddies from SLC in Scotland where they played some pretty terrific courses. When I find out where his pictures are I'll post them here & have him give some commentary. For now I'm just trying to catch up and keep things in a sort of organized manner.

la mode et du plaisir (fashion & fun)

2008-06-26T05:31:00.000-07:00

Clara had a little birthday party with some of her friends. The theme was basically la mode et du plaisir...mostly fun. They started out making bead bracelets & moved onto a bubble gum blowing contest (we had some Hubba Bubba gum imported from the USA for this event), balloon popping & the French fashion show. The girls had gathered every conceivable dress-up from our house & they went to town concocting silly get-ups. Each girl took a turn "walking down the runway" (aka the bridge in our house) and sporting her fashion sense. Afterwards they had a "mini" tea party with everything teeny tiny...little sausages, petite crackers, miniature watermelon slices & fruit kabobs, small cans of Orangina & finger sized rice krispy treats. It was a feast of fun all afternoon & I think Clara felt pretty special.

Jardins de Versailles (Gardens at Versailles)

2008-06-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had a leisurely afternoon bike ride at jardins de Versailles. It was a picture perfect day. We took our visitors Pat and Lisa Zimmerman along with our newest visitor Kirsten Taylor (from our neighborhood in SLC). Pat and Lisa are some of our best friends from long long ago. We lived in the same neighborhood and ward when we were newly married. It's been a long time (almost 19 years for us!) since those newlywed days and we still have the best time together. Lisa kept us all laughing with her accents (they all sound Chinese even though she tries for French, Spanish, etc.) and jokes.
Kirsten graduated from high school 2 days before her big trip to France. This is her 1st time in Europe and she managed to come all by herself. I think that's a major achievement for an 18 year old to navigate her way through the plane, train and taxi station. All of our kids have loved having Kirsten here. She's just an all around great person!

We rode our bikes all around the grand canal and every other path we could find. Lilly brought her own bike. It's so tiny, but she can ride without training wheels. It was about 5 miles of biking and Lilly did it all on her own. She probably rode 10 miles because she had to pedal two times for every one the rest of us did!

Pat & Lisa wanted to take a romantic boat ride on the grand canal. They made the fatal mistake of asking if any of the kids wanted to go. Yes! of course Lilly and Clara were dying to get on the boat!

My primary objective in visiting Versailles was to retrieve my cell phone. The last time I was at Versailles with Diane I lost my phone in the gardens of Marie Antoinette's chateau. An employee found it and had been holding onto it for 3 weeks. I made arrangements to pick it up & it was quite the production. The security guard took me up to an office and then another person led me through many long back halls...I felt like I might go missing & no one would know where to find me. Anyway I met Madame Aquaviva & she handed over my connection to all of my friends in France. Amazing how dependent I've become on a cell phone!

Barbecue

2008-06-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

Barbecue usually brings to mind the all-American summer party. Our church in Melun hosted a spring barbecue that was equally as great. When I asked what I should bring they said, "sausages and salad". I was a little confused and probed around to find out what kind of sausages and how many. Yet another moment of translation humor. When asked to bring sausages to a French bbq they mean any type of meats that you want to cook on the grill. There was quite an assortment that day: marinated pork, hot dogs, grilled chicken, steak, etc. It was a very casual event and the kids raced around, playing soccer and tag and the rest of us enjoyed time to talk and eat together. Good times.

Cours de cuisine (cooking class)

2008-06-20T06:09:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to take some French cooking classes. All year long I've been searching for new recipes and new techniques. As I've mentioned before my friend Xavier grew up in a family that owned and ran a bakery. He agreed to have a baking class in his home one Saturday morning. We all showed up in our aprons & wearing our hats that we purchased the day before in Paris - yes we really are a bunch of wacky women, but we know how to have fun! I wrote down every step of instruction, and took lots of photos at each stage of the process. I'm hoping it turns out when I try it on my own. Xavier's dad came and showed us how to make that mouth watering French bread. He made it seem so simple. Just add a little of this, mix like that and voila! I think it won't be that easy for me...the flour is different, the sugar is different, the air is different...hmm maybe I could convince Xavier and his dad to move to SLC and open a real French bakery. Now wouldn't that be fantastic! Thanks Xavier for opening up your kitchen and your baking secrets.

l'école des projets artistiques (school art projects)

2008-06-20T01:16:00.000-07:00

The Leonard Da Vinci Primary School had it's annual l'école des projets artistiques. It was one of the only times of the year we were allowed into the school to see the classrooms & roam the halls. I'm really impressed with the calibre of art instruction. Clara's school class went on numerous "art" field trips including one to the Musee de Orsay! Much of her art focus was on trees. Here she is with her friend and classmate showing off some of their tree scenes.

Much of the art in Olivia's class dealt with the two plays her class did. They painted the scenery & did various scenes based from famous artists. She worked together on projects with other classmates which was a great learning experience.

Roland Garros - French Open 2008

2008-06-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

The Roland Garros - French Open 2008 was an event we didn't want to miss. Our long-time friends Pat & Lisa Zimmerman were in town for the event so the four of us went on a double date. We didn't have tickets to a main event, but we were lucky enough to be at the front of the line for general admission seating. It's a huge outdoor complex with tons of clay courts, big screen t.v.'s, food and tennis excitement. We walked around & watched a couple of fun matches. I especially loved watching the wheel-chair games. What amazing athletes! It's cool to see how they care for the clay courts...that is after all what makes playing tennis in France so unusual. They spray it down with water and then go over with rakes to keep the clay even & not bumpy.

Back in high school & college Taylor and Pat played a little tennis together at the community courts. Lisa and I joined in for a doubles match here and there, but I think we all need a little practice if we are to get back into the game at this stage of life. The athletes competing at the French Open were so strong & powerful. It was just a great day!

Cinderella

2008-06-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

This year at school Olivia's grade has had an intense focus on the performing arts. They have had many opportunities to attend the theater and see classical pieces like "Candide" and also modern dance programs. The week long Buthiers camp had all kinds of activities dealing with theater. Not only did her French class put on a big production, but the Anglophone (English) section did a show as well.

Last night was the debut of the Anglophone class version of "Cinderella". It was a musical and I thought everyone did a great job. Olivia was one of the "step-mothers"...many children shared each role. For instance there were 4 Cinderellas, 4 step-mothers, 4 princes, etc . Each child wore the same costume to help avoid confusion when a different person came on stage. Olivia had to sing a solo. She really surprised us with her calm yet confident stage presence - she played a "mean" step-mom! Her song sounded fabulous. As the school year closes in on us we are really enjoying these "last performances". It's been a real Cinderella story for our entire family!

The Cast party after the show
Sasha, Rebecca, Anna, Claire, Zoe, Tess, Olivia

Clara Jane turns 9!

2008-06-09T13:49:00.001-07:00

June 9th brings yet another "Golden Birthday" in the Randall home. Clever Clara Jane turned 9 today. She was born on the same day as her Grammie Randall. We are so happy that Clara is a part of our family. She is our "queen of tarts"...no traditional birthday cake for this girl. She wanted a raspberry tart instead.
Clara is crazy about watermelon, jump ropes, books, art, the Friend magazine, French pastries (especially tarts), tricky bars, climbing trees, bunnies, cooking, having fun and being a huge helper in every situation. She is a terrific little sister and an even better big sister. Her French accent is amazing ...she sounds like the real deal when she speaks French! Clara has a smile that can melt any heart. We love her big dimple.
If there is something good going on Clara wants to be a part of it. She struggles to go to sleep at night for fear she is going to miss out. When others are walking Clara is doing cart-wheels. If you need her to sit still you better have a treat on hand because her middle name is "wiggles". She's a little chatter-box and her laughter is contagious. Clara you have made our home so happy for the past 9 years. We hope that this next year is a real "golden" one for you!

Kermesse (School Fair)

2008-06-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

The end of the school year always brings lots of activities. Saturday the Ecole Internationale Leonard de Vinci held their big kermesse. It was a fabulously fun, well organized event and the girls all had a blast. One of the favorite booths was for prizes. You draw a number out of a bag and on a big long table sat your "prize" with the corresponding number. The rain didn't dampen any of our fun. We are so glad for the great experiences and friends we have made at school this year. It will be hard to say good-bye in July!

Stade de France

2008-06-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Spencer's big request for this "golden birthday" celebration was to go to a soccer match at the stade de France in Paris. Late Saturday night he and Taylor took the train and had a blast watching the French national championship game between Paris Saint Germaine and Lyon. Thousands of crazy fans made it even more memorable. Sometimes I wonder if it's more fun to watch the soccer fans or the players. Spencer had a wonderful time with his dad...yet another priceless memory for years to come.

le vélo à Versailles (biking at Versailles)

2008-06-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Diane & I had one big play day at Versailles. The weather was perfect & we just enjoyed wandering through the gardens, eating lunch at an outside table, talking & faire le vélo à Versailles! We both have big beach cruisers in SLC and we love to ride our bikes. Lucky for us they have good bikes with "granny seats" at Versailles so we rode and rode and rode. At one point Diane said, "lets stop and rest and just watch the clouds". It was perfect. So peaceful and relaxing. I can't remember the last time I just sat and watched the clouds go by...you should try it! It's great therapy.

It's a good thing we had that therapy session because the ride home was hilarious. We lost one of our cells phones, but didn't know it. By the time I was on the freeway driving in rush hour we realized it was missing . We called the number and a French person answered. She said, "I found your phone in the gardens at Marie Antoinette's farm. Can you come now and retrieve it?" Oh brother. I couldn't turn around and the traffic was bad so we just kept driving. I think my phone is still there in a desk drawer just waiting for me to pick it up. What a mess, what a story, what a laugh!

célébration de thé (tea party)

2008-06-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

I loved showing Nancy & Diane some of my "favorite spots" for shopping, eating & scenery. We had a couple of fun packed days and the kids were so sad when they left because our house felt empty without them (want to come again ladies?). Lilly joined the three of us for a village tour. she was our designated photographer in Moret sur Loing (she did an ok job don't you think?!)

We had a "farewell célébration de thé" for Nancy's last day. It was kind of a gorge on all of the most delicious merangues, cream puffs and chocolate...Thanks for all of the fun mon amies!

Diane Higginson

2008-06-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

One great benefit from a giant rain storm is the rainbow at the end. Our "pot of gold" came in the form of yet another great friend's arrival! Diane Higginson joined our "bed & breakfast" group and we were sooo happy to see her. We picked her up from the train station and went straight to dinner at Pizza Mimi's. Diane lives just down the street from us in SLC. She is a nurse at Huntsman Cancer Institute and we were thrilled that she could take a break from her rigorous schedule so we could pamper her and show her some fun times in France.

81 élèves (81 pupils)

2008-06-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

The big production for Olivia's French class starred 81 élèves. Hours of planning, rehearsing and work went into the show. Unfortunately I never got a good photo because it was too dark the night of the performance. Olivia had one little speaking part...she did just fine. Overall it was a great experience. It was called L'horologer de l'aube. We are still trying to figure out what it was all about...liberty and justice for all. There were a couple of very interesting "French" aspects. One person was shot and killed in a scene and several others required the soldiers marching around with guns. Quite grown-up content for 5th graders, but a pleasant learning experience nonetheless.

Nancy Bea

2008-06-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

There's no way to replace the comfort that comes from years of friendship. One of my dearest friends Nancy Bea, from our Philadelphia days came to visit for one week. Even though we hadn't seen each other in 3 years it felt like we'd been living on the same street forever.
One day Nancy emailed me to ask if I knew where the village of Grez sur Loing was. Yes, I knew it well...it's about a 5 minute drive from my house. Come to find out Nancy has another friend, Sonia who lives in Grez! This provided a great opportunity for all of us to increase our circles of friendship during Nancy's visit. The three of us took a "Museum Day" in Paris. I think the most fun part of the day for me was watching Nancy's excitement...she's an amazing artist & tomorrow debuts her first solo show in NYC! At the Musee de Orsay we filled our buckets with countless masterpieces. We were saturated with art, but hungry so we ate lunch at the elegant restaurant & enjoyed a marvelous day. I'm hoping that one day in the future Nancy's works will find there way to a famous museum!

le coucher du soleil (sunset)

2008-06-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

Now that we are into the month of June the days are much lighter and longer. The wild birds start waking me up with the sun around 5am. I love their constant chatter and song...they are eager to make every minute of the day count. It's been hard to get kiddos to bed at a decent hour because the sun doesn't set until after 10pm. Quite a difference from those long dark winter nights.

Happy Birthday Lilly

2008-06-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

"I'm 5! Today I'm 5!" These are the words that Lilly has been squealing all day long. It's been about a year in coming. I think the day after her 4th birthday she started asking, "when will I be 5?" If you ask her she will tell you that her birthday is June the 3rd. What fun we've had with this little fire-cracker for the past 5 years. She is the typical youngest child...silly, funny, loved by all, smart & joyful.This last year has brought many "firsts" for Lilly. She learned how to ride a two-wheeler in about 24 hours. She learned how to ride in-line skates in about 10 minutes. She can write her name in cursive. She goes to school in French. She can jump rope. She swings from bars like a monkey. She swims on her own. She's definitely one of a kind!
Lilly says the darndest things: One day after a big trip she said, "Do we have to keep going from country to country to country? I'm tired!"

If she want to know how something works she tells us to "read the constructions."

One day she looked out the window and said, "Look at that! It's just like a picture! I can't believe that my eyes can discover things like that!"

While talking to her best friend Sophie about hatching eggs in an incubator Lilly said, "When I go back to Salt Lake I'm going to hatch whales at my house." I said I didn't think that was possible because whales don't hatch in eggs and they need to live in the sea. She got all upset and said, "you told me maybe we could try to hatch whales!" Then it dawned on me...Quails (quail eggs!) Funny girl.
We love you Lilly you have made our family complete and we can't wait to see what you accomplish as a 5 year old! Bon Anniversaire!!!!

trois princesses (three princesses)

2008-06-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I had the once in a life-time chance to spend the entire day at Disneyland with my "baby". My good friends Traci & Tifiny also took their babies Maya & Sophie. Our number one objective was to have fun & to do Disney the way a 4 year old would like it. As I was leaving the house in the morning Spencer Said, "Mom grab Lilly's dress-ups!" I told him they would be too cumbersome and I wasn't going to take them. He insisted and thank goodness for that! All three girls benefited from this 14 year old boys wisdom. They felt like real princesses dressed in gowns of pink and purple. Spencer loves his baby sister and he knows what makes her happy!

Trois princesses - Sophie, Maya and Lilly

We dubbed this trip "Lilly's birthday party". I can't believe that she was 4 days away from being 5! When did this little baby of mine grow so big?!
As crazy as it sounds Lilly's favorite ride was Blanche Neige (Snow White). There are only a few seconds on this ride devoted to Snow White and the 7 dwarfs...the rest of it is all about that mean old witch. I think the fact that the new movie "Enchanted" has a part in it where the squirrel acts out the witch giving the apple and saying "it's good!" made it all great for Lilly. My other children have always hated this ride. All three girls Lilly, Maya & Sophie loved it and there was no line so I think we went on it like 14 times! The other favorite was "Peter Pan" and Small World. As we went through Small world the girls kept calling out, "mom take a picture of that, and that and that!" Traci almost used up her memory card snapping photos on the ride!
The crowing jewel of the day was the character tea party. All of us have an annual pass and we've been a few times before so we KNEW that there was almost no chance of actually seeing a character in the park. The French are pretty pushy and it's a stomping ground when a character is out for a photo session. We decided the only way we would see any characters would be to go inside. There were plenty of characters and excitement for these little girls. It was fun to watch their eyes light up and to be a part of that magical wonder. Many of the children at the tea party were special needs kids. It was such an honor to be in that same room with them and to watch the thrill in their eyes (& their loving parents) as the characters came to their tables and wheel chairs.
One 18 year old girl was there with her caregiver/adopted grandma. Her grandma told us that really the only thing she really responds to are the Disney characters. She looks forward to her trip from England to France every year so she can see them in person. The only ride she can go on is Small World because of her wheel chair handicap. I've been so touched by this story ever since and know that the opportunities and experiences we are having are a real gift and nothing to be taken for granted.

Jose & Christina

2008-06-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

Jose & Christina were also fun visitors who quickly became family during their stay. Taylor met Jose 20 years ago when he was serving a mission in Spain. Two years ago Jose and Christina (who is from Sweden) were married and moved from Spain to Sweden where they have a beautiful home in the country. When they called to say they were coming for a visit we had no idea how much we would come to adore them both!
To start it all off they brought an enormous bag of Swedish gummy candy for "the kids". Turns out even the "grown up kids" love Swedish candy. I think we ate about 5 pounds one night just sitting around the table!

Jose is one of those guys who can do everything. He's got a really cute personality, yet he's so humble and kind. The kids loved watching him jump into the air, walk with pretzel legs and draw a very cool picture of our kids all in little dots!

From the minute I met Christina at the train station I knew I had made a great friend. She's so easy to talk with and she's fun! Christina is expecting their first baby in October. She was such a good sport to walk, travel and never complain. One night she favored us by making Swedish meatballs. She made a double batch and it literally took 1 hour to just cook them let alone make the mix and form them into balls. Olivia and Clara were right there learning her tricks of the trade. Olivia doesn't even like meatballs, but after tasting these specialties she became converted.

Farewell to Rustin & Laura

2008-06-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

Rustin and Laura's visit seemed to come to an end too fast. We really enjoyed showing them our life in France. Rustin is Taylor's youngest brother. There were a couple of times people asked Taylor if they were brothers...Taylor said, "yes & who do you think is the youngest?" Of course they always picked Rustin. Sorry Taylor! Rustin is an amazing person. He is the hardest worker we know. He owns a commercial painting company in SLC and is in heavy demand all year long. Lucky for us when we built our home he offered hours of painting and countless supplies. He's generous, fun & just a great person altogether. We feel the same way about Laura. She's a fun aunt and always doing thoughtful things to make us feel loved. This was a big trip for them as they left three little boys under the age of 5 at home with baby-sitters. We hope this trip was a real get-away for you both! We love you guys.

l' accident (the mishap)

2008-06-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

With all of our travels and company we had l' accident on Sunday. Olivia was asked to play her violin for the Ponelle baptism at the church. We misunderstood the request and she showed up on Sunday unprepared and without her violin. When the mistake was realized I hurried home to fetch her violin. She hadn't practiced all week due to our many activities, but she remained as calm and pleasant as ever. Her good friend Alysee offered to accompany her on the piano and in just 20 minutes of practicing they had a nice little song prepared for the program. Nice to know that under pressure friends can help us through many trials!

Provins

2008-06-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

We went from one medieval village to the next...Provins is an exceptional town that was built in the 12th century by the counts of Champagne. Even today it is dripping with culture and charm. We walked along the top of the ramparts and enjoyed the blooming rapeseed fields, tilled earth and green grass.

Aunt Laura & Uncle Rustin

Christina & Jose
During the spring and summer months they have little shows that reinact scenes from medieval times. We had hoped to get there for the knights in shining armor, but missed it and went to the equestrian show instead. It was a tad bit bizzare as the theme was something for ancient Mongolian tribes. The horse acts were fun though.

It's so neat to walk along the streets here and see the old old architecture that still manages to hold up structures...even if it is a little looped and lopsided. We found this gift shop that was set up in an underground barn from centuries ago - so cool!

Taylor bought us all ice cream cones after a long days walk in the sun. Provins is famous for it's rose flavored sugars, candies and ice cream. Of course we had to try it. I didn't think it was so bad, but Taylor felt like he was eating soap.

Taylor found a cool violin/music stand in one of the stores. He bought it & we were thinking maybe we could fund the rest of our treat money by having the kids sing on the street corners...they were practicing in this shot! Now the big question is how is Taylor planning on getting this music stand home to the USA?

Blandy

2008-06-03T01:16:00.000-07:00

Blandy is a restored medieval walled fortress. It's right in the middle of a quiet little village and made for a lovely Saturday afternoon lunch stop. We got an outside table at the restaurant across the street and enjoyed the view. Our restaurant experience was hilarious...every time we tried to order something on the menu the waitress would say, "we don't have anymore of that today." After several tries we wondered if she was trying to get rid of us, but finally we found enough entries to feed everyone.

We wondered if it was Rustin's approach that was making our ordering so difficult!

Paris with Rus and Laura

2008-06-03T00:52:00.000-07:00

This was Rustin and Laura's first day of vacation AND their first time in Europe. I think we had them on overload as we walked and walked and walked through Paris. They were amazing and stayed awake and seemed to love everything they saw. I'll let the pictures do the talking...
We love to walk down the Champs de Elysees and look in the windows at all of the fancy stores...this week they had a display of cars for the Grand Prix. It's never complete unless we stop at Paul's for raspberry tarts, chocolate elcairs, chocolte macaroons, sandwiches, etc. etc. It's ALL delicious at Paul's!

Our walk ended at the Egyptian obelisk and then we took a few minutes to rest in the Tuilleries gardens. It was so hot that day that we thought we might melt. I think I spent about 30 euros just purchasing water bottles to keep everyone hydrated. We will definitely be thankful for drinking fountains when we return to the USA.

The girls tried knocking of the door of the Orangerie Museum, but no one answered. We'll just have to go back another time to try and get in.

While Rus & Laura had the tour of Notre Dame the kids and I sat on the curb and watched all of the street performers. This group of techtonic dancers was amazing and kept us entertained for a long time.

By the time we caught the train everyone was pooped, but full of fabulous memories of a whirlwind day!

Victory Day

2008-06-03T00:27:00.000-07:00

Taylor's brother Rustin and his wife Laura arrived Thursday morning (the same day Jeff & Natalie Conolly left for SLC). It was an early morning arrival so after picking them up from the airport we headed home and Rustin woke up the kids with big bear hugs. We were so happy to see them both after 9 1/2 months. Our other guest Jose & Christina (from Sweden) were just waking up as well so it was a full house. Taylor had to teach that day so he missed out on the fun. We figured there was no time to spare so everyone piled into our 7 seater van and we headed for the train station & a days journey in Paris.

May 8th is Victory Day in France. It is a day to celebrate, honor and remember the brave souls who fought for victory during WWII. We thought it would be appropriate to pay our respects to those Allied Powers and visited the Arc de Triumph on the Champs Elysees. The flags were out and many were placing flowers in memorial. We went to the top for a great view of Paris.

These two could pass for twins if it weren't for the lack of hair on Uncle Rus!

couleurs de printemps (colors of spring)

2008-05-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

The vivid couleurs de printemps are fading almost as fast as they came. The past two weeks have been an overload on the color spectrum. The blossoms fill our eyes with wonder and our noses with sweet fragrance. My olfactory sense will forever remind me of this magical spring in Fontainebleau. Hope you enjoy this little visual feast...wish I could make it scratch and sniff!

Le grand pain (Big Bread)

2008-05-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist the last purchase of the day...Le grand pain! It's sold by the kilo and this particular loaf cost about 13 euros. It was hilarious to carry this big old thing through the streets of Paris, in the subway and on the train. One guy on the subway said, "you better get a lot of cheese to go with that bread!" I'm pretty satisfied with simple pleasures and lugging this grand pain was FUN. It was even more fun to see the looks on the kids faces when we returned home. It was a big bread feast for dinner. We had bread with jam and cheese. There's even plenty of left-overs for tomorrows French toast breakfast!

lèche-vitrines (window shopping)

2008-05-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

Paris is fun no matter what. It's even more fun when you are with a bunch of friends and you don't have an agenda. Today Tracie Boyer, Tifiny Reed, Tracey Thomas and I roamed the streets, soaked in the sights and ate lots of tasty treats. Before lunch we shared ice cream from Berthillon. We thought we might go to a museum or two, but instead we ended up lèche-vitrines - this phrase in French actually means "licking the windows"...Kind of like window shopping...you want to buy, but you don't...you just stand at the window and drool.

I need to note here that Tracie Boyer (on the right) is the first friend I met in France. We had only been here one day. We were standing in line at the Carrefour jet lagged and shell shocked. Tracie was in line ahead of us and when she heard us speaking English she said hello and introduced herself. After a small conversation we learned that our kids were going to the same international school. We exchanged numbers and the next day she telephoned to invite us to a picnic in the forest. Talk about stretching out the hand of friendship.

We fond this sign hilarious, especially on a day when lots of things were on strike!

spécialité du français (speciality of the French)

2008-05-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

The strikers were out in force today. Another greve (strike) which could be the start of many to come this summer. The trains to Paris were running at only half capacity. The buses to and from school were NOT running at all. It's a difficult place to get around when you rely on public transport. I ventured out with three girlfriends. We had planned this excursion weeks ago so we were not going to let the greve get us down. Our train to Paris was 25 minutes late...that was the only glitch in our entire day. Lucky us!

At our first subway stop we encountered some strikers. It wasn't exactly the most riotous or forceful demonstration. We stopped to ask the policemen why they had such fancy shin guard protectors. They were quite chatty. One of them waved his hand toward the crowd and said, "La greve est une spécialité du français!" (the strike is a specialty of the French). Let's hope this little "spécialité" doesn't get too out of hand.

Utah

2008-05-21T05:12:00.000-07:00

I went shopping in France and found shirts with prints from Utah. How weird is that? I wanted to find shirts with French writing. Of all the places in the world I'm flabbergasted that they would have shirts from my city in the USA. It's really not such a big world after all.

The Connollys

2008-05-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Natalie and Jeff Connolly stopped by for a few days. They were on their way home from a 10 day vacation in Spain and we were sooo glad they put France on their docket. They had planned to take the train from the airport to our village, but due to many complicated train schedules they missed all available lines. After lots of map reading and international phone calls we connected late Sunday night/Monday morning (1am) and I picked them up from the train station in Melun. We pretty much laughed the whole way home. Little adventures like that seem to make a trip that much more memorable!

We had fun doing our little local stops together. Jeff bought Natalie and I French hats which I'm sure will come in handy this summer. We felt so fashionable walking through the marche. Natalie and I met in college where we both joined the same sorority. She has been a life-long friend ever since. Both Natalie and Jeff are TALL. I feel like a regular shrimp when I stand next to them...they are wonderful people to look up to. So talented, nice and FUN. The kids really enjoyed another set of parents to play with and tease. The last night for the Connolly's visit we received more visitors - Jose and Christina. It was a good-bye and welcome dinner all wrapped up into one evening. Thanks for coming Natalie & Jeff!

Spencer

2008-05-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

Today marks Spencer's 14th birthday...his "Golden Birthday" no less. That means that he turned 14 on the 14th. France is a pretty cool place to celebrate your golden birthday. Lucky for him it was a half day of school so he got to chill and do whatever he wanted this afternoon. Somehow life as the only boy has it's advantages.Today he had Olivia, Clara & Lilly calling him "Sir Spencer". I guess that's birthday royalty.

We have loved having Spencer in our family. He's athletic, busy, creative, debonaire, exciting, fabulous, great, handsome, interesting, jolly, krafty, likable, masculine, nice, outrageous, personable, quick, rowdy, sensational, terrific, unbelievable, vivacious, wild, x-treme, young, zany. Happy Birthday Spencer!!!!

Deena Rutter

2008-05-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

More good luck came our way when Deena Rutter came to visit. In Salt Lake City both Deena and Tifiny live on my same street. We all love Browning Circle so much that we don’t think we ever want to sell our homes and move. For this reason alone it was great fun to venture into Paris with the three of us on Friday…we decided that it will be so much fun when we are 85 and sitting on our front steps reminiscing about that day we tromped all over Paris in 2008! We covered some pretty good ground and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. No one even needed a jacket! Deena is a very talented artist (check out her blog). She designs all of those fun scrapbook papers & boxes.. All along the way she found new patterns and textiles to help inspire her next projects. It was a fabulous day to soak up the atmosphere of Paris in the springtime!

From the look of it all and the bags we took home it goes without saying that "Girls know how to have fun!"

Muguet (Lily of the Valley)

2008-05-14T01:09:00.000-07:00

May first was Labor Day in France – yet another national holiday. As you drive along the forest road there were multiple vendors selling little clusters of muguet. Many of them were tied in clumps with moss on the bottom and tied together with a thin white thread. From my research I learned that King Henry of France started the holiday when he presented all of the Ladies in Waiting with the tender lilies. A couple hundred years later it was designated as a national holiday and now it’s just a great reason to stay home from work and enjoy walking in the forest searching for lily of the valley. Tradition says you present it to your friends for good luck.

When the Ames were visiting they bought me several bouquets of roses and one little lily of the valley plant. Little did any of us know of the history behind this little flower – but I consider it my “Great Luck” to have them as friends. Monique taught me a song about the flower that she learned as a young girl:

White coral bells upon a slender stalk
Lilies of the valley deck my garden walk.

Oh don’t you wish that you could hear them ring?
That would happen only when the fairy’s sing.

C1- B- A- G- E- F- A- G- F- E- C- A- D- F- E- G- C1- E1- D1- B- C1

The Ames Family

2008-05-14T00:54:00.000-07:00

Nothing quite like having best friends. We have been lucky enough to be best friends with the Ames family for 14 years. We met when Spencer and Gabrielle were just weeks old and we've been having adventures together ever since. It was a blast to show them around France...shop at the markets...see incredible sites and laugh ourselves sick every night at dinner.

Taylor and Stuart have now biked together in Pennsylvania, Moab, Norway and France...where next boys?
Monique is about one of the funnest people I know. She is as her parents say, "A delight to feed!" She can ooh and ahh and make you feel like everything you give her is the best she's ever had. I think we came pretty close to solving the worlds problems as we drove through France. Life is always interesting with Monique!
A farewell crepe breakfast. Even though we were all pooped by this point in our adventures we would have kept going if only they could have stayed another week. Thanks for visiting guys! We love you all!!!!

Aix en Provence

2008-05-14T00:47:00.000-07:00

The lavender fields were not yet in bloom in Provence, however we were lucky enough to hit the flower market in Aix on our drive home. The lilacs, poppies and peonies were amazing and the air was so fragrant - better than the perfume factory!

We wandered around the market and then found the food marche. Everything seems to be in season now and the fresh peas, strawberries and tomatoes were delicious to sample.

One last time

2008-05-14T00:41:00.000-07:00

We had to play one last time at the beach, make one last sand sculpture and go out for one last yummy seafood dinner...thank goodness it wasn't our last day with the Ames. They followed us back to Fontainebleau for a few more days of fun!

Fontaine Parfume

2008-05-14T00:26:00.000-07:00

We thought it would be cool to see how some of that famous French parfume is concocted, maybe even pick up a bottle of eau de toilette. What started out as an early morning drive turned ugly fast. Taylor & Stuart had all of the little kids in their car. Poor guys. 20 minutes into the drive Parker threw up. We figured he was just car sick, but then a few minutes later it happened again and just before we reached our destination Schuyler got sick. Taylor doesn't do throw up. I'm surprised he didn't take a turn just from the smell in the car. Both dads were awesome and took care of that ugly business. When we finally got to the Fonaine Parfume factory Shuyler and Parker were so miserable. We found it ironic that the car should smell so disgusting on the day we were driving to the parfume factory!

The walk through the parfume factory was fine, but not quite as interesting as we had hoped. Our noses were on overload by the time we reached the gift shop and no one was interested in any more smelly stuff. We opted for a crepe lunch and then headed back to relax the rest of the afternoon.

St. Maxime

2008-05-14T00:10:00.000-07:00

The favorite day and destination spot was St. Maxime. There was a little beach just down the hill from our villa. It had just enough sand and surf to keep everyone happy. The water was cold...I don't like cold water...my kids don't like mother's who complain about swimming in cold water...they won...I went swimming...guess what? I LOVED it! Unfortunately it took me until the end of the day after everyone had already swam out to the platform. That's ok, at least my kids know I'm not a total wimp.

Our good friends the Thomas's were vacationing in Nice. Tracie took the train with her girls and met us in St. Maxime for some beach fun. It was great to have Tracie, Alyson, Kate & Maya join us for the afternoon.

Monaco

2008-05-13T23:54:00.000-07:00

The kids are determined to hit as many countries as they can this trip - for that reason alone Monaco was a must. We loved the drive along the mediterranean coast line. Despite it's small size Monaco has a sense of style and grace that permeates the country. We took the scenic walk along the high walls and dreamed about sailing the crystal blue waters.

The guys all dreamed about racing around in the big Grand Prix. They were setting up the course all through the city. Baracades and bleachers were everywhere. One other thing is definitely in excess in Monaco...fast cars & money! We saw so many Ferraris and Porsches...not a lot mini vans driving around.

Cannes

2008-05-13T23:41:00.000-07:00

The day ended in Cannes. By the time we got to this point in our journey we were pooped and the city kind of looked a lot like all the rest. It is beautiful though and we understand why all of the movie stars like to come here for the big film festival in May.

Walking along the beach was relaxing except for the fact that we had to watch our step carefully so as to not step on a jelly fish. The jellies were all over the sand. Poor Schulyer got stung, but he was a really good sport & hardly complained.

We enjoyed a great feast at a seaside Italian restaurant. The mussels and fries were delicious as was the squid and gambas. Yum!

St. Tropez

2008-05-09T05:42:00.000-07:00

St. Tropez was just across the bay from St. Maxime (where we were staying). Technically it should have been a 20 minute drive, but the beach traffic was awful and it took well over an hour. I guess that's why they say visit the south of France before summer when it's full of tourists. I can only imagine how busy it will be in July!
We picked up a picnic lunch from a local bakery and went to the beach in St. Tropez. The sun was high, the water clear and the wind was fierce. We found a place to sit with a barrier so the wind couldn't get us. When we tried to walk along the beach the sand came pelting our bodies. The kids found that being in the freezing water was the best place to hang out.

Once we had our fill of sun and sand we walked around the town of St. Tropez. The bay is full of amazing sail boats and yachts. All of the sailors were out cleaning their boats and making them shine. We just loved watching all of the action and wandering around.

As we passed "Le Bon Bon" the kids all asked if we could get a LITTLE bag of candy. How harmless could that be? Each kid put a few sweets in a bag...nothing like being a kid (or an adult) in a candy store. When I got the grand total for just our family's bag 34 Euro I just about croaked! Taylor laughed and said, "what can you do? Just pay for it and enjoy every last bite" - and that we did!

Everywhere we went the kids found some way to entertain themselves and have fun. Even the stair way doubled as a slide. We practically had to drag them away. Fun day Fun times!

Nice

2008-05-09T05:16:00.000-07:00

Monday morning we dragged our jet lagged friends out of bed early so we could hit the big flea market in Nice (pronounced niece). The setting alone for the market is picturesque. There were tons of vendors and lots of beautiful old stuff. Monique and I sent the kids with the dads and we looked to our hearts content. We each bought a teeny tiny nativity set made from feves (little porcelain figures found in gallette cakes).

After a fabulous lunch at an outdoor cafe we climbed to the top of a big hill to see the view. It was too tempting so we ran all the way to the beach. The beaches in Nice are completely covered with big rocks. The kids threw rock after rock into the water and the ocean seemed to gobble them right up in huge waves. Parker wasn't really even standing that close to the water when a huge wave crashed up and drenched him. While the views were "nice" in Nice we were happy to get back to our villa for games and relaxation that afternoon.

Schuyler, Spencer, Lilly, Clara, Parker, Olivia & Gabrielle

"vous restez ici!" (You stay here!)

2008-05-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we drove 45 minutes to church. It was a very tiny branch, but the people were so friendly & welcoming. We kept trying to leave to go home after the meeting, but the people from the branch kept saying, "vous restez ici!" Much to the kids chagrin we were invited for dinner and felt like we would offend if we didn't stay. It was yet another great cultural experience & we left having more friends than when we arrived. The rest of the afternoon it rained so hard that we stayed in the villa and played games. Around 11pm the Ames family arrived all the way from Connecticut! They are some of our very best friends from graduate days at Wharton and we love to travel with them. It was just the beginning of our fun with Stuart, Monique, Gabrielle, Parker & Schuyler!

Sud de France (South of France)

2008-05-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

Our rental villa in the Sud de France was like something out of a travel magazine. Taylor had been searching the Internet for weeks trying to find accommodations. He watched the rates for this particular house go down every time it came within 7 days of rental time so Taylor decided it was worth the risk to wait and save an extra 30%. We feel like we got the steal of the century. The house is up on the hill overlooking the Mediterranean with vegetation all around. There is a great but freezing swimming pool and plenty of room to spare. The kids couldn’t wait to put on their wet suits and jump in. These kids have been swimming in Norwegian fjords since they were just little & I think they didn't mind the temperatures one little bit. After unpacking and swimming Lilly sat down on a lounge chair and said, "I'm going to sit here, eat chips and just ENJOY!"

saut à l'élastique (bungee jumping)

2008-05-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

After a long 8 hour drive we hit our final destination of St. Maxime. It is a lovely coastal village with lush green rolling hills, lots of flowers and blue green ocean. The sun was high & we were hot in our jeans and long sleeve shirts. We ate lunch at a beach-side restaurant and enjoyed a little sand between our toes. There is something so wonderful about being at the ocean and resting on the beach…to me the beach is one of the most relaxing and desirable places to be. The kids enjoyed saut à l'élastique alongside the pier. It was hilarious to watch all four of them boinging up in the air and doing flips. It was a fabulous way to let them release some of that energy from the car ride.

Buthiers Camp Report

2008-05-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've written and there is sooo much to catch up...I'm going to start at the beginning of our last school vacation....

It was great to add Olivia to our family scene once again as we picked her up from Buthier camp. She was all smiles & had lots of fun stories to share about her experience. They provided croissants & drinks for a little social hour while the kids showed the parents around the place & said their final “good-byes” to the counselors & friends. Every day the kids woke at 7am, had a little breakfast and then attended different classes related to theater. Her favorite was painting and designing scenery for the class play. They took explorations through the forest & did course orientation, went mountain biking, rock climbing, rode go-carts, & played lots of different tag games. Surprisingly she said the food was pretty good…cordon bleu, pastas, fresh salads, fruits and puddings. She was afraid it would be too much like canteen at school, so it was a nice surprise that everything was edible.

I think her favorite thing was sharing a room with 10 other girls: Claire, Zoe, Tess, Anna, Clara, Sasha, Rebecca, Marta & Flora. Everyone got along fabulously. These girls have very clever senses of humor which kept them all from any homesickness. They talked and talked and laughed until the counselors said “lights out & mouths shut” every night!

In Memory - Richard Lloyd 7/72 to 4/08

2008-04-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

We just returned home from our vacation and learned that Taylor's cousin Richard Lloyd passed away Friday afternoon. Such a heart break. Richard was one amazing man. Fun, handsome, intelligent, interesting, musical and so much more. He fought a fearless fight with brain cancer since being diagnosed early last fall. His life had such purpose and meaning. He was optimistic at every turn of the road. Rich leaves behind a fabulous wife and three adorable young sons. Our thoughts are with them today. We sure will miss him.

Chanitlly de Framboises (Raspberry Cream)

2008-04-18T05:42:00.001-07:00

Thought I'd post a little recipe for a "taste of spring"...we made it the other night & no one could stop with just one little cup.

Chantilly de Framboises
33 cl creme fraiche liquide (whipping cream also works)
80 g sucre glace (2 Tbl. white sugar)
2 feuilles de gelatine (2 packets Knox gelatin - dissolved in water)
4 c. a s. de coulis de framboise (2 cups raspberry puree)
Fresh raspberries for garnish

Dissolve gelatin. Boil puree & add gelatin & sugar. Let cool. Whip creme fraiche about half way. Gently fold puree into creme fraiche. Pour into tiny dessert cups. Cool in refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Garnish & Enjoy!

We are now headed out to "taste" more of France. The kids have yet another 2 week break from school! It's almost comical how much vacation you get when you're a student in France - but we love it. Tonight we pick up Olivia from her school camp and then we will drive to Southern France and the beaches of Nice (pronounced niece).

Cueillette des fleurs (Picking Flowers)

2008-04-18T05:28:00.001-07:00

Clara & Olivia had a mecredi libere (day off from school) Wednesday. It was an absolutely beautiful day. We found some great grass fields filled with little daisy's. the girls spent hours cueillette des fleurs . We tied the flowers into chains and they each wore a crown on their heads. Jesse Reed tied each of the girls into the weeping willows & they had fun swinging in the trees as well. Ahh spring!

Départ (Departure)

2008-04-17T13:16:00.001-07:00

Grandma & Paul's "départ" was early Wednesday morning. It's always sad to say good-bye, but we sure had a great visit. Everyday we tried a new French bistro for lunch & we took lots of scenic car rides to enjoy the quaint villages in our surrounding area. Thanks for everything Mom & Paul...we love you!

Arbre jarret (Tree knuckles)

2008-04-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

I found this once magnificent tree in the stages of serious arthritis. Doesn't it just look like it has sore jarrets (knuckles)? I can only imagine that a few short years ago it was holding up branches brimming with blossoms. Even today in its aging state it exudes beauty & grace.

Buthiers Camp

2008-04-14T13:34:00.001-07:00

Olivia left this morning for Buthiers Camp. The entire CM2 (5th grade) class is going to camp for one week. They are staying at a location about an hour away. It is in the forest so they will do exploration, star gazing and other fun things. The focus of the week is theater. The class will be preparing for the French play...they will rehearse, design scenery and learn all about a stage production. Olivia was thrilled at the prospect. She is sharing a room with 10 other girls and fortunately she thinks all of them are fantastic. We hope she has a grand adventure!

Tulipes (Tulips)

2008-04-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Tulipes are springing up everywhere. They have been planted in the most wonderful color schemes and patterns. Right now this is my favorite stretch of road in Fontainebleau. It's the road right in front of Lilly's school so I get to drive it twice a day. It just makes me happy looking at these magnificent signs of spring.

Dimanche après-midi (Sunday afternoon)

2008-04-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

Dimanche après-midi is when we all like to relax and enjoy being home. Yesterday Clara found herself a hide-away in the pine tree. She managed to get her supplies up with a basket and she spent hours just "hanging out".
When the rain came falling down we moved the furniture and made a giant jump roping area. All four kids did double dutch. We have a great set of jump ropes thanks to Tifiny's dad Ralph Tullis. He gave us several ropes and we have used them for countless hours of fun. Even Grandpa Paul got in the act and tried to jump a little. Grandma Beck gave a little knitting lesson & it appears that her grand-daughters have her talent. Good times!

Champs de colza (Fields of rapeseed)

2008-04-13T13:44:00.001-07:00

Taylor is addicted to riding his bike along the long and winding roads. After yesterdays ride he took us in the car to see the beautiful champs de colza. The yellow seems to flow from one field to the next. As you approach it is as if an impressionist painting is coming to life.

Déjeuner (Lunch)

2008-04-12T14:04:00.001-07:00

It's always fun when you get to go out to déjeuner during a school day. All three girls got to enjoy a lunch break Friday when we took Grandma and Paul to our favorite little creperie & a quick spin on the carousel.

Asperges blanches (White Asparagus)

2008-04-12T13:50:00.001-07:00

The markets are full right now with big bunches of asperges blanches. At first glance they kind of look like long bony fingers from a corpse. We bought some just to try...we like the green variety, but have never seen the white. White asparagus is just a little bitter. Not really a taste that any of us cared for. I did do a little research however and found that asparagus was wildly popular with the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Who knew? I mean it's low in calories & doesn't have any fat or cholesterol.

Grands-mère (Grandmother)

2008-04-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

It was a special day Tuesday when Grandma Beck & Paul arrived. I tried to keep them busy so that they could stay awake until bedtime, but the jet-lag was difficult. We drove around some of the little villages surrounding Fontainebleau and fed the swans on the Seine that first afternoon.

Taylor had to leave Wednesday for a business trip at the London Business School. He invited Paul to go along, so yesterday the two of them took the fast train & headed off for England. Last night they went to the musical "Les Miserables" & today while Taylor was at LBS Paul went sightseeing on his own. They will return to France tomorrow...Meanwhile Mom (or should I say Grand-mère) and I took the train into Paris to have a little fun of our own! With mom's bad knees & sore feet I was worried about all of the stairs going up and down from the subways. I was worried she might trip and fall...guess what? Yep, I'm the one that fell down the first flight of stairs we had to take getting to our first subway. Oh brother! Just call me "Grace". Mom on the other hand didn't miss a step all day long.

Because my mom has already seen the sights of Paris we chose to do a few other things like visit the oldest kitchen store in Paris, DEHILLERIN. This place has been in business since 1820 & it's awesome. We bought a "French whisk" that will be sure to whip up a fluffy omlet or souflee. Afterwards we walked the Champs de Elysees & ate lunch at a quaint restaurant. The sun was shining & it was a great day to be wandering around. Somehow we seemed to be on a "foodie" tour of Paris. That's not so surprising since my mother owned a catering business for 40 years and she has taught me all about food preparation, eating well & enjoying the sights and smells of cuisine! We ended up at the Bon Marche gastronome section where mom was amazed at the size, selection & delicacies available.

La neige de printemps (Spring Snow)

2008-04-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

This morning we woke up to a blanket of white. No one was expecting la neige de printemps. It had such a peaceful beautiful effect on everything it touched. By lunch the snow was gone and the sun was drinking up the puddles. A good reminder to savor every minute...you never know what tomorrow will bring.

chocolate chip cookies

2008-04-06T13:02:00.001-07:00

We had a really fun dinner invitation Friday night at Hugue & Carine's. Their home was so warm and welcoming...all five of their children were engaging & entertaining. When I asked what we could bring to help with dinner Hugue said, "American chocolate chip cookies". No problem. The two oldest boys are close in age to Spencer. When Hugue told me that the boys really liked to dance (tectonic & hip hop) I asked them if they would perform. They were hesitant, but after I offered to make them their own batch of chocolate chip cookies if they would dance for us they stepped right up to the offer. Hard to believe a little cookie can win out over the marvelous French pastries! We were completely entertained and I think they were partially entertained by our French conversation skills. On the way home Taylor said, "nights like tonight are why I wanted to move to France...I want to get to know the people here and to see how they live and have fun!"

Allez Fontainebleau! (Go Fontainebleau!!!!)

2008-04-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

It was a banner day for Spencer (#9) and his football club. They won 4-0 and Spencer made two of the goals and got the assist in another. We couldn't help but cheer "Allez Fontainebleau!!!!" The coaches asked Spencer if he ate a lion this morning - I think that meant they were happy with his performance. Being on the Fontainebleau Running Club team has been a real growing experience. No one on the team speaks English, not even the coaches. Spencer has had plenty of frustrating practices trying to figure out what they are telling him. He's been determined to play well and to be able to communicate with his teammates. Overall the boys on the team have been nice, but there have been rough moments. Just this week a few boys stole his bag and hid it during practice...this is not the first time they have tried this prank. I wonder how they would react if they were in a foreign country trying to fit in? Luckily Spencer is a great team player and rather than getting mad he's chosen to get in the game. Allez Fontainebleau!!!!

Spontanée (Spontaneous)

2008-04-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

Everything about today said "spontanée". The girls had a 1/2 day of school and we didn't have any plans. We left school with three friends and on our way home decided to walk into Fontainebleau and get some pizza for lunch. After lunch the sun was shining and it felt like spring so we stopped for ice cream bars and walked to the grand chateau to enjoy the gardens. The girls raced up and down the stairs and all around the cobblestones. Sometimes I just have to pinch myself because I love this place we are living...It's beautiful, quaint and full of priceless memories with my children.

Caroline Babbin & Clara posing at the drinking fountain - they haven't quite turned on the water yet!
Lilly & Kate Thomas...two little soccer fans eating ice cream.
Claire Dowell & Olivia - both are new to Fontainebleau this year - it's been a great experience to have friends making the same adjustments and changes at the same time!
As we were walking to the car and passing the carousel Lilly said, "I've never been for a ride on that carousel!" What? Never?! Well today was the day. All 6 girls climbed aboard and laughed their way around, never dragging their feet once to slow it down. Right now this "carousel of life" is really fun.

Poisson d'avril (April Fish = April Fools!)

2008-04-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

One fish, two fish, red fish blue fish. It didn't matter the size or color of your fish, today you just wanted to tape as many fish as you could to your friends, teachers and parents backs. Clara shows off her last catch of the school day. Bet you didn't know that April Fools Day originated in France. When the implementation of the Gregorian calendar was changed, by Charles IX in 1564, the beginning of the new year was changed and celebrated on January 1st, instead of March 31. The people who still celebrated the day on the first of April were know as April Fools'. Before the change of the date it was customary to give gifts on the first day of the year so when the date was changed people began sending mock gifts to other people on April 1st making them April fools. In France a person who resisted in changing the date of the new year was victimized by pranksters who played practical jokes on him, this person came to be known as a poisson d'avril otherwise known as an April Fish. Olivia said that you couldn't tell what was truth and what was a prank today. Even her school teacher pulled a fast one and told all of the kids that they would not have sport. The class believed him because in France teachers are not really known to be the joking type.

L'éléphant rock (The Elephant Rock)

2008-03-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

The forest of Fontainebleau is famous for its vast boulder collections. Climbers come from all around the globe to climb these amazing rock formations. Saturday we took a little drive to the village of Larchant to visit l'éléphant rock. We have been here before but Saturday was really fun because we went with two different families and good friends from our neighborhood in SLC, the Reeds and the Ensigns. What fun to be in France with some of our best friends!

There are lots of lizards living in the cavities of these rocks and the kids were just dying to catch one. I felt like the "champion of the world" when I caught the lizard. I'm not really a fan of lizards, so my kids were really impressed. Everyone wanted a chance to hold him, but when he opened his little mouth and tried to snap the kids shrieked and let him free.

On top: Lilly, Sophie & Jeremy
In front: Tifiny, Logan, Dallas, Richard, Spencer Jesse, Olivia, Janet, Clara & Annie
Richard and Spencer enjoying a little sun.

Vallée de la Loire (Loire Valley)

2008-03-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

No school Monday. We took advantage and left early in the morning to drive 2 1/2 hours to the Vallée de la Loire. This region has more than 1000 castles and palaces - Some of which are still inhabited by the French bourgeoisie and others that are open for the gawking public (that would be us). Before we started our journey Richard Ensign came up with a "game" to play during our visit. For each fairy tale story character or symbol we could find we earned points. If we wore the princess hats we brought from home we earned extra points. Richard was so enthusiastic he started with the hat. While he was purchasing his tickets to go to the chateau the ticket agent even commented on his attire. It was a great game and brought out the creativity in all of us.

We chose three big chateaus to visit. The first was Chateau de Chenonceau. It is the most famous of the Loire and has been built over the river. There is an old Cinderella type movie called "Ever After" that was filmed at Chenonceau. It's an absolutely beautiful setting. They have fresh flower arrangements in every room and you can really sense the opulence of this place.

After a good game of "chase" through the hedge maze we moved on to Chateau Cheverny. The family who owns this chateau still lives in one of the wings. Spencer thought this sounded dreadful. He is so glad that he does not have to live in a stuffy, fancy chateau! The highlight at Cheverny was the dog kennel. There are 70 hunting dogs barking, howling and begging for attention. The kids loved it. Right next to the kennel is a trophy room stuffed with antlers and wild boar. When Taylor suggested that we go see the trophy room Lilly said, "Are the trophies for the dogs who eat the fastest?"

Our last chateau of the day was Chambord. We opted to just view this one from the outside as we felt like we had seen enough rooms for the day - Just to put this chateau into perspective it is the largest of them all, with 440 rooms and a fireplace for every day of the year! Really it was so interesting to just study the intricate roof lines. This was a really fun field trip to share with our good friends and neighbors Richard & Jeremy. We all decided that we're glad we live in a simple little neighborhood with comfortable homes!

Joyeuses Pâques (Happy Easter)

2008-03-26T07:18:00.001-07:00

Easter makes me happy, but I love the way the French say Joyeuses Pâques. For me Easter is a joyous holiday filled with hope. We certainly felt that way on Sunday. Richard and Jeremy Ensign (neighbors & good friends from Browning Circle) arrived Saturday night. Jeremy and the kids lined up on the bridge awaiting orders to start looking for their Easter chocolate.

Richard helped Lilly and when it was all over everyone had a different chocolate to display. Richard had the bell: In France they say that the church bells fly to the Vatican on Good Friday. When Christ was resurrected on Sunday the bells fly back to France ringing out Easter chocolates all over the land for children to find and eat! Taylor got the fish which was filled with tiny fish, Clara & Olivia received chickens, Lilly a bunny and Spencer & Jeremy got the least traditional...a chocolate soccer ball & cleats.

Church was great. Spencer had to give a talk and he did a wonderful job, all in French. After church we had an Easter dinner with the Punnells, Reeds, Ensigns & the missionaries. It was a fun big group. We fixed two kinds of quiche, cinnamon rolls, salad, fresh veggies, baked brie, springtime strawberries, fish & honeycomb. Richard commented that the combination of fish and honeycomb was tasty & to think it's been suggested for thousands of years together!

Xavier Punnell grew up in a family who owned a boulangerie (bakery). He was trained as a patissier. What luck for us because he brought his big kitchen aid & utinsells and he fixed us the most melt in your mouth dessert ever, chouquette. It is like a cream puff that is dotted with pearl sugar & sometimes chocolate. Really you didn't even have to chew once. Just pop it in your mouth and voila! heaven.

CHOUQUETTE
1/2 litre d'eau (water)
10 grams de sel (salt)
200 grams de beurre (butter)
300 grams de farine (flour)
8 to 10 oeufs (eggs)

Melt water, salt & butter until it boils. Add flour & mix well until soft. Put back on stove 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add 1 egg at a time. Stir well after each egg. Keep stirring until firm so that the dough doesn't fall (draw a line with your finger in the dough...if the dough comes together it's not done & add one more egg until the sides of the dough stay up).

Put batter into piping bag and pipe into flattened little balls on parchment lined cookie sheet. They are not tall and puffy like cream puffs, but rather a flat ball. Make sure to give enough room between each ball so that it can rise in baking. Pour pearl sugar over the batter and then quickly turn pan upside down so excess sugar comes off from the pan. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Voila! Eat and enjoy.

(you can add small chunks of baking chocolate with the pearl sugar if you want)
After our grand feast we had a fun little egg hunt with the little plastic American eggs that Margaret Ensign sent with Richard. The kids enjoyed it all, but were a little perplexed as to where the "golden egg" was hiding. They tried to get it out of the missionaries, but didn't succeed. Spencer found it in the end. Joyeuses Pâques!

L'œuf (The Egg)

2008-03-26T07:04:00.001-07:00

One of the great symbols of Easter and spring time is l'œuf symbolizing the empty tomb and new life. We had a lot of fun with eggs this past weekend. Friday after school the Dowel's invited us over for an egg hunt in their big back yard. Pip hid hundreds of little chocolate foil covered eggs and chickens for the gang to find. Saturday the Thomas family invited us over for an Easter egg extravaganza. The kids colored and decorated about 75 hard boiled eggs. The colors were rich and deep thanks to the brown shells. The last egg shown here is obviously a nice rich brown chocolate egg. You can find an assortment of chocolate eggs, bunnies, chickens, fish, etc. in almost every store in town.

Pluie de printemps (Spring rain)

2008-03-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

Good Friday started with 'pluie de printemps". When Lilly showed up at school with this bouquet of Easter flowers for her teacher the entire class breathed out a soft "ohh laa laa"! It was a sweet moment. In return Lilly got to bring home her handpainted basket complete with a spring chicken.

Arrival in España

2008-03-25T06:49:00.001-07:00

The kids had two weeks off from school at the end of February beginning of Marchfor winter break. Everyone here goes skiing, but we decided to leave freezing France behind to find the sun and fun in España. On our drive down the Costa Brava to our rental apartment we stopped at Tossa de Mar for lunch and a little playtime on the beach. Taylor introduced the kids to tortilla de patata (kind of an egg/potato thing). We ate at an outdoor cafe and the kids collected all kinds of sea glass from the beach. Clara made this great mosiac with her glass treasures. This starts the beginning of our journey in Barcelona and it ends with the post labeled Montserrat.