We're *Sortie* 5000

I thought about blogging again from our trip, but I was too tired.  We kept a pretty fast pace and our sore legs were pretty pitiful after Paris.  After our day at the Louvre, we hit the Eiffel Tower and from there, braved the Metro system so we could explore more neighborhoods without falling flat out dead.  So many lovely memories...We tried a cafe on the Rue du Cler (thanks, Kate... the food and service were the best we had!) and it was a Saturday, market day.  I popped into a specialty food store and loaded up on candies as I never knew when I'd find good treats and gifts next.  We took the Metro to the Rue du Francs Bourgeois, where I'd read had fun shopping.  We found a perfume shop and I got gifts and we later stopped at a pastry shop for a chocolate mousse type cake and homemade marshmallows.  The city is by far the most cosmopolitan I've visited. New York City is amazing, but it can't hold a candle to the city's ancient history and sheer vastness.  We loved it.  We loved the cafes and the "Parisian fast food" that was like Panera, but way better.  We could eat a fresh mozzarella and tomato sandwich with dessert and drink for about 8 euro.  

Our last full day was spent travelling to Versailles.  The town is beautiful, with tree lined streets leading to the palace.  We had a loooong wait to enter, and by our last day, we'd hit antiquity overload.  We saw a cool exhibition commemorating the 300th anniversary of King Louis XIV's death.  It tied into the macabre theme of Halloween with a recreation of the state funeral.  We also toured the royal apartments, but again, it was old painting/old painting/sculpture of a famous guy/fancy bedroom/old painting/there's a nice chair/ooh, the hall of mirrors is nice/done.  As a sidenote, sortie is the French word for "exit" and it was everywhere on the signage.   We had big fun "sortie-ing" all over Paris.  Our last day was a Sunday, so most shops were closed in the city that morning, but by afternoon, many had opened.  We grabbed one more round of souvenirs and headed home to pack up for Amsterdam.

Our flight was supposed to be at 8 a.m., but was cancelled overnight due to fog and WE DIDN'T CHECK OUR EMAIL BEFORE LEAVING THE HOTEL.  I'm not sure why the airline didn't automatically re-book, but we had a series of hassles getting out of Paris.  We had a full day in the airport due to fog which really thrilled Alex.  He's a super patient guy when it comes to inefficiency. We finally made it out and met Alex's good friend Maurice that evening, who took us to his home where he reheated the traditional Dutch meal he had prepared and we enjoyed a nice visit. 

The next two days included a tour of the city, a canal ride, a visit to the Anne Frank house, the Rijks museum, and a bike ride to the nearby village with working windmills.  Maurice and his wife, Laura, welcomed us into their home like family.  They have three little girls who absolutely charmed us, and I will consider them my new Dutch nieces.  We met their mother and father, close friends, sister and brother and niece!  It was very special to me, especially because Maurice and his father expressed their appreciation for the welcome Maurice received as an exchange student at Alex's high school.  I've heard it said that women measure happiness based on the quality of their relationships and that men "only" need a wife and a best friend to have their relational basics met.  So to see these old friends pick up where they left off, from different countries with different political and philosophical viewpoints, but with so much mutual respect and shared experiences as husbands and fathers... well.  It made my heart very happy.

We really got to experience more than a tourist's perspective of life in the Netherlands.  We could be at the train station in 5 minutes, and the family could bike to most of their errands.  We biked to the windmills and I had to ride the 10 year old's bike (hanging head).  I reminded everyone that I had not biked with any regularity in about 15 years, so let's all be cool.  Note to self:  Let's work on personal fitness for our mind-body-spirit well-being and not worry so much about scales and labels.  

And the FOOD.  If it's possible, we ate even better in Amsterdam!  Maurice and Laura introduced us to what they just call "gourmet," a meal resembling hibachi.   They put a big electric griddle on the table, and set out plates of steak, ground beef, pork, breaded chicken, bacon, and cut up vegetables.  We dropped herbed butter on the griddle and cooked up batches of food as we talked and snacked on the bread and spreads.  If that wasn't enough, Laura kept us fed and watered while watching soccer, pulling out yummy snacks and even introducing us to Bugles (the snack) filled with soft cheese.  GENIUS.  

We flew home Thursday, fat and happy and tired, watching movie after movie, having food and drink offered at regular intervals to keep us from mutiny in the skies, I suppose.  For our 10 hour flight, we were given a full hot lunch, including dessert, a snack box with olives, cheeses and mousse and then another hot sandwich and ice cream.  It was kinda over-the-top, but with nothing to do but sit and stare, we lived up to our American birthright and ATE.

We took a lot away from the trip personally.  I realized how very isolated America can feel from the rest of the world, all wrapped up in my comfortable suburban life.  World events and political unrest seemed more pressing to the people we visited.  Alex and I both had lots of time to be silly and talk about more than the day's bullet points.  We planned and dreamed.  We really like each other.  We want to broaden our children's perspectives and show them a larger world, too.

In a nutshell?   Trip of a lifetime, definitely.  

Flat out exhausted at the Arc d' Triomphe

        One of the many canal bridges

Alex and Maurice

It's Where Rhett Bought Scarlett's Hat

Our European adventure is underway!  I flew into Paris early Thursday morning (2:30 stateside) and met up with Alex at the airport.  He was over in Switzerland the previous week for a work conference which was the impetus for our extending his time overseas and my joining him. 

Random observations about the Charles de Gaulle airport:  There is plenty of English signage and I had no trouble finding my way out. The bathroom stalls are excellent.  The door goes completely to the floor, no gaping crack for lookie-loos, and secure locks.   French toilets: two thumbs up.  Finding public toilets once out and about in Paris-- a bit more tricky.  Those are my bathroom thoughts.  I hope they are edifying to your day and life.

We took a cab into the city and remarked that a Parisian cloudy day looks suspiciously like an American one.  Construction looks like construction, and people, well, look like people.
Folks is folks and #ItsASmallWorldAfterAll.  

Our hotel.  Is Awesome.  We are staying on the Rue du Paix in the Opera district at the Park Hyatt Vendome.  It is a financial district and houses several famous jewelers.  All I knew before we got here is it's the street where Rhett bought Scarlett the bonnet that she tied on backwards as I like to make cross-cultural associations.

Because I married The Points Master, we are staying in a 5 star hotel solely on points.  When we entered the hotel, we were immediately greeted in English and ushered into a reception area.  It felt like a warm cocoon for the dum-dum American traveler who doesn't speak the language. The place is all white marble floors and orchids and soft lighting. As we arrived hours before check-in time, we were offered complimentary refreshments and I was reminded how amazing fresh pressed orange juice is.  Is is a simple pleasure I need in my life from now on.

The food? As exquisite as you've been lead to believe.  The architecture?  As grand as you'd imagine.  Gold leaf statues and scroll work everywhere.  And the amorous behavior the city boasts?  Yes.  Lots of the double cheek greeting and the slow-in-public-making-out-ing. (Not us, people.)  A street hustler who hustled me into "holding a knot" engaged me in conversation and before I realized it, I had the great fortune to buy a 10 euro "love knot" bracelet--basically one of those penny string bracelets girls made in grade school. He asked how many babies I had and if we were going to "get crazy" at the discotheques and in our room later.  Erm.  No.  I will be sleeping from jet lag.  But thank you, stranger, for inquiring! 

I guess if you eat, live and recreate in such an atmosphere, you generally feel good about life.

We later ate at our first cafe and I had  a wonderful Croque Madame and a ridiculous chocolate mousse that was almost the consistency of frosting, but much tastier.  We finally were able to check in and I tried not to fall asleep sitting upright waiting for our bags to be brought up.  After getting some sleep-of-the-dead, we played with our room's amenities.  It has a button to automatically raise the window's shutters and a luxurious bath, so are are set.  The soaps and lotions in the room are lovely as well.  To top it off, we received complementary macaroons at check-in and they will be a new favorite.

Today was our first full day and we made the most of it.  Our first stop was the Louvre.  My high school Humanities class and lifelong membership on a Sunday School roll helped me have a greater appreciation for the grand scale paintings and sculptures we saw.  Many were religious scenes--the largest paining in the entire museum is a full scale depiction of the Wedding of Cana, Jesus' first recorded miracle.  The docent I overheard said the painting's measurements were larger that his entire flat!  We did see the Mona Lisa, but honestly, I was more impressed by the large scale frescoes and paintings we saw.  We spent several hours there today, and by the time we left, it was all this is a piece of art made by some famous guy about some famous thing in history a long time ago. Moving on.

We definitely have had fun amongst ourselves donning exaggerated redneck speak--referencing a shocking lack of sophistication per Jeff Foxworthy.  We ate at another cafe; I had the special of cabornara and the tarte tarin (apple tart).  Coupled with the chocolate pastry I had this morning, all I can do is lift up holy hands in thanks and try to skip a big dinner.

We toured the bottom floor of Notre Dame, which is still a working place of worship.  We didn't want stand in line and pay extra to tour the towers, so we walked along the river, made our way back to the Louvre-- we have 4 day museum city passes and I at least knew I could use the facilities-- and limped back to our hotel around six tonight.  We hope to visit the Eiffel Tower at night, but it's about 25 minutes on foot from the hotel and we've been too exhausted to make our way back out once the sun sets.  I know we'll see it before we leave, but we might just shell out the euros to take a cab.

I'll end it here with some pictures of the day.  I wore full make-up with a scarf and boots to compensate for my dyed-in-the-wool Americana.  God did bless the U.S.A., but he surely created a beautiful language and culture here.

Redneck Fancy

In front of the Louvre entrance

Christ before Pilate

Wedding at Cana

Louvre gardens with the Eiffel Tower in the distance

Arriving at Notre Dame

Aisle view

View from the river

So, This Is Kinda A Thing

I am traveling to Europe soon.

Rest assured, I already have a specialized hashtag in my back pocket.

Ready?

#CountryGoesToEurope

I am surprisingly blase about the whole thing, basically because I have no frame of reference for international travel.  We are visiting Paris (can't even) and Amsterdam for a week.  A whole week.  By ourselves.  While are children are lovingly spoiled by their grands.  I'm not entirely sure if J will permit them to leave once our trip ends.

We are planning to hit the majors: Versailles, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre.
The Loooo-VRE.  That's all I can say frenchy.

All the bread.  All the cheese.  All the pastries.  All of the things.  For the second part of the week, we are staying with Alex's old friend who lives in Amsterdam. No worries: he's a married dad of three and we are hoping to see the Anne Frank and the Van Gogh museums, and not any other more salacious offerings for which the city is known.

I'm sure we'll blend right in.  I mean, we know not to wear white sneakers.  I know what VAT is.  And to top that off, Alex left up a screen on the computer for Disneyland Paris.  I'm not sure if that's more Euro or Amer-o "trash" but I don't care.

Europe, baby!

We still have to figure out international SIM cards and whatnot, but I will surely share pictures here when we get back.

To my more well-traveled readers, any basic tips or tricks to pass along?  Shops, cafes, dishes to try?

I've got a Global Entry TSA-prescreening approval and an assortment of scarfs and boots to assist in my efforts to pass as a globe-trotting bon vivant.

Out of respect, I'm refraining from buying this shirt to wear in front of the Eiffel Tower.  It's tempting.

But I may break down and buy a selfie stick.

#Merica

It's That Time Again...

A few Saturdays ago, J and I were tromping through the walking trail at our local park. J was having a blast throwing rocks and pine cones in the lake.  My mind was wandering to everything and nothing until it landed on Fall.  And how pretty our park is.  And how pretty Fall is.  And how cute the kids' new Fall clothes that they'd been gifted are.  And how those new clothes matched my wine-colored dress.  And lo, when we returned to the car to go home, I had a message from a friend who had sent me a picture of her toddler daughter's dress, inquiring what her husband should wear-- wait for it-- in their family picture this year.  You know I zipped right on back with my thoughts (Daddies wear neutrals, duh, as Mama and baby girl quite rightly are the jewels of the family) and before you can say infinity scarf with leggings and boots, the lot was cast.

Fall Family Pictures.

I've brought myself (and husband) to a place of acceptance that this is just something we do.  I do own a camera and tripod and could get a snapshot of us.  We do have a lot of pictures of ourselves.  But as the Mother of the Bride, Nina, told her husband George in the movie Father of the Bride, we don't drive expensive cars. I don't wear expensive jewelry, so we can afford a nice wedding-- or family picture-- as the case may be.

So you know I've picked up a few things to accessorize with.  I mean we didn't have to buy new clothes!  The kids always need new shoes!  And scarves keep you warm.  That's just good sense.  And the boots were clearance, so I got two pairs for the price of one. And you know that if you do for one child, you have to do for the other.  Simple Mom Math.

Isn't being a woman just the best?

Yes.  I believe it is.

In other news, I'm one of the chaperones for our youth group's fall retreat.  I'm looking forward to getting to know my group of girls better, and who doesn't love a fire pit?  You know there's going to be some heartfelt sharing and crying.

I'm not trying to be cynical.  I've cried and overshared around many a youth group circle time, and heck, I overshare on this blog on a semi-regular basis when I take the time to write it down.

It'll be big fun with ziplines and all manner of jumping off inflatable things that I plan to safely observe at a distance.  They've got a band and a speaker and air-conditioning and these kids have no idea how nice they've got it.  Better bring my BenGay.  Ol' Myrtle here has gotta be spry to keep up with the young folk.

Happy almost Fall break, y'all. :)

"I'm Outta Control!" Regis style

First off, I'm very sad that there are no gifs of The Rege on the World Wide Web.  Regis & Kathie Lee were my go-to before walking to the bus stop in middle school, and that I didn't catch him with Kelly when visiting New York is a lasting regret.

So last Friday, I was OUTTA CONTROL.  Before we were saying "all the feels," Rege was manically gesturing and over-emoting.  I had "all the Rege" if you will.

It was 10 p.m. Friday night; I was reading, Alex was watching football, and one innocent "Whatcha thinkin' about, honey?" from my spouse sent me straight into all the Rege (ATR).

"I feel like I'm outta control!  I have no plan!  What are we even doing?  What do I even do?  Rachel doesn't need me, the kids are in school, and I'm chubby!  Maybe I should just go full-on cliche and join a stupid gym like every other mom....  I mean I know I'm not really that bad and we have a home and everyone is okay... I mean there was a Dad at the office (a shared office space for our speech therapist and a family psychologist)  who was late for a meeting for a court appointed child evaluation with the doctor and he was begging for a second chance and the doctor was going to tell his judicator, and I'm not sure exactly what that is but I know it's not good... THIS IS WHAT I THINK ABOUT WHEN I'M NOT WATCHING GILMORE GIRLS OR READING A NOVEL."

Hello and welcome to my crazy.  

My counters are messy and the bathroom smells and oh-my-gosh what am I even doing with my life?

I'm making this lighthearted, but I had one of my semi-annual crisis-of-confidence/emotional overflows and mercifully this one was in the privacy of my home (I don't have the best track record).

My sweet husband.  I mean the guy asked all the right things, assured me that yes, I do a bit around here and add value to our home and life, and going back to work (in the vague future) should not be driven by primarily by finances. Plus we've had a newborn every two years for a good stretch and maybe I'm thrown by not having a wee thing to keep alive.

The man is a gem.  Also, he gets me.  (Random aside: Go see "The Intern" for a textbook female freak out with the Anne Hathaway character lamenting to the Robert DeNiro character that she cannot be buried in the stranger/single/alone section of the cemetery.)

All of this to say... check out my efforts to reign in the chaos:

I may have a few responsibilities to fill my time.

It has a section for important papers and I've even added a meal plan to the margins.
 HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!

I even went inside a gym. And used it. And took a class and planked and everything.

I've accomplished my major goal for each day this week and I'm thinking about some online work to get myself in gear for virtual teaching.

*tosses hat in air*

I'm gonna make it after all.

(Regis and Mary Tyler Moore references... I aim to please.)