Terrible Reminders.

I woke up to an email this morning telling me that one year ago today I was in Champagne, France touring some of the most prestigious vineyards in the world. They then proceeded to ask me if I would take a survey for the tour group I used.

What a terrible way to remind you how fast time flies!!

Oxford! Oxford! Oxford!!

I've got to tell you, I'm really excited about going to Oxford, MS tomorrow with my mom!  (My 3rd home!) We are going to help Laine move in to her new apartment (Laine..in an apartment at 18? I have my doubts...).  She will be in rush practice all week singing door songs and learning how high she needs to jump during Pi Phi's skit, but we are going down to get things situated for her anyway...although I believe if my parents think she can have her own apartment at her age then I suppose she could situate herself?  I suppose a little push couldn't hurt.  Besides, I have OCD when it comes to organizing so at least her apartment will have the potential to be organized!  

I haven't been to Oxford since fall of 2009 and I am so super excited about going.  Everyone tells me it has changed so much in the past few years I can't wait to go see what is different-although I'm sure it will just make me angry and sad to see that they have let so many people into the University and that the town is too small for such rapid growth.  Oxford is just a little, southern town and it doesn't need to be junked up with so many chain restaurants and Home Depots.  But-I suppose it has changed a million times over since my parents were there so I guess its just a natural progression.  

Going to eat and visit all my favorite haunts-Newk's, Snackbar, BBB, Panini, City Grocery, Bouré, Two Stick, and any others I can fit in! Not to mention spending some time on the square and maybe at the Library (no, not the one with the books...).  Taking my camera so I'll keep y'all posted.  

Camels, Eiffel Towers, and Shortbread-Oh My!

I've had several "welcome home" parties over the past couple of weeks as I pass a little bit of time here in Lawrenceburg.  Mom held a lemonade and cookies get together last Friday for old and new neighbors, friends, and that night family came for pizza.  Last night their friends from Columbia came down as well as the Remke's and my dear friend Katie Lyn for a fun dinner on the patio.  Friday night was dinner at my dad's house.  My stepsister, Ann, has just returned from a language intensive summer program in Jordan (yes, the country) learning Arabic and of course I arrived last Monday so it seemed like a good idea to wait until we were both home.  We brought a different spin to the table this time and certainly a couple of more languages.  

What else was brought to the table?  These absolutely precious shortbread cookies Beverly made.  Camels for Ann and Eiffel Towers for me...how seemingly appropriate!  

Not only were they delicious, they were cute as a button!  

The Last 24 Hours

My last day spent with the Lachaize family was spent in the shoe manufacturing capital of France-Romans.  Romans is just south of Lyon and began as a leather tanning hotspot, which over the years has turned into the finest shoe manufacturing city in France.  There is a museum, several schools on how to make shoes, and even some pretty decent outlet shops selling some of France's high end designers' shoes like candy.  I didn't enjoy the shopping part, as we went directly from the train station to their friends' house overlooking the beautiful mountains and lush, green countryside below.  Franck grew up in Romans and we were staying with one of his childhood friends.  It was kinda neat to see Franck's old stomping grounds...where he went to school, his old gym, where he had his first job...

The first evening we relaxed, the kids played outside, and we ate outside under a beautiful tree with candles dangling from each branch.  The table had a simple white linen tablecloth with sage green dishes and beaded silverware.  We all piled in and had fresh steamed shrimp, grilled vegetables, and a bountiful plate of cheeses and baguettes.  It was fabulous.  Top it off with fresh, red, ripe strawberries and cream....it was a dreamy last dinner with my host family.  

The next morning we woke up and had breakfast just as the clouds were burning off the mountains.  We all piled into two cars and headed down the winding road to an old dirt path about 30 minutes outside of the city.  The two lane road reminded me of Highway 64 in North Carolina between Highlands and Cashiers....small and winding.  At the end of the chemin was a beautiful creek and swimming hole with crystal clear water (which we soon would find out to be freezing cold).  It looked to me to be like any other swimming hole I've found in Lawrence County...but they seemed impressed so I pretended to go along as well.  The kids had no idea what to do with themselves so I dove right in and got the party started.  

Trying to "catch" fish...knowing that those kids don't have enough patience to wait on any sort of animal.  

Definitely a first for Marie-Césare.

The kids followed suit, with their fish catching nets and Christian Dior flip-flops splashing in the creek.  We stopped for a little while to have a picnic lunch, but we all tried to keep busy to keep our minds off of my leaving later on the evening.  We all knew it...but couldn't mention it because it just opened up too many emotions.  

My super wonderful French family.  Miss them like they can't even imagine.  

Time came for us to journey to the train station and Marie-Césare did not want to go.  She pitched a giant fit...I don't know whether she knew what was happening and just didn't want to be a part of it, maybe she was scared, maybe she just didn't want to see me go...either way, I wish I could have pitched a fit and not gone either.  But-Chloé being the good mother that she is told her that there are things in life that we must be a part of and do even though we may not agree or want to....and she came along.  She was happy with her decision and we never heard another peep out of her.  I could barely keep my eyes dry on the way to the train station.  

The way the train station in Valence is built, only the people with tickets can descend onto the train platforms.  The man was pretty persistent, but he saw how sad I was and how Marie-Césare just wasn't quite ready to say goodbye, and thankfully he changed his mind.  We were able to spend our last precious 20 minutes together waiting for the giant TGV headed towards Paris.  

Chloé told me that she wouldn't have been able to succeed in her career without me, and without her having so much trust and loyalty invested in me.  I appreciated that more than anything...because there certainly were days when I felt like I was going the extra mile for nothing.  Even Franck shed a little tear, which I have never seen.  Marie-Césare couldn't get enough hugs and we played a few games passing the time on the platform.  She snuggled up to me and told me she loved me, and that she didn't want me to leave.  Gaspard didn't let go of me, and I practically had to pry him off.  It is really nice to know how much you are appreciated, and how much I really meant to this family.  But I am certain they were just as sad to see me go as I was to leave.  I certainly got lucky....but so did they...and we both knew it.  

The 3 hour train ride home was filled with racing thoughts, lots of tears, a pounding headache and countless Kleenex.  As I looked out over the French countryside I reflected on all the wonderful places I have seen, things I have done with the family, all the experiences and things I learned about myself, France, and the world.  But most of all I couldn't get little Marie-Césare out of my mind.  That precious little girl has taught me more about myself than anyone or anything.  We were perfect compliments to each other...teaching each other so much.  I thought about when they picked me up at the airport and she cried because she hated my ponytail.  I read her a book and she couldn't understand it so she ripped out the pages.  My, how she has grown up since then....she was practically a baby.  Two years is such a long time!  

I miss them like crazy and still think about them every other thought.  I know they probably don't do the same, and eventually Lillian, the new au pair, will come and be a quick replacement...but I know we will always hold a special place in each others hearts.  I have no doubt I will be back in the very near future....for the 10 hour airplane ride is nothing compared to valuable time spent catching up with the most caring, kindhearted, loving, loyal, silly, selfless family-that will forever be part of my own.  

Oh Paris, How I Miss You...

Things that I miss.... 

Musée Marmottan Monet

Our trip to Monet's gardens in Giverny inspired one last trip to the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris.  Tucked away behind a local park in the 16th along the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, the Musée Marmottan is an old hunting lodge that Marmottan filled with paintings and bronze sculptures for his father.  He left the house and its entire collection to the Académie des Beaux-Arts.  In 1934 the Académie opened up the entire collection as the Musée Marmottan.  In 1966, Claude Monet's second son, Michel, left his collection of his father's works to the museum.  This made the museum the largest collection of Monet's paintings in the world (over 300).  

I discovered that I love Monet during my first outing in Paris.  I remember going by myself, waiting in a terribly long line in 28 degree weather for 3+ hours.  It was the Monet exhibition at the Grand Palais and it was just after I arrived in Paris.  I look back and can't even remember why I chose that day in that weather....and the only conclusion I came up with is that maybe it was one of the exhibition's last days in Paris.  Inside were so many Japanese tour groups following their leader and it was so hot and crowded it made for a miserable experience, but it was worth it to see Monet's paintings that are normally permanent collections in museums around the world all together in one place.  His haystacks, sunsets, ladies in the garden, and La Promenade were included in the collection.  

I visited the Musée Marmottan Monet for the first time in January or February of 2011, and I was so pleased with the collection at the time I took my parents back when they visited in June of 2011.  I wasn't as pleased the second time around, as the Raoul Dufy exhibition took over the entire museum.  Most of Monet's paintings had been shipped off to other corners of the world.  I took my mother there because she is such a fan of Monet, and while they had a couple of the water lily paintings, she didn't get to see most of what makes this the most beautiful museum in Paris.  The permanent collection includes other impressionistic paintings from Manet, Sisley, Renoir, and Cézanne.

This warm day in July, Laura and I crossed our fingers....hoping for the best...and walked in to what is and forever will be my favorite museum in Paris.  The Monet's were back in action as they took center stage throughout each room.  

Water Lilies, 1916

In the main exhibition room they added big glass panels staggered throughout the room so that you could look at the paintings up close, or far away.  We went on a weekday, so it wasn't too crowded and we were able to sit and reflect and really look at his magnificent brushstrokes on each painting.  It's really neat to be able to compare the paintings to his gardens in Giverny.  Since I've been to Giverny 3 times..I consider myself to be a Giverny pro.  I am able to look at a painting, and judging on the sunlight and type of flower...more likely than not, I could give a good estimate on where he sat to create that particular painting.  

These are my favorite flowers in Monet's gardens.

One of my favorite new paintings?  I don't remember this being in the museum the last 2 times I visited, but I found it to be stunningly beautiful.  It is none other than Monet's The Tuileries.  It is hard to see from this photo, but he truly captured the livelihood of an afternoon strolling through Tuileries Gardens.  The colors in person are more blue and violet, and flowers dotted with rose pink.  The women in their best dresses watching their kids float boats in the small fountains shielding their faces from the sun with oversized parasols.  The huge arms of the Louvre outstretched to the garden with the giant chimneys reaching to the sky.  The Seine in the background flowing through Paris as the city springs up in the background.  You can see why it easily became my favorite.  

The Tuileries, 1876

It was the perfect ending to a whirlwind 2 years of museum hopping, and I'm so glad I had the time to revisit the Musée Marmottan Monet.  As many times as I've visited the Louvre (countless), the Musée d'Orsay (3 times), L'Orangerie (3), Versailles (3), Invalides (2), and a million other small museums tucked in between...the Marmottan is the most memorable and breathtaking of all the Parisian museum hotspots!  

How Could I Miss the Birthday Girl?

Better late than never I suppose....but I somehow completely skipped over Marie-Césare's birthday party photos.  The party was pretty much the same as last years, we did a double party with Manon...except this year we had it in Padi and Didou's garden in Viroflay instead of the Parc de Bercy.  We were able to have access to a sink, the bathroom, a playroom for the kids...it was quite nice.  I love French "children's" birthday parties because they turn out to be just as much of a party for the parents as they do for the kids.  Quiche, rillettes, all sorts of cheeses, salads, and of course...wine all make it onto the table.  

The kids were wild and all the parents took turns manning a "station."  Pin the nose on the clown, hook a duck, bowling, jump rope, and the egg and spoon race.  The parents that weren't manning a station were laying on blankets in the yard enjoying the sunshine. 

The whole crew.

Chasse aux oeufs.

Pin the nose on the clown.

Sweet Paul.

Marie-Césare's amazing Barbie cake and Manon's princess cake!  Chloé made the Barbie cake....it was quite impressive!

Blowing out the candles...

Fascinated by the Barbie cake...they don't use fondant a lot in France!

Enjoying the afternoon!

Super Paul!

Potato Sack Races!

A little cheating going on...

Marie-Césare and sweet Esther-Raphaella.

Cléo's precious brother Mischka and Lila-Sabrine's daughter!

The afternoon went by in a flash and before we knew it we were packing up to head home.  The kids were so well-behaved...I was surprised!  Neither Manon or Marie-Césare's birthdays are until August, but since no one is around in August and everyone is on vacation...we celebrate their birthdays before.  I knew it was the last time I would see many of her friend's parents, so it was a bittersweet goodbye!  Manon's mother and Cléo's mother have been so sweet to me over the course of my stay and have always tried to include me in conversations after school and taking care of the girls.  I will certainly miss them!  

This evening my mom is hosting a "welcome home" lemonade and cookie thing for me.  I'm sure it will be great to see some familiar faces....still not really sure how to answer the, "So what's next?" question but I suppose I'll figure it out soon enough.  Right now, just enjoying being with my family...seeing everyone as much as possible and taking a week or two off!! Moving/traveling really takes it out of me!