My Achilles Heal

Well, I guess my "Achilles Heal" (my weakness) today is actually my Achilles heal...I have tendonitis in my achilles tendon in my left ankle. It started from all the walking in Paris and was quite painful by the end of the week. I guess I should've done some yoga each morning before our treks out. Anyway, I gave it a rest for a week when I got home because I was sick and not exercising (sinus stuff). Yesterday I was finally feeling good so I hit the gym again and did a slow 4 mile jog on the treadmill. Today it's back...the painful tendon. Not fun. The only thing to do for it is rest. So I'm going to get my butt kicked in the new Nike challenge my hubby just instigated with his siblings and I. No running for me for a while. I just wish my gym had a pool...I guess I'll have to drive a little farther.

4 year old Island Princess

We finally gave our youngest her 4th birthday party (she turned 4 while we were in Paris). She chose a "Barbie Island Princess" Theme (after the movie...anyone with little girls would know this). She also requested a Barbie Island Princess cake. After a failed attempt at an angel food cake (overflowed onto the oven bottom)...I made a rainbow chip cake and turned it into the Island Princess herself. It took a little while but the result was worth it. She loved it.

Haircut

Our 9 year old has been growing out his hair for a while now. He consents to let me trim it off and on. The other day he consented and then decided to have it all chopped...he was tired of the hair in his eyes and of the tangles. I thought he looked pretty handsome with it down to his ears but past the neckline was getting a little much. So I didn't argue. I just cut...making sure to check the length with him every step of the way. I knew it was his idea but I didn't want him to say I'd done anything he didn't ask for. He looks soooo different to me now. Here are the before and after shots (the before are old pictures I had). He wouldn't let anyone come in the bathroom until it was all cut so he could surprise them. He was excited for the shock factor at school too. You should've seen the pile of hair on the floor...I cut off 3-4 inches and his hair is VERY thick.

HEATER FIXED

Well, $650 bucks later, our house temp is finally above 60 degrees. We're closing in on 70 and my toes are thawing out. Still haven't put back up the chirping smoke detectors. I feel like I'm now a million years behind on getting things back in order after being gone so long. That's what Monday will be for, right?

Paris - Day Six (and homecoming)

Our last day in Paris didn't start out so well. It was very rainy and I didn't put the umbrella in my bag that day before heading out. Every other time we tried to use an umbrella, the winds would just turn it inside out. Well, this day there was rain, BUT no winds. It would've been the perfect time to use the umbrella. Instead, we got wet.

We started out trying to go to the Pantheon and had even checked the opening times the previous night. We got there (wet of course) and they said they were closed until 3 pm (this was at about noon). So we explored the church nearby and then headed back over to the Louvre to get out of the rain. We finally got to see the Pantheon that afternoon and were glad we did. It's impressive. It houses Foucault's pendulum and the tombs of many great men in the crypts below it (like authors Victor Hugo & Alexander Dumas, and Louis Braille, the inventor of braille).

We wandered the city for the rest of the night eating the best crepe yet, and the "best Fallafel in the world." The weather greatly improved by this time and it was the perfect end to our stay in Paris.



Saturday morning we got up at about 7 am (11pm Friday night in Utah) and grabbed a few loaves of bread from the bakery on the corner. Then we began the long journey home. No incidents in our travel, just long flights and very little sleep until arriving home at 10 pm Saturday night. By the way, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker were on our flight home from New York to Utah. They were very nice to people and people seemed to try to give them their space. She's a skinny little thing and Broderick has gone quite gray. We finally went to bed at 11 pm making it a full 24 hours...we were exhausted.

Our kids welcomed us home in high style with signs and cards and hugs. It was great. But then we found out our furnace must be broken because the temp in our house was 58 degrees. We bundled up in long johns and double jammies for bed and tons of blankets on top. Our house is still freezing and it's going to cost us over $500 to get the furnace fixed today. Aside from the cold house, the stupid smoke detectors kept chirping at 3 am. We don't know why. Maybe we'll catch up on sleep today sometime.

Paris - Day Five

Well, today we slept in a bit to give our feet a rest. Then we headed over to the Chateau du Vincennes here in town. It's the oldest medieval castle still in existence in France. It has a moat, a drawbridge, the works. Pretty cool.

After trying forever to post yesterday's stuff online, we finally left for the city. We went to the Arc d'Triomphe first. It was a long climb to the top but was worth it. Thank goodness for the museum pass we bought which gave us admittance to so many places. Well worth the money if you want to see it all.

Then we strolled down the Champs Elysses (huddled against the cold wind and mist) admiring the lights, the shops, the scene. We saw some pretty cool car show rooms before stopping in at Larudee, famous for its macaroons and tea. We shared a delicious club sandwich, French hot chocolate, and a macaroon and apple dessert. It was a delicious experience in all.

Then my hubby agreed to take me on the huge ferris wheel at the end of the Champs Elysses with its dizzying views and romantic scenes. A perfect end to the day.

Click HERE to see the video.

Paris - Day Four Revisited

See the Video HERE.

Paris - Day Four

We were unable to get back to McDonalds to post yesterday's video. We were just too tired. As you will see, we saw Versailles and the Eiffel Tower yesterday. After the tower we went to a Photo museum. It was interesting to be at a more modern art gallery, compared to all the antiquities we have been viewing. Afterward, we found an exotic import shop, Izrael, full of dried fruits, spices, and the likes. We picked up a bag of imported curry.

We found dinner at a cafe that we think was either named The Chocolat Cafe or L'elephant Du Nil, we couldn't figure that out. It was good though.

Today we slept in and stayed in town to see Chateau de Vincennes. We'll post the pictures later. Julie is now braving the lines here to get us le Big Mac and some of their potato wedge fries.

[We were unable to get the video to post. Check back later, we'll try to post the next time we are online.]

Paris - Day Three

It was cold, windy and rainy all day. We got a late start, but a good night's rest. (Finally) We started the day at the Musee d'Orsay where we saw many works by Monet, Manet, Van Gough, Rodin, and other notable artists. Lots of impressionist paintings. We spent the bulk of our day there. Not only was the art great, but the building itself was magnificent.

Afterward, we walked down Rue du Bac to find a recommended ice cream shop. 12 bucks for 3 scoops of ice cream, but it was delicious. We made it to the Musee Rodin for it's final hour of the day and enjoyed his sculptures, including the Thinking Man.

If you read yesterday's post, you'll be glad to hear I am not sick from dinner. The food was much better today; how could it not be since we had a bowl of ice cream.

Hopefully tomorrow's weather will be better. I think we will head out to Versailles and finish at a museum of photography tomorrow night. We'll see what happens.

Enjoy the slide show of some of today's sights.

View the video here.

Paris - Day Two

We started the day at Sacre Coeur. It was a long hike up the hill and to the top of the dome. We also saw the St. Pierre du Montmartre church. We then wandered the streets in the Montmartre district, known as the artsy, seedy part of town. Monday seems to be the day for museums in Paris to shut down. We tried to go to Musee D'orsay and the Rodin Museum; both were closed. We ended up at the Louvre where we saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo (SP?) and a bunch of other cool things. Our feet were dead so we booked it home.

For dinner we stayed in Vincennes. A friend of mine said the French have the best food. I've not had much luck (with the exception of crepes and baguettes) with my ordering. The first night I had Foie Gras. I knew it was duck liver, but I figured I'd try it. It was awful. Tonight I figured I'd play it safe. I ordered steak and fries. I didn't know what the "tartare" meant. It was basically a raw hamburger with no bun. Look it up. I'm hoping I don't get sick. Apparently it's still considered gourmet here in France.

Tomorrow we will try to catch a local market and then head over to the Eiffel Tower. We'll see what the weather is like.

First few days in Paris

We made it to Paris jet-lagged but happy. After attending church with the Paris Ward, we enjoyed the day exploring the area around there. We visited the Hotel de Ville, crossed the River Siene, and visited Notre Dame. We also visited Sainte Chapelle and the Palais de Justice, home of the French Revolution. We then wandered around the nearby streets in search of a good restaurant. Finally overcoming our fears of reading the French menus, we picked a spot. Ends up the waiter was Canadian, eh, and spoke English. We finished the day by making this video and eating a delicious chocolate eclair. Enjoy.

Christmas Slideshow

Here's a little Christmas Slideshow...too many pics to post individually. Our oldest was thrilled with his DS Lite, our little blondie worked hard for days with everyone to put together his 1000+ piece Jawa Lego set, and our princess won't go play at anyone else's house because she's in love with her Sleeping Beauty Castle. They had the best Christmas...complete with the traditional morning cinnamon rolls. Oh, and yes, the boys playing the new xbox 360 (all toys traveled with us back and forth to Nana's house all week).