Tuesday, January 29, 2008
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.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
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.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
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.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
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.
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.
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