...my brief trip back to the land of plenty

It felt good to be back.  Surrounded by people who spoke my language (well kinda, since I flew to Florida and every other person and announcement was in Spanish) and understood the meaning of "waiting" in a line.  The sites of the familiar stores and copious amounts of drive-thru restaurants (I have seen exactly zero here in Paris! That would be "très gauche, non!?!").

I arrived in Jacksonville around 7:00 p.m.  As we came in for a landing,  the good ole U.S.A. provided me a welcome back view.....

Coming in for a landing

From my window

On a side note, when I arrived in Miami, I don't know if it was jet lag or just plain giddiness, but I truly laughed out loud (not giggle, not chuckle, but laughed) when I was greeted by what I have come to think of as the "butt sniffing fish".

Art?  Or just funny?

Closer view

When you come down the escalator from customs there are about 2 dozen of these "wreaths" made of fish.  The fish are arranged in different positions to make a basic circle, but a lot of them are in the "butt sniffing" position.  Art?  Creative expression?  Weird?  Discuss amongst yourselves.......  All I know is I got a good laugh out of it!

Shanan (accompanied by Jenell and Brandy) picked me up at the airport and off we went.  They took me to Margrid's (my mother-in-law's) house where I promptly took a shower and crashed!  The next few days, aside from wedding activities, was spent wandering in the nirvana that is shopping in America.  Wal-Mart alone was like Disneyland to me.  I came with a list of things to get and dutifully checked them off all the while adding other "treasures"!  

The other great indulgence I afforded myself besides wandering around Wal-Mart, was the joy of  the drive-thru!  I hit Wendy's, Taco Bell and Bojangles!  Not all on the same day, mind you!  I showed a little restraint!  And of course, I did drive through McDonald's once for a large sweet tea.......ah, the giant cup, the ice......how I've missed you!

I did get to spend some time with my sister-in-law, Tara, and her family.  My niece, Hannah, has just started middle school and with that has changed from little girl to pre-teen, in a good way though!  She and I had a great conversation while looking at books in Barnes and Noble (another nirvana moment....ah, book store.....with English language books......).  She is a very smart girl and I enjoyed my conversations with her.  My nephew, Jack, took me down memory lane......reminding me of Max when he was younger.  There is something I like (call me weird) about a little boy who stills thinks everything gross is funny!  And being the aunt, I can indulge this fascination (sorry, Tara!).  Nothing like a little discreet "fart humor" and picking out the "grossest, scariest" cover of a Goosebumps book to bond an aunt and nephew! 

But all that aside, the main reason I returned was Shanan and Kenny's wedding.  What a great few days!  

Thursday was the Batchelorette party.  We all met at Shanan's for some Sangria and then headed out to the local Ale House for dinner.  After that it was bowling.  Shanan loves to bowl.  She even has her own shoes!  I was soon the to learn she comes by it honestly.  Her sister, Julie, and her Mom, Debbie, are also bowlers.  Her Mom was even on a league in Erie.

Shanan's mom, Debbie, and Janell

Shanan and her sister, Julie

Now I had never bowled and really had no desire to wear other people's shoes and heave a 14 pound ball down a hallway, but it was Shanan's night, so I did.  Julie tried to instruct me on the proper technique for holding and throwing the ball, but in the end, I adopted Janell's approach to bowling....

Granny Bowling!

Just bend at the waist and heave the ball down the lane.  This worked for me and with this method, I managed to bowl 3 strikes!!!  We played two rounds (games, rounds......?  don't know!) and then went to sing karaoke at Harmonious Monks.  

The girls with their "big ass" beers

The wedding party singing "We Are Family"
Becky, Shanan, Julie and Janell

Shanan and Julie belting out
"Don't Stop Believing"

As we got ready to leave, a fellow patron (well into his evening.....read 'drunk') stopped to talk to the girls and wish Shanan luck on her upcoming wedding.  He was wearing a Fedora and earlier that evening Shanan had told us her new place was haunted by a Fedora left in her attic by the previous, now deceased, renter.  I pointed out this fact and Shanan decided that she had to have the fedora.

Shanan running through the parking lot with
his fedora

She did give it back!

The wedding itself was beautiful.  The ceremony was held on the beach with the reception in a hall a short walk away.  The day was perfect.  It was hot, but because the location was right on the ocean, a breeze kept everything temperate.  After the ceremony, instead of throwing rice, the guests were asked to pick up a shell and make a wish for Shanan and Ken and toss it into the ocean.

The reception was fun, as any party given by Shanan and Ken would be.  The food was plentiful and the DJ kept it rocking.

Kenny and Debbie (Shanan's mom)

Julie and Kenny's best man
"breaking it down"

Until I find a place to put my 100+ pictures for everyone's viewing enjoyment......here are some more.  Once I find a place that allows people to view without having to sign up, I will let everyone know.  (All suggestions are welcome if anyone knows a good site!)

All done!  Let's party!

Shanan and her brother, Eddie

First Dance

Shanan's bouquet
"Something Borrowed" was her mother's
wedding rings tied in the flowers

Bouquet tossing

Garter

Félicitations, mes amis
We love you!

......I'm baaaaaaack!

I returned yesterday.  Surprisingly, I actually got the warm fuzzies as the taxi barreled through the city and I started recognizing places and things.  Guess home is truly where your heart (and family!) is!

Still trying to settle into a routine again, so this is just a short post.  I will also be posting more pictures of Shanan's wedding for all you N.C. people!

....I leave Paree...for a short while....

I am boarding a plane on Wednesday, 9/7, to head to Jacksonville, FL for a wedding.  Shanan (who many of you may know!) is getting married 9/10/11.

I will exchanging places with my mother-in-law as she lives in Jacksonville (stroke of luck my good friend moves about a mile away from mother-in-law and sister-in-law and her family) and returning Tuesday, 9/12.  My MIL will stay on for about another two weeks after I get and we plan to taking day adventures while the kids are in school!

So much left to do......yeah!

I am ready to get back to the States but having just watched "Midnight In Paris",  I will be happy to come back and share Paris with my MIL.  During the opening credits of this movie, I was happily surprised that I recognized a lot of the places and can say that now I have been there.  I thought the movie was great!  It shows Paris realistically (except for the time-machine taxi back to the 20's).  But,  actually there are parts of Paris where you can actually feel like you have gone back in time.  There is still some of that "bon vivant" feeling along some to the "rues" and that "life is for living" feeling.  It is a beautiful city (and once you get over the feeling of "offending the French" for being here) a great place to live for awhile.

So, I am taking an empty suitcase with me to stock up on things I can't find here.  I totally plan to buy about 2 pounds of brown sugar!

...I lack motivation! Plus this is gonna be a long one!

don't know if I have "vacation brain" or what but every time I thought about recapping last weeks adventures, the second week of Patrick's vacation, I would think, "I'll do it tomorrow"!  And now if's Friday and I find I have to check the calendar to remind myself what we did! Hmmmmm,  Mommy-brain?Vacation brain?  Mid-Forties brain?  Better write this stuff down.

So we started off the week with Monday (Aug. 8) being another relax at home day.  Since most of the touristy things are open both Saturday and Sunday, a lot of the museums and historical places are closed on Mondays so we used this as our excuse to lounge around and do nothing.

Tuesday we went to view the Arc de Triumph up close.  Patrick and the kids did the stairs (284) to the top while I decided to walk around the outside and people watch.  Patrick reported the kids did the stairs like gangbusters until the final 10 or so when they decided they needed to rest!  Once at the top, they had great views of city.

Half way there
Looking back down the stairs

Don't look now!
There's that Eiffel Tower again!

Eiffel Tower shot
(in case you forgot we were in Paris!)

I think this is the
Champs-Elysées

What's this....an actual smile!

Looks like a giant comb~

Wednesday we went to Luxembourg Gardens, the second largest public park in Paris. The garden contains just over a hundred statues, monuments, and fountains, scattered throughout the grounds. Surrounding the central green space are about twenty figures of historical French queens and female saints standing on pedestals.  There is an orchard of apple and pear trees and the théâtre des marionette as well as a large fenced-in playground and a vintage merry-go-round.  You can also rent well-crafted little sailboats for 2 Euros for half an hour. You get a pretty nifty sailboat which you propel towards the center of the fountain with a stick.  The kids loved the sailboats and have declared it a "must do" when cousins Jack and Hannah come.

Sneaky Max

Setting it adrift

"Thar she blows matey"

Just a little more.....

Thursday was Versailles.  Another must do!  Again and again..... Wow, there was so much to see.  I took many, many pictures and posted quite a few on Facebook since I knew I would be limited here.  And pictures really can not do justice to this place.

A few small tree trunks for your fire?

Hall of Mirrors

Ceiling mural
Hannah, check it out!  It's Poseidon and Hades!

Can't be afraid of heights and be a
fresco painter

When the château was built, Versailles was a country village; today, however, the former de facto capital of the kingdom of France, is a suburb of Paris; a prosperous, leafy and very bourgeois suburb.  

The palace served as the kingdom’s political capital and the seat of the royal court for more than a century, from 1682 to 1789 – the year Revolutionary mobs massacred the palace guard and dragged Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette back to Paris where they eventually had their heads lopped off.

Versailles is still undergoing intensive restoration.  The Palace still serves some political function. The Heads of State meet in the Hall of Mirrors and the senate and national assembly both meet in Versailles to discuss any potential amendments to the French Constitution. Because so many people consider Versailles a must-see destination, the chateau attracts more than three million visitors a year. The best way to avoid the queues is to arrive first thing in the morning and buy your tickets online.

The gardens, though—that's another story. The Gardens of Versailles are the ultimate in French formal garden design, with geometrical flowerbeds, terraces, pools, topiary, statuary, lakes, and some 50 fountains.  Unfortunately, we were there on a day when the fountains weren't on, but it was still awesome even with Max in a somewhat crappy mood (5 hours is about the limit for a 10 year old boy in a Palace!).  Again, I took many pictures and we didn't even venture down any of the pathways to the grottos.  

Fontaine Latone
Laurie, check it out...those little guys are frogs all around!

Cupid booty

Reminds me of Alice in Wonderland

Ho Hum...another day in paradise

The Apollo fountain depicts Apollo on his chariot pulled by four horses representing force and ardour, getting out of the water among sea monsters to enlighten the Earth.  In Versailles all the statues of Apollo, the sun god, represent Louis XIV, the sun king.

Friday we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  The tower is the tallest building in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year. Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.

Top of the world

Now, this is the second place I’ve lived with a World’s Fair pointy thing as a landmark!  The Space Needle in Seattle is a major symbol of the Pacific Northwest and of Seattle. It was built for the 1962 World's Fair.

Again, to avoid crazy lines, go early and buy your tickets online!

The line about an hour after opening
for one of the two elevators

Looking up

The world at your feet

We also went to the The Musée de l'Armée. The museum is home to the Tomb of Napoleon, but is more than just that as it covers army and artillery antiques from ancient times, weapons used during the French revolution, and displays of more modern weapons up until the 20th century.  Definately more of a guys museum but the displays of armour where impressive.

This museum, as I said, is a guy's military and history buff dream.  I think Patrick and Max could have stayed longer, but it was already a long day.  I did enjoy seeing the details on some of cannons.  Weapons of war so carefully detailed......

handles on cannon

end of cannon

The cannons were impressive and they had many.

Huge

A boy and his cannon

While Max enjoyed the visit, it made him a little melancholy for home and his best buddy, Charlie.  They had quite a few play dates centered around wars and Indians. I think he tried to photograph everything in this museum because he "wants to show Charlie".  

His reflection as he tries to photograph
everything for Charlie

We then went to see Napoleon's tomb.  It was some dead guy's tomb. Whoopidee doo. Just kidding! It was a very interesting and the architecture beautiful.

The rest of the weekend we took it easy to ready Patrick for the rude awakening of returning to work!  We did an Ikea run and the kids scored some new Legos for being such troopers slogging through the museums (even though they really enjoyed 80% of it!).  About 2 more weeks of vacation for the kiddos and then back to school.  They are ready.  Miss the year round school with only 3 weeks off at a time!

Hope you made it through this looong post!   I know I'm tired from writing it!

Any errors in this post
should be referred to my proof reader!