Sara & Jonathan's Blog

Jonathan's Birthday & a few others

2011-02-12T11:37:00.001-08:00

Happy 28th Birthday Jonathan! :)

I hope you enjoyed your homemade Belgian waffles...

Bug just made them hers....

At least I had my camera handy!

Annabelle has a new favorite perch!

This is a lot of snow for Dallas!

I finally got a picture of this hawk. I've been watching it for days.

We measured around 3 1/2" at our house, and some parts of Dallas ended up with as much as 6". We had four days of ice and snow here. It would have been okay if Dallas would have been prepared for it....Thank goodness my husband lived in Canada for little while and at least is one of the safer drivers in this crazy weather.

I couldn't believe all the snow we got! Jonathan must have ordered it for his birthday! ;)

Back in Texas!

2011-02-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

Bella in the window...she wants outside.

We've been back in Texas for a little over a month now! I have not done a bit of blogging. I realize that I still need to change the header of our blog...I'll get around to that too. Texas isn't near as interesting as Paris, but we're so thankful to be back and be with family. Speaking of family, we have a new niece that we need to go visit in California! Isabelle Joy Crain, your Aunt Sara has been sewing up a storm for you and will be sending a box of goodies for you and your Mommy to open as soon as the ice on the road melts! :) We can't wait to meet you!!

A brief run down...
Jonathan's been busy with interviews and networking, and we've both been busy unpacking our boxes. All of our wedding presents went into storage as soon as we got married, and we've just recently gotten to unpack them! Yay! It amazes me how I still remember who gave us what gift as if it were yesterday. We'll cherish these items for years to come! :)

Along with unpacking our boxes I've been busy sewing, baking, planting and catching up with friends, visiting family, and wrangling cats. We've had crazy weather here! Last week it was 75 degrees, and this week it's snowing! A beach vacation sounds good right about now!

Less than a week ago we were planting camellias & gardenias in the pots on the front porch & it was 75 degrees!

They're so pretty! We've covered them during the cold weather and brought the gardenias inside. I hope we don't lose them.

Annabelle playing! She's our "glass cat"

She is off of her feeding tube now, weighing in at just over 9lbs!! That's a huge difference, up from 6lbs, and not eating during the Thanksgiving holidays! We still don't know exactly what was wrong with her, but she's completely back normal, playing with and pestering the other cats! This all happened while we were in Paris, 5,000 miles away. Thankfully, Jonathan's parents were able to care for her, along with Dr. Parker, and nurse her back to health. (Boy! They REALLY had the brunt of the work!) She was at least eating on her own by the time we came home. She still had her feeding tube, but we just used it to give her her medications, which actually made it easier! Have you ever tried to give a cat a pill?

Bella enjoying the morning sun!

Christmas time in Paris

2010-12-06T04:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe our time here is coming to an end so quickly! A week from today we'll be heading to the airport. We've gotten out as much as possible. The cold nasty weather has made it a little difficult though. It's been snowing a bit, and not the snow you want to get out in. Nothing too bad...just cold, wet, nasty snow that I haven't wanted to carry a camera out in. So, forgive the lack of blog posts. I do however, want to share some of the wonderful things about being in Paris during Christmas time with you!

Christmas tree in Galleries Lafayette

Beautiful ceiling in Galleries Lafayette.

Wreaths above Ralph Lauren on Avenue Montaigne

Another view of Avenue Montaigne

One more thing about being in Paris right now are the great Christmas parties! Our dear friends from New Zealand, Jasmine and Martin held a Champagne tasting Christmas party! It was so much fun! We tasted bottles from champagne vineyards all over the Champagne region of France! And, of course our good friend Julien brought the winning bottle from his cave...but we wouldn't expect anything less! He knows his wines!

Here I am with my good friends Cathy & Ashley. I met them through AWG here in Paris.

Jonathan hanging out with their husbands Ethan and Matt.

The line up! (Don't you love the glasses on the far right? They're from Slovakia.)

The vote!

Martin holding the winning bottle of Champagne!

Can you tell the theme for the party was "Wear your favorite RED attire?" I almost didn't post this, but I hated not to. I'm sitting a little awkwardly on the end, because I was going to take the photo and then at the last minute Martin insisted that I jump in it and there wasn't anywhere else for me to get...oh well.

There's one more thing I forgot to mention that we LOVE about Christmas time in Paris...the Christmas Markets on the Champs-Elysees!

I can't tell you how many times it's snowed already this season! Nothing is more fun than getting bundled up and taking a walk with your sweetheart down to the Christmas markets, getting a cup of vin chaud and something sweet or if you're like Jonathan something sweet (like churros or a crepe) and a sausage, maybe some tartiflette, or cassoulet.

One more thing, it's kind of important! Santa DOES come to Paris...We never doubted this...and he even knows French, but here's proof! :) It takes a little while to see Santa...I get carried away taping the Christmas lights.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T05:19:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day. ~Robert Caspar Lintner

Once again Jonathan and I are in Paris on Thanksgiving, away from our families. Although we're 5,000 miles away, we'll gather around our French table and celebrate an age old tradition held dear to the heart of Americans. We'll give thanks for SO many things! Especially that Jonathan is finishing up graduate school! Hooray!! His thesis defense will be finished Friday morning and we'll come home and celebrate with turkey and a bottle of champagne!

Jonathan and I have had a few challenges this semester, from cats getting sick and almost dying to cats running away during tropical storms, to sick & hurt grandparents to wondering what we're going to do when we get back to Dallas, to worrying about if his thesis defense would go as planned. I was finding myself up at night worrying about things I couldn't control. Have you every been there? I've heard it doesn't get easier...I realize while worrying is in my nature, it's also wrong, and unhealthy on several levels.

I was reminded this week that we should "be joyful always" & "give thanks in all circumstances", while we don't always have to be thankful for the circumstances. I was also comforted by the suggestion a dear friend had of reading Psalm 139. As I'm typing this I'm reminded that in the book of James (ch.1), Paul tells us to consider it 'pure joy' when we face trials of any kind...and I'm sure many of you know the rest...

I'm thankful that we have a Creator to whom we can be thankful - who is there for us in all seasons, who continually draws us nearer to Him. The heavenly Father of Abraham and of Jacob and of Isaiah has also written each day of our lives in a book before it ever happens, He knows each of us intimately. He knows every word we're going to say before we ever say it, every thought before we think it, and He still loves us enough to offer us His grace, His pardon. He's already given us the Greatest Gift we can be thankful for, we just have to accept it and love Him. That's something to be thankful for everyday!

Our time in Paris is coming to an end and it has been such an amazing chapter in our lives. When we return to Dallas, I am not sure what to expect, but we'll go with an open mind and willing hearts.

When in Bruges...

2010-11-21T06:01:00.000-08:00

Fortunately, during Jonathan's fall break we were able to take a 2-1/2 hour train ride from Paris to Bruges, Belgium and escape the 'City of Lights', the insane amount of tourists on or near our street and Jonathan's thesis defense. Which, I will add that he has been preparing for non-stop. It will be nice when November 26th has come and gone because I will finally get my husband back. He has worked so hard on this, and I am a little biased, but his thesis is well-written and his presentation is excellent! I can't wait to see how well he executes his defense! It's the day after Thanksgiving, so I'm going to be pumping him full of brain food this week (salmon, fish oil, leafy greens, antioxidants and a lot of water) We will celebrate Thanksgiving, but he will have to present his thesis sans the turkey hangover.

Our trip to Bruges couldn't have been more perfect. We left from the Gare du Nord train station and packed all of our luggage in this backpack!

Part of Bruges is a UNESCO world-heritage site and is one of the most preserved medieval town in Europe and is what Rick Steve's calls Belgium's medieval wonderland.

It's a small town full of canals with glassy reflections, packed in an egg-shaped central district less than 1-1/4 mile across.

Such a picturesque morning!

And look, here come the swans!

Being there, we felt like we were in a Thomas Kinkade painting. The weather was perfect, the leaves were colorful, there was the constant sound of horse-drawn carriages going down cobble stone streets with the smell of Belgian waffles and fries, there were even swans in the canals. We definitely think this quaint town should be on your list of places to visit while in Europe!

Jonathan enjoying a true Belgian waffle! This happened within minutes of our arrival :)

A few other things to enjoy while in Bruges: the mussels, the Belgian chocolate, the Belgian beer, the beef stew, the Belgian tapestries, the candies, the Belfry tower, the churches, art museums, lace making, the Flemish architecture! I'm sure we didn't discover all that Bruges had to offer, but the little time we did have there was amazing! This is a place that you want to come back to!

Our hotel was so cute! It was a 200 + year old renovated Merchant's house that faced the canal.

Here is the back entrance.

Here is the original hand carved wooden staircase.

Here are some more of our photos

The Belfry Tower from one of the side streets

More Flemish architecture

Basilica of the Holy Blood is a small church where they claim to keep a sponge that wiped Jesus's blood from him after the crucifixion.

They even have these cute red mail boxes!

Our tripod came in handy! This was one of the amazing night shots we got of the town. I think this was a 30 second shot.

Speculoos Truffles

2010-11-04T03:47:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Belgium where I had my first Speculoos truffle. I told Jonathan, when we got back to Paris, that I had to try them myself. The ones I made don't compare to the truffles we had in Bruges, but they are close. I may be missing ground cloves, which I didn't have on hand when I made these, but I will have to get some for my next go 'round!

Ingredients

8 ounces semisweet chocolate
8 ounces caramel or chocolate
1 can (14 Oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup Speculoos spread
1 1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 ounces, weight melting milk chocolate
crushed pistachios

Preparation Instructions

Heat dark chocolates and condensed milk in a double boiler over medium low heat until chocolate is melted. Stir until mixture is thick and shiny. Stir in vanilla, Speculoos, & spices.

Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate for two - three hours.

Once chilled, roll in balls (1/2" - 3/4" in diameter), then roll in melted milk chocolate coating, and set on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. To roll the ball in the chocolate, you can use a fork and a toothpick, to make sure your truffle is evenly covered. It takes a little practice. The reason I ended up rolling the last few truffles in pistachios is because I started looking for other ways to cover the truffle. The chocolate can get a little messy.

Sprinkle with pistachios or other fine, coarse sprinkles. In the picture below I rolled a few of the truffles in ground pistachios. You can use coconut, cocoa, chopped nuts, sprinkles, anything your heart desires! Hmm...maybe a cocoa, cinnamon and sugar mixture?

**Note: if you roll your balls around 1/2" round, this will roll close to 70-100 truffles. We have so many truffles right now that I may start handing them out to the homeless.

Speculoos Toffee Bark with Pistachios

2010-11-03T03:52:00.000-07:00

A secret indulgence Jonathan and I discovered by accident is Speculoos (pronounced "speck-you-loose") spread and Speculoos cookies. If you've tried them, then you know how good and addicting Speculoos can be. If you haven't, than I suggest you contact me immediately so I can ship some to you! You can also contact your nearest European market and see if they carry it or ask if they can get it for you. It's like bottling up a jar of Christmas, it tastes something like gingerbread with the consistency of peanut butter (minus the sticky). It's wonderful in the fall and near the holidays.

I accidentally discovered it one day when I was hungry for apples and peanut butter, I figured whatever this similar looking jar of spread was had to suffice & suffice it did! There was hardly enough for Jonathan when he got home from class....oops! (That's why we don't keep Speculoos in our house.)

I'm going to share a couple of recipes that I've made with the Speculoos spread & the Speculoos cookies. I'll post one today, and one in the next couple of days!

Speculoos Toffee Bark with Pistachios
1 package Speculoos cookies (can also substitute graham cracker cookies)
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Butter
1/4 water (can also substitute whiskey or bourbon)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 Tablespoon of corn syrup
1 1/2 cups toasted almond slivers
1 1/2 cups chopped pistachios (for topping)
2 bars white melting chocolate, can also use dark chocolate or milk chocolate

A candy thermometer helps, but is not necessary. It's also a lot easier if you can buy chopped pistachios, but if not, you'll have to shell and chop them your self. I was lucky enough to have a little help. :)

First, you want to want to line your baking sheet with foil, and grease it. This makes taking the toffee bark out a lot easier when it is finished. Next, you can either crumble up your Speculoos cookies or layer them neatly on the baking dish.

Sprinkle your almond slivers over the Speculoos cookies.

Bring sugar and next 4 ingredients to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture is golden brown and a candy thermometer registers 290° to 310° (about 15 minutes). Pour sugar mixture over almonds on baking sheet.

Alright, now you spread the toffee out quick with a spatula. It will begin to harden, but you have time...

In a land far, far away in a storage unit sits her all-clad & ceramic double boiler, in the mean time in their French kitchen improvisation is an everyday word. Alright, it's time to melt your chocolate, so get out your double boiler, unless you're like us and you have learned how to improvise without one (see picture below).

Once your chocolate is melted, pour on top of the hardened toffee and spread around with spatula, sprinkle pistachios on and place in the refrigerator to harden for 3-4 hours or until hard to the touch.

Break into bite-size pieces and store in an airtight container.

French Pastry Class

2010-10-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

I've been anticipating this day for weeks! I signed up for a French pastry class with Briony, the owner of Prêt à Rêver in Paris. It was so fun! I learned a lot, got some great tips, recipes, and photos!

Here, Briony is telling us how important it is to measure by weight & making the Sweet Pastry for the Tart Base...the following pictures show what the finished Raspberry Tart looked like!

One of the secrets she shared with us was how to preserve her vanilla beans. In rum! She buys this lovely jar at a store in Paris called G. Detou which I have not been to yet, but a visit is in order! From what I hear, and as the name implies the store really does have everything! (G. Detou is a play-on-words meaning "I have everything.") She pours rum into the jar with the pods, as she uses the beans, she then takes the leftover pods and keeps them in a fresh jar of rum. So, a double use...I'm not sure how long it would take to get a good supply. You would have to use a lot of vanilla bean and a bit of rum, so if you are in the habit of using both, this might be worth try.

Making a Choux Pastry for Profiteroles, Cream-Puffs, Eclairs, etc...don't these look amazing! I can just smell their buttery goodness now!

We had chocolate, praline and vanilla bean filled profiteroles! They were absolutely delicious! I hope when I make these at home they are just as good!
We also made Honey & Green Tea Madeleine! You can see them just behind the unfinished Raspberry tart! They were the best madeleines I've had!

What a great class!! And, she's doing another one in November!!

Olive Kitteridge

2010-10-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

This semester while Jonathan is busy burning the midnight oil, I've been busy reading...book after book. You see, I joined a book club. Our first read was Olive Kitteridge. Since the book was based in Maine, our group got together and the night had a New England theme! We had lobster dip, salmon and lox, corn muffins, blue berry cobbler, olive loaf, cape cods, etc. It was so fun that I couldn't resist taking a few pictures! Our second read, which I finished today, was Pat Conroy's, South of Broad, which takes place in South Carolina. I'm not sure if we'll have a Southern menu on the table or not, but I guarantee these girls know how to make a book club fun!

Of course, I couldn't think what to bring. I love to bake, and I wanted to bring donuts, Olive loved eating donuts. But, you see, I probably would have started a fire if I had done that. So, then I considered crab-stuffed mushrooms! Perfect, except in the book, Olive gets explosive diarrhea, and has to go to the emergency room because she ate the crab stuffed mushrooms, and well, I just didn't want to be that guest. So, I opted to bring chocolate! The one thing that most people can't refuse! The best part is, I knew of a store in Paris that actually had chocolate covered almonds, that looked like olives! Voila!

My trip to La Cure Gourmande!

It's a beautiful store overflowing with biscuits, chocolates, and gourmet candies! I was especially surprised when the lady told me that I could take pictures inside. Tres un-French.

The olives!! They were perfect!

20 Km Paris

2010-10-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

As many of you know we've had some crazy terrorists threats over here lately, and so I was actually considering letting that stop me running in the race on Sunday that I have been training for since this summer. The news keeps telling Americans to keep using vigilance....

One week prior to my run, I ran my last long training run, with a slight sense of fear, thinking that this could be it...I could wake on race day with a feeling in the pit of my stomach and decide to pull out of the race.

Well, I was letting fear get the best of me, and just by doing that the terrorists were winning in their own way! I soon realized that I wasn't in control of the situation, and that fear, worry and anxiousness were not the feelings that I should be displaying...I was limiting God's power to protect His children wherever we are. Nothing can tear us from His hand.

Besides, Thursday, prior the race Jonathan and I went to dinner with a friend of a friend that was in town on business from the State Department. He assured us that it was just a bunch of 'noise'. By this time, I felt safe, and sure enough - I was! See for yourself! It turned out to be a beautiful day! Out of over 27,000 registered runners, I was even standing next to an American lawyer who spoke perfect French and had run the race several times. She and her husband had lived in Paris for 20 years. This was an answer to prayer because I only know enough French to get by and in a large crowd like that...well, you just never know!

My uncle inspired me to make this short video clip of the race, he's always doing neat things like that!

Arriving at Trocadéro. This makes me want to get out and take more photos at sunrise! Although, it's also around 8:40 am in Paris! The race started at 10:00 am.

After the race!
Ha...if you notice, one corner of my number is off of my shirt. That's because there was a bee buzzing around me during mile 3. It stayed with me about 25-30 feet! I thought it might sting me! I swatted the safety pin off my race number trying to get it away from me. I think it was trying to get one of the prunes I was eating. Yes, for snacks during the runs here, they give you dried prunes and apricots....I think they have iron stomachs. I only had 2 and the rest of the time depended on my organic cherry blossom stinger chews I brought with me from the States.

Finish Time: 2:04:47
This did surprise me! My best 20Km time yet!
25% Female 75% Male
It was a perfect day for a run, sunny and cool! Also a beautiful course, starting and finishing at the Eiffel tower, going through the city, running through the Bois de Boulogne, and along the Seine. For the most part it's flat or down-hill except for the beginning there is a hill, mid-way through there is a decent hill and at the very end, there is another hill.

Here is a video link of the course!
(The music is a little intense, it gave Jonathan and I a good laugh!)

They did an excellent job providing water, snack and medical aid stations every 5 kilometers during the race, along with blatantly marking off every kilometer. They also had bands playing and crowds cheering! It was a great experience! I'm so glad I did it!! But, my legs are glad it's over....they still hurt!

Jonathan, thanks for putting up with my crazy training schedule the past few months, and for not letting me give up! I love you! :)

J'adore....

2010-10-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

A few things that we just can't get enough of right now...

The last I heard, you still can't buy this in the US, if that changes between now and when we come home - someone please let us know! This is the best fix for a couple of Texans living abroad. All you need is your bottle of Evian (tap water will do) and one of these tea bags and you're good to go! I don't recommend mixing in the bottle, this is a tea bag. I usually buy a six-pack of 1.5L bottles at a time to use as needed.

I've tried the Citrus-Mint and Peach flavor...The mint's not bad, but hands-down the Peach is much better!

We also cannot get enough of le fromages de France!

The punchline is you see city workers go in and buy Camembert & a baguette on their lunch break. The price of the baguette is still regulated by the French government at .70 euros. The cheese is just under 3 euros. This is around a $5 lunch for them. On the contrary, we would pay $10 for imported French cheese to serve to our friends for a special occasion...let's just say we've been enjoying it while we can...and yes, we have to pinch our noses when we open our fridge. The cheese doesn't smell as good as it tastes!

Les Fleurs....

And, what girl doesn't like flowers? Well, there are flower markets all over the city of Paris, but they've finally opened a flower market near our apartment! It's so nice to walk home and adore this on the way...

Santorini

2010-09-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

This was our favorite part of the trip! It's on our list of places to visit again, and I can only hope it's soon! Sailing into Caldera, that's right, a volcano, you can see the beautiful village of Santorini on cliffs overlooking the Aegean sea. Santorini sits on the rim of the caldera.

Taking turns snapping photos of each other on the tenders to Santorini!

It was SO beautiful!

Santorini Sunset!

Patmos & Crete

2010-09-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

Well, by now you probably know our cruise was more historical and knowledgeable than that of a leisurely trip! We did enjoy it nonetheless! We were up and out of our cabin by 7am! Living in Paris while Jonathan is in graduate school has made traveling on this side of the world a lot easier! We have a trip to Bruges planned soon and are really looking forward to it! Thank goodness he is finished writing his thesis, he just has to finish editing it! He's planning on defending on Thanksgiving day (it's not a holiday here). I promise when he's completely finished there will be beaucoup celebrating!! So far it's a little over 17,000 words - which comes to about 68 pages. I don't know how in the world he does it, but he's worked so hard and I'm so proud of him!!

A view of Patmos from the Monastery.

Patmos was really neat! We visited the Grotto of the Apocalypse, where the book of Revelation was written and St. John's Monastery, which is over 900 years old.

We were not allowed to take photos inside, so I've provided you with a few of the outside...the inside was small. There were niches in the wall that marked the pillow and ledge used as a desk by St. John to author the book of Revelation. We also got to see the giant crack in the wall was made by the voice of God honoring the Holy Trinity.

Our trip to Crete was really uneventful. Because we did so many of the tours elsewhere we opted out of the Crete tour. Crete really is a neat place, home of the great Minoan Civilization and mythological home of Zeus. Admittedly, all we got there were a couple of photos and two Greek coffees which are quite similar to Turkish coffees, if you've never had either it is literally like drinking muddy coffee. So, maybe next time Crete?

Patmos, Crete & Santorini

2010-09-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

I'm working on these and will have something up soon.

Turkey

2010-09-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I forgot to mention that our cruise of the Greek islands did include a half-day in Turkey. We drove through the colorful town of Kusadasi until we reached the ancient town of Ephesus. It's famous for it's Temple of Diana - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and was later the home of St. John, also where Paul preached. So, the Ephesians (of Ephesus) received one of Paul's letters reminding them of Christ's supremacy.

An early form of Backgammon or something of the sorts...

Jonathan in the ancient amphitheater in Ephesus! Just think of all the people who have been here! Wow!

After our trip back into town we visited the local bazaar where we bought some Turkish delights, a few plates, and of course took a few photos!

We took a "cultural tour" of Turkey and got to visit an exhibition of oriental rugs. They were beautiful, but we could only handle so much! If you've ever been then I guess you understand. We just wanted to see the rugs, and they REALLY wanted us to buy them.

Greece

2010-09-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late in posting this....As germs would have it, I have found myself home bound with a nasty cold. Thus, I have had plenty of time for blogging! Also, if I have promised you pictures over the past couple of months, I have been working on them and will have them ready to send soon! :) I think I hear angels singing, unless that's just the ringing in my head from the cold medicine I took. Those pictures have been on my mind for a while, we've had family gatherings with Jonathan's family, my family and several friends, and I've got pictures to send to all of them! It will be soon! Sorry it took so long!

For our anniversary Jonathan and I decided to take a cruise of the Greek Islands! Besides being the first cruise either of us had taken, it was also the first time either of us had been to Greece. We loved it!

We left out of Athens, Greece. Because of riots, our taxi driver wouldn't even go through the city, so we'll have to go back to see the ancient ruins of Athens.

Our first stop....

MYKONOS
Mykonos is actually the most cosmopolitan of the Greek Islands and attracts many artists and intellectuals, and of course tourists!

Alefkandra is a charming corner of Hora, known as the "Venice" of Mykonos. These houses are from the 18th century and onward and belonged to wealthy merchants and captains.

They actually eat sun-dried octopus there. We didn't try it, but I've heard it's not too bad. Maybe next time....

I LOVED being there! The architecture, the cobblestone streets, the people, the islands were surprisingly clean, the colored doors and windows, I could go on...

Along with learning a lot about the islands, we also had a lot of fun trying on these Panama hats!

(And, I've had fun playing with a new application a friend of mine told me about called "Poladroid". It's how I made these Polaroid look-a-likes.)

You can download it free at http://www.poladroid.net/

So long Mykonos...Next stop is Turkey, where we visit Kusadasi and Ancient Ephesus. I'm working on this and will have up in a day or two.

Hot & Cold

2010-09-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

Not to cause any confusion, the title of today's blog post is referring to the Paris weather and not the popular Katy Perry song 'Hot N Cold'. After four days of beautiful weather in the 70's and low 80's with the sun shining, we had cloudy day that didn't break 65 degrees. Rain was not predicted until tomorrow, but in Paris you never know, and I was reminded that it usually comes a day early!

Just as we're finishing up our afternoon at Disneyland it starts 'spitting' rain on us. We made it home just in time for Jonathan to discover that the class he thought was a Tuesday/Thursday class was really a Monday/Thursday class. He sprinted to class & made it in seven minutes - dripping with sweat, but he was there!

After that, I decided we needed some comfort food for dinner. I made a really simple vegetable stew & served it with Mexican cornbread. Vegetable stew is one of those recipes you can add anything to! Chicken, cubed beef, ground beef, celery, cabbage, kidney beans, black beans, Lima beans, squash, etc. Feel free to be creative. My vegetable stew never tastes the same. We really enjoyed it this time, so Jonathan made sure I wrote down exactly what I did! He loved the cornbread too! I thought he was actually going to eat the entire recipe tonight.

I guess my attempt at comfort food worked! My husband is fed, the laundry is done and the rain falling outside our Paris apartment window will put us to sleep.

Vegetable Stew
1 zucchini, sliced and quartered
2 carrots, sliced thin
1 cup finger potatoes, sliced and quartered
1 small can corn
1/2 cup matchstick carrots
1 1/2 green beans, cut in half
1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
8 oz. chicken stock
2 can diced tomatoes
1 can whole tomatoes
pinch of salt & a little more pepper
few shakes of herbs de Provence
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
nearly 1 cup white wine (Bordeaux)
1 bay leaf

Mix the vegetables, bay leaf & seasonings in a stock pot over medium heat stirring often until onion is clear and water begins to cook out of the vegetables, about 15 minutes. Add liquid ingredients and bring to boil and then let simmer 45-60 minutes. This can also cook in the crock pot all day!

Mexican Cornbread
1 Cup Polenta or Cornmeal
1 Cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 medium diced onion
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
can of creamed corn (14.75 0z)
diced jalapenos (4 oz)
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Pre-heat your oven to 350. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the onion. Then, add the remaining ingredients to the mixture and pour into the greased baking dish. Bake for 50-55 minutes making sure the top or sides don't get too brown.

The Art of Being French

2010-09-06T02:28:00.000-07:00

The art of the slow walk. We’ve been so busy this summer running around playing catch-up with friends & living the “hurried” American lifestyle that the laissez faire French work ethic and lifestyle was forgotten. Basically, "leave well enough alone" is their way of life. I can't tell you how many times we got stuck walking behind someone really slow yesterday and then just looked at each other and laughed. We had forgotten just how slow French people really do walk.

The art of the bisous. The French often greet people by kissing them on the cheek. It’s usually pretty difficult and awkward to escape from. Click here to read more about it.

Dressing up to take out the trash. (This is how you know you have truly become French) We must have looked like an eye sore when we arrived. After being on an airplane for seven hours and carrying our luggage to our apartment, we then got the rest of our stuff out of storage and finally attempted a trip to the grocery store. Whew! All without much sleep! We are getting our circadian rhythm in order and are thankful for a working shower!

Knowing how to eat and shop with the seasons! Right now pears are in season and they are so delicious!! Lemons are not, and so we ended up paying 1.56 euros for two. We will use them sparingly!
One of our favorite things about living here is the food! It is so very, very fresh!! We love that there are little to no preservatives!

If you live here and just observe the French way of life you will notice that the French are extremely passionate about many things, cooking being one. Their recipes involve careful preparation, attention detail, & the use of fresh ingredients. Setting the dinner table is just as important to them as well.

All this talk about food is making me hungry!

One of my favorite salads is the Pear & Walnut salad from the Bistro at Nordstrom’s. Here’s the recipe for it! It’s perfect for a fall day! If you’re not a fan of Blue cheese, try substituting Gorgonzola, Parmesan or even Swiss.

Salad
6 cups mixed baby greens/ Romaine mix
1 cup Caramelized Walnuts (recipe below)
1 cup crumbled bleu cheese
2 pears, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 cup thin strips of red bell pepper
1/2 cup Champagne Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Pear slices and julienne red peppers, to garnish

In a large bowl, toss together the greens, walnuts, bleu cheese, pears
and red pepper in the Champagne Vinaigrette. Place mixture in a salad
bowl, then garnish with red peppers and slices of pear.
Makes 4 servings.

Caramelized Walnuts
1/2 pound walnuts, about 1 3/4 cups
1 egg white
1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix walnuts, egg white and sugar together in a
medium bowl. Place on sheet pan and bake at 350º degrees for 15 to 20
minutes. Let cool, then break into pieces if necessary.

Champagne Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup Champagne wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups salad oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

In a medium bowl, combine shallot, Dijon, sugar, garlic, Champagne
wine vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Mix well using a wire whisk. Makes
approximately 2 cups.

September in Paris

2010-09-04T01:22:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful summer with family and friends we made it back to Paris safe! The weather is perfect right now! It’s beautiful outside. We have been walking everywhere. Although, I did stop to take this picture of one of the Metro stops close to our apartment.

Saint Philippe de Roule.

On Our Walk...

Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe

Our street runs perpendicular to the world famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

La Poste is France's Post Office.

This is where I send all snail mail.

More bubble pants, in case you missed the ones in the photo above.

We visited a couple of car dealerships....

Toyota

Renault

Jonathan standing next to the ultimate green car.

The line to get into the Louis Vuitton store.

The window display at Ladurée!! Yummy!

The Disney store! Last year, we bought year passes to Disneyland Paris! We LOVE going!

Spring...

2010-03-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

Love is…

a sign that spring can’t be far away.

As of yesterday, it is officially spring, I am convinced the rest of it will be here soon. I think we have all been experiencing an unusually cold winter...Dallas woke up to snow this morning. Here in Paris, I went for a jog in cloudy, 54 degree weather. Officially, it is springtime, but it's just not here yet. Maybe it's on "defrost" mode. I did see a few blossoms on my run...

The past couple of weeks, we have been unusually busy! Jonathan is just finishing up an intensive Public Policy Evaluation course, profusely studying for mid-terms, and beginning his internship/job at the I.E.A. Since he was going to be gone all day, with a 10 minute break between work and class, I found a couple of recipes to try that would tide him over until he could get something more substantial.

Cranberry-Almond Granola
(adapted from Alton Brown)

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup ground flax seed or wheat germ
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (or more) cup dried cranberries (or cherries or raisins...any dried fruit)

Directions

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, almonds, and ground flaxseed onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Biscotti

I never thought I would make Biscotti, but I found a recipe in my Fitness magazine that seemed easy enough. Simple it was, but messy is an understatement. However messy, it was fun! Jonathan and I both loved it so much, that I'm going to try different kinds of Biscotti soon. I'll update you on how it goes! I found recipes for Parmesan Black-Pepper Biscotti, Chocolate Cherry Biscotti, and the list goes on...

I did change this recipe up a bit - I added a tablespoon of cocoa and a teaspoon of almond extract. Also, instead of using a well-floured surface to roll the dough on, I added powdered sugar. Next time, I will probably only use powdered sugar.

I know we'll enjoy Biscotti with our tea and coffee for the next week!

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup fine cornmeal, or polenta (see Note)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons mild-flavored olive oil, or canola oil...I used Sunflower Oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 325 degrees F. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, sugar, cornmeal (or polenta), baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk eggs, oil and vanilla in another bowl until frothy and well combined. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a spoon until a soft dough forms.

3. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Divide it in half and shape each half into a log 12 inches long by 2 inches wide. Brush off excess flour and place the logs on one baking sheet.

4. Bake the logs on the upper rack until almost firm when pressed on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 20 minutes; reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

5. Place the logs on a cutting board and slice diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices using a serrated knife. Divide the biscotti between the 2 baking sheets, standing them up about 1 inch apart.

6. Return the biscotti to the oven and bake until lightly colored and dry, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool (the biscotti will crisp as they cool).

Tips:
Note: Imported varieties of coarsely ground cornmeal may be labeled "polenta" that's what you need for this recipe.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 48, Total Fat 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 13 mg, Sodium 28 mg, Carbohydrate 9 g, Protein 1 g, Potassium 10 mg. Exchanges: Other Carbohydrate 0.5.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Tourist Day

2010-03-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

I was going through some photos and realized I never posted these photos to our blog...I guess time flies when you're having fun, and busy...

A few weeks ago, before Jonathan became completely busy with school and work, we spent our Saturday playing "tourists"...

Can you see the "sundog"? I had to ask...it's the ring or rainbow that appears around the sun. I had never noticed one before, of course we got a picture of it.

Only in Paris...within a block we see a classic Jag and a Ferrari...although we are walking on Avenue Montaigne, Paris' fashion boulevard. A street also known for spotting a Bugatti or two...

The infamous bubble-top BMW scooter...you see these all over the place!

Striking tourists poses:

Paris wouldn't be Paris with out the pooch!

I actually feel sorry for this dog...I think it might be a little uncomfortable in those shorts...

Following close behind this giant dog was little guy...

Cinque Terre, Italy

2010-03-09T00:51:00.000-08:00

Before you read any further, I have to tell you that there were so many photos from this trip, it was difficult to choose which ones to post on the blog. I wanted to do my best to give you a realistic view of Cinque Terre. We enjoyed it so very much and I could have gone on forever. Because this is such a long post, there are probably many typos and quirks...but please don't let that stop you from enjoying this entry!

During Jonathan's spring break, we visited Cinque Terre, Italy in the Tuscany region located on the Italian Riviera. It is not for the faint of heart or out of shape. It is a place where there are landscapes of absolute grandeur, richness in the culture, and beauty in the simplicity.

Cinque Terre, translated means five lands, it is just that: an area made up of five Italian villages, each with their own heart beat, but connected by their culture, their heritage, their soul. The blue line below shows the trail that we hiked.

We arrived on Friday evening, and woke early on Saturday morning to the chiming clock tower of Manarola.

Manarola, the village we stayed in.

We opened the shutters in our room to a beautiful view of the ocean, along with the adjoining 3 villages to the north of us in Manarola, and one village to the south of us, Riomaggiore.

The view from our apartment balcony...

Our apartment is circled in the middle upper-left portion of the photo.

The beauty drew us here, the more we heard about this place from friends who have visited here, we knew it was something special. When we came here, our expectations were few – hey, it was even supposed to be cold and rainy.A cold front moved through Europe this weekend. What we experienced were more than just good pictures, we experienced getting to stand on the side of a mountain in the middle of a terraced vineyard, made up of ancient ruins and behold something amazing…something magical…something words can’t describe.

The pictures we have taken don’t do Cinque Terre justice. Being there felt surreal.

The pictures capture the beauty, the richness of colors, etc. but you don’t hear the music playing while walking down narrow passageways and see this morning’s laundry airing out.

From the pictures you don’t hear the store owner playing Ava Maria on his trumpet all over the village. And lastly, the pictures don't give you the experience of a challenging vertical hike and then getting to rest with a vineyard on one side, a lemon orchard on the other side all while looking out at the Mediterranean Sea and mountains.

One of the many vineyard workers, tending to his land.

The Vineyards are built in land that is so steep, there are stones piled up to hold them in place. The farmers have these motorized rail riders that take them all over the place.

Follow the Red & White Stripes...

We followed these red and white stripes everywhere, they were our "way finders" to the next village.

Did I mention how narrow the paths were?....And yes, that is a 12'-15' drop on one side. Most places were like that. There were some places that you couldn't look down, and some places that you couldn't look up, or you would get too weak in the knees.

A view of the paths from afar...

There is a vineyard to the side of us here...

Such Great Heights!

As always, Jonathan has his trusty GPS. This thing has helped out more times than I can remember. During this trip however, we didn't use it to find our way back home, we used it to watch our elevation as we hiked! Our legs felt like jello by the time we left Cinque Terre!

Notice the sudden incline...

Lemons, Lemons everywhere!

The first of many lemon trees that we saw...

Some say, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade", but the Italians make Lemoncino & Lemoncello! I suppose this is their own version of lemonade.

Food

Well, for starters the food was amazing! Each morning we would walk to a small café and order due cappuccinos. The coffee there was incredible!

Can you see the heart?

Just to give you an idea of the food....trofie pasta with pesto, sea bass & Gorgonzola ravioli, seafood spaghetti, lobster linguine & Tiramisu. One thing that was common on the menus that we didn't fancy were anchovies.

Each village had it's share of local preserves, jams, oils, wine and of course - lemoncino.

The villages are full of small crooked streets and pastel houses nestled in the crooks of the hillside.

The mountains hold olive trees, family owned vineyards, cactus and lemon trees.

"I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat"

Tweety, stay away from Cinque Terre...

One might also say that Cinque Terre is the land of many cats. I can't tell you exactly how many we saw, but there were a lot!

Hmm...fishing for leftovers.

This cat was perched on the window seal of a seafood restaurant in Monterosso.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

After two full days of unexpected beauty and culinary bliss, we are leaving the Tuscan villages of Cinque Terre and heading back to responsibilities, crowded streets and the romance of Paris. The weather this morning was chilly and a bit overcast, the sun surprised us this afternoon with an appearance that lasted until dawn, but tonight we are being howled at by a ferocious whipping wind The wind is so heavy that is ringing the clock tower’s bell in the village, I’m not quite sure we’ll have to use a sound machine to sleep with. If we were in Texas, I’d think a tornado was around the corner.

While hiking along the trail from Mantarosso to Vernazza, we wondered upon this beautiful opening in the side of the mountain. Both of us standing on an ancient carved out terrace path, 500 feet above ocean level, we over looked the neighboring villages, nestled tightly into their own hillside, cascading out into the turquoise blue Mediterranean Sea. Jonathan commented that he just had to stop and take every bit of this in.

Neither one of us had ever seen anything like this, and what’s more, by hiking the trails, during this time of year, we’re alone on the trails…well, maybe there are a few more hikers, but nothing was crowded as it has the reputation to be during the summer. We had opportunities to stop and get the photos we wanted with out holding anyone up, the trails are much too narrow for passing.

This evening at dinner we were discussing how upon arriving with no access to internet, email or phone – we thought it would be difficult, technology today has become so convenient, we don’t know what to do with out it. Yes, it’s been difficult, I can’t tell you how many times both of us have wanted to check our email to see what’s going on in the world. But we have made it, and I can’t tell you how pleased I am that we were actually able to, because of that we were able to drink in our experience here completely.

Regarding the hikes, I can tell you that no matter how many steps you have to climb, they are worth it! We hiked all four trails. Somehow, our favorites were the most challenging – they are also the trails that offer the most unexpected beauty, and views that absolutely take your breath away. We have climbed up to the village of Corniglia 3 times, up 386 steps made up of brick.

Today we hiked from Manarola to Riomaggiore, and back down the walkway of love….

The Via Dell'Amore

The Locks

There were hundreds of locks randomly attached to this net. Supposedly, two lovers write their initials on a lock and then throw away the key.

After lunch, the sun surprised us and we decided to hike to Corniglia and on into Vernazza. Once we finally arrived in Vernazza, we got Italian Gelato, and hopped on a train back to Manarola. My favorite part of today was standing at the top of the mountain and being able to see both of the villages beneath us, and the beautiful terrain that we had just trekked through.

It really put things in perspective, and made us thankful for healthy lungs, two legs, and our sight.

My absolute favorite hike was the first one we did, and it is fair to say that it is a challenging hike. For starters it is lengthy, and the elevation rises unbelievably quickly, especially for a beginner hiker such as myself. The hike was from Monterosso to Vernazza. At the end of our hike, this is what we stumbled upon:

Vernazza

While it was too cold to get into the water, Jonathan said that we at least had to touch the Mediterranean....

Little did we know we would see this jellyfish floating just feet away from where we were touching the water.

Architecture

Here are a few close ups of the Architecture there...

Seagulls outside our window

The water there was so clear!

Just beautiful!

Here are a few facts:

The total distance of all four trails combined is 11 Kilometers, that's roughly 6.8 miles.
The total elevation rises and drops a total of 500 meters.

Happy Birthday Jonathan!!!

2010-02-05T02:00:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, February 4th, was Jonathan's 27th birthday! So far we have celebrated all week! Everyday, I had a surprise for him.

Monday: Ladurée Divin Raspberry Tart
Tuesday: Box of Maccaroons from Ladurée
Wednesday: Bag of his favorite candy to take to Disneyland!
Thursday: His actual birthday!
Friday: Fondue with friends in the Latin Quarter

Yesterday, we came home from Disney and I made him a rum cake! That's what he wanted for his birthday. Although, I have never made one before, I could not refuse his birthday wish! So, I made a rum cake for him in our toaster oven!

And the verdict....

IT WAS PRETTY GOOD!!

Jonathan requested that I make him this cake every year for his birthday!

That must be a pretty big wish!!....

Tonight, we are going to celebrate with friends by having Fondue in the Latin Quarter!

Here's to many, many more birthdays...full of surprises and fun!!

I love you!

Deep in the Heart of Texas...

2010-01-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

To know us is to eat with us, and if you do, then you know we both love to cook!

Chicken Tacos were on the menu last night!

Jonathan's sister, Caroline, gave him this Texas apron for Christmas!

Back in Paris

2010-01-20T07:19:00.000-08:00

You'll find us back in Paris! With Jonathan's semester in full swing, and myself busy with volunteer work for AWG (American Women's Group of Paris), card making, or just being a wife - we still have time to enjoy the city! We're in Paris!

A couple of days ago, Mother Nature surprised us with sunshine and a 50 degree afternoon. Before we could think twice about it, Jonathan and I were out the door headed for a walk. We walked four miles to Ile Saint Louis, a quaint island in the middle of the city, known for its boutique shopping, world-famous Berthillon ice cream, expensive apartments and oozing with the French laissez-faire attitude.

This has to be one of my favorite romantic things to do with my husband. I know we'll look back and say "hey, remember when we used to go for four mile walks down the streets of Paris at sunset?"

Here are a few Notre Dame pictures I took during one of our snow days. Not much of the snow is visible in the pictures.

A common discussion Jonathan and I have is how to get a photograph that captures the essence of Paris. You'd think it would be more simple in such a beautiful city, but a lot of times, there are so many people, or it's raining, etc...

These next photos don't necessarily capture the essence of Paris, but they capture something. It was a surprise to me! As I was walking home from taking the Notre Dame photos above, I looked at Tuileries which was blanketed with snow. I began snapping away, anxious to show Jonathan how white the ground was. Then I realized, this grandfather was feeding pigeons with his grandson...."How sweet...wait! Is that a pigeon on the boy?"

After I took these photos, I just stood there amazed that this little boy was letting these birds land on him! This is a cute picture, and I love birds, but I don't know if I would let a flock of pigeons land on me. Would you?

Home for the Holidays!

2010-01-06T17:48:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, Jonathan and I have been in Paris the past four months. Getting to come home for Christmas was well worth the hike of lugging our (err..Jonathan lugging) three, 50 pound suit cases down five flights of tight winding stairs. I'll let you know how the return trek fares.

Needless to say, our three week trip home was filled with time with family, friends, fun, excitement and a LOT of snow! Yes, snow!

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve with Jonathan's family eating fondue!! This is something we really look forward to!

While visiting the German Christmas markets, Jonathan really enjoyed the spiced wine.

When we got back to Paris, he found a recipe, a German Fire Bowl, and even a German deli in Dallas that carried zucker huts (the sugar cone needed to sweeten the wine).

Firebowl in full action! In Germany it's referred to as Feuerzangenbowle.

Jonathan with the Firebowl.

Notice Jonathan's dad in the background with a fire extinguisher.

We also enjoyed getting to see everyone!

The big news right now is that Jimmy, our brother-in-law (Amy's husband) has just been accepted to Stanford for graduate school! We can't wait to visit the Crains in Palo Alto!

Our nephew Charlie, is also crawling ALL over the place and even stood up a few times! He also really, really likes cats!

Charlie petting Smudge, with Becca.

Petting Nacho...

Christmas Day!

Christmas morning our trip to east Texas to visit my family was slightly delayed because of the snow! I can't believe we had a white Christmas! Never-the-less we got there in plenty of time! Waiting on us was a wonderful lunch! We also got to visit our four cats that my mother has so graciously taken upon herself to care for while we are away. We know it's no easy task, so Jonathan has decided to get them a robotic litter box. (They don't know it yet) We also got to meet my parents new sheltie pup, Lexi. She is very sweet!

Flying Lessons!

My dad got Jonathan a flying lesson for Christmas!

Dad and Jonathan, pre-lesson lesson...

I did go on the "pre-lesson lesson", but not the actual lesson. Jonathan did that with an actual instructor, sans Dad and wife. Not to worry, it was a well photo-documented lesson. He actually did really good! The instructor told Jonathan he was a natural.

Here he is taxiing to take-off.

Up...

Up...

and Away...

The instructor actually let Jonathan take-off and land. The instructor showed him what to do, and did a "touch & go" before Jonathan did, so he would know exactly what to do.

Coming in for landing!

Back on the ground...

I love these next two pictures! He really had fun & his smile shows it!

Our First Trip of 2010

We decided to take a short trip to Winter Park! This was special for us, because this is where Jonathan proposed to me! We had a ton of fun - as always!

A day of skiing!

A little photography!

And of course....

Why I love Jonathan
Reason #837

Shoveling snow turns into an afternoon of sledding! I had so much fun and laughed SO much!

Of course, I fell over at the bottom of the hill...I think by this time I had a stitch in my side I was laughing so hard!

Snow in Paris!!!

2009-12-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

We woke up to snow falling this morning!

It didn't take us long to bundle up and go out to take a few photos...

I wouldn't be crazy enough to want to get on one of these today, but we actually did see a couple of people driving them. Of course, they were going very slow and had their feet nearly dragging the ground. I hope they didn't get holes in their shoes.

This is the church at the end of our street.

Paris got about 2"-3"...and it is supposed to snow through Tuesday!

Supposedly, the Metro was on strike today. I can't tell you for sure, because after our outing this morning, I came back to the apartment, made chili & stayed warm while Jonathan studied for his final exam.

This city is beautiful & full of new things to discover, but there is something spectacular about Paris when it snows!

We were taking pictures of the Seine river and I looked down and realized that I have never noticed this guy before.

I thought this was a pretty picture!

The American Cathedral on Avenue Georges V

On our way back home...

French Christmas Decor

2009-11-29T11:23:00.000-08:00

It wouldn't be Paris if these stores didn't go all out!

In Paris, most of the big department stores compete with one another in fabulous Christmas window displays! If you are ever in Paris during the holiday season – these are a must see!

We laughed when we saw this - so I had to put it up! Yes, it is a pink satin stuffed chicken showing off the beautiful silverware.

I know you can't see it, but in the back of the display is a boxed 1959 Barbie! It's the same Barbie of my mother's that I used to play with when I was little - it even had the same black and white striped swim suit on!!

The Sapin de Noël

In homes, families put up the sapin de Noël –a Christmas tree. The French Christmas tree is traditionally dressed with apples, paper flowers, and ribbons, but upon exploring Paris we found a few more elaborately decorated Christmas trees!

Even Notre Dame put up a tree. They get extra points for putting up a real tree, but the poor thing had really gotten hit hard by the wind!

We put up a small tree this year...

Here are a few of the ornaments. It was raining this afternoon, and I suddenly found myself having too much fun photographing the ornaments. I just realized I forgot to get a picture of the entire tree.

2009-11-26T04:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving family & friends!

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." -W.T. Purkiser

This is our first Thanksgiving to spend together as husband and wife, and also our first Thanksgiving away from family - but not traditions! This is an opportunity for us to share the traditions we hold close to our hearts as we enjoy Thanksgiving with friends here. We miss you, and are looking forward to spending time with you in just a little over four weeks!! We will be thinking of you today. We are also very thankful and feel very blessed that we have the opportunity to spend this time in Paris.

Love,

Sara & Jonathan

Yule Log

2009-11-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Dating back to the 12th century, the "buche de Noël", or Yule log, was once an enormous log that burned in homes from Christmas Eve until New Year’s Day. At the time, the burning of the Yule log marked the beginning of Christmas celebration and also brought good luck!

Personal faults, mistakes and bad choices were burned in the flame so everyone's new year would start with a clean slate. The log was never allowed to burn completely, a small piece was kept in the house to start next years log. Any pieces that were kept protected a house from fire, lightning, or hail. Ashes of the log were placed in wells to keep the water good, and at the roots of fruit trees and vines to help them bear a good harvest.

Over time, as fireplaces were replaced by cast-iron stoves, a smaller decorated version of the log became more popular and was used as a centerpiece on the table. Eventually the wooden log was transformed into a log-shaped cake that is now a traditional part of the "réveillon" or Christmas meal in France.

What's a Réveillon?
A long dinner party! A Réveillon is usually held on Christmas eve and New Year's eve.
The word Reveillon is based on the word réveil (which means "waking"), because participation involves staying awake until midnight and after!

We'll always have Paris!

2009-11-19T11:08:00.000-08:00

Life in this city has much to offer!

Taking beautiful photographs is something Jonathan and I enjoy doing together! After class one night, I met him and we had a "photography date". Here are a few pictures from that - along with a few we took yesterday.

Christmas in France

2009-11-19T04:23:00.000-08:00

Today has been a much anticipated day here - the opening of the Christmas market along the Champs-Elysees!! Jonathan and I have enjoyed watching the entire city transform for the Holiday season!!We have seen men and women working to elaborately illuminate the streets, squares and bridges with Christmas lights. The Champs-Elysées will be strung with 150,000 lights and a project known as “Paris Lights Paris,” will decorate 30 neighborhoods. As soon as they flip the switch – we will have pictures to share!
Getting Ready for the markets to open…

We have seen men and women scurrying around setting up their chalets for the market.

Also, they just put up the Grande Roue (Ferris Wheel).

Joyeux Noël!
Merry Christmas!

Noël is what the French call Christmas. This comes from the French phrase “les bonnes nouvelles”, which means “the good news” and refers to the gospel.

Being in Paris during this time of the year is almost magical! Seeing the Holiday decorations and Christmas lights really does warm the heart! My gift to you is to share as much as I can about Christmas in France!

A Heart of Thanksgiving

2009-11-19T04:20:00.000-08:00

A year ago, Jonathan, myself, and both of our families were celebrating! We were celebrating Jonathan’s acceptance to the graduate program at the American University in Paris along with our engagement, and the excitement of beginning our new life together in a foreign country. Deep down, I think Jonathan and I were both celebrating just how far both of us had come to get to where we were at that moment one year ago. God had been preparing both hearts and minds to meet, to be open to marriage, and to be willing without a doubt to make that commitment to each other and to Him. He brought us together at just the right moment and He is the author of our love story.

At our wedding, a very special request of mine was to have my favorite hymn sung, “Come Thou Fount”, which was written over two centuries ago by Robert Robinson at the age of 22. I enjoy the entire hymn, but this song had a special meaning to me at our wedding.

Recalling the first phrase of the second stanza, not many people understand what an Ebenezer is, I for one had to learn, which made me love this hymn even more. An Ebenezer is not some grumpy man named Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol. The literal translation of Ebenezer is “stone of help.” An Ebenezer is a reminder of God’s real, holy presence and divine aid. An Ebenezer can be anything that reminds us of God’s love.

The statement "Here I raise my Ebenezer" actually refers to I Samuel 7:12, "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." Ebenezer is the Hebrew for "Stone of Help." Israel had suffered defeat because of its sin. But the people had repented of their sin, God had helped them and they were victorious. Samuel placed the stone to remind Israel that God had them, their victory was because of Him.

With my explanation of an Ebenezer, I hope you can understand why it was so important to me to have that hymn sung at our wedding. In a way, our wedding was an Ebenezer in the form of action, giving our thanks to God for bringing us thus far, and the wedding ring that I wear symbolizes not only the love that Jonathan and I have for each other, but it can also be an Ebenezer. It reminds me of the beautiful love story that God Himself wrote - His promise to us, His merciful unfailing love and holy presence.

As Thanksgiving season draws near, it is a reminder for us to slow down and prepare our hearts to be thankful. We often take for granted what God has done in our lives, and if everyone takes the time to do it – we can all think of many Ebenezers in our life to be thankful for. God has poured out His blessing on us in abundance. May we each have a heart of Thanksgiving – everyday so that we can reap the harvest of God’s loving reward.

Geneva & Chamonix

2009-11-03T07:22:00.000-08:00

Jonathan had a "fall break" which meant a four day weekend-so we decided to plan a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, and at the last minute Jonathan booked us a room in a hotel in Chamonix, a ski village in the French Alps. Chamonix is only a short bus ride from Geneva.

We had so much fun exploring both towns! When we arrived in Geneva, we went and had a wonderful fondue dinner in a Swiss restaurant! There were two men yodeling, playing the accordion, and the alphorn! We had so much fun just enjoying the entertainment!

I enjoyed just getting to relax and take baths!! We only have a shower here, and after all the walking I've done during the past 2 months, a bath was much needed!

The next morning we woke up and walked from our hotel to Lake Geneva! Fall is in full swing in Geneva and the leaves on the lake were breathtaking!...not to mention the beautiful houses! We took an hour cruise around the lake and got to see so much!

This is Colgate Manor - same Colgate as the toothpaste.

This was a 3 second picture off of a bridge. The giant fountain in the back is the jet d'eau. A giant stream of water that shoots up nearly 500 feet.

The rest of our time in Geneva that day was spent walking around the town, shopping -they have so many watches, cuckoo clocks and chocolate.

We even found a watch that is made from moon dust!

We woke up the next morning and caught a bus to Chamonix! What an experience!

After we checked into our hotel we took the Gondola up to the top of Mont Blanc, took lots of photos, and finished our trek off with hot cocoa at the top!

That night for dinner we ate at our hotels restaurant! It got really good reviews and has an amazing chef!

The next day we took the mountain train to the back side of the mountain and got to see the mer de glace. A glacier they call "the sea of ice".

Here are a couple of pictures from the glacier.

I was sad to say goodbye to Chamonix, but we had to head back to Geneva.

Au revoir Chamonix!

During our last day in Geneva, we found a really neat part that I wish we had discovered earlier! The area was dated back to 12th century and had medieval streets and even the church that John Calvin preached in during the reformation. I hope that since we both liked it so much that we'll be going back!! :)

Happy Birthday Eiffel Tower! 120 years!

2009-10-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight was a night for chocolate chaud - hot cocoa! We decided to go over to Trocadero since you have an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower.

Every hour beginning at 8pm there is a light display on the tower, but tonight it put on a show. France has updated the Eiffel Tower lights! On behalf of it's 120th birthday, the tower has a magnificent LED light show that lasts 12 minutes with each minute representing every decade that it has been standing.

We were amazed to see the tower light up from blue, to red, to white, green, purple and gold, etc. After we were amazed by the lights the tower seemed to just come alive as the lights danced. Everyone really needs to see this! It will be on display for three months!

Here is the link to watch the tower! Just click on one of the red circles around the Eiffel Tower.

Take A Look!

Our First Visitor

2009-10-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

We finally have our first visitor! Karen, Jonathan's mother came to visit us last Wednesday!! We have loved having her visit!

It has rained a couple of days so far, but that has not kept us from sight seeing and exploring! Jonathan was in class so much when she first arrived - it was really nice to have family here and for me to have someone to run around Paris with! I feel like we have found some neat places and I have gotten a little more acquainted with Paris.

So far,we have strolled down Avenue Montaigne-Paris'Fashion Boulevard along with rue Saint-Honore which rivals a close second, had fondue in the Latin Quarter, enjoyed the amazing Renoir exhibit at the Grand Palais along with the art at the Musee d'orsay, strolled through the Marais, ventured out to Giverny to visit Monet's Gardens, and had brunch at Laduree!!

This was my first trip to a museums since we have been back here (we were waiting on the nice weather to vanish). I had forgotten how much I enjoy them. The musee d'orsay has beautiful pieces.

Today, we all went to Places de Vosges, a beautiful park in the Marais, and we accidentally ventured into this old mansion that had been turned into a museum showing the history of Paris. After that we walked around a bit, went back to the bird market (always fun :)) We ended our evening by a visit to Sainte Chapelle, followed by the Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette spent the last day of her life in a prison cell.

We have some more places we plan to visit & I hope to have pictures up soon.

Nous aimons Disneyland Paris!

2009-10-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday finally arrived! We went to Disneyland Paris!

We walked in and of course we see Mickey flowerbeds! It's Disney! We were pleasantly surprised with the parks!

It's not as grand as DisneyWorld in Florida, but it's still grand and tons of fun! Being there, makes you feel like you're actually in the United States. We stepped off of the train last night after we got finished with 13 hours of Disneyland mania and felt like we had just stepped out of a time capsule.

They just began their Halloween 2009 in the park, so there were pumpkins & pumpkin people everywhere!

The first ride we went to was Space Mountain: Mission 2 in Discoveryland! It was better than the Space Mountain in Orlando!

Jonathan standing at the entrance to Discoveryland.

Disneyland Paris still has the basic Disney rides....and we rode most of them...

The MadHatter's Tea Cups

On our way to "It's a Small World" we were trying to figure out how they sang it in French, I think we made up our own version.

Pirate's of the Carribean, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Liightyear's Star Command...

One ride the park had that we had never heard of was the India Jones roller coaster! We were impressed!

We walked over to Disney Studios. It's nice that the two parks are in walking distance! There we rode the Rock'n Rollercoaster and saw a few shows....Armeggedon special effects, and the Magic of Animation.

We also wanted to just walk around the park, go into the shops....

We even found a Texas license plate. How did that get here?

Hmm....I think Jonathan's going to give Dapper Dan's a ring the next time he needs his hair cut.

And of course check out the castle....Sleeping Beauty's.

This castle is different because you can actually walk around most of the inside of it, while it tells Sleeping Beauty's story & then underneath the castle in a dark dungeon you can visit the dragon.

They even have the balloons! The only difference is they don't have the street vendor's in striped suites selling them.

After Disney Studios we walked back over to the Magic Kingdom just in time to catch a parade!

We had some awesome orange candy coated popcorn, and bought a 1,000 piece Disney Christmas puzzle...yes we were up late getting started on it.

Afterwards, we walked over to Disney Village and had dinner at RainForest Cafe! My first visit!

What a day! We love Disneyland Paris!!

Here, there, and everywhere...

2009-10-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

This week we have been all over Paris! I mentioned in our previous blog, that we were going to Versailles, and because the Chateau was closed on the day we had planned to go - we went to the bird market instead!

At the bird market you can find everything from canaries to parakeets! They have chickens, puppies, rabbits, etc....

Funny bunny!

We also spent some time in Montmartre, which is always fun....and very "hilly".

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica, which translates to "Basilica of the Sacred Heart" is a popular landmark in Paris, France, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It's also the tallest point in the city.

Unfortunately, it was foggy....but on a clear day you can see all the way to the Eiffel tower.

Many artists had studios or worked around Montmartre such as Salvador Dalí, Modigliani, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh. Today they have a square in the middle of town full of painters! It's a sight. I didn't get pictures, because I didn't want to upset them.

This area is also home to the famous cabarets, Moulin Rouge & Le Chat Noir

We did end up going Versailles later in the week. The gardens and grounds were incredible! Unfortunately, the fountains aren't on during weekdays, but that didn't keep us from experiencing the grandeur of Versailles. I'm working on these pictures and should have them up soon! :)

Rue Cler....Bon Appetit!

2009-09-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

One of the well known open-market streets to local Parisians, rue Cler, also happens to be just a walk away from the University, and a stone's throw from the apartment Jonathan lived in last year. If you are a Rick Steve's fan and love Paris, there's also a chance you have heard of this small pedestrian cobblestone street boasting with deliciously ripe vegetable and fruit markets, and flower markets that look like they were perfectly placed right off an artist's paint palette.

Each morning, fresh produce is trucked in from farmers' fields to Paris.

Just a few steps down the road you have a Fromagerie, where you can walk inside and see over 400 types of French cheese! Yes, the expert behind the counter wears a white lab coat (similar to a butcher), but they are very nice! I went in in bought us buffalo mozzerla & it was quite tasty on Jonathan's bruschetta! Supposedly, the French call these stores "BOF" for beurre, oeuf, and fromage — where people shop for butter, eggs, and cheese. Word to the wise and faint hearted, if you have never walked by or into a fromagerie, either hold your nose or do not inhale. No, the fumes aren't toxic, but you would think they might be.

This street is full of specialized épiceries!

Somewhere close by you'll spot the poissonnerie, the fish market. Fresh fish from ports on the English Channel is brought to Paris daily.

Squid anyone?

I've only admired the the charcuterie from afar. It looks delicious! A charcuterie sells beautifully preparred gourmet side dishes and deli food to go. It's like a French version of the to-go counters at Central Market & Whole Foods.

Also on Rue Cler you'll find a chocolatier who has been on the street for 30 years(Le Mère de Famille Gourmand Chocolats Confiseries)

A honey shop that has every flavor of honey you can think of...Lavendar Honey from Provence, Pine Honey, Orange Honey...I'm sure you are getting the idea. :)

They also have an Oliviers & Co. Olive Oils which sells French gourmet goodies and Olive Oils from the Mediterranean. They have many of these around Paris.

The street wouldn't be complete without a Boulangerie! This was the first place Jonathan took me when I came to visit him last semester! The smell of fresh baked breads, rolls and baguettes....the desserts & macaroons artfully placed in the display window.....delicious sandwiches and soups reasonably priced make this hard to pass up!

Now that you are familiar with rue Cler, aren't you getting hungry?

Crepe Maker, Crepe Maker make me a crepe....

We get excited about market day, just being on this street makes us want to go home and cook! Luckily both of us love to cook, and go shopping on rue Cler, which provides all the inspiration we need! Cooking here has been an adventure of its own! Here are a few of the things we have made here so far. The funny part is that we don't have a baking oven, but instead a small toaster oven, and our fridge is the size of mini fridge, or bar fridge. It could actually fit under a counter or table! We don't have normal sized casserole dishes, or a mixer. So, it's a bit primitive and mostly improvised, but we have fun!

I mentioned in a previous entry that there is an American épicerie, The Real McCoy, it has all the American food you would need for a hefty price. Anything from Campbell's soups for 5 euros to cinnamon for 7 euros, and Tabasco for 8 euros...I'm sure you get the idea. We only go there if we absolutely have to! ;)

So far, we have made:

Vegetable Stew & Hot Water cornbread...Jonathan just discovered this and LOVES to make it! :)

Mexican Rice & Blackberry Cobbler (Mexican food, special request for Cowboys Game!)

Jonathan's infamous stir fry

Jonathan's Bruschetta

Homemade corn tortillas and Mexican casserole

(Our friend Elizabeth gave us the BEST Mexican cookbook before we left & we love finding recipes we can make here!)

Pear and chevre salad with baked pears for dessert. I'll have to elaborate on the pears a bit, because we have never had anything like them. They are like eating candy! They are so sweet and soft. The actual fruit is almost as soft as the pears you get out of the cans...

We discovered a delicious crepe recipe from recipezaar.com and have gotten creative with those as well: wild blueberry jam crepes topped with whip cream, cheese and tomato crepes, pear and cheese crepes, and just plain pear crepes.

While wondering around the streets of Paris we have also found what Jonathan claims is the best strawberry flavored soft serve on the planet, and I am going to have to agree.

We decided this pidgeon likes to live on the edge!...This is just over the "Pauls" awning! He must know something we don't...

It's from a boulangerie called Paul. Lucky for us they have two within a quarter of a mile of where we live. Coincidentally, I guess God knew what he was doing when He placed us in an apartment where we would have to climb five flights of stairs 3-4 times daily. I'll have to blog about desserts another day, but just know that Berthillon glace (ice cream) and Lauduree are about the best! And impossible to turn down!

We don't spend all of our time cooking, or eating. It's just that the food is really good here! We're heading to Versailles tomorrow, so I'll have pictures to post of non-food related items soon! In the mean time, I hope this entry didn't make you too hungry!

What a day!

2009-09-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

Well, first of all, I can't believe how excited Jonathan and I are over finally getting Internet at our apartment!! We thought it would be mid-October before we would get it. We were out late last night, we went to see Julie & Julia with another couple and did not get to set it up until after 1am. Since Jonathan gets out of class late on Fridays, the only movie time that worked for us was the really late one. Anyway, after we got it set up, we both admitted we were too excited to sleep...only to pass out from exhaustion about 20 minutes later.

We woke up early this morning to catch a train to Vernon, and then head to Giverny to visit Monet's gardens.

Giverny really is a small quaint town in the French countryside, more like a village, made up mostly of tourists.

We had a wonderful lunch, walked around the town, and then headed to the gardens.

The gardens were lush, and overflowing with color!

It was breathtaking being able to see the gardens, water lilies, and trees that inspired Monet's paintings.

Both of us thought it was by far the prettiest garden we had ever been to!

The flowers were not only vibrant, but huge!

We were walking down narrow paths that were lined on both sides with flowers 2 feet above our heads, and noticed the blooms on so many of the flowers must have been at least 8" in diameter.

Jonathan said he felt like we were in "Alice in Wonderland".

They had these purple flowers growing from the ground that neither of us had ever seen before.

Monet's cottage.

After we had soaked in the beauty, color and inspiration from Monet's garden, we walked back to the bus thinking they run between towns every 15 minutes or so. Jonathan asked the driver "Est-ce que ce l'autobus est à Vernon ?"....is this the bus back to Vernon? She answered and neither one of us understood exactly what she said, so we decided to walk back. The trek back was only a little over three miles.

Jonathan with his trusting GPS. This has proven invaluable during his stay here.

Our trip gets interesting....

Walking back, we saw an Ostrich...

a cornfield....

Lavender colored butterfly bush that smells like the Cayman Islands...sorry no pictures of this. We did pull off a branch and bring it home with us!

Crabapple trees everywhere...and a pumpkin patch!

We even picked a wild blackberry and ate it!....It was the sweetest one we have ever eaten!

The leaves were so beautiful, and when we passed by this church...I had to take a picture.

We laughed about all we would have missed out on, had we taken that bus!

Two people have never been happier to see this sign pointing to the train station!...

2009-09-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

Still no internet, but here are a few photos...I came up to the school to use their wi-fi.

We've been pretty lucky as far as weather. We've gotten to experience the lush green leaves, flowers, along with the warm rich tones of the fall leaves.

One of the frustrations I've had while taking pictures here is that there are so many people...always, everywhere, unless you get up at the crack of dawn. Which, I will do soon. I have found a few places I'm interested in going back to before the crowds of tourists begin their daily stampedes.

As an update from yesterday, I was able to find Baking Powder! I found it at a really small store that carries nothing but American products, called The Real McCoy. So, we had vegetable stew, with the best vegetables I have ever eaten, and hot water cornbread last night! It was good comfort food!

The infamous tour d'Effiel.

Back in Paris

2009-09-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

Well, we are back in Paris now! It's been just over two weeks and we are still waiting to get internet at our apartment. Supposedly, it will take 27 more days...

Before I write further, we are loving it here, but don't think for a minute that we don't miss our families & friends!! Being here, we have already missed my Dad's birthday and our nephew, Charlie's FIRST birthday! Anyway, please write and keep in touch, and we'll see you in December!

For now, I'll give you a run down of how it's been so far, and I promise pictures as soon as we get internet.

Our first day, was absolutely the hardest, being that we had five heavy suitcases and five flights of narrow winding stairs, and neither of us slept well on the plane. Luckily, everything else fell into place that day! We did both struggle with what we think is the worst jet-lag either of us has ever had. It lasted nearly a week.

We are absolutely loving life in Paris! We are so close to everything! Our apartment is great, and the French cuisine - c'est très bon!!

Jonathan hit the ground running with his classes. He only has three classes, three days a week, but they'll require a lot of reading. Already, he has a 40 minute presentation due next week, that he's been buried working on.

Luckily, we do get to spend our mornings, making breakfast and having coffee at a leisurely pace, we've even gotten to jog a few times. We have found a good 4 mile loop to jog from our apartment, down the Champs-Elysees, through Tuileries park, around the Louvre and back. It's amazing how quiet everything is here at 7am. We also discovered on our run that we live less than half a mile from the president of France.

While Jonathan is in class, I usually go to the school to use the Internet or go to the fruit and veggie markets on rue Cler, which I will do soon - I'm going to make a vegetable stew for us tonight.

The weather here has been nice, and a little on the chilly side. The leaves have started turning colors, falling and covering the sidewalks. It truly is fall in Paris! Last night, we had our first down pour of rain! It hit just as we were walking back from dinner. The past couple of days we have actually turned our heaters on just long enough to cut the cold out of our apartment.

Well, I'm off to the market. For dinner we're having stew and cornbread sans baking powder, unless I get lucky and actually find that in France.

ciao for now

Fun on the Farm

2009-06-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

After being married to each other for almost a month, Jonathan and I decided to pack our bags and take a trip to east Texas to visit my family. After all it was Father's Day weekend! We had a wonderful time! Jonathan tried turnip greens for the first time ever...and the verdict - He likes them!

We spent some time at my grandparents ranch taking pictures with our new camera!! Jonathan decided that I needed a better camera since every time we go on a trip I come home with at least 1,000 pictures. So, I'm learning to be a photographer, and not just point and click. Jonathan's a wonderful teacher!

Here are few of our pictures!

Je suis arrivé!

2009-02-15T23:51:00.000-08:00

Well, stepping off the plane, getting my luggage (all 120 lbs. of it) and seeing Jonathan definitely made the flight worth while! I still can't believe I slept six hours on the way over. The weather the past two days has been cold, but sunny. Jonathan lives in the 7th arrondissement (or area). It's quite cheery and quaint. Just around the corner is a great place to get street food - Paris street food. He had a peppered chicken sandwhich with horseradish mayo, lettuce and a tomato on a baguette no less than a foot long. I had soup de tomat. The soup was like a tomato bisque with red pepper and curry.

After we ate, we did a little exploring...more than one should the day of arriving and wearing heels none the less. We walked over to the American University of Paris, where Jonathan has most of his classes, and then we walked over to the American Church - which is only a couple of blocks away. It is a beautiful church located across the street from the Seine River. The church began around 1857. The actual building is 15th Century Gothic architecture and at the time it was constructed cost $46,000 to build.

As luck would have it, Jonathan lives close to everything! The 7th is by far, in our opinion, the best area...especially for someone who loves fresh produce and fresh flowers.

From the church we walked over to the Tuileries, on the way there you pass Hôtel de Invalides, which houses the tomb of Napoleon. His tomb is actually a bit lower so that one might "bow down" to see him. As you stroll along, you also begin to notice "N" on many places, all dating back to Napoleon. One obvious landmark we came upon is the Egyptian obelisk, brought to France by Napoleon, in the middle of Place de Concorde, one of the largest public squares in Paris. At the foot of this obelisk is were Marie-Antionette was guillotined.

From here, we hopped on the metro and headed over to the Louvre area. We looked around at the shops and then around outside. We'll go back and visit the museum at a later date, and more than once I would imagine.

Jonathan took me on a walk along the Seine River to one of his favorite bridges...a pedestrian bridge. Her you can see the Île Saint Louis, which is home to chic boutiques, high-rent apartments, and sorbet shops (homemade, everyday!). Île Saint Louis is also home to one of Paris' most exclusive neighborhoods.

On our walk back, Jonathan picked up a beautiful basket of blooming bulbs called "Bridal Crowns". They smell divine. For our dinner we ate at Café de Marché. It was a true delight to sit down and dinner with Jonathan in Paris on Valentine's Day!! Following dinner we took a quick walk over to the Eiffel tower, named after designer Gustave Eiffel, to watch the lights dance as they do every hour after 8pm. we walked up to it to stand underneath. Again amazed at its granduer. For most of us, it's the first thing we imagine when we hear of Paris, but many true Parisians consider it an eye sore and wish they would take it down. It was built in 1887 and completed in 1889, as the entrance arch for the World's Fair. Along with being able to get a great view of the city, it is also used as an antennae for radio transmission and has 2 restaurants.

After being around Jonathan for quite sometime now, one thing I love and appreciate about him are his random facts. For example: Did you know the milk in Paris is not refrigerated? It ultra pasturized and has a shelf life of three months!

Day 2

The City of Lights can boast of museums landmarks and fashion, but if you slow down you will discover the diverse neighborhoods, and how each has a small town feel of their own. We began our day by heading over to the Marais, where Jonathan introduced me to the "World's Best Falafel"! ...Mmm...good! The Marais is a Jewish community with narrow winding streets, obviously not welcoming of any vehicles. The Marais offers a Medieval feel.

We then walked over to Notre Dame de Paris, "Our Lady of Paris". Did you know that it took over 200 years to build this amazingly intricate display of French Gothic architecture? Construction on the building begain around 1163 AD. Crossing the bridge over the Seine to get to the cathedral, many people were gathered around a free "street concert" - which turned out to be an American Country/ Folk singer. As we neared Notre-Dame a piece of playground equipment with students spinning around and laughing caught our eye. It was not long before we decided to give it a try. It was fun! Definitely a good laugh!! Imagine sitting on a giant slanted disc and spinning around!

Jonathan's favorite part of the day was accidently wandering into an outdoor bird and fish market. It even sold bird feed out of giant bins. Further down, we did run into beautiful flowers, blooming azalea bushes, orange and lemon trees, etc...

Fait Lux "Let there be light."

The line was too long at Notre-Dame so we kept walking over to Sainte-Chapelle meaning in English "Holy Chapel". The chapel was built in the 1200's to house the precious relics of Christ. such as the crown of thorns. Later added was a piece of the cross. This chapel is known for it's stained glass windows surrounding the upper chapel. Jonathan and I walked in and slowly took in the ambiance and had to sit down to absorb all of it.

From here we ventured over to the Latin Quarter, where we visited Shakespeare and Company - a well known American Bookstore. After our visit to the "wonderland of books", we strolled over to a side walk cafe, sat next to a heater and enjoyed espresso with milk and a large café au lait, which was equivalent to half of a grapefruit in size. We strolled through the Latin Quarter, which was "hopping" for 3 in the afternoon! We even found a fondue restaurant we might have to try. ...

On our way back for dinner, you cant help but tak in the beauty of the architecture, the history of it all, the array of cultures, the smell of the bread at the boulangeries, the tasty sweets in the windows of the patissorie...the colors radiating from the flower shops and the outdoor markets with fresh fruit displayed and of course - The Sunshine! the precious two days of marvelous sunshine! All of this was topped off with a raspberry creme filled French Macaroon! - A sweet delight! We will be visiting Ladurée - Jonathan said this is where you get the best macaroons!!

For dinner, we went to a Brasserie, or bistro called La Petit Cler. We had farm roasted chicken with herb mashed potatoes and salad & rump roast with salad, baked potato served with dijon mustard - the hot sauce of France!

I returned quickly to find myself jotting down everything I could. I found that doing this helps the experience to resinate within, and I am able to appreciate it even more.

Day 3

While Jonathan is in class. I am working our blog. Thankful that God has given us this experience - through Jonathan I can see than anything is possible - Thankful God has brought him into my life for me to love.

Today was the perfect day to relax! Jonathan and I walked over to the market to gather all the things we would need to make Paella for dinner, and even to pick up a French cell phone for me to use. We even ran into one of his professors and another student on our way back from our errands.

The happiest place on earth...

2009-01-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

Well, Jonathan and I have just gotten back from Disney World where we had an amazing time. It has been too long since either of us have been.

Each morning we arrived at the parks no less than 30 minutes early with our plan of action in hand and ready to execute. A security guard even told us we weren't supposed to run to the rides...so we walked super fast! Jonathan had this amazing book "The Unofficial Guide to Disney World". I highly recommend it - it gave us great insight as far as which rides to go on first thing in the morning, which ones to get "Fast Passes" for and which ones to skip all together.

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Here are a few highlights from our trip!

One of the perks to getting to the parks early is getting to see the Disney Characters open the parks!

You can't miss the Magic Kingdom Castle at night...this is spectacular!

One thing we both really enjoyed was getting to see the Christmas decorations up at each of the Disney World Theme parks. In Hollywood Studios, there was a street called the The Osborne Family Christmas Light Spectacular that was absolutely jaw dropping. (complete with a snow blower) I have never seen anything like this.

We also really enjoyed Epcot...and not just because they were selling dinosaur puppets!

Epcot has an amazing World Showcase!
I only wish we could have gotten a video of the Illuminations Fireworks show! This was one of my top three favorites!!

Season of Blessings...

2008-12-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

As Jonathan and I sit here, less than a week before Christmas, less than 3 weeks before he leaves for Paris, and less than six months before our wedding - we realize that we are going through a period of major changes. He'll be starting graduate school in a foreign country while selling or managing a house here. All the while, I will be busy "tying the bow" on all of our wedding details, getting ready to move to France, being a bride, along with getting ready to be a wife.

I have failed to mention something important. We both agree - the hardest part will be us being apart. Our favorite part to acknowledge, yet still hard to accept is the fact that we have been truly blessed. Between the confirmation we have both received, the support and love from our family and friends, and the way things have fallen into place - neither of us could have woven a more beautiful tapestry.

We are all so proud of Jonathan for following the desires of his heart. He has been accepted to the university of his choice during this time to study a subject he is genuinely compassionate about. Yes, we are going through changes, keeping an open mind, and experiencing a season of blessings - all with confirmation beyond ourselves.

We are anticipating not just a journey, but an adventure!!!