Transportation

Ok. I've had this blog now a while and not talked much about "public transportation."

On most days, I enjoy not having a car, walking everywhere and taking the metro/bus.

But yesterday, was not one of those days.

I had to go drop off Brian's computer cord at work.

So I went to the bus stop that would drop me off right in front of his office.
No bus. Road work being done so who knows where the bus stop has been moved. No sign telling anything.

OK...so I'm going to have to take the bus to the RER. Involves a transfer, but there is no other choice.

Get to the RER. The next train's terminus is one stop before the stop I need to get off. RATS. The next train isn't for 20 minutes.

So I get on the RER train. Get off one stop too early and walk 15 minutes to Brian's office.

The story does not end here.

To go home, near naptime, I figure taking the bus is best. Michael can sleep in the stroller and I don't have to deal with stairs. Thanks to Michael dawdling and picking up 4 rocks at Champs de Mars, we miss our bus by 30 seconds. Next bus isn't for 15 minutes.

Walk 7 minutes to nearest metro, take that without event. Get to our metro stop. Carry a stroller with a sleeping 30 lb toddler in it up 3 flights of stairs.

Walk home 10 minutes.

Get home. Elevator in my building is broken.

Pick up 30 lb toddler with my heavy purse, etc...carry him up 4 flights of stairs. Leave stroller downstairs.

Later in the afternoon, find out elevator is now working.

*sigh*

Williams Sonoma's Pancetta and Provolone Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Yesterday, Michael and I went with all our 2 year old friends to Cite des Enfants, which is like a Children's museum here in Paris. It was great fun and pictures to come later.

We went home for lunch and Laura tells me that she has absolutely no food in the house to feed her 2 starving boys. I don't have much food either but I have more food than "no food!" So I invited her over for a very impromptu lunch.

Well, that lunch morphed into a huge day affair! We fed the kids. Then put them down for naps and had sushi "takeaway" for lunch while watching Spanglish on Emotion. For us, that was SUPER fun. :o)

Then, we both looked at each other and said, well, we don't have anything for dinner for either family. So we decided to grocery shop together once the boys woke up, and Laura and I watched the kids and made dinner together.

We tried this William's Sonoma recipe and it was a DELIGHT. Laura was the one who did all the hardwork with the chicken stuffing and sauteeing! Props to her for an amazing job.

Pancetta and Provolone Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Photo Credit: WilliamsSonoma.com

Recipe credit: WilliamsSonoma.com
Don't want to get in trouble with anyone for posting this stuff on my blog! Givin' credit where it is due!

A savory stuffing of provolone cheese and pancetta gives a flavor boost to chicken breasts. Provolone is a cow's milk cheese from southern Italy that has a firm texture and mild flavor.

Ingredients:
1 tsp. plus 1 1/2 cups olive oil
6 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. minced fresh sage
5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, each about 8 oz., pounded 1/2 inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 oz. aged provolone cheese, grated
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 1/2 cups toasted bread crumbs


Directions:
In a fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the 1 tsp. olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Transfer the pancetta mixture to a small bowl and stir in the sage.

Create a pocket in each chicken breast: Lay the breast on a work surface with the pointed end away from you. Insert a long paring knife in the center of the end closest to you (the rounded end). Move the knife around to enlarge the opening, forming a pocket; be careful not to cut through to the outside of the breast. Then remove the knife. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Stuff each chicken breast with 2 Tbs. of the cheese and 1 Tbs. of the pancetta mixture. Set the chicken on a wire rack-lined baking sheet and freeze for 5 minutes.

Put the flour, egg whites and bread crumbs in separate breading pans or shallow dishes. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then dip into the egg whites and coat evenly with the bread crumbs, pressing so they adhere. Set the chicken on a wire rack-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes. In a wide pan over high heat, heat the 1 1/2 cups olive oil. Working in batches, fry the chicken until crisp and browned underneath, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the chicken over, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes more, adding more oil to the pan if needed. Drain the chicken on a paper towel-lined plate. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately. Serves 5.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Here is a good link on the technique to stuff Chicken breasts with pictures:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/tipTechniqueView.cfm?objectid=92F4ABA6-A53B-FCA0-2B4434084DD5034C

Gorgeous. Again.

It is GORGEOUS. Again. Sunny, not a cloud in the sky and about mid 70s for temperatures.

I think that THESE are the days people imagine me having in Paris. Like every day of my life is sunny with no problems and highs in the mid 70s. Having lunch and sipping wine at cafes. Yes, this is what people think my life is like I suppose.

But the reality is...we only have days like these probably 5-10 days out of the year. That's it.

Every other day, you could climb to the roof of my building and touch the deep dark clouds as they roll by.

Week Recap

Our weather has been INCREDIBLE this week. Fall is rolling in, but with the sunshine of the summer still. So we have been enjoying sunny weather with highs in the upper 70's. Gorgeous.

On Tuesday, we visited our friend Mary and George out in the suburbs of Paris. It was a bit of a trek, but it was well worth it! Michael had a great time playing with George, and I had a wonderful time catching up with a friend and enjoying her delicious lunch!

On Wednesday, Kirsten/Jonah/Ella and Katie/Karstyn/Eleyna came out to my local mall where the kids watched a free puppet show and dined on McDonalds afterwards for lunch. Michael decided he couldn't sit still and eat so we had to go home early and leave all the fun.

Thursday, we ventured out to the 16th and had a playdate with Jonah/Karstyn/Elise. As always, great fun. And then we had Natalia and her new baby over for dinner. She is married to one of the funniest Frenchmen I know. Well, I only know 4 and they are all just so funny. The exact opposite of what I imagine a Frenchman to be, stuffy and snobby.

Friday, we stayed around the neighborhood to rest. And met up with Laura/Oliver/Henry at our park to catch up with them. As always, great conversation and Oliver has started to say "Michael!"

Saturday, another French family in our aparment invited us over at the last minute for "aperodinatoire," which means appetizer extravaganza which results in dinner. What's not to like about someone making all the dinner arrangements for you? We had a great time catching up and their 2 boys played well with Michael. It was really cute. And great French practice for me! Luckily, I did ok! Despite not getting my one lesson a week, I am still conversational!

Today is Brian's day off. He went running with a friend and had breakfast with him. Came back and we went to church and had lunch together. Brian cracked up Michael with his muscle poses.
Then, he played American football at Les Invalides, Fantasy Football draft at the Atkins and then poker night.

One point - we changed our seats at church. We used to sit in the back with all the families. We never understood much because of the echo of the speakers in church.

Now, we sit RIGHT next to the speaker so we can understand better. And -Oh-My-Word. Made a WHOLE lot of difference! We could actually take care of Michael while at the same time listen in French and understand most if not all of the readings and homily. Makes going to church much more worth it for me because I am getting something out of it and not just taking care of Michael the whole time.

Just wanted to write about our week before I forget. Scroll down for posts with pictures.
P

2nd Part - Brittany, France

After our grand D-day tour, we headed to Brittany to savor the region and see Mont St. Michel.

We lost our Rick Steves book while in the American cemetary. And all our hotel information for Brittany was in that book. RATS. Luckily, Brian had written the small town it was in on our itinerary, Plouer-sur-Rance. So we drove to that town based on my superior navigational skills and just hoped there would be a billion signs for the place when we got there. And THERE WAS! So we made it just fine.

The first day in Brittany, we drove along the coast between St. Malo and Mont St. Michel. The views were spectacular. We got out of the car and played on this beach with an island home in the backdrop.Along the way, we stopped and bought some Calvados, a French apple brandy, from a guy selling some from outside of his van. Sweet. He also sold some of the best apple juice and raspberry apple juice I've ever tasted.

Finally, we made it to Mont St. Michel and were greeted first by crowds of people and then HUGE rainstorms. Luckily, we got some family pictures before that began:

After hiking uphill towards the abbey and taking the stairs, Michael decided he was tired and ready for his nap:

Don't know how he got so tired when he didn't actually DO any of those stairs! :o) We signed up for an English tour of the abbey and were so glad we did. Despite all taking turns taking care of Michael, we all learned a little bit about medieval times and society. Some random interesting points:

• None of the stones used to build the abbey were from the actual rock island it sits on. The land/material from the location is considered sacred so it was not used.
• Quicksand and the fast rising tide are 2 of the dangers of the abbey.
• Pilgrims have been making the religious trek to this location since the 900's.
• It is suspected that the abbey was built structurally to represent the heirarchy of their society and religious life.

All in all, a very informative and beautiful stop. For dinner, we ate at this funny little Restaurant du Terroir, which was not only open, but practically empty, good, and reasonably priced. And to boot, they had 2 goats. Which once Brian and Michael discovered that the goats would eat anything...well....brings new meaning to "dining entertainment."

Brian spent the rest of the meal asking us, "Are you going to eat that vanilla bean? Let's see if the goat will eat it."

And Michael running around asking each of us, "Do you want to go feed the goats?"

I would not have been surprised if those goats had the runs after what Brian and Michael gave them to eat!

Well, after taking a bit too long in Normandy, we decided to extend our stay by one night in Brittany. After asking our hotel owner and stressing him out a bit and changing our train tickets, we found ourselves on vacation for another night.

The next day, we set off for Dinan, a town in Brittany. It was a normal European town, small, quaint, with cute architecture. We enjoyed the rampart views, despite the rain:

We finished with Dinan by early afternoon and decided to visit Dinard, a cute beach boardwalk town. But on the way, the entire car fell asleep and a storm cloud rolled in and spoiled all the fun. So we just relaxed for the remainder of our last day.

On our travel day back to Paris, we headed to St. Malo and wandered along their ramparts and enjoyed their beach views with sailboats.


Brian got our train tickets switched to get back to Paris an hour earlier! So there we were. At the end of yet another successful trip exploring France.

La Belle France. I could go on and on about how absolutely delightful the countryside is in France. Paris...you can take Paris from me and I would be absolutely fine. But in my heart, I'll always carry around my memories and sights from Collioure, Sarlat, the Cathar castles, and driving along yet another small windy country road in France.

It is THOSE moments that have made my stay in France something to write home about.

1st Part - Normandy, France

In mid July, we took a vacation to explore the Normandy region of France and, of course, visit the D-Day beaches. Prepare yourself for a very mini and hardly expert history lesson. I welcome any corrections on my info because it is VERY possible that I am mistaken at times.

We 1st visited a small charming port town called Honfleur:
There, we began our vacation in slow fashion by having a delicious seafood lunch. Michael got this amazing fish in a wine cream sauce and mashed potatoes and loved it! After this, we wandered around the small town, Michael rode the carousel a million times, and we hiked up to the top of the town for views of Le Havre, another French port.

After exhausting Honfleur, we checked into Madame Sebire's bonafide farm, which was about a 10 minute drive from Arromanches. She had new calfs in the barn and real cows in the pasture. Michael L-O-V-E-D that. At the end of everyday in Normandy, he would ask us, "Go home to farm?"

The next day, we drove to Arromanches to see their memorial and the D-Day 360 movie. Here is the view of the town from the top. See the mulberries in the ocean in the distant? These were used as a man-made dock to unload supplies etc. for the Allies.
After this, we drove to Longues-sur-Mer, which is where 4 German artillery bunkers still stand today. You can see 3 of them built kind of into the hills here:
Despite being bombarded by Allied naval fire, they are still standing. Incredible. Here is a closeup of one of the canons:
After this, we drove to the American Cemetary, where we were in awe of how meticulously kept it was. It was beautiful, serene, peaceful, and such a great dedication to our nation's soldiers who died for something really worth fighting for, freedom:
If I am not mistaken, the walkway between these reflecting pools and the memorial behind the photographer is the exact point where American soldiers first broke through enemy lines at Omaha and penetrated the top of the beach. If not here, it is somewhere here along the cemetary that it is.

Michael at the cemetary:
From the cemetary, there was a tremendous view of Omaha Beach. There was a hiking trail that took you down there. Instead, we followed Rick Steve's recommendations and drove to Vierville where we parked...and walked 2 minutes to Omaha. I think I prefer that way!
Michael and Brian rolled up their jeans and went playing on the beach with another French family. It was a quite necessary part of the day as Michael had to be well behaved everywhere we went. So he needed that time to blow off some pent up energy!
Because one day full of history wasn't enough, we continued our D-day touring the next day at the Caen Memorial Museum. They had amazing on-site childcare with a certified childminder and lots of new, clean toys. It was like we had stepped back home to America instead of being in France. And it was FREE.

So us 4 adults had the chance to actually read the things in the amazing Caen Memorial. I won't go into details about everything we learned. But I will say that by halfway through the exhibit, I gave up and had too much of information overload! It was very well done though and we learned a lot. We also saw their very good D-day video which included German footage as well as American.

Continuing on our D-day tour, we also visited the Ranger museum in Grandcamp Maissy, which was actually very cool. It was very small...no where NEAR as big as the one in Caen or high tech. But it outlined the creation of an elite unit of soldiers called the Army Rangers whose first mission was to capture Pointe du Hoc. The trip was made really special because we were with a real live Army Ranger. Here he is at Pointe du Hoc: I learned a lot in that little museum. One special fact being that Aggie Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder was the Commanding Officer of the 2nd and 5th battalions of the Army Rangers at Pointe du Hoc. I'd seen statues of him at Texas A&M and there is an entire tower named after him...and it is just now that I know why. I hate to admit it, but there it is!

At Pointe du Hoc, Michael and Brian played in the craters that are still there today from Allied cannons:
I couldn't possibly post all the pictures we took. It was an amazing part of our vacation and we learned a lot. Stephen Ambrose's book on the D-day invasion made it even more meaningful as I learned about all the planning and execution it took to stage such a history-changing event.

Paris Plage

We took the kids to Paris Plage this past Wednesday, the 19th of August! In the summer for about a month, the north side of the Seine is transformed into a mini beach/ mini boardwalk.

There is some sand, misters, etc. It is a bit cheesy, but welcome for the kids! And this past Wednesday afternoon, our temperature high was in the low 90's WITHOUT air conditioning...so we were baking.

The kids loved the misters in the hot weather:
We are very fortunate to have this new little playgroup! There is an even balance of boys and girls and they are all within a month of each other, which makes for great play! AND they are all good kids, with good hearts, and play well together. I think we are going to find some great times ahead of us!

Here's a picture of them by the Seine:

And holding hands while walking down the boardwalk. I was pretty proud to be the adult getting to hold their hands. I love being a mom:

Love,
P

biggity biggity boudin

I made this lunch for Michael a while back.




We have boudin noir (black pudding/blood sausage) with apples, mushrooms sauteed in butter, some cucumbers (gross), and then some charcuterie (rillettes, Serrano ham and "Grandma's pate"). He loves the ham, the rillettes (some kind of fatty shredded goose meat), the pate and the mushrooms. The boudin not so much. I don't know why. It's one of those French things that looks and sounds disgusting, but is super delicious especially with the apples. Phuong and I were craving the boudin noir this evening.

Catchup - June visit Home!

This year, we took a super quick trip home to Houston because Brian was going to be in North America for a conference anyways!

So I spent 2 weeks relaxing in Houston and enjoying the quiet pace of life. We did a whole lot of nothing except playing and well...playing! Our local library had a nice story time/craft hour so we went to that a couple of times.

I got to catch up with my neighbors, The Folkes, who have known me since I was born! They have an awesome pool where they taught me how to swim. Here is a picture of all of us.

Top row: Michael, me, and their daughter Kimberly who is 3 years younger than me
Pool row: Mr. Johnny, J (their grandaughter who is Kimberly's daughter), Mrs. Glenda, and Brian.

Michael LOVED the pool and would ask to go over to Mr. Johnny's house all the time.

My parents have 2 dogs. They are chihuahua - weenie dog mixes. VERY funny. Michael, of course, adored them. Here is Michael picking up Chewy:

One of our hot days, we went to the Houston Children's Museum which was pretty cool and CRAZY. Full of kids, of course! Michael had fun at an outdoor water display that showed the effects of water, pressures, waves, dams, etc. Here is a picture of my parents with Michael there:

Inside in the air conditioning, they had a pretty cool little toddler/baby play area. Michael loved this giant glo-art thing:
And there was also a little market. Check out my healthy shopper:

Lots of fruits and vegetables there! So proud of him!

Those were the highlights of our trip! Two weeks is really not long enough for a visit at home. By the time we had recovered from the jet lag, we only had about 10 days left. In that time, we did get a lot of playing done, but I wish we could have seen so much more! We also spent a day at the Woodlands Children's museum, which was interesting.

One night, we visited with my old college friend, Shane, and his new wife, Erin. A lovely couple who we wished we lived a bit closer to! We had a nice dinner on their porch of barbequed steak kabobs. DELICIOUS.

That's it! We did a lot of shopping, a lot of playing, and a lot of relaxing. The best vacation!

Ok...up next is Normandy/Brittany!

White-Boy-B-Ball

We had an action packed weekend. Full of activities and sweat.

On Saturday, we spent the day with The Daniels where we met at the splash pools at the Luxembourg Gardens. The boys enjoyed that and Michael got pretty brown. I think he gets that tropical skin from me.

Then, we went back to the Daniels apartment where they helped me eat my 3 heads of lettuce that I bought because it was a good deal (3 heads for 2 euro). Note to self: It takes a lot of people to eat 3 heads of lettuce.

Nap time had by the boys and then we hit the main event of the day - an inner city basketball court. Complete with graffiti and everything. Jonathan/Kirsten found this basketball court near their place and wanted to try it out.

Well, a pack of inflating needles, 2 mini basketballs, and 1 adult size basketball later...we found ourselves trying to make half court shots. The boys decided they needed to be up high. And when I asked for a picture, they started slapping and grabbing their dads faces:
A bit hard to see...but squint and you'll get the hint.

Michael attempted some free throws of his own:
And then I put the camera away because I was afraid I was going to get thwacked in the face with a renegade basketball.

On Sunday, Brian went for a run in the morning, came back and announced that we had to be at Gare de Lyon in an hour and we were leaving in 30 minutes. We had plans to visit a co-worker's of Brian at her husband's grandmother's house.

Her house was situated at the edge of the forest of the chateau Fountainbleau. Not too shabby!
Ok, so that wasn't her house. But it is Fountainbleau and it has a huge forest attached to it as part of its hunting grounds. And the house we went to is on the edge of said forest.

We had a great time there! They barbequed for us chicken breasts, sausages, spare ribs...the works! It tasted amazing, and I ate so much I couldn't button my pants for the rest of the afternoon.

Michael loved playing with their son, who is about 6 months younger. They watered things together, played on the swing/slide, shot water guns...played in the tent and choo choo. FUN TIMES. I would have pictures, but their son was half naked the whole time so I am not comfortable with posting half naked pictures of other people's kids on my blog. Not smart.

Then, we went to the forest of Fountainebleau and hiked up a ways and looked around. It was AWESOME.

I LOVE hiking. I am no good at it and not sure-footed at all. But I love trying to find the way to get up somewhere, making sure where I am stepping is going to hold, and climbing up not-too-difficult places. I love the lookout when you get where you are supposed to be...because Mother Nature IS that amazing. I love the quiet that surrounds you. I just love it.

Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera because that's how much I have to focus.

And Michael...God bless my little hiker! He LOVES to hike and climbs really well. No fear. When we were going down, he would turn back to me and say, "Mommy, this way. Put your hand on this rock and go down."

What's not to love about that? Not only does he find his own way, being independent and brave. But he turns around to make sure I am ok and to let me know how to get down too in case I need help. If Michael is the only child I am able to have, I thank God that he gave me someone who is so easy to love and someone I am so proud of to know every day.

Mommy on the Phone

Tonight, about 30 minutes after Michael's bedtime, I hear the doorknob jiggle to the living room. This indicates that my Michael is looking for his parents.

So we get up...and go get him...My Michael who really never gets up in the night. We have this conversation:

Michael (holding about 4 stuffed animals): Michael want to sleep in Mommy's bed.
Mommy: No...you have to sleep in your big boy bed. Are you scared of something?
Michael: No. Mommy talking.
Mommy: Is Mommy talking too loud? Is it keeping you up?
Michael: Yes, I can't sleep. Please no more talking.

I think this means no more phone conversations with Kirsten after Michael goes to bed. Got it. My son, telling me I am too loud. Sadly, he is not the 1st person to complain of this, and he will not be the last either I suspect.

He regressed today. He peed in his pull up this morning and then peed in it again before dinner. SIGH. 15,000 steps forward, 2 steps back.

Also, I am deleting my post saying I am on a hiatus. I am obviously not on a hiatus. I am just being lazy about blogging our visit home in June, the trip to NOrmandy, and wandering around Paris with the parents. I have to pick out pictures and refer to notes.

Love,
P

Have to

I have to post this. I have to because I want to!

Now, if you don't care for photography at all, DO NOT READ THIS POST. If you do, continue.

I have some readers who, very much like me, are struggling to learn more about how to take good pictures. Who would have thought a little black handheld box would be so difficult? The longer I take pictures and the more I fiddle with settings, the more I realize how much I DO NOT KNOW.

Here's my newest realization:
DSLR - you cannot completely trust its metering. You can use it's meter as a guide, but in the end, it is YOU and your artistic eye that determines what exposure is best.

It's aggravating. So, here is an example:

In Aperture priority, I took this picture of Michael on Omaha Beach...the camera set it up to be "well exposed." Well, I disagree. This picture is too DARK:
Angrily, I threw it in manual, exposed it to be 2 bars too bright (over exposed) and I like the results much better. Maybe a little blown out in parts? But overall, a well lit image!

I prefer it much more to my previous "correct" one.

So for those who have a DSLR, I challenge all of us, to quit using Aperture priority or Auto and throw the dang thing in manual.

And then, do what all professional photographers do...doctor it in photoshop! Cheating, but this is what sells lately.

Ok, that's it. Discuss if you want. Disagree, don't disagree? Post results of your manual vs. camera determined exposed shots. Whatever. Just wondering who is willing to talk to me about this. That's it. I am thinking it's going to be 1 person. 2 Max.

Some things worth blogging about

So I know no one should be reading but I have to blog so i don't forget.

Last week, while The MOM was still here, Michael started peeing in the big boy toilet. For real.

On Saturday, we went to Fountainbleau and then out to our Indian place for dinner. When we got back, MIchael was standing by the bathroom door screaming, "Michael has to go pee pee in the big boy toilet." He is doing the antsy gotta pee dance so we let him in there and lo-and-behold.

Pee pee. In the big boy toilet. Since then (that would be a week), he has had only 1 pee diaper (we were out and about and he had A LOT to drink at the water cooler in the doctor's office).

And today...he did a poop in the big boy toilet. A POOP.

But I don't think he knew what he did. He told me he needed to go pee so I said OK! Go do it! Then, he comes to get me in the living room and says, "Mommy?" and looked all confused. So we went to look and there it was. Poop with his pee.

And we had to tell him that he made poo poo in the toilet. He really wasn't aware.

So imagine his surprise to find out he gets an ICE CREAM bar after doing THAT in the toilet!

When am I going to get the guts to change to pullups??? Or full on underwear???

Ok...back to my blog hiatus. I say this...but I wonder if I actually mean it.

Teasers

Believe me when I say that Brian has an amazing eye for landscape photography. That's Mont St. Michel to the right, the dark figure:

Mont St. Michel

I prefer the pictures with people in them. Brian and Michael at Omaha Beach, France:


So you see...pnb photography - is just phuong nguyen besancon photography right now. But I hope one day, it will be Phuong and Brian Photography too.

Arrival

Brian's parents have arrived! And we haven't seen Michael since. Well, when he gets a bump or bruise, he still looks for mom. But other than that, my purpose has been served!

The parents arrived on Thursday and they unpacked and played with Michael. Michael and Grandpa took a nap. Grammy and Mommy went shopping until we came home and took a nap. Then, we went to the Eiffel Tower for a picnic! What a 1st day!

On Friday, The Parents took Michael to catch the Tour de France roll through. So Brian and I have been here ALL alone in the City of Light. I was by myself the WHOLE day yesterday.

What Phuong Gets Done in A Whole Day With No Michael
Got some bloodwork done
Went to the cinema at Chatelet to get tickets for tonight's movie of Harry Potter
Went shopping a bit for myself - bought 2 things
Went shopping for a friend who had a baby - bought 1 thing
Grabbed some takeout for lunch
Had lunch, watched Mamma Mia (don't do it...).
Took a nap.
Cleaned up the kitchen, washed dishes
Did a load of laundry
Tidied up the living room
Called 2 medical institutions to deal with insurance/credit issues in the USA
Bought a map for our trip to Normandy and stationary to make some cards
Picked up my bloodwork results
Read a little more of my D-Day book
Missed Michael, surprisingly!

That gets us to 6:15pm when Brian came home!


What Phuong Gets Done in a Day WITH Michael
Feeds Michael breakfast
Park time
Bought food for dinner at the grocery store
Lunch
Nap
More Park time
Maybe pick up dry cleaning
Start cooking dinner and picking up the house

Brian gets home around 7pm.

What a difference!

But BOY do I miss my Little Buddy! Paris is not Paris without my Little Buddy. It was SO lonely! I have no one to point out to me all the motorcycles, or to tell me that bus 83 just went by, or to ask me for ice cream. The metro is quiet now without Michael running through the hall yelling, "FAAAST CHOO CHOO!" I never realized how much I associated Paris with Michael. And how weird it is to not have him here with us! This is our nuclear family's home!

Brian, on the other hand, is just fine. He is happy for the alone time. I am too, but I miss my little boy who is having pizza and apple juice with his grandparents and making happy memories of his own!

Love,
P

Parc des Buttes Chaumont et 14 juillet!

Guess what? Brian had another holiday this weekend! Bastille Day gave us an opportunity to "fait le pont" and make a long weekend by taking Monday off as well!

Yesterday, we took the opportunity to sleep in, watch Wall-E, and explore another small park in Paris, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont.

Would have never guessed that pirates of the 19th century served Japanese, Italian, and French cuisine all at once did you? Well fear not, you can get it at Parc des Buttes-Chaumont:

A more standard park picture. Here is the gazebo at the top of the park:

It provided some nice views of Sacre Coeur, but that was about it. It was windy up there so we stopped to cool down, explore the gazebo and eat our lunch of beef jerky, Tyrell's chips, fruit compote, and cookies. I wasn't super prepared. Michael eating and playing in the dirt ring:

And picture of Mommy and Michael at the pond in the park:

They also had a waterfall, but it's barely something I would mention in this blog. But I did, so there.

All in all, an interesting venture to the 19th and the metro stop called "Ourcq." Doesn't that just sound like a place where you pop out of the metro stairs and find yourselves staring at an army from Lord of the Rings? Luckily, it was just the 19th and not Saruman and his forces.

On Sunday, I did a photoshoot at the Luxembourg Gardens and Brian and Michael met me afterwards! I know it is a touristy place, but I love this place. I love it. I've loved it since I first saw it and couldn't tell you why. It's just my place. And on Sunday afternoon, it was hot, sunny, and beautiful:

Michael rented his first boat Sunday! He picked out a boat with a fish on the sail:

He loved pushing it around the pond, but he was more impressed with getting to hold a gigantic stick: Then, my little photogenic son sat down to pose for a picture. Do NOT ask me why I did not pull my reflector out for this one. Would have helped a ton. I love it anyways:
And Michael took this picture. I love sharing a hobby with him!

I Can't Live...With or Without You. ~U2~

SO we celebrated our anniversary officially this weekend!

Short Version

• Friday - Had an amazing meal at Au Petit Marguery. Ate steak, lobster, and had an amazing dessert that was like creme brulee but with berries inside. It was like warm melted ice cream with berries inside and a caramelized crust.
  
  
• Saturday - Saw U2 live in concert at Stade de France. Freakin' amazing. Played everything we wanted to hear...except Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses. Really awesome to see so many people (50000+) singing the same songs from all different generations.
  

LONG (VERY LONG) Version

On Friday, we went to our local Michelin rated restaurant, Au Petit Marguery, and dined like kings. It was honestly, one of the best meals I've ever had. This place just keeps topping itself every time I go, and its combinations are so delicious. It's a bit old fashioned with stuffy waiters and the such, but has been in business since 1900 so you can't really complain.

We both started with a baby green spinach salad, topped with girolle mushrooms and sliced fresh truffles. Gorgeous. I loved it, Brian thought it had too many vegetables. Uhhh...it SAID it had spinach in it on the menu.

Then, Brian got a nice beef steak smothered in a sauce reminiscent of boeuf bourgignon. I decided to forgo the before dinner aperitif, dessert, and post dinner coffee for the extra money to get the lobster.

It is a decision that I am glad I made. My lobster was from Brittany and flambeed in cognac. Served with a tarragon cream sauce (which actually had a nice seafood broth base) and fresh steamed vegetables. It was surprisingly light and AWESOME. They brought me 5 utensils to eat with it.

• A 3 fat pronged fork. A claw cracker. A spoon with a dent in it. What looked like a long handle with a very itty bitty tiny little 2 prong fork at the end of it. And a knife.

The guy brought me my lobster first and halfway through it, I realized I didn't have my cream sauce and vegetables. So when he brought that out, I had already eaten half of my lobster.

Since I have never had lobster before, we had a conversation with our waiter:

US: What do we eat?
Waiter: Everything
US: Everything? Eyes too?
Waiter: Yes. Everything?
US: The shell too then, right?
Waiter: OH no! Not the shell.

Then he saw the look on my face and realized I was joking. After this little discussion, he was no longer a stuffy waiter and was very friendly with us. When he brought out my little lemon water dish to clean my fingers, he made sure to tell me, "It's not for drinking." Then, he gave Brian an extra cup of Cognac after dinner. When we walked to the door, he noticed us from the back of the restaurant and ran up front saying, "Oh! I want to make sure I say good night to le monsieur et madame." He walked us to the door making sure to give us a big smile and many wishes of goodnight. I hope we made his night as much as he made ours!

On Saturday, we saw U2. Now, we know it was just like any other big concert venu, but we've never been to a concert where everyone was just SO PUMPED about the music! At one point, you could hear the lyrics totally clearly and on pitch from the ENTIRE Stade de France, which is about the size of Kyle Field all the way around. It was amazing.

They played everything we wanted to hear except Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses. But that's ok. They're old and probably needed to go to bed.

Some interesting points:

** They had some strange space theme going on. They had video feed from the people on the International space station and interviewed them. The Edge asked them what kind of food they ate. And the Drummer asked them if listening to music in space was different than on earth.

** They sang to a Burmese woman who was elected president in 1990 but was under house arrest now. So she wasn't there. But they sang to her anyways. Then they had people walk out on the stage holding a popsicle stick with a cutout of her face placed over theirs. Like a mask. THAT was weird.

** The light show and effects were awesome.

** At one point, Bono showed people a number they could text that would offer money for one of his charities. So lots of people opened up their cell phones and the stadium was dark with all these small illuminated specks of light from people's phones, like stars. It was pretty cool and then they sang, "One."

** Interesting mix of people. The very young people (25 and under) knew all the words and songs to their 2-3 most recent albums. The old people (like us) were excited about the older songs. So it was interesting to see who was super pumped about what.

** I think I am using the word "Pumped" a little too much in this post.

** We were super lucky with our seats. We had a great view and were not too high up. Our seats were right near the exit to our section. Our section was right near the exit to the stadium. And our exit was the closest to the RER train station. Why does this matter? Because we did not want to be waiting 30 minutes to get on a train in a line about 10000 people deep.

** While their newer songs were just fine, they saved all their awesome older songs until the end. Tells you something!


Best part too? We had friends sit for us both nights!! So we had free sitters and peace of mind to know that Michael was with people he knows and with moms who knew what to do in case of emergency!

This has been our best anniversary yet.

Love,
P

Seven Years...TODAY!

Bah Humbug on Valentine's Day! We never celebrate that, but instead celebrate how much we love/adore each other on our ANNIVERSARY!

Today, marks 7 years. How do you post about all that happens in 7 years? I won't even try. I just know that after 7 years, I know I married my best friend, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I am SO glad Brian called me back after getting a door slammed in his face instead of a kiss goodnight at the end of our first date.

Instead of posting old wedding pictures, which I am sappy enough to do. I am going to post pictures instead of us on our honeymoon, IN PARIS. We started our marriage in Paris so it is not wonder our family began in Paris as well.

Brian and I on top of something. I think it's Arc de Triomphe. I, personally, am quite entertained by Brian's hair.
Me with Tour Eiffel back there:

Brian gazing lovingly at a picnic we bought for ourselves on Rue Cler:

Brian on a gutter at the hotel we stayed at on our honeymoon, Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. It's about a 15 minute walk from our current apartment and I go by from time to time just to peek inside:

Me, at my most favorite place in Paris: The Luxembourg Gardens:

Us, in Versailles! An awesome Asian couple took this picture for us where the wife kept yelling at the man to make sure he framed it right with the landscaping etc. Well, he sure did:

So Voila! Not much has changed between us except that our love has gotten much deeper and we now have much more face fat.

Love you, Brian!

Phuong