Somewhere in the Middle

Happy Halloween

Have a spooky & fun Halloween!

What if....

You could live anywhere in the world except for your home country. Where would you live? This is the question my English Conversation group spoke about earlier this week. It was a tough question for some but for me I knew my answer right away.

For me, it would be France. Yes. Definitely France. Sure there were a few runner ups like Spain for instance. I love the culture and I feel quite comfortable speaking the language. And then there is... Italy. With it's gorgeous food, history and a language that is like a beautiful melody. I could be in the queue at the grocery store and when I hear Italian my heart melts. I'd love to speak Italian. When we're traveling I'm often approached and asked, "Espanola, Italiana?" So I'm sure I'd fit in seamlessly into either of these two countries. But if I had to pick just one place it would have to be France.

For me, France has everything I could want.... Beautiful beaches along the Normandie coast and the Côte d'Azur. Gorgeous mountains perfect for skiing the French Alps . Charming little villages with stone farm houses that I simply adore. Green lush areas like the Loire Valley with castles sprinkled all throughout the area. And if you want a major city you have Paris, the capital of the fashion world... with enough museums & cultural events to keep you busy for many years. You also have the Provence area with it's wonderful Italian influence. The endless lavender fields and wine vineyards.  And the food... ahh.. the food and the wine. It's taken quite seriously just as the idea of relaxation is. What more could I want in a place.

So tell me where would you choose if given the opportunity?

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

Waking up & finding Lil' C sleeping next to me. We watched a movie yesterday and he's still thinking about the monsters.  When it was time for him to wake up I showered him with kisses and rubbed his warm back.

Receive an e-mail from the Baltimore jet-setters that they're coming to visit for Christmas. Start thinking about the possibility of renting a house near a ski lodge.  Now that would be super fun. I wonder if Secret Agent F will be coming too.

Get sweeties & tattoos ready for Lil' C to share for Halloween.

Left the dealership with a huge smile since I only waited 45 mins. compared to the 2 hours I thought I would have to wait. Headset will be replaced; they'll call me once its come in. I'm sure the dealerships in the US would have had them in stock. But I don't care. I'm just so happy to be living here.

Make it back early enough to pick up S. Feeling good to surprise him. Now he doesn't have to walk in the rain.

Pick up the mail. I'm so happy to see we've received our package from Drugstore.com with my gentle dental floss. The package took a month to arrive. It's the little things today that are really bringing a smile to my face.

Drive home and thinking about how much I love living here & how fun it would be to have a little get together for the holidays with some of my new international friends. I'm really loving my English conversation group.

Get ready for the weekend.

Life is good. Not perfect by any means. But it's good and that's enough for me.  ;)

Giselle + Ted

Photo taken by Jason Tran

I'm so excited I could just scream! ;) The photographer shooting my sister's wedding just posted a few photos of their engagement session taken this past Sunday. They're very artsy. I love them! The photos were posted much early than we expected so viewing them online so soon was a complete surprise. As soon as the photos were downloading I called my sister at work and said, "Guess what's downloading as we speak?!" lol! By the time the photos downloaded I saw that Ted had already made a funny comment. I haven't met him yet but I already love him.  I can't wait for the wedding.

This photo with the rainbow is by far my favorite. Click here to see a few more of their engagement photos.

Happy Birthday Lil' C

We took Lil' C and his best friend Lil' J to Disneyland, Paris for his birthday. About a month ago we gave him the choice of either having a birthday party or going to Disneyland. Lucky for us, he picked Disney & chose to bring Lil' J.

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. The drive went really smoothly and the kids were super excited as they talked and watched movies on the way to Paris. We had lots of fun in Fantasyland.

The kids did great too considering how long the lines were for most of the rides. Of all the rides we went on that day, Lil' C & Lil' J absolutely loved Casey Jr, Le Petit Train Du Cirque. They loved it so much we rode it twice. When we got off the second time, we found the Little Mermaid along with her Prince right by the exit. Lil' C & Lil' J were mesmirized by both of the characters. It was really cute to see C & J together. As we waited in line at the end of the evening, they hugged each other and told one another how much they love each other.

We left the park around 8:30 and decided not to stay for the fireworks since Lil' C doesn't like loud noises. Before leaving the park we stopped at a few shops and let the kids find something they wanted to buy. On the ride home, Lil' C & I fell asleep but not Lil' J. About 30 minutes before we got home I woke up hearing her tell S all about her pets. I couldn't believe she had not fallen asleep. Once we arrived home, Lil' C had had a nice nap in the car so he was full of energy.

Even though C & J had a great time at Disney I actually think they were looking forward more to just playing with each other and having a sleepovers. And it was a true sleepover; both C & J didn't go to sleep until 1am. They were having too much fun playing with their toys, laughing, and enjoying each other's company.

Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie!

I hate my oven!

It's official. I absolutely despise my oven! And by the looks of these cupcakes I believe my oven feels the same way about me.

Look at these cupcakes I'm supposed to bring into Lil' C's class tomorrow.  Are they not the ugliest cupcakes you've ever seen! My plan was to swirl some icing on top but these babies need a big huge dollop of frosting to cover up that shriveled mess. The tops remind me of a little brain. They would be perfect for Halloween. lol!

I don't know what happened. These are cupcakes for goodness sakes not a souffle. They came out of the oven looking beautiful and I turned my back for a few minutes and they shriveled up so much that the cupcake liner is no longer clinging to the cake. You think I would have learned my lesson after last years birthday fiasco when I baked three... yes... THREE cakes. And they all fell apart when I took them out of the pan. In the end, I bought a cake at the grocery store. It looked good but tasted horrible. That's it...I hate my oven!! Not only is it the size of a Betty Crocker oven but the temperature fluctuates constantly! I'm a good baker too. I'm supposed to make Lil'C a chocolate cake for his actual birthday but I'm having second thoughts now. I hate to go through all that trouble and it not come out good. I think I need to just break down & order a cake from our local chocolatier.

Update: After school I asked Lil' C if he'd like an ice cream cake made by our favorite Chocolatier/Ice cream shop. And he said "Sure." So I called the shop to get more information on their cakes & also to ask if they could make it considering the short notice.  They were super helpful so I told them I would be right over to take a look at the cakes and place my order. Lil' C enjoyed taste testing various ice cream flavors. I was surprised to discover the final decision was between chocolate & stracciatella ice cream. And... Stracciatella won! The cakes are definitely not your traditional looking children's birthday cakes. It's a very modern design but hey if Lil' C doesn't mind neither do I.

As we were driving home there was a mixture of sun & rain and suddenly I spotted a rainbow. It was a complete arch too.  So we pulled over and to our surprise another rainbow appeared right above the other rainbow. Two full arch rainbows right on top of one another. I've never seen this before. It was beautiful! Lil' C and I couldn't believe our luck.

As soon as S came home his reaction to the scary lemon cupcakes was "Oh, my god. What happened!" lol! He was laughing too. After tasting one we agreed they tasted about as bad as they looked. So into the trash they went. Luckily, my Mom had sent me some box cake mixes so I got to work on a second batch. This time I made chocolate cupcakes and they looked & tasted delicious. Mom, thanks for saving the day! Lil' C's class throughly enjoyed them! And I spent my day organizing the house & getting ready for Lil' C's birthday instead of laboring over a 3 hour chocolate ganache cake. ;)

Paris + Lil' C

This past Saturday we took Lil' C to Paris. He's been wanting to see the Eiffel Tower for a while now. And with his birthday just a week away plus the great fall weather we're having it was the perfect time to go. It was really fun not feeling pressured about rushing to museums & churches and trying to see as much as possible. Our day was all about Lil' C and showing him a different side of Paris.

As soon as Lil' C caught his first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower he got so excited. He couldn't wait to get up close. The three of us took the elevator to the 2nd floor and walked around for a while pointing out bridges, boats, and carousels. Since it was still early in the morning the fog hadn't completely burned off so everything was a bit hazy but it still didn't take away from the beauty.

The views from the 2nd floor are actually my favorite. But I just couldn't bring Lil' C to the Eiffel tower without going to the top. S isn't so crazy about heights so he decided to stay put on the 2nd floor while Lil' C & I ventured up to the very top of the Eiffel Tower.

The elevator ride is pretty scary cool as you shoot up through the interior of the tower seeing flashes of the outside scenery through the iron structure.

Lil' C & I walked around taking photos but I'll admit I was nervous being so high. Maybe I'm a total worrier but I always think.. "What if one of those iron pieces breaks off or becomes loose?" Needless to say we didn't stay at the top for too long. We went back to the 2nd floor to meet S and shared a sandwich & fries. One of the things Lil' C thought was so great about the Eiffel Tower was how the deck surface sparkled. lol! We skipped the elevator along with the crowds and walked back to the bottom. The big the stars decorating the tower were much bigger than they appear at night. We also saw some fake manikins hanging from the tower like they were real people doing construction. They looked pretty funny!

Before walking to the metro stop we stopped so Lil' C could ride the carousel we saw from the Eiffel Tower. The carousel was beautiful and had different images of Paris at the top.

After stopping for some ice cream we hopped on the metro to the Luxembourg Park. Neither S or I had ever visited the park so it was a first for all of us. The gardens are absolutely beautiful! There were so many people just relaxing and enjoying the gorgeous day.

Lil' C had a blast playing at the park! It was interesting though because the park was fenced in & you had to pay to get in. So there were lots of parents sitting outside the park while their kids played. There were just a handful of parents actively watching their children. This hands off approach really surprised me. I know kids can get pretty riled up but man these kids were OUT. OF. CONTROL! I felt like I was at a zoo. lol!

At one point we saw two boys that were about 9-10 yrs old running around with toy guns that looked pretty realistic. At one point I had to stop taking photos & cover my lens because there were a few boys running around the park throwing dirt & sand. As you can imagine S & I were anxious to leave but Lil' C was having the best time so we grinned & beared it. Luckily, we were saved by the Marionette show that started at 4:30!

The Marionette show was such a cool thing for us to see even if we didn't understand a word. lol! The first four rows were reserved for the children so I had Lil' C sit in the first row so he could have a good view. I wasn't so sure how he would enjoy the show but he loved it. At one point I could see one of the French little boys siting next to him talking and then they would both burst into laughter. Too cute! I filmed a clip of the show & you can hear all the kids shouting "Oui!!" After the intermission, S turned to me and said, "How many tourist do you think are here?" I looked around and said, "None!" We were totally hanging out with Parisian parents! lol! It was so much fun. After the show we went to an Italian restaurant (Lil' C's choice) & ate pasta & pizza.

We took the metro back to the Eiffel Tower and as we got closer you could see its glimmering lights from the window. It was beautiful. The minute Lil' C saw the glimmering lights he became overwhelmingly happy. It was cool to watch the locals who see this tower everyday & probably don't think twice about it watch Lil' C's face light up when he caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. His enthusiasm brought a smile to a lot of metro riders that night. One sweet woman even offered her seat so he could have a better view and when he saw the Eiffel Tower glimmering again he started clapping! lol! 

Once we got off the metro the lights of the Eiffel Tower had turned blue with bright yellow stars. Lil' C absolutely loved the stars!!

At the time I didn't know why the Eiffel tower was being lit up in blue with yellow stars but I just discovered that it's in part to celebrate the six month presidency of the European Union. From July to the end of 2008, it's France’s turn to take over leadership.

We were pressed for time so we didn't have as much time as I would have liked to relax and take pictures but I have a feeling we'll be returning very soon. ;)

A Day at La Hulpe

Recently, I found a blog called Belgian Trips that focuses on things to do locally. It's a great site and it's given me lots of good ideas for weekend trips. Now that we're coming up on our last year in Belgium we're trying to explore some of the local cities we haven't had a chance to see.

Two weeks ago we spent a Sunday afternoon at La Hulpe. It's a beautiful park with sculptures sprinkled throughout the grounds. There is also a castle (closed to the public), museum, field with horses, pond, and enough open space for people to enjoy picnics and let children run around & play.

What I loved most about La Hulpe was of course the castle and the amazing sculptures by Jean Michel Folon, a Belgian artist. He is best known in the U.S. for his cover page drawings in the New Yorker and Time magazine. 

Here are a few photos from our day at La Hulpe.

 

A Week in the Life :: Free Thursday

Nightmare wakes me up. I dream that Lil' C's adult side tooth is coming in but it's growing through the baby tooth. When I exam his mouth six of his front teeth six fall out along with the adult teeth that were supposed to replace the baby teeth. The dream freaks me out.

Go back to sleep

Up at 7:30 am

Lil' C does a great job getting dressed & brushing his teeth. I remind him how he didn't have enough time to make his bed the previous day and he makes it without any additional reminders.

Super foggy outside.

While we're leaving the house I notice all the spider webs outside. The webs are glistening with the morning dew. Looks pretty. No time for photos but maybe they'll still be sparkling when I return home.

On time for school. Yeah!

Drop by the club to buy my tickets for the International lunches. No one is there. hmmm...

Take photos of spider webs but they don't look as cool now. Will wait for next foggy day.

Call Blond K and discover there isn't a luncheon for Oct. She asks me if I'm going to the Spouses Coffee or the girls night out dinner but I'm going to pass on both this month.

Make breakfast: OJ with scrambled eggs + 1/2 whole grain toast + a pear. Unfortunately, figs I purchased at the market are not as sweet as I'd hoped.

Check e-mail and receive an e-mail from Surfer girl but it's too late to call her. 12 hour difference between Belgium & Hawaii.

Research tea press & carafes for my get togethers.

Decide to try Brownie recipe in the Cooks Illustrated magazine.

While I'm chopping the chocolate bar I think of how much Lil' C's Nino would LOVE these brownies.

Speak of the devil... Nino calls. He's definitely coming for Christmas!! Having family & friends visit us especially during the holidays is the best gift ever! I can't wait. Super excited.

Recipe is taking much longer than expected. Get frustrated with oven. Temperature keeps fluctuating.

Read "The Book Thief"

Brownies are ready.

Leave to pick up Lil' C

Play at the playground until S meets me for our teacher conference.

S & I get to look through Lil' C's portfolio and are impressed with his writing & drawing. Super cool.

Talk with teacher and we hear some great stuff but a few things concern us. Among them he's not always using his good listening skills. Teacher calls him a "dreamer".

Speak to Lil' C about improving his listening skills.

Leave a message for my friend Rox.

Forget to return movies to the library.

Snack time for Lil' C = 1 Pear

Lil' C reads two books & I read one book to him.

S comes home and also talks to Lil' C about how great he's doing in school but how his listening skills need to improve.

S & I make dinner: S's fabulously delicious burgers + sweet potato fries.

During dinner we talk about ways to improve your listening skills... Eye contact + giving the person your full attention. We do some role playing.

Our sweet neighbor drops by and gives us apples from his backyard.

Arrange to give some brownies to my neighbor as a thank you. Plus, it's dangerous having so many brownies in the house. We'll eat them all.

Walk over to my neighbors to give him brownies and prepare to tell him 3 things about my brownies.
        1. I made them today.
        2. They are a traditional American dessert
        3. Dessert was made with Belgian chocolate.

Between my neighbors little English & my poor French we're able to understand each other. The wife looked at the plate and said "Brownies". Yes, yes.. ;) My neighbor then opens his garage door and it's filled with boxes of apples and onions. He tells me I can have more apples if I'd like. I tell him Lil' C loves apples and is eating one right now. I get a little nervous and begin to ramble and tell them where we are from in the US. They tell me their daughter either is visiting or will be moving to Wyoming permanently. I tell them thank you again & leave.

S recommends I make neighbors my Jewish apple cake with the apples they gave us. Good idea.

S gets Lil' C ready for bed.

Check e-mail & Etsy.

Read Lil' C "Diego Saves a Butterfly".

Talk with Nana & Papi while S & I prepare lunches. Well...S does the majority of it.

Call Mom

Feeling too drained to update blog and instead waste time surfing the net.

Order Coffee press, carafe, a fun silicone bakeware set for Lil' C (I love when he helps me cook) and some cute "Breast Cancer Awareness" pink kitchen supplies.

Fall asleep reading.

A Week in the Life :: Wednesday Kisses

- 6:30am... Up before my alarm goes off.
- Read a few pages in "The Book Thief". I'm really getting into it now.
- 6:50 alarm goes off. I think it wakes up Lil' C.
- Good morning kisses for Lil' C.
- House still smells like the grilled salmon from last night.
- Shower & get dress. Read while I blow dry my hair.
- Lil' C effortlessly gets dressed & brushes his teeth but the bed... oh the bed... it's still not working. So I threaten to take costumes away. Can anyone explain to me why doing three small things in the morning takes over an hour. There must be an easier way.
- Get to school a few minutes late. I am so not a good model for punctuality.
- Set my GPS to Marie-Christine's house for my 2nd English Conversation meeting. Love the name Marie-Christine... sounds so beautiful with a french accent.

- Arrive in the town Mary Christine lives and it's market day.
- See my friend Blond K & our group leader T. As we're walking to the house she tells me that some young Belgian boys yelled "F*#k You" at T and her Norwegian friend as they got out of the car. T walked right up to them and asked why they were being so disrespectful. Did they really understand what those words meant? I'm so proud of T. I'm not sure what I would have done if I was in her shoes.
- Our English conversation meeting was very interesting. Talked about the "F$@k You" incident, homecomings, bonfires, our favorite seasons and the proper way to use the words "Already, yet, and still". It's a great group. There were women from Turkey, Norway, Belgium, Portugal, and two women from Austria & Germany.
- Learn Belgians kiss three times if they don't know the individual well and only once  if both people know each other really well. That explains why Marie-Christine kissed me three times. The tradition seems a bit backwards to me. Wouldn't you want to kiss someone you know well more not less. I love learning about these cultural differences.
- Breakfast: Petite slice of home-made plum tart and flan with tiny chocolate eclairs courtesy of our gracious hostess. Not the healthiest breakfast but it was delicious. Especially the chocolate toppings on the eclair.
- Picked up S so I could get his opinion on the teacups I'm thinking of buying. Had lunch with S and ate a delicious Jamon baguette. During our lunch, my German friend VS joined us.
- Check mail. No karate uniform. I'm beginning to think someone doesn't like me at the post office. It's been almost a month since I ordered the uniform and a little over 1 week since the company shipped out a second package due to the 1st package getting lost. Ahh... the joys of overseas mail.

- Go home. Get Lil' C's backpack ready with bathing suit and wet suit for Swim class and change of clothes for Karate. Plus enough snacks to carry him through the day. Snacks include: 2 Kiwi's, yogurt drink, string cheese, and half of a jamon baguette.
- Talk with Lil' C's Nino about a possible visit this Christmas!
- See Lil' C best friend's mother at school & invite them to a play date this Friday. Lil' C & Lil' J are super excited. They've been best friends ever since last year. They're so cute together.

- Swim lessons with Mr. M or as my friend Giovanna calls him Mr. Hottie.

- Time out in the car to eat snacks, read one book, and look over school letter before Lil' C's Karate class. 

 
- Lil' C does a solo act in Karate. I'm super proud and take a ton of photos.
- S gives Lil' C a bath.
- Leave a voice mail for my friend Secret Agent BF & the Baltimore jet-setters.

- Prepare dinner: Left over night. For me a grilled chicken salad with pears, walnuts and feta. Yum... the rest of the family enjoys grilled chicken too but Lil' C has garlic cous-cous and S decides he wants my pecan mushroom wild rice. Which by the way is still hard despite continued cooking in the microwave.
- Lil' C dances to "Say to the Lord I Love You" in his Mariposa costume.

- Read Lil' C "The Boy Who Grew Flowers". He falls asleep before I finish the story.
- Edit photos. After looking at so many photos I'm starting to think I either need some serious plastic surgery on my eyes and some Restalyne shots for my laugh lines or I could start wearing sunglasses all the time and work on some PhotoShop editing techniques. hmm...
- Listen to "This must be the place" by the Talking Heads over & over again.

- Sleep time.