Somewhere in the Middle

The Loire Valley

When the weather took a turn for the worst we thought we might have to change our travel plans. The closer we got to the date the worst the forecast looked. I don't mind some light showers but thunderstorms and rain everyday doesn't make the best travel weather especially when you're outside. When I called the hotel about canceling they explained we would be charged 100% of the entire stay. So I said, ok we'll see you this evening! lol! ;) Who cares about rain, thunderstorms, or cloudy dreary days! lol!

Despite the weather predictions, we had pretty good weather which made our time in the Loire Valley just wonderful. In the five days we visited seven chateaus along the Loire Valley along with a visit to Leonardo Di Vinci's home. Every chateau we visited was different in its own way but they all possessed their own charm and beauty. My favorite chateau was Chenonceau and Chombard. I love how they called Chenonceau the Chateau de Dames. Of all the castles, Chenonceau had the most rich and interesting history to me. And Chombard was incredibly impressive.

I have more details to share about our trip but I'll continue posting tomorrow. This week has been crazy busy. Tomorrow we have friends flying in and I have to wake up super early.

Looks like I've been blacklisted.

Notice the basket without flowers?? That's right. My local nursery has blacklisted me. Here's what happened...

Lil' C & I went to a local nursery to buy some flowers & possibly a coconut liner for my hanging basket. We spent about half an hour picking out flowers and I was thrilled to find the liner I needed for my basket. Since I'm not fluent in French I always make it a practice to know my total so I know exactly how much I need to pay. So I checked the price list and noticed that one of the flowers I was buying had a set price for 6 plants. Since I was buying less than 6 I decided to go get a few more to avoid any price confusion. No big deal. I approached the woman working at the nursery and she tells me I owe much more than I originally thought. So in my best french, I explain to her the price I read on the board. She tells me no and gives me the total again and walks away. I could tell she was a little annoyed but I didn't think anything of it. While she walked away I thought.. "I really don't want these extra flowers so I'll just put them back". When she approached me again I saw her writing the total on a little piece of paper. This is a total Mom & Pop nursery so there was no cash register. A simple little piece of paper with a figure on it. That's it. Ok...so I tell her I don't want the 2 plants and she freaks out on me. Starts yelling at me in French and grabs the coconut liner, takes the tray of plants and places it on a rack in the back and puts the liner back. Even though I don't understand French 100% I could tell she was totally upset with me and wanted me out of her store. I was in total shock. Lil'C kept asking me, "Mommy, why is that lady taking our flowers away?" Then she started helping another woman and was talking non-stop to this woman and clearly it was about ME! I made up my mind I was not leaving without that (difficult to find) coconut liner so I walked back to the store, picked up another liner, approached the woman again and paid for it. I could care less about buying the flowers. I rather not have them than pay more than was indicated. The whole situation really upset me.

Would this woman behave the same way with a Belgian or French speaking person? My guess is probably not. And the thing is I don't even really understand why she became so upset with me. I'm the customer. Don't I have the right to change my mind?

We're often told that we are guests in a foreign country and whether we like it or not we represent the United States. So the way we behave when living in a foreign country has an effect on how others view Americans. I understand what happened today was just one incident but I can't help wonder if Belgians realize that it also works the other way around.

How Sweet it is

It was on this day 15 years ago I married this wonderful man.

We've shared so much together and I'm looking forward to many more memories. You're an amazing husband and the best Daddy to Lil' C.

Who knew back in 1988 at that Ice Cream fraternity social that we'd marry & be celebrating this milestone together!

Happy Anniversary!

MIA

My little blog,

I'm sorry I've abandoned you for the past two weeks! I had good intentions of writing but I have two very good reasons:

1. After experiencing a full month of beautiful California like weather we had a full week filled with rain & gloom.  The sun didn't appear for a week. Very depressing. I was in a total state of shock. Was that month of gorgeous sunshine a dream?

AND

2. We spent a week in the Loire Valley. Lots of beautiful photos to share.

I promise I'll write tomorrow.

Flat Stanley Comes to Visit

A few weeks ago my girlfriend called me to ask me if it was ok if Flat Stanley came to visit us? My first question was...Who.. is... Flat Stanley? lol! 

Here is what I learned...The Flat Stanley project is inspired by a book by Jeff Brown. The story is about a little boy named Stanley Lambchop who finds himself flattened by a bulletin board his parents bought him. Funny! The class my girlfriend's child attends has a wooden Stanley doll where each student takes a turn bringing him home and they journal his adventures. But Flat Stanley on the other hand has the advantage of traveling all over the world since he can easily travel in an envelope.

Flat Stanley arrived yesterday eager to start exploring Belgium. Surprisingly, Flat Stanley showed no signs of jet lag so Lil' C & I took him to our favorite park today. Flat Stanley loved Parc Paradisio! Here are a few photos of his adventure today!

Our favorite activity today was swinging on this  contraption. Lil' C, Stanley, and I had a blast riding it together. We laughed so hard when we'd bounce in the air and falling in the sand once it came to a stop was even more fun. Going to the park towards closing definitely has its benefits. We rode this thing over & over again. Total fun!

The Flat Stanley project is a great way to encourage childen to write and learn about the world around them. Reading about the project inspired me to contact a few schools where I grew up in New York and I volunteered to host their Flat Stanley. If you'd like to sponsor a Flat Stanley, click here.

It's Done

Well, I finally did it. I called Lil' C's school this morning and finally told them what I've been feeling in my heart for weeks... Lil' C won't be returning to school. The decision was a difficult one to make... believe me I've been agonizing over this issue for weeks but I think it's the right decision for us. Lil' C attended school twice since Spring break and we're now trying out a different option that seems to be working. He's happy and for the first time in a long time he told me, "Mommy, I love school". Hearing him say this was music to my ears. ;)

Le Muguet + 1er Mai = Porte Bonheur

Today the Belgians celebrated la fête du travail (their version of Labor Day). My French teacher explained that on the 1st of May people buy each other Lily of the Valley flowers to celebrate the return of Spring. The flowers are also believed to bring good luck for the remainder of the year.

This tradition is typically a French custom but Belgians also observe the custom. During the holiday anyone can sell flowers without a vendor's license. Between yesterday & today I saw lots of people sitting in lounge chairs on the side of the road selling these beautiful flowers. The  Lily of the Valley are expensive by European standards; I paid 4 Euros for 2 sprigs and 1 rose. But I thought it was such a cool tradition I wanted to join in on this tradition.

So I'd like to send out a virtual Le Muguet (Lily of the Valley) to all my family, friends, and blog buddies. Wishing you lots of good luck and a wonderful Spring!