Pages

The journey of a thousand miles begins with...the perfect pair of shoes.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Paris: Half the excitement is getting there

On June 17th Indy and I hopped a fast train to Paris. In a mere 3 hours and 20 minutes we would be strolling the streets and munching on authentic croissants (they really do taste better in France, trust me). Or so we thought. We made our connection with no problems and things were zipping along fine (except that our seats were rear facing and despite taking 2 Dramamine, I was feeling queasy) until we got to Kaiserslautern (K-Town). We stopped at the station and didn't move. For a long time.  The conductor finally came over the intercom and said something in German.  I thought I understood him, but then realized I had to be wrong.  He couldn't have said that, could he???  A passing train worker walked by and I stopped him to ask what was going on.  He confirmed what I thought I heard:  the train in front of us hit a PERSON on the track.  Shut the front door! 
We finally arrived in Paris 2.5 hours late, but since the Louvre is open late on Friday's and that was our plan for the evening, we didn't mind.  We checked into the hotel and off to the Louvre we went (this was Indy's idea BTW).  The next few hours were spent looking at painting, sculptures, and antiquities.



If you've seen The DaVinci Code, you'll recognize this:


After walking through the Medieval Louvre, the first place we headed was of course the Egyptian exhibit:






Like his father, who got in trouble at the Louvre about 12 years ago for touching a piece of art, Indy couldn't resist the lure of this ancient piece.  To be honest though, Indy didn't actually touch it (he just pretended).  James Bond, did touch and in about 5 seconds a guard swooped out of nowhere and told him not to touch the art.


Being a silly monkey:


And a Pharaoh:


Finally, finally, after passing thousands of objects and dozens and dozens of sarcophagi, during which time Indy sang the Indian Jones theme song, louder and louder, we made it to the one thing he was most excited about:  The mummy! He's seen it before, but was still crazy excited:


Once I was able to drag him from the mummy (seriously, I had to grab his shirt and pull him away), we headed for the Roman and Greek sculpture.  It was his idea to pose like the statue:


After about 800 miles and 30,000 stairs (if you've been to the Louvre, you know I'm not exaggerating that much), we ended up at what is arguably the most famous work of art houses at the Louvre: The Mona Lisa.  It's almost impossible to get anywhere near her.  Being small and intrepid though, Indy wove his way toward the front.

Since we spent a full week studying DaVinci  last month, we also went to see the 5 other DaVinci paintings that are there and discussed how he used shadows, light and blurred edges to create depth, where other painters of the same era often had little or no depth in their paintings.  Indy was particularly fascinated by his painting of John the Baptist:


We sat on one of the big round sofas for a few minutes to rest and then went over to one of my favorite sections, the large scale art.  I'm fascinated by these HUGE canvases.  One I particularly like is the painting of Napoleon crowning himself.  I had Indy stand in front of it so you could see how massive this thing really is:


Can you imagine how much time it took to paint that????  And, not only that, but the artist painted a second one the same size that now hangs in Versailles.  He made one change to the second painting though.  I'll show you that when I post about our day at Versailles.

Sadly, my hands down, absolute favorite exhibit was closed for renovation.  Nooooo!  What is it, you might wonder?  The crown jewels of course!  The had a few on display in front of the section with a big sign telling us that the full exhibit would reopen in early 2012.  I think I would look fabulous in either of these:



By 8pm, we were done.  D-O-N-E, done.   We were hungry, but also exhausted and I didn't feel like going out on the street to find a restaurant.  There is a high end (and pricey) international food court in the underground maze of shops connected to the Louvre, so we opted to eat there.  The variety of foods is amazing.  There is Middle Eastern, Greek, Italian, French, Spanish and American.  All the restaurants offer sumptuous national dishes.  What is America represented by?  McDonalds.  D'Oh!  I decided to have Ratatouille (yum!) and Indy wanted squid salad????  He got incredibly excited when he saw it.  Since it was  €9 for a small plate, I questioned his choice.  He put his hands on his hips and said "Mom, it's France.  We have to eat squids and snails!"  Okay.  He ordered it (and a slice of brick oven pizza from the Italian place) and we sat down to eat.  It felt so good to sit!  I couldn't let him dive in to his squid salad though before getting a photo of if:


He ate every bite of if!  Crazy little boy!


I hope you enjoyed our first day in Paris.  I've got more to come!


Tuesday, June 28, 2011

RTT: Redux


Stacy


Okay, last week I did my RTT on Wednesday and didn't link it up, so it didn't get the love it deserved.  Because of that I'm reposting parts of it as well as adding new stuff.

*Why is Wednesday spelled that way?  Or do we just pronounce it wrong because it's hard to say?

*Indy wrote a letter to the new general who now lives across the street form us.  LTG Hertling took over as the USAEUR (US Army Europe) commander from Indy's good friend General Ham (who is now the Africom Commander) back in March.  Indy decided he had to write a letter to welcome LTG Hertling to the "neighborhood."  He wrote him a very sweet letter and said that even thought LTG is a Cardinals fan and we are Cubs fans, Indy thought they could still be friends.  What a silly boy.  We took it over to drop it off, but the guards said they couldn't accept it and we had to wait for an aide-de-camp to come down from the house to get it.  What?  We had to wait FOREVER before the aide called down and told the guard just to take the letter, which is really what they should have done in the first place.  So, we drop off the letter and go on our merry little way.  Monday, I called James Bond from the train to tell him we were delayed (more on this later) and he tells me that LTG Hertling came to our door that afternoon looking for Indy!  He had a letter for him and wanted to meet him in person.  JB didn't recognize him!  To be fair, he wasn't in uniform and JB doesn't see him on a daily basis.  It wasn't until after the LTG left that JB realized who he was.  OMG, I laughed so hard.  The letter was very nice and agreed that even though Indy is a Cubs fan, they could probably be friends.  I'm sure there will be more to this story.  Stay tuned.

*James Bond has ADHD.  H's on medication for it and doing so much better and by this I mean I don't want to kill him (most of the time).  He still has eleventy billion and five hobbies though and there are often fragments of them all over my house.  The other night I walked into the kitchen and found the iron on the counter.  I knew he hadn't ironed any clothes.
Me:  Why is the iron out?
JB:  I was using the heat to bend wood.
Me:  Of course you were.

*The meds JB is on is Adderall.  Did you know this is the hot drug on college campuses? Why?  Because it helps you concentrate and kids study better.  I saw a report on the news that the pills are selling for $5-15 each.  We've got a small fortune in our medicine cabinet.  Not that I would ever sell drugs.  I'm just saying.


*Han Solo is one of those babies who can fall asleep and the minute you lay him down (or really, just walk towards the bedroom-anywhere else in the house yes, bedroom, no) will pop his eyes open and look at you like "what do you think you're doing?"  Lucky me.  He's actually sleeping much better at night though (halleluiah!).  Yesterday, it was time for me to pick Indy up from summer camp and James Bond wasn't home yet.  This of course meant I had to schlep Han Solo and his crazy heavy carrier to the car and take him with me.  He was sleeping in his swing and I hated to pick him up, but what was I to do?  So, I picked him up, strapped him into his baby carrier, carried him down 3 flights of stairs, snapped his seat into the base, drove to the camp, took him out of the car, went in to get Indy, came back to the car, snapped his seat back into the base, drove home, got him out of the car and carried him back up 3 flights of stairs.  He did not wake up one freaking time! Can you believe that???

*Okay, my first ever problem with Amazon.  I was so mad I almost couldn't speak.  I ordered some Dr. Brown's pacifiers that specify "colors may vary."  AS there are 7 colors, I figured the odds were pretty high that I'd get a color I couldn't use.  I was wrong.  Of course we got pink.  This is the second time I've ordered something with "colors may vary" and gotten pink.  I didn't worry about the first item because it was something that would never leave the house and Han Solo doesn't care anyway.  A paci will likely leave the house and while I'm all for not stereotyping, I'm still not going to take him out with a pink paci.  I started a customer service chat on Amazon to see if there was any way I could get a different color.  The CSR comes on and I explain the problem.  Take a good look at the paci below and note the color.  Then read the rest.


Okay, got a good look?  So, here's a rough transcript of our convo:

Me:  The paci I received is pink and I have a boy.  Is there any way to trade it out for a different color.  It doesn't have to be blue, just not pink.
(a minute or two goes by)
CSR: That paci isn't available in pink
Me: Well, I'm holding a pink one in my hand and if you look at the item page, it shows a pink one in the second photo.
(another minute or two goes by)
CSR: It's not pink.
Me: Yes, it is, I'm looking at it.
CSR: It's not pink. It's magenta.
Me: Are you serious?
CSR: Yes, ma'am. It's not pink.
Me: What color is magenta?
CSR: Magenta.
Me: Okay, well then, I need one that is not MAGENTA, as I have a boy.
CSR: How can I help?
Me: Let me exchange the pink paci for a different color.
CSR: Again, it's not pink. It's magenta.

At this point I had to end the chat because I was so irritated. I started a new chat with a different CSR and asked for a phone number so I could talk to a person. You have to request a number as they don't post it on the website. I called and explained why I was so irritated and and the CSR apologized profusely and said the CSR should never have acted like that and promised they would ship me a new paci at no charge and that I could keep the pink one and use it at home or give it to someone with a baby girl (which I did). The new one came the other day. It was orange, which I can live with. I have to say this was an anomaly. I've been an Amazon customer since 96 or 97 and have always had excellent customer service experiences including a replacement Kindle in 3 days when James Bond's quit working. I gave the CSR's name (and apparently they have a record of the chats) so I'm hoping this person gets a stern talking to. Idiot.

*.  I have one more thing though!  A few weeks back I told you about a Mike & Ike candy I found that looked like a penis and promised a photo.   Here you go:


Click on the button at the top to read all the other rebel randoms and link up your own!




Friday, June 24, 2011

Does this make me a bad wife??

to make sure there are no more surprise babies, James Bond got the big V yesterday.  I know it hurts, but they didn't even have to put in any stitches.  He acts like he gave birth to the largest baby in the world naturally.  Give me a break.  I've gotten more than a giggle or two out of pretending to throw things into his lap.  The look on his face is priceless and he falls for it every. single. time.  And then he tells me I'm evil and sulks for a few minutes. It's the little things that make life fun.  Does this make me a bad wife????

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

RTT: So random I had to do it on a Wednesday


Stacy


Bonjour mes amies!  We're back from the City of Lights and what a trip it was!  Indy and I had so much fun, despite the rain and cold (yes, COLD in June).  C'est la vie!  I've got lots of blog fodder from the trip, but that will come later.  First I have to do my RTT, but I'm a day late because all that having fun was exhausting and I needed yesterday to rest.  So, I'm really rebeling it up and doing it on a Wednesday.  How random am I?  I mentioned a few things last week before the trip that I'm going to elaborate on.  Are you ready? 

*Why is Wednesday spelled that way?  Or do we just pronounce it wrong because it's hard to say?

*Arf has created a little "Bat Cave" behind a curtain panel in the living room.  It's very odd.  The panel is behind a table and he drug a little blanket from his crate back there.  We didn't know what he was doing, but saw the curtains move every now and then.  One day I decided to investigate and found his blanket and a toy back there.  How weird is that?  Maybe he just needed a space of his own?  We call it his bat cave, but maybe we should call it a "dog cave" instead.

*Indy wrote a letter to the new general who now lives across the street form us.  LTG Hertling took over as the USAEUR (US Army Europe) commander from Indy's good friend General Ham (who is now the Africom Commander) back in March.  Indy decided he had to write a letter to welcome LTG Hertling to the "neighborhood."  He wrote him a very sweet letter and said that even thought LTG is a Cardinals fan and we are Cubs fans, Indy thought they could still be friends.  What a silly boy.  We took it over to drop it off, but the guards said they couldn't accept it and we had to wait for an aide-de-camp to come down from the house to get it.  What?  We had to wait FOREVER before the aide called down and told the guard just to take the letter, which is really what they should have done in the first place.  So, we drop off the letter and go on our merry little way.  Monday, I called James Bond from the train to tell him we were delayed (more on this later) and he tells me that LTG Hertling came to our door that afternoon looking for Indy!  He had a letter for him and wanted to meet him in person.  JB didn't recognize him!  To be fair, he wasn't in uniform and JB doesn't see him on a daily basis.  It wasn't until after the LTG left that JB realized who he was.  OMG, I laughed so hard.  The letter was very nice and agreed that even though Indy is a Cubs fan, they could probably be friends.  I'm sure there will be more to this story.  Stay tuned.

*Okay, my first ever problem with Amazon.  I was so mad I almost couldn't speak.  I ordered some Dr. Brown's pacifiers that specify "colors may vary."  AS there are 7 colors, I figured the odds were pretty high that I'd get a color I couldn't use.  I was wrong.  Of course we got pink.  This is the second time I've ordered something with "colors may vary" and gotten pink.  I didn't worry about the first item because it was something that would never leave the house and Han Solo doesn't care anyway.  A paci will likely leave the house and while I'm all for not stereotyping, I'm still not going to take him out with a pink paci.  I started a customer service chat on Amazon to see if there was any way I could get a different color.  The CSR comes on and I explain the problem.  Take a good look at the paci below and note the color.  Then read the rest.


Okay, got a good look?  So, here's a rough transcript of our convo:

Me:  The paci I received is pink and I have a boy.  Is there any way to trade it out for a different color.  It doesn't have to be blue, just not pink.
(a minute or two goes by)
CSR: That paci isn't available in pink
Me: Well, I'm holding a pink one in my hand and if you look at the item page, it shows a pink one in the second photo.
(another minute or two goes by)
CSR: It's not pink.
Me: Yes, it is, I'm looking at it.
CSR: It's not pink. It's magenta.
Me: Are you serious?
CSR: Yes, ma'am. It's not pink.
Me: What color is magenta?
CSR: Magenta.
Me: Okay, well then, I need one that is not MAGENTA, as I have a boy.
CSR: How can I help?
Me: Let me exchange the pink paci for a different color.
CSR: Again, it's not pink. It's magenta.

At this point I had to end the chat because I was so irritated. I started a new chat with a different CSR and asked for a phone number so I could talk to a person. You have to request a number as they don't post it on the website. I called and explained why I was so irritated and and the CSR apologized profusely and said the CSR should never have acted like that and promised they would ship me a new paci at no charge and that I could keep the pink one and use it at home or give it to someone with a baby girl (which I did). The new one came the other day. It was orange, which I can live with. I have to say this was an anomaly. I've been an Amazon customer since 96 or 97 and have always had excellent customer service experiences including a replacement Kindle in 3 days when James Bond's quit working. I gave the CSR's name (and apparently they have a record of the chats) so I'm hoping this person gets a stern talking to. Idiot.

Ugh, I've written a ton, so I'll stop.  I've got more randoms but I don't want to send you into a coma.  I have one more thing though!  A few weeks back I told you about a Mike & Ike candy I found that looked like a penis and promised a photo.   Here you go:


So, that's my RTT, on a Wed.  Better late than never, right????

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Bad blogger!

I've been a bad blogger this week! I even missed RTT! WHAT????? I know! I'm super bummed about that, but we've been pushing hard to finish up the school year a day early so Indy and I can hop a train to Paris tomorrow!  Huzzah!  He's currently finishing his last 2 math lessons while I type and when he's done, we're through!!!!!  What a long year!  When it started, I had no idea I was already pregnant (by just a week or two) and now as it ends, Han Solo is 2 months old! 
I've got a lot to talk about, like the magic CD, Arf's "Bat Cave" (Dog Cave?), a letter to the new General and my first EVER problem with Amazon.com (I've been a customer since 1997!) that came to a happy end, but you will not believe what a Customer Service Rep argued with me about over their help chat.  I'll leave that for another time though (aren't you curious?  Of course you are, so I know you'll come back-I'm clever like that), as I have to do laundry and pack for Paris!  James Bond will be staying home with Han Solo and the dogs and Indy and I will spend 4 fun days in the City of Lights.  Is it bad that the thing I'm most looking forward to is 3 nights of uninterrupted sleep?  :)
I'll see you all next week!  Au revoir!



Thursday, June 9, 2011

Happy Birthday to my beloved!

Do you know who's turning 48 today? That's right, my beloved Johnny Depp. On a home schooling board I post on, we have an official Johnny Depp birthday thread that has been going strong all day.

I decided to share a story with them about a little trip Johnny and I took a while back and some of the photos I took while on it.  I'll share them with you too.

So, we were on vacation and staying at a lovely resort.  One morning, after a leisurely breakfast in bed, we hung out on the balcony of our hotel for a while.  Here's my beloved:

Photobucket


Then we went for a drive. Here's Johnny waiting for me to get in:

Photobucket

We ended up at the beach. Johnny knows I'm not a beach kind of girl, so we didn't get in the water, but rather strolled around for a while.

Photobucket

After we left the beach, we went to this funky little garden owned by an artist friend of Johnny's. It's open to the public, but his friend shut it down for a while so Johnny and I could have some privacy. Here's Johnny being silly:

Photobucket

Oh Johnny, you crack me up!



Johnny can be crazy impulsive and on a whim, we hopped on a train bund for Paris. He loves to take me to Paris! He brought along an instant camera. He says he likes the old school Polaroids. He snapped several photos of me while we traveled (if you look closely, you can see me in the photos on the table). He also wrote down poems he composed to express his love for me. They're in the notebook under the photos.

Photobucket

Once we got to Paris, he decided we should explore the city in a new way, so we climbed up on the roof of a building. We had lovely views, but I was so nervous he was going to fall off the edge Be careful, my darling!  (Click to see the full photo)

Photobucket

We checked into another hotel and he (sweetly) made an appointment for me to have a massage and told me to enjoy myself. As I left though, I turned around and caught him staring at me through the window, like he couldn't bear to be parted from me. Don't worry Johnny, you know I'll be back.

Photobucket


When I came back to our hotel room, I caught Johnny practicing his dance steps. He didn't know I was watching. Look how cute he is. He was stressed out trying to remember the right steps.


Photobucket


After an intimate dinner and dancing, we were hot and sweaty (just the way I like Johnny) and decided to go for a dip in the hotel pool. Before we went back up to the room though, crazy Johnny realized he's left something in the car we rented and ran out to get it in his towel! Aren't you glad I was there to catch that moment?

Photobucket

We returned to the room for a nightcap.

Photobucket


Things got a little steamy, and I'm afraid I can't kiss and tell, so I'll leave that up to your imagination.

The next morning, I woke up and found Johnny looking at me lovingly and holding a rose. Isn't he the sweetest???

Photobucket


Whew! That was quite a day. Remind me to tell you about the time we went on a private yacht and cruised around the Med.


Here's a photo I took years ago when we were both much younger. Yes, I made the cake. He likes a girl who can bake you know.

Photobucket

Happy Birthday Johnny!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

RTT:The video heavy editon


Stacy


11 weeks, Keely.  Eleven Weeks.  Why have you forsaken us?  You have time to get a feather in your hair, (for reals, peeps) but not host RTT?  Lame.  That's okay though because we've got Stacy to rebel with.  Rock on Stacy!

*In case yo didn't know, my beloved Johnny Depp is going to be staring in a new movie version of The Lone Ranger as Tonto. Sa-weet!  He's been attached to the project since 2008.  Make that damn movie already!

*Why do they call him The Lone Ranger if he's got Tonto? Doesn't that mean he's not alone.

*OMG, I started back on the 30 Day Shred and all I can say is OUCH.  Jillian Michaels is the devil.  De-vil!  I hate her.  A lot.  Damn her skinny self.

*Defy Authority, Feed the Pigeons

*It's a good thing we don't have CourtTV because I would watch the Casey Anthony trial all day. Seriously, I'm fascinated by the crazy things the defense has come up with.

*Anthony Weiner.  What a tool.  Anyone surprised he did it?  Yeah, me neither.

*Again, how is Robbie Williams not popular in the US????  I want to rock with you Robbie!  Be sure to watch until at least 1:55 (you won't regret it). Stop at 2:40 though because it gets weird after that. If I know Raven though, she'll like the weird. ;)



*Squeeeeeeee!!!!!



*And no, I didn't write (or sing this), but I totally should have, because, yes, this is exactly how I feel about my beloved Johnny Depp (really, you must listen to the lyrics):



*Indy and I went to see Kung Fu Panda 2 the other day and stood in line for 45 minutes.  We got to the register and they sold out.  !@#$%  Indy was crushed, but I promised to take him back tonight.  It's already night here and we just got back.  It. Was. Freaking. Awesome!  I actually think it was better than the first.  Shut the front door!  I know.  Visually, it was gorgeous.  We didn't see it in 3D, but it was still filmed in 3D and had depth!  If you haven't seen it, do so.  Ska-doosh!

*At least he has goal:



And that concludes today's RTT.  Go hit the button up top, show Stacy some love and then link your own RTT.  You know you want to.

Monday, June 6, 2011

D-Day 67 Years Later

The anniversary of the D-Day landings seem to be largely ignored this year, but there are those who will never forget. In the small town of Bedford, VA, they remember D-Day every year. Why, Bedford, VA, you might wonder? Because Bedford lost more men per capita than any other city in the US during the D-Day invasions. When we went to the 65th anniversary Battle of the Bulge Memorial Walk (Dec 09), we were lucky enough to attend a showing of the movie Bedford: The Town They Left Behind. It was incredibly moving and there were many tears shed by those in the audience. This is the trailer for it. If you're interested, it can be purchased at Amazon.com and is also available as an instant download for $2.99.  I don't normally tout movies or products in my memorial posts, but this seems appropriate.  It is an amazing documentary.



 I did a post last year on D-Day with photos of our trip to Normandy.  If you'd like to see them, you can find the post here.   It was a somber and amazing trip. 

Take a moment today to remember all the men who stormed those beaches.  Honor their bravery and be grateful that they were willing to face this almost insurmountable task.   This world could be a very different place if it weren't for them.



Sunday, June 5, 2011

Christening!

Han Solo officially received guilt yesterday. By that I mean he became Catholic. :) We had a private Christening in a side chapel of the Heidelberg Mark Twain Village chapel. It was short and sweet and ridiculously hot. Han Solo was awesome. He fussed while I was putting his gown on him and cried a little, but then promptly fell asleep and stayed asleep for the entire thing. Huzzah!   His gown looked fabulous on him, but it's a little large, so we're going to wait a few weeks to get his photos taken in it.  He's been smiling more and more, so I'm hoping to get a good photo of him in the gown smiling.  Here are some photos from yesterday:

 Me and the man of the hour.  Notice my fascinator???  That's right, I'm bringing hats and hair pieces back!


Getting ready to get a holy water shampoo.


With his awesome godparents JAG and Hoosier Mom:

Our sweet little family:

My little man!  Isn't he precious?


We had people back to our house afterward for cake and punch and Han Solo slept almost the entire time.  He's a real party animal, that one.  Best of all though, a true miracle occurred last night.  He slept 7 straight hours!!!  If I'd known that was going to happen, I'd have gotten him Christened weeks ago!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...