bonne nuit

Hello and goodnight! I had a long day with the kids, but it wasn't so bad! Still have the cold, but it's getting better. I took the kids for a picnic at lunch.....there just happens to be a massive chateau and garden just down the street from school, so that's where we picnic-ed! I went to St. Lazare and Place du Havre for about 2 hours (put on some hot jeans and heels merely to people watch and grab a coffee)....then returned home to go for a 35 minute jog, make a quick dinner and shower, then babysat for about 2.5 hours....and got to call some friends from the house phone!

When Virginie and Jerome arrived home they were in good spirits and we discussed some 'business' and laughed about the kids...apparently last night when she tried to put Matt down for bed he was saying "pas toi! pas toi! Laura! Laura!" He was whining and asking for me to put him to bed and not her..ahhh that was cute! So we had a good laugh over that...and today Tiphaine basically "hailed a cab" all by herself....well she actually did exactly what you'd do to hail a cab, but to tell a car to stop so we could cross the street! It was sooo hilarious, I wasn't even planning to cross the street right at this point, but out of nowhere a car stopped, I looked over and saw Tiph's hand in the air and realized she had 'hailed a cab' and the car actually stopped for us! I started laughing and looked at the people in the car, they were laughing too as we both realized Tiph did this all on her own! She didn't even realize how funny it was until after the fact.....but we got to cross the street without any problems!
Okay I'm off to bed
Bonne nuit!

Some Shout-Outs!!

Just want to give a few shout-outs!

Shout-out to the Switzers! Glad to see you joined the blog crew. I did in fact get some great OTC meds for my cold, and I feel much better today after a good solid night of rest. Hope you'll keep up on the blog and stay in touch! I'm enjoying the red wine here and learning how to cook!

Shout-out to my biggest blog fan---GMA, WASSUP? Yep, that's you Grandma! I heard you look forward to every new blog so I'm glad it's a form of entertainment. I love you dearly!

Thanks Aunt Judy for my letter and newspaper clippings! Got them today in the mail and laughed pretty hard about the cat "terrorizing" Pullman! I swear to God I think it's Fraidy! If they find out his owners are from Uniontown, then it's true I raised a bully.

Okay on with the daily blog....today I really do feel better, my cold is not all gone, but I got a good 8 hours of sleep and was energized this morning. I'm still taking my cold medicine, and hopefully I'm good to go by Friday night. I had a busy and productive day with the kids...taking them to/from school (I must say I lose my patience sometimes with the little one...he doesn't obey very well all the time and when it comes to doing naughty things involving the car, I get irritated quickly and am not so fun...like sticking his head out the window even though it's parked, or unbuckling his belt, or running into the street) I guess I forget he's not quite 3...I just want him to behave a little better...I'll work on that. I need to work on my patience too...I got irritable fairly quick today with him, and he still managed to disobey throughout the day. However I realized tonight that he hadn't taken a nap and this definitely contributed to his crankiness and whining (even Virginie said so). Anyways, I prepared a game of "restaurant" (thanks for the idea Ruthie!) for lunch....I made up menus and set the table, and made a sign for the door saying "Restaurant Laura...Bienvenue". I was the server...and took their orders. They ordered drinks, an aperatif, a main dish and dessert. I looked for everything I could make that was in the fridge and was hoping they'd go for the more elaborate things, but no...they ordered hot dogs and chicken nuggets. Oh well! It was a fun game for them. I made a poster with Matthieu and then we played with the play-do type activity that my sister sent him for a gift. We made a turtle, a gift box, and a ball of green and purple goo....lol. Ines had her first day of gymnastics....it went well. I got done with work at 7 and attempted to go for my brisk 30 minute walk, but realized it was chilly and since I have a cold and also got a little tummy ache during the walk, I cut it down to 20 minutes and returned home.

Tomorrow I have the afternoon off (about 5 hours!) which is enough to go into the city for a cafe and maybe see something new. I have to 'babysit' in the evening for about 2 hours, so I can't plan too much...I just got some poster-type butcher paper for my walls, so I can hang those and tape my photos from home, etc. I'm excited to give my walls some color. Well, I think that's all for now. I am going to start some decorating, read from my latest novel and go to bed shortly...

p.s. Too bad about Britney Spears bombing her comeback...wow, it was terrible! I watched it on YouTube...think it's time she be a stay-at-home mom or "quelque chose comme ca"

and Ms. South Carolina Teen USA, did you see her response to the question about "why can't so many Americans locate the USA on a world map?" omg...how embarrassing!

A Cold in Paris

(In honor of September 11, I post a photo I took last Saturday at the track meet SEAT DecaNation that I went to...our flag was flying right above my head. Thoughts and prayers to the Wullenwaber family in memory of Luke, and the Randall family, with Mooch in Iraq.. today)

Hello everyone. It’s been a couple days…I haven’t been wanting to write every night, and I’m sure that’s how it will go often. Especially during the work week, some nights I don’t get in the studio til 7:30 or 8 and I just want to do nothing before I go to bed. Sunday I had a lazy and relaxing day in Bougival. I went for a good walk, finding out how to get in good 40 minute walk right here in the neighborhood, with a big hill included! I should do that about 4 times a week and I’ll be golden. Monday was my first day driving the kids to school alone, and it went very well! The trip each way is 15 minutes…and it’s not like driving from mom’s house to St. Stans! It’s basically a 15 minutes commute. I drop the kids off, return home, pick them up for lunch and go home, take them back to school and come home, go back again at the end of the day…so there will be a lot of driving in my future. However, some of those trips will be eliminated when I start my French and Aerobic class…I will stay near their school in the morning and not have to drive back home. And sometimes if it’s nice weather I will bring a picnic lunch and we’ll eat lunch at a park near the school…so it won’t always be a lot of driving. I still have a few more aspects of driving here to get down…like the ‘round-abouts’ and letting the person on the right have the right-of-way, getting used to narrow roads and bikes, etc. But all in all, it’s good. The only real part of taking the kids to school so much that I don’t like is the PARKING! There is not a parking lot for the school, and there are about 4 schools in this area…so lots of cars on every surrounding street, so it’s a game of chance if I get a good spot. There always is a spot somewhere though…it’s just crappy when it’s so far away from the school. Not crappy for me to walk, but for the kids it’s like dragging them to school…sometimes I just have to say “au revoir” and walk quickly to get them to come…haha. Lukily there are a couple times during the day I can ‘park illegaly’ for about 5 minutes just to drop them off. It’s interesting because we (all the kids and mom’s) stand outside the school gate until it opens, then I have to walk each child to their classroom. Actually, we saw bye to Ines at her building, and then walk over and I take Tiphaine and Matthieu right to their class. I help them hang their bag and they also wear these adorable little ‘painter’s coats’ (if you will) over their clothes when they are in class…I suppose to protect their clothes from any stains. So I make sure they have those on, and then they’re off! Tiphaine has been giving me a kiss on the cheek to say goodbye. It’s pretty cute. I think I am the only au pair at this school…at least a young one, because everyone else appears to be the mother of the child, and not an au pair. But they all seem friendly, and I guess I fit in. The teachers know that I am an au pair so they realize who is picking up the kids…

Unfortunately the last 2 days I’ve been sick with a cold. I have not had a good night of sleep, as my throat is itchy and my nose runny. Ugh. It makes the morning difficult to get ready so early. Today I kind of ‘scrubbed out’ but still managed to look cute somehow. Lol. I went to the pharmacy after taking the kids to school and bought some cold medicine so I hope that kicks in soon. I didn’t have to work this afternoon after the kids’ lunch, which is great. I had originally planned to go into the city to play today…but it’s a little chilly and with my cold and lack of sleep, I opted against the fun. I think it’ll be really difficult to work if I’m not feeling well or so tired. So hopefully I’m rested up for tomorrow’s full day of work. At least at the moment I’m not having to WORK hours after hours because I am just driving the kids to school. It will be more hectic when I start my classes, as I’ll have less time to prepare their lunch. They start all their ‘activities’ this week and next week as well…like gym and dance. So I’m lucky to have this afternoon free, and Friday as well. I just want to feel better!

Before going upstairs this morning for work, I checked my bank account and didn’t like what I saw, and am REALLY upset at the cell phone company I’m currently using for an Intl phone. They have made a few mistakes with my billing, etc, AFTER I’d been on the phone and was under the impression it was all set and fixed. So, that + being sick made me upset when I went upstairs. Virginie and Jerome are very understanding when things come up that make me stressed, so luckily I talked to them for a minute…of course they can’t resolve this issue for me. I had to wait for this afternoon to CALL the company and of course, LEAVE A MESSAGE…ugh. Internet in the house was down this afternoon as well so I couldn’t email them, or my banker in Lewiston, which I am hoping to do to solve this. Anyways, after saying bye to Virginie and Jerome this morning and taking the kids to school, I came back home and there was a BIG BOX for ME in the kitchen! It was from my sister! She sent me a few goodies (can’t WAIT to watch SNL: The Best of Cheri Oteri DVD) and then there were gifts wrapped for each of the 3 kids. It was so cute, I displayed the gifts on the table in the living room so they’d see them when they got home for lunch. They were very excited and happy to get princess crowns and wands, nail polish, stickers, and an animal art project type activity for Mattheiu! They loved it all…CARS stickers and Disney princess stickers. And the girls have never had nail polish, so I told them they had to wait to ask Virginie if they can use it. Hehe. Anyways, that was fun for them and I told them they could have a little party with the princess crowns with their girlfriends.

Next Monday I’m going to see Gwen Stefani in concert! I’m incredibly excited, obviously. The kids actually are loving her songs that I play them, so they know I’m going to her concert and want to come with me! Lol. I’m not sure what I’m doing this weekend, but most definitely getting out of the house and exploring, as long as I’m feeling better. My mom recently sent me a ‘book’ type thing with 50 Paris City Walks…so I can take my pick and go for a fun walk in Paris and see more sites and neighborhoods. Well, right now I am sniffling in a Kleenex (une mouchoir) and watching t.v. I have 5 channels on my t.v., so I watch the news and the rest are American programs and movies, all in French! I watch Friends, Will & Grace, Desperate Housewives and ER all in French. Actually, I really just have the t.v. on for background noise in general…I listen to a cool radio station in my studio. It plays cool French music, modern, some reggae, and then a whole variety of American music. Sometimes I listen to c.d’s too, or my iTunes on my laptop. Despite not having ‘company’ here right now in France, at least I have a variety of entertainment! Well I’m signing off for now and resting.

A bientot

Venting

So the last couple days have been fine...nothing majorly exciting. A little blah, in fact...I guess I'm just saying this because today (Sunday), I'm feeling blah. A little homesick...just in the sense that I want to talk to some of my friends and can't really (until I find a calling card)...or they find one and call me. It'd be nice if I had a best friend here, or a boyfriend I guess...someone to go for a walk with and talk, or go for coffee with on a more regular basis. It's a little weird seeing all these pictures of everyone back home on facebook, going out at night, or just knowing that they talk every day and hang out! Haha. I know that's not what I want...I don't want to live that college-type life anymore, and that I REALLY AM happy here, and having fun being independent and seeing amazing things. My whole thought process has already changed quite drastically I think...meaning, I don't really care what others think of me. I CAN'T! Like...it doesn't matter what people in the States think of me, or how I look, or what I'm doing..because right now they don't really know me...in a weird way, we are disconnected. And as far as Paris goes, I can't care what others think of me....for the most part, I see someone for one minute, and then they're gone...disappeared on the metro, or walk right past me, or leave the store..whatever it is, life is very fast here. Which I realize is also going to make it difficult to meet MANY people enough to become friends. Life is just fast here. So I just have to be more bold...try to make friends in my class I'll start in October, or go to a pub or cafe that I like often...etc. I think if I can just make a few good friends here, I'll be okay....and it won't be so strange seeing photos of everyone back home and thinking "wow, they're all together and I'm alone." I know this is totally worth it for me, and I'm not crying about all this...even though the last 2 days I've wanted to a little bit. At least I can start looking forward to some visits in the next few months...I think starting in December or January I'll start seeing a familiar face or two! And actually...I AM liking life here so much, I'm wondering how it'd be possible for me to stay here next year, after my job is over....part of me really wants to stay longer, so I have to start doing research. However, if I return to the states I know I will want to go to a bigger area, or one where there are sites I have not seen yet....perhaps the East coast...who knows. Maybe California though, lol. It's far enough away that I don't have to stress over decisions yet!

This morning was my last time driving with Jerome...it's Sunday, but I wanted to get it over with today and not have to do it after a day of work....it all went well, until the end I guess. I feel fairly confident in getting to places...I'm sure it'll take a week to really have it down without second guessing myself. But today just toward the end of our driving session, I was caught in between a person on a bike and a car...And I tried to get around the bike, but Jerome got kind of 'mad' (not mad, but u know what I mean) that I didn't just stop and wait for the area to clear before I advanced. I HATE BIKES! I really can't stand driving with a biker next to me...it's awful, especially on the roads here in France, which are narrow...and it wasn't like I was about to hit anyone, but I just get nervous with Jerome sitting next to me..kind of being treated like a first time driver, when I've been driving for about 6 years in the U.S.A. I guess it's the foreign country, the language that makes me feel like I'm learning how to drive all over again. Anyways...since I haven't been in the most chipper mood the last 2 days, having Jerome be kind of irritated with me made me feel like crap...and this just happened about 30 minutes ago so that's why I'm venting right now on the blog. I'm not too worried about it...it was just an honest mistake...I'm just not used to driving on narrow roads with cars and bikes on both sides of me. And the situation makes it easier to 'freeze up'. I shouldn't be driving anymore with the parents...tomorrow is my first morning driving solo with the kids, taking them to school, etc. It'll be a little test to see if I can make everyone on time to class, etc. I'm only working a half day though...so I should be free after lunch. I will probably go into the city tomorow afternoon just to get out of the house and see if I can meet anyone new...not sure where I'll go to.

Yesterday was a decent day...I went to SEAT DecaNation, a professional track meet at a big stadium in Paris. It was pretty cool! Like a summer Olympics track meet, with 8 different nations..the U.S.A REPRESENTED! It was pretty cool to see the U.S. team there...I took some pictures...both men and women won in different running events. I sat right behind the high jump. I had a great seat. It was PERFECT weather...70 degrees, clear skies and sunny. The crowd was a typical crowd...lots of cheering, you would have no idea you were in France. I mean it seemed just like going to a Dodger game in California or a track meet in Washington. The crowd roared everytime a French person won or competed...It was awesome to see the 1500 meter, 100 meter dash, hurdles, the Steeple, etc. A few times the Americains beat out the French teammate at the last minute. I was about the only one cheering but it was cool! After that I met Kirsty near Notre Dame. (Not KRISTY, but Kirsty) She is an au pair that lives in Versailles. She works for a friend of Virginie...she is 19 years old and from South Africa. She is white and speaks English (similar to an English accent, but it's a South African English accent, actually...) She is really sweet, and cool. We had a small dinner and then came back to Bougival where we had some wine, visited and watched a movie in my studio. So it was a good night. We will definitely keep in touch. She only lives about 10-15 minutes away by the train...but we are both busy during the week so I think we will meet up maybe a couple times a month...we'll see. she actually lives just after the first of December...to back home and start school. SO it will be a friend to have for a few months here...and then she'll go :( But hey, maybe I could get a visit to South Africa out of it later in life?
Today I am not really doing anything...not going into Paris. I want to clean the studio, organize some things, catch up on reading and probably go for a walk later...and make a good dinner. Otherwise I'm laying low...I want to plan a little weekend trip for this Fall...so I need to start researching. Either going to London or Italy probably....a friend from Delta Gamma back in Idaho is studying abroad this semester in Italy, so it'd be great to be able to stay with her for a weekend...and if I go to London I'll have to find a cheap place to stay for a night. But since London is sooo close, I think it's definitely feasible. Okay... off to start my non-eventful day.

Au revoir

Hurry up, and WAIT, and then have a ridiculous day!

Wow, where to begin! Well first I'll start with the positive things that occured yesterday and today. Haha. The kids technically started school yesterday, but it was simply an 'orientation' type day with the parents. The children just played for about an hour in their classroom with the other kids while the parents met the teacher, picked up papers and got everything 'lined up'. I went with Tiphaine to her classroom and met her "maitress" (teacher) and it was fairly simple, nothing major. But it was pretty funny to see the other children. Some were calm and nice like Tiphaine, carefully watching the others and playing quietly. Then there were about 2 children, one boy and one girl, who completely stood out from the others. They were both VERY loud and obnoxious, and quite 'bizarre'. The funniest part was watching Tiphaine's facial expressions as she watched the boy acting very strange, and in awe of the girl acting like a crazy monkey or something. Tiph's mouth dropped to the floor practically and she looked so confused by these kids. It was REALLY amusing to see her reaction to the 'weird ones'. This is a new school for the kids so all 3 of them will be making new friends. We were only at the school for a little over 2 hours, and then Virginie went to work so I stayed home in the afternoon with the kids, and it was a fairly routine day.

TODAY, was the REAL first day of school, and it was really cute taking the kids to school. Ines was so brave walking to the class by herself, both Virginie and I teared up!! I felt like I was her big sister taking her to the first day of school. We then walked Tiphaine to her classroom, where she gave her mom a kiss goodbye, and then ME a kiss on the cheek goodbye! It was so cute...I said "See you at lunch Tiphaine!", and off she went. Both girls were brave and not nervous at all. Then we took Matthieu to his classroom. He was difficult for about 2 minutes, and then just quietly walked into the classroom and sat next to another little boy (who was crying). Virginie and I were shocked that he did so well leaving us. Sooo the first morning went very well.

Then the hell began. WITH ME!

Virginie and I returned to Versailles for the 4th time for me to go to "le prefecture" (a government office) to get my 'carte du sejour', which replaces my VISA. She waited with me for 90 minutes, and my # still hadn't been called, so she had to leave me there alone so she could pick up the children for lunch. (Yes, the kids come home for lunch time) I was disappointed I couldn't go with her because 1) I didn't want to stay at the prefecture longer, and 2) I wanted to see how the lunch time routine goes since I'll be doing it alone normally, and to see how the morning went for the kids.

Well, I ended up waiting for an additional 2.5 hours until I was completely finished. Let me tell you....it's similar to the DMV in a big city in the States. Lots of #s being called, when mine was called I thought I'd be done, but NOOO after I turned in my papers I had to wait another hour for the 'okay' on the papers, THEN go to a different office to make a doctor's appointment (required), THEN return to the first office to get my Passport back. After the first go-round, I realized I needed to be aggressive and take the innitiative to make things happen so I could leave. I had to basically interupt 2 of the workers to get me help. THANK GOD I figured out how it all works and even if I upset other people waiting in line, it's imperative to get in and get out...otherwise I would have been there ALL DAY. So in total, I was at the prefecture for 4 hours. I had NO IDEA this morning that that's how my day would go. (I also observed some very strange foreigners in the prefecture...I think something illegal was going on, as did other employees in the building...I'd explain but it's not necessary...at least that entertained me a little bit)

After the prefecture, I walked to the station (I didn't have my train pass with me since I'd originally gone in the car with Virginie, so she gave me money for a train ticket). On the way to the station I HAD to buy a snack, as I was starving at this point. Inside 'la gare' (the station) I tried to purchase a ticket in a machine, and sure enough the machine ATE MY MONEY. And wouldn't give it back...so I had to wait another 10 minutes for a man to help me and open the machine, return my money. Then I went through the gate to get to the train...all to realize I needed to use the restroom but it was too late...there aren't any restrooms once you go through the gate. GREAT. So I patiently waited for the train, when my cell phone rang. It was a man from the bank to discuss opening an account here (per Virginie & Jerome's instructions, to deposit my pay checks)...so as I was speaking with him and trying to comprehend everything, I ran to the train after WAITING FOR IT, AND OF COURSE I MISSED THE TRAIN BY 1 MINUTE!!! Damn phone call!!! So I had to wait another 30 minutes. It was a LONG day.

The first time I've been really frustrated I suppose, but I blame it on the prefecture. At least now I think most everything is in place. There are still a couple more 'buisness logistics' to complete, but it's all going to be okay I think.

I arrived at home just in time to vacuum the childrens' rooms and 'arrange' them, then Virginie and I left to get the kids. (Matthieu had stayed home in the afternoon after lunch, as he "had a cow" at school and V decided to bring him home....for the pre-school age children it's optional to stay at home in the afternoon or stay at school). I drove the car this afternoon just to get used to driving to school. It will take a couple more times to get everything down, but it went well.

Side note: the children go to a private Catholic school (but it's not VERY traditional Catholic, as they only study Religion once a week and there is not a church they attend). The mothers ALL dress nice, wear Chanel glasses and cute shoes. It's quite a site. But everyone seems very friendly and the children are just the average kids, except with very nice clothes. Haha. The classrooms are very similar to what one would see in the States. Nothing out of the ordinary, with little desks, toys, posters on the wall, etc. The teachers look the same...casually dressed but nice looking, very friendly and energetic, etc. They know I am the kids' au pair and that I'll be the one taking them to school every day (I walk each one into their classroom every day). Today Tiphaine had to bring photos in to her class of everyone in her family...so she insisted on bringing a photo of me too! It was cute. She asked if she should refer to me as her big sister, but we agreed to just call me the au pair that will live with her for a year! J'adore Tiphaine!

A little of this, a little of that

Hello!!!! (As Ines likes to shout) It has been 2 days since my last blog. Je suis fatigue. (I am tired) I had a busy, eventful and pretty great 4 day weekend. You all know about my day of museums and memorials...On Saturday I got kind of 'dressed up' in a cute dress and spent the day at Victor Hugo's house (SO great to go inside it). I loved his apartment...11 rooms! Technically...It was very pretty, and so neat to see where he wrote. In the end I purchased a small book of love letters that he and his wife wrote each other spanning 50 years. I ate lunch at Cafe Hugo, walked to H&M and bought an umbrella for 5 euro, just in case it rained (and it didn't). My day Saturday was fairly long, with lots of walking and some metro hopping, just getting more used to the city, etc. I ended my day fairly early (by dinner) and returned to the studio. I had a nice meal and went to bed fairly early (since Sunday I woke up really early to catch the Louvre when it opened). Yesterday, (Monday), I slept in which FELT GREAT! When I woke up I exercised for about 30 minutes, then got ready for the day. I also cleaned the studio a little bit, vacuumed and started a load of laundry, then I was off to the city! I went to La Madeleine first to do a little gift shopping. I was 75% successful...my goals were:
1)find the specific shop I was looking for
2) purchase the small gift I wanted
3) find la poste
4) mail the gift

I got through #3 without failure, but OF COURSE the post office was busy and after waiting in line, I realized it was too expensive to buy the envelope/box I needed...and so I left. Thankfully today I found a store with cheap envelopes so I HOPE it works. I will find out in a day or two when I return to the post office. I enjoyed walking around the Madeleine and seeing all the shops and cafes...definitely a fun place to hang out (and there's a great little restaurant I want to eat at, but I prefer to wait until I have someone to eat WITH, as this place was trendy and I just didn't want to go in alone that day). The weather yesterday was not optimal for a day at the park, so I WENT to the park just to see where it was (Bois du Bologne...a MASSIVE park, miles long with lakes, paths, and a horse track)...I didn't stay there long because it wasn't good weather and hardly anyone was there except for a few creepy ones...and I could tell I didn't enter at the best location. So I will most definitely return on a weekend (when they say its the most fun) and probably wear my workout clothes so I can jog along the paths and maybe rent a bike or a canoe for the lake! Then I went to Avenue de la Montaigne, which is the home of many 'haute couture', like Chanel, Dior, Escada, D&G, Cavali, etc...I took pics, but was way too intimidated to enter any store...I'd rather do that when I'm with a friend I think...it was fun to see though and easy to get to! After that
I went to the Champs Elysees again (because they are both on the west side of the city), where I picked up a ticket I purchased a few days ago. There is a 'track meet' here on Saturday, a BIG ONE, with professional athletes competing, called DecaNation, or something like that. Anyways I bought a cheap ticket because I thought it'd be a cool experience to see professional athletes run at a stadium in France! So I picked up the ticket, and then took a pair of my eyeglasses into a shop to be adjusted because they've been bothering me..haha...too tight on my head! Then of course I returned to my favorite cafe/restaurant and had an 'aperatif' for 4 euro (a martini, of course). By that point I was tired and ready to return home. I had FULL days this weekend, so my evenings were early.
Today I woke up early and went to Versailles, where ONCE AGAIN, the SAME FRENCH WOMAN was totally rude and turned me away for the 2nd time in a week (I am trying to turn in some paperwork so I can get my "carte du sejour", which replaces my VISA). Anyways...I was REALLY irritated, she turned me away and just started talk to the man next to her, not even giving me the time of day. I honestly couldn't believe it. So I left and called Virginie...and we'll try again Thursday. Apparently this is how some of them work here....don't really care about being friendly and helpful..??? I went to the gardens of Versailles and walked around the chateau, but did not enter (because I didn't have a lot of time and didn't want to waste my money on just an hour in the castle). I met up with Kirsty, a different au pair, an au pair for a family friend...she is from South Africa, is white and speaks English! (an English accent). She is 19 years old, and has been with the family since January, in Versailles. Anyways, she met me at the chateau and we walked around for an hour and visited. She is really friendly and fun to talk to...she leaves in December, so I assume we'll meet up a few more times before she goes (she isn't right in Bougival so we won't see each other often, but a little bit I think).
After Versailles I returned to Bougival to run a couple errands and get my hair colored again. It's darker now...but not quite as dark as I'd like it to be...since it fades in the sun. But that's ok! It's better than before (especially after the summer sun). I liked the girl a lot and think I'll go back to her and we both decided we'd go darker next time :)
Tomorrow the children start school! And for the first day, it's "mommy and me" during the morning, so Virginie is going with the kids to their classes, BUT since she can't be in two places at once, I will go with Tiphaine (I think) to her class, and be the stand-in mommy! Haha. I suppose I just need to pay attention to what information the teacher gives and maybe we'll do an activity or something? It should be fun to see how a French classroom works....although I may not comprehend EVERYTHING the teacher says, but I'll do my best. I think I might even dress up a little bit just for the hell of it....I need an excuse to wear my dressier clothes anyway, and it'd be fun to get dressed up for their first day of class.
I'm tired...must finish this blog for now.
P.S. I might go see Cabaret this fall at the theater! And also, there are a LOT of good looking men here, however it's difficult when I see them on the metro or in the street because one minute they're there, and the next gone! In the city life happens so fast, I don't think I can MEET anyone just on the street...and the metro-they just dissapear like THAT! So I might go out this Friday night to a bar or club (listed in one of my guide books) and just wing it...go alone, look cute, and see if I make any friends...haha...wish me luck!

Little Miss Museum...Part one of the Weekend

Where to start?! It is only Sunday evening, day 2 of my four day weekend and I've already seen so much! And all in good time....both Saturday and Sunday were fairly early nights. I did not stay out late at all and was back in Bougival by dinner time. Which is sort of nice for this weekend because I'm doing a lot, and could use the extra relaxing and sleep time. Anyways! I'll start with today (Sunday), first. I woke up at 6:30 this morning (after a night of not-so-great sleep). My plan was to be on the train by 8a.m. so I could be standing in line for the museum before opening at 9. C'est parfait! It worked like a charm. I was total tourist today, in my yoga pants and tennis shoes and Idaho tee shirt (GO VANDALS!). It took 35 minutes from Bougival to Musee du Louvre. C'est pas mal. It was great because the metro stops RIGHT INSIDE THE LOUVRE! And guess where I was...RIGHT UNDER THE GLASS PYRAMID inside! It was pretty great. Today is the first Sunday of the month so museums are free...so I was inside quickly and grabbed a map. (side note: I've discovered it is a really good idea to go straight for the main attraction, or whatever it is my heart is set on seeing) Nonetheless, in order to avoid major crowds or lines I went right for the Mona Lisa. She was not hard to find, and of course there were fabulous sculptures all along the way to her. I really loved the Italian paintings. Sooo much history and religion in all those paintings. And some of them are WALL SIZE. One must wonder how many months or years painters spent creating these. The Mona Lisa was in a huge room, and she was all alone on a wall, the only painting on this wall behind a glass casing...a crowd of people were crowded in front of her, so I took my time just looking at how SMALL she is (probably 18x24 or something...smaller than a regular size poster for sure)! I wonder...why is she sooo famous? I am going to read up on Mona Lisa. I did get the audioguide and so I got a little info, but not enough. It is very interesting how dark the painting is and how the colors subtly blend together. Anyways, I HAD to take a picture of the handsome guard standing in front of her. HOW CRAZY would that be to say your job is to GUARD the Mona Lisa? Wow, talk about a top dawg. I took a few pictures of her (pics are allowed in the museums, generally without a flash of course). After Mona Lisa (la Jaconde, en francais) I looked at more Italian paintings, then Italian sculptures including a few Michaelangelo's (but I need to go back and spend more time w/Michael). I really liked the wing of the Louvre with Mona Lisa and Italian art. The Louvre itself, the building, is FABULOUS. It is a definite MUST SEE when visiting Paris. It's amazing how huge and immaculate and clean and wide and open it is. I loved it. I saw Greek sculptures and antiques, and Napolean's apartment, which is amazing. Did you know that the Louvre was used as a HOUSE, a CASTLE for some of the kings and other royalty to live in? Wow, talk about unnecessary....it is so incredibly large. But not nearly as intimidating as I thought it'd be. Sure there are a lot of people there, but because of the way the building is structured and so open and wide, it doesn't feel crowded. As I was in certain halls, and especially with Mona Lisa, I was imagining "The Da Vinci Code" in my mind...now I want to see that movie again! I really like the Louvre itself. The art and sculptures were wonderful, and I will go back to spend more time....but I know the Louvre will not be my favorite museum here, as the art is not necessarily my style and I can't stare at one sculpture for 5 minutes...it's all a matter of taste in art and interest. I definitely appreciate it though.

Since today was 'free museum' day I wanted to get 2 in, and not stay at one all day. I was seeing today as sort of a "foot in the door" intro to how the museums work, etc. So after about 3 hours I went to the Musee D'Orsay. MY FAVORITE, (I think most definitely). Having been raised on Impressionism thanks to my mother and seeing these paintings so often growing up and hearing stories about them, I came to small tears when I walked into the top level with all Impressionist paintings. (side note: once again, I knew what I wanted to see most in this museum and went there first...it definitely makes the trip better when you don't have to worry about time or lines and just get the most important stuff done first) To see Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, Manet, etc in ALL ORIGINALS was magnificient. And some of the paintings are LARGE, so to see the actual paint up close like that is wonderful. And with Impressionism often times its best to stand further back to really SEE the image, then to walk up close when it becomes blurry and you can see the paint blotches. The colors, the dancers portrayed, the 'water lillies', ohhh to die for! And for the paintings done in pastels, those are in rooms that are darker with dim lighting and the air conditioner is set at a colder temp...so that's interesting to know a little about 'art restoration.' There are so many paintings in Orsay, it's definitely a place I want to spend all day in. There was also an exhibit of photography that I liked, called "Le Main" (the hand), portraying all original photographs that feature hands....of famous historical people...it was quite interesting. D'Orsay is in a newer museum, in an old train station that was restored and converted in the 1980s, and there is a GIGANTIC train clock inside that's really cool. The building is wonderful with great lighting for the art. The Louvre and D'Orsay are just across the Seine from each other, a 10 minute walk...so a definite MUST DO and CAN DO in one day. I plan to spend a day at each place separately, now that I know what I like and prefer. I won't do the audioguide at the Louvre, but I will do the audioguide at D'Orsay because I really love those paintings. I packed a light lunch and ate it in the 'garden' outside the Louvre. I almost feel at home at these places....it's funny. :)

After D'Orsay, I went to Pont d'Alma, the location along the Seine where Princess Diana was killed in a car accident. It just happens to be the 10th anniversary of her death this week, so it was nice to go there now. There is an unofficial memorial for her at the Statue of Liberty gold flame. There are pictures, flowers and notes all over the statue in dedication to her. It was bittersweet. I took a few photos and read some of the notes...some in French, some in English. This location is splendid, with a great view of the Eiffel tower just on the other side of the Seine. The tunnel where she was killed must have been just below me. This location is full of great cafes, and one of the streets just there has tres fabu shops: Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Prada. Sooo this makes sense as to why she would have been at this location on that fateful night. It'll be a good place to show my guests...historical and also fun and trendy, with a great view.

After this, it was almost 5pm and I was ready to head home after a long day of walking and museums. I caught the metro and train and was back home in 20 minutes...I went up to the house and got a few items to stock my fridge and make myself a little dinner. Virginie and Jerome came downstairs a couple hours later to chat with me about some logistics, goo and gah over D'Orsay, and laugh about Idaho's senator Craig and the football game vs. USC!

Okay...I still have to write more about yesterday, Saturday! We'll see how far I get...as I'm kind of sleepy.