c'est l'ete!! {it is summer!}..and an award

oh is life busy right now.

4 kids home on summer holiday..

steve's been at the paris air show..

birthdays,

father's day

and lots of planning and preparation

for our summer ahead.

it is such a bittersweet time in our lives.

we are so excited to be going "home"

to the states for the summer...

but it's been emotional

saying goodbye to friends

we've made this past year.

a year that has gone by 

much too fast.

some friends are leaving 

paris for good..

some just for the summer.

sunday was a beautiful day

here in paris and it being fathers day..

we packed a picnic and the 

entire family in the car

and headed to versailles.

it was a lovely way to celebrate

the funny, handsome,

hardworking, selfless

and incredibly smart father of my kids.

your family loves you steve!

yesterday griffy turned 4!

he is into all things

toy story right now

and spider man.

happy birthday my little man.

we love you so.

and yesterday i met for the first time

a friend i've known for over 4 years.

catie and her daughter 

were here in paris on a school trip.

they carved out a few hours yesterday

to have lunch with griffy and hannah and i.

it was such a treat to spend time

with catie..

and see her in person!

i just love her and her daughter! 

monday

the kids and i fly to boston.

we will stay in boston for the week..

we all have doctors and dentist 

appointments

and we will visit some friends.

and then we head to the vineyard 

for most of the summer!

au revoir!!

Veronique gave me this award recently..

thank you veronique!

i didn't even know what a liebster award was. :)

i have to tell 11 things about me.

ugh.

ok,

here goes.

First..

11 things about me.

1. i never finished college.

i went for a year after high

school and never returned.

2. instead of going to college..

i lived in the florida keys and 

st. thomas

3. i would rather have a 

second (or third) helping of dinner

than dessert.

4. i would rather see a play

or read a book

than go to the movies.

5. but one of my favorite

all time movies is

Dan In Real Life

with Steve Carell.

6. a perfect day

would include a big

bowl of buttery, salty

mashed potatoes.

7. i am deathly afraid

of driving in paris

and have no plan on doing so.

8. a coffee table stacked 

with books and flowers

and candles makes me happy.

9. i'm a pretty good dancer.

and so is steve.

the two of us can 

pretty much cut any rug.

10. i think the world would

be a better place without guns.

11. i believe any problem can be solved

over a pretty glass of champagne.

Second..

11 questions answered..

1. If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, alive or dead,  real or fictional,

who would it be and why?

Hmmm.

probably any one of my ancestors.

i love genealogy and would be interested

in learning more about my own history.

2. Name your favorite restaurant..

if i had to choose it would be 

legal seafoods in boston.

clam chowder,

lobster roll

glass of white wine.

yum.

3. What makes you smile more quickly than anything else?

right now it's the way griffy says his name...

"dwiffy"

4. The best quality in a human being?

generosity

5. What infuriates you more than anything else?

right now..

having a difficult time communicating

in french.

6. If you had to live in any other period in history,

where would it be and why?

with out a doubt..

1920's paris.

the clothes!

the parties!

the music!

the hemingway's 

and the fitgeralds!!

7. What would be your dream job?

well..i have my dream job.

but if it had to be something else..

probably jenna lyons' job 

at j.crew.

8. If you could live anywhere in the world,

where would that be?

other than paris????

i could live in london.

but lately..the talk is singapore.

hmmm.

9.What movie or tv show do you hate

that everyone loves?

ditto to what veronique said.

any reality show.

get them all off the air.

stupid. stupid.stupid.

10. Who is your favorite author?

Jane Austen.

11.  Favorite quote?

"We are tied to the ocean.

And when we go back to the sea,

whether it is to sail or to watch-we are going

back from whence we came.

JFK

and now i get to give out 5 awards!

to bloggers with less than 200 readers.

1. my friend catie

she is creative

and funny

and loves tea and scones

and baby ducks.

go visit her.

2. Cat at Sunday Brocantes...

just moved into a gorgeous farmhouse

in France.

i'm still going back and reading

her blog to learn more

about her life in france.

love her!

3. my friend dawn

she is stylish

and fun

and has a beautiful family.

she has just started a new 

business too..

go visit her!

4. Nicola ..my new friend 

here in paris.

still waiting for her to teach

me to sew.

:)

5. amy ...

i've known amy for

15 years..

we've met once.

when we met,

she had 3 kids and one

on the way.

now she has 10 kids 

and one on the way!

she homeschools

her children

and is an amazing mom.