"Fluctuat Nec Mergitur"

(photo taken from

NBC website)

For three days the tower

will be illuminated

in the colors of the French flag.

The words..

"Fluctuat nec mergitur"

are projected onto the tower as well.

Taken from the Paris coat of arms,

 it translates to..

"she is tossed by the waves,

but does not sink".

Hannah went out with a friend

last night,

in the wind and rain,

to take the picture above.

I want to thank everyone

that has emailed,

sent messages and left

comments regarding 

our safety.

It has meant so much

to me that

you have reached out.

We are safe..

still very much in shock

but safe.

Some have asked if 

we want to go home.

Over the past 22 years,

we have called many 

different places home.

Paris is home now

and we love this city.

Vive la France!

A Weekend in Champagne

Steve and I had the

opportunity to get away

together this past weekend.

This never happens, but we agreed

that it needs to happen more often!

We stayed at 

Les Crayeres

and it was fabulous!

We arrived around noon..

only about an hour and a half

outside of Paris.

We had  a delicious lunch in

the Brasserie at the chateau and 

then went straight to our first

Champagne tour.

We visited the 

Moet & Chandon house

first.

(the T is pronounced in Moet!

I didn't know!)

It was a great tour!

Our guide was terrific.

And of course..

a tasting at the end of 

the tour!

"In victory, I deserve champagne..

In defeat, I need it"...Napoleon.

We had dinner that evening

at the 2 Michelin starred 

restaraunt Le Parc at the chateau.

The dining room was 

stunning!

I took pictures the next morning

after breakfast.

We dined for four hours!

Each course beautifully presented

and more delectable than the last.

Including the chocolate

praline lollipops..

one of the four deserts we had!

After a great night sleep

(we slept until 9:30!!!)..

we made it to breakfast just in time!

I've lived in Paris for 3 1/2 years now..

I've had my share of croissants.

The croissants here were

the BEST I've ever had!!

We could have sat there all morning..

but we had bike riding to do,

a visit to the Reims cathedral,

and another champagne tour!

The construction of 

Notre-Dame de Reims

was started in 1211 and 

was opened in 1275.

A visit to 

Our Lady of Reims

is a must if you're visiting!

Our last stop for the day..

a champagne tour and tasting 

at the house of Pommery.

Descending 100ft

into the caves of the Pommery..

This was such a different tour

than the first..

It was more like a museum!

And of course a 

tasting at the end

of the tour...

The weather could not have been more

perfect..

Colorful foliage,

warm temperatures

and plenty of sunshine!

A grainy selfie

in the caves of the house of 

Pommery.

It was a great weekend!

L'automne en Paris

Steve and I walked around

the gardens of 

Les Invalides this

past weekend to enjoy the foliage.

I really think this is my 

favorite time of year in Paris.

(iphone pics)

Griffin and I spent a few

days last week walking around

the Jardin du Luxembourg

and Jardin des Tuileries.

Griff has two weeks off during

Toussaint while the older kids have one week.

I didn't take many pictures

with my crappy phone camera!

I was kicking myself for not

lugging my good camera.

We also searched all over the city

for a Halloween costume.

The American Library of Paris

hosts a fun Halloween party 

and then a few local businesses

(florists, pharmacies, boulangerie's etc.)

hand out candy.

Griff had fun!

And we did manage to carve a 

few pumpkins!