it's a sweet summer

someone asked me recently

if i missed paris.

i don't.

maybe it's because

i know we're going back 

at the end of the summer.

maybe it's just that our life on 

this island is so different from

our city life.

our days 

and nights

are spent at the beach.

my brother..

uncle dave.

my sister..

auntie jen.

and cousins

nana with some

of the grandkids.

another awesome day

on the beach.

yesterday

after lunch at 

the right fork..

hannah and my niece cameron

went for a thrill ride on the bi-plane.

they fly around the island..

mike the pilot points out

famous peoples' homes..

and does barrel rolls!

we love our summer 

so much here..

but it would be 

much sweeter with steve here.

we miss you so much!

can't wait for you to get here.

birthdays on the beach

we celebrated my niece's birthday with a cookout on 

the beach at dusk.

best time to go to the beach..

in my opinion.

the kids all jump off the bridge.

i'm thinking maybe i should do it.

hannah in the middle

of her two cousins.

going to jump!

the town of edgartown 

on martha's vineyard

is charming and preppy

and the shops are 

as well.

we got takeout 

at the quarterdeck and 

ate down by the docks.

ocean park in oak bluffs.

so pretty at dusk.

we're off to the beach!

around the island

steve is flying back to paris tonight.

we won't see him for 3 weeks.

we brought him to the ferry to wave 

goodbye.

we will miss you so much!

we visited stephen at the 

ice cream shop the other 

night.

i can't tell you how much

i love that he's working!

earlier this week

the kids and the cousins

went kayaking.

will learned to kayak 

when he went to brittany 

this past spring with school.

he did awesome!

tuesday the kids and i 

took a drive up island.

alley's general store is 

always a stop for us.

from alley's we drove up

to menemsha..

a beautiful fishing village

that has the best sunsets

and lobster rolls.

and then on to 

aquinnah and the 

gay head cliffs.

someone asked me recently

if i missed paris...

i don't.

i will be ready to go 

back at the end of the summer..

i'm sure.

but for now..

i wouldn't want to be 

anywhere else.

vineyard song

"won't you stay on the vineyard

for the summer..

won't you stay on the vineyard for the year.

we'll find a little house down there in oak bluffs..

and our children is all that we'll hear."

island life

life here is so very different

from our life in paris.

we stay up late.

sleep late.

i leave the house

with out any makeup on..

i haven't used a hair dryer once.

i wear yoga pants or a 

bathing suit and tunic

to the market

with flip flops.

i love paris

but martha's vineyard

is my favorite place to be.

here is our little cottage

that we've rented for the summer.

it's charming and 

i love how the screen door

slams shut.

we like to sit on the porch

and play cards and drink wine.

i keep thinking that if it was mine

how i'd plant hydrangeas all around it. 

the day we arrived my mom

put food in our fridge

and brought sunflowers.

in paris everyone has their own 

bedroom and pretty much their own 

bathroom!

here we all share rooms

and one bathroom.

i love our little island cottage!

 july 2nd we celebrated

hannah's 15th birthday!

my mom hosted a fabulous

dinner with the cousins.

it was such a fun night!

happy birthday sweet hannah!

we love you!

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.

Graduation and Uganda

stephen graduated from

high school on saturday

from the

American School of Paris.

i admit..

i get a little giddy

looking at his diploma..

that says,

Paris, France.

it was a lovely ceremony.

we had great seats.

griffy sat still for 

AN HOUR AND A HALF!

and the guest speaker

was my new friend..

the U.S. Ambassador to France.

:)

he gave a terrific speech.

his words..

"the world owes you nothing..

you owe everything to the world"

was what stuck with me the most.

ok,

when he also said..

"by the way..love your blog"..

that kind of stuck with me too.

no..he didn't say that during his speech..

but he did say it when we met again

at the reception following the graduation.

seriously??

i had no idea that out of the 104 

graduates from ASP..

31 countries were represented.

how cool is that?

following the graduation and reception

steve and i took stephen 

out to dinner to celebrate.

we had such a nice evening.

talking about his past and his future.

and stephen talking about how 

embarrassed he was watching me bawl my 

eyes out at the graduation.

14 more years buddy.

i wonder where you'll graduate from??

it was a wonderful and emotional

day.

we are so proud of you stephen.

my friend kimberly 

is hosting an auction

on her blog

right now!

many of her generous friends

have donated gorgeous things

to help raise money

to furnish a home

in africa that kim's mom

built!

kim is going to uganda next month.

i just adore what kim and her mom 

are doing.

please consider bidding on

some of these beautiful things

on kim's blog!! 

xo