Valentine's Challenge

     The gauntlet has been thrown here at the Fein household. Well, thrown might not be the correct description since it is not starting out as a competition but as usual, in true Nikki/Shaun fashion, it will end up that way. We (I am sure if you ask the other half of the Fein duo he would raise an eyebrow to the 'we' reference) have decided to do a 3 day Valentine's Day celebration. Of course, we will celebrate on the 14th but we have added 2 more nights where we will cook a dinner from start to finish for each other. I'm talking decor, menu, appetizers, main course and dessert...the works. About 5 years ago, we did the same thing and for some reason, we never re-visited the idea. We both took it pretty seriously with me 'frenching' a rack of lamb and Shaun making me the most unbelievable steak and potatoes (turns out he had enlisted a personal chef to help him with the planning, that cheeky bugger). On that day, I found out that Shaun can cook and is not as helpless in the kitchen as he leads on and... lamb is not our favorite, too game-y. In order to keep the element of surprise, we have enlisted a friend to make sure we are not making any of the same things. So bring your 'A-game' Shaun. Wait, this isn't a supposed to be a competition. Oh, who am I kidding? You are going down...

Amazon's (Awesome) Reviews

   
     Since living abroad, Amazon has been our 'go-to' for when we want to order something on-line and whether it be amazon.com or amazon.fr, we have never been let down. Why do I bring this up, you ask? Well, I have been on Amazon lately in search for a lens for my camera (turns out our photog friend Romain was in agreeance with me that I needed a different one to do the specific things I wanted to do...much to Shaun's chagrin) and after hours of reading reviews and a few suggestions, I am happy to say that my lens is being shipped as I type. But that is not why I am writing this. Over the years I had noticed a few funny reviews and more recently saw a few for the lens so I googled Amazon funny reviews just to see what came up. Hours later, I am still entertained. So instead, I am writing this to highlight the hilariousness of some reviews, most notable the Bic Cristal for Her Pen. I sat for what seemed like forever reading them and laughing at the sarcastic humor (right up my alley) of some of these reviews from what I will assume are women. Here are a few of my favorites.... and if you want to read them all for yourself, click here.

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a pen that lets me finish first!, January 24, 2013

By 

dontpanik (Space Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen, 1.0mm, Black, 16ct (MSLP16-Blk) (Office Product)

I tried using a man's pen (as soon as my husband showed me how to work one) but I found that when I tried to write out my recipes or my diary, the pens just didn't have staying power. I even tried using a mechanical pencil once, but I was so confused I just sat in the kitchen and cried, and cried until my husband finally bought me something pretty. Now, finally, with Bic for her I can complete writing out my menstrual calendar without it 'running out of ink'. Thanks Bic!

2.0 out of 5 stars NOT for the mature woman!, January 26, 2013

By 

sandrsmom - See all my reviews

This review is from: BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen, 1.0mm, Black, 16ct (MSLP16-Blk) (Office Product)

Being female I was naturally attracted to "BIC for her" (who can resist those pastels?!). Yet, these pens were somewhat of a disappointment. As a more mature woman, I am currently experiencing the symptoms of menopause. I can be in a perfectly good mood while writing a letter and without warning, in mid sentence, I will become so angry that I find myself using such excessive pressure on my pen that it shatters! Then there are the hot flashes, my hands became so sweaty that I could not keep a hold of that slim design, plus the ink smeared! Perhaps in your next endeavors, a "Female BIC for the mature" with a non-slip, steel reinforced grip, waterproof ink and a built in fan could find it's way onto the market!

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank You BIC for Her Pens!, January 30, 2013

By 

Katelyn (SAINT GEORGE, UT, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen, 1.0mm, Black, 16ct (MSLP16-Blk) (Office Product)

I was once like you: a hippie, liberal and feminist woman who was going to college, but handling man pens was exhausting. Since I ordered BIC Pens for Her I have gotten married, dropped out of the college, and birthed twins. I could use these pens to draw hearts all day long but then who would cook dinner? Recipes are a cinch to write down with these pens, and they even smell like strawberries and rainbows. My husband tells me how happy I am every day and who am I to argue with that?

5.0 out of 5 stars These pens showed me my true path, January 30, 2013

By 

K - See all my reviews

This review is from: BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen, 1.0mm, Black, 16ct (MSLP16-Blk) (Office Product)

Thank you Bic! I thought I was a career oriented lady that was ready to take on the world and climb ladders! Now thanks to these pens (and their fantastic colors!) I learned my place was with a man, and in the kitchen!
Every time I used the pen to write at work, all that came out were recipes and sentences about how cute kittens are. (KITTENS!)
Now I have found a man, and can't wait to cook him dinner and have babies! I think I can do it with my "for her"pens at my side!

2.0 out of 5 stars Size Does Matter :/, February 4, 2013

By 

Tiffany H. - See all my reviews

This review is from: BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen, 1.0mm, Black, 16ct (MSLP16-Blk) (Office Product)

I'm sorry but I like my pens big and thick with some girth to them. Small pens are just not satisfying for me.

1.0 out of 5 stars Seriously Dissapointed, February 1, 2013

By 

pato - See all my reviews

This review is from: BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen, 1.0mm, Black, 16ct (MSLP16-Blk) (Office Product)

Why BIC? Why do you come up with such an amazing idea in such horrible colors? Seriously? None of the colors in the set matches my nail polish. I am returning the product today and I expect a full refund.

1.0 out of 5 stars Thes pens maik speling prablems, February 3, 2013

By 

Janet Miller - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen, 1.0mm, Black, 16ct (MSLP16-Blk) (Office Product)

I thot these pens woud make me smart but now wen i rite i cant spel wurth sheet. not evun E-Z wurds lik CRISTAL. i usta spel gud even for a gurl but not no more sense thes peans. Now evey time i pik up thise pins i feal dum dum dum.

Parc du Château, Nice

{The view from the park overlooking Nice and it's promenade}

    In all the times we have been to Nice, we have only been to the park that overlooks the city and the 'Bay of Angels' twice. This being partly because we figured after one visit, there is not too much else to see and the other part (going on a limb here and saying this is the numero uno reason) is that is up a lot of stairs, and I mean a lot. Nice is already a walking city so if you don't hit the park early, you most likely won't want to muster up the energy to tackle to stairs later. But, repeat after me, 'it is so worth it'. The views alone are breathtaking and the feeling that you are not in the city is rare to find...in the city. And it seems like every time I go, I discover something else I didn't see before. Like today, I spent the day in Nice alone just wandering the streets and had no plan in mind (except that I needed to hit the park early because I knew fatigue/laziness would set in later). Well that last sentence is not totally true. The soldes (France's equivalent to America's Black Friday sales) are going on and Nice does have good shopping so that might have been a contributing factor also. So I headed to the park with camera in hand and followed numerous cobblestone paths etched out of the mountain towards what I thought was running water. And if I'll be darned, the last path led me straight to a waterfall overlooking the city. A waterfall we had never known existed. How could we have been up there two times before and not seen this? Knowing there was no way to answer this question, I moved on and gave myself credit for braving the stairs this time and went with the old proverb, Better late than never.

***Little Disclaimer...Maybe the reason we had never seen the waterfall before was the first time we went to the park with friends visiting from home, we reached the top at around 6:30 pm only to be told that the park was closed by a not so nice park ranger. This ranger followed us and herded us like sheep all the way down in record time. FYI, check what time the park closes before ascending.

{Vibrant colors of the 'old town' and the snow capped alps in the background}

Seeing red...in a good way

      We are almost back to normal..well almost. I've been anything but normal my whole life so I guess I should re-phrase that. We are almost back to our old selves here at Chez Fein. Shaun has been given the green light to jog and the surgeon is happy with his progress saying he is at least on schedule, if not ahead. Needless to say, we are happy with that. And while that is our biggest priority here, a little side perk if you will, is that now we are beginning to get out and explore again. If you remember in this post, I made getting out and exploring one of my New Year's Resolutions so I am feeling extra smitten in getting back to my old self and semi-fulfilling a resolution. So today, we decided to head towards Cannes and just follow the coast with no end point in mind until we decided to turn around or Shaun got hungry, whichever came first. On a side note, I feel a little bad. Cannes is like that weird family member that you feel obligated to spend time with but while doing so, you are knowing that there are more fun relatives out there, with Nice being that fun relative. It is a great city, don't get me wrong, but other than when family visits or the film festival, we never venture over there...and it is only 4 miles away. It is beautiful in all the ways it should be but Nice offers more to do, more places to eat and just a better ambiance (in my opinion). But hey, I'm all for a change of opinion, just not today. So, we shot by Cannes and followed the road that curved along the ocean. We passed through little villages that were so small they weren't even named on our GPS and began to notice a trend. As we got further from Cannes, the terrain grew a little rocky, craggy and the cliffs were vibrant red in color. If I didn't know any better, I would of thought we had crossed the pond and were in Arizona with the red rocks and all the the cacti, cactuses or cactus (figured I would throw all 3 in there in hopes that one of those is the correct plural form of cactus). We pulled over and took some pictures and vowed to return in the spring for a picnic or two, or at least I did, Shaun agrees anytime I talk about food, so we'll see. When we returned back home, I did some research and found that we had stumbled upon the Esterel Masiff, a mountain range consisting of volcanic soil and rocks, overlooking the Mediterranean. I am sure when most picture the French Riviera, jagged volcanic cliffs and oak forests flanking the sea is not what is imagined but I guess that is what makes the French Riviera so special, and special it is.

Strike a pose...

{All photos by Romain Robini}

     Before having family visit for the holidays, Shaun and I talked about trying to get a picture with all of us together. I know that sounds easy but it's not. There is always the 1 person left out who is taking the picture or the ever obvious, long armed self portraits which I am convinced is a sure fire way to check if we have any 'bats in the cave'. So we got to thinking and decided to ask our friend/photographer guru Romain who takes the photos for the team if he was free for an afternoon in hopes of getting a few shots of all of us together. He was more than available and even gave us run down of suggested sites with rankings based on accessibility (Shaun's surgeon told him to avoid walking on sand like it's the plague), lighting and views. We made a tentative date and hoped the weather would cooperate. And boy did it ever. We spent an hour or so mugging for the camera and laughing all the while, I was trying to be realistic in that we might get a few good shots with all of us together. There is always that 1 person with a wanky eye or lame smile (me) who screws up a good picture and with 6 of us, the likelihood of that happening was pretty high. Well, I guess we all brought our 'A' game or more probable, Romain was a genius because when we received the DVD, we had so many great shots to choose from. Each picture surpassed the last in terms of being our favorite and I am so thankful for Romain taking the time to make their trip special. Thanks again Romain.

{Props to Uncle Shaun and my niece Jack who went all out and really sold the funny faces even if it sacrificed looking good}

{Shaun seemed to enjoy the acting out of this picture the most...wonder why?}

Au revoir Christmas...decor

{Until next year...}

   If there is one thing we are known for to our teammates present and past, it is that we love us some Christmas decor. We have wreaths, garlands, poinsettias, trees, you name it. My motto is, if a little holiday cheer is good, then why not really amp it up, can't hurt right? And it makes us happy, so in the words of the 'got it together' Charlie Sheen, 'WINNING'. We, (I'm gonna say we since Shaun has not protested in the 12 Christmasssss we have been together) love it to the point that it stays up for a good bit. And by a good bit, I mean A. Long. Time. Disclaimer...1 year it stayed up until mid-March because we (there I go again with that we) liked the ambient lighting the tree gave off. It got so ridiculous that my mom suggested we remove the ornaments from the tree and add some Easter eggs and embrace our year long spirit, which I am sad we didn't end up doing. So fast forward 5 years or so to last Thursday night when we had our friend/teammate Trevor over for dinner. I don't know what made me look at him at the time I did (maybe I could actually hear the wheels spinning in his head as he looked from wreath to garland to tree to poinsettia) but for some reason, I knew it was coming. And by it, I mean a wise ass comment about our Christmas decor still being up. I beat him to the punch and told him not to even say it, we were on it. So sadly, I think we are going to part with our Christmas decor this weekend. And while I'm sad to let it go, I had a realization that I can keep the twinkle light up in some form and that would curb our 'ambient light' craving. So I hit the trusty internet for inspiration and found many great ideas. Seeing if they actually come to fruition, that's the kicker...

{Credit: homeandfurnituregallery.com}

{Credit: housetohome.co.uk}

{Credit: Apartment Therapy}

New Year's Resolutions Update

{Bonus of organizing photo is finding ones that slipped through the cracks. This is the view across the water from Antibes to Nice with the Alps in the background}

     Thought I would update on how my resolutions are going since this is the about the time that all of them go out the window...if they were ever in the window in the first place. Back in this post here, I made my resolutions known. If you want to read them in detail with some witty commentary and a little explanation, be my guest. If you don't, these are them in a nutshell. 1-Improve my French. 2-Explore more. 3-Exercise more. 4-Organize photos on computer and make a photo book. 5-Learn how to use all functions on my DSLR camera. 6-Cook a lobster. Pretty simple, not too complicated. So this is how they have gone..

1-Improve my French
    While purchasing fromage (cheese) at the grocery store, I described to the lady helping me (in French I might add) how I did my nails. She seemed to be interested in my glitter nail polish and wanted to know how I did it. Or at least that is what I assumed she wanted to know and let me tell you, she was going to get my best explanation in my best French. After 5 minutes of talking and a little game of charades (no conversation is complete with out it), I walked away smiling and completely confident she was now hip to my nail jive. Later, when I walked by the counter, I noticed her reaching over to some one's hand very similar to the way she had reached to mine earlier which got the whole nail conversation going. But this time, she did something different, she just grabbed the paper number from the next person in line to wait on them. Hmmmmm...

2-Explore more
     On Saturday we took a road trip to Marseille...for Shaun's game. Not to sound ungrateful, but Marseille is not my favorite city so instead of treating it like an 'exploration', we used the 2 hours on the road to hone our singing voices and find our perfect 'karaoke' song. We were in and out. We arrived, watched the game, grabbed a quick Kebab and hit the road. Turns out, Shaun is more of a The Fray, The Calling, and Five for Fighting Guy and I am more of a hummer. Quote of the night...Shaun turns to me, dead serious, after singing for 30 minutes straight and says 'I don't know how these singers do it, my throat is already hurting. You can already hear it in my voice.'

3-Exercise more
     I ran...twice. BUT I have a whole plan together to train for a half-marathon starting...tomorrow. I'm good like that with the planning, not so good with the executing.

4-Organize photos on computer and make a photo book
    Check and mini-check!!! Got pics organized and ordered a photo book credit and made a picture day planner instead. Smell that? That is the sweet smell of success my friends (at least in my opinion).

5-Learn the functions on my camera
    After hours of on-line prowling, I have done some research and realized that in order for me to fully understand my camera, I need another lens. And as much as I tried to convince Shaun that this is true, he called my bluff and smacked my head back out of the clouds. Guess, I'm back to square 1.

6-Cook a lobster
     The closest thing I've come to cooking a lobster was eye-balling a lobster sweater on Forever 21's website. I am going to use the excuse that the fish market near our house has been on an odd schedule lately and every time I have walked by (once), it was closed. Bummer, next time.