Nice, you never disappoint

     Nice, France. Have I spoke of it's beauty before? Oh, I have. Well, sorry to be redundant but some things deserved to be ooohed and aaaahed over and over again and Nice is one of them. A few years ago we made the mistake of taking Shaun's father to a numerous amount of cities on the Riviera for his 8 day stay, which only left us an afternoon to discover Nice. We took kind of a quantity over quality approach. Later Shaun's father would say, 'I could of spent days in Nice, it was that beautiful'. Point taken. So we made sure we did not make that mistake again and dedicated an entire day to Nice and it's many offerings when our family was here for the holidays. And bonus for me, the Christmas markets were in full swing. ( I love me some churros, crepes, hot wine, hot cheese, sausages... basically anything at the market). Nice didn't disappoint. We had great weather and the most unbelievable sunset I've yet to see here. The Christmas market had all the things I love and the Ferris wheel was more than enough entertainment for Ty, my nephew, and Jacklyn, my niece. We capped the day off with dinner in the Cours Saleya with a teammate and some friends before heading back to Antibes. Once again Nice, you didn't disappoint.

{One of the cool things about Nice is that the airport is right on the water at the end of the Promenade}

{Family picture on the beach}

{One of the many colorful buildings in the Vieille Ville}

{Christmas lights}

{Ferris wheel that I braved as to not look like a wimp in front of my niece and nephew, white knuckled it all the way}

{View of the Christmas market from the top of the Ferris wheel}

{Christmas display in Place Massena}

New Years Resolutions

     I'm a little late at getting around to this. Chalk it up to fatigue or more probable, procrastination. For those of you who don't know me, procrastination is my middle name and no matter how hard I try to shake it, it sticks with me. I'm not really a big New Year's Resolutions list maker but this year I decided to give it a go and see how long they will last. I look at it as not as much trying to 'better' myself but as a little experiment I am conducting. So here are a few of my resolutions...

-Improve my/our French. We have seem to hit a point where conversations have come easy to us and we can get any point across but we are not as fluent as we could be. I am hoping that after our time here, we will be completely fluent. For those who are reading this and thinking we should be by now, it is no where as easy as you think especially when you have so many people who speak English in our area. So a friend has loaned us his Rosetta Stone and we plan to get going on that ASAP or I should say, à bientôt.

-Explore more. We normally are very good at this and compared to many others, we are still rock-stars but we have slowed a bit these last few months. Shaun's injury has definitely put a damper on it since walking was out of the question for the first 7 weeks but now that he is walking and driving again, sky is the limit. (I secretly think Shaun exaggerates his limp on Sundays coincidentally when football is on.) A few places on the list are Grasse, the French Alps, St. Paul de Vence, and a couple sleepy towns just over the Italian border. Oh and Corsica, but Shaun may need a little coaxing for that one and I can already envision the limp getting worse.

-Exercise more. In this department I am an 'all or nothing' kind of gal. Some weeks I run 30 miles and then poof, nothing for a month or two. I'm a little bi-polar with running, I'll admit it. But now that I got these bad boys for Christmas, there is no excuse.......

And the fact that this is 1 block from our house, again, no excuse.

-Organize all of our pictures. We have close to 3,000 pics on the computer in need of a little attention. Our friends Johanna and Fernando told us they make a photo book of the entire year and we liked the idea so much, we have decided to make one ourselves. It's a little tedious but I am really excited to 'sum up' 2012 in pictures because God knows we took enough.

-Speaking of photos, my next resolution is to learn how to use every function on my camera. Sure I can shoot in auto, but what is the point of getting a snazzy dslr and only using auto? Every once in a while I take a picture that is awesome on the manual function but when I try to do it again later, it never looks the same.

-Last but not least, I want to cook a lobster. I know, this is a weird one but I love cooking and am not intimidated by anything. I stuff things, fry things, bread things, make egg rolls, bake all sorts of stuff but cooking a lobster terrifies me and not in the 'its inhumane' way but in the 'I am afraid it will be rubbery' way.

So there you have it, a snapshot into my resolutions. Hope procrastination doesn't win out and I am not cooking a lobster with my running shoes on while listening to french c.d.s finishing up my photo book in December 2013. Here's to hoping....

3 meals, 3 countries, 1 day

{Monaco during the holidays}

     Over the holidays, we were fortunate to have family make the long trip to France to visit. And while we had plenty of exploring days, there was none more memorable than last Wednesday, or to which it will now be referred to it as, '1 day, 3 countries'. We started the day off in France with some fresh pastries for breakfast from our local boulangerie. You see, when we have visitors, we try to give them as much of a taste of the French life as possible as I could not look myself in the mirror after serving Honeynut Cherrios when our local boulangerie lies a mere block away. Disclaimer: we did buy a box of cereal for the kids just in case they shunned the French way and wanted some good old fashioned American breakfast. Happy to report though that they all did us proud and partook in devouring a few trusty croissants, some quiche lorraine and a couple chausson aux pommes (think croissants stuffed with apples/applesauce). So there you have breakfast..in France.

{Hot croissants, pain au chocolat, and chausson aux pommes, doesn't get much better than this}

     We headed to Eze, a medieval village perched atop of a hill overlooking the Med, for an hour or so of exploring and picture taking. We knew it would be difficult with Shaun and his injury since it is very 'hilly' so we headed up and Shaun took his time. Every once in a while, we would wind around a cobblestone path and run into him slowly crutching/walking his way towards the top. The views at the top were amazing and we took the time to enjoy a drink or two(and a much needed breather for Shaun). Then off we went to Monaco for lunch. 1 country down, 2 to go.

{View from Eze}

{Cobblestones pathways that wind all throughout Eze}

{Little drink break for Ty and Shaun}

{Jacklyn, Ty, Shaun and I enjoying some Cokes and coffee}

     Having been to Monaco multiple times before, I wasn't expecting to be as blown away as I was with the Christmas decor. But let me tell you, they did it up...and in typical Monegasque fashion, très chic. Monaco already oozes class with it's pristine streets, beautiful architecture and posh vehicles but add to that the Christmas lights and holiday decor, and it takes it to another level. We ate quickly then roamed the streets near the Casino taking in the luxury that I am hoping is contagious because I am all for adding a little bit of that to my life. There was an attempt to 'hit it big' while inside the casino which fell flat but I would like to think we are a little 'richer' in culture for having just the ability to experience all Monaco has to offer. Now I would like to think that, but realistically,  I would rather have lots o' euros padding my pocket. After eating and offering the 'Casino Gods' our money, we made the decision to head into Italy for dinner since we were only 15 minutes from the border. 2 countries down, 1 to go.

{Monte-Carlo Casino}

{The Hotel de Paris and it's luxury vehicles}

{Over looking the harbor}

{Shaun, Mickey (Shaun's brother) and Ty taking in the view}

{Little photog fun}

(Holiday decor in front of the Casino that changes color}

{Green}

{Silver}

{And my favorite, pink}

{The Rolex street clock, sums up the luxury in Monaco}

     We stopped at Ventimiglia in hopes that our favorite restaurant, Pasta e Basta, was open for dinner. Selfishly, I was craving it since we have yet to eat there this year. Unselfishly, I thought our family would love it. Sadly, it was closed. In hindsight, why would it be open? It was only just a Wednesday night. (FYI, things here close for reasons like...it's a Tuesday, it's raining, it's a Saturday night at 9pm, it's cold outside...get the sarcasm?) So we had to settle for an 'un-known' restaurant which turned out to be great also. With full bellies, sore feet and bags full (Lambrusco is only 2euros in Italy!!!!) we headed back home to little old France. Sometime on the ride home my niece Jacklyn was talking about the day and how beautiful Monaco was and how excited she was to tell her friends that she was able to see 3 countries during Christmas break. And just as I was marvelling at how mature she was, she says "Mom, just spending the day in Monaco makes me realize that I need to fly first class from now on...." Guess that luxury was contagious after all......

Merry Christmas!!!

Wishing everyone a safe and Merry Christmas!! Bring on the sweets....(oh, and the presents).

End of the World

{Bugarach, photo cred here}

    A few days ago, Shaun and I joined a few of our friends at a local pub for some drinks and laughs. Inevitably, the conversation turned towards this Friday, December 21st, and what the Mayans are predicting as the 'end of the world'. Call me ignorant, but in all honesty, I had not heard of this before. (I just spent $250 on a haircut and color. If I would of known this last week, I would of embraced my roots and 'bangless' do. If anything, not to save money but to have those 2.5 hours of my life back that I wasted sitting in the chair.) I guess you could say not being hip to the Mayan culture cost me in more ways than one. However, there was mention of a village that will be spared of the 'alleged' doom and terror that awaits us.  It is called Bugarach and it is located in the Southwest of France. So whew, me and my new coiffe are good as it's only a car ride away. On December 21st, Pic de Bugarach, a mountain over-looking the village, is expected to open up and UFO's will appear from out of their spaceship to save those nearby. Now as ludicrous as this sounds (I am trying to regain my composure as I type this ) thousands of people are expected to descend on this little village in the mountains in an attempt to escape fate, to be a witness, or just to say, 'I was there'. And all this is infuriating the Mayor and the 200 villagers who reside there. He has since ordered police to patrol the perimeter and not allow any non-residents inside the village. Is it me or is he just being selfish? I mean, I am pretty sure the UFO's will have space for more than 200 or so, so what's the deal? And he obviously does not know that I had my hair done just for this. See how I spun that to my advantage. I have said it before but I will say it again, I am tricky like that. But back to Mayor Jean-Pierre Delord and his many attempts to keep all 'unwanted' out. I think he is majorly missing out on a golden opportunity here. Imagine the revenue that these tourists would bring to the village. Quickly throw together some UFO mugs, key chains and t-shirts and sit back and watch the cash roll in. It seems like a 'fail-proof' plan to me, but who am I to say anything? I am the one making a mockery of all this 'end of the world' talk. Good news is that if it's true, there are only 200 people or so that will be able to say 'we told you so' and laugh at me. I'll take my chances with that number.

6 weeks

{Working hard and getting his ass kicked by Yoann, his trainer}

     Haven't updated on Shaun's injury in a long time so I figured I might as well do a post on some of our highlights/ low lights of the last few weeks. At our 3 weeks post op appt, the Dr. decided to take the cast of completely and gasp....put nothing back on. His reasoning was that the quicker you get mobility back in your foot, the better...and who I am to argue, although I did and this is why. The morning of the appt it was raining and long story short, Shaun's crutches slipped out from underneath him in the lobby and he placed his full body weight on his casted foot in an attempt to not fall. For the first time, he felt pain, a lot of pain. The kind of pain that made him think he tore it again. Dr. took a look at it and said everything was O.K. and having the cast on did not allow his achilles to move, protecting it. All I could think was thank God for that cast. But this is where things got hairy. He then told us he would not be putting it back on. Yep that's right, no cast, which meant no safety blanket, nothing. I thought surely he didn't understand what had just happened down in the lobby and pleaded my case (or Shaun's case but since he was still ghost white and shaken from his slip, I saw the need to take over). But nope, the Dr understood and pleaded his case back. After going back and forth in French and English with some added charades, we agreed on no cast but he would give us a walking boot for those times that it was wet and/or he was in a crowded area. Like how I implied that I had some say in this decision? But honestly, I think when he looked at Shaun's white face, he felt pity and threw us a bone with the boot. Not to mention, the constant chatter coming from me probably annoyed him. Doesn't matter what the language, I have a skill of talking so fast and at such high quantities that I can confuse the other in the conversation or what I like to call 'bamboozle' them into agreeing with me. Hey, but we at least walked out of there a little less frazzled so add 1 point for the Feins. Fast forward to 6 weeks post op and everything has been great. He is walking with out crutches in controlled environments and I am counting down the days until he can drive again (11 days 14 hours and 7 minutes). His mobility improves everyday and he is able to shoot at practice which, fortunately for me, satisfies his competitive craving since I am getting a little tired of being on the losing end of 'games' or being cut off as I am walking down the hallway in an apparent race I never even knew about. We have family coming in for Christmas so we are both very excited. It will be fun to show them a little glimpse into our lives here. And bonus....Santa will be coming for Christmas too. Life is good.

Fete des Lumieres

(Fete des Lumieres Lyon 2012)

     My dear friend Fatiha invited me a few months ago to the Fete des Lumieres (festival of lights) in Lyon where she lives. I have heard so many good things about it through out the years so I jumped at the opportunity to go. But with Shaun's injury being a little time consuming, it wasn't until the week of the Fete that I was 'in the clear' to go. Thankfully, one of Shaun's teammates stayed at the house with him helping him do the everyday things that us able-bodied people take for granted. I laugh because I can only imagine the conversation, the sights and the sounds that were present while I was away. I had made some Spinach Artichoke dip and cookie dough and left it in the fridge with instructions on how to cook it. For the first day and a half, I am pretty sure that is all they ate..it was like a bachelor weekend. And I will tell you, I'm glad I wasn't there to see it. But anywhoo, my trip was fantastic. I knew I was in for a great weekend when I found bath salts, a bottle of water and a fresh towel on my bed, it was like being at an upscale hotel. We hit the ground running, as usual, and walked what felt like 10 miles all over Lyon to make sure we didn't miss a light during the 3 day exhibition. It was cold, like would of been warmer if it snowed cold, but we were prepared and stopped in Starbucks a few times to load up on some warm holiday drinks while we planned out our next step. Fatiha was a great tour guide since she had done lots of research and even scoped it all out in person before I got there so we got to see the best of everything.  The lights were magnificent and, if possible, put me in more of a Christmas spirit than before. Let's just say Clark Griswold would of been in all his glory. Thanks Lyon, until next year...

{Used buildings as backdrops for the lights}

{Christmas market}

{Candied fruit...my favorite}

{Artisan confiture}

{The largest tartiflette pan ever. Just shortly after this pic, the man yelled at me for taking pictures since he thought I worked at a magazine. I think he was really mad because Fatiha outed him for not using real potatoes}

{Elegant Christmas chalet selling chocolates, chandeliers and all}

{Roasted chestnuts..how random is this?? This guy and his chestnut stand are from Toulon. Yep, the same Toulon where Fatiha and I lived last year, small world}

{Roman tyca, a pedestrian walkway with Moroccan themed lighting}

{Alas, a pic of us}