Having a blue day somehow in this wonderful place. Missing you, my friends and family. Skipped going to Grenoble and went to the local Monoprix(nice dollar store) and sprawled out at the park and thought. Nearby is a conservatory where the windows are left open during the day. A classical pianist was playing Chopin beautifully. Has a way of changing your perspective. Looking around the park, families eating, playing together, kids laughing, the same as home but a little different. Funny how that works. Lovers are tucked away kernoodling and families are scooting along to their next event. Just amazing to watch it all. Classes getting increasingly harder which is très scary for me (if you know me at all, i`m already stressing about the end of course test!) The other students are awesome people; caring, loving, intelligent, fun. Can`t say enough nice things. Salsa dancing and Mohitos last night! OMG, was THAT fun! Climbing to the top of a mountain Saturday to see this huge cross that is visible throughout our village. Beautiful reminder of the grace we have. Well, thinking I`m making some good ol` fried chicken for dinner tonight. No oven, no freezer, no ice (in France at all!), and no chlorox for some reason. You know I hve to have my Chlorox....I`ll figure something out. Love to all....

Ice Water, Snow cap, and Bacon?

Yep, I was sitting in a lake freezing from the melting ice in the Alps, looking at the beautiful snow-capped mountains. What a site. Families were playing on the grass, kids were playing rugby and volleyball on the beach, it was an incredible experience. Unlike our beach visits, it just seemed so tranquil. Came home with French Country bacon, sliced in rounds, cooked it up and put it in my omelette made with "fresh" eggs and cheese. OMGoodness, such goodness!

Heading out to Salsa dance tonight to celebrate a girls' 21st birthday tonight. should be interesting...Somehow I think I will still need to keep my "Mom" hat on! Running here is also so incredibly peaceful, not so much through the city, but in the parks here. Horses, fields, chateaus, it's crazy different. Everyone here exercises in full gear...the elderly wear full cycling gear complete with spandex, sunglasses, and caps. There are no gyms to speak of, but everyone is in motion.

Missing my fried chicken and sweet tea, but it's so worth it. Enjoy the pic of my "near miss" in the fountain. I ran to take a quick pic at the fountain and my hiney missed the edge. Caught myself just in time! More later as I get this tech stuff closer and closer to figured out! Bonne nuit!

Goats and Cheese Today!

Today we go to Annency and a cheese factory...that would be code speak for "We're going to see goats today! Yeah!" Annency is supposed to be extremely pretty and historical. Let you know why later. Yesterday was filled with touring the "city" of Chambery. Had to go to the equivalent of a Costco called Carrfour. Really interesting. Imagine getting all of your provisions ready to check out, and they don't do bags...seriously. You have to bring your own bags. So that bus ride home was an interesting one considering the croissants and pain au chocolat were buy 1 get 1...you know me.. always saving (just not the calories so much!) Have no oven or freezer, so please post possible things to make on a 2 burner stove top. I'm thinking omelettes and crepe. So much for chocolate chip cookies..bummer. Oh, I guess I could make the dough. ..Oh well. Lots still to go, and I'm already wondering how much longer six weeks is. Got to admit, it's harder than I thought it would be. School starts tomorrow, hopefully can buy a wifi access that will help me feel better about everything at home. Eric is working hard I know, but a momma has to hear it for herself! I miss my buddies, my cats, my family, so everybody take care and hang on through these blasted tech problems I'm having with my camera and computer. Stuff's coming, I promise! Love to all!

Paula Dean Has Nothing On This.....

This stuff is called Tartiflette and it is OMG good! Imagine the best bacon cut up with mild cheeses and mixed together with tender potatos and onions. No kidding, it was incredible. This is a typical dish for locals. Very cheap and very filling. No amount of running is going to get this off! I don't think I even care! Here, have a bite! By the way, traffic is pretty tough here. Motorcycles randomly jump through restaurants, as you see in the background, just to bypass traffic.

The Adventure Begins....

Bonjour!

Well, it's official. The cats, the boys, my husband, my parents, and my friends have all been notified! I am officially French as of this moment. Waiting in Charlotte for my bird to come, headed to NY, then off to Geneva. There, I get to pray my language skills are honed, and try to get transporation to Chambéry. . . without paying double! Can`t wait, bring it on! Tough saying bye to my Eric and my boys. Hoping that time and confusion will distract my emotions. Hope to have all kinds of intersting stories for you by tomorrow. Otherwise, I`ll see what I can stir up over there! Have a great day and à demain!

Renovation complete!

This is the record for turning around a room! I pulled all the tile flooring up, replaced shower doors, re placed cabinets, replaced counter top, replaced fixtures, retiled the backsplash, repainted, replaced the exhaust fan, and Eric and I did it in under 2 weeks! Let's hope it sells the house for us. Raleigh, we're coming! Look out!

Je présente Mr et Mdme Eric Lowe!

C'est après la cérémonie du mariage. Nous sommes
dans notre voiture. Notre vie ensemble commence
à ce moment exact. La date est le 25 mai, 1985.
Malgré le temps, nous continuons sourire chaque jour. La vie nous a donné beaucoup de choses ensemble: l'espoir pour l`avenir, l'infertilité, le cancer, l'adoption, l'accouchement, des réussites, des échecs, la joie, la tristesse, et un remerciement pour toutes des choses. Ensemble avec notre amour, notre foi en Dieu a grandi. Soyez intelligent! Aimez bien. Ce n'est pas facile, mais c'est possible pour l'infinité. Bonne chance, mes petites de FRE 341.