I love LA

Or at least the few days I spent there with my friend Jen!! I don't know how everyone else is, but I have very few friends that I feel like I can actually just exhale and be myself around. I don't have to be guarded about what I think or say, I can just be honest. That's Jen. She lets me just be me, and she still seems to love me, though I can't see how sometimes. I have known Jen since I was 2 and she was 3. We were neighbors when my family lived in San Antonio. Maybe it's all the years of knowing me that have toughened her to my personality.

With my life all crazy right now with trying to think about a wedding (more about that later), getting paperwork done, trying to deal with money (or lack of), visitation schedules for friend and family and all kinds of other things, it was nice to visit someone else's life. Jen and her husband Jay just bought their first house and are busy working with a contractor to make some changes and decorate. She is also getting a masters degree in holistic nutrition AND is pregnant with her first baby. She has a full plate. We did things like shop for maternity clothes (gotta love a size 2 pair of maternity jeans), look at things for the new house and also were able to fit in a quick touristy visit to Hollywood Boulevard. We even had lunch with Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls. What I mean by that is we were eating at the same sushi restaurant that she was. I also got some pictures by my favorite Hollywood star that we passed. Of course I can't find the cable to download my photos right now so I'll have to add them later....grrrrr....

I have been back in Houston a few days and now I'm headed to Lake Travis for a family weekend. It's been nice being home in Houston and seeing my friends, but I have to say, I'm ready to go back to Lille. I miss Cyr and seem to be easily frustrated and upset by everything that goes wrong. I don't think I'm normally this grumpy. Maybe it's just today that seems completely irritating. Oh well, only 12.5 hours left until it's Saturday. I'll post photos later.

A few days in Kerrville

I've been in Kerrville, TX for the last few days enjoying my cousins Lisa and Mark and their two girls Asher and Cate. They are so great, they own and run an ice pack business called Ice-Ease. They are super great, click the link or go to www.ice-ease.com and order a few if you live in the US. They saved my knee after my surgery and are great for all kinds of injuries. One of the things I love about the packs is that Lisa and Mark actually make them there in Kerrville. No kidding...they have all these crazy machines that mix the blue stuff, seal the bags then they ship them off. Made in the USA and a family business, you don't see that often these days.

So anyway...I had the best time!! We did all kinds of fun things all weekend long. We went to a wildflower farm and looked around. Cyr has asked me how they can be wildflowers if they are raised on a farm. The only witty comeback I can think of is that maybe the flowers are not wild as in not domesticated, they are wild as in they really like to party and if you look closely they really sway pretty seductively when the wind blows. That's all I got for a response. The picture isn't that great, but you can get an idea of how the flowers looked.

It's just so Texas; the flowers, the cows in the background. I love it. We also went to three softball games. Both of the girls play softball and Lisa coaches Asher's team while Mark coaches Cate's. Too bad they are not very involved parents eh? Haha...the girls did great, both got good hits and had a great time.

On Sunday we picked strawberries and even dug up potatoes at a farm! Well, Asher was the farmer of the bunch and used a pitchfork to pull up the potatoes and Lisa and I gathered them up to take home. It was really fun to be outside doing something with the family.

They also had blackberries but they were not quite ready to be eaten yet. Guess I will have to go back another time to get those. You can see here how the strawberries grow in rows on the ground. They are such a bright red when they are ripe that you can't help but taste test a few while you are picking. As Lisa said; it's a good thing they didn't weigh Cate and I before and after the picking session. We would have owed a lot more for our strawberries. I'm fairly certain I consumed more than I donated to the family box.

We ended the day with a trip to Coopers BBQ in Llano, TX. This place is amazing...check out the grill! You order the meat you want and they plop it on a tray that you take in to be weighed where you pay. If you want it with sauce they dunk in the huge vat at the end of the pit and then plop it on the tray.

Sunday night ended with a concert by Cate and Asher that included dancing and singing. Very entertaining I must say.

The girls are so fun to be around, I'm going to miss them when I leave for France. It's funny, it's not like I saw them very often when I lived here, but the option was there. If I wanted to make the drive I could do it, now it's a bit more difficult to visit.
I leave Thursday for LA to visit Jen, the first friend I ever made. We met when I was 2 and she was 3. We were neighbors in San Antonio. Can't wait to see her!! Hope everyone had a good Mother's Day.
Love you Mom!!

Houston and a dress

I have been back in Houston for a week now. So far most of my time has been spent with Cyr and friends going to dinner and catching up. I have not really spent a lot of time with my family, but since I am going to be here until June 2nd I still have time.

It's funny, I used to hear people talk about how cheap things are in the US, now I am one of those people. I just a conversion of what gas costs in Lille versus Houston. Gas/diesel fuel is sold by the liter and if you convert it to US dollars and gallons it comes out to...uh...$8.20 a gallon for gas in France right now. That is why they all walk and take public transportation! It's also why most of the cars are small and get like 50 miles to the gallon I guess. I also think clothes are cheaper here too.

Speaking of clothes...I bought a wedding dress!! Once again I have confirmed that I am buyer. I typically know what I want and then just buy it when I find it. I don't take 2 months to research things and compare the best price. I can't believe people will spend 3 months buying a car only to save $300. That's like 50 cents a month or something. So I went to Ventura's in the Heights thinking it would be super tacky but I wanted to take a look anyway. I walked in and sure enough, loud dresses and a few wedding dresses. Then a woman says; "oh no, our wedding section is in the back!" She takes me into this HUGE room with nothing but wedding dresses. It was really strange to pick through them. I pulled 6 and tried them on. I narrowed it down to 2 and held them so my Mom could help me choose. Both were beautiful, but I went with the first dress I tried on which was also the first one I pulled. The second was gorgeous and was beautiful on, but I felt like I was playing dress up. I'm not a princessy type of girl, so the beading and shiny things looked like it was made for someone else. Both my Mom and my Aunt Mary (who cried, awe!) agreed; the dress I chose looks like it was made for me. I also bought my veil. There were a few other girls there trying on dresses when I was there. They all looked like they should have been dressing for prom as opposed to a wedding. So young!! It was so fun trying on dresses. Makes you want to get married more than once. To the same person of course. :-)

This weekend I am going to visit my cousin in Kerrville and get some good Texas time in. I'm also going to try to find shoes and am hoping to visit my new cousin Colton as well. I was so sick I didn't want to expose him to the petri dish of germs I probably had all over me last week.

Cyr left on Saturday to head back to Lille. Sunday I went with a friend to an Astros game and had a great time. I cried during the National Anthem, ate a hot dog and sang during the 7th inning stretch. It all felt so American. In a fantastic way. Being back makes me miss Houston a little. It really is a great city, you just have to work a little harder to find things to do here. Not like Austin where fun is right in your face and you just stumble over great things to do. I'm not ready to come back just yet though, I'm really looking forward to getting back to Lille and speaking more French.

UPDATE ON V'S FAMILY
My friend V's house was struck by lightening and the house along with both of their cars were completely destroyed. Currently the family is in the process of moving into a rent house and trying to buy clothes and things for the kids (two boys age 3 and 5) to wear to school and other items needed for everyday life. Thank you to all that have emailed me to ask about how to help out. Right now they said the easiest way to help would be in the form of a gift card. If you would like to help, just email me or post and I can send you an address you can send a gift card to. Anything from groceries, clothing, home depot or even gas cards I'm sure would be welcomed. Thanks to everyone for offering help. I hope none of you are ever in her position, but if you are just know that people do come together to help.

All clear and help for a friend

Thank you so much to all of you who posted to my blog or sent emails asking about me. I really appreciate it. I was really worried there for a while. On Monday I went to my awesome internist in Houston Dr. Muntz. He took blood, looked me over and gave me antibiotics, an anti-dizziness med, migraine meds and a nausea medication. I am still having issues with vertigo / dizziness but don't have that nauseated feeling all the time. Looks like I am going to make it!! A nurse called me Tuesday morning to let me know that I didn't have anything weird come up in my blood tests but to make sure I kept drinking Gatorade and kept hydrated.

Now I'm just making the round and trying to see everyone. Cyr is here until this Saturday so I will spend most of my time with him since I won't see him again until June 2nd when I return to Lille. I was telling him how I am going to miss speaking, or trying to speak French, and he bought me the coolest gift!! It's a language package called Instant Immersion. It has like 300 lessons and even had a think that can listen to you pronounce words then will tell you if you are close or not. I'm excited to use it. Maybe I can learn a few things before I return.

It's strange but normal to be back. The first few days I kept saying "merci" to people when they would give me a glass of water or my meal or hold a door open. I think the funniest one was when I was in the airport in Houston and some guy wanted me to apply for a US Airways credit card and I told him in French that I didn't speak English. What was so funny was that he believed me! HA!

On an important note: I received an email from a sorority sister of mine about one of the girls we went to U of H with. Vicki S. (now Vicki W.) and her family (two boys 5 and 3 years) live in a suburb of Houston and her house was struck by lightening last week. The family got out ok but the house burned down and they lost everything including their cars. Send me an email or post to this blog if you would like to help Vicki and her family out with toys or gift cards. I'll post again to let you know how things are going with them.

Yes - I was in a sorority (Alpha Chi Omega) at the University of Houston. You know what? The girls were and still are great. No snobby types in AX. Most of us had jobs and had to pay for our own schooling. Don't judge too quickly please!

I'm alive...alive!

Well, it could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse.

Thursday
...was really bad (posted as a 5.5 but at times was a -2) and I was in serious doubt if I could make the trip to Houston or not. In talking with my oldest friend (meaning I have known her the longest, not that she is actually old) Jen she convinced me that I really needed to go to the pharmacy and try to get some medicine and Gatorade/electrolytes to help me feel better. There is a pharmacy one block away, so I got somewhat presentable and began the trek hoping I would not get sick along the way.

I can now say I have no shame. When you are sick, really sick, you will do what you can to feel better. I walked into the pharmacy armed with a few phrases; "mal de tete" and "mald'estomac" being the few. I walk to the counter and very sweet looking young girl with a white lap coats begins to talk to me. We establish my lack of French, the headache, stomach ache, I mime fever by putting hand to head and then I do it. I cringe both mentally and physically, take a breath, blush, then I mime diarrhea. Oh yeah folks, no shame here. I actually just kind of patted my hip, hunched over and smiled so don't go picturing Steve Martin on me. She was so nice, and obviously a champ at charades because she got it all. She then walks into the back, picks boxes off all kinds of shelves and loads me up with 4 things for all my ailments. Even a box of sachets I mix with water to replace all the electrolytes I have lost over the last two days. She writes on each box how to take them (no, not one suppository for those of you who are into stereotyping French medicine) and I'm off to home.

On the walk back I open the pack of tabs for nausea. They are to be put under your tongue until they dissolve. I'm a block from home, I put the tab under my tongue. Every drop of moisture in my body is absorbed by this thing. My mouth puckers, my eyes squint due to lack of moisture. Then I think the tab began to foam. It has a silvery metallic and strong medicine taste in my mouth and foam is threatening to make me look rabid. I make it to our place, pry my mouth open and get a little water in it. The rest of Thursday is a blur. Thursday night was a series of 1 - 2 hour naps (better than the night before). Cyr calls to wake me up at 6am Friday. I wake up and I'm not sure if I'm ok or not. He convinces me to get dressed and helps talk me down from not taking my flight.

Friday
8:15 - I take my one piece of luggage and bag and walk to the tram.
8:25 - Damn. That tram is fast. I'm now and hour early for my train to Brussels and I only need to be here 30 minutes prior to board. I need to be more French-like and less American-early.
9:15 - My track is announced, I make my way to where the train will be. No need to check in or anything, travel to Brussels is like travel to Oklahoma from Texas, but a much better destination.
9:35 - Train was 5 minutes late due to a "Problem with the engine". Ok...but we board the train anyway. I guess they fixed it.
problems with our engine. We will be 20 minutes late to Brussels, sorry..." Well 10:00 - Announcement; "The reason we are not at full speed is because we are still havingcrapola, that means I miss my connection to the airport. No big deal, Cyr said there is a train every 10 minutes or so.
10:50 - I found and took the train to Brussels airport
11:30 - Arrive Brussels airport. Phone rings. It's Auchan. They want to schedule a time to come fix the dryer!! I'm running through the airport trying not to get sick and feeling the effects of all the drugs I have in my system. I get my point across (I think) and hang up. They call back, I don't answer, I told them I was leaving the country. They call 8 times. I don't answer 8 times. I can't handle any more Auchan.
12:45 - Am on the flight, take another nausea tongue tab thing and doze off. I hear we were on the runway for an hour before we took off. I was in and out in a drug induced coma. The flight went ok, I didn't get sick on the plan.
??:?? I have no recollection of time, I know I had a 4 hour layover in Philly. I know I went through customs there and rechecked my bags, I know was I there and sat around in different chairs. I remember I kept feeling like the seats were shaking because everyone was walking so hard and I was getting nauseous, I know I was feeling horrible but didn't throw up, and I know I finally got on the plane to Houston.
7pmish - I get on the flight to Houston. It's a small plane. A girl sits down next to me. She turns out to be so fun to talk to, kind and witty. And a doctor. A neurologist, so not really what I need, but she does have some Phenergan for my stomach. The world is a just place sometimes.
11:00 - Mom picks me up!! I suddenly feel much better. I ask to drive because she is in my car. I get half way home and have to pull over, I'm too dizzy and am scared to drive. Uhh...I just want to get home. We get there eventually and talk and then I take my Phenergan and sleep a solid 9 hours for the first time in what feels like weeks.

Today is Monday and I went to the doctor to get checked out. He took some blood and is going to get back to me. I feel pretty normal now, still light headed but not too sick. He isn't sure if it's a parasite or if I had some kind of food poisoning or what. I have antibiotics, migraine medicine, my own Phenergan and an anti-dizzy medicine (not the technical term there). I'm looking forward to finding out if anything comes back in my blood.

I'm sure all will be back to some kind of normal soon. Thanks for all the emails out there. I love to read your posts and emails, so thanks!

Pushing a 5.5

Last night I went to brush my teeth and noticed I had an odd rash on my throat, chest and parts of my back. Huh...well that isn't reassuring. I did however sleep with the aid of a little medication and woke up around 8 this morning. The rash was gone so that is a good sign. Must have been some allergic thing. Ewe...

Still feeling like hammered poop though. Couldn't make it outside today so I won't be arriving bearing gifts. My presence will have to be your present. I'm feeling a little better though and so I'm thinking the 16 hour travel day I have ahead of me tomorrow maybe won't be complete torture. I hope.

My day rating dropped a half point though because the sick feeling is coming in waves. It's like a tease. I think I'm on the road to recovery then BAM! Hit once again with the stomach thing. Oh well, if nothing else my next post should be an entertaining one. I hope it's not. I hope all I have to post is that it went smoothly and I had no problems traveling after I woke up from a great night's sleep feeling refreshed.

It could happen...right?

Today is a 6

Uhh...couldn't sleep last night. Finally dozed off around 3am I think. Then I kept waking up because I was hot, then I was cold, then I was hot, then thirsty and it just never ended!! We have one of those clocks that shows the time on the ceiling so when you can't sleep it's super easy to know just how often you wake up. I finally drug (or is it dragged?) myself out of bed at 9am after what seemed like nothing more than a few strung together 30 - 45 minute naps. Auchan was supposed to come before lunch and I thought maybe a shower would help.

Not so much really. After a shower, two Excedrin, some orange juice and cereal I still felt awful. All I could think of was that I was sooooo glad this happened today and not Friday. I don't think I could have traveled like this. Not to mention my flight schedule is horrible. I fly from Brussels to Cleveland and then I have about a 4 hour layover before I go to Houston. The price you pay for a cheap ticket I guess.

Auchan guy shows up at 1:30 (13:30 for those of you in France). Amazingly we are able to talk for the most part. Miracle! I show him the seche-linge (clothes dryer) and he immediately says something that I know is "Oh no, I brought the wrong part." Well merde. Turns out the guy that came out last week to diagnose the issue wrote down the wrong part. Auchan-boy brought a new door. I don't need a new door. So now it's going to take a "bon semain" to get the other part in. That is translated into "good week". Good? Not so much good about that. Looks like we will have a few more weeks of super-duper-extra-noisy clothes drying. The latch that holds the inside closed is broken so every time the dryer goes around you hear "THHHHUMP, THHHHUMP". I'm sure soon it will totally break and we won't be able to use it at all.

Once he leaves I fall further into the depths of sickness. Whew...glad he was gone when that hit. No way could I have been on an airplane today. Oh well, maybe I'll loose a little weight before I go home. The irritating thing is that I really needed to go downtown today because I wanted to buy some gifts for family members before I return. Do most other people feel the need to supply gifts upon return from a long vacation or separation? I feel like I should bring people something but right now I don't have anything. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel tons better and will have the chance to do a little gift shopping.

There are a few things that made today a 6 out of 10 as opposed to a 2. One is that I talked to Cyr and that always makes me feel good, another is that I'm getting to be sick on our super comfy couch with soft pillows and watch marathon reruns of "Ed" while drinking bubbly water. It's also cloudy outside so it's perfect for a calm day on the couch while not feeling so well.

Culinary Revenge and Pictures

People keep asking for pictures...so here is a story with some pictures plus a few random things thrown in.

Yesterday I decided to throw caution to the wind and venture out in jeans and a t-shirt. Who cares if everyone in this country is dressed up? Not I...I am going to be comfortable I say!!

It was a great day, it felt about 70 degrees but it was probably only 65. I needed a few things to get me by this week until I leave for the US so I thought I would walk to my local 8au8 and boulangerie (bakery). The 8au8 is like a 7-11, except they are only open 8-8 as opposed to 7-11 (chuckle, chuckle, insert French joke here) and is more like a small market than a convenience store. I decide I will just throw on a jacket, jeans and some European looking walking shoes (not tennies, I don't need to make that much of a statement). Once down my block I realize it's too hot for the jacket. I take it off and proudly show my "Ride Lots" t-shirt from my old bike shop in Sedona. Then I notice I have a spot about the size of a dime right between my boobs. Awe man...I was trying to look confident casual, not sloppy American!! I hold my jacket close to try to cover it but end up looking more like I'm scared someone is trying to steel my coat.

I make it to the 8au8 and then to the bakery. I have had small issues here before but I think everything is ok now. You see, at first I would go into the shop and as for "une baguette s'il vous plait", translation "one baguette please". Then the lady would hand me a flute, which is like a baguette but about the half the size, and charge me .90 euro for a baguette! At first I didn't think it was really happening, but then Cyr kept coming home with these long baguettes! (insert man with large baguette joke here) One weekend I went in with Cyr, we ordered together and sat down to have coffee there. Ever since then I get an actual baguette. I guess they saw my bad-ass Frenchman and decided to play nice-nice!! Well yesterday I order 3 croissant, she put them in a little bag and I walked home. Typically this place is fantastic, and they are not rude at all, they just smile and give you the wrong thing sometimes. Well, I got my croissants, but they were burned on the outside! I should have taken a picture, but I ate the ugliest one first, then the second ugliest one for breakfast today so all I have is the only slightly overcooked one left. Still, they tasted fantastic, but I can't help but think my sloppy American getup contributed to me getting the 3 crappiest croissant in the place...

So I then begin to curse the bakery lady because I have never seen them once produce a croissant with anything resembling a black or even dark brown outer crust. I calmed down a bit when I ate the blackest of them and it was still better than most I have had in the US (sorry, don't know why this is, but it's true). I then turn to wash some dishes and while cleaning a cheese knife (a very French thing to have) I slice it across my thumb and can feel the flesh and nail being carved like a piece of baloney. Said knife must have heard me cursing the French baker and taken it personally. Damn culinary revenge!! I wasn't hurt badly, but you guys keep asking for pictures so here you go...

I am wearing actual athletic shoes here, but just around the apartment. She probably would have charged me double if I had my tennies on. Here is the vengeful cheese knife. Freshly washed.

...and here is a picture of how large our concierge's rain gutters are. Is that strange or is it just me? I saw this and thought "Damn! Those things are over a foot wide!" I wonder if that makes for harder or easier cleaning. I'm thinking there is a lot more surface area for leaves to fall in.

And here is a bottle of Westvleteren 12 beer. Voted the "Best Beer in the World" by Ratebeer.com and a bunch of other groups. It was 12 euro ($18 USD in a beer shop) but was worth it I think. Seriously!! It's dark, complex, seductive and smells fantastic. Just like the trappist monks that make it I'm sure. It's such a cool beer it has no label. Just a bottle cap with the beers identity on it.

So there you have it. A lot of pictures and a cool beer to boot.

Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis!

I saw my first French movie in a French theater with no subtitles!!

Remember when Titanic was in the theaters and it was as if everyone in the nation had seen the film? Really, I don't recall if anyone didn't voluntarily go or get dragged by someone to see Leo freeze to death. Well there is a similar happening right now in France with what was thought to be a small film called Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis! The one major difference is that everyone wants to see this movie, it's not just women dragging boyfriends/husbands/brothers to see it. The film has been out since February 28th and we still had to stand in line on Saturday at 2pm to get into the theater. They even had to cut the line off because it was blocking the entrance to the escalator!

We have two theaters here and they both show films in their original format, so I can see American movies in English, but I really wanted Cyr to see this film because it's about the north of France. "Nord-pas-de-Calais" for those of you that know or have read my past blogs. Background: fiance is from this area and actually speaks "Ch'ti". It's an interesting sound, sort of Flemish. Lots of open mouths and "AHH"ing going on. I can't understand a word of it.

To prep myself we went and had two Leffe Brunes prior to the viewing. Beer may not actually help me understand French, but it makes me care less if I do or don't. It also helps me to believe that I have this innate ability to read body language and just "get" what people are trying to say. Sort of my super power (if I had one). Cyr had to lean over a few times, but for the most part I actually got it!! AND I loved it. It was funny and sad and actually pretty spot on from what I know about the North. Ok, that isn't much, but I can say that I moved here as an outsider and the people have been really nice for the most part. I felt cool because I knew there was Maroilles in the breakfast scene before it was even announced. I felt like I was part of a club or something. Instead of a secret handshake it's a special smelly cheese that people here eat. I actually love it. Maroilles with escargot was the first thing I ate after Cyr picked me up from the airport when I moved here. If you click on the title above and read the article it looks like Hollywood bought the rights and there will be a US version in the works. I would recommend the French version if it goes out on Netflix though.

Today was a beautiful day here in Lille. I actually did a little suntanning. The sun was coming through our windows so brightly I couldn't resist opening our two balcony doors and laying half in our apartment and half on the balcony while reading a book. I think I actually got some color too! I read for like 3 hours, well, I laid there for about that long. It was so nice to feel the sun on my face and arms. It reminded me of when I was a kid and we would go to Lake Travis for Easter. It was never really warm enough to swim, but I would put on my bathing suit and pretend I wasn't in pain and try it. Sometimes the sun would hit you for a few minutes and you could briefly remember what it was like to be hot. Mmmm...

This week will be spent dealing with what will hopefully be the last visit from Auchan for a while to fix our dryer. I'm cringing already about having to try to get through that one. I'm having lunch with a friend and also packing for my trip back the US. Looks like I might be gone until the end of May. Cyr is traveling the last part of May and it doesn't make sense to me to leave friends and family to come back to an empty apartment.

Asian Female Self-Defense Video (??)

Ran across this and just had to share. I wonder if they show this in classrooms to young girls about traveling to the US...


So very strange!! Catchy tune though...

Not much going on here. Cyr leaves Sunday to go to Houston for a two week training course. The super cool thing is that I'm going to be there next weekend for a long visit so we will be there for a week together. Yeah!!

I am going to have to, I mean get to navigate the train to Brussels to get to the airport on my own. I'm sure it will be no problem. Well enjoy the video. I'm going to go practice those moves about "I've been robbed by two men!" just in case my train to Brussels is difficult.