Blog Contest!

Hello Everyone,
I am a finalist in the Bus2Alps blog contest.  If you have been reading about my adventures around Europe, please vote for me at


http://blog.bus2alps.com/2010/11/27/bus2alps-why-we-ride-blog-finalists/.

I can win a free trip or even 1,000 euro!

Thanks!

MOVING MY BLOG

Hello Followers,
I love using blogger.com, but it has upset me.   Apparently I have used too much memory uploading pics onto the site, and now I have to pay for storage space in order to upload pictures.  Lame.  So I'm moving my blog.  I got a tumblr!  I cannot customize as much as blogger, but a blog with pictures is better than one without!


MY NEW BLOG ADDRESS IS:


http://katherinearoundtheworld.tumblr.com/

Come follow me! :)

Happy Birthday Molly/Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Today is a special day.  For two reasons!!! Reason #1 is My favorite little magical cousin, Miss Molly, turns 11!!! 

Happy Birthday Molly! 

I wish I could celebrate with you!  I miss you and I can't wait to see you when I get back!  Here is 11 reasons why you are Molly the Magnificent!

 1. You are fun to shop with.  You make me feel young again. hehe

2. You enjoy shopping at the Jockey underwear store with our moms just as much as I do.  We both look sooooo happy.

3. You and Emily get along.  Emma and I also get along.  Patches and Lani are friends.  So much cousin lovin.

4.  You are still smallish and I can still pick you up. 

5.  I got to relive my American Girl days through you. 

6.  You are a big cousin and a  little cousin. 

 7.  But of course I am your favorite cousin!

8.  You are the coolest 10, now 11 year old I know!

9.   Stylin in Emily's clothes.  Work it girl.

10.  The next Chanel perfume model!

 

11.  You own a snuggie.  You da bomb diggity.

 So happy birthday little Guac-a-Molly!  I miss your pigtails and I can't wait to see you.  

P.S.   Pinnochio says Hi!!!!

Reason #2 Why today is SOOOO Wonderful!  It is my mom and dad's 24th Wedding Anniversary!!!!

24 Years ago they met on a plane.  My mom was getting over the chicken pox, my dad didn't have gray hair yet.  It was love at first sight! Their first date was to see Back to the Future.  They got married, and then a year later baby Robbie was born! Then me.  Then Emily. 

So here is a shout out to my mom and dad.  Melissa and Robert!  Happy 24th Anniversary!!!  Thank you for giving me a happy childhood!  Always being involved with us in school, making our Halloween costumes, coaching our sports teams, coming to our choir concerts, school plays, girlscouts, hula shows, baseball games, basketball games, water polo games, swim meets, cheer competitions, and taking us on interesting/historical vacations!

 

 

 

Thanks for being such great parents!  Let's have 24 more years of matching pajamas!

The French Countryside

Finally the rest of my Paris pictures!

Here are pictures from days 3,4, and 5. 

The Eiffel tower in its twinkling state!

The two different types of architecture.  The Hausmann style from after the French Revolution and the traditional Parisian style right next to eachother!

Moldy cheese! Yuck!

Heaven in a baked form.

The Luxembourg Gardens!

 Every view was picturesque.
 

 

I'm always Kaitlin's perfect model....

We decided that if we were studying abroad in Paris, we would come do our homework here everyday.

Sher made us a traditional French lunch.  We had Chev, Camambert, and a goat cheese with baguette for an appetizer.  An omelette with meat and vegetables for the main course.  Salad for cleansing, and scrumptious desserts!

  Sher taught us how to pair different cheeses with different wines!  I'm trying to remember it all.
And these for dessert!!!!

My favorite was the blueberry tart but they were all amazing. Ugh, my mouth is watering just thinking about them!

We went to the market to get some food to bring to the country.

Some fall foliage in Paris.

Then we walked around the Pyramid at the Louvre for Kaitlin to get some night shots.

Nice vaulted ceilings.

Some Louvre statues.

These are two different metro stops!  They are unique all around the city.  A little Pan's Labyrinth if you ask me!

The Hotel du Louvre is where my mom stayed a few years ago when she went with her friend April.  The perks of being a travel agent.

Kaitlin and her aunt and uncle!

This is not enhanced at all! 

Emily would love this!  Moulin Rouge is one of her favorite movies.  Who knew it only means "Red Mill"

We took a ride to Momartre, where all the up and comin artists live.  There  was some cool paintings on the streets and walls of buildings.  Here is the famous church.  Spooky.  It looks like bones.

View from the top!

Day 4:
The French Counrtyside.  We first went to the market. 

The best yogurt!  So fresh and delicious.

Piglet with a pricetag :(

 
 Then we went to a little restaurant called La Vie En Rouge.  It was soooo cute.  There were only 3 tables.  We sampled different meats, cheeses and wine.  They also sell tons of sugar, spices, desserts.  Mmmm. mmm. mmmm.  I really liked the Spanish salami.. It had a kick...zesty. 

Spooky watermill.

We walked around where Lillia used to have her horseback riding lessons.  aka Storybookland.

I'm opening the door to the Secret Garden.

A wittle fwiend on my jacket.

We found a little door.

Red leavessssss.

We stopped at the three most famous manors and walked around them.  They all had massive gardens with artwork in the yards.

This one was my favorite.  I want my own Rapunzel tower someday.  Maybe when I meet a doctor.

Moo.  Hey mom, it's you, me, Robbie, and Emily.

This reminds me of New England.

This was the big manor that you could actually go in. 

A cute little medieval town.

Not everyday you find a tractor driving down the street...

Love the shabby chic facades.  They use a special technique to preserve the original stone.  They cover it to ekeep it strong, but leave pieces around the corners and windows xposed to show the original facade.

My future house.

In front of a manor.

The Betz's House
Thierry and Sher bought this house when their daughter, Lillia, was a baby.  They wanted her to be able to grow up in the country but they also wanted the city life.  So they bought the house and got the best of both worlds.  It is in deep Normandie, in the Perche region, in a city called Remalard.  The houses are spread out and are all beautiful.  When they first bought the house it was concrete.  They noticed the interior becoming very damp and called in a specialist.  They found 16th century bricks underneath the concrete and found out their house was centuries old.  They restored the exterior and redid all the rooms to match the 16th century style.  I loved staying in their house.  They have so many antiques and everything has its own story. Sooo cool!

We love what they've done with the place!