A Beautiful Story Reading

Tonight for our Family night, Amelie read us a book.

You Are Mine 

By Max Lucado

Amelie is such an incredible reader! 

She reads better than us!

Her intonations are right on the spot!

I was in awe listening to her read to us...

By the way this story is perfect just before Christmas.

Well worth the read.

Flooding of Memories in One Unexpected Bite of French Goodness

(Well, these were actually from Italy)

Tonight for our date, my Man and I went to see the movie the Hobbit.

After the movie we had to go validate our parking ticket at Hubble & Hudson!

So we got a couple of my favorite drinks:

 Izzi and Orangina

I happened to look up on a random shelf, and what did I see?

Some boxes of Marrons Glaces!

(Glazed Candied Chestnut)

OH MY HEART!

3 min later, I was savoring this french delicatessen at 11pm at an outside table in front of H&H, 

under a lit up tree, in 70+ degree weather!

(I did share one with my man, just one and forbade him to eat anymore...)

I almost cried at the first bite!

Memories of my dear grandma Henrillette and past Christmases 

in my home land enveloped me!

 I miss my Grandma so much!

She was so lovely and kind, I've always felt a strong bond for her and still do.

She knew her grandchildren and loved us by always having little goodies for us when we visited.

Some of my favorite childhood memories were sleep overs at her tinny one bedroom appartement.

Going to the market and grocery shopping, 

Waiting for the Bread Van that would honk in front of her apartment building everyday. 

I would run down the 6 or 7 flights of stairs so fast to get her her daily fresh bread 

and little yummy buttery croissants, a treat for me!

During my high school years, I would visit her and my beloved grandpa Gaston, 

 every week during my 2h lunch hour or after school.

I ALWAYS felt welcomed, loved and special in thier home and heart.

I want to be a grandma just like her someday...

So, why so emotional, as I savor this marron glaces?

For Christmas, she would get me a box of these Marrons, 

because I was the weird one that did not like chocolate!

Here are photos of her, goodbyes, and a poem I wrote to honor her.

I love her so much and can't wait to see her again in the next life!

I know she will be there to greet me.
She will be one of the first persons I will look for.

I can't think of heaven without memere Henrillette or pepere Gaston!

I feel so privileged to be part of thier family.

I love family ties, because they never die or leave us.

Ward Christmas Party

This morning we had our Christmas Bruch Party

With a little live Nativity play with songs. 

We had a very nice time.

I brought cut up apples with caramel.

I liked what they did with the deco.

Amelie was a lucky little angel.

On a sadder note, Justine didn't get her plane...
today doesn't look good either...
But that is to be expected with buddy passes.
The tickets are way cheeper, but you have to be prepared to wait for a seat,
sometimes a few days.
I was stuck once in France for 10 days!
Hopefuly, it will not be that long for Justine!
She would miss Christmass!
We do not want that now, do we?

Christmas Spirit

Today as I was checking out at the grocery store, 

a group of handicapped children sang some 

Christmas carols.

It was so sweet. 

It warmed my heart.

Something else that makes me happy: the thought of seeing my sweet girl tomorrow!

Look Up

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; 

And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”

Psalm 19:1, 

It does one's soul a whole lot of good to look up once in a while...

Try it a few times a day...

And see the glory of God.

Emric's Awesome Belly Flop

At Practice today

OUCH!!

I'm glad that it wasn't me, not that I could do a double!

Don't you love the music I put on it?

P E R F E C T

Me & My Girl

Some after church photo fun!

Amelie and I
I Love my beautiful girl so much!

We heard a beautiful solo of O holy night at church today!
Grateful for gifted people
Some people are just talented and brave.

  

Christmas Choir, Late Nights & Ice Skating.

Amelie joined the 4th grade school Choir this year.

She practices for 30 min, every Tuesdays and Thursdays, before school at 7:30am.

That is the time she normally takes the bus for school.

She loves to sing!

She is always singing and performing...

Mike must have hundreds of  recordings on his Ipad by now!

Anyhow.

She was really tired, as you can see in the pictures, 

because she had a friend come for a sleepover and they went to sleep around 4 am!!!

That was after doing 6 hours of Gymnastics on Friday from 4 til 10pm!

Only Daddy was able to get these rare smiles...

She had more yawnings...

 

 

 

She ended up getting all her energy back in the evening 

when we took her Ice skating with another friend! 

They ice skated for 3 hours!
They had a lot of fun.
And got all wet pretending to fall in the melted ice puddles.
Yeah, it's hard keeping ice frozen in 70/80 degree weather!
They have to refreeze the ice with a machine every few hours...

Diving Emric

Saturday Morning dive meet for Emric

This one only lasted an hour!

Still needs to get control of that body of his...

It's Snowing! Not Really...

There is always something going on in The Woodlands.

Today was a free concert, the last one of the year.

Walking along the river

Listening to the symphony perform beautiful Christmas melodies...

Who said there was no snow in Texas?
It's all man made! Weather in the 80"s today.

Happy BDay Chloe

My precious puppy is 3 today!

I love my Dog!

She has improved my life in little and big ways.

Because of her:

* I walk and enjoy nature everyday like I often did growing up in France.

*I get to be closer to nature, sometimes too close, 

like when she decides to wear a nasty fragrance by rolling in some nasty dead stinky stuff! 

Of course, after she's all clean and bathed.

* She has helped me transition to a new place here in Texas, and not feel lonely.

* I am more sociable and actually talk to people I would never talk to without her.

I've even made friends because of her.

* Mike and I spend more time together.

* She is my little companion and makes me happy!

I'm so grateful for my Chloe.

She is an awesome dog!
A Gift.

Saturday Swim Meet, Ikea & Lincoln

Brunch at Ikea after the dive meet!

This is Amelie's second meet, it was downtown at a university.
She came in 4th in her age group among 18 girls! Not bad!
She kinda was almost tied with 3rd.

For our date Mike and I went to see 'Lincoln' the movie. It was long but really good!
What a man with a mission who truly has a place in History!!

"Your Only Chore is Being a Mom!"

The day Mike and I got home from Aruba, 
as we were cleaning up and setteling back home.

Amelie to moi:

You give chores to everyone! 

Except for you! 

Moi:

Really? I've been doing stuff all day long!
Unpacking, sorting, putting away, laundry...

Amelie:

"Your only chore is being a mom!"

"You even give chores to the dog sometimes!

i'm suprised you give your own HUSBEND chores!

You dont let him do ANYTHING until hes done!"

Moi Thinks:

Like I do nothing!!!

I wish I had only one chore to do and I could give chores to the dog!

I know that this little turd girl will someday be big and know how much
that 'one chore of being a mom' really entails...

Moi to Amelie on that someday when she knows:

How many chores does a mom give to herself?
How many chores are added by other people?

How much does a mother sacrifice and give of herself?
Not in perfect ways. Often laking.
Falling short so many times...
Striving. Trying.
From sun up to way past sundown.
Day in and day out.
Digging deeper for strength within and often needing and calling on Divine strentgh.
Strugling to meet everyones needs.
Never giving up on the fruit of her loins.
All because of that love and bond she felt, that one day, a child was born from her body.

One day, you, the little girl, you too will know:
How many chores a mom realy carries and gives to herself?
Precious little girl of mine,
tel me again about the
'only chore of being a mom?'

With all my Love
MOM

Airport Boredom, Puppy Joy & Guilt or Lack Thereof

Got rid of the 'beer' Aruba Tee-shirt
Traded it with a more appropriate Aruba one.
I got bored; thus the many picture of my man!

What joy to get our Chloe back!
10 days in a kennel!
She seemed fine though as if we had just dropped her of the day before.
They say dogs have no sense of time?
Or is it just a saying to appease a dog owner's guilt?

Kids had fun. No guilt there!
They understand and they are used to Mom and Dad's together time.
They are all the better for it.
Parents are still together, still working, still striving to nurture forever love.
When so many have broken homes.
Our little 9 year old girl notices friend's broken homes.

Thanksgiving

*******

 ”Christian thanksgiving is the life of Christ in the heart, 

transforming the disposition and the whole character. 

Thanksgiving must be wrought into the life as a habit—

before it can become a fixed and permanent quality.

We must persist in being thankful. 

Thanksgiving has attained its rightful place in us, 

only when it is part of all our days and dominates all our experiences.

Every day of our years should be a thanksgiving day.

He who has learned the Thanksgiving lesson, 

well has found the secret of a beautiful life.”

J.R. Miller

*******

9 days in Aruba

9 days of discovering this little island.

9 days of lovely pictures; 

the beaches, the clear water, the wonderful weather...

But as I fly home I am taking something more precious than a place, 

a beach, a pretty fish, over 300 pictures.

I fly home with memories of 9 days well spent with the man of my life.

9 days only he and I shared.

9 days of bonding and togetherness.

9 days just the 2 of us with no cares, work, responsibility or worry.

9 days of relaxing for my hard working man.

9 days in Aruba

Boca Catalina - Last Snorkeling Swim

After discovering these beaches on our last night, 

Mike and I decided to come early morning and do some snorkeling one last time,

before we had to catch our plane back to the States... 

The water was just too inviting!

So we got up early and snorkeled from 7:30am till 10:30am.

IT WAS AWESOME!

We then got back to our room and checked out by noon!

There were lots of boats that would stop by and let paying snorkelers in the water for about 30 min. 

I'm so glad we brought our own gear! 

We snorkeled everyday but 3 and for 1 to 2 hours each time, at 3 different spots...

In Aruba you can pretty much get to nice underwater wonders from the beach.

I must say though, nothing will ever be as beautiful as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia!

Unfortunately, in Aruba, a lot of the coral has lost it's color and died from careless divers who step on it.

  
  
 

Arashi Beach - Last Sunset Watch

Do we really have to leave? 

Time just goes by so fast!

 

 

 

 

 

   

California Lighthouse

Situated on the upper Northern tip of Aruba

Still in Love after 22 years and a lot of up and downs called 'Life'
(Boy, I really did have bad hair days. Every. Single. Day.)