Our 15th Anniversary

Where did the time go?  I honestly can’t believe Jason and I have been married 15 years now.  The best part is that I honestly look forward to the next 15 years with even a higher level of marital satisfaction than when we first got married.  We have a wonderful life together, and it just keeps getting better.

To celebrate our Anniversary, we flew to London for the weekend, this time without the kids.  (We really appreciate our friends, Mark and Anne Baird, who took care of them for us.)  We had an incredible time, and wished we could have stayed longer. 

Jason is a pretty amazing guy, and I can’t possibly write a blog post that does justice to how lucky I feel to be married to him.  So, instead, I will make a shorter list about what I loved about him this weekend:

1.       He let me pick anywhere I wanted to go for our anniversary.  Even though he has been to London many times, he was still supportive of my choice and didn’t question it. 

This is the actual Rosetta Stone -- in the British Museum.  There's a reason why this place is
 on the top 100 things to do before you die.  It's really cool!!

Also in the British Museum, this is a bonafide totem pole.  It was staggering to see
the vast amount of  artifacts the British  have collected from civilizations all over the world.

2.       Mainly, I wanted to go to London in order to go to the theater.  I am lucky enough to be married to someone who genuinely loves plays and especially musicals as much as I do.  I picked “Jersey Boys” for Friday night, but on Saturday afternoon, I told him it was his turn.  We could see anything he wanted, even a movie like “The Avengers” or “The Hunger Games.”  Instead, he picked same-day tickets to the critically-acclaimed musical “Sweeney Todd.”  Granted it’s about a crazy throat-slitting barber (which is very “Jason”), but still, he picked a musical over a movie (or anything else), and I love that about him.  Also, the production was AMAZING.  I didn’t know anything about the story going in, but the music was so beautiful and the story was so tragic—it was a masterpiece…not to be missed.



          3. He insisted we have traditional afternoon High Tea.  I thought this seemed a little silly and pretentious when he suggested it, but I was so glad we did it!  After spending some time in the British Museum, we went to the upper floor where they have a restaurant which serves afternoon tea.  But it wasn’t just tea.  They brought the most lovely tray of little sandwiches, scones and desserts—it was so fancy and fun.  I ordered a citrus ginger herbal tea. Jason’s was green apple.  It was such a fun experience I will never forget.

4.      Before the weekend started, Jason wrote out 52 questions to ask me during the weekend.  These were questions like, “Name something I do that annoys you,” and “What has surprised you most about being a parent?”  He asked what advice I would give myself if I could go back and talk to myself in high school, and what attributes do I most fear our kids will pick up (from both of us).  When you have been married such a long time, you assume you already know everything about each other, but your views change over time, and asking deliberate questions like these can give you surprising answers.  The questions certainly made for some excellent and enlightening discussions.

5.      I loved that Jason spent almost 2 hours searching for a bed knob on Portobello Road in Notting Hill.  And I helped him.  We went into a least a dozen antique shops searching for a brass knob like the one in the movie “Bed knobs and Broomsticks,” which was also purchased on Portobello Road.  At first I didn’t understand why it was so important to him, but then I realized the symbolism of what the bed knob means to him: it symbolizes the creativity, wishful thinking, and imagination of youth.  I love that Jason is still a kid at heart.

one of MANY antique shops on Portobello Road
and one brass knob Jason finally found

We had to search through so much clutter.  My mom would have
been in paradise--she loves antiques.

6.       Jason knows how to dress up.  Geez—he has nice style.  We went out to late dinners twice, and both times Jason wore a different suit.  He looked great…better than great.  I love him for taking the time to wow me when he would have looked just fine in jeans and a button-down shirt.  But he still makes an effort to impress me.  Wish I had pictures...

7.       I love that Jason is thoughtful and considerate.  When I wore heels in the evening, he insisted we take taxis to save my feet from too much walking, even though I told him I was fine taking the tube. He wouldn’t hear of it.

8.      I love that he noticed my manicure and then complimented me on it.

9.       I love that Jason is obsessed with these red phone booths in London.  I already have a million pictures of him in them, some even back from high school, but almost every time we passed one, he still wanted more pictures. 

10.   Finally, I love that after 15 years, Jason is still as fun to be with as ever.  He is hilarious, witty, and talkative.  He is incredibly good with maps and directions.  He is generous, entertaining, and tireless.  I love that he told me to drop a few coins in the guitar case of the guy playing Metallica in the subway.  I love that he always smells great.  I love that he makes me laugh. I love that he’s careful with money but not cheap.   I love that he is so full of enthusiasm for life.

         

I love you, Jase!  Happy Anniversary!

Paris in the Spring

Paris, France, April 6, 2012

It's official.  We are coming home for good on July 2nd and will not be returning to France.  So, this last family trip we took to Paris over the kids' Spring break was certainly bittersweet.  Despite getting rained on the last few days, we had a wonderful time, and the kids loved seeing the museums, famous landmarks, and spring blossoms in Paris.

Maisy at Luxembourg Gardens, April 8, 2012

The very first thing we did after checking into the hotel was go to the Louvre.  My kids couldn't wait, since we had talked about 13 of the famous pieces they would see on the 5-hour train ride to Paris.  I used the same idea I had in Barcelona at the Picasso museum and made them a handout with pictures they had to label once we found the famous pieces of art.  Despite the fact that Paris was the most crowded I have ever seen it (we went over Easter weekend), the kids elbowed their way in to see the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, The Raft of the Medusa, and many others.  Jocelyn especially loved to hear the "story" about every piece of art.  The Louvre is enormous as everyone knows, and focusing on only 13 things to see was the perfect amount for the age of my kids. Even so, here's what they looked like by the end:

This was not posed, I swear.  Their little faces were so hot and sweaty too!
The Louvre Museum, April 6, 2012

Here are some pictures when they had a little more energy:

Showing their guide sheets I made for them in front of Venus de Milo

Getting this shot of Jocelyn in front of the Mona Lisa wasn't easy!

Maisy outside the Louvre, April 6, 2012

Jason and the girls with "Winged Victory of Samothrace" behind them.
I love this statue; it's gorgeous.

There's obviously too many pictures of our three days in the city to show on this blog, but here are just a few:

Jeni and Jason in front of Arc de Triomph, April 6, 2012

Me and the girls--along the Seine River by Notre Dame

Notre Dame Cathedral, April 7, 2012

And, of course, the Eiffel Tower was a hit.  The girls have begged us for almost 2 years to take them here, and we finally did!  Here's a sample of the dozens of pictures we took:

After a few days in Paris, we packed up and took the girls on another train ride to a different hotel--this time close to DISNEYLAND!!  This was probabably the highlight of the trip for the girls, since Maisy doesn't ever remember going to Disney in California, and the twins were only 5 years old the last time we went.  We had such a fun time together, even though it rained half of the first day and the ENTIRE second day.  We thought the rain would mean less people, but no--Disneyland Paris is just as busy as the original Disneyland, but honestly, it was still just as fun.  We loved it...except the Indiana Jones ride.  The kids couldn't ride it anyway, but it was such a disappointment in my opinion.  All it is in Paris is an average rollercoaster, and in California, it's always been my all-time favorite ride.

Bright and shiny the first day at the park, April 9, 2012

I sort of stopped taking pictures the second day at the park.  This is pretty much
what every picture would have looked like.  But we still had fun!

So, the next family adventure that involves travel and hotel will certainly be as we head back to the US.  We are looking forward to the new adventures that await, and we can't wait to see all of you at home!!!  À bientôt!  See you soon...

  

Jeff's 63rd Birthday

Devil's Bridge--Eze Village, March 19, 2012

Jason's father, Jeff Pierce, turned 63 on March 22.  We were so lucky to have him visit us during his birthday!  The visit was extra memorable because Jason's only brother Scott also came to visit at the same time.  We did some of the same things we have done with most of our guests, like go to the beach, visit medieval French villages, and zip across the near-by Italian border, but we tried to do a couple of new things too.  First of all, we have never played tennis with any of our visitors before, and playing doubles turned out to be very fun.  Luckily the weather cooperated.  Scott is naturally very athletic, and he has quite a reach, so he was tough at the net.  Jeff had the best volley of anyone though--his vollies were always in bounds and impossible to return.

GIANT blocks of Parmesan cheese in San Remo, Italy, March 17, 2012

Jeff and Scott--Milan, Italy

Jason and Jeff on top of the duomo--Milan, Italy, March 20, 2012

We also chose a restaurant in Cannes we had never taken guests to before, called "Poivre et Sel" (Pepper and Salt).  It was excellent food at a good value, and going out to eat in a grown up French restaurant without the kids is always a treat.

I was glad Jason had lots of male-bonding time with his Dad and brother, but one morning I got to have them all to myself while Jason had to work, and I will always treaure that day: we hiked up to an old village high on a mountain and then had such delicious crepes afterwards at a little French cafe.  I thought it was so cute that Jeff thanked the French waiter in Portugese.  As Scott said, "use what you got [to communicate]."  (Jeff loved talking to people everywhere we went.  I love that the impression Jeff gave people was that Americans are warm and friendly.  The French could use some lessons from him.)  Also, the menu had translated "chantilly" into English as "wipecream" instead of "whipcream," and Scott and I really couldn't stop giggling about that! Like we were immature 9th-graders or something...

Scott and Jeff in front of Eze village

Finally, my kids got so excited to celebrate Grandpa's birthday.  They worked for two weeks on a giant cake-shaped birthday card with 63 hand-made paper candles.  They also picked gifts for him and helped wrap them.  They helped decorate for the party and also helped me prepare the dinner and birthday cake.  It seemed like the party was more for the kids than my father-in-law!  They sure love their Grandpa...

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!!

The party poppers were a hit as you can tell.

Jocelyn and Uncle Scott at Grandpa's birthday party

Scott won the kids over as well, starting the day he arrived.  It was so apparent he has a 4-year old daughter of his own.  My kids LOVED him.

It meant a lot to us, and especially Jason, that his brother and Dad would make the effort to come visit us.  The plane rides to get here are not short or cheap!  We are especially grateful to Katrina and DeAnn for being so supportive of the visit.  Thanks guys! 

The Merchants of Venice

The Grand Canal at dusk--Venice, Italy, February 26, 2012

The girls had a break from school at the end of February, so we decided to take advantage of it by driving to Venice for a couple of days. Even though we had just missed the high Carnival parade and parties, there were still signs of all the festivies that had recently occurred, such as confetti in the streets and parade stands in the square. Of course, there were also plenty of ornate, colorful and not-entirely-uncreepy masks all around the city as well. With our family, though, we mostly wandered through the city, rode vaporettos (water buses), and let the kids spend their saved-up allowance on kitschy souvenirs. Venice has so many picturesque views, little streets, and shops that you can spend hours just getting lost and taking in the city.  We even ventured out a bit to the small island of Murano to see the local glass artisans and shop for glass jewelry. The kids loved all of it...until they got tired of walking.



St. Mark's square

By the Bridge of Sighs

The front steps of St. Mark's Cathedral

As I mentioned, the girls loved all the sightseeing, until they got tired of walking.  Maisy was a great sport but finally wore down by mid-afternoon Saturday, and a stroller just wasn't feasible with the bridges, steps, and cobblestone.  Jason caught me in a moment of frustration with Maisy, who refused to walk or cooperate anymore.  Jase is such a good Dad that he finally ended up just carrying her for an hour while she took a much-needed break.

"That's it, Mom.  I'm done!!"

"I won't even smile for pictures anymore!"

She was much better after a nap.  And Dad was MVP for sure.

No trip to anywhere in Italy is complete without indulging in gelato.  My girls always have such a tough time deciding what flavor to get.  Below, the girls pose with their friend Tess who joined us on the trip.  (She is the same girl who spent Halloween with us in London.)  She makes our holidays so much fun! Here's a trip milestone as well: we didn't eat ONCE at McDonald's with the kids.



The touristy gondolas were everywhere; we were too cheap,
so we passed.  We just took vaporettos only.

This was a huge candy shop with an incredible display. 
I wish you could see the prices and selection better.

Though we didn't love paying 1.50 Euro everytime we needed a restroom (EACH!!), we did love the melancholy feeling of this old, beautiful place.  It feels like a city forgotten in time, and even though we had been there years before, we wanted our kids to experience it firsthand. They couldn't believe that there were so many bridges, boats, birds, and "secret" doors or windows just above the waterline. If we had to rate the success of the trip, we would give it 3 scoops of gelato (out of a possible 3), consisting of stracciatella, pistache, and tiramisu. Ciao Venezia!