Family Fun

I have never wanted this blog to be a travelogue, and I don’t plan to start now. Although I have to admit, I was tempted to upload and share the itinerary I prepared for my last visitors, since F.I.V.E. family members came to see us all at the same time, and the trip turned out so well. I honestly didn’t have the capacity to offer a trip like this to visitors when we first moved here, so I’m thrilled my family was able to come when they could experience so much. The longer we live in France, the better we get at hosting visitors, simply because we feel more comfortable getting around and have learned more about what there is to do and see here. My three sisters, my mother, and my niece were here for 10 days, so that really gave us a lot of time to show them this area. Most of our time was spent close to where we live in southern France, but we also went to Italy two separate days, to Monaco for an afternoon (which is the second smallest country in the world), and spent our last two days of the trip in Paris.

Mom, Alena, Heather, Lisa--in front of the castello in Milan, Italy

I have an unbelievable family, and I am very grateful. So instead of giving details about our destinations and experiences, I want to simply blog about them.


Anyone who is lucky enough to know my mother knows that she is a crack up. She speaks her mind, and quite frankly, she doesn’t much care what anyone thinks. I love her for it. You always know where you stand with her, and she just doesn’t have it in her to be the least bit disingenuous. She is loving, funny, and talkative. She also “tells it like it is,” and most people adore her for her candor. I had forgotten what a people person she is. She will talk to anyone, and had chats with people from all over the world, including people she met on the bus to our hotel, people she met in the metro in Paris, people in a café in the Louvre, and, well. . .you get the idea.

My mom begged me to bring home this brick for her when I come to visit for the summer.  Like I said, she's a crack up.

My daughter Jocelyn and my Mother are two peas in a pod. Besides Jocelyn’s social nature, I always wondered where she got her love of collecting things, such as feathers, shells, sea glass, rocks, old buttons, beads, etc. She told me her favorite game at recess is “treasure hunting,” which means looking all over the playground for anything worth picking up. I realize now more than ever, Jocelyn got this love of collecting from my Mom. Every time we went on a walk, Mom would find “treasures,” so many in fact that she couldn’t quite fit them all in her suitcase when it came time to come home.

Mom LOVED these old cannon balls we saw in a moat-like structure in Milan.  She kept asking how she could get down to them so she could take one home!

Lisa is my older sister, but she doesn’t look it. She is probably the most pleasant, helpful, efficient person you could ever meet. The dirty dishes at my house after meals never stood a chance with her around, and neither did my laundry. I have always admired the fact that Lisa NEVER has to be asked to do anything. She simply sees something that needs to be done, and she does it, always without complaint. She is the easiest house guest you can imagine. She is one of those people who is amazing at everything she does, but somehow she doesn’t make you feel like a loser for not doing things as well as she does. No wonder she has about a million friends.

Alena is the sister just younger than I am, so third oldest. She is probably the calmest and most patient person I know (after my husband). Though her daughter Avery was incredibly well behaved and so much fun to have around, she got understandably bored and tired at some of the things we did. We were fortunate to have Jason and my girls to leave her with on the days to Italy, but we dragged that poor kid all over Paris, to museums, to landmarks, all over the airport, all over the subway, and sometimes, she had just had it with all the walking. My feet were aching like crazy at the end of the day, so I can only imagine how hers must have felt. Alena was always so patient with her. I have always been impressed at how Alena manages not to ever lose her cool. She is incredibly even-keeled, diplomatic, polite, and well mannered.

Alena and Avery on the famous croisette in Cannes

An unruffled Alena and a very tired Avery in front of the famous Monte Carlo casino in Monaco

Heather is the youngest, and she’s probably the most fun and creative, though my other two sisters are fun and creative too. Auntie Heather was fought over the most by my kids. She played games with them, entertained them, and made them laugh. Heather teaches a cooking class, and is so entertaining to watch prepare meals. She has two very young children at home who are not in school yet, plus she is a school teacher, so it was very difficult for her to make arrangements to come here for so long, but I was so glad she was able to make it work. She was the only one in the bunch who had never been to Europe before, so it was fun to share new experiences with her.

Heather in front of "Devil's Bridge" while enjoying the views at Eze Village

I wasn't kidding when I called Heather creative.  She is planning to make this umbrella into a skirt for a class she teaches called "Reuse and Recycle."  Should be interesting.

I really could go on and on about these incredible women, but instead I will thank the MVP of the entire trip, and that’s Jason. He rearranged his very busy schedule to stay with FOUR kids whenever we needed him to. He didn’t just plop them in front of the TV either; he took them to all kinds of fun kid’s places by himself. Entertaining kids during the day meant staying up till 2 or 3 in the morning so he could keep up at work (yes, I felt terrible about that). He postponed some of his travel to accommodate this trip; he picked up all kinds of fun pastries and cheeses for my family to sample. He downloaded maps and directions for me, helped me book my air travel, emailed me the phone numbers and websites I needed in order to make all of the reservations of various attractions; he even programmed my car’s navigation for me with all the addresses I might need. Basically, the high degree of the trip’s success was directly related to Jason’s efforts and sacrifices. He is THE BEST husband ever.

Jason and Jenica in front of Ville-franche

Thanks to my family for all the fun memories. We'll be talking about this trip for a long time, and I miss you guys already!