Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Fête des Lumières

We enjoyed a completely new experience this weekend. That is, we battled the crowds to see the Fête des Lumières, Lyon's annual light festival. The entire city is lit up artistically and creatively. We saw light used like paint, impressive and grand buildings turned into toy chests, gray stone facades turned bright red or blue or purple, a kaleidoscope of colors, and the subjects of ancient sculpture turned into dolls for a giant little boy. It was wonderful!

However, the few photos I took did not at all turn out well. You can kind of get the idea below...




So, I am going to link to Kari's blog yet again, because her photos turned out great. Plus, she did a great job describing the history of the festival, which brought it to life to me more, even after the fact.

We are going to be moving next Tuesday, so we're busy packing, setting up utilities, and attacking a very long list of things to do. Wish us luck! I am not sure what kind of internet connection we will have, but hopefully we'll be back online soon.

A bientot!

Friday, December 5, 2008

A thankful Thankgiving...

Last Sunday we enjoyed a wonderful Thankgiving celebration with Kari and Jonathan. They were the hosts, and they welcomed us into their warm and cheery apartment, complete with sparkling Christmas tree, holiday music, and Chex Mix! One of the things that was so heart-warming about this Thanksgiving is how simply American it was. Mark and I love France, there's no doubt, but we find our hearts yearn to be home too, especially at this time of year. So, to be welcomed with Chex Mix!!!...it couldn't have been better, and it tasted sooooooo good!

I think that because I was feeling a little homesick this year, I wanted to search out old family recipes that I remember from childhood. I asked my mother for the recipes, and after a bit of a search herself, she happily provided them. I chose recipes from both of my grandmothers.

Here is the menu:
Chex Mix
Deviled eggs
Spinokopitta (spinach filled pastry) for the vegetarians, and roasted Guinea Fowl (a bird native to Africa, and one we saw being hunted by the Hadza tribe when we were in Tanzania!)
Mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy
Cornbread stuffing
Sweet potato casserole (amazing, delicious recipe here)
Green bean casserole
Frog eye salad (my Grandma Jensen's recipe)
Buttermilk dinner rolls (my Grandma Baxter's recipe)
Pumpkin pie (thanks to a can of Libby's, provided by Kari)

As usual, I forgot my camera, but thankfully, Kari is a wonderful photographer and documented the occasion very well on her blog. Click here to see her photos!

In the comments section of Kari's blog, people seemed a little disturbed by the idea of frog-eye salad. The salad is actually made from little spheres of pasta that resemble tapioca and also little frog's eyes when cooked! So, in order to dispell all worries, here's the recipe (I downsized it substantially, as the original recipe serves at least 25 people):

Frog-eye salad:

1/2 cup Acini de Pepe pasta (or Orzo would work too), uncooked
1 can pineapple chunks
1 can mandarin oranges
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups of whipped cream (or to taste)
1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1 cup mini marshmallows (optional)
other desired fruit (marachino cherries, for example)

Cook the pasta in unsalted water until al dente. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Set aside.

While pasta is cooking, drain the canned fruit, saving the juice and setting the fruit aside. Pour the fruit juice into a small saucepan and mix with the egg, sugar, flour and salt. Whip with a whisk until well mixed. Heat saucepan with medium heat, and keep whisking until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let cool.

When pasta and sauce are cooled, combine in a large bowl with the pineapple and mandarin oranges. Stir well and then store overnight in the refrigerator (the pasta will absorb much of the sauce, taking up the flavor...mmmm....).

The next day, mix the pasta/sauce mixture with the whipped cream and other desired ingredients (coconut, marshmallows, etc.). Let chill for 2 hours or until ready to serve. Enjoy!


Mmmmm... And we enjoyed the fruits of our efforts for many days with the leftovers! Since I saved half of the dough for the dinner roll recipe, I think I'll make cinnamon rolls today!

And so, thank you Kari and Jonathan for being such wonderful hosts, thank you Mom for finding me the recipes, and thank you Grandma Jensen and Grandma Baxter for so many happy Thanksgiving memories...and recipes too!


Wednesday, November 26, 2008

And now introducing...lil' Garbanzo!!


IT'S A BOY!


Mark and I are thrilled beyond words at all of the opportunities and possibilities that having a son will bring to our lives! We are so, so , so happy and in love with him...!

My dreams since Monday have been filled with our little baby boy, and I can't help but hope that he is as sweet and dear a baby as his dad was. Here is a photo of Mark in his babyhood. This photo melted my heart the moment I saw it.


For years Mark and I joked about naming our kids after legumes---i.e. "Garbanzo" if we had a boy, and "Chick Pea" if we had a girl. Well, now that we have this precious news, we are graduating our little guy to the more gender-specific name of "Garbanzo!"...though he'll always be our lil' Lentil. :)

Monday, November 24, 2008

A boy or a girl... What do you think???

Well, we had our 5th month ultrasound today! What a wonder it is to have a short glimpse into the world of our little one, and what a blessing it is to discover that our lil'Lentil is completely healthy. In fact, this baby is big for size--in the 90th percentile! Eish! The due date, based only on the ultrasound, was put at the 22nd of March (rather than the 26th)...so we'll see.

And...we found out the gender...though it seems we forgot it already! Could you help us out? Look at the photos below, take your best guess, and leave a comment (or send us an email)! He!he!




One of my favorite discoveries of the morning...lil' Lentil has Mark's feet! That is, a middle toe that is significantly longer than the big toe. The radiologist called it a "Greek foot," though according to Mark it's often called "runner's foot."

What a 23-week pregnant Kendra looks like...

Freya loves to rest her head on my large abdomen.

Answers coming very soon, I promise!!!!



Thursday, November 20, 2008

Venice, the most spectacular place in the world to hang your laundry...

We spent a magical 5 days in Venice in the middle of October. I will soon blog in more detail about that amazing city. For now, as a way to whet your appetite for our amazing Venice photos, I suggest a little game, called Locate the Laundry!

In no other place on the globe have we seen wet clothes so artfully displayed as in Venice. Sometimes the colors blend in with buildings, other times the contrast in colors is what creates a striking scene. Every time, the laundry gives the old, old buildings a sense of freshness and life. Hanging laundry is everywhere you look, the unspoken proof that Venice is still a living city (though it feels a bit like a ghost town too, but more on that in the next post).

So, look closely! A few of the photos have multiple clotheslines, some hidden surprisingly well. On your mark... get set... go!!! Locate the Venetian laundry!








I counted 5 different clotheslines in this photo! How about you?


My personal favorite, especially for all my friends who love (or hate) high places!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Our escape to Porquerolles...


Though I was MIA from blogging at the time, Mark and I did manage to have a few adventures in the time we were away from cyberspace. This particular adventure took place at the end of September on a tiny island off the south coast of France.

My good friend and French teacher, Maryline, told me of her love of the island soon after we met. She and her family had been coming here for years, and they soon offered to share it with us (such incredible generosity)!! Thank you, Maryline and Jean Luc! We had a magical experience there, exploring different parts of the island and getting to know it's breathtaking beaches very well. Perhaps not surprisingly, my morning sickness magically went away while we were in this beautiful place, and it has not come back!



The flowers by our window...

Maryline and me

Dinner with Maryline and Jean Luc

Some history... The island has a long story, the evidence of which can still be seen in the form of old army forts scattered along its surface. Some time back, a wealthy business man who had made his fortune in Mexico bought the island and gave it as a gift to his wife. A little church in the town square could pass for a village church in Mexico, easily. What a fabulous gift, eh? Wow!

Me while exploring one of the island's many old forts.


The beaches here were so pristine and the water crystal clear.


Mark looks for signs of life in the tidepool.



A path to the next beach...


I got my feet wet (I actually went swimming in the velvety water the next day, though no photos of that)


The next day we found our own little beach to play at. Only us and a couple of boats...


I love this photo of Mark!


Lots of coral to watch out for when swimming!


Mark brings his French dictionary everywhere, even to the beach!


Another fort...


The sand from a black-sand beach...


Turns out, Mark is a master at skipping rocks! I had no idea of this trait in my husband, and I was so happy to discover it that I was downright giddy! The most skipps I counted for a given stone was 9!! Way to go, Mark!



Coming up next: Venice...the most spectacular place in the world to hang your laundry!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Fall colors...

Lyon bathed in yellow...

Mark looking handsome and distinguished during a Sunday walk.


Parc de la Tet d'Or (literally golden head)--at its golden best!


An abundance of leaves.


An abundance of turtles.


The smell of caramel corn was so strong as I took this photo!


Enchanted paths...


Enchanted waters...



A growing Budha belly...


A place to meditate...


Ducks in a row... (actually, pigeons)

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Strange happenings...

Halloween night...the two of us haunted by the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer we were watching (season 6, episode 1)...a knock on the door...

In the USA it would have been some trick-or-treaters, but not in France (no such sort of celebrating for Halloween here). We opened the door to a costumed person, though. A girl was standing there, dressed in hundreds of silver sequins with shiny silver hair. She explained that she was getting married in a few weeks, and she needed to go out on our balcony. Turns out this is part of a tradition here in France, much like a bachelorette party, called enterrement de vie de jeune fille (word for word translation: burial of life of young girl). The French term for bachelor party is similiarly enterrement de vie de garçon. Our "young girl" ran to our balcony, threw open the windows, and howled down to all of her girlfriends, who started clapping and laughing as she successfully completed the dare.

I must admit, this is my first real pregnant-looking photo!

Another strange occurance happened on a walk today. I was out exercising on the beautiful streets of Lyon, when a car pulled up with very loud music blasting out of its open windows. Usually this type of sharing only annoys me, as the chosen music is rarely to my tastes (I'm not so big a fan of gangster rap). However, as I listened to the music, I had no choice but to smile. A spunky, jazzed-up version of ...The Hokey Pokey was playing loud and clear, for the entire block to hear!

You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out, you put your right foot in, and you shake it all about.....you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around....Great exercise music!




Thursday, October 30, 2008

Just a photo...



This was taken in the summer while on a walk with our friends Kari and Jonathan. I have never seen so many swans in one place, and the addition of the contrasting black duck and ducklings made it all the better. What a wonderful planet we live on!

I was sick all summer, but I still managed to do a little living. There is so much to catch up on with this blog!

It's been a busy week. As many of you know, we are moving to a new apartment, and we hopefully will have a rental contract signed soon. That's a big accomplishment in France!

Bisous and more soon...!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Some pregnancy details...

I just wanted to share a few of the details of our experience of the pregnancy thus far. It's going to be very fun highlighting this experience from the perspective of doing it all in France, I must say, so stay tuned over the next few months!

First, let me just say thanks again to Audrey for making the video (posted in my last entry a few days ago). In case you didn't know, most of the photos she used of baby animals with their mothers were photos I took during our travels in Tanzania in spring of 2007! Also, many of the other photos were of Mark's PhD defense last December and also of the Butler family Christmas party last year. The photos of the beautiful, luminescent clouds were from the sunrise she and Ruth stayed up to see after they found out the news of the pregnancy! She also added a few photos of my family, of friends, etc. You did an amazing job, Audrey!

And Ruth, thank you for constantly burning a candle in our lil' L's honor (also pictured in Audrey's video)! It warms my heart and means the world to all three of us!

Thank you to everyone for your support, excitement and warm wishes! We feel extremely blessed to have been helped and encouraged by each one of you. :)

Soooooo, today I officially start week 20 of this experience, or in other words, it's almost half over! Amazing! I spent the first 16 weeks fairly miserable from all-day morning sickness. Eish! The hardest part was craving all kinds of stuff that was impossible to find in France (like refried beans)! Overall, it was very hard to get many of my cravings satisfied, and all I wanted was to have one day back in Pasadena, surrounded by my favorite restaurants. I am now finally getting an appetite and beginning to show a small Budha belly (just the beginning, I know)!! Lil' Lentil (a name we gave the baby when she/he was about that size) is due to join us sometime around the end of March. Personally, I am crossing my fingers for the first day of spring (March 20)--what a cool birthday that would be!

A couple of photos...

I took this photo when lil' Lentil was about the size of a lemon seed (about 6 to 7 weeks)


This was lil' L's first photo, at an 8.5 week ultrasound. Can you see tiny feet??

And lastly, here is a poem that I wrote just before we called to share the news with Mark's sisters. This poem came to me in less than an hour's time, which is amazing considering how un-poetic I usually am. We have used this poem several times in breaking the news:

MK went to Paris

MK went to Paris
During four wonderful days.
They had so much fun
That they came home a bit dazed

Not realizing that
A little stowaway had been stowed,
Not in their luggage,
But in a more secure place, for the road.

Normal life resumed
For MK in France
For two happy weeks
Until Kendra, by chance

Began to suspect,
After visiting the loo,
That when they came home from Paris
They were more than just two!

Testing, testing, testing!
It was the resolution
To this monumental question:
Would HCG hormone come out of solution??

After 3 minutes of waiting
For the life-altering news,
MK looked together,
Their hands fused

And Oh! the rush of emotion
As they looked at the test,
Keeping hearts calm,
But expecing the best!

Two clear lines said it all,
MK had conceived!!
They hugged long and tight,
Then went to the balcony to breath!

Wow! Oh my goodness!
Happy day! What this means!!
Not anything less
Than the fulfillment of dreams!

That was many days ago,
Now the news has sunk in.
MK, they're so happy,
At each other they grin.

Kendra has listened for years
To all the pregnancy lore
And realized, it's true!
She has craving's galore!

And nausea and fatigue,
They constantly tickle
Her tummy as she runs
For the next round of pickles.

Mark's been a hero,
A pillar of strength.
Many trips to get groceries
And listening to Kendra, at length

Go on about her anxiousness
And hormone-induced fear,
Holding her tight as she worries,
And as she sheds a few tears.

And their stowaway is growing.
Kendra feels her womb pull.
It's now passing they size
Of a little lentil!

Lil' Lentil they've named
Their little bundle of joy!
Who knows what will happen,
A girl or a boy?

Lil' Lentil is growing
At an exceptional pace.
Last week, for the first time,
A tiny heart began to race.

Kidneys, liver, and lungs,
Lil' Lentil has these.
And next week lil' Lentil
Will have tiny arms, tiny knees!

And so you can see
Everything is on course
For this tiny new being to appear
Around March 24th.

And so, do you understand?
Aunty Audrey, Aunty Ruth [or insert your name here]?
Lil' Lentil needs you!
So important, it's the truth!

Needs you every day
To love and to pray
For safety and health
In every possible way.

And next March
It will happen, you will see
Lil' Lentil will be here,
Little hands, little feet!

And then the moment you've thought of
For a long while,
Your eyes will make contact...
And then a big baby smile!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

And now we're three...

Hello, dear readers!!!

We've been MIA for three months now, but with very good reason. The following video tells the story, made as a tribute by dear Audrey on the night she found out she'll soon be an aunty... and stayed awake with Awnt Ruth to see the spectacular sunrise!



More soon, very very soon... So much to say, there is!!!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Hang Gliding!! Mom and Dad's Europe Extravaganza, Part 7...

The next day dawned bright and clear, and we decided to give hang gliding another run. We were successful! It was sooooooooooooooooo fun! It's the closest way to being bird-like I'll ever be, and oh, the freedom of soaring.....!
The landing field is green and clear.


Helmet Heads

Mark, my Dad, and me, prepared for departure...

A good-bye kiss...

Mark prepares for take-off.

As we were riding up in the van to the take-off location, Bernie (the lead pilot) told us the order of take-off would be the order of our birthdays. So I said, "ok, that's easy...Mark (June 13), then me (June 14), and then Dad (June 15)!"

Just as Mark was ready to take off, a cloud rolled in, and so the waiting game began before we could safely take off. And so, while we're waiting, you can see the promotional video from the hang gliding company we used. It shows what the take off is like as well as the beautiful setting of Interlaken:




Still waiting for take-off.


I give a safe-flight shaka to Mark

Get ready to run....


And he's off!


Yahoo!


Soaring with the birds..



Whee!!

Coming in for the landing...


And now Mark is the star of this super-exciting hang-gliding movie experience:





Awesome!

Dido (my pilot) and I were taking our time setting up the glider, so we broke the order of take-off. Dad was up and ready to fly! Here he goes!...

Walking to the take-off point.


Waiting for the perfect moment.


Can you find him?


It's a bird...no, it's a plane...no....it's Super Dad!


Soon to be back on solid ground...

Sorry, Dad, I don't have many photos of you because you took your photo CD home with you! What did you do that for?? :)

So, it was my turn next. So far I had been doing very well, keeping the butterflies under control.

I got the best helmet, hands down!

Then we started waiting...and waiting...and waiting some more. I think Dad had been on the ground for at least a half an hour before we took off. Dido was calling Bernie on his cell phone, talking excitedly in German. The clouds were rolling by...

Dido and me before take-off.


Still waiting, while farmers gather hay... (Bernie took this photo while burning time). Mark said it was 30 or 40 minutes of waiting before they saw me break through the clouds! A very long time for this girl's nerves. I kept thinking of Audrey's bravery when she went skydiving, and how she landed safe and sound. That calmed me down enough to go through with the whole thing. A couple of paragliders took off while we were still waiting, waiting...


With only a few seconds warning, we take off, and plunge into a cloud!


We're not in the cloud for long, and bright blue skies await us as we break through.


Dido knew what he was doing. We waited so long to catch the perfect wind, and once we were in the air, we climbed and climbed. Talking with Mark and Dad later, I found out that I was the only one who got so high up in the air. The waiting was worth it! I could see the snow-capped peaks of the Alps and the blue lake waters of Interlaken. So Beautiful! At one point, a bird (the size of a seagull) flew just below us, I could almost have reached out and touched it.


And with the height we acheived, Dido took me on an air-borne roller coaster, doing dives, dips, and tricks galore! Wahoo! Fabulous!





Reluctantly landing...

And now it's time for my starring role:




I stand up, wobbly legged from the adrenaline, and scrape my chin off the ground.


It was an honor to share this with Mark. Skydiving was a big part of his life before he met me, and he has a huge adventure streak that has him itching to take certain calculated risks (like going river rafting and plunging into a class 4 rapid, but that's another story). After 7 years of marriage, I worked up the courage explore the sky with him, and now we can share the experience, on common ground. And I would have no qualms about going again, and again, and again...

Thanks for helping me do this, Mark! I loved it, and I love you.