JUST WHAT DAVE AND I NEEDED!

Meghan and her friends from church attended an overnight with about 40 other kids from the Brittany area. The overnights are held in an old mansion about an hour from our home. Some of the activities included singing songs and watching "Walk the Line", a movie about Johnny Cash. The movie was in French but his songs of course were in English. After returning home, Meghan listened to Johnny Cash and June Carter songs on Dave's iPod.
What a fun time, as you can from all the kids' smiles when we picked them up!


Dave has been working nights for the last two weeks, so some relaxation time was on the agenda for us this weekend. After dropping the kids off, Dave and I took advantage of our 24 hours of couple time, driving north to the Cotes d'Armor region of France.
Friday night I was on the computer at 9:30 p.m. looking at possible places to stay along the coast. Meghan pipes in and says, "Mom, just book a place, it's only for one night." Taking her advice, I reserved a room at the Le Gerbot D'Avoine in St. Quay- Portrieux. The lovely old house had been converted into a hotel situated only 75 meters from the ocean. Dave and I loved the ambiance of the hotel and how quiet it was since it was off season.

The gourmet restaurant was situated on the first floor of the hotel and after looking at the menu we decided to dine at the restaurant. The atmosphere was quiet, the staff was very attentive and we LOVED the food! My salad with scallops was my first course and Dave ordered a salmon dish. After just the first course we both knew we had made the right choice in restaurants. Luckily the rain stopped just as we finished dinner so we strolled down to the ocean and around town before retiring for the night.

When we picked up Meghan, we told her we had been to Mississipi today! She didn't believe me until I showed her this picture!

One of the views along the coast this morning as we were leaving St. Quay-Portrieux.

As we were out walking along the coast this afternoon, we stopped to talk to this elderly couple that live right on the coast. Curious as to how he knew English, I asked. The monsieur told us he was a retired sailor who had sailed over half the world. He and his wife walk everyday which is quite common here to see older couples out walking together.

I mentioned to Dave that if I was in the U.S. and it was in the 40's and starting to rain I would not be outside, so why did I not mind it today? Maybe the view of the ocean had something to do with my frame of mind.

Looks like this boat is docked for the season.

The Abbaye de Beauport was founded by Count Alain de Goelo in 1202 and was built on the Ile Saint-Riom in the Bay of Paimpol. We enjoyed walking the grounds and taking in the fact that this Abbaye is over 800 years old. Wow, and we think our 128 year old house in Indy is old!

Wanting to take advantage of our time together, we drove into Paimpol for lunch along the port. Dave and I both enjoyed moules, frites and the views. Then it was back to reality; time to pick up Meghan and the girls and head for home. It was a great 24 hours!!!!!!

2 Corinthians 4:7 We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends in the U.S.!! We were there with you in spirit even though we could not be there in person. About a month ago I was at the little market up the street and I met Marie. Marie is French but lived in the U.S. for many years and has now returned to care for her 93 year old mother. She came up with a great idea to celebrate Thanksgiving together. Marie and I went to the market yesterday and bought Cornish hens and all the extras. Meghan was greeted by Maire and then given a box of her favorite sweets, macaroons and chocolate. She is just a little excited!

Maire even brought flowers, table decorations, the linens and napkins that just happened to match our yellow plates. It sure made our table look festive.

Since our oven is so small and baking a turkey was not even an option, we opted for Cornish hens. They were just the right size for the four of us and so succulent too! Marie said we needed a man in the kitchen to cut the hens because that's what the MAN does on Thanksgiving.

There was no way to get all four of us in one picture so you get to see us in shifts.

If Marie was more familiar with my camera, you would have seen the pumpkin pie I surprised Dave with. My friends from Indy brought me canned pumpkin when they came two weeks ago.

I had been hiding the can so Dave would be surprised and from his expression he looks pretty happy. I have not seen canned pumpkin in the stores here and have been told they make it from a fresh pumpkin.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, this day and all days we give thanks to you for our blessings and for your love for us. Help us to take time to remember you in all we do. In Jesus, we pray. Amen.

BLUE SKY AND BLUE WATERS!

Today we awoke to 1° celcius, the coldest day so far but it turned out to be a sunny jacket weather day. Claire, a friend from church invited me to go walking with her in Arradon, along the gulf, where she lives. Her dog, Uppie, loves going for walks too. He likes to dig a big rock out of the gulf water and then Claire throws it in the sand for him. He proceeds to move the rock around in the sand very quickly with his paws. It was one of those "You had to be there"!

On Monday, the day started out chilly and I am not used to riding in cooler weather. Needing some excercise though I rode my bike with Dave to the start of the ride in Arradon, about a half hour bike ride away from Vannes. He then took off for a much faster ride on his own. Alix, Martine, and Christina riding along on one of the narrow country roads.

Seven of us rode for almost two hours enjoying God's beautiful scenery! They told me since I have been riding they now have many more picures of the group. Glad I can contribute my photos for their memory albums.

Yes, I am the one with the helmet on!

Psalm 24:1 The earth belongs to the Lord. And so does everything in it.

OUR SUNDAY AFTERNOON FAMILY TIME

Sunday afternoon was a little chilly and windy along the gulf but we were determined to go for a walk . We saw windsurfers out on the gulf until the wind picked up and they all headed for the shore.

To get to the village of Sene you must cross a draw bridge to get across the channel to the inner port. Most draw bridges open up but this one swings to the side. It was interesting to see how it works. What amazed us more was the fact that the bicyclists and walkers started across before the road was completely level. This would never happen in the U.S. because there would be road barriers to prevent anyone from crossing. We are always discussing how the French take responsibility for themselves and are not "sue happy" or try blame others for their actions.

The ducks migrate here for the winter so it was fun to see all of them on the water catching the last sun rays before dark.

The last bit of fall color in the roundabouts can still be seen in Sene a community about 20 minutes away. The chrysanthemums were planted in the circles and hanging baskets about a month ago. In Vannes they have already replanted them into pansies which I assume will be the "flower" of the winter season. Can you imagine what the city spends on flowers in a year? Vannes is a 4 flower city similar to the rating of a 4 star hotel, so I'm sure it is more than I can imagine.
Dave has been working nights for the last week and a half. He is anxious to return to his normal schedule and so are we. It's difficult not to disturb him while he sleeps during the day. They must do this project at night when the factory is closed so they do not disrupt the line work.

Meghan received her first semester grades for most of her subjects and we are quite happy with her grades. At the Center For Inquiry, which is the first school in Indiana to receive the International Baccalaureate title, Meghan does not get letter grades but a personal narrative in each subject.. This is a great transition for Meghan since she will be getting letter grades in high school. In addition to her homework she has four hours of French tutoring each week, two hours of swim team practice, one hour of horse riding lessons and a half hour trumpet lesson. Now that is one busy girl!

1 Peter 4:10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.

I THOUGHT CINDY AND BECKY LEFT, BUT THEY ARE STILL HERE IN SPIRIT

It has been six days since our friends, Cindy and Becky, headed back to the U.S. but they are still with us in spirit. The three of us took so many pictures and I am enjoying the memories as I publish this blog. You can see this domed building from our flat on the fourth floor terrace that overlooks the city. As you can see from the photos, we are feeling very blessed to be spending time together in FRANCE!

As we were walking through the artist area of Auray, Becky spotted this kitty in the window. Casey, our kitty back home looks so much like this one except her coloring is a little different. Thanks Denise for taking such great care of Casey until we return.

Wow, Cindy can you believe you were on the beach just a week ago? I heard it was 18° in Indy today.

Back in Vannes, we took a short tour of the Hôtel de ville. Becky noticed this view of the winding stair case and I agree it made an interesting photo.

Just a few hours before they took the train off to Paris, Becky and Cindy met two of my good French friends. I have been so fortunate to have met Anne-Elizabeth and Marie who both speak very good English. Even though I receive one hour of tutoring a week, it is very difficult to carry on a conversation in French with my limited vocabulary. It was great to be able to sit outside, talk, and enjoy the scenery of the port. The weather has turned cool this week, so we were lucky to have had such pleasant temperatures.

Becky and Cindy couldn't resist the desserts either!

As many of you know, Cindy and I would run at 5 a.m. in Indy before both of our days really got going. We chose to sleep in a little later until the sun was up so we could see the beautiful gulf along the running path. I told Cindy she needed to move to France since I haven't been very motivated to run on my own lately. It felt great to start the day running!

So Becky, when are you going to trim those nose hairs?

We enjoyed the day in Auray/Port Gustain walking, talking, eating and shopping. Becky said she couldn't believe I spent more money than her that day, unheard of back home!

AFTERNNOON DRIVE TO SUSCINIO CASTLE AND THE BEACH

Yesterday Dave, Meghan and I were all feeling a little homesick. It has been about 5 months since we left Indianapolis and we were missing some of the familiar sites from home. So we headed out to Mc Donald's for a hamburger and frites. I had been longing for a hamburger. The beef in the stores is not as tender as home. After a late lunch, we visited the Chateau de Suscinio . Dave's mom and I had visited Suscinio when she was here for her visit, but it was Dave and Meghan's first visit. The chateau was built between the 13th and 15th centuries and has mainly preserved its original characteristics.
Wondering what it would have been like to live here!

In 1975, archaeological excavations near the moat outside the castle uncovered the richly decorated tiled floor of a ruined building. It was a chapel that burned down around 1370, whose collapsed structure covered and protected the tile floor. After clearing away the rubble, a splendid tiled floor of almost 300 square metres was unearthed. It is almost intact and dates back to the 1330-1350. We were able to see the tiles being touched up with grout.

A private chapel for the Duke and Duchess is lit by a window adorned with a quadrilobed design.

The sunset was breathtaking last night. Dave and I enjoying the beauty from the beach along the Atlantic.

DEUX AMIE ARRIVE FROM AMERICA!

Now that I have taken a week off from blogging, I am back with much to share. My two good friends, Cindy and Becky, arrived last Saturday for a four day visit. Can you tell from the picture we are just a little excited to see each other? Thank you Dave for capturing this moment of the three of us in a group hug at the train station. Becky and Cindy arrived at 10:30 p.m. after spending four days in PARIS! We had a lot to catch up on after not being together for five months. They kept me up until 2 a.m. talking and laughing. Since I am the oldest of the group, I think I was the most tired the next day.

Meghan was SOOOO.........excited to see Becky and Cindy too. She was welcomed with gifts of Reese Cups, popcorn, hot chocolate and English books!!! She is sitting on the couch right now enjoying one of her new books. Dave and I have to beg her to share the Reese Cups but luckily we know where the stash is hidden. Thanks for all the gifts you showered us with from America!
Cindy and Becky, you are looking very French with your new scarves!

The three of us are just relaxing on the couch watching chef Dave preparing Sunday brunch. We all loved his made to order omelettes!

Sunday afternoon we drove to the ocean which is a little over a half hour drive from our flat. The sky was cloudy but we didn't care, after all we were on the beach! The afternoon was spent walking the beach, talking, watching the surfers and collecting shells.

More to come............

Psalm 133:1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!

EVEN IN FRANCE THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS ARE HONORED

As we arrived along the Atlantic coast on Armistice Day we were so honored to be included in a ceremony that was conducted to honor the 117,000 American soldiers who died in World War 1. It was one of those God moments when Anne-Elisabeth came back to the parking lot to get the car just as they were about to begin the ceremony. She told the French group she was with an American family and we felt honored to be be asked to participate in this special remembrance.

Pictured above are the three French people who graciously included us in the memorial ceremony. The original monument was placed on a small rock formation island out in the Atlantic. In 2003 they built this memorial monument to honor the American soldiers so the public could pay their tributes without going out to sea.

Dave, Meghan and I feeling fortunate to be in this lovely country and feel the love of our French friends.

If you click on the picture you can see listed on the side of the monument the names of the World War 1 battles. Meghan and her French friend, Lena, pay their respects to the fallen soldiers. This was a very special time for our family!

Galatians 5 :13-14 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

ARMISTICE DAY CONTINUED

During our visit to the beach we saw windsurfers, surf boarders, stand up paddlers, sailboats, kite buggies and the above. I am not sure the correct name for this sport, but it looked like fun to me and you don't have to get wet on a windy day like yesterday.

Anne-Elisabeth planned this wonderful day and we are both full of smiles for this HAPPY SUNNY DAY our two families were able to spend together.

We drove around to the calmer side of the peninsula and found a pleasant place to eat lunch and get out of the wind. While the kids played tag, I stretched out for a little R&R.

Solene makes sure Meghan is not caught up in the next wave. How many kids' shoes do you think stayed dry??

Dave was happy the winds were with him as he rode home from Quiberon. Theri drove the girls home while Anne-Elisabeth and I stopped to visit the Eglise de Saint-Philibert, an end to a perfect day. As we entered the church we could hear music playing and we commented on how we both felt God's presence as we lit a candle to thank Him for our friendship. The stained glass windows were beautiful!