the eiffel tower. really, it is.
family photo in the vineyards of pomerol
boney and her big paws
the cutest, whiniest girl in the world
on the tower in st. emillion

well, our long french vacation is almost over... it's been a wonderful week and a half, but i think we're ready to quit living out of hotels and get back to the vaterland...

here were the highlights, in no particular order...

1. riding the roller coasters at paris disney was a blast... thinking about doing this got me through the painting, and it may have just been worth it. not that i am EVER going to paint another house without professional help again. (really sean. i'm not going to do it. if you won't hire a painter in the next house then we're going to live on the hill forever. ; ) )

2. wine. oh, the wine, the vineyards as far as the eye can see, dotted with unbelievable french chateaus. we were staying in st. emillion, in the bordeaux region of southern france. man, do these people know how to ferment the grape. the only hard part is that many of the 30 something bottles we're coming home with will be best enjoyed in 3 - 10 years. sean's going to have to hide them from me. i've been known to accidentally open up a bottle of something valuable while he's away and enjoy it over the course of a week. sacre bleu!!!

3. the croissants. with the butter and the jam. although perhaps i should not list this as a highlight since it's going to take me a month to burn off all of the calories i consumed on the trip. while meals were very reasonably portioned (love this aspect of french dining) we did have pastries every morning and dessert every night. and did i mention lots of wine? french women don't get fat?? i'm obviously not french. the gym awaits.

4. dinner with our favorite waiter in the world. philippe at la gitane down the road from our cheap hotel in paris, who remembered the girls in an instant. on our last trip here two years ago, he took our plates from us and proceeded to feed the leftovers piece by piece to mara and rena and forever endeared himself to all of us. love this guy. unfortunately last night it rained on us and i had to run the dogs to the hotel after a brief reunion, but we'll be back. and he told us he would be there until he died, which is good to know.

5. mara got to visit with a male greyhound from munich in st. emillion. though this was not necessarily one of the top moments of the trip for me, it meant a lot to her (super doggy slut that she is) so i've chosen to include it.

6. i got some WONDERFUL photos of the girls while we were here, and tomorrow before we leave we'll get the requisite shots of boney at the eiffel tower to add to the collection.

7. sean relaxed. and had fun. and didn't work so hard.

8. today i rode the subway all by myself to the galleries lafayette. i didn't buy much, but i bought something beautiful. my mother will not be surprised to hear that it's a very nice bag... (it's your fault mom, you did this to me.) i loved my day, and i'm enjoying relaxing, with nothing on the agenda until sean gets home and we go for drinks on the champs-élysées.

9. my brand new chanel blue satin nail polish. i found a sephora, and tonight my toes are going to match the eiffel tower.