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Monty goes to Jail

So this new dog we got is cute as can be, clever and sweet.  We let him hang out in the backyard tied up so he can’t get loose.  He LOVEs it.  Well, apparently something got his attention and he got loose.  My husband runs upstairs to tell me he can’t find the dog.  I am like…What???  How in the hell do you lose a dog.  So, I dressed and started the venture around the neighborhood looking for this frigging dog wondering how I am going to explain to the kids that our new family member is GONE!!  When I get back home, my husband is on the phone.  He has decided to call 911!!  WTF?  I really thought he was insane.  Here is the kicker.  I actually drove to the police station because animal control reportedly picked up a black medium sized dog.  Animal control specialist Jason had my Monty in his van…..or should I say…..prison.  When he opened the van doors, Monty wouldn’t even look at me.  He KNEW he was in trouble.  So, thanks to the many neighbors who called the police and the man down the street who kept him in the backyard for a bit….we are very very very lucky to still have Monty.  BAD DOG MONTY!!!

Gee I’m sorry

So tied up getting back to the US and my life as it is…I have been remiss in posting. I have much to tell including tales of Atlanta reentry to the US, lost time in Barcelona, a new dog in my life, chats with my doctor about being fat, competitive mom syndrome, the orothodontist, EKGs, bake sales, too much to do…too little time, beer love and much much much more. Hope you’ll stay tuned, and sorry i’ve been away.

It’s not what you’ve seen…it’s who you’re with

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Years ago my friend Lynette met her future husband. It is a small world that his family is from a small village (Maurielles) in France which is also where Samir’s aunt lives. We slept here last night with plans to head out to Barcelona this morning. After such a lovely evening and a very comfortable bed, I realized that it’s not as important to visit many corners of Barcelona as it is to spend time with family. The kids are happy as clams watching films, swimming in their pool and playing with the thousands of toys Samir’s family has bought them. In addition, we are so fortunate to have been able to have Lynette over for dinner last night. She is spending the week at her husband’s families’ house. What an odd mix of cultures we had at the table…Chinese soup, french cheese and wine, spanish beer and a swiss tart. At the table sat a french, phillippine, vietnamese, american and a moroccan. True melting pot. This is the last day we’ll spend in France. Tomorrow we’re off to Barcelona to prepare for our Friday morning flight. Here are some photos of the house and the beautiful day. We’re off to the sea for a meal and then a little shopping.

what took you so long?

In 1997 my husband came to the us with little or no intention of staying.  He simply wanted to visit his newly married brother and see this land of so-called opportunity.  For him, it turned out to be just that.  13 years later and he is visiting cousins he had never ,et; aunts and uncles who have new spouses and children.  He is finally back in a country that speaks his native language only to discover that while he was acquiring english, some french was slipping away.  I am amazed we waited so long to visit.  Life gets in the way though…house repairs, bills, kids, activities and work take over.  Spending money to travel overseas seems frivolous. visiting family here has shifted from an after thought to a priority.  We will visit soon in shallah.  Here are some photos of family and A’s photo shoot.

samir, luc, etienne, luc, Aziz

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nofiwifi

excuse the sporadic posts, but all the sudden i can not grab any wifi connectio, on a french keyboard right now which is confusing the wsqza out of me.  We are having a lovely time:  Kendra and the parents headed back to their areas and we have been spending a lovely time with Samirs family.  I have now ,et an 6 second cousins…all adorable and in love with my little girl.  More photos when i can fix the connection problems. We  having a blast,

Tales of Avis in a foreign land

After the castle we made it back to the house. Samir and I started cooking kebabs for the family dinner. At about 6:00 I started to wonder when the rest of my family would return from their adventures. I finally txted my dad who told me that his car had broken down on in Perpignan and he was having problems reaching AVIS. I immediately got into the car and started to drive to meet him. I called and apparently, he had been told by a gas station person that the fuel he was using was Diesel when in fact, it wasn’t. I was running low on gas myself, but felt a sense of urgency to get them. I arrived where their car was and posted a stupid note in preschool French that basically said, “this car is broken. We’ll return tomorrow.” We couldn’t tell if the car would be towed. We talked with a guy in the parking lot who helped us at least call AVIS in Barcelona. Eventually we got online and learned that there is an AVIS at the airport that stays open till 10:00. So, we decided to go there, after I fueled. It seemed that we drove forever and when we finally did find a station to fuel, I drove in the wrong direction, had to turn around, people we staring at me like I was crazy. Finally we got in the right way, but the macing wouldn’t take my credit card. By this time there are like 20 cars in line. I finally asked the lady behind us to help us out. We tried every credit card we had to no avail. I asked the lady if I could pay her the cash if she would use her card. She agreed. Gased and ready to go we make it to the airport and there was no one at the AVIS rental place, but there was a phone number. I called and explained to the woman that the car was broken down and we didn’t know what to do. She told us to come into the central AVIS station the next day. We want home, ate and slept fitfully that night. The next day we went into Perpignan center again and got a new car. She tried to give daddy a much bigger car, but memories of the narrow streets had us begging for something small. What an adventure.