A couple weeks ago I was on a Bicycle kick, and I posted about these matching his/her bikes.
I don’t think I mentioned that we bought them!!!
Whoop, whoop!
We have a gorgeous bike path/park that runs by our house, and I rode about 20 miles last week. It has been so wonderful. After being stressed out lately, it’s a very nice to just breathe and move.
Let me introduce Bryan Pound!
Bryan is a good friend of my husband, and an incredible gospel singer.
This week there is a online voting competition at Gospel Impact Radio, and the winner receives the chance to tour (singing) in Europe.
You can listen to his tunes here.
And you can help by voting here. Scroll to the bottom where it says “Question of the day.”
So far Bryan is at 15.5%, but there have only been 1400+ votes, so I know that we can blow it out of the water!!!!!
Please vote!!!!!
Hey peeps! I’ve been so busy, I feel like my recent blogs have been a little boring!
But I’m finally out of summer classes!
So, let me share something super exciting!!
I JUST ATE BIRD POOP!!
Yup.
Unintentional of course. You see, I have a problem with washing my fresh produce.
Sometimes that produce comes from the farmer’s market, and they don’t always pre-wash it.
I was plopping these giant, juicy, and delicious concord grapes into my mouth when I noticed
that they had bird poo on them. Yeah. I did that.
Anyway…
I still haven’t posted about our trip up midwesterly….and I have no intention of doing it right now.
So I leave you with this ring, I really want something like this. So cute!!
2 years ago I bought my legendary robin hood boots. Gabriella Rocha “Bree” in black suede.
They are the most amazing flat boots in the world! You can wear them as slouch boots, but I pull them up over the knee, and they are just super cool. Everyone calls me Robin Hood when I wear them.
Last year’s snow/ice/salt did a number on them, and I haven’t been able to find another pair. I’m so sad. Zappos and 6pm have been sold out for at least a year, and I’ve yet to see a pair come across the wires on Ebay. I normally wouldn’t buy a pair of used boots, but they are too amazing .
I generally hate slouchy suede boots because they are made for short people. Really.
They come up mid-calf on me, and my foot feels like it’s swimming around in there.
Slouch boots aren’t attractive in most cases.
“Bree” is made for a slender leg/foot, and the boot shaft is tight all the way around, and comes to
about 1” above my knee.
Since I was so happy with my first Gabriella Rocha’s, I thought I would try another pair…
Gabriella Rocha “Cacioppo” has been ordered: 
I hope that I love them as much as I do the Bree, I also hope to get a few months more wear out of the old ones. I just can’t lay them to rest yet.
And if, just if you run across a size 8 Bree in any color/material combination, I will buy them at a premium!
I suppose it is unhealthy to think about some things too much, but I have always wondered if I would have the strength to stand up and fight for what I believe in, like Nancy Wake did.
Nancy Wake was a wealthy Australian living with her French husband in Paris when the seed of fascism began to blossom in Europe in the 1930’s. When France surrendered to the Nazi’s in , Nancy and Henri joined the French Resistance.
Before WWII would end, she would become one of the renowned, and most-wanted women by the Gestapo; she would be shot, captured, and even dropped by parachute into France before D-Day.
Her husband would be murdered by the Gestapo before she ever got the chance to say goodbye.
Nancy died this week at the age of 99, honored as one of the bravest women in WWII history.
It’s the faces and stories like hers that make me wonder if I would be strong enough to do the same.
Nancy wasn’t Jewish. She didn’t have to fight Nazism, in fact, she could have embraced it like so many other
wealthy, non-Jewish Parisians. Like Coco Chanel?
Would I fight if I didn’t have to?
Would I fight for someone else?
Would I sacrifice my husband to save my country?
To be honest, I know the answer to the last question…I would never have the strength to leave Andraé in order to serve my country. I would not do it.
I commend those who can. And do.
Just as humans are capable of unimaginable evil, there are those who are capable of unsurpassed greatness during times of need.
I hope that I could be one of those people.
hope. perseverance. courage.
When I’m traveling outside the USA, I try very hard to fit in with the locals.
I’m sure that we don’t fool too many people, but we have never had anyone suggest
that we were American. People have thought that we were French or Australian (not sure
if this is a positive sign.)
Anyway, I think that the idea of the “ugly American” has really started to diminish,
as each of us has become more aware of how outrageous some of our compatriots
have been in the past. I think Americans are more low-key and polite than ever before.
However, we did see several quintessential ugly Americans in all their glory: Graphic T’s,
Flip flops (and crocs), jeans, “fanny” packs, water bottles, baseball caps, tennis shoes, glitter,
parkas, video cameras, back packs, loud mouths, and money belts.
Yes. Money belts. Sorry Rick Steves, this is where I completely disagree with you.
Money belts are easy to spot, and immediately mark you as a tourist. And I’m not about to
lift up my dress to get out a £10.
Seriously? I don’t get this one.
Enough about the money belt.
Overall these ugly Americans were few and far, and I was impressed that I never
witnessed any embarrassing situations, especially in France.
Even though I did my chameleon-best to fit in en France, I still felt like a gangly, pubescent
teenager around the French. Kind of like a Retriever puppy, all feet.
You are probably wondering what made me decide to write this post.
Click This. That is why I am writing this post.
#1 There are several people on this message board who pack their oldest, rattiest underwear
when they travel to Europe, so that they can throw it away as they go.
Really? What if you are sitting at a quaint Parisian cafe and the waiter accidently
drops the flaming Crème Brulee in your lap.
I’m sure that you really want all of Paris to see your ratty Hanes.
Furthermore, how much extra space will you actually gain by throwing away your underwear?
#2 Another poster writes that they gain space by throwing away their entire outfit after they wear it.
They go on to say how much the hotel maids love the leftover clothes.
Unbelievable.
I’m pretty sure the poorest European worker wouldn’t want to be caught dead in JcPenney Sales Rack.
(Although I did find an awesome jacket a few months ago.)
There are reasons why women dream of wearing Christian Louboutin and not Crocs.
It is so condescending to assume that you are somehow doing a hotel maid a favor by
throwing her your scraps. This is ugly American to the core.
I read some figures awhile back that stated that many Italian women spend up to 60% of their income
on clothes. They are known for ditching entire wardrobes as soon as the latest season is released.
While I think this percentage is probably a bit off, it still reminds us that Europeans don’t
want our ratty clothes and underwear!
So gross!
I said all that to say this:
Keep your panties on, leave your flip flops at home, and don’t smile all the time. It’s weird.
Oh, and don’t play with your food in Europe.
Unless you are eating Haggis in Scotland, and then it is perfectly acceptable:
We arrived back home from Indiana last night, it was a great trip!
Several plans for trips fell through this year, so this trip was our “vacation” for the year. We spent a week antiquing, visiting family, and exploring old places that have special memories.
I grew up just a few minutes south of the Michigan border, so we had to go to Lake Michigan while we were there. The lake beats the ocean any day.
We ended our trip with an evening in Chicago… more tales later.
The breaking news from the trip is that we finally found a bookcase!
When you see the picture, you will probably wonder why in the world it took so long, but Andraé and I are easily the two pickiest people in the world when it comes to decorating/furniture.
Everything is either too dark, too light, too many “curves”, too shaker, too tall, too wide, too expensive, too banged up, refinished, the base has a drawer, the base doesn’t have a drawer, the glass isn’t original, ….it’s always something.
But we knew we would find a bookcase that would make our hearts go “thump, thump, thump”, so we waited….
And good things come to those who wait:
It’s perfect.
c. 1908-1930 Sectional Bookcase
Original Stain.
We’re in love. I was jumping up and down as we positioning it under our picture.
You may not get another post from me for a couple weeks. It’s finals time and I’ve got a boatload of stuff to do.
Au Revoir
