ourlifespassion

FEET FIRMING PLANTED

2010-06-24T04:05:00.000-07:00

When I look at my banner at the top of my blog page I see many things. There are photos that are very precious to only me really, I know the city, the country, the special place that they were taken. The occasion that was present that day or maybe it was the mood of the moment. But.... as I look very close I see firming where my toes are planted. On the globe of the United States of America. Often, I question myself as we are living here in Paris France ( one of the most romantic cities for some) in the world. I wonder where and how long I will be here and where the next journey will take us.

So as I see my feet or ballet toes as you may see it are planted or pointing on top of the USA, I crave more adventure, I feel in my bones that I have so much to accomplish and more to do and explore. With all that said, I am forever grateful for this opportunity to live in France. It is so convenient to hop on a train and go to Amsterdam for the weekend. Or get on a plane, and then a ferry and then by foot climb a volcano on the Island of Santorini Greece. My heart is filled with love for the bright blue waters of sea. The more I experience and the more beauty I see in everyday, the more I want to share with my children and show them this beautiful world. Today is a Brand New Day as the lovely Joshua Radin sings, ( I am so in love with that song) and the sun is shining here in Paris France so I am going to go and explore a Brand New Day...... I know where my feet are firming planted and at some point I will take our journey back to the USA and find a Brand New Day there to explore the soil that I came from.....

THE BEAUTY IN THE JOURNEY......

2010-06-01T02:54:00.000-07:00

It is the 1st of June, and I sit here in total bliss at our home in Le Vesinet France. Wondering how the time has flown by and why I haven't taken a moment to write. I need to write and record all of our days, they are soo filled with adventure, new experiences and everyday in France is like finding your way thru a big green maze.

Sometimes I wonder how we got here , what it's all about and then I look at the beauty of the journey..... our children.

We never let a weekend go by without going out and exploring. And as in France there are many holidays throughout the months, we take full advantage of each one to explore and see as much as possible. May was filled with that! We covered a lot of ground in May and I will post our experiences. From visiting a few gorgeous Royal Chateaux's in the Loire valley region, having our Russian friends visit us, and taking a long weekend out to La Rochelle and the incredible island of ile de re. The Atlantic coastline was just amazing. Different, historic and a wonderful experience.

It has been non-stop since we left the airport and stepped onto French soil. Unpack, pack, and pack again. Over and over it continues. I now need to get a bit settled in this weekend because the "true bliss" will be arriving in a few short 3 weeks. I cannot wait for my whole entourage of kids to come. We have a full calendar for July and it's going to be amazing. Stay tuned, big adventure lays ahead and it will be a bus of 10 people traveling together for 14 days straight. I'm so looking forward to going back to a dream that I started in 1987, and I told myself one day I would be back, and guess what? I am returning to a very special place, so dear to me.... so full of excitement. That is the beauty in the journey.

One thing I can promise you is that the sun will set tonight, and it will rise tomorrow to bring you another day of our lifes passion......

The passing of time......

2010-01-08T06:14:00.000-08:00

Time has passed so quickly and it has been nearly half a year since I've blogged. This is not good. I crave to write and share and create a log of our life's passion for our children. Moving to Paris France nearly 9 months ago has been quite overwhelming, and being pregnant and expecting a baby in a an old country was so new to me, I just needed to find my way. I will write in a quick summary over the next several weeks our 9 months of finding ourselves, our new surroundings and how we were able to get settled in France and call it our second home.

It was a much different experience then when we first moved to England. Everything was all set up for us when we arrived to England, it was simple. I didn't have a language barrier, although the South Yorkshire accent is something you must acquire an ear for. I am happy to have moved on to Paris. Even though it was and still is a bit more difficult to find your place it is still a place so filled with life!!! Every square inch of it, there are so many places and things to do and explore. It's endless. We now live in a suburb of Paris ( about 20 minutes on the RER) called Le Vesinet. It's beautiful and very posh! We have a lot of green space for the kids to play and the surrounding little towns are just charming. Each morning within walking distance ( because that is what you do in France is walk and walk everywhere) there is a market filled with lots of fresh foods, vegetable, fruits whatever your little heart desires. It is a different way of life, and being here just reminds me of how fortunate we are to be American and live in a country such as the USA where we are very very spoiled with ease of having everything at our fingertips. My promise for the new year of 2010 is not to let 9 months pass without writing down our adventures and finds in such a wonderful world.........

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

2009-06-25T01:53:00.000-07:00

One life does repeat itself, as we have landed ourselves in the most romantic, historic city in the world, PARIS FRANCE. I am truly drawn to the beauty and history of this city. At the present moment we surround ourselves with new promise, a new beginning, and years of watching, learning and tasting. What do I mean by these three wonderful things that so many take for granted?

To sit at a Cafe anywhere in Paris and watch the hustle and bustle of the many tourists ( at the moment myself included) and to take in all the sights and sounds and awe of them. The expressions on their faces as they walk up the Champs Elysees and see the Arc de Triumphe is priceless. But for a minute if you don't sit back and watch and listen carefully you miss so very much. I have now spent the last 2 1/2 months living in the 8th arrondissement right off the Champs Elysees. With the BIGGEST Louis Vuitton store at my doorstep and my choice of any little bistro chair to sit down in. Each morning I am able to wake up in our little apartment with our Tilly in Tow and venture out among the chaos. To watch, learn and taste.

At this point I am able to watch and listen to the culture. To hear the language of French, which by the way sounds like the most romantic language of the world to me. I will live as a tourist and explore all the tourists historic sites that one should see and educate myself on the time and history of when these beautiful places came to be. At some point I will no longer be the tourist and then I will just wander and find all the nice little niches of each neighborhood. When company arrives, I will then live a day visiting the sites once again and be a tourist for that day. How exciting is that??

Spring time in Paris is truly a real spring. The flowers are just gorgeous!! The air is fresh and crisp and you can see all the white linen cotton pants coming out on the French women. I love to watch their fashion evolve and change.

Now since I have arrived the smell and crispness of the French pouring their wine into a clear wine glass in the middle of the day has so intrigued me. I have arrived in France just about 15 weeks pregnant or so......... AND never thought I would be having the BIGGEST wine craving ever in my life. I really do not even drink when not pregnant! I will enjoy a glass of wine, and I do love to drink a glass with dinner. BUT in America, never in the middle of the day or work day. Here in France, there is nothing like a 2 hour lunch filled with wine and good food everyday! So I crave, crave, crave this white and red wine right now and everyone is pouring, tasting and sipping all afternoon this delicious fresh wine! UGH! I promise to make up for the lost of the taste right now in the Fall time!!

For now I will post some pictures of when my older children arrived and leave you with a little taste of Paris..........

PARIS FRANCE MARCH/APRIL 2009

2009-04-14T02:43:00.000-07:00

IT has been several months since I've blogged. There is so much to write and many changes taking place so quickly!! I am going to leave a quick post here because as soon as we get settled I am going to write about our departure from the USA and from our short posting in England. We are starting a new adventure for the next 3 years in PARIS FRANCE!! It's all a really exciting time. I need to get my thoughts together about this exciting city!

THE MAGIC BEGINS.....

2009-01-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

THERE IS TRULY SOMETHING VERY MAGICAL WHEN WATCHING YOUR 2 YEAR OLD EYES FOR THE FIRST TIME AS THE DISNEY PARADE TAKES IT'S JOURNEY THROUGH MAIN STREET AT MAGIC KINGDOM!! The sure delight on her delicate small little face just makes my heart full!!
We were blessed to take our kids to Disney for just 1 day! Now I know most of you would say ONE DAY are you crazy! BUT.... sometimes you can get more in that one day then you can in 21 days straight!! Yes, I do know this! I've never had the opportunity to stay at Disney for a week OR two weeks, but the one day we were able to take the drive with our children and experience as much as we could was VERY MAGICAL and enlightening for us! We truly enjoyed it. AND the ride from our house was so quick WE could barely believe that we were Florida residents now and able to do this! VERY NICE INDEED with lots of perks! :)
The park was VERY accommodating for our precious little one Anna Claire. We signed into guest services and they gave her a pass ( our whole family) a pass for her disability AND this really really helped us get through long lines, and we were treated very kindly by all of the staff. It certainly helped for Anna to have a good day -- I believe she would of been truly exhausted since having her Open Heart Surgery and would not of enjoyed the few rides that she was able to go on like she did!! THANK YOU MAGIC KINGDOM AND THANK YOU DISNEY for recognizing child with special needs!! All parents with children with special needs should do this and have a great experience at Disney!!

It is still sunny and warm here in Florida. I know over the next few days we are finally going to get some showers BUT right now it's very nice!!

We are blessed and grateful and we wish everyone a Happy 2009!!

HAPPY 2009 TO ALL!

2009-01-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy 2009. We are in the United States of America for the holidays at our house in Florida. I am loving every minute of it so much! It is warm, sunny and very happy here. Everyday since we arrived has been this way. I am blessed and grateful to have celebrated the holidays with all my children under one roof and my parents as well. It has been great. Now it is the New Year and today Andrew has had to fly back to London to work for the month of January & February. I have stayed behind here at the house with Anna Claire until we are ready to make our move now to PARIS FRANCE!! YES, the Tall Man has accepted the job in Paris and we are waiting for them to get us all set up!! There was no reason for me to get back to England and sit there in that house for 5 weeks, I would rather be here in Sunny Florida, walking the beaches, and getting things straightened out in the house.

We are greatly looking forward to our adventure of moving to Paris France for 3 years!! I can't wait for Anna Claire to learn the language and since she is just 2 years old, these will be very important years for her and of course all of us!! I will be learning the French language as well. Since the Tall Man is the only one that will be in the house speaking French it will be quite interesting.

My blogging this spring will be about our adventures of an expat family moving to France, getting settled and finding our way around. I will be writing about my ups & downs and finding my way through a beautiful city!! I am not quite sure yet if we will take a flat apartment right in the city OR if we settled into a home in the countryside outside of Paris!!

If there is anyone out there that has some experience getting to France with their kids, being an expat I would love to hear from you. I usually spend a great deal of time on the computer, learning and gaining any knowledge that I can find.

For now, I am very blessed and grateful for our New Year of 2009, and I am so looking forward to our newest journey that we are about to embark on. Join us for some fun reading and I am sure lots of laughs.

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

2008-12-13T05:25:00.000-08:00

We all celebrate our holiday with a special family tradition, or a heritage tradition. Upon our travels the last few weeks I began to think about this as we entered and exited many cities and countries. Watching all the people and places that we encountered along our journey, it was a delight to watch people enjoy their heritage and where they have come from. Interesting to watch how they celebrate their country. We had the pleasure of visiting Koln Germany over the American Thanksgiving holiday!! It was just beautiful. The traditional German Christmas Market that was in front of the dom was spectacular. They celebrate in a big way. Everywhere you would walk everyone was sipping on a traditional mulled wine in these cute little cups. I regret not trying it but I do not drink and it is something I am not sure would of been good for me. BUT next time I am definitely going to try this with the crowd and I will be sure to get a photo of it all!

The trees were nicely decorated there and all the shops were filled with festive decorations. We traveled to many cities throughout England and Europe the last few weeks. We were down in London for the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving and it was really busy with lots of people shopping ( Recession?? I didn't see or feel one there) . Somehow within the crowd I managed to lose my camera so I am REALLY lost right now with photos and having a hard time getting my thoughts together for my blog because I usually use my photos for inspiration and all the words come to me. London was GREAT, and yes there was another Christmas Market in Hyde Park that I took Anna Claire to. It was a bit of a walk from our hotel but we spent a cold morning there and it was refreshing.

This now brings me back to the USA, that is where I am right now back in the Good Old USA!! I am currently in Buffalo New York, nice and cold and snowy. Visiting many friends & family. It has been a GREAT week, the kids are getting really excited for Christmas. On Sunday, I will fly down to some SUNNY, warm weather at our house in Florida and I REALLY can't wait. I've had enough now with the snow blowing in my face when I clean the car off, and enough sitting in the car waiting for the window to defrost from the freezing rain. All while my nice sunny, warm, fresh house down in Florida awaits me, and my nice warm swimming pool sits and waits for us too!! :) Can't get there fast enough. BUT this brings me back to TRADITION and spending your time with your loved ones, and keeping FAMILY TRADITION when you are miles and miles away from everyone. I managed, I came home, I visited, I gave, I received and above all I upheld the FAMILY TRADITION. We baked, we ate, we celebrated life, we celebrated one another. I had a reunion with a long, lost relationship with a dear cousin and that was the BEST gift of all that I could of received this holiday season. Love to you all........

THANKFUL FOR......

2008-11-19T03:11:00.000-08:00

The season is upon us and it is a time that I look back and reflect over all the things, people, places that I am most grateful for. I do this every year at Thanksgiving time, even though I am in England and there isn't an American Thanksgiving here to celebrate, I have this place to write about my most grateful gifts that God has bestowed upon me.

It has been quite a year for us AGAIN! We had a wonderful weekend in the English countryside and I will post some photos of our time here today. First off, I am most grateful for our precious Anna Claire who turned 2 years old on the 31st of October. Yes, Halloween day and she is such a "treat" for us. A true miracle, nothing like it. She is a very special little girl and she gives me strength, faith and hope each day. For what she has been through is an amazing defeat! I can't believe it's been 1 year since her open heart surgery. She is growing and doing very well. We will have more hurdles to jump over, however, we are very good at going above, around, through and beyond anything that comes at us!! So I am most grateful for God being at our side so we can do this and be here for our Anna Claire.

I am most grateful for my husband, who provides for us, cares for us, and takes such "GREAT" care of Anna Claire. He is truly the best father any child could have. He is the most patient man that I've ever met, very loving and protective. A simple, no non-sense man, filled with a great sense of adventure and dreams that you can't even imagine. The best part is he is now able to make all his dreams happen and I am grateful to be able to help him do this. It's important for a man to feel successful, to feel like a GREAT DAD and above all to be the "MAN" in the house. I love having a MAN in my house, he gives us a great sense of direction and if you listen carefully he won't ever steer you wrong. You have to be still..... shhhh.... and listen for a moment. You will truly be awarded.

We are blessed with good health, gorgeous children, that I can't wait to hug & kiss and enjoy our holidays with. Soon we will be back over in the United States of America to bask in the sunshine, hug our kids and play in the sand...... I am simply grateful for all these simple things in life that come our way......the simple things that are already there if you just sit still and take the time to find them and to listen..... nature, people and the sky are the most beautiful things that God has provided!! Love to you all at this special Thanksgiving Season. Take time to sit and think about the things that you are most grateful for.

CHRISTMAS IN FIVE CITIES

2008-11-15T05:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/share_skin?work_id=5053043&type=embed

A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS VIDEO IN THE FIVE CITIES THAT WE WERE IN LAST YEAR! We are counting this year and so far we think we are going to be able to match it AGAIN! YEAH! I can't believe it! I never thought I would see the day that we would of been able to celebrate Christmas in five cities ever again! And yes, I will be posting all our happiness while doing so. Have a blessed day!

WEEKENDS IN ENGLAND

2008-11-14T02:23:00.000-08:00

The weekend is upon us once again here in England and I'm so thrilled. I've counted and blocked in each weekend from now until the end of this year and boy are we ever busy! We are going to head up North a bit tomorrow to another big city here called Leeds. Their Christmas Market is opening this weekend and "I LOVE CHRISTMAS MARKETS", they are very big here in England and Europe. I will bring our nice camera and take lots of pictures so I can post them for our families back home to see. We don't have Christmas Markets like this back in Buffalo.

Next weekend we are going down to LONDON to celebrate Christmas there. I've been reading up on many of the events and Christmas Winter Wonderland Markets that are being held in Hyde Park and many other places. We will be down there for 4 days and I am so looking forward to the busyness and lots of people. All the Christmas decorations, lights and themes will be in place. I am very excited for this. Again, I will bring the camera.

After that weekend we will fly to Germany to celebrate our American Thanksgiving weekend! Andrew's mother will get to see the baby and we will meet with some relatives, this will make a very special time for us. Then back over here to Sheffield for two more weeks and off to the good old USA for our Christmas holiday. We will fly down to Sunny Florida for Christmas & I can't wait because the kids are flying down on Christmas day. We will be in Florida until next year.

I am hoping that by then the soup will be done simmering and we can get some direction from there as to where we are going. What will it be south with the nice French Cafe's OR up here with the Castles?? Either way I can't lose....... there is so much to discover and enjoy in life each day. When I wake up and look at this smiling face staring at me with those BIG blue eyes..... it doesn't matter where we are as long as we are all together, enjoying one another and living life!!

LET THE SOUP SIMMER....

2008-11-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

Words of wisdom....a small test of my patience. My husband has told me to let the soup simmer.... I said, WHAT?? How can I wait a few more days? I have been on the edge of my seat now since the thought of us sitting at a French Cafe in the afternoon, sipping on some tea, having a little pastry and watching the world go by even entered my little head of mine!! The BIG guys are in London today all sitting around with lots of umm's, mmm... and nodded heads. Trying to figure out how they are now going to get the nice Tall American guy who is totally the right fit for this position, because he is so poised, fluent in French and has just a get-go positive attitude about him in their seats! AND his wife sits at home looking over the valley in South Yorkshire waiting for the soup to be just right. Waiting for the sign, the right crispness of the vegetables, and then I will go and pack!! Hey wait, I am all ready. Basically, I have felt that I've done my duty here, fighting with the healthcare system for services for our daughter for now let's see 6 months. Still no services. We will leave this for another posting...... as i wait for the soup to simmer... they will work it all out and before you know it I we will be sitting at the cafe waiting for our American friends to join us for some GREAT people watching.......

Autumn Walk on the Snicket

2008-11-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

How many of my fellow American's have heard of taking a walk on the "SNICKET"? I am sure not too many from where I come from. When we moved into this house in the South Yorkshire part of England, a friendly neighbor came by to check in on us. She assured me that she would love to show me how to walk. Well, I certainly know how to walk, and where would I be walking to? EVERYONE walks here in Dore England. They walk to catch the bus ( you ride for free if you are 60 yrs. of age), the train, you walk to get your newspaper, talk to the vegetable man and of course do your shopping for the days meal. Then you walk home. However, you take these little path ways that are label "PUBLIC FOOTPATH" & then you find your way along. Well, I decided that I would venture out on my own with the "PUSHCHAIR" (baby stroller in America) -- and find my way.

Little did I know or was I aware that you need a small lesson in walking around here. When you start on one footpath it takes you to a road and then what I say, where do I go now? Everything is hidden and you have to look which way you think the path will go. Also, it's all uphill, down a hill, around a bend, and of course you have to get around all those high hedges everywhere, it truly is like taking a walk in a maze. Well, you have to walk on a small sidewalk to find the next footpath, then the next and so on.

As I found my way up into our little village of Dore. You will find exactly one butcher shop, one bakery, one cafe, a post office, a pharmacy, a flower shop, and then the vegetable and fruit man's stand. A pub that you can eat at if the time is right! Not between 2pm-5pm. I completed my walk back and found my way home.

Shortly after I arrived back home, my bell rang. Yes, it was the nice neighbor down the way checking in on me. I told her that I took a lovely walk up the hill into the village. She replied, and said "OH, you found your way along the 'SNICKETS". I said, excuse me, What? I took the pathways and she said, Yes, those are the snickets that I was going to show you. So there you go, I now know how tricky it can be to find your way through the snickets.

Mystery Awaits....

2008-11-03T01:23:00.000-08:00

What the week will bring? This is what I wonder this Monday morning? There is so much that can happen, or there is so much that I will have to make happen. Andrew is flying down to Paris tomorrow to meet with a nice guy and figure out if he can help these people!! We know he can now it's just a matter of Can they figure out how to get him there? Even though we have only been here for 6 months it feels as if it's been 6 years. The struggle of trying to get simple services and things that would be easy for us back in America are such a struggle and so time consuming here. I am running out of patience for the health care system and services for Anna Claire..

Anyway, we will see what the week brings, as far as I'm concerned I did my duty here and Paris France here we come!!! :)

Quote

2008-11-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

Life is short: Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, & never regret anything that made you smile!

RECONNECTING

2008-11-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

I am so thrilled today that I have reconnected with some family back in Buffalo New York. It's been way too long. I have found my childhood cousin. Today I have been able to reflect back on all the great times we had and shared growing up together. Now here we are today, I am living in over the pond here in England and she is back in Buffalo and I am so excited to be able to have a voice again so that I can explain to her all that has happened for me to move on now with life, with events, with faith & hope...... the future awaits......

Reason for Blog

2008-08-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

Our first entry, I've been searching for a way to get our thoughts, travels, and all the lastest happenings out to our family & friends. Our daughter has her own site because of a heart defect and Noonan Syndrome and it really is for her. So it was becoming difficult to put all our travels on there, then I went to Facebook to keep in touch with our older children..... well, that wasn't quite the fit either. I think perhaps I might of found a place.

We travel a real lot. We are from the United States. Born and raised in Buffalo New York, we've since purchased a house in Parrish Florida ( Not too far from the Sarasota/Bradenton Area) -- BUT we are living Sheffield England for the next three years. And in between all of this we are raising our daughter who is 21 months old and has Noonan Syndrome and had Open Heart Surgery last year. She is doing just great! We travel in between all the craziness!!

I like this place to write. Thank you, and keep reading on !