Vegas, Baby!

I have the sweetest brothers-in-law. They are all fun just like their big bro, Sco. However, I have a tender spot in my heart for my bro-in-law, Jeff. Scott's nickname is Sco and Jeff's nickname is Ro. So the girlies call him Uncle Ro.

In Vegas, Ro lives in the nicest bachelor pad I've ever seen! Three bedrooms, two baths, an eat-in kitchen in a gated community with a pool. It's like a little slice of heaven. Not to mention the NICEST Albertson's grocery store next door. I love shopping there since it's a bit upscale in comparison to ours.

Anyway, Ro is a teddy bear. He's big and sweet. My girls adore him. Their favorite thing to do is bounce on him while he lays on the floor watching TV. They also like to climb him and hang from his shoulders. What would we do without that kind of entertainment on vacation? He has a soft spot for them as well. He sets a good example for Ashley by putting a few pieces of broccoli on his plate. He bribes the girls with churros if they'll obey their mom. He takes the time to watch cartoons with them.

Chloe, Jess and Ashley can really tell that they are loved by him. He'll make a great dad someday.

While we were chillin' at Ro's pad we were able to relax and spend time as a family. The girls played Rock Band, we went to the Leid Children's Museum (that needs a post of it's own), to the Disney Store at the Premium Outlets, swam in a desert oasis and even watched a few Fifa World Cup soccer games. The weather and timing weren't ideal for golf for the bros, but they got some quality time together in front of the TV. One of the highlights for me, and also one of the reasons I love Ro so much, is when we were deciding which movie to watch Ro spoke up and said "I've been wanting to watch 'Valentine's Day'." Sco was groaning and I was cheering! Two against one and I didn't even have to coax Ro to pick a chick flick. That's what I call "being considerate." I doubled their return by renting Sherlock Holmes and Wolverine for the next two nights' entertainment.

Thanks, Ro, for the awesome long weekend. We owe you big time!

Oooooo La La!

Bonjour!

Scott is the most romantic husband ever. For our 10th wedding anniversary he took me to Paris. It was a dream vacation. We filled up on chocolate croissants, great art and French history. I now know why Parisians can load up on delicious carbs every morning and still stay trim: they walk everywhere! Boy, eating croissants each morning was a delight knowing that I would work it off touring the Louvre. What a charmed life.

Day One: We went on a hop-on/hop-off bus tour of the city. This gave a great orientation and allowed us to enjoy the architecture up close.

La Cure Gourmande was the cutest sweet shop

I squealed with delight when we happened upon this home on the Ile de la Cite

Day Two: More of the bus tour.

The Sacre Coeur

Cute creperie on the Ile St. Louis

Day Three: The Louvre! One of my favorite places in the world, I'd say. Afterwards we went on a historic walk along the Left Bank, took the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed an evening river cruise.

The book stalls along the Seine

Shakespeare and Co. book shop

Day Four: Musee D'Orsay (no pics allowed in there), Napoleon's Tomb, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe.

Days Four and Five were spent out in the country exploring historic sites of Louis the XIV

Veau le Vicomte

Descending the old stairs from the dome

The town of Marly le Roi, loved getting lost here

Over all, this trip was magical. It took a lot of planning to succeed on the Metro. We were a bit culture-shocked with some of the dinner entrees. It also felt debilitating at first when we couldn't speak the language. But these obstacles were quickly hurdled and we enjoyed every minute in Paris.

Thanks, Sco! You really know how to make a girl feel loved.

Sweet Land

While cooking dinner yesterday I watched a beautiful movie called Sweet Land. It's a story of how love grows between two people through service. The Netflix synopsis explains the film this way:

Norwegian-American farmer Olaf Torvik and his rural Minnesotan community must struggle to overcome years of anti-German propaganda and prejudice when he discovers that his mail-order bride, Inge, is not only a German but also an accidental Socialist.

Sweet Land was a delight to watch. This movie expects the audience to think and wants you to experience the story rather than sit back and just watch. I thought the performances were subdued, but well done. The scenes were breathtaking. And the love story was real. Check it out and tell me what you think.