Halloween

This year Eliza loved Halloween and was really able to tell what was going on.  We got to do many of her favorite things like go outside, see her neighborhood friends, and put things in a basket – it’s those simple pleasures, right?  She doesn't know what she collected but she still said "please" and "thank you" to all the neighbors on our block who greeted her at their doors.  We also headed over to our friends’ house for a bit, and Eliza loved playing the piano and having her first taste of rice crispy treats. It was such a fun night. It makes me excited for Christmas!

Checking out her loot

Eliza and the neighborhood pirates (Nicholas, Jack, and Brodie the tiger)Eliza and Frankenstein (Preston)Can’t leave any candy behind! Eek, a swarm of bees! (Elle and Wrigley)Eliza had to take everything out of her basket (and then put it all back in again).  Eliza has fun getting the candy, and daddy has fun eating it!We went to our friends’ place for a costume party, and at the last minute, Kirk came up with a good costume idea.  He went as our garden, covered in okra plants that he pulled that evening with giant leaves of Swiss chard all over his head.  Eliza had fun calling daddy “Okra!” all night.Eliza had so much fun playing Sonja’s piano and singing.  I think she was working on a little “Flight of the Bumblebee,” ha!

Eliza’s First Football Game

Last weekend was Homecoming at Purdue, so we headed north and spent the weekend in West Lafayette.  We were especially excited to take Eliza to her first football game, and she was such a trooper and made it through the entire game despite it being her normal nap time.  We were lucky to have seats in the first row with lots of space for her to move around and play while also being able to see the band and cheerleaders, which she enjoyed.  She can already say “football!” and it’s definitely her favorite sport to watch.

The weekend was also a great chance to see my family, see some of our great friends, visit the fraternity, and wax nostalgic at Kokoro in downtown Lafayette as we walked around our old neighborhood.  Purdue also won the game which always guarantees a good Homecoming!

Drew Brees – Bobblehead Big Ten Icon

We got into the stadium really early so that Eliza could take it all in

Eliza loved yelling into the megaphone!

Eliza loved being in the front row where she could see the action

Cool ladies in their cool sunglasses

I think she’s trying to read the banner upside down

Eliza made a few friends during the game and had fun clapping

Eliza loved the world’s largest drum

We definitely had great seats to watch Rob Henry (quarterback) and Dan Dierking (running back) dominate the game

Fake the hand-off and get a huge block from a little guy…

…and that’s a touchdown Boilers!

The extra point is good (even though this picture totally makes it look like the Minnesota player got a hand on it

Kawann Short with the monster sack

Boiler Up!

Extreme Makeover – Garage Edition

We are so excited to have our garage back and looking better than ever.  It took over two months for the demolition, tree removal, construction, and door installation.  It also took some time reinstalling all the tools and equipment I had strategically hung in the garage, but it gave me a great opportunity to build some overhead shelves for seasonal storage.  Here are the pictures of the process and what we had to look at for the last few months.

Demolition

Keeping it dry

Framing

Protect that wood

Shingles!

Gutters

The final product. We love the look of our new fancier garage doors.

This can also be a little illustration on the impact different times of day/positions of the sun have on your photographs. :)

Paris – Day 6

Our Friday in Paris began with a short half-block walk to St. Sulpice, an amazing church that we were fortunate to live near.  We were awestruck by the morning light beaming in and the great organ.  St. Sulpice is the second-largest church in Paris, only slightly smaller than Notre Dame.  It’s also a more functional church that is kept in regular use (and less for gawking tourists like us), so it isn’t as well kept as Notre Dame but rather represents a more realistic French cathedral.

Next, we headed to the Musée Rodin, which is located near the Hotel des Invalides and not far from the Eiffel Tower.  This may have been one of our favorite museums on the entire trip.  It was interesting to learn about Rodin, his sculpting process, and the controversy surrounding some of his works and then to see so many of them on display in the museums beautiful gardens and grounds.

We love this photo of “The Thinker” with the Eiffel Tower in the background

The famous “Mask of the Man with the Broken Nose”

This sculpture is one I did not previously know but loved learning about, “The Burghers of Calais.”  That’s some sacrificial leadership!

The “Gates of Hell,” which depicts scenes from Dante’s Inferno.  I could study this for hours and still notice cool new things.

After the museum, we walked through a cool antique street market.  It sure puts the term “antique” in a different context when you are in Europe and looking at pieces from the middle ages and renaissance.  Also, it was a bit surreal to see such valuable treasures for sale under a tent on the side of the street.

We then headed to Rue Cler, a quaint street that we had read a lot about, for lunch and shops.  I had read amazing reviews of the Cafe du Marche online and in travel guides for a delicious and authentic Parisian lunch experience, so we had to find it.  It lived up to expectations as being really affordable, too.  I enjoyed the duck confit, and when I say “enjoyed,” I really mean I could have eaten four plates of it and had it again for dinner.  It was perfect, and the people-watching was fantastic, too.

Our next stop was the Hotel des Invalides which houses the Musée de l’Armée, Musée des Plans-Reliefs, Musée d’Histoire Contemporaine, as well as Napoleon’s tomb.

Napoleon’s tomb is ridiculously large and made of red porphyry on a green granite base

After all of the museums, it was time to be just like every other tourist and visit the Eiffel Tower.  It was fun for me to watch Lynne marvel at it, since it was her first time there.  When I visited in 2000, I literally ran up the stairs to the second platform (as high as you can go on foot), which was a lot of fun.  Lynne definitely impressed me with her willingness to bypass the elevators and make the long walk, even after being on her feet all day.

It’s such a beautiful view from the top, and this was only at the first platform!

I can see my house from here! (behind les Invalides, where you see the crane – that’s our street at St. Sulpice).  The other building the juts out is the Pantheon.

I get a little dizzy just looking at this picture

Montmartre and Sacré Coeur in the background

We really enjoyed being there at sunset

Champs de Mars gardens, where hundreds of people had set up for picnic dinners, locals and tourists alike

After the tower, we went to a local grocery store to get cheese, snacks, wine, and beer both for our trip to Giverny the next day and to keep at the apartment for late night snacking.  The store was completely sold out of baguettes, and while there were great French and Belgian beers still on the shelves, almost all of the beer that were normal to me (Heineken, etc.) were sold out, likely purchased by picnickers we had just passed.

We returned home and ate dinner at a great relaxing place near our house, including risotto with mushrooms and some other pastas.  Our feet were sore, but we were really looking forward to a train ride and seeing a different part of France the next day.  Overall, the day was a great way to celebrate my birthday in Paris!