Je suis Lydia! Un, deux, trois .....

That's about all I remember from French 101 in college. And I never moved on to French 102 or 202 or whatever. Which is a pity, because right now, it might be helpful to parlez vous francais.

Luckily, English is taught in school all over the world now, so most Parisians speak a little. Because I don't even know what to order for lunch. I guess I could walk into le petit boulangerie and ask for un baguette, but I might get a little tired of eating nothing but bread for 5 days. I guess there's always ratatouille and escargot, duck l'orange, and don't forget croissants. I don't think I COULD get tired of croissants.

It will be an adventure at the very least! Eric has meetings on Thursday and part of the day on Friday, so I will be on my own. I'm kind of scared! I haven't been alone in over 13 years! Least of all in a foreign country! And I have to ride home on the plane by myself!

Growing up, I never imagined I would ever get the chance to travel much, so I never made my "When I Go to Paris, I Have to ...." list. I've been cramming for the last week and will read some more guide books on the flight.

Those of you who've been be sure to send me your recommendations!

Au revoir!

See Jack Run

See the dog? The dog is black. The dog likes to run. The dog likes to run in the creek.

The dog has a friend. The dog's friend is white. The black dog and the white dog like to chase the deer.

The white dog is tired. She wants to go home. The black dog is not tired. He does not want to go home. The white dog goes home. The black dog does not go home. He wants to run.

Oh no! The black dog is lost! Where is the dog? Where did he go?

Here he is! He has found a home! He likes this home! He likes the boys and girls. He likes the man and the lady.

The lady tells the dog to go home. The dog does not go home. He wags his tail. He wants to play with the boys and the girls. He likes this home. He wants to come inside.

The lady and the children leave. The dog stays at the home. The man leaves. The dog stays at the home.

The lady and children come home. The dog is still here! He wants to stay! He likes this home!

It is late. It is time for bed. The lady makes the dog a bed by the car. The man gives the dog some food and some water. It is cold outside, but the dog is warm by the car.

The boys and girls wake up. The dog is still here! The dog wants to play! The dog can sit. The dog can stay. The dog cannot fetch.

The dog likes to run. He likes to chase the squirrels.

The man and the girl make signs. The man and the girl like the dog. They want the dog to be happy. The dog needs to go home. The dog's people miss him.

A man calls. He looked for his dog. He looked and looked and looked. He could not find his dog. Is this his dog?

The man comes to the house. Here is his dog! The man is happy! The dog is happy! The boys and girls are not happy. They want to keep the dog.

What is the dog's name? The dog's name is Jack.

Stay, Jack, stay!

C's Baptism

We scheduled our biannual Ellis family reunion for the week after C turned 8. Eric thought it would be a great idea to have him baptized while we were out in Utah, saving both sets of grandparents a trip to Ohio. Simple, right?

It turned out to be a lot more complicated than we thought it would be, and after much stress, C ended up getting baptized in the fishing pond at Aspen Grove. It was such a beautiful, simple event, without a lot of fuss. It was so wonderful that we could have so many supportive family members there, too.

No, I didn't die

Yes, I realize I haven't posted in over 4 months. I felt guilty about it at least twice. But at this point, where do I start? I should probably just bag this blog and start a new one, although I guess that doesn't really make sense. I'll start with something a little wierd.

All 4 of my kids are in karate, and they're halfway to black belt, which means they get to join the Black Belt Club. It's a little extra motivation for them to follow through and reach their goal. It also means new uniforms:

Yes, I used fabric softener. Why do you ask?