Ease of modern Technology & Week in review

Overall a Great week!

It's Easter weekend & I feel great!!  It's been a bit of an up & down week, but I think the best news was we have finally entered back into the modern world!!  Yes, our Internet has finally been fixed (& this includes our phone & TV) - I think I could have hugged this technician just for the sheer fact that I was so EXCITED!! I settled for offering him a cup of coffee! Funny thing, he was one of the same previous technicians who first diagnosed the problem, so was also perplexed that it has been almost 5 months since our line was severed.  I think the answer to the problem of why this took so long will be one of those great unanswered questions on this earth!  (No help from French bureaucracy, paperwork etc..)  I wont bore people with the amount of phone calls I made, the number of times we were promised a technician who would fix the problem but it was the "wrong" team, & just the sheer frustration of no one seeming to have a history of the situation...every time you called in, we would start over again.)  But I'm a believer in moving forward, so here we are - back up and running.  As I said yesterday - We have risen...and it was Good Friday!  Such a lovely Easter weekend present!!

This week began with my oldest daughter leaving on a ski trip with her class.  This is often part of the French school system - overnight class trips for skiing or hiking.  She was very excited - and we were thrilled that she could have this opportunity.  So 6:15 on Monday morning, she was at school with her huge bag waiting with her classmates and teachers to board the bus for the almost 4 hour trip to the High Pyrenees.  She had never down-hilled skied before, but is very athletic so I knew she would pick it up quickly.  She moved very quickly from the beginner group to the intermediate group learning in 3 days to begin to parallel ski.  Here's a photo she sent us the first night - Hard to believe it's Spring-time!

Unfortunately, Wednesday evening, we got the phone call that she had twisted and sprained her knee in a fall.  They called us after she had been to the hospital, had it x-rayed, and was put in a knee brace...a bad sprain but needs to be in the brace for the next 2-3 weeks.  She was still in great spirits and can't wait to ski again!!  That's my girl!  A little side note here, she stayed with her class, just didn't ski on Thursday & returned like everyone else last evening!  Her injury was not the only one, but I guess statistically when you take about 45 kids to the ski slopes, it's going to happen to someone.  I think she's most bummed that it slows her down a bit..and there is no synchronized swimming or dance for the next few weeks.  One more thing about France, when something like this happens, the chaperones pay the medical bill and then you send it into your health insurance for reimbursement.  Here's the interesting thing, for a trip to the emergency room, x-ray, knee brace, crutches & pain medication for the injury - it was only $160.  All of which we can get back through our health insurance.    There's nothing I can say here - other than - it's very reasonable!

While she was off skiing, we had a normal week of school for the other 2 girls.  One of our highlights this week was catching up with Abby & her husband, Logan from J'Adore Ma Vie.  As bloggers we had previously met in Montpellier at a bloggers luncheon - at the time she was still pregnant with her lovely daughter! They had to come to Bordeaux to take care of some official US passport business, so we caught up for lunch.  As it was Wednesday, and there is no school for elementary and Maternelle students, I had my two youngest girls with me.  We had a great time catching up - and her daughter is ADORABLE!!  She's only a couple months old but is very alert and seemed to eat up all the attention from my girls.  My nine year old loved giving her a bottle and they both wanted to push the stroller around.

Spring-time in Bordeaux!

We walked along St. Catherine to do a bit of Easter shopping then headed back up to their car to say goodbye.  They were headed off to Saint Emilion to enjoy some wine!!  Check out their blog post, they definitely did!!

My youngest also enjoyed Logan's phone a lot!!  Nothing quite like some games on a phone to entertain a 5 year old!

Here is my favorite set of her daughter - just so expressive!!  She was interacting with my middle daughter who was mesmerized by her faces and expressions!!  Abby - thanks for meeting us - it was great fun and the girls, I know will remember their new friends!!  Looking forward to staying in touch and watching your daughter grow!

And now we head into Easter weekend - the girls & I are going to dye Easter eggs today & tomorrow - its off to Church in the morning, lunch and and afternoon with friends!

The weather is warmer, the sun is trying to shine and I just love all the flowers that are blooming here already!!  Nice to enjoy the Spring!  Joyeux Paques!