my husband is a ship boat CAPTAIN! and other great news!

My husband just told me some great news that i have to share.  In fact, I can't not share it with you, because i am bursting with pride...Yann is a real-life-official-international Ship Boat Captain!!!!  How cool is that?! Wait, here is the coolest part; he already was one as of April 1st, 2008, so that means i married a Captain!  He apparently attained enough hours of ocean navigating that he automatically became a Captain.  Which is nice because #1: we thought he wasn't going to have this classification until this November and #2: he is eligible to get hired for a position as a Captain; which means good things.  So, a big Congratulations goes out to you, baby.  You look so darn handsome in your Captain uniform...xoxo. 

Congrats to my good friends Katie R. & Stephanie D. for rocking it out in the job search area! They both called me within 2 days to tell me that they were offered great positions at very well-known companies!! You go, ladies.  I knew all your job searchin' blues would be over shortly, because anyone should consider themselves a lucky employer to have you on their lineup. I'm so happy and proud of both of you and GOOD LUCK in your future positions!

to papas all around

We had some rough news about Yann's grandfather.  He is an avid cyclist(at the age of 80!!!) and he went out for a ride in France last week and unfortunately was struck by a car.  He was taken to the hospital and was in a coma for the last week.  The good news was yesterday he seemed to wake up from the coma and was trying to speak to his family.  He seemed aware and excited to see them.  So, we don't know exactly what the result of his recovery will be. But please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.  He is such a sweet man and Yann is very close to him.  Here they are in Paimpol a few weeks ago on our trip.  We all are hoping he will make a recovery and be out again someday on that bike.  

And on to something happier...

Happy Belated Father's Day, dad!...i know you had the best father's day ever because you got to spend it using your chain saw to cut a fallen tree on your proptery in North Carolina.  Then you had the immense pleasure of stacking the freshly cut tree in a burn pile and torching it.  I love that you are a man of simple pleasures; your Toyota Tundra truck, your 'loaner' dog, Rascal, and eating a good trout dinner are the things that make you happy.  Thanks for the great bonfire yesterday night.  There is nothing that says summer more than a hot, well stoked campfire on a clear, cool Cashiers night.  Thank you for being who you are and doing all that you do for our family.  You truly are the best.

And to my new Papa-in-law...Happy Father's Day!

What's poppin'

Nan is the lady dressed in red.  She's gonna be having her baby very soon.....(!!!!)  Read on:

I tell you what's poppin'...my good buddy, Nan, who is gonna be having that baby of hers any moment now.  I'm just so excited for Scotty & Nan! I cannot wait to meet their little lady, Miss Adrielle Celeste.  I don't have any preggo pics of Nanners but here we are back in the day!  We had a girls weekend in Fernandina Beach (The Dirty Dina), Florida for her b-day last February.  We rode our beach cruisers to this quiet, deserted beach and had a grand old girlie time.  Anyways,  Congrats Momma Nanny and I know you guys are gonna be the best parents ever!  Your baby is going to be a Iron Chefin', Nobel Prize winnin' cutie pie!

i couldn't help myself!!

Sorry...I've put sooo many pictures from our French road trip up, but they are all so good!  I couldn't discriminate and also I really wanted you to feel like you were seeing not only us, but also the sights and smells along the way....enjoy!

update & more pics

I wrote a little about what I've been up to lately under these pics...

Hi! I'm here in Miami and there is some good news! I went to the French Consul and they granted me the visa that i need to begin the Long Stay process! Yeah! so, i go to pick it up tomorrow at 2:30pm and then once i'm back in France i can use this paper to ask for the Card de Long Sejour. 

And other good news that I forgot to tell....Yann is taking me to BRAZIL for our honeymoon!!!! He has to go there anyway this summer to deal with his visa there (ahh!! what is it with us and visas??) so he thought we could take a vacation too. He is so excited about showing me where he grew up and I'm looking forward to hearing him speaking his Portugese; it's quite hot, let me tell you. So, we are going to be doing a lot of kiteboarding in Brazil...i was doing pretty well at it when i was back in france. I actually got up a few times!  Yann's a good teacher; very patient with his wife.  And today i bought a pair of cute turquoise Crocs and some board shorts for the trip. we leave on June 25 and come back July 8th. 

So, I needed a visa for going to Brazil too!! so, i'll be doing that biz too while i'm here in miami.  miami is so cool! you really feel like you're in Latin America.. the people in stores greet you first in spanish. also, all the signs are in spanish and there is lots of good food and music.  But, i don't think i could ever deal with living here. It's crazy hot here and very humid.

well, that's about it for now. i'll be back in Sarasota in a few days and soon my mom and i will be making a trip up to asheville.  we decided that we are going to sell my cute house up there, because it looks like i won't be living there for a while. i'm sad about selling that house; i lived there during some hard times in my life.  Fixing it up and painting and decorating it made that time a lot happier for me.  I had so much fun making it a cute and comfortable place and now i'll have to say goodbye. but, i have tons of great memories from the 3 years it was mine and i have to remember that it is just a house.  a house only gains meaning from those who live inside it; on its' own it's just a physical thing.  so, i'm sure there are more great houses to be had... 

ok, well, we'll see you soon!