Beautiful traveling

Picture of a perfect place, of a perfect moment - like all the ones I have been spending with you, baby. So beautiful, so simple. Nothing’s greater than the rush that comes with your embrace.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas y'all :) I hope you are enjoying the holiday season just as much as I am... my Christmas is the merriest of all, how sweet to be back home to spend time with the family. Feels all warm inside :) Last night with my mum side of the family, today with my dad's side. LAst night was such a blast - too much good food (mmmmmm those frogs and snails :D), too much good wine and way way too much fun. We did our round of silly presents once again - people really worked at it this year hehehehe, between the Thirst Extinguisher full of Pastis to the giant calculator. We were cracking up the entire evening, so much I had cramps in my stomach :) And today - well, more food on its way, and more time with the family.

Time and laughs with the people you love. Best present in the whole wide world. Could not ask for more :)

1) My dad and aunt Maryvonne smiling away :); 2) Cedric & Emma; 3)Jef and his giant and oh-so-pink calculator; 4) mmmmmm champagne!; 5) Tata Maryvonne and her "no-thirst" helmet; 6) Caught; 7) Emma, Cesar, David and I with our pretty hats :); 8) my sister and her giant lighter; 9) Cesar, Nath and I;

THE Bee movie :)

B. honey- only because I love you :) :) :) This was too good not to share... now, I know I am probably gonna have to pay that back..... bring it on :D

Xmas Parteeey!

Oh believe me, the MS people always know how to turn a rather lame party into something that will stick to the mind, let me tell you! Last Wednesday we had our Christmas party at the Thames Rowing club: no transportation to get to the other end of the world (well, the other end of London really), no heat, bad food, kicked out of the place at midnight....BUT....PLENTY of cheap cheap wine that we could get drunk on :) that was enough to get the night started for us ;) In the quest for a dodgy bar, we ended up at the bar of the Victoria plaza - and then.....well, whatever happened in London will stay in London I am afraid to say :D But if you want to know - you know where to ask :D

The "But what is it exactly that you do?" group

Ooooooooooh I found the best group on facebook: the "but what is it exactly that you do?" group: for those who always have a hard time explaining their job to their friends and family. He he he I thought it just fit perfectly :D Because let me tell you.....being a Technical Account Manager in Online Advertising for MSN, not always easily to get accross. Yeah, so my grandma still thinks I have coffee with Bill Gates every morning, my friends constantly ask me if I could find the Hotmail account password that they lost for the 10th time, and my parents call me every time they have a virus on their computer...hellooooowwwwww people :D :D :D In any case, this groups is just hilarious - if you are a French speaker on facebook (yeah it is all in French), go check it out here and you are going to be cracking up at people's stories for a good 1/2 hour. Such good therapy for the mind :) for once I will say: thank you facebook!

Once

....is the amazing movie I just saw tonight with Richard and some friends. Simple. Beautiful. I had the feeling of listening to the story of a friend, of being right there with the characters. A private invitation to their story. Chills in my body, smile on my face. :)

And the best part - it takes place in Dublin: Grafton, St Stephen's Green, O'Connell Bridge.... and Mountjoy Square, where she lives- and me :) Now, don't be scared of the Irish accent - worst case: use subtitles eh eh. The movie is great at showing life around here - oh that first scene is such a Grafton street classic, hilarious :D Although, I still can't believe they missed one BIG BIG thing....it didn't rain once during the movie :D Now, that's a BIG miss!

Anyway....go watch it. Now. Now :)

Jamming with the Japs!

Last Sunday, my Japanese friend Junshi (a harp player I randomly met walking Grafton street - ask me the story later :D :D) invited me over to learn how to make Japanese curry with his sister Kyoko and a few of his friends. Yum yum yum, oh the wonderful food! I don't think I ever tasted a curry that good - and adding to that, the pride that we actually made it - well...... Kyoko made most of it eh eh... probably why it was so good :)

In any case, I should have guessed that this get-together would have turned out a bit nuts :) All of the people invited knew how to play one instrument or another, and as we drank more Japanese beer, and Kyoko alway having tons of instruments laying around her appartment, I guess we all started to feel more.....mmmmm.... creative, let's put it that way :D The 5 of us ended up jamming with guitars, flutes, xylpohones.......... beer bottles :D We played anything and everything that crossed our mind, from a reaggae happy birthday, to good old Hotel California (ouch the singing :D)...and not forgetting what will probably become the bestselller on our Album (oh yes people! we are talking album here! :D), our special song for the nigh, "Hurry it's the curry!." :D Eheh. Alright. I know what you are thinking, "no more drugs for Audrey!". But most of you know that quite well that you won't be surprised at me actually enjoying such cheesiness :D Anyway, quite an interesting night, looking forward to the next rehearsal eh eh


Kyoko - quite proud of her rice :D

Christmous Christmous...feeling quite mischievous :D

Caught stealing presents from public Christmas trees? eh eh I had to share this priceless picture :D Merci merci pour cette contribution, 6arts :)

Dreaming of a white Xmas :)

Grafton Street and the city center is just beautiful these days :) Oh sweet sweet month of December, I wish you'd never go away:) Will you stay here with me forever? now if only there could be snow, I'd be the happiest little girl on earth :)

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Catherinette oh oui oh oui :D

Audrey 25 and not married yet???...if one person was not going to forget that, that had to be my big sister :) Merci Maud! Above the lovely e-card I received form her the the Catherinette celebration. Now, if you are not French, you are probably asking yourself "what the hell is the Catherinette celebration?checking my calendar.... thanksgiving.... hanukah... christmas.... catherinette?????" Ladies and gentleman, after the intro I made about this summer about "L'enterrement de vie de garcon", get ready for your second lesson in silly-but-oh-so-lovely French traditions :)

What is a Catherinette exactly? It is young women who's 25 and yet to be married.Catherinette is derived from the Greek Katharos which means "pure" -mmm I'll guess I'll believe the website I got this info from :D eh eh eh. Since the Middle Ages, girls were under the protection of St Catherine (while Saint Nicolas cared for the boys). Girls participated in devotion groups to the saint, and were responsible for the confection of a beautiful headdress to "cap" her statue each year on November 25th. The young women left the group when marrying, hence "capping Saint Catherine" became, for a female, synonymous to "being still single at/after 25".

Nowadays on November 25th, Catherinette are to wear a green and yellow hat (Green symbolising knowledge and Yellow Faith). Oh lovely lovely hats :D :D :D Well - I was close to having to wear mine, but at least had the excuse of being away for the Catherinette :D They didn't catch me they didn't catch me :)

These days I wanna be....

...hiking down Havasupai, one of the my favorite places :) Oh I miss the Canyon. Jerry, will you give me a piggyback ride again????? Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaase :D Thanksgiving 03 seems like too long ago.

Fall is here!

My favorite season of all :) The million different colors, leaves dancing with the wind, the first chills, and knowing that Christmas is just around the corner...I can't think of a better time of the year!

"Pomme de Rainette et Pomme d'Api"

.....as the song from my childhood would go :) Last weekeend I went home for my sister's house warming party -sorry you all, no pictures of my sister enjoying too much punch :)-, but though I'd share the few pics I do have from that weekend. My nephew and I went apple-picking and rock-skipping (well, for my nephew is was more like rock-plopping but he was trying so hard the poor thing :)). The sweetness of going back home and spend time on the little things with your family...there is nothing like it.

Missing my bugs

Not that I have been cleaninig more lately - I am French, after all, don't forget that-, but I have been very very much bug-deprived these days!

Back to the Wild Wild West!

...of Ireland that is :D The weekend after I got back from Seattle , no time to put my bags down when Jen (a coworker from the US who came to our Dublin office for a couple of weeks) invited me to join her, her boyfriend Ryand and her brother along for a weekend trip to Western Ireland - Nives and her boyfriend also game along for much fun :) We all hopped in the car - woooow my first time drining on the left side of the road and I didn't kill anyone - not even one of the many sheeps that slowly crossed the road as if it was theirs :)

We stopped just about 2000 times in two days for some very special "picture moments" - so I had to share at least a few :) Below are pics from Connemara, the Kilkenny Abbey, the Cliffs of Mohair (yet again, I don't seem to get tired of them).

Anybody wants to volunteer to come and visit me now? :)

Love the Blues!

That's all I have to say :) Miss ya, Sarah and Ryan....and my Kathy - hope you are still singing out loud in your car and dancing in your living room :)

Bowling night!

So I thought I was going to go to be tonight since it is already 11:30 pm here, but hey who needs sleep really? Telling the story of my not so sober nights in Seattle is much more fun afterall :) THe first week in Seattle was a blast with the Summit - great meetings all around, and a lot of what we all call "socializing" :) My entire group went bowling on the Thursday on the Summit....well I say bowling, just like I could say driking, jumping or vreakdancing all the same. We clearly saw some talent that night :) For the way back to the hotel from the bowling alley, the company had hired some buses, and I have to say that we probably has the best bus of the whole bunch - our driver was really DJ who turned the music up and would switch the lights on and off as if we were in a cluf :) How does it get any better than that, let me ask you?????After this, I just don't know anymore......TPKE - so what does the P stand for exactly? Professionalism? No way! haaaaaa no I know... PARTEY!!!!! :D