Dublin blues

Being in Dublin for "so long" - I am really not used to it! Have been feeling a bit blue lately, but this shall pass in no time ;) I'll dive in my pile of chocolates, have some ice cream and that will hopefully do the trick :) Can't wait for NYC.

Happy Birthday Grand-ma :)

Unlikely that she'll read this post, but still wanted to share some pics of her birthday celebration :) 80 years old, we had much much to celebrate.

Home sweet home

Back in Franceland for a few days, it's been a month almost that I have not been in Dublin, and I am liking it a lot - wonder why I am paying for this appartment of mine though? :)

Spend time with my family (much needed these days), walk in the woods and around the water with my parents, pick up a clown-dressed-up nephew from school, read him a bed-time story, hold him in my arms, eat good food and good wine for a few days. Smiles smiles smiles smiles smiles:)

Sunny day in Central Park

Went to play fresbee in THE park, oh lovely lovely day :) And the sun warming up my face, mmm tickling my frekles. I feel like such a little kid sometime.

NYC!

:) :) :) :)

Ice, pain killers & Chocolate

... is all you really need to heal a knee. Well, the chocolate especially! :D Taking SUCH a good care of the grumpy me:) :) :)

"Wow look at the moon!!!"

....."mmmm, babe, it's the sun". Alright. Brilliant moments in Audrey's life, #10020101...but I swear it really looked like the moon...at least to me!:D Troels and I went for a weekend trip, skiing to Windham this weekend (a couple hours outside of NYC). Beautiful, awesome weather, wonderful skiing....hehe, that is, until I tried to to be a smartass (hehe, like I do that often...). Went for a jump that MAY have been a bit beyond my skiing skills - all I remember next is a cloud of snow, the pain from a ligaments in my knee, and a sadly shortened skiing trip. But, as far as the pain goes, it was ALL worth it - the jump was BRILLIANT :) :)

1+1=2

Other the past few weeks, things have been evolving in ways that I would have not necessarily foreseen a few months back, but everything is building up to make so much sense. Last week was quite a strange one for me I have to admit. However, despite some of the negative feeling that I had initially, looking back things makes so much sense. Every time I get a new piece of the puzzle, it just falls into place, so easily, and goes exactly where it feels it should be. Little by little I am getting a better view on what the picture will look like - what amazes me really is how naturally and easily everything is happening, and how beautiful and wonderful the picture is looking. Life is a 1+1=2 right now, and I am loving it :)

Purpose of this post? Just so you understand there are reasons behind the big smile below :) :) :)

JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE MON PAPA :)

Et un demi-siecle de plus dans la famille, un :) Ca se fete! Il est ou, le champagne exactement?!

My life in Dublin these days...

Quite a change, but I could seriously not be more pumped up. The anticipation of the outcome makes it all so much sweeter :)

Best compliment :)

...this morning, the best compliment I've ever received, I think: "Ton visage ressemble a ton coeur" - more or less, your face shows your heart....nevermind that it came from the newspaper guy :) Another few words that brought a smile on my face for the entire day. Thank you, pleople of the world :) :) :)

Those people...

...that, with only a couple of words, can just bright up your day. The story: I was not having the most fun of days today - having missed my plane because of a train strike in Paris, which resulted in me missing my plane, sitting in the Paris airport for hours and hours. Adding to that problem with one of my suitcases, the smile had really dropped of my face by the time I went towards my terminal to catch my plane. As I presented my ticket to the secutity guy to ente rthe terminal, he looks at the teddy bear I was carrying and said very seriously: "and What about the boarding pass for him, miss?". The goes to his colleague: "we have an issue here, the lady does not have a boarding pass for that guy." Worries gone. Smile back on my face :) "He's a really good bear, won't cause much trouble officer!".....Sometimes, it takes very little, but makes such a big difference.

2008

Happy new year to all!I wish all of you only the very best for the year to come.

A New Year, and its new beginnings. Rather than putting together a long things list of silly things that I want to change this year, I decided to narrow my list down to 3 resolutions for this New Year:

Love - as deeply as my heart allows, until the diziness of the happiness takes over
Laugh - until my stomach hurts and I can hardly breath
Give - because all this happiness can only mean anything if shared with others

These things should simple enough that I would not make then my resolutions, but over the past few months I've tended to put them on the side more than I should have, so focused on work. But, times are changing already :)

Celebrating the New Year, African style

Old friends, new friends, all together to start the New Year with African food, African dancing and yes oh yes, African cloths :) Something so warm about spending an evening with old old friends. Paris was beautiful too - the guys live in my favorite part of the city, right around the corner from Montmartre, and have the most beautiful view on the Sacre Coeur.

Sweet sweet year starting :)





1) Sarah, Celinette and I - sweet sweet high school friends of mine :); 2) Sarah and I with our lovely Michou; 3) Tourapreillememeketoa, le retour - Valerie and I reunited; 3) He he oh that African Dancing - my cousin Nathalie killed it! :); 4) Bieautiful view of Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur.

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.