Everybdoy can now add comments....

Upon request, I just changed my settings so that anybody can add comments - no need to have an account and log in or even leave your name.....that's for all of you stalkers out there ;) eh eh. Enjoy!

Les francais: maintenant vous pouvez tous mettre des petits mots sans problemes :) Alors ne vous genez pas!

Arcs-en-ciel!!

BEAUTIFUL! Tonight from my house we could see 3 rainbows together - had never seen so many at once! The picture does show very well, but the rainbow on the far left is actually a double-rainbow. Wow :)

In France

Sleeping, drinking wine, spleeping, sleeping, sleeping, drinking wine, eating my mummy's yummy food.......sleeping. Are you all yawning already? my descriptions are just too exciting :D will write more once I am not so jet-lagged :) Right now my whole body is hurting from carrying my thousand bags the entire way - now I am regretting ditching the gym this year, eh eh. Should have joined you, Chris!

Bonne nuit tout le monde!

Countdown counting....

.....as Zoom Zoom would say. I am at the airport, waiting for my flight to board....sad :( So while I am waiting, I thought I'd sum up a few things:

• Years spent in the US: 6
• Hours left before I leave: 1 - :( :( :( :(
• States lived in: 4 - Arizona, California, NY and Washington
• Houses lived in: 5....my fav, La Casita - of course, Emmm!
• School attended: 2 - Flagstaff HS and the University of Arizona...go Wildcats! :)
• Diploma obtained: 1 - ha ha barely.....guess I have to thank my dear Top Ramen for keeping me alive all that time :D


• Trips back home: 8 - just enough to refuel on wine and cheese :)
• Times stuck at the border: 1 - mmmmmmmmmm yeah....Oooooh that was fun!
• States visited: 10 - Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, New Jersey, NY, Oregon, Utah, Washington
• Most amazing experiences: taking part of a traditional Navajo wedding, hicking down Havasupai, flying in the cockpit of a plane on my way to Albania for Emily's wedding


• Slices of cheesecake eaten: too many eh eh eh
• Hours spent at the gym: the what?......:D
• Best eats: Taqueria Juanitos in Tucson, and Purple in Seattle and that Sushi place I went to with Darren but I can't remeber the name if it. My fav coffe shop: The Blue Dog:) Oh also love that French restaurant, what is it called again? Oh yeah, Jacques in the Box :D.....they have the best French fries and French vanilla milk shakes eh eh

Anything I am missing? Feel free to add to the list if you know anything I should share ;) Got go catch my flight...........

TAMs TAMs TAMs :)

A blast meeting with my coworkers from the DMO NYC for lunch today! aaaaaah I'm gonna miss you guys...

All of us at lunch - from left to right: James, Audrey, Jamie, Paul, John Harvey, Tom, Benny and Ariel

Jamie, PTeddy, JH and Tom

Oh that is sooo sexy, Benny :D

Teddy Bear, my new husband and I -oh, and we had our FatBoys with us, see them? :D

New York New York!

The big Apple! Quite nice to be in this crazy busy place. I hadn't been here since my internship a couple years ago, and it was funny to have to put my NY attitude back on: straight face, no smile, stepping fast, walking straight ahead. That's the only way they'll know you're not a tourist ;)

Of course, I couldn't help going to Chinatown today- eh eh, me a shopaholic? Noooo you must be thinking of someone else :D. I love the comotion of that place, and I was really tempted to the follow one of the small Chinese ladies to go in one of the dark buildings in the small chinatown streets just for the fun of bargaining on purses. My friend Jennifer and I did it a couple years ago, felt like we were in a movie and the police was going break in the building any minute and arrest everybody- oh rush of adrenaline I got with that thought! But I didn't this time - I already have so much to bring back to Europe it's not even funny!

I also managed to go to the Brooklyn Bridge to get a good view of the city, and went strolling through Central Park with my friend Andrea. We saw the best group of hip hop dancers there, quite impressive. And later on in the streets of New York, we saw more hip hop......but this time the dancers were like 12 years old!!!! They were just amazing! Ha ha ha whatever I was doing when I was their age :)

I love New York City :) If you have not been there yet, I suggest you go, AT LEAST to check it out for a few days!

I found it :D

I could not possibly leave the US without finding this: my own street eh eh :) In Prescott, AZ.

The red rocks

Last day in Arizona :( A group of us went down to Sedona today to spend some time in Oak creek, enjoy the cool water and get away from the heat. So rare to find water in Arizona, luckily Sedona is only 1/2 away from Flagstaff - the city displays the most beautiful contrast between the red rocks, the blue sky and the lush green of the trees. It was a fun and relaxing day.

We slid down the river a few times, that was a blast! The current even made Steven do a back flip, and he disappeared under the water for a few seconds. uckily he didn't hit any rocks....Mmmmmmm wonder if one of us would have jumped or just watch him drown waiving goodluck eh eh - jk Steven :D. The bottom of my bading suite turned all green from slidding on the rocks, Ha ha nice work Frenchie. Me like it :)

Tomorrow night I will be flying to NYC, and spending my last couple of days in the Big Apple - a nice send-off :)

Muah! Bisous tout doux!

Grand Canyon

My friend Emily and I went on a hike in the Grand Canyon last night. We had the best time ever, and it was absolutely gorgeous! We started hicking down at the end of the day, picked a spot down in the canyon to watch the sun set while having diner - mmmmmm a feast of bagels and yum yum dried fruit full of colorants and corn syrup eh eh :) Thanks Emmmm! The canyon went from the brighest oranges, to the deepest shades of blue. We just couldn't believe our eyes as we watched colors leave the Canyon. We then started hicking back up, and with the moonlight, the canyon looked like it was covered with snow. No words, it completely blew my mind! The temperature was perfect, cool and warm at the same time ("Zero temperature" as Emily calls it :) ), with a light breeze. It reminded me of a nice summer night at the beach -that is, if it wasn't for the couple snakes that passes our way as we were hicking up :)

We left the canyon with the biggest smile on our face. I am so happy that I was able to go down the Canyon one more time with Emily before leaving. When I think that so many people in Arizona don't care for the Canyon at all, call it "the big hole in the ground", and don't even bother driving a couple hours to see it - really, they don't know what they are missing!

The Grand Canyon, looking at the Bright Angel trail from the South Rim
Amazing :)

Picture "a la Soazic".....the way I see it :)

My sweet Emm. She has been my friend since my first day in the States- ha ha it all started with band camp, girl:) there was this one time in band camp....... :D

Arizona skies, desert blossoms and looking back

The drive from Tucson to Flagstaff on Wednesday was even more beautiful than I remembered. I used to take this road all the time while in college to go visit the Foremans, and know it well: you go from the dusty Saguaro National Park to Nothern Arizona's evergreen landscape. Driving on Wednesday, the desert was so green -well.....at least to Arizona standards that is:)- and many cacti have been in bloom for the past few weeks. Big white flowers are showing up at the top of the saguaros. I also forgot the beauty of Arizona skies. There is not one day I am here when I am not amazed looking up, wether I am looking at the usual bright blue skies, or the clear stary night sky, or - my favorite- the stormy mansoon sky in the summer and all of its thunderstorms.

On my way, I also stopped for a couple hours in Phoenix to get my rear mirror fixed. A small piece of it broke in Tucson as a friend was driving my car right before I was leaving, and we were not able to put the mirror back on. I didn't have time to get it fixed in Tucson, so I said my goodbye and told my friend that I would get it fixed in Phoenix. I could tell she was upset but didn't really understand why. Later that night she sent me the most lovely note:

"Maybe I was stressing out about the rear view mirror because I was worried that without one you'd never look back -- just straight ahead toward the future. Sigh."

L. - The rear mirror is fixed now....so I can look back as much as I want ;)

the 3 of us, we rock it! :)

Nicolas, Cal and I - outside of the Millers' house

Deporting the Import/ Peter's B-day party, 05/19/07

How often in your life do you get to have a deportation party? As promised, here are some pictures:) From top to bottom: 1. Patty and Kathy -making her famous Lemon Drop Martinis yumm 2. My salsa friends :) 3. Mordida! 4. Why are Noah and I always goofing around? eh eh people tell us we are just "special" ;) 4. Penny, David and I drinking wine by the pool

On my way to Flagstaff, AZ

Last night in Tucson. I can't believe my time here is up already! Sad :( I have had such a great time though, hanging out with my two little boys here and catching up with friends....even though I am kind of leaving with the impressions that the last few days I've gone from breakfast, to coffee, to lunch, to coffee, to coffee, to dinner...to coffee:D ha ha glad the Millers don't have a scale at their house! What you don't know doesn' hurt, right? :D

On Saturday night, we had a great "Deporting the Import" party at my friends Tim and Kathy's - was also a friend's birthday, so we had many reasons to celebrate. Kathy makes the best Lemon Drop Martinis too.....mmmmm yeah do I need to say more? :D I'll make sure to post pictures as soon as I get some ;)

Now that I have fueled up on Mexican food and salsa dancing, it is time to go up North to visit my host family -the Foremans. I have not seen them in more than a year, and I can't wait to be there:) I will be driving through the desert tomorrow, always fun.

Easy to get out....getting in, another story!

I am talking about the New In-And-Out burger that opened in Tucson a few weeks back. Since the chain partly inspired my blog, I thought I'd write a quick note about the one we just got here:) While these fast-foods are commonly found in California, this one is only the second location in AZ, and Tucsonians got really excited about getting their own. Maybe a little too excited too! Last Sunday, I decided to "drop" by and grab a burger really fast before going salsa dancing...ha ha silly me, the line extended far into the parking lot, and I ended up being in line for about 25 minutes -and let's not even discuss the drive-through line...so much for being a "fast" food place!

My friend Luz even told me that the first few days the restaurant opened, the drive through line extended up to the parking lot of the mall next door, and people waited in their car for up to 6 HOURS to place their order! 6 HOURS!!!! For this much time, people could have gone all the way to the In-and-Out in Phoenix, and come back - in less than 4 hours. Amazing to see what people will do to themselves......for a burger!

Now I wonder if Irish people would do that for a Sheperd's pie :D More likely for a Guiness;)
Part of the drive-through line going in, 05/22/07

The irony...

....of being passed by border patrol cars these days :) Ha ha. Came across a couple of them today, and I could not help but have a smile on my face. If only they knew....

On another -and completely unrelated- note: why in the world is my pet always sleeping? I think I am boring the poor thing, or maybe it's just mad because I have not found it a name? In any case, so much for trying to do the animal thing. I was so not meant to be a pet owner, apparently. At least, there is always my sister - she is the best with cows :D

Hasta luego amigooooooos. No way Jose.
(sorry, being in Arizona my bad Spanglish jokes come back to the surface:) bare with me for a few more days!)

Soazic, tu te rappeles? :D

HOT

I am looking at the thermometer located on the porch of the Millers' house as we speak: 98 degrees. Yuk. Even going in a pool probably wouldn't help at this point. Plain sad. Now I remember why I chose to move to Seattle :)

Aaaaaaah Arizona. Mike, what you sent me a while back never sounded so real - you know you're from Southern Arizona when...

1. You buy salsa by the gallon.
2. You think a red light is merely a suggestion.
3. All of your out-of-state friends start to visit after October but clear out come the end of April.
4. Most of the restaurants in town have the first name "El" or "Los."
5. You think 60 tons of crushed rock makes a beautiful yard.
6. You notice your car overheating before you drive it.
7. You can say "Hohokam" and people don't think you're laughing funny.
8. You no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.
9. You know a swamp cooler is not a happy hour drink.
10. Vehicles with open windows have the right-of-way in the summer.
11. People break out coats when the temperature drops below 70 degrees.
12. You discover, in July, it only takes two fingers to drive your car.
13. The pool can be warmer than you are.
14. You can make sun tea instantly.
15. You run your air conditioner in the middle of winter so you can use your fireplace.
16. The best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
17. The AC is on your list of best friends.
18. You realize that Valley Fever isn't a disco dance.(oh yeah, been there, done that!)
19. You can finish a Big Gulp in 10 minutes and go back for seconds.
20. The water from the cold water tap is the same temperature as the hot one.
21. You can correctly pronounce the words: Saguaro, Ocotillo, Tempe, Gila Bend, San Xavier, Canyon de Chelly, Mogollon Rim, Cholla, and Ajo.
22. You experience third degree burns if you touch any metal part of your car.
23. You know better than to get into a car with leather seats if you're wearing shorts.
24. Announcements for Fourth of July events never end with "in case of rain..."

Featured Guest = mon petit Nicolo-Rigolo :)

My name is Nico, I work on building a space shuttle to fly to Mars and drive the Mars Roover, and collect Mars dust. I am going to visit my friend Harold, he has a very neat space shuttle too. Audrey will come with me and read me lots of books and Harold stories on the way to Mars, and we will eat LOOOOOOOOTS of fourmies

-Ants, Nico????? Are you sure:) I'd rather eat eat chocolate and ice cream.

NEVERMORE!

Those signs that we could live without

On the road between LA and Phoenix today, I read the following sign:

Indio
Other Desert Cities

Ha ha ha. Welcome back to the South :) No seriously, I was cracking up in my car for 10 good minutes. That's got to be a fun job, to be making silly signs like these or coming up with funky street names like "calle sin nombre" -yes, we have one of these in Tucson! Maybe I should just rethink my career path! :D

Alright folks, it's been quite a trip making it all the way down here. Quite strange to think that I am not simply on vacation, but moving out of the country altogether. Believe me, the temptation was strong to get back on I-5 North when I saw the sign in LA this morning :(

Alright -this trip has been quite tiring, so I'll head to bed. Bonne nuit!

Loooove San Francisco!

Taking the long way around...

...is often more than worth it :)

Today's been the best day of the road trip so far. Woke up in a beautiful and sunny San Francisco, so of course I couldn't pass a walk near the Golden Gate. How much I love this city, I really wish I would have stopped by for a bit longer. But I had to meet a few of my friends for dinner in LA that night, so I jumped back on I-5 South.

On the way down, I decided that I wanted to stay in a small Hotel I knew in Ventura that night -yes, this shows how much I despise LA. So to get to Ventura, the map showed a "shortcup" via the 166 that would allow me to get to the city without having to deal with LA at all.Ha ha. Well it turned out to be not so much a shortcut of course:) It was this tiny, windy moutain-like road...but absolutely breath taking -so much better in any case than the dusty CA I=5. The road took me right through the Los Padres national Park, and I almost stopped about a thousand times. Taking the long way around. Probably one of my favorite things to do, on the road, and in life ;)


Going back to the story - of course, I ended up never finding the little hotel in ventura, rushed to LA so that I wouldn't be late for dinner...not knowing where I would slepp that night...oh that's how I like it :) It was a blast seeing Doreah, Courtney, and Simona, we had such a great time! Especially helping Courney find her car, ha ha. I am sure that the goal was to see more of Los Angeles, right Court? :)

WARNING = What too much driving will do to you :)

Sometimes.......you just get bored :S - On my way to San Fran.

In a couple of hours...

...I will be taking off. Sad. All in all, I was only in Seattle for a bit less than a year, but it feels like so much longer than that. One of the most beautiful citis I've had the chance to live in or even visit. Now, I am sipping my last cup of Lavender Chai at the Blue Dog -my faborite coffee shop in town-, thinking about all of my crazy and wonderful Seattle adventures.

It's been quite an eventful year, to say the least -from the chocolate resume to the ring I wear on my left index ;) I wish it didn't have to stop quite now, but I also know that there are no goodbyes. So, on to the next Chapter! See you guys on the road :)

Dowtown Seattle, looking at the Market and the Pudget Sound

The flowers of Pike Place, miss them already!

My favorite hang out, the Blue Dog - they have the best pancakes too!

Itinirary

Going, going, gone:

• Seattle: leaving 5/14/07
• San Francisco: 5/15/07
• Los Angeles: 5/16/07
• Tucson: 5/17/07
• Flagstaff: 5/23/07
• NYC: 5/28/07
• France: 5/30/07
• Dublin, Ireland: 6/3/07

Blogging my way out :)

Hopefully this will help you guys keeping track of my ins, outs and abouts as I am transitioning between countries. Enjoy :)

Pour mes petits Francais, desolee mais je pense que la majorite de mon blog va se faire en anglais.....a moins bien sur que vous vous motiviez pour y participer, et alors dans ce cas....Mais bon, promis, jure, j'essaierai de faire un effort de temps en temps. Au pire ca vous fera pratiquer votre anglais :) Bisous tout doux.