France--Day 1-Paris to Normandy and Mont Saint Michel

I am just going to post a few pictures from our days here--I will do a detailed trip review later with more pictures!

We landed in Paris 6 hours late so our day did not go as planned. We drove about 4 hours just in time to see Mont Saint Michel at sunset. We could not get a good picture but it was beautiful! It was so green in Normandy. The picture below illustrates just how green the grass is here with Mont Saint Michel in the distance.

Here is our hotel, Chateau de Bouceel. It was AMAZING. I would recommend it to anyone coming to Brittany or Normandy. I want to go back one day since we only got to spend one day there. The owner is so interesting and he has so many stories--his father was arrested by the Germans in their lobby during the war.

Here is our room--it was truly amazing!

St. Etienne Cathedral in Bourges

These blackberry updates will have to do for now.

Chenonceuau

We have not had internet yet so I can only post this pic from my blackberry, but we've already seen so much. I will try to blog later from my phone when I can type more.

This is Chenonceau in the Loire Valley. Beautiful on the outside, not so authentic on the inside.

Happy Birthday Toph!

Today is Chris's 28th birthday.  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband!  What better way to celebrate his 28 years than a trip down memory lane?

From Chris and Elizabeth

From Chris and Elizabeth

From Halloween 2008

From Amazing Animal Encounters

From Professional Pre-wedding pictures and wedding ceremony pictures

From Professional Pre-wedding pictures and wedding ceremony pictures

We're here

Finally.

They fixed the problem

So now we are refueling and taking ff again.

Plane made emergency landing in Boston

About 4 hours into our flight I knew something was wrong. I have a huge fear of flying so any noise or movement alerts me. I noticed that the plane kept turning slightly, which I thought was odd because it is a straight shot from JFK to Paris. The plane would also ever so slightly gain and lose altitude. Chris said he didn't notice anything but I am always overreacting with things like this. Then I noticed the map on the TV screen that shows our progress to Paris had our plane headed in the WRONG DIRECTION! I looked out the window and saw clouds that were lit up from underneath--we were over land, not water. We should have been in the middle of the Atlantic by now. I'm freaking out even more (while most everyone around us is sleeping) so Chris tells me to ask the flight attendant (he said this to calm my fears--but nothing was calming my fears). Chris is such a practical guy so he is always trying to reassure me that everything is ok. My mind was racing with the possibilities of what could be wrong. If there is a mechanical problem when is the captain going to tell us? Or my worst fear--is someone else in control of this plane? I am about to hit the flight attendant call button to ask questions when the captain comes over the speaker. I told chris "I was right!! Something is wrong!!!".

The captain said we had a mechanical failure to a standby system and that it did not put us in immediate danger, but if something were to happen, we would have no backup. So, it would not be possible for us to cross the Atlantic in this plane and we are headed back to Boston.

I am typing this as we are about to land in Boston. We have to stay on the plane while they assess the situation. They have no idea how long it will take to fix but we could turn around and head back to Paris or the plane could be out of comission and who knows how long we'll be in Boston. I don't want to stay on this plane at all. I want off.

I will post updates as we get them.

Correction

I am on my blackberry so I can't go back and edit the last post, but I got the second hotel website wrong. It is. www.lechateaudereignac.com and we are staying in the Charcot room.

JFK-CDG

We are leaving JFK in moments. It is so foggy here we can't see much past the planes beside us. It is also raining in France...for days! Oh well, maybe Mont Saint Michel is pretty in fog! When we land at 6:20 am local time we will drive 4 or so hours to the Chateau de Bouceel near Mont Saint Michel. Check it out at www.chateaudebouceel.com We are staying in the Marquise room. Then we'll go to the Loire Valley and stay at the Chateau de Reignac www.chateaudereignac.com. Then it's off to the Volcano region (Auvergne region) staying at www.domainedegaudon.com staying in the Beaujolais room (hope I'm spelling that right. Then to the Languedoc-Roussillion region at www.leclosdemaussanne.com we are then turning in the retal car in Montpellier and flying to Paris staying in a Gothic hotel attached to a church in Paris www.hotelsaintmerry.com (I think that's the website, this is all from memory! Ok we are pulling back now!

Off we go!

I always travel with the same pillow, but I brought 5 pillowcases for it. This plane smells weird.

Blogging while in France

Just wanted to let everyone know that I will post pictures while in France.  I will do a few brief posts while there and then of course there will be a major trip review after we return.  So, please keep on checking our blog as we leave tomorrow!

Riley doing the play bow

I'm going to miss Riley so much when we're in France.  He will be out in the desert staying at his trainer's house, where he always goes when we leave for a long time.  No more soft cuddly bed for him!  He's got to be a real dog and sleep outside in an igloo!  Here are some great pictures of Riley that Chris took to show me because I was sick in bed while they were outside playing.

My cousin, Dr. Rick Davis!

My cousin was in town visiting last week so we had dinner.  He's a Dr. in Chicago.

Just have to share this amazing picture...

My friend Austin and his girlfriend Frankie have been traveling in southeast Asia for almost a year and recently ventured to Australia where they took this amazing picture...a leafy sea dragon!

Publish Post

Mac--the baby black lab

Mac came to work on Friday and he is adorable! He's 2 months old.  Here he is laying like puppies do

I covered him up like Riley likes to do, but he didn't like it so much

His yawn is so cute!

Look at that face!

Visiting Margie

I went home last weekend to visit Margie.  She's a great baby!  Sleeps all the time...

Shana, Emily and I with Margie

Definitely the longest I've ever held a baby!

Introducing Margaret "Margie" Danielle Edinger.  Born today weighing 8lbs 7 oz and 20 1/2 inches long--and she was two weeks early!  She is healthy and so is mom.  Her mom is my best friend, Shana Lankford Edinger.

The 365 Day Challenge--Day 62

Chris and his sister, Jessica, on Fathers Day 2005.  Don't they look alike?

The 365 Day Challenge--Day 61


I've been thinking of ways that I can really post everyday--it is hard sometimes because I literally can't find a thing to take a picture of. I've got a ton of old pictures scanned and so I think that I'll post an old picture with the story behind it. I love pictures, especially old ones!

These pictures are not that old but I have been meaning to post them. They are of Thanksgiving 2008 in Tennessee. The picture below is Rippavilla Plantation in Columbia.



This is St. John's Episcopal Church near Columbia--no longer an active church, but all of Tennessee's Episcopal bishops are still buried here.



Burgess Falls near Cookeville, TN. This is just 50 miles from my house and I had never been here. I didn't appreciate all the beautiful things that TN has to offer when I lived there, but since I've lived in CA I've become more outdoors-y so I visit more places like this.


My family on Thanksgiving Day. My brother-in-law Bill, my sister, Tracy, my grandmother, me, Chris, mama, Daddy, and my nephews Will and Witt.

The 365 Day Challenge--Day 60

A picture of Riley tonight because he's so cute...



And the sunset tonight from my office building...

The 365 Day Challenge--Day 59


My adorable neighbor, Natalie. She's has more than doubled her size since she was born!