Love it or list it

We should have had our renovation filmed for an episode of Love It or List It. Not that it's going badly, but we have run into a few of the classic plot points ... a flooring order that fell through due to a strike in Spain, and now the dreaded "knob-and-tube" wiring!

Neither issue ended up being that big of a deal. We picked a different color for the floor that I'm now convincing myself I like even better, and we only had to add an extra couple of days to the electrician's workload to redo the wiring. The big (good!) news is that the inspection(s) are happening Friday/Monday and then if all goes well, we can start really making progress with tile and drywall. Fun!

Here are a few pics of the work in progress ...

The layers underneath -- old wallpaper in the tandem room closet

Supplies!

The master bath

Closet

Best of Paris

What a week! I arrived in Paris last Sunday for a 4-day workshop and then Jason joined me on Thursday for a long weekend of intense sightseeing.

We strolled along the Champs Elysees (forgive me for not adding all the accent marks here ...) and The Seine, saw the Arc de Triomphe and Tour Eiffel at night, toured the Musee d'Orsay, visited Monet's Water Lillies at the Musee de l'Ongerie, saw The Thinker at the Jardin Rodin, marveled at the stained glass in Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame, and checked out the view from Sacre Coeur.

Sounds like a lot, right? It was, but in between all that, we also had a lot of time to just relax and experience life in Paris. We walked around the different neighborhoods, took the Metro, saw the city in lights, sat in cafes and watched the people go by ... it was wonderful.

We learned a few key phrases from my mom before the trip and felt like that saved us from acting like total Americans (we couldn't believe how many people we sat next to at cafes who didn't even attempt a basic "Bonjour" or "Merci ... come on, man!). My favorite phrase of the trip was definitely "eau du robinet, s'il vous plait" (tap water, please) ... it earned smiles from a few French waiters who seemed to appreciate the effort. In general, communicating in Paris was much easier than I thought it would be and people were pretty friendly and helpful.

We had hoped to take a day trip to Versailles, but ran into logistical problems with the Paris Marathon and train station closures. So that means we'll have to come back! There's still plenty to see and do, cafes we need to visit, and macarons we need to eat. Au revoir, Paris!

Selfie at the Arc de Triomphe

Tour Eiffel. These 2 fraidy cats only made it up to the second level, but still, it was quite the view!

Feeling French in my new scarf :) Purchased in Montmartre after climbing the hill to Sacre Cooeur

A flower shop and motorcycles ... this corner felt very French

We took this picture for Molly ... a fancy chocolate shop that specialized in ducks :)

Impressive-looking clock at the Musee d'Orsay. We saw a really cool exhibit here: Beyond the Stars. The Mystical Landscape from Monet to Kandinsky

Surrounded by Water Lillies ... hard to pick a favorite, they were all so beautiful

Time to chill

Our vacations have taken on a pattern now that Molly is in elementary school -- 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 week for Spring break, and a few long weekends over the summer. I love it. Every trip seems to come just when you need it, and this Spring break was no exception.

We went down to Florida for a week of what I like to call "active R&R." There's golf, swimming, and tennis ... but also plenty of time for reading, relaxing, and eating. I finished 2 paperback mysteries, so that's about as perfect as it gets from my perspective :)

I was a little worried that Molly would be bored without any other kids, but we managed to schedule a playdate with another little girl in the neighborhood while Jason and I played golf. And, after going all out in the pool every afternoon, it seemed like Molly needed as much chill time as the rest of us (by chill time, I mean time on YouTube kids watching unboxing videos ... we were relaxing, what can I say?). She also got a kick out of playing with my "old fashioned" Barbie clothes from the 80s (one-shouldered Dynasty dresses, parachute pants, and backless tuxedo tops, ha!).

We also had good family time, playing board games and hanging out on the back porch before dinner. It got me feeling ready for summer ... and retirement. Only approximately 19 more years until I can turn "active R&R" into a permanent lifestyle :)

Molly loves Florida ... 

Bonding with my girl

Daddy daughter time

Waiting for the SpaceX launch

Hanging with her Grand P's