March 2015 – robinchartier

Paris perfection

We’ve been in Paris less than 24 hours, but I already feel like we’ve had the vacation of a lifetime. A full day of walking, biking, relaxing and eating. I want to spend my time here experiencing it rather than writing about it, but I want to absorb and remember as much as possible. We have 4 more days ahead of us and if they hold a fraction of what we experienced today, they will be days I never want to forget.

Yes, we’ve been feasting on raspberries and strawberries.

Happy to have much more ahead of us!

Today

It’s not every day that someone wakes up and is able to say, “I’m going to Paris today!” Unless you live in France. Then you probably get to say that all the time. But today is my day. Today I’m going to Paris. With Josh. The phone rang last night and when Josh answered it we could tell it was a work call. As he walked outside to conduct his work business in private Carter joked, “Dad’s going to Iraq!” because he knows he’s next in line to accompany me on this trip should anything come up that would prevent Josh from going. No such luck for him. In a few more hours Josh will be on leave and we’ll be on our way to the airport. Inshallah.

Our bags are packed, our maps are downloaded, I have written down the kids’ schedules and taped them to the wall so everyone can keep track of where they are supposed to go, the apartment is waiting for us upon arrival Wed morning and our dinner reservations are booked for the first night. After that, we have a list of things we might like to see and do over the next four days, but no schedule to commit to.

I’m planning on lots of chocolate croissants, cafe cremes (supposedly the French version of a cappuccino), crepes, cheeses, and walking. A little wine tasting, museum viewing, bike riding, picture taking, and conversations with Josh that have nothing to do with our kids or work. We’ll probably still talk about the kids though. It is our largest, most successful joint effort, after all.

For the next 6 days, I’m trading views like this:

and this “Tovoyota”

For views like these!

Adieu! Au revoir!

paparazzi

I take a lot of pictures of my girlie, though not nearly as many as I used to. She’s not always a willing model so sometimes I have to sneak them while she’s sleeping.

(She insisted she wasn’t tired right before we got in the car . . .)

She’s also not changing nearly as fast — she’s looking more like a little girl and less like a baby.

She’s still a wild sleeper. I usually find her in various stages of hanging off the bed or propped up on her elbows, still snoozing away.

Pretty soon she’ll trade in the ukulele for an actual school backpack.

Another night, another pose. Propped up on the “princess bed” (our name for the swooping recliner in my bedroom) and half in the dog bed.

Readjusted, but still sleeping

She finished her soccer season with a smile and a trophy

I started feeling like the time was drawing short for us to spend our days together (only 5 months until August!) so I took her on a mom/girlie date to see Cinderella. While waiting for the movie to start we stopped at Paul’s for a cappuccino and a croissant. I explained to her that when her daddy and I go to Paris next week this is what it will look like (meaning baskets of pastries, coffee, French decor) and she, looking over my shoulder into the interior of the mall, asked, “So there will be palm trees in Paris?” Um, not quite.

The movie was perfect. All theaters should be VIP and have couch seating. We should bring pillows and blankets next time too.

The movie was perfect (though a bit long to sit through when combined with 20 million previews!)

Filling out her own March Madness bracket like a big girl this year. She told me that since she was picking Ole Miss, I could have Arizona. I told her that she was very sweet to share, but we could pick the same ones and it would be OK. (I still took Arizona though.)

I’d read off the 2 team names and she would pick one. She was quick with her choices and must have had some kind of system, but I couldn’t figure it out.

At the souk today the guy at my favorite Turkish lamp shop gave her one of the jingly belly dancing skirts. She wrapped it around her neck like a scarf and it jingled while she walked.

I told the friends that we were with today that Josh and I joke about her going back to the US and being shocked that in real life people don’t give you gifts because you smile and are cute. She’s not going to know what it’s like to blend in with her surroundings.

Because on the streets of the Middle East, she is VIP all the way.

I was looking at a top in a storefront while she was perched nearby on the post and I turned around to see this group of guys all taking photos with her. She is used to it and is a very good sport. Usually the old men and women rub her hair and kiss her cheek, but it’s been a while since she’s been stopped for a photo op. It’s not skeevy, it’s just a thing. A novelty.

They all took turns posing with her and taking photos of each other.

My sweet girl.

My friend who was new to the island was cracking up — it’s something that’s hard to believe if you haven’t seen it.

A change of scenery

Two weekends ago, before I came down with strep for the third time, our family took a weekend getaway to visit our friends in Oman. No other reason than we missed them and wanted to spend time with their family.

We picked the boys up from school early and headed to the airport. I’d say they’re all excited to go “home.”

We spent the night at their house and then all headed out the next morning to try out a new hotel that was in the process of being built while we lived in Oman. It’s about an hour south of Muscat, along the coast, near where we used to camp.

Outside the city limits they set up these scarecrow roadworkers to hold warning signs about tight turns and unfinished roads ahead. They are pretty freaky looking because they look real until you get up close and see that they don’t have faces.

Passing through a small town — goats in the road!

I miss goats.

and mountains.

We left the paved road for a dirt one and passed a herd of goats at the entrance to the hotel. They had found fine dining on the only grass for miles around.

The hotel was remote, but 5 star all the way. This beautiful pool area was just the beginning.

After checking in, we got a ride to our room in golf carts.

The hotel wraps around a harbor and marina so every room has a view of the water. I forgot to take photos of our room, but we had a private balcony overlooking the harbor, a full kitchen, huge living room, bedroom . . . we could have lived there for weeks.

It was overcast, but still warm. We went walking down along the harbor to the beach while the kids all played cards in the room. (We had a room, our friends had a room and the kids had a room — a perfect way to vacation!)

We sat and watched a group of birds fishing for lunch: they would hover and then dive bomb into the water. It was amazing to watch.

We rented bikes for the boys and they took off for an hour exploring the grounds.

The perfect place to ride — wide roads, no cars.

While they rode (the kids took turns on the bikes) the littles went for a swim

I didn’t swim. It was still too chilly for me.

In the evening we ordered food for the kids in the room and we went to eat at the hotel restaurant. This view, buffet with amazing food (they had the charcoal grill set up for steaks, fish and chicken on the spot) and catching up with old friends.

As we were finishing, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up. It felt like rain was coming. The charcoal grill was turned into a fireworks display as the breeze caught the coals and blew sparks up into the sky. We packed up and headed back to the room. It couldn’t have been better timing. Less than 30 seconds after we were safely inside, the sky opened up and there was a downpour. Caleb started shrieking and dancing on the balcony and was drenched in seconds. We’re desert people — rain is thrilling.

The next morning the sun was out, the sky was clear, and it was a great day to relax by the pool. I took a photo of the 2-person pool lounger because I want to have my guy make me one, including the side drink table that slides in and out.

God bless the MacFadyens — they were happy to play cards with my kids

I was happy to lie in the sun and not play cards with my kids

Intense games of Phase 10 and Go Fish

I relaxed with my knitting

Josh and Meels playing Go Fish

She got the card she wanted!

We left the hotel, headed back to our friends’ house and the kids did what they do best together: play around. This was a sandwich using all of the couch cushions.

This is a Starbucks mug that I don’t have and probably won’t ever have. It’s the Pearl Roundabout — the site of the Arab Spring in Bahrain that has since been bulldozed. All aspects of this symbol are being wiped from Bahrain culture. They discontinued the coin that features the pearl, the decorative pearl arches have been removed from the bridges, and no more Starbucks mugs like this one. Mine features the building that looks like a sail — pretty, but I’d love to get my hands on one of these!

Too soon it was time to head home. Hello, Bahrain!

A perfect weekend away!

Technicolor

I was trying out an old movie the other day called Shop Around the Corner, the original version of You’ve Got Mail. It started playing and Camille, perched next to me on the couch said, “This show is too brownish. I don’t like it.” (me neither, girlie.)

Life has felt a bit brownish lately — though it seems a bit spoiled to admit that I’m writing this while waiting for our plane to take off to Oman. It’s the most “sameness” we’ve had in our military life. We’re finishing up our 3rd year here. Include the 15 months in Oman prior to that and it adds up to a lot of Middle East and a lot of sand. Part of it could be that life doesn’t change much from month to month, especially not this year. We’ve been sweating in January and February which makes these months feel like every other month. Same weather, same clothes, same, same.

I don’t want to leave, but I want to move. To do something different for a bit. Drive different streets and get lost somewhere green. For a while I’ve feel like life has been a lot like the beginning of The Wizard of Oz — the brownish part. The flat, Kansas, boring part. I think it’s mostly because of the lack of outdoor activities here: no bike paths, hiking trails, public beaches . . . nothing to climb that’s bigger than a small sand dune. All city, all the time.

I was remembering the other day how much I like driving on long open roads, sun shining in through my sunroof, and Abba or my other 80’s favorites blasting on the radio. Santa Barbara driving. Needless to day, I rarely like driving here where the rule of the road is don’t make eye contact and keep moving forward — it’s the only way to win the game of chicken.

I was trying to put my finger on what living here does to my brain and the closest I could come is it’s kind of like watching TV with a bunch of snow on the screen. A fuzzy picture, lots of effort to follow the story, and often there’s too much static to make it worth it. Inshallah living can easily become “why bother” living.

I write because I love telling stories, sharing information, and making people laugh, but I need a new setting to pull from. I’ve never been a fiction writer for a reason — all my made up places and names feel fake like there’s a neon sign flashing “THIS ISN’T BELIEVABLE” so I stick to what I’ve lived. I know I have a lot more adventures ahead of us in our last year, but it feels like I’m in a bit of a drought right now. Hoping I can wake up in Oz and see this place through new eyes.