(April 15, Annecy): France-y Pants

On Sunday, Melanie and Jonathan planned for us to take a short road trip to Annecy, a cute little town in France.  We packed up ourselves, Jakey-poo and his entourage of trucks, tractors and travel paraphernalia and hit the road.  It was about an hour or so drive full of laughter and potential business ideas which included variations on velcro, pizza, footwear and kiosks. 

The weather was less than cooperative for our first few days in Europe (perhaps Mother Nature was offended by Ryan bringing his Ninja Turtles shirt?), but we could still easily tell how charming Annecy was.  It is a quaint little town on a lake set amidst beautiful mountains.  I explain this because due to cloud cover, you will see zero mountains in the photos below.  Don't worry - the post covering the next day will more than fulfill your mountain needs.

After we arrived we spent a little time wandering around and getting the lay of the land.  Part of getting the lay of the land for Melanie and I was determining which scarves we thought were most deserving of a new loving home in our purses.  We selected a store about halfway down the shopping aisle with a wide variety and a price tag 3 euro lower than it's neighbors.  We were proud of ourselves and tuned out Ryan telling us we could find scarves for 10 euro because what do boys know about shopping?

As we headed back towards the main part of the lake to find a bite to eat Melanie and I heard the soft beckon of MORE scarves.  As we headed over to determine if we needed to give these poor guys a home as well, Ryan spotted the price tag of 10 euro and proclaimed himself the Jim Kramer of the scarf market.  As those of you familiar with Ryan might guess- he continued to refer to himself as the market pricer for all items throughout the remainder of the trip.

View of the little river off of the main lake.  This is where we went shopping and ate lunch.  You can see the tip of the prison on the left of the bridge.

We are so France-y.

Palais de l'Isle.  This is an old prison in the middle of the river.  It's apparently the symbol of the town and one of the most photographed monuments in all of France.

The side of the prison looking back towards the lake.  On a clearer day you would see some mountains in the background.  You can faintly see some... just use your imagination to extrapolate.

This was a pretty little side street off of the main alley we were walking down.  I'm not sure what's up there but it probably wasn't scarves.

I believe that Ryan took this picture to forever immortalize his scarf market genius.

Nothing says "I blend in and am not American" like a mobster hat with a tourist camera.

Around lunch time we headed back towards the bridge and selected an Italian restaurant to eat lunch.  I don't remember the name of the restaurant but if you ever find yourself in Annecy, look for the red awning.  The food was delicious and our waitress had far better English than our French which was always a good thing.  It was during this meal that I learned "oh la la," does not mean to the French what it means to us.  Their utilization of it is more like "uh oh!"  For instance the waitress said "oh la la" when she saw Jake pick up the knife.  Leave it to Americans to try to make something sound sexy that isn't. 

Mama & Jake.

Ryno & I.  Hard to say whether I loved the cappuchino or my husband more.

After lunch we decided that since we'd been in Europe for more than 24 hours and had no gelato yet that the situation needed to be rectified immediately.  We high tailed it to the nearest gelateria and topped off our meals like real Americans. 

The presentation at this place was second to none.

Gelato is very manly.

We did a little more wandering around town to work off our newly acquired calories.  At first we were attempting to find the bank in Annecy which partners with BoA so that Ryan & I could stock up on euros (in Geneva they use Swiss Francs).   When that mission was a fail we decided that photoshoots were the next best option.

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, the medicine go down, the medicine go dooooown.

That boat is a restaurant.  This view is looking out onto the main lake.  Again - use your imagination to photoshop some huge moutains in back there.

Precious McClain family photo.  Where's Jake is the new Where's Waldo.

What?  You say people don't like Americans?  I can not imagine why.

My Mom likes flowers, so I was actually taking this for her.  It was not intended to be quuuuite so frolic-y.  Maybe the gelato went to my head.

This was our view on the walk back to the car.  Makes it hard to leave, doesn't it?

We headed back to the car to make our way home as it was getting to be early evening and some of us needed naps - shockingly none of them were Jake.  We embarked on one of the funniest roadtrips I've been a part of.  Little known fact- GPS technology is not quite as strong as Jonathan's "feel."  On a completely unrelated note Jonathan's "feel" took us on a scenic route back to Geneva which gave birth to Melanie and Jonathan's version of "shove it in your face**," which will henceforth be referred to as "Angel."  En route we also spotted a cool bridge and decided to pull over and take pictures. 

Huge observation bridge overlooking a canyon.

I am actually surprised that Ryan got that close to the edge given how high up we were.

Fabulous view.

Bridge love.

After we arrived home, Melanie spoiled us with an incredibly delicious dinner of salad and vodka pasta.  Seriously, it was amazing.  We spent the remainder of the evening relaxing over a bottle of wine and laughing at the Hangover 2.  Getting to see Europe is the experience of a lifetime.  Getting to do it while staying with close friends is a blessing.  Absolutely flawless day.  Next up... Chamonix & Mont Blanc.

** Shove it in your Face:  Ryan & I's trademark game.  Upon a disagreement of facts, when both parties feel strongly, the game can be invoked.  Upon of invocation, the point in question is googled.  The winning party tends to obnoxiously yell some variation of "face shoved."  We are nothing if not romantic.

(April 14, Geneva): Steak it for Me

I deliberated long and hard about how to best convey our trip abroad.  Past experience has proved that I tend to get a liiiiittle wordy and picture-crazed when it comes to time spent in foreign lands (see here, here, here... you get the point).  I thus determined that the most efficient way to document our travels was as it happened... one post per day (April 14th-April 28th). 

The pros of this methodology are that 1) you'll feel like you were there (perhaps a little bit too literally), 2) it will be more easily digestable, 3) it makes the task of paring down 700+ photos less daunting to yours truly and 4) it will give my awesome co-worker Becca lots of mental breaks.  So, without further ado, let's get on with McMartin Family Vacation 2012.  Here we go...

Our journey started out with a ride to the airport from my favorite chaffeur, Papa B.  (Thank you Dad!)  As you may recall, I spent the bulk of the ride trying to squeeze in one last blogpost.  For those of you familiar with my texting capabilities on my iPhone, you can imagine how much concentration I had to muster.  I attempted to document the air of anticipation through Ryan.

The excitement is palpable, isn't it?!  P.S. This is why my post was picture-less.  Sometimes you have a subject that is less than cooperative.

Thanks to Ryan having the foresight to download Bridesmaids and the first season of Mad Men, our journey to Geneva flew by (haaaaaaaa!  do you see what I did there?!).  On a semi tangent- how had I NOT seen Bridesmaids yet?!  So funny.  I kiiiind of want a mini-van full of puppies now.  Or for Wilson Phillips to sing at a birthday party.  Either would be acceptable.

We touched down in Geneva without incident... and without sleep.  Jonathan was kind enough to pick us up at the airport and to transport our comatose selves to Chateau McClain.  We arrived at the condo with only one roundabout close call which is the definition of Euro-driving success in my book. 

It was so wonderful to see Melanie, Jonathan and Jake- we definitely missed them!  Melanie welcomed us by spoiling us with a delicious breakfast of pancakes, eggs and fruit/yogurt.  We showed our gratitude by eating and immediately retiring to the guest room where we passed out for 4 hours.  Perhaps not the best manners.  I attribute this fact partially to our lack of sleep on the plane but primarily due to the amazingly cave-like effect their hurricane shutters create.  I suspect that hurricane shutters played a part in Rip Van Winkle's story.

Because I don't have many pictures from this day, I'll share with you a few I took of their fabulous pad.  If you, like me, watch a lot of House Hunter International, you'll be impressed by how spacious and modern it is.  My favorite part will be shown on a different day.  I have to have something to ensure you return, don't I?!  Please read all captions like this is Cribs: Geneva.

The living room.  In this room we learned that Americans are confused as to what season Christmas falls in, Ryan is a micro-manager, Jonathan has a general disregard for areas he considers not high-traffic and many more important lessons.

The dining room.  In this room Melanie fed us far better than we feed ourselves.

The kitchen.  This is where I watched in awe as Melanie created amazing meals.  And where we held dance parties.

View out on to their amazing balcony.  This also served as refrigerator surplus for Ryan & Jonathan's beer.

After Melanie finally woke our behinds up, we felt more like real humans and less like walkers from the Walking Dead.  Given that we had day trips planned for Sunday and Monday (which meant we'd get home after the stores closed both days) a grocery trip was in order.  Due to the lack of preservatives and less-than-Texas-sized fridges in Europe, grocery shopping is a near daily part of people's lives. Ryan & I were more than willing to get to partake to aid in our "assimilation".  Part of Ryan's assimilation plan included some stellar French usage, which you'll hear more about later.


There are a couple of walkable grocery stores, but they are smaller and more expensive.  Since we needed to goods to make meals for a few nights, we packed up the car to take a trip to the bigger grocery store just across the border in France.  This was not your typical trip to HEB.  First of all, you have to pay a deposit for a cart (buggy).   Second, the grocery store was essentially in a shopping mall.  We rode up an escalator with a cart.  Do you know how many elbows I'd have broken by now if I lived there full time?

Bring my groceries into Forever 21?  Don't mind if I do.

After we arrived home and put the groceries up, we all got spiffed up and headed out to dinner at a place that Melanie and Jonathan like called Le Relais de L'Entrecote.  The only item on the menu was steak and fries and the only decision required was how you wanted your steak cooked.  Ryan & I were in heaven from bite 1.  Ryan felt like he'd won the lottery when after his plate was cleaned it was immediately refreshed with a second plate.  It was absolutely delicious and the perfect meal after a long day of travel. 

Our fabulous hosts.

All in all, it was a wooooonderful first day and it's only just the beginning.  Up next: day trip to Annecy!

Pish Tosh

Being the die-hard romantic soul that I am, for Valentine's Day this year I bought Ryan tickets to see Daniel Tosh of Tosh.0 fame on April 6th.  We tagged along with Dena and Shawna, who have the same keen eye for modern day romance. 

Since the show was at Verizon Wireless (or Bayou Place?  whatever it's called these days), we met up downtown for a few drinks at Azuma and then Blue Fish beforehand.  After sufficient photo-taking and teasing of the maniacal fans in line 1.5 hours before the show we made our way over to the theater.  While I love his show, I wasn't quite sure what to expect out of my lover, Mr. Tosh.  I was worried about his ability to translate his hilarity without a screen and human ridiculousness via YouTube clips to fuel him. 

About 2 minutes into the show I regretted ever doubting him.  I have seen Craig Ferguson, Chelsea Handler and Kathy Griffin all live and Tosh was most definitely the best.  For the entire last 30 minutes I needed to excuse myself to the powder room but refused to because I didn't want to miss a joke.  This was actually a terrible plan looking back on it as laughter really only agitates that situation, but hindsight is 20/20, right?  If you ever have the chance to see him- I highly recommend it.  I say that, of course, with the disclaimer that his comedy is not for the sensitive or easily offended.  However, if you are a fan of equal opportunity razzing like I am - book it. 

Thank you to Shawna & Dena for the idea, rocking company and inspiration to download apps and a happy (belated) day of love to Mr. Martin.

Occupy Tosh.  This photo was supposed to capture the long line but really it just captures that we all had to bend way over to be Shawna's height.

No, that is not the bouncer at the door - it's just Austin. I'm not really sure why Ryan is hunched over and double fisting.  Apparently Tosh.0 brings out the best in menfolk.  

Shawna, Dena & I = Tosh's herem.

Dena playing giant in front of this inexplicably small exit door.

Waiting in the beer line is most definitely the best time to practice some ballet.

DT walked out on stage carrying his dogs.  Studly.

It's hard to take pictures with no flash.  While laughing. 

Curtain.

Raise Your Glass...

Ryan & I are safely back home and fighting through the jet lag.  However, before I can start the painstaking task of uploading and documenting our tales of travel, I am fulfilling the promise I made to get caught up on events prior to our departure to the land of croissants and fedoras.

On March 30th, Austin celebrated being another year older and wiser.  Obviously we immortalized the occassion by celebrating like we were all turning 21.  Inching closer and closer to flirty thirty is obviously bringing out the best in us, as demonstrated below.

We spent the bulk of the evening congregated around the flip cup table and/or the keg, watching Jayda demonstrate balance far superior to ours, planning 30th birthday bashes and taking too many pictures.  Happiest of Birthdays to you, Justin Sumerlin.  We love you!

Team Chicks.

Team Man... Boob?

Winners... Was there any doubt?

White women can jump.

Pyramid schemes make Beth sad.

This picture is a perfect storm of awesome.

Dance, dance, keg-olution.

Laaaaaadies?

America's Best Dance Crew- look out.  Jabowockiez have nothing on Jimmer, David & Brendan.

I imagine that this look is multi purpose... good for intimidation before a flip cup showdown OR when Jimmer forgets to take the trash out.

Boarman sister beaus going toe to toe.  Apparently walking like an Egyptian is Ryan's intimidation tactic.

If you guys had been looking through these pictures with me, you'd be laughing as hard as I am.  These pictures are in chronological order - how did we end up with a family photo at this stage in the evening?  Kudos Matt, Dena, Brendan & Jen.

Oh no you diiiiiiin't.

Fall/Winter Birthdays are the best.  Clearly.

Yeaaaaah.  I can offer absolutely no explanation for what was happening here.

Jayda sailing off into the sunset... or at least as far away from us as she could manage. 

Ready or not...

'Merica, here we come!  We are heading home tomorrow.  I can't wait to share pics and stories - here's to hoping I can remember most of them. Thank you times a kajillion to our wonderful hosts, the McClains.  The food, company, business ideas and memories will last a lifetime.  We miss you already!

The only creature more sad this vacay has come to an end than us is this one:

Goodness I have missed her- although judging by this video my Mom sent she has NOT missed us.  Thanks again for boarding Lolerz at Boarman Doggie Day Care, Mamacita & Daddio.  I hope she recognizes us tomorrow.

Have a good weekend!

Genev-ing on a Jet Plane

Hello long lost loves of my cyber life!  So it was recently brought to my attention that it's April and I haven't posted at ALL.   Blogger: fail.  I would like to correct that BUT we are currently in the car on our way to the airport to visit the McClain Family Swiss.  (I don't know how to link from my phone app so check out my links to the right.)

I promise upon my return to catch up by posting some pics from Austin's birthday- per usual we are behaving in a completely dignified and adult manner. I can also promise to post way more than you care to see or know about the McMartin clan's travel adventures... So hopefully the allure of upcoming photos of flip cup from Austin's birthday and pictures of Ryan and Jonathan in euro fedoras with their faces smeared in crepe will cause you to find forgiveness in your hearts for my blogging absence. 

A travel guru story for you before I post this bad boy. 

Dad: you should remember to pack all valuables in your carry on.

Me: I don't have any valuables to move.

5 minutes later I took one item out of my suitcase and moved it.  Who got called up to the big leagues?  My chi. Duh. No 80s hair for this lady. 

Okay - you guys be good and promise not to have too much fun while we are gone.  Thank you mom and dad for watching Lola, McClains for hosting us and my incredible boss for letting me take vacation right now.  We are so very lucky!