That Time of Year

Dun dun dun, it's that time of year again. I sent M off to France and now the countdown till my departure is on. 

Believe it or not I have already started packing and am working on a "master packing list" to share with you. With packing means I have already gotten a few lectures from M saying, "they have that in France you don't need to pack it" but there are just some things that remind me of home and "regular life" that I want to bring with. I'm also on the fence with how many photos to bring among other items that will give our apartment a "homey" feeling which I think is important when you live this lifestyle. 

Getting ready to move to France is making me think of the amazing places and great times M and I had last year when I visited, here are a few photos to refresh your memory...

Have a great weekend!

Love&Luck

Blog Lovin Wednesday; Versaille Memories

Happy Wednesday!

I'm so happy to be writing from the beautiful, sunny, and balmy Florida! What a happy girl I am being in the warm climate. There's just something about the ocean that brings out the best in me. 

I wanted to post a little blog-lovin' while I'm away on vacay because my girl Sigourney at A Sip of Style posted this the other day which I obviously love because it includes The Palace of Versailles! Amazing, stunning, breathtaking Versailles. Nothing compares so I wanted to share this post of hers. 

In case you have forgotten  how much I loved visiting Versailles while in Northern France I'll link you to this post and share a few more pictures. I cannot emphasize enough how much I think you should take the time out of your trip to see Versailles if you visit France. It was worth every penny and I would love to go back and visit when the gardens are in bloom and would pay a pretty hefty penny in order to do so. 

Hope you enjoyed! Happy hump day, don't worry I'll keep posting from Boca!

Love&Luck

Expats in the EU: This isn't America!

This topic is something that I have had on my mind since I was in France and is something I've been writing about since then. I am clearly an avid watcher of HGTV's House Hunter's International because who doesn't want to dream about locations they'll never live in with money they'll never have?

However, the show seriously pisses me off sometimes. I'm so sick of hearing about American's going to move to other countries and bitch about how everything is different and nothing is like America and blah blah blah. OH MY if you don't want to live without the conveniences that America provides you with, don't move to a third world country dumb dumb! How annoying right?

Same goes for some comments I hear from hockey S.O.'s; of course nothing in France/Germany/Italy/Switzerland etc. etc. is like it is at home because they don't speak English and they don't have the same conversions! Some people are so frustrating.

I, on the other hand, look forward to the so-called inconveniences of other countries. Part of the fun and half the battle of getting acclimated into a different culture is figuring out how to run your life as "normally" as possible while making the small tweaks that you need to because YOU'RE IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY.

I think it is so important to embrace the here and now and enjoy every ride that life has to give. Whether it is being uncomfortable in a new country/city or a new job/career; everything happens for a reason so you might as well be grateful for where you are and circumstances for when you're there. Just as the old and overused saying goes, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" you just have to go with the flow and do what you can with what you have. Simple as that. And if all else fails, laugh, smile, and look forward to the next chapter. 

Doesn't it seem fun to figure out the ins and outs of a different culture? To wholly immerse yourself in their way of life in order to accurately acclimate yourself into their lifestyle? It sounds amazing! And if it doesn't, well that's fine too but you're probably not a hockey girlfriend then which would make your life easier.

I don't know if it's my age or my personality but the thought of being "thrown to the wolves" into a culture that is the complete opposite (or ridiculously different) than my own sounds challenging, fun, rewarding, and exciting.

Please don't forget I never said it wouldn't be stressful! Culture-shock is always stressful and can leave you feeling "off balance" while you adjust to the norms but that's part of the fun. Don't forget to mix jet-lag into that blender either because for me, jet-lag is a bitch and will at least add on another week of "acclimating".

Okay I really didn't mean to rant but it sort of turned into a rant so my bad. But maybe you feel the same way I do and can relate. Honestly I get the same feelings watching regular House Hunters where first-timers expect everything they've ever wanted on a $30,000 budget. Some people just need to get a grip.

Okay, I'm outty. I'm going to go read my French for Dummies book or something equally amusing.

Love&Luck

2012-2013 Hockey Season

Folks, it's official. The contract is signed, sealed, and faxed and you bet your sweet ass my name is all over M's contract for next year.

He has decided to go back to Gap, France and I am more than a bit excited. Don't get me wrong, I will always support his decisions on when, where, and why to play hockey but I REALLY wanted to come to France and experience this life on my own! I can't wait to improve my French, take trips to the market every day and just absorb it all. Ahhh Gap.

M on the other hand is still in his "just got home to America where everybody speaks English phase" so he isn't in the ready-to-get-back mode yet. However, I have a feeling things will change come mid-July and he'll get the itch to get back on the ice.

M also got me a pair of skates for my birthday! Our goal is to officially end this madness and get me to skate fairly well next year while in Gap. Really if I'm going to date a hockey player and have his children who will probably play hockey, I should know how to skate.

We'll also be taking a trip to Chicago in July for new visas for the both of us, yes, I am actually going MOVING to France. Waahoooo! So excited. Actually I'm so excited that I could leave next week.

It's already been decided though that I will cross the big pond in late September, early October after he his home from training camp so I am slightly hesitant about flying with Rue alone. But it'll be good right? More to follow on traveling with pets.

I'm also very excited to blog about traveling with Rue and provide tips, tricks, and do-not's based on our experiences. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything will go smoothly but deep down I'm expecting the worst (isn't that what every hockey S.O does in any situation?)

Okay, just wanted to fill you in on our 2012-2013 season plans. Good luck to you and yours if you're still in the negotiating phase!

Love&Luck

To Me, This Makes the Most Sense

Everyone has their own opinions so this is mine...

My dream wedding would consist of the event happening somewhere other than Minnesota. I'm not saying this will happen because 1) I'm not engaged and 2) I would strongly consider a Minnesota wedding for the sake of my Grandmother who HATES to fly.

BUT...if I could have it my way, there are many places I would love to do it. This picture from Starbies & Sangrias from her real life dream wedding just makes the most sense to me! How unforgettable and beautiful my wedding would be. And take a peak at this...

Photo via Starbies & Sangrias' professional pic

HOW AMAZING, RIGHT??? It just takes my breath away and like I said...MAKES THE MOST SENSE TO ME. Done. Sign me up.

The biggest task will not be getting engaged, but convincing M that something like this would be as equally amazing as a big drunken party with his childhood friends (whom I love, but I mean a wedding in a foreign country, there is just no comparison).

Let's see, I've also thought about renting a house in Hawaii like the picture below from this website. Throwing all our closest friends and family into houses that are close together and meeting at the beach for a sunset ceremony, kinda fabu just like that if ya know what I'm saying.

If you know me, you know that I LOVE warm weather so really I could get married anywhere somewhat balmy (or at least in the summer season) and be happy. 

I KNOW you've thought about what you want to do even if you're not engaged so don't try to tell me you haven't, so TELL ME, have you thought about destination? If so, where? Does the place have special meaning to your relationship?

P.S. Don't tell M I posted wedding thoughts, I think he would sooner shave his head ;)

Love&Luck

Vin Chaud

I've been getting quite a few questions about what vin chaud is and how to make it so I wanted to share it with you.

My first weekend back I made for my roommate here. But here is the recipe again and I added the few adjustments I had to make because I couldn't find all the ingredients here that I had used in France.

In my terms, vin chaud or hot wine, is a lot like what we would call mulled wine in the States. Another way to describe it would be warm red sangria. It's basically the process of tossing spices, fruit, and wine in a pot and letting it simmer and absorb all the flavors. It's an incredibly popular holiday drink served in France and it really is perfect for those snowy, chilly days.

The recipe I use can be found here and I came across from a simple Google search. Obviously when they use such vague terms as "cloves" and "cardamon" I had to do some more Google-ing but eventually ended up buying red wine (remember you're drinking it so you want it to taste good), an orange, an apple, cinnamon sticks and anise pods which are shown below.

I cut up the fruit and toss it into a pot with the cinnamon sticks and a handful of anise pods and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes. A good indicator that everything has mingled well is if the fruit no longer floats and is sitting at the bottom of the pot. Some like to eat the fruit or put it into glasses served as garnishes but I personally don't because I find the fruit to be too potent after sitting with the spices. 

Here are a few pictures of my vin chaud in the process...

The end result is a very sweet tasting, warm wine. You should approach it as if you're sipping hot tea, not chugging it like beer because it's so sweet it can hit you quite quickly since it goes down so easily. 

A few variations that I have done:

-Not using an apple

-Using a bottle of rose wine along with red wine

-Using anise extract because I couldn't find the pods in the States

I hope you enjoy a little bit of France in your home during this chilly winter!

Love&Luck

Palace of Versailles

In my opinion, you MUST visit the Palace of Versailles while you're in Paris. M & I paid ~$80 for both of us to get a ride out to Versailles from Paris, and tickets into the Palace. We both thought the price was well worth the time and information we learned while we were there.
I will admit, we were both really happy with the tour bus right away because our driver provided us with so much information about Paris that we never would have known unless we were locals. Without further adieu, I wanted to share some photos from Versailles...

The gates at Versailles

The beautiful cathedral

The paintings were phenomenal and humongous

M & I in front of one of the Louis

Marie Antoinette 

Being tourists with our audio guides

The queens bedroom

The dining room with a recreated table setting

Marie Antoinette with her children

View of the gardens while in the Palace

The Prince's staircase

Another great part of the Palace were the gardens that we were able to access free of charge since we visited in the off season. They were never-ending and amazing even though they weren't in bloom so we both decided we would love to go back during the spring or summer and that it would be well worth the price. 

Love the reflection in the pond

A view of the expansive gardens

After a brief rain shower, the gold on the Palace was STUNNING

Let's just say Louis was quite impressed with himself

If you are interested or thinking about visiting Versailles while you're in Paris and would like information on which tourism company we used I would be happy to help you out!

Happy Tuesday!

Love&Luck