Taking Care of Business

Thursday began with a run for me, which is always a great way to start the day. I went around 8:45, and it was already HOT – our warm weather has returned. When I got back, Dave and Dill headed out to see the doctor. I showered and went to the outdoor market. I found more flowers and yummy fruit. The vendor I bought from was talking to me and asked if I spoke Spanish. I told him that i did, so we talked in Spanish to each other. I found it so funny that I am American and he is Egyptian and we were speaking Spanish!
When I got home, the girls were just sitting around, we did some cleaning and then had a mini-outing to the Post Office. The boys got home soon after. The doctor said Dillon has either a really mild sinus infection, or a really bad cold and prescribed medication for both. It was so strange to actually have to pay for the visit and the prescriptions! We are so fortunate to have Microsoft benefits at home.
Dave and Dill told us that they had seen the Thompsons at the Eiffel Tower when they were heading to the metro. We have all been counting down the days until the Thompsons arrival, so us girls were so jealous! We kept asking them questions about what the Thompson had said. I don’t know if they realize just how excited we have been to see them. :) (We could all use the boost seeing friends from home.) They are staying right around the corner from us, less than a block, so we are hoping to spend some time together this weekend.
Since Dillon had to miss the Arc de Triomphe the other day, we thought that would be a good outing for today. We decided to try out the RER train. (Dave and Dill had taken a really nice one to get home from the doctor.) Well, we walked forever to find it, and then it turned out to be a glorified metro – nothing like the luxury line that the boys had found earlier. So, we learned that not all train lines are the same. :)
Mali was so burnt out on walking and the heat, that she begged to go home when we reached the Arc. So, I stayed with the other two kids and climbed it again. We had a lot of fun. When we got to the top, it was hot, but there was a breeze. So, we decided to stay up there awhile and watch for accidents on the round-about below. It was funny to watch different cars try to maneuver their way through that crazy thing.
When we got down, we went to the Champs-Élysées and went the Brioche Doree again. We found slushies there – perfect for the hot day.
We had dinner at home tonight and then later went to the park to play cards and talk. When we got home, Lori called. It was SO great to talk with someone from home. Even though it’s been less than 3 weeks, it feels like it had been months since we have actually talked with our friends. It’s hard to explain, but it was so great to talk to her! We are going to dinner tomorrow night with them for Mercedes’ 16th birthday – yeah!! :)
Dave and I headed out around 11:15 for our walk. We had a nice time and decided to try going out to breakfast in the morning. When we came home, I was on the phone until 1:30 am talking with Expedia and Air France to see if we could cut the last week off of our trip. Turns out it would cost over $4000.00 to do so. So, we’ll be doing the full 9 weeks. ;)


View of the Sacre Coeur from the Arc

Cute kids atop the Arc