Present

New Camera
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Guess what I got for graduation!?! My wonderful husband bought be a brand new Nikon SLR D40x camera.

It's absolutely amazing and takes gorgeous pictures. He decided to give it to me a little early so I could practice before my family comes in (also b/c he couldn't keep it a secret one second longer).

As most of you know, Nicholas's family, specifically his father and older brother, are really into photography and I've been jealous of their SLR's for a while. Plus, it was one of my favorite classes in college and I fancy myself a bit of photographer. Now, I can really take it to the next level. :)

Sunday: Cod in red wine sauce

Sunday: Cod in red wine sauce
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Saturday: Zucchini Torta

Saturday: Zucchini Torta
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Nicholas's parents were in town this weekend and we had them over for dinner on Saturday. We had a really lovely visit, despite the fact we had a plumber over for a clogged sink when they got here. But once he left, everything went swimmingly.

Happy Mother's Day...a smidge early

On Oprah today, Maria Shriver interviewed Demi Moore about her role as a mother and her own decade-long estrangement from her mother. In speaking about her philosophy of parenting, she articulated what I think is essential.

"I'm not trying to do for them what wasn't done for me, I'm trying to do for them what they need as individuals."

I've heard this idea before but never put so eloquently. I think this has got to be one of the most profound challenges as a parent, particularly as a mother of a daughter. However, I know how essential it is because it is exactly what my mother did for me. Maybe it was because her mother was so great or maybe it's because she very wisely dealt with her major issues before having me, but either way she gave me the freedom and guidance to become who I needed to be, not who she needed me to be.

Thanks for that Mom. I love you.

Camden Yards

Camden Yards
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Last night, we drove to Baltimore to meet Nicholas's parents at a Baltimore Orioles game. We had a really great time and I ate every ballpark food I could get my hands on, including crabcake sandwhich, peanuts, lemonade and (of course!) Dip n' Dots!

The game was pretty exciting, especially when one of the Devil Rays got thrown out of the game and some guy took that as his opportunity to run the field. Pretty funny.

All in all a great first game of the summer. We're going again on Monday as part of my graduation activities.

Tuesday: Bread Salad

Tuesday: Bread Salad
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Monday: Enchiladas

Monday: Enchiladas
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Now this makes me proud to be a Kentuckian.

Friday: Zuccini Fritters

Friday: Zuccini Fritters
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Visitin'

Nicholas, me, Giinger and Benjamin
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Nicholas's younger brother Benjamin came into to town with his wife Ginger this weekend. Their visit sparked a spring cleaning weekend since Nicholas's parents will be in next weekend and my family will be in for graduation. I wanted our place looking its best since they will all be seeing it for the first time.

Overall, the cleaning went really well. Nicholas was a great sport, even though I think he was really skeptical about a lot of my requests. He wiped down blinds, cleaned windows, and scrubbed down every surface I pointed to. He drew the line at removing everything off the bookshelves and dusting so I did that.

The third day of cleaning right before Benjamin and Ginger came over I decided to iron the bottom of our upholstered chair...on my leg. I swear to God I don't know why I do the things I do sometime. Nicholas even looked at me and said "Don't burn your leg." However, much like the soap/eye debacle of a couple months ago, I didn't think I was doing anything too dangerous. And, to be honest, I wasn't - until I pressed the steam button and burned the crap out of my leg.

I rushed to the bathroom and the skin had already peeled off. The burn is about two inches in diameter. I thought I could treat it myself but it started looking a bit sketch this morning so I went to the clinic. So, now I'm on antibiotics and antibiotic cream and hoping it heals quickly.

More than anything I'm just embarassed that I could have done something so stupid. I didn't expect to get more idiotic the closer I got to law school graduation. :(

Wednesday: Eggs over Smokey Potatoes

Wednesday: Eggs over Smokey Potatoes
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Monday: Tomato Tart with Brussel Sprouts

Monday: Tomato Tart with Brussel Sprouts
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Pretty accurate, I have to say

Dear lady in the movie theater bathroom,

Whatever germs you left on your hands by not washing them are much worse than the germs you're protecting yourself from by opening the door with your jacket.

Love,
Sarah

Another Big Weekend

Goodbye Party
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

The spring has brought out the social butterfly in both me and Nicholas and we have another weekend to prove it.

I had a really crazy Friday. I went to Chander's office to take muffins for my friend Jennifer's last day (she's the cute brunette pictured above). Then I went to Hillaryland in Virginia. Then I went BACK to Capitol Hill for a Chandler/Yarmuth happy hour. THEN I met Nicholas at Buca de Beppo for my moot court banquest. We sat with my competition partner Chris and his girlfriend Alice and had such a good time we basically ignored the whole ceremony.

On Saturday, Nicholas and I spent the majority of the day doing my favorite activity doing "jack shit" (as the Sweet Potatos Queen call it). That night was Jennifer's actual goodbye party, which was really fun. I'm definitely going to miss her but I now have added Boston to the list of major cities that have someone to mooch off! ;)

Today was a beautiful day so of course we went to Target! And can I just say it was a very successful trip - I got everything I was looking for and a little extra as is always the case with Target. I also went on a nice hike with Maggie and Nicholas and I went to see an absolutely wonderful movie called Paris Je T'aime.

Unfortunately, the movie caused us to be late to a condo board meeting, and, when we arrived, everyone seemed decided on an option of which I am extremely skeptical. (We're looking at new heating systems). However, I'm trying to be open-minded.

Anyway, a Sopranoes that confused me more than ever and an Entourage that almost convinced me it's a decent show and I'm off to bed!

Saturday: Artichoke and Mushroom White Pizza

Saturday: Artichoke and Mushroom White Pizza
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Wednesday: Chickpea pattties

Wednesday: Chickpea Patties
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Pitiful

It is harder to know what child I feel sorrier for at this point:
- Dannielynn
- Ireland
- or Jacqueline McGreevey.

Dear girl in front of me at the printer,

You in no way, shape, or form need a 250 page outline for Federal Courts. That is not an outline, that is tabbed class notes. It is also ridiculous.

Love,
Me

Tuesday: Grilled cheese and salad

Tuesday: Grilled cheese and salad
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Monday: Basil pasta with cherry tomatos

Monday: Basil pasta with cherry tomatos
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Big Weekend

Engagement Party
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Nicholas and I had very exciting and very busy weekend. On Friday night, we went on a double date with our friends Miti and Tim to Circle Bistro. The food was fantastic and, as often is the case when we got out with Miti and Tim, the conversation was even better. Although things got pretty fiesty when they decided to argue The Wire is a better television show than The Sopranos. I mean come on people - that is not even reasonable.

Saturday was huge day because we had thirteen of our nearest and dearest over for a surprise engagement party for our dear friends Laura and Dan. The fabulous Guinevere co-hosted with us, which was a good thing because we defintiely couldn't have done it without her.

The preparation was going along swimmingly until I decided to straighten some pictures over my couch. Nicholas slightly tickled my stomach and I touched one of the two shelves hanging on the wall. Yeah, it fell down. I tried despeartely not to panic, but it wasn't easy. Luckily, we patched and painted the wall pretty easily and the pictures on the shelf hung over the space nicely.

However, this event set the rest of our schedule back a bit and we were frantically cooking and cleaning up till the last second. No one seemed to notice or care. Perhaps they were distracted my Nicholas's amazing menu. :)

He made:
homemade cheese strays (basil and parmasean)
mushroom crostini
swordfish rolls
stuffed tomatos
and we had an antipasto tray.

Even better than the food was Laura and Dan were genuinely surprsied and very touched by the gesture. They thought they were coming over for a quiet dinner party, so needless to say, their faces were priceless. Plus, Laura had never had a surprise party thrown for her so that was an added bonus.

We recovered all day Sunday then went out for another double date with our friend Jennifer and Eric to Rosa Mexicana. I had never been there before and the food was fabulous. It is really difficult to get good Mexican in DC so we really enjoyed it. Again, the conversation was great. I mean we arrived at 8 and left at 11:45!

THEN, of course, our Tivo messed up recording Sopranos (I blame you Geoffrey) so we had to stay up till the midnight showing on HBO West. It was worth it but I am sooo tired today...actually that's true of the entire weekend.

YIPEEEEEEE!!!!

I have something to share. Right now - at this very second - I am sitting in my last law school class e-v-e-r!

(for those of you in the back who didn't hear me)

LAST! LAW SCHOOL CLASS! EVER!!!!

History

My ancestry research took a dark turn tonight. My great-aunt emailed me some information I was unable to find on my own, which allowed me to go back several generations on my mother's side. While I was searching for historical records on my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, several entries in the 1860 Federal Census-Slave Schedule appeared. It seems he owned seven slaves, all adults ranging in age from 50 to 21.

For some reason, I had convinced myself that I had escaped this part of my Southern heritage. "They were just poor farmers," I told myself. "Kentucky was a border state." But, apparently, the reason I had not found any other records yet was I just wasn't looking hard enough. More searching of the Slave Schedule revealed several other family members.

I know it was naive to think that my family was not a part of this history. I proudly proclaimed that I felt more fully American after finding out so many of my family members had come here before America was even founded. However, I should have realized that this long history comes with pride and shame.

I also can't help but recognize the irony in discovering this information after a week when race in America filled the news. I guess it gives some helpful perspective. Less than 150 years ago, my family owned human beings, like property. However, that concept was so far out of my realm of reality it was all but completely unfathomable...at least until today.

Tuesday: Migas and black beans
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Recipe linked

Monday: Savoy Cabbage Risotto

Monday: Savoy Cabbage Risotto
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

From A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen

Virginia Tech

Most of you know me well enough to know that when I was sixteen there was a shooting at my high school. A very disturbed young boy walked into our lobby and opened fire, killing three girls. It's not something I think about everyday, but it has, without a doubt, profoundly affected the way I think.

Of course, today was different. Today I thought about it a lot.

I can only begin to imagine what the people at Virginia Tech are feeling. What has happened there is so far beyond the reality of what happened at Heath that I'm having trouble truly comprehending it. Our school had only about 550 students. Virginia Tech has over 23,000. Our shooter lived and we learned that he suffered from severe paranoid schizophrenia. The shooter at Virginia Tech is dead and all that is left is speculation. Then, there is the number killed.

However, as I was reading the coverage, I saw a quote that made me realize how some emotions are the same no matter the scale of the tragedy.

"I'm terrified," she said. "It's gonna be so hard to walk back into class and trust that nothing bad will happen."

I can honestly say I know EXACTLY how that girl feels. I read that and realized that since December 1, 1997, I have never really trusted that nothing bad will happen. I have a profound understanding that in one second your entire life, your total understanding of what is reality and what is not, can change forever.

I would like to say that this means I value life more and I live every moment to the fullest. And, in some ways, I guess I do. If an opportunity presents itself, I take it. I rarely think, "Oh, I can try this another time," or "This won't be my last chance," because the truth is - it could be.

Unfortunately, there are also negative manifestations. I am terrified of losing a loved one in a tragic way and I know I think about it more than is normal. On more occasions then I care to recount, I have called emergency rooms looking for family members who were late coming home. Sometimes I look at Nicholas next to me at night and I start crying. In those moments, the imbalance between how much I love him and how quickly something tragic could happen to him seems too much to bear.

So, in the end, I guess the hardest part about understanding the fear they are feeling in Blacksburg is knowing that a small part of it will never go away.

Sunday: Corn and Clam Chowda
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

The recipe is linked.

Ummmm....

So, how ya been?

Oh, I'm great. Thanks for asking. Weather's been crazy huh?

...Yeah, school's been busy, just trying to hang on till May.

(awkward silence)

**************

I'm sorry ya'll. That's all I got. I mean it's not that things aren't happening but I'm just sort of uninspired when it comes to posting. I blame my friend Leslie who said we jumped the shark when we started posting pictures of our food so I'm feelin all this pressure now! I mean I thought about writing about the whole Imus thing but baby's mama! who wants to hear more about that. Plus, the sort of big happenings in my life recently have been stuff I can't share because they involve other people. (Don't worry nothing important or secret, just not blog appropriate.)

So, anyway I promise not to become one of those bloggers who whine about not posting but I just thought ya'll might want to hear something. I promise to become more interesting within the near future, or at least make something up for your enjoyment.

Sarah a la plage

Sarah a la plage
Originally uploaded by robholland.

The latest entry in Rob Holland's, my personal photographer, Sarah portfolio. Aren't you sad he's not your father-in-law?

Easter Weekend in Florida


Easter 2007
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

We flew to Florida this weekend for the exciting Holland double christening of Elizabeth Theodora Holland and William Maxwell Holland. We got in on Friday afternoon and hung out for a while before going to dinner with the whole crew. It was my sister-in-law Jennifer's birthday so we had our first cake of the weekend.

The next day was the big event. We all did our own thing throughout the day except for a group lunch at Ted Peter's, which is worth the trip to St. Pete alone. The christening went very smoothly with everyone renouncing Satan when it was their turn. William did not seem concerned in the least that there was a strange man pouring water over his head and pressing the sign of the cross into his forehead. Elizabeth, on the other hand, wanted everyone to know that she thought this guy was a total and complete jerk. She definitely wasn't alone, as this seemed to be the opinion of most of the babies. We had a fun pizza party afterwards, although
the cold put a bit of a damper on the fun.

On Easter Sunday, we had an early Easter dinner before some of our travelers left early to return home. Throughout the afternoon, I made a point of showing Stephen that the plastic eggs contained fruit loops (the genius idea of my mother-in-law), so when it came time for the hunt he knew what was at stake. ;) I was amazed at how quickly he picked up the concept of an Easter egg hunt and it was ridiculously cute and entertaining...and VERY well-photographed.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying friends and family, with a beach trip thrown in the late afternoon. We had a really wonderful weekend and didn't want it to end. I tried to sneak a baby in my suitcase for the trip home, so I could extend the fun. Unfortunately, his mom caught me and I had to give him back. :(

Easter 2007

Easter 2007
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

I promise to post all about this weekend as soon as I can.

Here's a little baby to hold you over to then.

Thursday: Cheese Ravoili Lasagna

Thursday: Cheese Ravoili Lasagna
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Wednesday: Asparagus Rice Pilaf

Wednesday: Asparagus Rice Pilaf
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

What are you people trying to tell me?

Both my mother AND father called today to make sure I was not one of the protesters at American University last night. A group of students laid down in front of Karl Rove's car as he was leaving the campus in an anti-war protest.

So, before anyone else can call, no I was not there!

Jeez, people. Sure, I protested at an Old Navy or two in college but that hasn't been my style for a long time! ;)

Tuesday: Shrimp, Pasta Roni, and Broccoli

Tuesday: Shrimp, Pasta Roni, and Broccoli
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Cherry Blossom Festival

Cherry Blossom Festival
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Today before work I went down to the Tidal Basin to enjoy the Cherry Blossoms at their peak. It was a perfect Spring morning and the crowds were at a managable size. I was able to walk all the way around the Bain and enjoy the blossoms and monuments in all their glory. I also ran into Yoko Ono along the way. Go figure.

Monday: Pasta with White Beans

Monday: Pasta with White Beans
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Sunday: Tortilla Soup

Sunday: Tortilla Soup
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Prom 2007

Prom 2007
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

We have had a really fun weekend. Last night, we went to the last Law School Prom ever! Barrister's Ball, as it's more popularly know, is pretty much just like real prom only with lots of legal drinking. My group of friends has really embraced Prom for all its worth.

Every year we've rented a party bus that takes us from our friends' house (our headquarters, as it's popularly known) to Prom. Then it parks out front and basically acts as our own personal VIP lounge. Pretty awesome. Our first year we were the only ones with a party bus, but of course imitators quickly followed.

We usually meet at headquarters for snacks and lots of pictures. Leslie and Laura really took it to the next level for our last prom by setting up an actual prom backdrop (as seen above). We also decided to order tacky prom garters , which were also widely photographed (see Flickr).

Then, we headed over to Mellon Auditorium and danced our butts off. We really had a blast and time just flew by. Soon, they were playing the last song and we all got back on the party bus. We had grand plans to go out to bars afterwards. However, our aging status really became clear, because as we all got off, everyone started saying goodbye and heading home for the night. So, we just decided to all get back on the bus and have the party bus drop us all at our houses! I think it was an appropriate end for our party bus run honestly.

We also had a really fun time Friday night. We went out to a nice dinner then to an improv tournament at a local gallery. If you remember, we are trying to branch out and do more than just go to the movies every weekend. So, this was a fun and unique thing to try. It was actually pretty funny and we might try an improv club again some time.

I own a lot of clothes

Closet Clean-up
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

At the start of every season, I always try to go through my closet and get rid of things I haven't worn or are worn out or can't figure out why I bought in the first place. This year I decided to actually count what I own as a little extra mental motivation.

The Grand Tally:
75 shirts
24 skirts
18 sundresses
16 blazers
8 trousers
8 jeans
5 cocktail dresses

Pretty depressing and that's after I got rid a bunch. There were several pieces that I haven't worn in awhile but I just couldn't get rid of because...well you never know.

What I did instead was a tip I heard a long time ago. I turned all the hangers out and then when I wear something I'll turn the hanger right side in. I'm telling myself I will absolutely get rid of anything not turned around by next spring...but well you never know.

Thursday: Cauliflower Cheese Pie w/Potato & Onion Crust

Thursday: Cauliflower Cheese Pie w/Potato & Onion Crust
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Wednesday: Asparagus omelet

Wednesday: Asparagus omelet
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Confused

I don't know how this happened...somehow, over the course of two hours, I managed to eat a Krispy Kreme donut, two slices of Papa Johns pizza, and two Chips Ahoy cookies.

Now, I'm suffering from some eater's remorse. :(

A Complaint Free World

Now, I know this is going to shock many of you but I was watching Oprah yesterday and I thought she had a really good idea. Well, actually, she featured a pastor from Missouri who had a really good idea. He and his church give out purple bracelets with "A Complaint Free World" on them. The little bracelets come with a challenge - go 21 days without complaining. Here are the rules:

1. Begin to wear the bracelet, on either wrist
2. When you catch yourself complaining, gossiping or criticizing move the bracelet to the other arm and begin again.
3. If you hear someone else who is wearing a bracelet complain, you may point out their need to switch the bracelet to the other arm; BUT if you’re going to do this, you must move your bracelet first!
4. Stay with it. It may take many months but when you reach 21 days you will find that your entire life is happier, more loving, more positive and more abundant.

So, I've decided to take Oprah and the good pastor up on the challenge. I don't have the pretty purple bracelet but I have one from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial I'm going to use. I figure what better inspiration to stop complaining.

I suppose this will affect my posts pretty dramatically as there will no longer be lists of rants about celebrities, people's fashion choices, or not being in Paris. ;) I'm also guessing this will affect my marriage because Nicholas thinks the challenge is stupid BUT has decided every time I ask him to do something I'm complaining and he should point that out to me. (Again, he can do this consequence free since he's not wearing a bracelet).

More importantly, I'm hoping this will affect my general disposition. I'm coming up on a pretty big transition in my life. During past transitions, I've had a tendency to get down on myself and slump into a "woe is me" phase. I'm hoping this little bracelet will help me focus instead on the thousands of blessings in my life and remember that, even in periods of uncertainty, I really don't have much to complain about.

Tuesday: Ratatouille

Tuesday: Ratatouille
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Monday: Drunken beans

Monday: Drunken beans
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Holy baby's mama!

So, no big secret I am a huge fan of Battlestar Galactica. Huge. Massive. Love it. Sunday night was the season finale. We actually didn't watch it yesterday because we were busy watching Planet Earth. (Amazing! But that's another post.)

Anyway, we just watched it and can I just say?!? Holy baby's mama!

(Stop reading now if you haven't seen it!)

Starbuck is alive! More Cylons! What does it all mean?!?! Then came the worst part...

"Returns in 2008"

WHAT?!? People it's March! M-A-R-C-H! As in the third month of the year - out of twelve. I'm never going to make it.

I mean I guess I have Dancing with the Stars, The Sopranos, Big Love, Weeds, Spiderman 3, the 7th (and last) Harry Potter book, the fifth Harry Potter movie, and the whole Democratic Party Primary to keep me occupied till then. BUT STILL!

Sunday: Blackbean burgers

Blackbean burgers
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Let's go fly a kite

Let's go fly a kite
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

We went to the Mall yesterday to fly a kite. It was a beautiful spring day and there were several other kite flyers out. The wind would die down every once in awhile or change directions. But, overall, we got it up several times and had a great time.

Then, a police officer came over and told us to bring it down. We couldn't figure out why until we started walking down the Mall and three helicopters zoomed overhead. Apparently, old Dubya was coming home, once again spoiling the fun for everybody. ;)

My Mother the Superhero

It turns out librarian's deserve their action figure status, or at least my mom does. :)

On Friday, she emails me to tell me I'll never guess who's in her library... Steven Jones*! Steven Jones spent most of our time together in high school thinking of new and creative ways to sexually harass me. He said filthy things to me, rubbed against me, and repeatedly made me cry. Well, my mother remembered this harassment vividly and when he came in to HER library, she decided this was her chance to let him know how she felt about him.

"Steven Jones! I just want you to know that you harassed my daughter, Sarah Stewart, in high school. You said nasty, filthy things to her and I did not appreciate it. I only hope one day you have a daughter that some boy says dirty things to, so you know how it feels!"

I believe his response was. "Uh...I don't remember saying things like that. I'm so sorry." Apparently, he was pretty polite overall, which I guess isn't surprising since he's now longer an obnoxious 16-year-old . But still, I think it's pretty awesome that my mom gave him what for! He was so terrible to me, he totally deserved being called out - even if it was several years later.

*Names have been changed to protect the guilty, but sufficiently embarrassed.

Saturday: Salmon en Croute

Salmon en Croute
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Things I brought back from Paris



- An ever-increasing bread addiction. I used to be happy with a slice of whole wheat. Now, I want a baguette with every meal.
- A 10:30 bedtime. Because of the time change, I 've just never pushed myself to stay up later. The plus side is I wake up at like 7 and get a bunch of stuff done. Of course, then I blow off the rest of the day because "I was SO productive this morning."
- A complete and total lack of motivation. Why can't I just walk around and shop and eat all the time?!?
- A growing disdain for American's complete inability to dress themselves. True, French people wear some truly wacky things but at least they are trying!
- A new awareness of architecture and how truly different American architecture is.

God, that was exhausting...anybody got a croissant?

Thursday: The box says it all

Thursday: The box says it all
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Can you tell we haven't been to the grocery since returning from Paris?

Wednesday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: Spaghetti
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Tuesday: Potato Curry

Tuesday: Potato Curry
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Top Ten Things We Learned in Paris


Paris
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

10. Actually, French women do get fat.
9. Anything, especially snails, tastes good when you soak it in butter and garlic.
8. Dora the Explorer is just as creepy in French.
7. The French are having ALOT of sex.
6. Relatedly, all the children they are having from all the sex are universally adorable...and very well-dressed.
5. "You can wear a cheap shirt from H&M with expensive jewelry and you look fabulous. You wear Dior but cheap jewelry and you will look awful." Fabulous Parisian lady who succeeded in selling me expensive jewelry.
4. As far as we could tell, besides waiters and waitresses, Parisians never actually work.
3. Nobody starts dinner till 9:30 at night (perhaps related to the previous item).
2. Gnawing on a huge French baguette is considered lunch.
1. Anything worth doing (for example, bread, wine, cheese) is worth doing well. :)

Paris
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

So, we kind of fell down on the job of blogging the second half of our trip. I was usually just so tired and overwhelmed by the end of the day I was asleep before my head hit the bed.

On Thursday, we started the day with a tour of the Left Bank. We saw the Pantheon and the Sorbonne and did some serious shopping. We ate crepes by St. Sulpice and then wondered further into the Left Bank to Montparnasse Tower. The view is pretty spectacular from the top of the 59 stories and you get to see the Eiffel Tower (as opposed to when you're on top of it). We then made a visit to Tati, the French version of Walmart/Target. We learned an important lesson there - that cheap French crap is WAY better than cheap American crap. ;)

That night we went to Guy Savoy, a three star Michelin restaurant, and had the most amazing meal I've ever had. First, we were caught off guard when the actual, real Guy Savoy came out and greeted us. Then, we had champagne and a little aperitif (my favorite part of fine dining). They let you order half orders of everything. So, for the first course, Nicholas and I each had a half order of "Barely cooked scallops with potato and leek." Then, Nicholas had half an order of a "Marinade of the sea" and I had half an order or this "Artichoke and black truffle soup, layered brioche with mushrooms and truffles spread with truffle butter." It was seriously the best thing I've ever eaten. Round one to Sarah! ;)

For the main course, I had "Sauteed fillets of red mullet, liver sauce, herb dumplings and Maxim's potatoes." I don't know who Maxim is but those potatoes were amazing. Nicholas had "Whole grilled sea bass with sweet spices." Again, don't know what the spices were but it was like nothing else I've ever had. Round two to Nicholas!

Nicholas had a cheese course, which I sampled. And it is really difficult to say whether the French do cheese or bread better.

The dessert course was definitely the most absurd because it seemed like it never ended. We each got half orders. I got "Mille-feuille pastry with vanilla made to order" and the "Chocolate fondant with layered praline and chicory cream." Nicholas got the "Chocolate delight" and this blood orange dessert. They were all phenomenal and would have been enough on their own. However, they also came around with a dessert trolley and gave us samples of chocolate mousse, creme caramel with caramel ice cream, rice pudding with prune sauce, and the most amazing homemade marshmallows with lemon zest.

THEN, they brought out cookies and chocolates with my coffees. THEN, they brought out a little apple tart and chamomile ice cream. I was literally on a food high when we finally left three and a half hours later!

The next day we tried to get over our food hangover and went to explore Le Marais, a really great neighborhood on the Right Bank. Lots and lots of shopping. Almost pushed Nicholas to his brink. We went through the Jewish neighborhood and visited the Picasso Museum. We finished at the Pompidou Center, where we almost collapsed from exhaustion.

We almost lost each other after I dragged Nicholas to one last mall and he insisted on sitting at a cafe while I shopped. The only problem is the mall closed earlier than we thought so we couldn't get to our assigned meeting place. Luckily, I caught him just before he went into the Metro. We then went to dinner at a restaurant recommended by a friend who spent a semester in Paris, called Chez Paul. It was really great and very stereotypically French. We tried to go to a cabaret club afterwards but it was standing room only so stayed for a single song.

On Saturday, we spent the morning at the Flea Market on the outskirts of Paris, where I made some very exciting purchases. (See The Loot picture on Flickr) We ate a quick lunch and went to visit Le Grand Magasins. Turns out going to the biggest department stores in Paris on a Saturday is a really, really bad idea. I put in a good faith effort but officially shopped myself out. We were also French fooded out at this point and went to a delicious Italian restaurant for dinner. We had grand plans to go to a dance club, but we wimped out from sheer exhaustion.

Our last day in Paris, we basically just wandered around. First, to the Marais again, so we could grab brunch. Then, back over to Ile de la Cite to see visit the Rare Bird Market, which was pretty neat. Then we wondered over to Canal St. Martin and had deux cafes. Last, back to Montmartre to purchase cheap souvenirs and art. We spent our last afternoon hanging out with a lively bunch of waiters at the Place de Tertre. Our last meal was at a tiny vegetarian restaurant called Le Grain Folie. We ate next to a lovely British couple and had a wonderful conversation them.

One last loop around the Sacre Couer and we were off to bed. Luckily, we had an early shuttle that had to pick up another passenger all the way across Paris so we got one last tour of the city.

Unluckily, our shuttle was late and when we finally got to the counter they told us we were on standby. So, we rushed through the airport, convinced we weren't going to make it. However, when we finally got to the gate, they said we were never on standby. Frustrated but relieved, we even got to sit together.

A short 9 hours later, we were back in the good U.S. of A! ;)

Wednesday

Today we slept in a bit and hit the Louvre in the late morning. We
took the Rick Steves audio tour, which is a nice breezy over you. Just
enough to figure out people have been ripping off the Greeks over and
over again for hundreds of years.

We ate lunch at an awesome seafood cafe, where they literally pulled
the oysters out of the ice and handed them to us.

We walked the Tuilleries Gardens and had pastries at Laudree (they
provided the pastries for Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette).

Then we walked the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe and did our
first bit of shopping.

We took a sunset boat tour on the Seine and a great dinner at Chez
Omar, a Morrocan restaurant.

A pretty fantastic day and now that we have all the must sees checked
off our list we can really enjoy the city...and do some major
shopping!

Monday and Tuesday

Our feet are really, really tired. That about sums it up. ;)

Yesterday, we took a walking tour of the Ile de la Cite, which
includes Notre Dame and St. Chapelle. After a great lunch (thanks to
Rachel Ray's recommendations), we took a bus from the Eiffel Tour to
the Pere-Lachaise Cemetary. We toured the cemetary and paid our
respects to Edith Piaf, Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, and of
course Jim Morrison.

We had to head back to the hotel early because we had tickets to the
Opera. We got all dressed up and surprise! There's a strike and the
opera is cancelled. As Nicholas said, "welcome to the French
economy." We got our tickets exchanged and decided to go back and
change. We had a wonderful mealat Le 27 Gourmands and went to a jazz
club on the left bank where we mainly watched some "frenzied" dancing
and even hit the floor a couple times ourselves.

What amazed me the most is that there were a good number of people out
at midnight on a MONDAY night! And it's not just partying because we
left the restaurant at 10:30 and it was crowded. I mean not to be
culturally insensitive but I really think maye they should go to bed
at a more reasonable hour.

Today, we woke up (begrudgingly) and went to the Musee d'Orsay and saw
A LOT of impressionistic paintings. I've been before but had forgotten
the true breadth of the collection.

After lunch, we did a quick tour through the Musee Rodin, but since
his statues were copied and are in every major city (including DC)
it's abit less exciting. After resting in the gardens, we decided to
tackle the Eiffel Tower in a serious way.

Ya'll we took the stairs.

Not all the way to the top, but 668 steps to the second level. It was
hardcore and so was the view.

Afterwards, we shopped along Rue Cler and picnicked in the Tower's shadow.

We then returned to the hotel for Opera part deux. And this time no
strike! It was really fantastic. The building alone is worth
admission.Just picture yourself in the middle of the Phantom of the
Opera and you get the picture. We actually saw a ballet, not opera,
and it was tres interessante. It included a topless ballerina, a
male/male duet, and a Thriller-esque finale. After a stop at a wine
bar, we are now gratefully horizontal.

Tomorrow its off to the Louvre!

We're here!

Our first day in Paris has wonderful. Our flight was as painless as a
6 hour redeye flight. can be.

We had to wait a bit for our shuttle so we got to Paris proper a
little later than expected. We checked into the hotel and set out to
explore Montmartre.

We walked up to the Sacre Coeur and enjoyed an amazing view of the
city. The weather was amazing today so we could see clearly for miles.

We explored the neighborhood and saw Renoir's, Picasso's, Van Gogh's
AND Toulouse Le Trec's homes. We also walked past the Moulin Rouge
down Pig Alley, including a veryinteresting trip through Musee de
l'Erotisme.

We had a great West African dinner, followed by a walk back up to the
Sacre Coeur to enjoy the city at night.

We had nutella crepes and coffee at the MOST Parisian piano, complete
with rude waiters and a ton of cigarette smoke.

We had plans to go to the Au Lapin Agile, a famous cabaret, but it was
closed. We were actually a little bit glad because we were exhausted!

Paris

So, we're off!!! We leave for Paris tonight and won't be back till next Monday. We're going to try to post updates via Nicholas's loaner international blackberry, so stay tuned!

If you're so jealous and you want to daydream about what fabulous Parisian things we could be doing at any given moment, go here.

Au Revoir!

Friday: Potato, Arugula, & Fontina Cheese Pizza

Friday: Potato, Arugula, & Fontina Cheese Pizza
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Thursday: Pizza (half mushroom half cheese)

Thursday: Pizza
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Nicholas had to work late...

I am a genius

Ok, so I have this weird eye thing where basically my eyelash line can become infected with bacteria. It's not a big deal. The doctor just told me to get baby shampoo and clean them every once in awhile.

Well, I've basically had the same bottle of baby shampoo since the doctor told me this...in 2004. So, this morning my eyes were bothering me and I decided the baby shampoo looked way sketchy and I shouldn't use it. Then, I decided that the bar of soap we use would probably work just fine.

That's right, I rubbed soap...in my eye.

Wow, it hurt. I can't even describe the burning. Of course, it wasn't as bad as the realization of my own stupidity. Basically, I am the person they have the "Don't blow dry your hair in the bathtub" warning for. :(

Lisa at her best

I don't know how many of you have met my mother, but she's kind of a wacky.

She called me just now and was going 90 to nothing about how they made ice cream in HomeEc today and this other teacher told her she would never get a kid to bring her some because she's not nice.

Her reply:
"Well, I just told her that I've found out that nice looses me every pencil and highlighter I've ever had. I'm not Wal-mart!"