Thanks for the comments. They do help me laugh more and enjoy being here! This blog is a stress reliever for me and it is fun to stay in touch this way.

Lest I be the voice of negativity all the time, I must tell you about the joys of living in France in addition to the irritations. We live in an absolutely gorgeous region called the Auvergne (pronounced O - vern - ya). There are mountains all around us and beautiful rolling plains too. Now that everything is green and blooming and the weather is better, I am getting out more with SA and my jog stroller. I am thinking of getting a bike with a baby seat too, becasue we live in a small town with lots of lovely country roads going through cute little villages and past old, medieval chateaus. However, another cultural difference arises- the french don't run with their babies. I think that they think I am very strange as I get alot of odd looks when I am out with SA in the jog stroller. Oh, well, I'm just that crazy American in town.
Another of the joys of living in France is that the French take lots of vacation! Last week D had the week off and we spent lots of time together running, resting, relaxing, drinking wine in our jardin (garden or yard) and on the terrasse (that's front porch for you Southern girls.) We also spent some time working to get ourselves more organized and settled into our house putting up light fixtures (they don't come with the houses here), curtains, and hanging pictures (finally got a drill bit strong enough to make holes in our stone walls). The highlight of the week for me was going on a date with D. It was the first time since we have been here that we have been able to get a babysitter and go out at night alone together. He took me to the Chateau Codignat which is a beautiful old chateau in the French countrysidet that has been refurbished and is now- POSH. It is a hotel which has a one star restaraunt- anyone want to come over and babysit so that we can go back and spend the night?
We were greeted by some geese and a view of the lovely, ivy covered round tower of the chateau. Upon arrival, we were seated on the terrasse where we had aperitifs, amuse bouche, and a lovely view of the grounds. (Have you noticed my frequent use of the adjective "lovely"? It is a result of hanging out with my UK friends here in France.)We could hear the sheep closeby and were reminded of SA and her stuffed lamb named "Mimi". (I think Mimi was a gift from Tracy- she LOVES Mimi!) After aperitifs, we were escorted into the round tower (I had been wanting to go in one of those!) where we had dinner. First, they served us another amuse bouche of marinated tuna and foie gras glace (that's goose liver ice cream!), for my entree i.e. appetizer: foie gras with raisin toasts, for my plat i.e. entree: lamb with a little potato strip, and an asparagus. Then a huge cart of tons of cheeses came around from which we sampled a few (Auvergne is famous for bleu cheeses). Finally, for dessert, a plate of 4 types of chocolate- delicieux! Then, like the French, we had coffee (yes, after dessert, and yes, those tiny little cups). We enjoyed the meal but I loved the ambiance as well- it was an unforgettable experience of a lifetime! See the photos above!