-I have to drive a stick-shift van while we’re here.  For you to understand my anxiety about this, let me explain something to you:  the roads here are EXTREMELY narrow and everyone drives like the Indy 500, but in Europe!  I can’t read the signs, there’s construction, and I’m so scared I’m gonna stall and have European bad words flung my way.  People already have stigmas about Americans here and I’m playing right into them.

-They DO have a version of Wal-Mart:  Carrefour which in French means “Crossroads” – I’m going tomorrow and taking all four kids.  Once again, playing into an American stereotype.  My hair doesn’t help with that either.  It’s one of those stores where you have to “pay” to get a cart out and, once again, the parking lot is like a race track and the parking spaces are mini.  If we survive, I’ll post pics later.

-I love the cheese already.  Denton’s made cheese fondue, homemade mac and cheese, and chocolate fondue, yum!  The kids aren’t quite use to it, they have no idea how lucky they are.

-We live in France right across the border from Switzerland.  So in my wallet I have Francs, Euros, and American Dollars.  I like our dollar bills – the Francs have some CRAZY pics on them of weird art and salty people, makes me not want to touch them.

-Rocky:  ”Are we in Switz-uh-wand yet?  When are we going to Fwance?”

-Don’t be fooled, I’m so glad to be here, but even more happy that I’m American.