Vive la France, Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez
After leaving Briancon we had another long day of driving (are you seeing the trend here?) We drove the gorgeous route over the mountains--the same one that the guys were going to ride that day. It really was spectacular. All of my pictures were taken while driving down the winding road, so none of them are that great. But trust me, it was spectacular.

Rich and Sandy

Kurt and Lisa

After an hour or two we dropped off the guys at the starting point for their big climb. Then Lisa and Sandy got into the van and I hopped into my trusty Peugeot. That's when the real fun started. Earlier in the trip we'd run into trouble trusting the Garmin, as it wanted to lead us through little towns and villages--the shortest distance, but not the fastest route. Given that I was driving a stick shift for the first time in 10 years I was hoping to stay on freeways. Lisa had an old fashioned paper map and knew how to use it. And I should have listened to her, not the Garmin. Because, long story short, we got lost. And lost again. And ended up driving a whole lot of extra miles through the mountains. But I was proud of my driving skills...until Alp d'Huez. Seriously, I have PTSD just thinking about it. Alp d'Huez is a mountain town that has been a finishing spot for the Tour on multiple occasions. 

The 21 switchbacks

Add all the bikers, the huge trucks and me in a stick shift...it was not pretty. I stalled twice, and more than a little annoyed the guy in the BMW behind me. But we made it. And Lisa graciously forgave me for getting us lost. 

Ryan had a really great ride that day, over some incredibly hard climbs.  And being there made it way more fun to watch this year's Tour as they climbed Alp d'Huez twice!

Vive la France!

Ryan and his buddies have been scheming for years now how to pull off a Cycling trip...oh, I mean Couples Trip in France. Well, somehow they pulled it off and we spent 10 days with our friends the Ogdens and the Morris' exploring France's small towns and big mountains. It was great. I didn't plan a thing and just showed up. I decided that if Ryan was going to spend hours a day on his bike, I should try to work off all my croissants by running. And really, if my dad taught me anything it's that the best way to see a city is to run it. I got lost pretty much every run, because as we found out even more acutely on this trip, my sense of direction is horrible. But thankfully, the French were kind to me and guided me back home every time.

St. Remy de Provence

After flying into Paris, Ryan and I flew to Marseilles, drove to Aix en Provence for lunch and settled into St. Remy de Provence. I absolutely love this little town. We stayed there when I was 16, and it was just as charming as I remembered. There is one main street that forms a ring around the pedestrian city. Our hotel was right on the main ring, but had quiet gardens, sculptures and even a hedge maze! The next morning I went on a run around the outskirts of town, past the mental hospital where Vincent Van Gough lived. 

Bedoin

The next day we met up with the rest of the crew in Bedoin, a tiny village at the base of Mount Ventoux. Our hotel was surreal. It truly felt like a summer camp. The rooms had these tiny little beds, and there were daily activities you could participate in. The crazy thing was all of the participants were senior citizens! They'd eat breakfast in the dining room, go on a bike ride during the day, and then live it up at night. Karaoke+Dance party till the wee hours. It was bizarre-o.

The girls and I surprised the boys at the top of Ventoux. It was knock you over windy and COLD. I was glad to be in the car instead of on a bike. 

Ventoux is much prettier below the treeline. The "moonscape" is a little eerie. 

Briancon

We made the long, windy drive to Briancon the next morning via back roads, over hills, vineyards and villages. We got there late in the afternoon and I went on a run through town, where I spent more time trying to find the trail than actually on the trail. I then caught up with Lisa and Sandy in the old village. Super cool. It was built into the side of a mountaintop for protection. Everything was crazy steep. We had a fun dinner of traditional food found in the Alps--fondue, tartiflette, creme brulee. Lots of cheese, lots of cream. Delicious. 

Ella's Lemonade Stand

Ella has been asking me to do a Lemonade Stand nearly every day since April. For months I've been telling her that we can't do it until it's summertime. Today's high was 90; that excuse wasn't flying anymore. So we did it. On our very quiet street. After about 10 minutes of no "customers" Ella and Avery realized their problem: they didn't have a sign that said "Open." So they made one and let me tell you, things picked up from there.  Our customers totalled 5: me, the construction worker I paid off to come buy some, a girl driving by, a neighbor I texted and asked to come over and Danielle. 10 cents a glass--she made about $2. She paid me about 50 cents for supplies (after an econ 001 lesson from her dad), so she netted enough for a healthy trip to the dollar store. 

Jamie and Ava's Memorial Day Trip to Utah

I am joining the ranks of Lazy Bloggers, aka mom's with more than one child. Not editing photos* and link-blogging. But at least we're documenting, right?

Jamie and Ava came out for 12 days in May. We lived it up. Something new every day. Jamie blogged about it beautifully here here and here (she only has one child--go figure).

*jamie did edit these photos, just for the record

Disneyland, 2013

We took a super quick trip to Disneyland last month. We left on Tuesday morning, went to the park Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and flew home Thursday night. Grandma Sue and Grandpa Paul joined in on the fun, and boy, did we have fun. We decided that we are fair-weather Disney people. If it's not too hot and not too crowded we are all in. Luckily our trip met both of those conditions.

A few of my favorite memories...

Anna's favorite part, by FAR, was going down the slide at the Wilderness Explorer Camp. She loved loved loved it. She would get off the slide, and then dash off as far as her little legs could carry her (always in the wrong direction) to go down the slide again. When she'd get to the top she would wait for her turn with her arms folded, earning her an "Honorary Citizen" badge from the line attendant.



On our last day we realized that Ella was indeed tall enough to go on Splash Mountain. I was afraid she'd be a little scared, so we let her sit next to Grandma Sue in the back of the log. No need to worry. She loved it. Enough so that she immediately made us go again, this time wanting to sit all by herself. It was so fun to see her excited little face.

Thank heavens for Grandma Sue. The rest of us were far too queasy to do the Teacups over and over and over.

The Magic Morning Hour was great. We got to enter the parks an hour before general admission. It was a little silly to wait an hour in lines so that we didn't have to wait in lines, but...we were very first to get into the park, and ran down Main Street without anyone there. We got to walk onto a bunch of the popular rides during that time, making the rest of the day so much easier. We're sold.


When you ask Anna how Disneyland was, she will tell you, "We ate lunch with the Princesses." Thanks, Lauren, for the tip. Made Anna's trip.

The Happiest Place on Earth

We are taking a super quick trip to the Magic Kingdom next week. Since we are newbies to this, I thought I'd ask advice from some of you seasoned vetrans. Favorite eats? Rides? Shows? Tips and tricks? We fly in on Tuesday morning and fly out Thursday night. We have a 3 day single park pass...do you think we should get park hopper tickets? Is it worth Fast Pass-ing it for a 4 year-old and 2-year old?

Thanks!

General Conference 2013

(I don't often post like this, but mostly I want to remember the thoughts I had today. Plus, I'm trying to be more fearless like this cool girl, also named Al. #UseTheInternetForGood)

General Conference with kids is often an 8 hour bribe session. This year was no exception, although for being so young I was really proud of how well they did. Conference Bingo with treats was key.

There were two talks that spoke to me this go round. The first was Rosemary Wixom's talk on parenting. She spoke on the importance of being present with your children. Put away the iPhone, the TV, the internet and connect with them. This is something I know I can work on, and it was good to hear it and recommit to being a better mother.

The second talk was by one of my favorites, Jeffery R. Holland. You can't help but love him. He brought to life the Bible story of the father who is pleading for the Lord's help to heal his son. "Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief." There were so many great pearls in this talk. Not denying your questions, but putting your faith first, no matter how great or small it is. And the beauty of belief. I've been thinking a lot about this since listening to the podcast that I referenced a few weeks ago. Fiona Givens talked about how in the LDS culture there is a lot of emphasis on knowledge. People stand in testimony meeting and say, "I know________." It is wonderful to know, but how there is also great power in belief. To some it is given to know and to some it is given to believe on their words. In this world there are compelling arguments for both belief and unbelief--and one has to choose the better of the two options. If it were perfectly clear what would be the role of choice and agency?

This all resonated with me. Then to hear Elder Holland talk, which reiterated many of these ideas, was so sweet. For me, there are things that I know. That God loves me and knows me oh so personally, and that He hears and answers my prayers. That Jesus Christ is my Savior and the Atonement is so real it is almost tangible. That Gordon B. Hinckley was a Prophet of God. That following the gospel and living right makes me happy. And then there are a host of things that I believe. It was good to hear someone with authority say that it is okay to just believe, and not know everything right now. Hopefully when I am Elder Holland's age my list of "knows" will be a little longer.  But for now, I am good with belief.

Easter

This year we celebrated the fun and games part of Easter on Saturday. We didn't set out to split the festivities into two days, but that's just the way it worked out with everyone's schedules. It turned out to be a great way to celebrate. We started off with the  Alpine Easter Egg Hunt in the morning. 

Anna loved it. 

It really is beautiful here.

The anticipation

She refused to let go of her Easter bag the entire time. Give up my candy?? No way.

Then we had a little shin-dig at our house. Grandma Sue and Grandpa Paul were the stars of the show with bubbles, egg hunt and dinner. Everyone wins.

 

On Sunday I tried to impress the meaning of Easter on the girls, and soon realized how difficult the concepts of death, resurrection and atonement are for little ones. We got a little help from The Rhyme Bible, and maybe some of it sunk in. If you don't have The Rhyme Bible, and you have children, you should get it. My friend Trudy gave it to me when Ella was a babe, and it's great.  

Podcast worth listening to

If you have an extra hour in the car, folding laundry, washing dishes, going on a walk, may I suggest this podcast.  It is from Radio West, Utah's NPR affiliate. It is a conversation with the authors of "The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life" and I was smitten by it. Maybe it's just where I am at in my life right now, but I have listened to it 2 or 3 times, and would listen again.  You can download it from iTunes really easily or listen online. I'd be interested to know what you think, good or bad. I wonder if it's really good, or if I just was in a place to hear right now. Like when you read a book that is just perfect for you in your current state, and you think it is the best thing ever written so you recommend it to a friend...who only gives it 3 stars on Goodreads. And at first you think they are crazy, but then you go back and read it a few years later and wonder why you loved it so much.

Happy Birthday, Anna!

Anna turned 2! We had a fun little family party--Ella was in charge of most of it. It was a pink themed party. Pink balloons, pink streamers, pink cake and pink attire. We had a bean bag toss which was fun for all ages.  Grandpa Paul was having a bit of a tricky time with his curve ball, and Ella kept gently (and not so gently) encouraging him to just get a little closer.  Chris wowed us all with his hidden talent--maybe it's the long arms, but he's got skills! The above video is perhaps the most disharmonious version of Happy Birthday you've ever heard. We Harman's are not known for our singing ability. But Anna's unscripted "I blow out the candles" makes up for it.

Some fun facts about our Anna bug:

• She thinks her name is Anna Bug Elise Packer
• Her vocab is serious. On the day of her party she said, "Grandma this is.......those are the candles." Grammer girl??
• She went from being happy go lucky eat anything 18-month-old to an "I don't like that" type of gal
• The other day Kimmy was watching the girls and told Ella that she should work on her manners...and reminded her that Anna was really good at saying please and thank you (she is!) Ella was floored as it sunk in that Anna was good at something that she wasn't. "Where do you think she learned that??" she asked. When I asked Ella about it she explained to me her amazement--"Anna learns everything from me--how did she learn that?!?"
• Anna loves her binkies. I don't ask her if she wants to take a nap, but if she wants to go get her binkies. And she usually happily says yes. (She only gets them when she is in her crib...or if I am being a softy)
•  She is starting to really pretend and play jokes. "I am Sophia. You are Eliza. Ella is our mommy."
• She is happy most of the time.
• When she is upset she says, "I want my mommy/daddy"--mommy if she's with Ryan and daddy if she's with me.
• She is surprisingly good at understanding connections between people. If we are talking about an adult, she will ask about their children, even if she doesn't know them well. "Who were you talking to on the phone?" "Dana" "With Gabby?"
• She says "really really" and "tiny tiny"
• We really really love her.

Nakalele Blowhole

We took one afternoon away from the beach and the pool to go on a Maui adventure. We wanted to go to the bamboo forest, but a few minutes of Anna's happy but LOUD jabbing in the car convinced us that the 2 hour drive was not worth it. So we decided to try out the blowhole on the west side of the island. It was amazing. We hiked down the cliffs to the ocean to see the hole in the lava where the ocean sprayed out. So cool. 

On the hike back up Ella had to pee. I told her she could go behind some rocks. "No. I would rather go somewhere more....polite." That girl. Cracks me up.

We decided to drive around the north side of the island through the Forest Reserve. It was stunningly beautiful. Red sand cliffs with hints of green going straight down into the crashing blue waves. I'd never seen anything like it. The road, however, was a little sketchy. One lane, curvy, no guard rail. Ella kept telling me that her tummy hurt and she really had to go to the bathroom. But you can imagine her disgust at going by the side of the road. "Mom, it would be too stinky. Someone might find it." After a few miles of twists and turns we realized that she was misinterpreting her stomach pain. She was cursed with her mother's motion sickness and yacked into a bag. Poor girl. 

Sickness aside, it was a gorgeous excursion. If you're only going to leave the hotel once, you've got to make it count!

Aloha!

A few weeks ago the stars aligned for us. Ryan was supposed to go to India for a week, but at the last minute his trip got cancelled, leaving him a light week at work. That same week, Doug was going to Hawaii for a conference and wanted someone to mingle with during his down time. We checked out frequent flier tickets, and to our shock we found reasonable tickets. Less than 48 hours after dreaming up this plan we had booked tickets and were headed to Maui. When Janet heard that two of her grandchildren were going to be frolicking on the beach, she couldn't resist and she joined in on the fun. 

We had a great time. Ryan rode his bike, Ella swam in the pool, Anna played in the sand, and I soaked up my children's happiness as I soaked in the sun.  It was a quick trip (4 days) but oh so wonderful. Mahalo, Maui!