life as i know it in this circle of Life: vacay to France

greetings friends and family! i hope this July 4th weekend is treating you well. i am excited to report that little by little i will finally get caught up on my blog posting. you can always find more pictures of my adventures on facebook. but if you want to hear more stories and such, than i hope you don't mind me lagging a bit in keeping the blog updated. this edition gives you glimpse into my vacation to France. i went back in May, the last week actually. it was a great time to spend with some really incredible friends there. also, i loved getting to wear shorts! ha:) i hope that you are well and i look forward to hearing from you soon.

so, my first day was full of sun! my friend had to take like her french final exam, so i went with her to where the school is and found out there was a fabulous park that was behind the school. it even included a rose garden--of course! :) so, i spent the morning walking around the park. i even took my sandals off to feel the grass under my feet. it was amazing. it offered great views of the Alps! it honestly just felt great to not have anyone staring at me. i did have a guy follow me around for a minute, but just walked back to where more people were. then later i enjoyed some good sunshine with an impromptu layout session. it was great.
later that night we totally grilled out and had hotdogs and sausages--totally yummy! i also got to do henna with the girls. it was just so great to be with this incredible family.

the next day we went out to dinner to celebrate my friend and their friend finishing their french studies! we went to this totally american joint. it was hilarious. i had a rack of ribs and onion rings. oh yes. i am seeing it now on my hips, but it sure was good! :) the whole place had this saloon-type vibe to it. and instead of burger king crowns, we got fun paper headresses to wear!

the next day we took a trip to a city closeby. we picnicked there. we were sitting right off of this amazing lake that happens to be the longest lake in france--pretty cool, huh? it was a great day for sure...

later we drove to a chateau. it was first built in the 13th century and continued to be built upon over the centuries. Saint Bernard de Menthon (1008-1081), founder of the hospices which bear his name and widely known for his famous rescue dogs, who was born in the castle, is patron of the mountain dwellers, climbers, skiers, and Alpine Troops. it was totally cool as the tour is actually this little theater production. the tour guides act out a story to give the history. it was all in french, but i got this handy guide to help explain everything and of course my now-french-speaking friends filled me in:) my friends said that it was one of the best chateaus they have visited cause it was outfitted with relics from the family.