J'dore Paris

We are in the City of Love and I am probably right now attempting to order something "avec non fromage si vous plait" (with no cheese please) to the horror of a know-it-all French waiter who knows so much more than these lame, chubby, and sweaty American tourists! Kidding, I loved Paris the first time and am SOOO excited to be going back! With the fabulous vacation days, sights, vino, and the addition of Lindsay Collins, we may never come back. :)

For Natalie's News this has been, Natalie-Corinne.

English diet

While in England, we will be on such a strict diet consisting of...

A full English breakfast.

Inner monologue: "well breakfast is the most important meal of the day...that looks like about 89,999 calories though, hmm I'll eat 1/4 of it and destroy the rest, Jennifer Anniston style. Also, we'll be walking a lot... I need my strength...(five minutes later) destoy 3/4 of this? There are starving kids everywhere!"

Lunch: Fish and chips...Inner monologue: "wow, everything is fried...again, worst than the South. Well, we are walking a lot, wait I aleady used that excuse today...I'll try to run at the hotel".

English Pint: Inner Monologue: "Well, I've just got to have this...Dad will love it. I'll take pictures and only drink half" (translation, I'll have 2)

Afternoon tea: Inner Monologue "wow, this is a lot for tea! Well, the royals seem to have this everyday and they're skinny, I guess I'm going native" translation: umm I'll eat it. all.

Dinner: Bangers and mash. Inner Monologue "oh my gosh, how much sausage can I eat in a day? Seriously, is my heart just going to flip out on me? Well, I've walked a lot today, oh wait, third time. Hmmm...Well maybe I'll order a salad and just eat a bite of P's." Translation: 1 bite = 4 bites.

English pudding? There is fruit, right?

More dessert with a naughty name...one bite. large bite.

In other news, we've got another vacation planned beginning the day after we get back. I'll be living at...
THE GYM!!!

For Natalie's News this has been, Natalie-Corinne.

Meet the Parents

Greetings Governor! After fancing one too many buscuits (cookies), chips (french fries), pints (beer) and jolly good times, our stint in London is over and we are taking the train to Bournemouth to meet and stay with P's family! Although I've already met and passed the parental test (hopefully!), I am meeting a whole new side of the family! I'm so excited and praying I won't have any Fauker action! How lucky are we to have family in this beautiful place? If we went to visit my distant family we would go to exotic places such as Lawrenceburg (ooOoooooOo, ahhhh). Nothing wrong with the home of the Wildcats and the Gold Machine, but I doubt we would be able to make a vacation out of it!

Cheerio! For Natalie's News this has been, Natalie-Corinne.

Step In time

Okay, maybe all my posts and preconceived notions about other countries are based on a musical...maybe this is why I think it is totally normal for people to burst out into song and perfectly choreographed dance with out a moment's notice. Mock it if you want, but way deep down, you too wish people danced in the street just like this, which is what we are probably doing. right. now. With the Queen of course.

For Natalie's News this has been, Natalie-Corinne.

quote of the day

After a 90,000 hour day getting to London... (okay, perhaps a bit dramatic)

"I'm afraid we both stink" P

True love, folks.

For Natalie's News this has been, Natalie-Corinne.

see and be seen

While in London I have a very ambitious social agenda to keep. I plan on gracing some famous Brits with my presence including... Obviously since our royal wedding invite was "lost" we will have to catch up on old times. The queen was mortified when our invitation was obviously lost in the mail, but being that we are so close I was so careful not to leak this to the press. Not royalty, but a Sir, so I'll take him. Ol' Elton has the best parties and if we have time we will make one. I'm requesting an hour long concert incorporating all of his classics that may conclude with me laying over his white, grand piano. I mean..not that I've fantasized about this or anything! I'd hang with Paul, too.

Hmm...I don't ever know how I feel about Gweneth. At times she's a little too snotty for me, but then again if I'm going to be in London, I must play the part so bring it shawty.

The other British royal family. I would hang with them, and perhaps steal some of Posh's shoes. I could out run that skinny twig like it was my job. Do I even need to say anything?!?! I mean it's Julie. Andrews. for the love of everything holy!
If I met this woman I would attempt to keep it cool but I'm pretty sure I would have some sort of outer body experience and suddenly the planets would align, world hunger would end, conflicts everyone would magically cease in laughter. If the Goddess of singing and I hung out in Jolly old England....well I don't even know why I'm typing because there simply aren't words.

So yes, the rich and famous will have an opportunity to hang with us but who will I really be spending this vaca with?

If I can get him to pose like this in Oxford, Mississippi, it is so on across the pond!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

For Natalie's News this has been, Natalie-Corinne.

streets where the riches of ages are sold...

So we are taking off for Jolly Old England and I'm looking so forward to seeing the real Portobello Road! I have already started telling myself that I shouldn't expect people to sing and dance in the street...but I'm still expecting a little jig here and there from a nanny that can fly with an umbrella or random street workers...You know the normal British thing!

For Natalie's News this has been a quite cheerio, Natalie-Corinne. (if you're not reading this last line with a very obnoxious half Indian/half Cockney accent b/c you only do one, know I'm disappointed).

across the pond

This week we are going across the pond to play in Europe. Ten years ago I had awful hair, was a newly high school graduate and experienced the trip of a lifetime with my cousin Lindsay and dear Uncle Ray. Fast forward ten years (agh!) and I'm lucky enough to get to go again! (winning!) This time we are going to London, then meeting up with P's family in Bournemouth and finishing the trip in Paris! I'm so excited to meet P's English family for the first time. I'm a tad nervous about meeting the English side so I am reading up on my manors and etiquette...if only the countess was here to help me! I'm also pumped about practicing my French again. (Translation: ordering food badly in French.) Although it's been ten years and I think my French is a bit (ha) rusty I'm expecting to be a bit more experienced in other aspects of life. Translation: Not expecting to make trips to the US embassy for passport issues, will probably not stand up and sing "Ave Maria" on a train traveling from Paris to Munich after first experiences with too much wine, will not eat questionable seafood and get ridiculous food poisoning...but I will have as much fun as the first time...hopefully more!

Pour Natalie Nouvelles ceci a ete, Natalie-Corinne.

(cannot figure out how to put accent marks in blogger!)

My Dad

My Dad ... is funny, a brew master, upset when my school play goes badly, spent infinity hours with nonathletic me attempting to teach me how to throw a softball, will drive 13 hours in a day to help his kids, the eternal fixer of broken things, is honest, let me play on the computer at his work at Beaman even when he wanted to go home, never put all our toys in the attic even if we deserved it, will spend eternity supporting whatever dreams we may have, pretty good at a country accent, picked me up from the airport and raced me to Knoxville for an audition, fantasy football pro, brought me hello kitty boxes with candy when I was sick, a great listener, helped my sullen roommate move in when her parents left her too early at Ole Miss, will talk to anyone and attempt to make them feel comfortable, can skin a buck and run a trot-line, not a fan of casseroles or spaghetti, doesn't complain, great a cooking anything out of absolutely nothing, always getting something out of the attic or cleaning out the garage, is trustworthy, came to an almost 3 hour church service to hear me sing for five minutes (Mom, too), went to many baseball schools instead of taking vacations, spent hours finding the perfect father/daughter song for our wedding, a great friend, waters Mom's flowers, gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, helped park cars for hours at a baby shower for a family friend, has helped move about 1,000 times, is a hero, secret lover of Will & Grace, will research any problem for his family and find a solution, is sad when we're sad, happy when we're happy. He's a husband, a son, a friend, a brother, a father figure to lots, but Papa to me (and Ben!). Couldn't be any luckier if I tried. Happy Father's Day to my one and only Dad! I love you!

For Natalie's News this has been the eternal daddy's girl, Natalie-Corinne.

Pikes Peak

When P was little they went to Pikes Peak for a Pratt family vacation. They took the train up the 19 miles and little P got sick from the altitude and puked all over his poor little sister. Hearing this story I laughed and laughed and imagined little P puking all over his sister and what can you do on a train with puke? ugh. Fast forward 20 years and I am on a fun filled weekend in the back of an SUV really excited to go to Pikes Peak. At around mile 3, a relentless nausea takes over and my goal of having a lot of fun drastically switches to not puking on my friends. 16 painstaking miles later, we arrive at the top of Pikes Peak and I sprint to the bathroom and meet my doom. I quickly lose all satisfaction from the morning's chocolate croissant and begin praying to my maker that I will not have to meet him on the top of this mountain with puke in my mouth and unwashed hair. Luckily he/she (?) heard my cry and I rallied like the BEST of them. Went all around Pikes Peak, took crazy pictures, became the fun Natalie again. Luckily, my friends never miss an opportunity for a good time and took the opportunity of a sick wanna be photographer (picture nazi?) and got some fun expected shots! (see below!) After our eventful experience at the top of the rock I sent a text to my family and Uncle Ray's response summed it up a little too perfectly... "we're just not made to rough it in the outdoors, I raised you too fancy". Priceless.

For Natalie's News this has been, Natalie-Corinne.

spacing help

ugh....for real? What is going on with the spacing disaster? I have fixed this like a million times and whenever I publish it, the spacing still messes up...Will someone who knows more than the average 2 year old when it comes to technology help me?

For Natalie's News this has been, Natalie-Corinne.

Finding the light.

Blame Bravo, the media, too many Top Model Marathons, magazines, whatever. Whenever you get girls together with a camera some model magic takes over and we are easily transformed from normal girls to cat walk professionals. Honestly, if we were real models we wouldn't need any words to describe all our pictures or inspiration. But I'll try my best to let the "art" speak for itself. Translation: if I tell you how much fun and effort went into our photography session, you'll judge us even more.

I think Tyra would be proud!

For Natalie's News this has been, Natalie-Corinne.