Lots of Coyers in one place :)

This year the entire Coyer and Odell clan came to Newport for a vacation and we were so excited to have them here! I love how close Todd family is and how much fun we all have together.

We did far too many things to post about so here are the highlights....

We did the cliff walk....

took in a polo match...

hung out on the U.S.S. Constitution

went for drinks...

ate lots and lots of fried seafood...

did a little wine tasting...

took a drive up to Salem to check out some witchcraft...

and hung out in Boston...

The week went by way too fast and left us feeling a little lonely once they all left. We basically played games, ate and laughed the whole time.

Thanks guys for an awesome vacation! We can't wait til next time!

Belleau Wood

As a proud Marine, Todd could not go to Paris and not go out to Belleau Wood. Belleau Wood was an intense battle in World War I which earned the Marines the famed nickname "Devil Dogs" and has long been an important piece of history for the Marine Corps and every Marine alike.

We rented a car and headed out for the hour journey through the beautiful French countryside. Belleau Wood is quite beautiful and beautifully maintained. It was a perfect day for a visit and I know it meant a lot for Todd to go out there and pay his respects to his fellow Marines.

" Wood of the Marine Brigade"

The American Cemetery

The chapel and memorial

The cemetery. It was amazing to see all the American flags and remember that we were in France.

Inside the chapel. The names of all the fallen Marines are engraved on the walls.

We actually missed the Sgt Major of the Marine Corps who was there just a few days earlier. There were quite a few former Marines walking around as well. It was a very cool thing to see.

Afterwards we made the short journey to the Champagne Region and ate lunch and walked around. We even bought some champagne to celebrate our wedding anniversary next October. It was a perfect day.

Also we finally put our heads together and realized that the cameras in our phones still worked! Only a few days too late!

The next day we flew home back to Boston and reunited with our very annoyed cat. The week went entirely too fast but we were happy to be back in our little house again.

We can't wait til our next trip!

Greetings from Paris!

The next stop on our fabulous vacation was Paris. I love love love Paris and I was so excited to get to be there with Todd. The weather finally started to cooperate and the whole time we were there it was gorgeous. Todd drank lots of French wine and I ate far too much amazing cheese, it was heaven.

Landing in Paris

Excited Coyers

Just off the Metro in Paris trying to figure out where the heck we were. Thank goodness my parents lent us their GPS with a Europe chip in it. It made our life much much much less stressful.

Our cute neighborhood. We stayed in the Montmartre district of Paris. I loved that there was baguette shops, wine shops and cheese shops right next to each other. 3 of my favorite things, it was so Parisian.

Stopping at a sidewalk brasserie for lunch while waiting to check in.

Cute Todd drinking a cafe'

Our cute room. This apparently is known as a matrimonial bed in our hotel. Separate yet together.

Hanging out the window in our room

Cute hubs at the Eiffel Tower

Aww!

Waiting in line for the elevator

View from the second level

Up on the very top level. I am so not a fan of heights.

Arc de Triomphe in the distance

From the top Todd found the 'other' Statue of Liberty and was determined to go find it. He was checking the map and I just wondered off looking for crepes. Hey I'm pregnant.

Found it!

After we walked around for a while it was time for our next tour which was a river cruise on the Seine and a night bus tour of the city. I'm not going to lie it was pretty disappointing and disorganized. Oh well :(

On the boat

cruising on the Seine

The next day we headed off to the Lourve

Cute Todd taking video

Mona Lisa

Next we walked over to Norte Dame

Lunch time! This was probably my favorite afternoon in Paris. We stopped at a Brasserie right outside Notre Dame, found a table on the sidewalk and just hung out for hours and watched the world go by. Todd drank some wine, I ate yet more cheese it was perfect.

Outside of Notre Dame

Looking a little 'puffy' outside of Notre Dame. It was really a beautiful building. No hunchback sightings though.

We then walked over to Napoleons Tomb.

Rather impressive tomb for such a tiny man. :)

Walking over to the Champs-Élysées and to the Arc de Triomphe.

This where our camera died...and we did not have the foresight to bring the charger. The next day we went to the Palace of Versailles which was amazing but unfortunately we have none of it documented. :( UGH!

We loved Paris, it was the complete opposite of England. The sun did not set til 11pm at night every night and the Parisians seem to never sleep. Everyone we encountered was also so warm and kind to us. We got quite accustomed to eating dinner at 9pm every night and we certainly could not get enough of the crepes, wine, cheese, baguettes and pastries. Its no wonder my doctor yelled at me for gaining a few extra pounds the next week! oops!