The Amazing Cote d'Azur!

Following all of the excitement and emotions around Grant's 30th, I think we were both more than relieved to escape off to the French Riviera for a few days.  Becoming beach bums was just what the doctor ordered.

Our first stop was Nice.  We absolutely LOVED it here, and quickly realized we are definitely rock beach fans as opposed to sand.  You might think we're crazy, but just think, with rocks, you don't end up taking the beach home with you (I hate finding sand everywhere for at least a week after we get home!), picnics on the beach are much more enjoyable (especially on a windy day!), and the water is crystal clear (no sand "dirtying" up the perfectly clear water).  Have I convinced you yet?  If not, take a look below ;)

Do you like our new hats?!

Beautiful, right?!

We spent most of our time on the beach in Nice, but ventured out into Old Nice in the late afternoon through to the evening.  Wandering along the cours Saleya, with its many delicious restaurants, markets, shops, and street shows, kept us happily entertained.  

Are you a mussels lover?  If so, La Festival de la Moule is a MUST if you find yourself in Nice!  All you can eat mussels et frites + you have around 11 different types of mussel sauces to choose from...we tried 4, and they were all to die for.

Americans. We're everywhere!

Grant in his happy place...European-style outdoor dining with red wine and cheeeeesy pizza!

Nice at night is just as stunning...

Piano concert on the beach!

Day trip out to Cap Ferrat...

Next up...our BIG night out in Monaco!  We decided to dress the part here, and celebrate in style (James Bond style, to be exact :) ).  First, we enjoyed dinner overlooking the harbor.  Then, we were off to Monte Carlo to gamble away Grant's bday cash.  We were good though, and actually left after doubling our money.  Mom and Dad, aren't you proud of us?!  hehe  Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed inside the casino, which is a shame, since it's so grand (plus, some good people watching...just what you would expect, wealthy couples straight off of their massive yachts - the man about twice the age of his arm candy).  Our favorite spot was out on the terrace in the private gambling area where the minimum bets were €500.  Can you imagine?  If only money really did grow on trees...

All dressed up!

Our last stop in the amazing Cote d'Azur was Antibes, where we wandered around the tiny, twisting streets of the city, and then planted ourselves on the beach one last time.  Unlike us, we only managed to snap some pics of the sunset here - oops!  

Yes, that's Buddha at the end of the dock

HAPPY 30TH G!

Grant's 30th Bday Bash!

Well, friends, the month of August has come and gone, which means my ooooold amazing hubby is the big 3-0!  His bday bash was a long time in the making...I'm talkin' MONTHS of secretive planning :)  It's a miracle that my family and I were able to keep our mouths shut, and actually surprise him too!  hehe  Here's what went down (and what G will have to try and out-do in about a year and a half, for yours truly of course!)...

George and Debbie arrived on Thursday, August 15th.  It was just like any other day at the Hill household...me, slaving away in the kitchen all day, eagerly awaiting Grant's return from the office...  And, as always, I welcomed him home with a big smile and a glass of white wine (that would go perfectly with our meal for the evening...red snapper!).  But, to his surprise, it wasn't me holding the glass of wine this time..."Mom?!?!?!?!?!"  haha  It. Was. Epic.  I have NEVER seen the look on Grant's face that I saw that night (I think there were even a few happy tears!).  Little did he know...this was only 1 of 3 surprises that we had in store for him.

Fast forward to the day of his bday bash, Saturday, August 17th.  At around 5 o'clock, "someone" rang our flat, which I answered of course..."Oh, G, there's another bday package for you!  I'll run down and get it!".  I quietly snuck the "package" up to our flat...it was 6 of my family members - Kim/Scott, Aunt Jill/Uncle Bill and Aunt Diane/Uncle Jim.  Again, G had NO idea :)

A few minutes later, another "package" arrived.  Now, at this point, G was finally onto us.  I think his exact words were..."Holy sh$t, is that my Dad?  That's my Dad, isn't it?"  Yep!

It was absolutely amazing to have 9 family members here to celebrate G's 30th with us.  It seems that when one turns 30, the emotions are already pretty high, so I think this heightened them for all of us, in a good way.  After opening a few presents, all 11 of us set out to kick off the celebration with a lovely dinner at the party venue, Broadway House, a private club in West London that we are now happy members of ;)

After dinner, around 40 of our friends joined us for an amazing night full of dancing and drinking...it doesn't get much better than that, am I right?  THANK YOU to everyone who made it out that night.  I definitely know that G was feelin' the love.

*Photos courtesy of Michael & Julie Prassel - thanks again for documenting the evening for us!