Hotel California

After our "rustic" cabin in Joshua tree our next stop in California was heavenly. We arrived at "Chez Keller" on Tuesday and stayed until Sunday when we returned to Paris. We were greeted at by our host Jennifer and her assistants Will and Holland and of course the grandmother extraordinaire, GG! We quickly got settled into their beautiful home.

Not only does Chez Keller offer a lovely guest room complete with a baby bed they also have many amenities. There is a fantastic pool with a lovely spa along with a fire pit and beautiful scenery. Inside they offer a flat screen TV (often tuned to football but offering movies and children's shows also), baby swing, and on this occasion cooking lessons. During our stay I learned some fantastic new "Thanksgiving" recipes and Josh learned the fine art of turkey BBQ (at least that was the excuse for hanging out with Matt by the grill).

The Keller's also provided us with a great continental breakfast along with two fully stocked fridges and anything else we could think of to eat or drink. They also arranged excursions for us, from a fantastic wine tasting to a "boys" night out. They were fantastic hosts and we can't wait to return the favor in April when they come to visit us in Paris.

We also spent some time visiting Josh's sister Kristin and her husband Scott as well as their children Chelsea and Eric. Josh's dad Mike came along and we all went to lunch together after spending a few hours at their home.

We also had the chance to visit with Pops and Grandma at their house. We didn't have too much time because we had to catch our plane but the few hours we did spend were quite nice.

When we weren't being entertained by family we were taking advantage of the GG's babysitting services and getting some time to ourselves. We mostly shopped but we did manage to squeeze in haircuts and a few lunches. It was nice to relax a bit without the baby since we don't have that luxury in Paris.

We had a fantastic time in California, it was great to see everyone and to be back in the US. I am already counting the days until Christmas when we will go home to Pennsylvania and see my family as well as Josh's parents and all of our friends. We purchased our tickets and plan to arrive on December 21 and stay until January 6. I hope we can see as many people as possible!