Verbier!

Finally!  It's SKI time! 

It's been over two years since Team Sasso has attempted to ski! Of course, we did try Ski Dubai, which frankly does NOT count unless you like to ski without making any turns as someone in a giant human hamster ball wearing a ski-burka tumbles ass over teakettle down the run next to you.  We were super excited to get back on the slopes!  And not just any slopes- the Alps!  We spent a week in Verbier, Switzerland and we were lucky to have great weather, great food, great snow and great company!  Per usual, we were joined by our great friends Shauna, Geoff, Taylor and Daniel Walker.  Here are things I learned about skiing the Alps:

1) The Alps are very high mountains.  Very.

2) A single run can take you over 30 minutes going straight down without stopping, so you'd best think about doing some squats to prepare.

3) There is a high percentage of AWESOME expert skiers, so bring your A game.

4) Prada makes ski outfits!

5) It is possible to pay $20 for a hot chocolate

Here are some pictures to demonstrate! We were skiing above the cloud line!

Check out the gorgeous terrain! (That's Caroline, looking sharp. She picked out her own outfit.  It's very "EuroSki")

One of the amazing things about Verbier is that it is part of the Four Valleys.  The Four Valleys allow you to ski the resorts of Bruson, Evolene, La Tzoumaz, Nendaz, Siviez, Thyon les Collons, and Vevsonnaz, as well as Verbier.  They're all linked together by the gondolas and lifts and what not.  That's 412 kilometers of downhill skiing!  It's never ending! But also guarantees that I am 100 percent lost, 100 percent of the time (not to mention mildly disgruntled that MY ski outfit is not Prada).

It's also interesting that it is completely permissable to ski "Off Piste".  The "piste" being the ski run, going "off piste" means that you are free to ski out of bounds, not on groomed trails.  This is always forbidden territory in US resorts, because it can be really dangerous.  I believe the philosophy here is that you are either a) Good enough that you are able to handle the terrain or b) Stupid enough to think you can handle it and thus deserve whatever injury you sustain.  Augusto is solidly in category "a", and he took this pic off piste:

The kids both did a fantastic job skiing!  Even Georgia, who was previously our "lodge girl", went out every day!

But I think they looked forward to the apres-ski more...which for them meant hanging in the snow-igloo they found in front of our villa:

And getting cosy with their buddies!

Another thing that was new to us on this trip was the concept of a "Fully Catered" villa.  This is essentially when you rent a villa or condo, and breakfast, high tea, and dinner are provided.  We assumed this would mean standard ski-fare - burgers, pasta, chili...good hearty food.  Oh no.  No, no, no...

We won the Super-Lotto of villa catering. Our Chef, Gerwin, was trained in both Michelin 2 and a 3 star restaurant - where he was also the head pastry chef!  Gerwin would show up faithfully each morning, and spend the entire day creating the most unbelievable culinary creations completely from scratch.  Honestly - it was like living in a 5 star restaurant!  The only picture we got before the food was devoured was one of our desserts - a passion fruit souffle with home made ice cream:

I will not tell you how much weight was gained that week.  Let's just say it's no longer the "Expat Eleven". 

The town of Verbier is also incredibly charming.  It's all tucked up on to the hillside, and looks just as beautiful as the Matterhorn area at Disneyland...only bigger:

We are already planning our ski trip for next year!  But for now, looking forward to spring break (with some SPECIAL California visitors!) and some fun in the sun!  Lots of love to all!

Snow Day!

Hooray!  The Californians are SO excited!  It actually SNOWED! 

While we have been to the snow to visit many times, it was super exciting for the kids to have snow right in their own backyard!  In preparation for the big event, we invited our extended Expat family - the Walkers and the Goulds (minus John and Geoff who were travelling) - over for a good old fashioned sleepover!  We had popcorn and M & Ms, watched so-bad-it's-good TV, and ate takeout Chinese.  When it started to snow, you would have thought my kids and the Walker kids had won the lottery.  The Gould kids (Alex in 3rd grade and Eva in 4th) were likewise excited, but having come from Connecticut, home of the 10 foot snowbank,  thought perhaps we had just all eaten one too many Junior Mints and lost our minds.  The kids ran inside the house screaming for 10 minutes, then outside the house screaming for an hour.  It snowed all night long, and when the kids woke up they made the most of it!

Here's the crew!

Toby, being a true California dog, does not care to be wet or cold.  He is the only lab in existence who is terrified of water and gives the swimming pool a wide berth.  But even he couldn't resist joining in the festivities.  Although he absolutely refused to let go of his favorite "baby" - the SantaPig. 

There was enough snow to give sledding a whirl:

And even build a snowman - albeit a rather grassy, dirty one. 

Lots of running and snowball fighting. 

The Fourth Grade Crew:

Third Grade Pals:

Later in the day we took a family walk in our neighborhood to enjoy the beauty of the snow covered landscape. 

The interesting thing about London is that it really is not prepared to handle any real snow fall.  The threat of snow incites a bit of panic, and actual snowfall completely shuts the city down.  It's kind of like California and STORMWATCH.  Elbows are thrown at the grocery store to stock up on supplies (my favorite was the woman behind me who had a cart with only 3 bags of frozen chicken parts and 3 bottles of vegetable oil.  Yep, that should do it for a few days), roads grow quiet and people generally hunker down at home.  There's still snow on the ground, and it looks like we might get more next week - but we'll be off on our ski adventure in Switzerland!

We thoroughly made the most of our first London snowfall, and everyone (including Toby) is looking forward to the next one!  Love to all!

West End Girls

One of the coolest parts about living in London is definitely the easy access to amazing THEATER!  The girls have developed a real love of musical theater, and have made several trips to the city to see shows!  The Theater distict in London is in the West part of central London, and is usually referred to as the West End (evidently, they are trying to re-brand it as "Theaterland", but so far I haven't noticed that one sticking.) The West End is home to shopping, dining, and of course dozens of theaters.  It's an easy train and tube ride from our house! 

The love of the theater started when we took them to see Phantom of the Opera on our first visit here.  They were absolutely riveted, and Georgia has listened to the sountrack when she goes to bed every single night since. 

The girls went to the Shrek show with Uncle Francis!  What a good uncle!!

Then the big kids went to see Rock of Ages with some friends.  Rock of Ages is set in my favorite era - the 80's - on the Sunset Strip in a club that bears a striking resemblance to the Roxy.  It's laden with chart toppers such as Sister Christian, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Wanted: Dead or Alive...you get the picture.  We had a delicious dinner at Hakkasan and hit the theater!

And our last outing was to check out the new Michael Jackson show...Thriller LIVE!  Yes, it was a Michael Jackson tribute show.  Yes, it was super-cheesy.  And yes, the kids LOVED it and now listen to MJ all of their waking hours.  Georgia wants to have an MJ themed birthday party (???) and spends a lot of time practicing "the lean" (you know, that gravity defying move he does in the Smooth Criminal video?)

So what's up next??  We're still trying to get tickets to see Matilda: The Musical - but we may opt for this one...a classic! 

Time is flying and we can't believe we've been here nearly 6 months already!  We've survived our first 100 Days of Darkness, and Spring is just around the corner! 

Love to all!

FINALLY!

Yes, readers, the time has come.  It is a time we have eagerly anticipated for many years.  No, there is not a decent Republican candidate for president.  No, Caroline has not willingly started eating foods that are not white.  And no, I am not getting a job.  Sheesh. 

AUGUSTO TURNED FORTY!!!

Yes, despite the fact that he was recently described in the press as "a baby faced assasin" (his new nickname at home) - my eternally thirty something husband is now forty.  Hurrah! 

Of course, this called for not one, not two, not three, but FOUR seperate celebrations.  And you all know how Team Sasso hates a good party...

Party One was thanks to our awesome family, Amanda, Marcos and Francis.  A delicious dinner at the Tar Pits in Los Angeles - on La Brea or Melrose or one of those super trendy spots that all seem to blend together in a whir of head spinning fashion and hipness.  I think I had to sneak in because I'm not sure you're even allowed in the area if you're actually over forty.  We drank vintage cocktail creations, had delicious creative small plates, and Chef Francis made a gorgeous cake. 

Party Two was with our dear friends Debi and Tom Thomas.  After cocktails in their stunning home (I am going to try to secretly move in there and live in their basement when I return), we hopped off to Flemings for a juicy steak and "diet" martinis.  Hey, let me live with that illusion. 

Party Three was a super-treat because we got to see some of our very favorite Manhattan Beach peeps for a night out on the town.  Monique and Alberto, Michelle and Paul and Natasha and Jim planned a fantastic dinner on the pier in Hermosa - on Augusto's actual birthday - New Year's Eve!  A delicious dinner at Palmilla and lots of laughs! 

Here are the guys:

And the girls:

Party Four -  Of course, we had to celebrate with our London peeps, who make this our home away from home!   We had a lovely dinner party, with the theme Whiskey and Roses.  I don't know - I just felt like it needed a theme.  And he likes whiskey and I like roses, so there you have it. 

Here are our tables:

Bar set and ready:

My ladies, looking lovely (we missed Tav in the pic)!

It was an elegant affair.  Dignified, quiet, sophisticated.  Chamber music floated in the background.  We sipped champagne and made intelligent conversation.  That is, until someone decided that we should all drink the table decorations....which just happened to be whiskey (see theme, above).  I will not incriminate her but some of you may be surprised to know her initials are SW, and she used to live in MB.  After the whiskey shots it was....

GAME ON!

Turns out that my entry way isn't useless after the giant christmas tree is removed.  Turns out, it makes a MOST excellent dance floor!  The kids, fresh from the pool, joined in the fun! 

Oh yeah...the kids!  We love having all these cute little people over, so we couldn't leave them out of the celebration!  18 of them, to be precise - all singing "Mr. Augusto" Happy Birthday! 

Caroline and one of her super-besties, Anna

George with Alex and Daniel

But the piece de resistance?  Wait for it.....

Oh yes.  It is the Lazer 3000.  A 50x50 fully self enclosed laser mase, assault rifles with automatic counters, and giant digital scoreboard.  Because nothing says "Forty" like mock warfare.  In my yard.  There goes the neighborhood. 

And I got to have my "Charlie's Angel" moment.  I even got to be Farrah (she's in the middle, right?) 

After the kids had some fun, we declared "adults only" time in the Lazer 3000.  We barreled in there, guns blazing (beeping) and had an all out whiskey and champagne fueled lazer war.  Bouncing off walls, running at top speed, we went full-on over forty Rambo.  It was so intense the Lazer 3000 had to be a "no kid" zone for a while, lest the risk of serious injury.  I went in wearing Prada and Wolford, and I came out looking like, well, a two-dollar hooker.  Holes in my stockings, carefully curled hair all messed up, leather shorts askew.  But I don't think I've laughed that hard in all my adult life. 

So thank you, thank you, thank you to our precious friends and family far and near.  Having each one of you in our lives is the best gift of all.  Thank you for joining in our celebrations! 

Happy Birthday Honey!  You are the most amazing husband, father and man.  I hope your birthday was as amazing as you are.  We love you!

In Search of Father Christmas

We all know where Santa lives, right?  The North Pole, of course!  So, if you're going to look for the REAL Santa, it's going to be quite the journey.  And it truly was the trip of a lifetime, especially for the under 12 set! 

We set off with our dear friends the Walkers on a journey to Lapland, Finland. Lapland is the upper region of Finland, and is actually largely inside the Arctic Circle.  The climate is described as subarctic (did you even know there was such a thing?) and it can sink to negative 45 degrees Celsius.  Yup.  At this time of year there is about 3 hours of "dim light" each day, and the rest of the time it is pitch dark. 

We traveled by plane (3.5 hours), and then by bus (1.5 hours) up to our resort in Luosto.  And it was worth every minute of the trip.  70% of Lapland is forest land, and it is impossible to describe the natural beauty.  It is unlike anything I have ever seen.  The lack of sun gives the landscape an absence of color, so the world looks like an Ansel Adams photo. 

We were part of the Search for Father Christmas - and unlike the "American" version of Santa, with bright colors, music, and Disneyesque fanfare - Father Christmas is a low key, rustic, quiet sort of fellow.  We spent two days roaming the countryside looking for him - aided by his Special Elves.  There was Noisy Nod:

Snowy Bowy

Speedy Sam

And Tricky Dicky (Seriously.  You can't make this stuff up)

At each location, the Elves would meet us and provide clues as to the location of Santa Claus.   And they would have great activities to keep us distracted along the way.  Such as snowmobiling:

Dog Sledding:

Reindeer Rides:

One Horse Open Sleigh (OF COURSE!)

And when the big day finally came, it was a surprise to one and all!  We were taken about a mile deep in to the forest by snow mobile:

Where one, and only one lone house stood nestled in the forest.  We were invited in by some lovely elves, and entered what appeared to be a study, desk piled high with letters to Santa:

A bell rang, and upstairs we go - the door swings open and it is.......Mrs. Claus!!!

I have to admit.  I cried.  The kids were so overwhelmed they couldn't speak.  Mrs. Claus was baking mince pies for Santa, but was bemoaning the fact that she had to bake so many because the elves kept snitching them!  She shared Santa's favorite cookies (Chocolate Chip), and sat with the girls for a while.  Then she taught them the magic word, and a bookcase swung open to reveal a secret passageway! 

Down the stairs we go....and who is waiting?  YES!  Santa!  OK, so here's where you're going to have to use your imagination.  Extreme cold kills camera batteries.  How's THAT for timing???  Luckily, we have the whole thing on video tape, should you ever want to see the magic. 

Santa held in his white gloved hands the VERY letters that Caroline and Georgia had posted to him earlier that week. After a few minutes where he talked, Caroline sat stunned and Georgia chewed on her mitten, Caroline stammers out "Am I on the nice list?" And much to her relief, she is. 

Santa then presented them with a wrapped gift - items off their ACTUAL wish lists in the letter - he IS amazing! 

Santa was, of course, the highlight.  But we had just as much fun every night on our Arctic Adventure.  We had elected to stay in the villas, which were lovely:

But, as you can see...a little on the remote side.  As in, about a mile walk to the nearest place to eat dinner (well, the ONLY place to eat dinner. It's a little sparse out there).  And a mile in sub zero temperatures with snow drifts as tall as Georgia is a loooonggg mile.  We were dreading it - and it was the absolute highlight of the trip.  We would bundle everyone up, grab the Walkers, and venture out into the night.  It is absolutely, completely silent.  All you hear is the crunching of your footsteps - the silence almost rings in your ears.  So we ran, jumped, trudged, made snow angels, had snowball fights and made our way to dinner.  We lost kids in snowbanks.  We laughed so hard we couldn't walk any more.  It took us about an hour each way, but it was my favorite part of the trip. 

And when we made it?  What awaited us - what pinnacle of Finnish dining?

Yes.  That's right PROBABLY the best after ski in the world.  After a mile in the snow, you really want something a little more definitive, don't you think? 

But we were brave - we tried all the Lappish delicacies - such as reindeer jerky, reindeer salami, and other curiosities:

This is poroja potin - Reindeer in a Pot. 

All in all - one of our best adventures yet!  One we will never, ever forget! Merry Christmas to ALL!