Philippe's birthday

No, not my son Philippe, my friend Philippe Lefebvre. His birthday is very close to the Epiphany and his traditional birthday cake has always been the seasonal galette des rois. We sang Happy Birthday (in English) and Philippe blew out the candles


I mentioned in a previous post that each galette contains a "fève". Paolo and Melissa were the lucky winners this time. Here's a regal looking Melissa


And brother Paolo


I've known Philippe and his twin brother Bruno since they were ten years old and too young to join us for English-speaking dinners hosted by parents Odette and Pierre. Following our return to the U.S. we hosted visits from various members of the Lefebvre extended family. A couple of these visits included a trip to the Grand Canyon. Our French visitors have always been surprised to learn that 1. the Grand Canyon in NOT located in Colorado and 2. It takes a long time to drive there, but it is definitely worth the trip!

Now that I've returned to Paris, I've enjoyed becoming a part of the Lefebvre family again - watching the grandchildren grow up, enjoying family dinners and visits to the French countryside. It's through these touchstones of family tradition that I think of my own family and I feel less alone.