January.3,2011

On our way to the airport…

On December 22nd, we departed TOKYO for the holidays season. Mayumi Amano kindly had arranged with Emiko, my assistant, to cancel my taxi and to sent her limousine and chauffeur instead to drive my family to the airport. How sweet!

Emiko, calling me to confirm we are on our way to the airport.

Watching music videos in the car. We love MUSIC! With my children each morning, we are watching MTV when we wake up, then the news.

In the back slightly fading away from us, is the Rainbow Bridge. Goodbye Tokyo, see you soon again….

Flying high!

Mayumi also owns a fabulous custom-designed Louis Vuitton helicopter…… Again, how fabulous!? She takes me flying over Tokyo sometimes, then we have lunch together. Next I am trying sky-diving with her.

Mayumi Amano runs a member club called Diamond Club, a transportation service company for VIP people (Helicos and limos).

The other day was special as we flew around the Tokyo Sky Tree (tallest structure in Japan), currently under construction. It was very impressive, what am I saying..? SPECTACULAR, SUGOI!

Thank you Mayumi for this unique experience.

The broadcasting tower is under construction in the Narihirabashi/Oshiage area of Sumida ward in Tokyo, Japan. As of 29 March 2010 it is the tallest artificial structure in Japan. When completed, the tower will have a height of 634.00 m (2,080 ft). (The present Tokyo Tower (333 m) is not tall enough to give complete digital terrestrial television broadcasting coverage, due to the construction of many nearby high-rise buildings in the central part of the Tokyo Metropolis).

It is scheduled to be open to the public from spring 2012.

We arrived at Narita airport!

Mayumi surprised us by waiting for us at the airport. She is not only beautiful but also very generous.

We arrived in Aspen!

We finally arrived in Aspen and e spent Christmas with our friends Andrea & Bobby, at their stunning home. The weather when we arrived was beautiful and we went skying the next morning.

In Aspen everything is about convenience, there are so many staff taking care of you everywhere, with a special service that deliver your skis the next morning to the montain of your choice for the day. There are 3 different mountains in Aspen!

The lifts are all top notch and with no waiting line most of the time. I have never seen this anywhere else in the world and I skied in many different places around the world.

I wrote before that I was shocked to see when we landed with United Airlines, in almost the middle of the town, about 20 private jets parked and lined up next to each others. ACTUALLY there were 40 in total!

The town is really pretty with its special charm of the Victorian era. It is a cowboy world over here, which seduced me as soon as step foot outside the airport. I felt home beside the altitude difference.

Celebs spotted!

Above photo: Jessica Simpson and her fiance Eric Johnson were all smiles and all bundled up 2 days ago. They were holding hands and looked very happy. This what it is all about when you are in love, isn’t it?

Aspen host the most celebrities ever during the winter holidays. It is funny when you cross one! You first think that you just saw a friend or someone that you know, and then you realize who it is. Bizarre….!

OMG! It was Leonardo Dicaprio!!!! (yes, he is in town).

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.

Luca and Noa are ski fanatics like their mom….. in 2 weeks of ski, they each missed only one day, to take a rest. On either a sunny or snowing day, there are out the door at 8:30 am each day until 4:00 pm.

I am a “jumper”, I always have to jump everywhere…. when I see a big jump in perspective, I simply cannot resist….

On a grey, dark and cold afternoon, below Kyle and Cassia, Andrea’s children in the middle of huge white trees.

The first time that we were together with Andrea skying.Fun afternoon, but quickly the weather is dramatically deteriorating…. it felt like before an earthquake, when the birds become quiet, flying real low or hiding inside trees.

When snow falls, nature listens. I should have listened as well.

I should have known better that something bad was about to happen….

I broke my back.

Above picture, I am getting immediate emergency care by the ski patrol and medical unit.

What happened?

Crazy as always, I had the great idea to jump a snow-trampoline that was not supposed to be there. The maintenance patrols had pushed aside huge amounts of crsuhed and frozen snow to clean up the slope. I took speed, …… and totally lost control, just before my jump. I remember thinking:… -”oh this time you gonna be really hurt!”

Well i did big time…. Next, I felt my back cracking and the next thing I could not breathe at all and spasms started to shiver my entire body which was in shock. I was gasping for air and trying to control the pain getting more intense each minute that passed.

OOPS!

The ambulance took me to the Aspen hospital, where I found out that I have 2 broken & crushed vertebras. Also I sprained the ligaments inside my right thumb. I am now wearing a back-brace all day long until end of January. And of course ZERO ski! arrrrrrrrrr!!!

Oh well, it was not my first time! It happened to me once already when I was 12 years old in France, when I broke my arm. My Mom reminded me on the phone that I want the next day to compete with my broken arm and no poles. !! Crazy me. This time I am resting and enjoying the spectacular Home where we are staying.

I know that some of you will be thinking: “she is crazy!”. I respect that, but in my mind, it feels right. I love extreme sensations and the feeling of risking it all. I take risks also I accept to pay the full price. Ths time is to miss 11 days of ski!

SORRY, now back to happy times…. IT IS CHRISTMAS EVE !!!!!

On the evening of Christmas, at Andrea and Bobby’s home, Cassia their daughter wrote a message to Santa Clauss and she prepared a snack for him on the pool table. A cake with hot chocolate. So sweet!