Christmas and New Year's

Well, Christmas and New Year's can be both summed up in three words....good but sick. Abigail was starting to get sick before Thanksgiving and by the time we returned from England she got the H1N1...then finally got over it, only to catch a serious cold which she then proceeded to share with Nicholas and then the two of them ganged up on me and got me sick.

Tonight...New Year's Eve...we were going to try to go to our friends Nathalie and Laurent's for a fete, but after trying to fix my dead battery, a trip to the hair salon so Nicholas would look appropriate for the evening and then groceries that we'd neglected due to illness....it wore me completely out and sadly we had to cancel. We were also supposed to go to my Aunt and Uncle's for New Year's Day but ...sick. So I think God is telling us to stay at home.

Still very grateful to the Lord for the numerous blessings of this year and my heart soars for my brother as he is celebrating the holiday in his brand new house! Thank you Lord!

Thanksgiving in England

We were able to make a quick getaway to England for Thanksgiving this year as Nicholas had to visit the University of Birmingham for Postgraduate Open Days.

On the whole the trip was quite successful as he was very much encouraged by the professors there at his chances of being accepted into their PhD program.

We also were able to see much of the main sites that England has to offer and they were quite beautiful. However, that is where our enjoyment stops. We were quite surprised by the absolute across the board rudeness of the people. We met only one lady who was nice who worked at Hampton Court. It even got so bad as my GPS was stolen at the storage facility we kept our luggage at for a few hours. On top of all this the

weather was complete misery, very very cold and wet. When we left we had checked out the local weather reports and it seemed to be having the same weather as we were having in Frejus....so we were all suffering on that account.

All in all my first visit there 20+ years ago was so much more favorable. But as you can see we were able to see the known sites such as Hampton Court, the home of Henry VIII and it's wonderful maze. Big Ben and Parliament, the London Tower Bridge and the London Eye. But also so lesser known sites such as Karl Marx's grave site as well as my favorite....the TARDIS outside Earl's Court train station. For those who are unaware of this, it is from Doctor Who a wildly popular show out of England of a Time Lord and his companions. TARDIS stands for Time And Relative Distance In Space and it is the Doctor's space ship. Pop on to youtube and check out a show or two!

Well school is in full swing now...Abigail is enjoying her new teacher Mme Branche. She will be doing all subjects this year including history and she is quite excited about it. She is see her French teacher Mme Blanc three times a week and will also be going to "Soutien" three times a week to help her with her French. So I really feel that this school year will really make all the difference for her.

Abigail was happy to find most of her friends from last year still here (except Irie...we miss you). One of which is Charlie, and with Kurt now spending much more time here in the South we were able to hook up and have a "hamburger party" last Friday. Yummy! We had a wonderful time eating, talking and playing games. I even found out that Kurt and Charlie love Petanque!! So we may actually get a chance to play!

Hopefully much more on this soon.

And just for a note of oddity, this sign from my neighborhood....I have no idea what this means...this a 4-way intersection with a "sens unique" or one-way going to the left and to the right, they have the same sign but coming from the other direction heading home there is no sign...all I know is that no matter what I do, other cars get angry.

Back in France!

Well we are back in France after our two week stent in Georgia visiting family. It was good to see them but we are glad to be back at home....even if we're not actually in our apartment. Luckily for us we have incredible friends and so we're staying with Nathalie & Laurent. They are the kindest of people...Merci mes amis.

We returned extremely late on the 2nd only for Abigail to start school on the 3rd (poor girl) she is now officially in CM2 (5th grade). So far school has been a blast for her as they are kayaking half the day for the first two weeks of school! Can you believe it....a kid's dream! Her new teacher's name is Mme. Branche and I am eager to meet her, scheduled for this Tuesday, she looks quite young but Abigail says she is quite nice. Unfortunately her best "french friend" Margot is not in her class as they were divided into 3 separate CM2 classes...however several of her friends are, so she has the opportunity to get to know them even better.

She is registered again for her sports class afterschool on Mondays and Fridays and also Wednesday afternoons where she'll again be able to do mountain biking, rock climbing and the like. I also registered her this year for kayak lessons on Wednesday mornings from 9-12, so she'll be a little expert by the end. This will help her and me as I will be working for the most part full time...even on Wednesdays.

It is hard to be at the school and not see Rick, Lisa or Irie's smiling faces...just not the same...We miss you guys.

More later and with pictures.

Till then....

Visiting Family in the U. S. of A.

Well, just to keep up with my blogs...we are here in Georgia visiting family. Actually Abigail is off visiting her Dad and other Grandparents while I hang out with my fam....I miss her SO VERY MUCH!!

I've been productive though....found my red, peep-toe, slingback heels that I have been searching for, for months with the help of Karisa...YAY ME! So as a celebration I purchased the matching black ones and another pair of white ones. I've updated my work wardrobe while I've been here and pretty much taken advantage of the cheap prices here. I came here with just a backpack and will leave with backpack and luggage.

I've also been eating all my favorites that I miss in France like Sushi and Chic-fil-A as well as my Mom's cooking ...tonight is Buche de Noel!

Looking forward to going home..

Long time, no blog...

Many things have happened this summer, as as you can see from the last post...I have not taken (or had) the time to write. So I hope to in this blog to hit the high notes.

I can start by saying that Abigail passed CM1 and will enter into CM2 September 3rd...she had all good grades...I am so very proud of her for coming to France last year not knowing one word and excelling in her grades! Go Abbie!!

We had to leave our paradise on the sea, a.ka. Marie-Claude and Philippe's, and bounce around

this summer in between family, hotels and Sergine's (our soon to-be new home). During this house hopping we also have received guests....the first to come was Nicholas at the end of April, followed by my Mom who came to visit for a couple of months and took advantage to visit her sisters and the same time. Then the big visit with my brother Jean-Pierre, his daughter Ariel and his girlfriend Karisa...it was so good to see them as it had been one year since we last set eyes on them.

We did many many things of which I'm sure I will forget to mention some wonderful things but I will do my best. First of all, of course we showed our guests around Frejus. We then went to Avignon, Arles, Monaco and Dragiunan.

Then we went to the Loire valley and saw many an awe-inspiring castles, so much to see in too little amount of time. Believe it or not I was actually cold...thus my brother's jacket in the picture.....we tried to decide which castle we liked best...I think for sheer awe it must be Chambord! We also saw Chiverney, Chenonceau and the Royal Castle in Amboise.

We then headed up to Paris, the city of light! It was so exciting to be in the city that I've dreamed about all my life....we were hurried to see as much as possible....and due to last minute (thankfully available reservations) we were not in the 'nicest' quarter...but we were in Paris!

Not only this but we were there for the 120 anniversary of the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day! What an experience that was!

We saw most of the sites in Paris including the Louvre, the Catacombs, Notre Damn, Monmarte,

Sacre Coeur, the Arc de Triumph....the paris metro (not as nice as aforementioned sites)

We were in Paris for one week, tons to see...we also took a day to go see Mont Saint Michel (my mountain) but unfortunately we were not able to stay too long and did not have the time to go to the beaches of Normandy...this will have to wait for another day. Now we await our trip to the States so that Abigail can visit her Dad, then as soon as we get back, a grand total of 8 hours after arriving on French soil...Abigail will start her first day in CM2!! Till next post!

I miss you Devan!!

It has been one year since my precious nephew Devan went to be with the Lord...at the tender age of sixteen. I can't begin to express the pain and loss I feel at his passing and it is beyond understanding the pain of his parents and his sister Ariel. Please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Devan was by far THE most remarkable young man I ever and I'm sure will ever meet in my life. He was so full of life, energy, laughter, love and plans to conquer the world. He was mischievous and a prankster constantly enjoying torturing those he loved with their weaknesses...mine was the song from Vanilla Ice..."Ice, Ice baby", a song he learned to play on the guitar and used to chase me playing it...he even taught it to his sister so that they could both torture. Even though he could kick my butt easily without breaking a sweat after he stopped playing he would run as fast as he could when I would chase him for my revenge...he knew that I would tickle him...his main weakness.

He took life head first with full speed…he lived life at his fullest and I’ve learned so many lessons from him. He loved, respected and idolized his father (my brother) and wanted nothing more than to be just like him and make his father proud….which he did constantly. They always had such wonderful times together and the love my brother had for his son is immeasurable, there was nothing that he wouldn't do for his children.

To say that I miss him is almost making light of the depths of my feelings. I am distraught at his passing and yet I consider myself to be fortunate to have known him, loved him and have been loved by him….I am a better person for having him in my life and in turn those who know me have and will continue to be touched by this remarkable man.

WHO YOU'D BE TODAY...

Sunny days seem to hurt the most
Wear the pain like a heavy coat
I feel you everywhere I go
I see your smile, I see your face
I hear you laughing in the rain
Still can't believe you're gone

It ain't fair you died too young
Like a story that had just begun
The death tore the pages all away
God knows how I miss you
All the hell that I've been through
Just knowing no one could take your place
Sometimes I wonder who you'd be today

Would you see the world?
Would you chase your dreams?
Settle down with a family?
I wonder, what would you name your babies?
Some days the sky's so blue
I feel like I can talk to you
And I know it might sound crazy

It ain't fair you died too young
Like a story that had just begun
The death tore the pages all away
God knows how I miss you
All the hell that I've been through
Just knowing no one could take your place
Sometimes I wonder who you'd be today

Today, Today, Today
Today, Today, Today

Sunny days seem to hurt the most
I wear the pain like a heavy coat
The only thing that gives me hope
Is I know I'll see you again someday

Someday, Someday