Or shall I say, "when in france"......  When Max tried on his speedo's, he said "oh no, these won't work, they are too tight".  I said "that's the way they are supposed to fit".  He said "really?"   I told him that if he wanted to swim tomorrow, then he needed to wear them like all the other little boys.  "Okay Mom".

Sophie got one look at him and laughed hysterically.  She  said "you look funny Max".  

This picture captures how I feel this morning.  LOL!

Dan and I unpacked all of our luggage and air shipment boxes yesterday.  I am a little compulsive when it comes to unpacking.  I am not one of those people who can have their boxes around for weeks and weeks.  I need to get organized, it gives me a sense of calm.   

I am sitting at our dining room table, looking out our window at the church steeple across the street from us.  We had a little bit of snow last night, which stuck to the rooftops but won't last much longer.    Sophie and Max are parked in front of the television watching french cartoons.  I am sipping a cup of black coffee because we drank all of our milk and I have no sugar yet. 

We will go grocery shopping today and search for a pair of "speedos" for Max.  I received an email from school yesterday telling me that the kids will be going swimming every Monday for the next three weeks.  "The children need to bring swimsuits and the boys need to wear speedos, NOT swim trunks."  Not sure why trunks are not allowed, afraid they may be hiding something.  Poor little Max will have to don this tiny bikini for all the world to see the family jewels.    

The last bit of snow on our neighbors rooftop. 

I just love this church across from us.  The bell rings on the hour and has the prettiest chime.  There is a nursery school during the week and when we open our front windows, we can hear the children playing at recess. 

I can hardly believe that we are finally living in Paris.  The kids slept most of the flight over and we arrived to find our lovely relocation representative waiting for us in our apartment. 

She showed me how our kitchen appliances worked while I took notes.  She helped me translate our mail and our cable, electricity, and internet contracts.  She quickly wisked me off to the post office where we had two packages waiting for us.  We lugged them over to "La Orange", the cell phone store.  I picked out my cell phone, had it connected and I am ready to go.  I also purchased two landline phones as well.   

We walked back to our apartment and stumbled upon an open air market selling local produce, cheese, meats and fish.  This market is right around the corner from our apartment and is open three days a week.  

Our relo rep. shared so many things with me and I am sure I will only remember half of what she shared.  After she left, I walked to the local Monoprix (grocery)  and bought Jambon Beure (ham and butter) sandwiches along with fruit, cereal, milk, eggs, butter, bread, and yogurt.  

We finally fell asleep around 7pm.  We awoke at midnight to the kids playing.  I walked into their room and found them wide awake.  I told them it was nightime and they needed to go back to sleep.  Sometime between 1am and 2am, they sneaked into the kitchen and "made breakfast" for us.  Dan stumbled into the dining room and they greeted him with "Good Morning Daddy, we made breakfast for you!"  They had plates of cereal (yes, I said plates) with bananas sliced on top.  The milk and cereal were all over the chairs and floor.  Dan told them that it was the middle of the night and they looked shocked.    They finally fell back to sleep around 4am.  They didn't wake until noon. 

As you can see, we have our internet service up.  Jerome came at 11am and helped us.  I have so much to say but so much to do, so I must get busy unpacking. 

This is our view out our living room window this rainy friday.  The church bell rings on the hour.

This is our view out the back bedroom windows.  There is a pretty courtyard shared by the front building and the back building.  If you look closely at the right side of the picture, you will see bare vines crawling all over the side of the building.  I can't wait to see it this spring. 

We are finally on our way!   We will be quite busy once we land in Paris.  Our relocation representative will be meeting us at our apartment.  Once we unload our bags, Dan will stay in the apartment with the kids and she will be helping me find our post office, purchase a cell phone, figure out how my debit card works at the local ATM and whatever else I can think of at the time.  We have her for four hours so I will begin writing a list on the plane. 

We have an english speaking internet technician coming by our apartment on Friday to help us with our internet service.  If you don't hear from me until next week, then you know that the technician never showed up.  Will you be surprised???  I didn't think so. 

Thanks again for all your support!  The adventure begins........

I caught myself smiling all morning while making the kids bed, sorting our endless laundry, emailing, and showering.  I am so excited, I can hardly stand it!  I am so happy that I am immerging. 

I am an all or nothing kind of girl; not real happy about that but "I yam what I yam" as Popeye would say.  I have been filled with doubt and fear this last week.  I normally dive into things and figure it all out in the process of treading water or doing the backstroke.  This setback forced me to ponder......and get scared by  the unknown. 

I am back baby and excited as ever to dive into this big french pool of fun!   God will throw me my life jacket if I need it, right?

The adventure begins.........I am getting excited once again.  I can't believe we are actually leaving on Wednesday.  I am beyond curious at how all of us will adjust. 

I pray that Dan will thrive and shine while working in Paris.  I pray he has energy,  stamina and a postive attitude.  I pray the kids enjoy school and the differences that await them.  I pray that I will be able to create a peaceful home thousands of miles away from  Texas.  A place where all of them find rest and rejuvenation.  I pray that  I will find friendship early on and that I will embrace the french culture.  I pray that I will take the time to listen to what God wants for me this year and the coming years.   I want this to be a year of reflection and a year of growth. 

I think what I want the most from this experience is an even closer relationship with my family.  I want us to be each others cheerleader.  I want us to make memories that the kids will hold on to for the rest of there lives. 

We are sitting at the DFW Airport waiting to board out flight to Houston.  The kids are happy playing video games and exploring the children's area.   My heart swells with pride, they are so flexible and up for anything.  Life is one big adventure for them! 

I secretly wonder when they are adults and making their own decisions, if they will embrace change and enjoy traveling or if they will long for predictability.  Time will tell.

We have our meeting tomorrow morning at the French Consulate.  I am looking forward to walking OUT of that office with visa in hand.  I think I may jump into Dan's arms shouting for joy with relief!  I will keep all of you supportive and encouraging readers posted.  Your sweet comments yesterday filled me with confidence.  Thank you!  

I have such a need to connect with others.  I remember when we moved to Texas, I quickly signed up with a local MOP's (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) group.  It felt so good to have a place to go every two weeks.  I wasn't completely alone anymore.  I was surrounded by other woman; wives, Moms, daughters, sisters and friends.  That group gave me the courage to make more connections which included a twins club and Bible study.  The more I "got out there" the easier it got. 

I longed for friendship.  I can remember practically  stalking a (now) dear friend of mine at our local SuperTarget.  She was shopping with her twin boys who were seated quietly in her shopping cart.  My two were running amuck around the store, giggling and teasing each other.  I struck up a conversation and within five minutes gave her my phone number and asked her to come over for a playdate the next week.  She smiled politely and to my suprise called me the following day and the rest is history.  Love you Julie!

I have been sitting at my computer today preparing for my Paris life.  I am sending out emails to women who offer monthly coffee groups and Womens Bible Study.   I found an American Church which offers Karate and Girl Scouts.  (I wonder if I am too late to order my cookies?). 

I am feeling more confidant that I will cultivate friendships with other expats and the french.  I will find and create a support system.  I will connect.

I dropped Max and Sophie off at school today and watched them run to the large, heavy, double doors and maneuver their way inside with rolling backpacks in tow.  I heard Sophie in her cheerful voice say "HI Miss Green, just five more days until Paris!"  It put a smile on my face to hear her excitement.  I wonder how long "the countdown" has been going on?  

Dan received news that our visa paperwork arrived at the french embassy.  We will be flying to Houston on Sunday, interviewing on Monday and flying to Paris on Wednesday.   I am a bit guarded but if all goes well, we will be on our way very soon.   Pinch!