Sophie prayed at bedtime last night and had me in entranced by her innocent image of God. 

When she prays, she often becomes deep in conversation with God telling Him what she thinks, feels and wants.  It is often hysterical to listen too.  Last night she started describing God by saying "I think you have one eye that you can see out of and another that you can't", she also said "I think your skin is the color of everyones skin, it's all mixed up".  She described Him as "having adult teeth and baby teeth, one side of his hair has straight hair and the other side has curly".

After she was finished I asked about "the one eye that He could not see out of".  She said "Well, we are a part of God and there are people that can't see and He knows what that feels like too".  Wowee Maui(!!!!) is what I thought and then Sophie being Sophie had me walking away laughing when she said "Oh, and sometimes his socks are stinky just like mine". 

It looks like the french are now convinced that we are worthy to live in their country.   We have been granted resident entry. 

The paperwork is on its way from Paris to Houston and we have an appointment at the french embassy on January 25th.  We have airline reservations to fly to our new home in Paris on January 27th, assuming there are no "glitches".

I wasn't thrilled with having to wait a couple of weeks for our interview but I think I need to embrace the french "laissez faire" attitude if I am to survive and thrive.    

We traveled to Paris this summer for "The Paris Air Show" with Dan's company.  Dan worked half of the trip and played the other.  My Mom came with us as well and we rented a beautiful and loud apartment in the 1st Arrondissement steps from The Louvre.  

One of the most numinous experiences for me was when we visited Notre Dame Cathedral.  We walked inside the quiet, dark, dramatic, and detailed cathedral.  We snaked through the cordoned off pathway along with the rest of the tourists, bumping into each other looking up at the stained glass.  We came to small vingettes where candles sat waiting for someone to say a pray and light a candle.  I froze taken aback by God's amazing grace.  By His answer to my little prayer 10 years ago. 

Dan and I visited Notre Dame years before, longing for a child.  To be completely honest, desperate for a child,  It felt like a puzzle piece in our marriage that was missing.  I can remember  quietly standing near the same candles crying out (quietly) to God.  I begged him for contentment, I pleaded with Him that I NEEDED  a child.  I knew in my heart that there was a huge possiblity that Dan and I might  never be able to conceive.  I wanted to be content with that.  I wanted Dan to be enough.  I wanted to be thankful for the wonderful man that I was blessed to have in my life.  Yet, I tripped time and again, putting the desire for a child before Christ and my husband. 

Imagine my emotion this summer when I was brought face to face with Gods generous answer to my immature begging and pleading so many years before.  Never in a million years did I think that I would be able to enter Notre Dame again with my husband, my children and my Mother (who had to watch my anguish for so many years).  I was brought to tears by the love of our God.  This experience instilled a deeper trust in Christ.  Not because He gave me what I wanted, but because He knew what I needed and WHEN I needed it.    

At this very moment, the kids are playing a very exciting game.  They have been rolling a jingle bell back and forth for the last 15 minutes, there is some kind of scoring involved.  I can't figure it out but it reminds me that kids can find anything to play with, do they really need all the manufactured toys that our culture shoves down our throat?  They are very happy with less. 

We are reading more, studying more, creating more and enjoying each other more.  They are playing "old school" games like  hide-n-go-seek, Mother May I, and Simon Says.  There are a lot less distractions and we are all very content.  Shocking, isn't it? 

I secretly love this closeness and the simplicity of our life right now.  I don't know that I would want to live in this hotel forever but I like the closeness that we are experiencing.  

I am looking forward to moving and living in a smaller house, having less furniture to dust, less toys, less clothes, and less kitchen crockery.  I am looking forward to "living leaner".  I think this experience is going to change Dan and I considerably.  Do we really need all this stuff?  Do we really need the big house?  The big cars?  The distractions?  Is that really what God wants from us?  Or do we need to slow our pace down, spend more time with our family, friends and each other?   Do we need to slice out time for quiet, solitude with Christ? 

Slowing down forces reflection.  It is sometimes scary to slow down and see our life more clearly, see it for what it is, own up to our faults and failures, admit them, learn from them and hopefully move forward.      

We just received news that our "air shipment" made it to France, cleared customs and will be moved into our "flat" today.  (The French do not use the term "apartments," instead they call them "flats".)  I like that. 

It feels great to know that when we arrive, we will have a lot of our comfort items.  Interesting side note is that when the movers deliver  shipments in France, they unpack everything, leave your belongings scattered about and then take the boxes with them.   It will be interesting to see what we walk into when we arrive.

We are having our relocation representative open the apartment for the movers and hoping that she will direct them to where things belong.  We shall see.   

"When we are no longer able to change a situation,
we are challenged to change ourselves"
~Victor E. Frankl

Dear Lord,

Be a bridge of change for me
Patience is the goal,
Challenge me
Refine me
Change me

Amen

It is a little strange getting ready for school and work in our hotel room.  The kids are pretending that we live at "The Plaza Hotel" in New York like Eloise.  There is no dog "weenie",  plump little "nanny", Central Park, or  doorman...........but it IS a hotel.   

We sat in the lobby this morning waiting for our car, then it was off to school to "re-enroll" the children and answer about 20 times "I thought you were moving to Paris?"  I also had to "throw my hands in the air" and deposit money into the kids lunch card for the cafeteria.  I was pleasantly surprised that the school does have some healthy choices to choose off the menu.. 

I already miss the bus.  I can't believe my Mom carpooled her kids our entire school years.  Thanks Mom!  What a drag.  I need to get a book to read in carpool line. 

 

The kids are doing great in the hotel.  They are enjoying the new environment and I think we are all embracing our small quarters.  

They now have a "secret spot" where they meet daily to discuss interesting topics such as horse grooming, "how to get our parents to buy us a horse", monster trucks, outer space and "how to get Mom and Dad to give us more money for allowance so we can  buy a pregnant horse" (that way they can each have thier own.)

 These secret meetings last for 30 minutes or more.  I must admit that every now and again I stand really close to the door and listen in.  I always walk away with tears streaming down my face.  If you ever want to know what six year olds talk about, meet me by our bathroom door and listen in.  It's a scream!

Whenever I think of you, I get a smile on my face.  You are my Pa from "Little House on the Prairie".  I always thought you looked like Michael Landon when I was growing up. 

I have always loved to be near you.  It didn't matter what we were doing, I just wanted to be in your presence.  I was secretly jealous of all the fishing and duck hunting trips my brothers got to go on.  I am sure I let my feelings known because I can remember a few fishing trips that I got to tag along on with you and my Uncles. 

I loved driving down to Newport Beach early in the morning sandwiched in between you and Uncle Rick sipping your coffee from a thermos and listening to 50's music.  Even more fun was sitting in the tiny motor dingy that you rented and cruising the bay searching for just the right fishing spot.  I delighted in sitting with you and whoever else could fit into the boat and listening to your stories.  Looking back, I think of how sweet you and my Uncles were to allow the little curly haired girl hang out with you.  They were rough around the edges but were so very sweet and kind to me. 

I can remember one trip when I was in second grade and you insisted I stand up in the little blue dingy and recite a poem that I had recently won a blue ribbon for in a speech meet.  I was absolutely mortified but you and my Uncles insisted.  There I was standing up, trying to keep my balance, reciting "The Butterfly and the Caterpillar"; hand motions and all.  Everyone sat watching  intently, eating their tuna sandwiches with huge smiles on their faces.  You were beaming with pride for your little girl.  A thunder of  applause filled the bay when I finished. 

I have many memories of spending time with you and they are all tucked away in my heart.  (Fathers don't realize the impact that they have on their little girls; it is huge.)  I remember hopping into your truck and bidding jobs with you, going up to "Stoovies" for rootbeer floats, Sunday drives to the beach, eating at The Jolly Roger, Vegas trips, you piling our entire neighborhood into the back of your truck and driving to Farrel's Ice Cream Parlour, the sound of your truck roaring up the driveway and me running out to greet you (you always saying "be careful, I am so dirty" when  I could have cared less), a special lunch at the mall where you bought me a gold necklace with a "G" for the charm, my first soccer practice in 5th grade; I was so nervous but you just said "Go on Gina and get in there" while you chatted with the coach,  you never missed a game.  I don't think you ever missed any of my sports games, cheerleading meets, speech meets, etc.  You  always made an effort to support me from the sidelines. 

I am so blessed to be the daughter of a hard working, intelligent, kind, compassionate and warm man.  You mean so much to me Dad and I am  blessed and honored to share a piece of you.  I hold it carefully with delicate hands protecting it.  I hope your year is filled with health, happiness and love.  Happy Birthday!
 

Did I actually write an entire essay about you without mentioning your Los Angeles Kings?!   Horrors!  Go Kings!!!!

I searched and searched and could not find a channel in the DFW area airing "The Rose Parade" this morning.  It made me so sad because I always watch the parade on New Years Day.  I  don''t necessarily sit and watch it from start to finish but it is always turned on and I can hear the bands playing while I am cooking or doing the laundry.

It's an immediate throw back to my teen years.  They were always spent spending the night on the parade route.  We layered our clothes because it gets so cold in California you know.   The cars line Colorado Blvd. filled with teenagers cruising.  The boys were always on the look out for the girls.  I was never one of  the girls that they wanted.  I guess my extra 20 pounds, braces and acne weren't what the boys were looking for......go figure. 

I can remember one particular year feeling like such a wallflower as I sat guarding about 20 chairs on the parade route.  All of my friends had found college boys who were gushing over them and I sat alone in a chair watching the cars cruising down Colorado Blvd.  Suddenly, I spotted my Dad's very old "tough truck" (it got it's name because it would never die, the sucker kept running and running, it was such a clunker), my brother was driving it and saw me and probably felt very sorry for his pathetic little sister.  He yelled for me to jump in the back.  I lit up and grabbed another friend who also happened to spot my very cute brother and we jumped into the back of the truck together.  We cruised the parade route and my soul felt a little bit lighter. 

I must say that I was sorry to miss the parade on television this morning but I am not sorry to have grown and made it through my teen years.  Forty feels so much better than 14. 

*This is an example of one of the rose floats.  They are covered in flowers and plant based materials.  If you are ever in the Los Angeles area around the New Year, don't  miss this parade.  You can actually buy tickets and sit in the grand stands.  Don't forget to check out the floats after the parade and the following couple days as they are lined up on Sierra Madre Blvd. for a close up look.