The weather was fine, and the ocean was great, and I can't wait to see you again

Last night was the first night I've spent alone since Kyle and I got married last spring.  It seems a bit odd that it hasn't happened sooner, but I couldn't think of any opportunity where we would have been forced to be apart.  Perhaps many wives daydream about the freedom of dominating the home for a bit; I'll admit that I had thought it'd be a nice opportunity to turn on my weird-o music up really loud.  That's definitely something Kyle isn't likely to tolerate.  I can imagine him walking into the living room and very sweetly asking, "What's that you got playin'?"  When I take a moment to stop singing and say it's the Mars Volta, Hot Hot Heat, Fruit Bats, The Decemberists, ELO, or whatever I'm jamming out to, I would ask Kyle if he'd prefer I put on my headphones and whether or not singing would be too disruptive.  The answer is nearly always affirmative.  On a brief side story, it has become a neat way to experiment.  I sing all the time while doing dishes and listening to tunes on my iPod.  After I sing something enough, perhaps I'll play the song while Kyle and I are working on homework/lesson plans (respectively).  Then I watch and wait to see if Kyle recognizes it.  He has successfully identified two songs~one by Lady Gaga and one by Band of Horses.  It's a fun game.

How's a girl to be happy without her cute husband?  He's probably rocking out to something bluegrassy...

Anywho, this is all to say that I was not looking forward to being in our dorm all by myself.  Yesterday I worked in the morning.  I was pumped that as soon as I headed back to town Kyle would be arriving in town to take me out to lunch before he caught a train for Germany.  He had an assessment day with Siemens in Erlangen today.  It'll hopefully lead to the next round of interviews for a dream job for him back in the U.S. this fall.  We went to one of our favorite little sandwich shops and had a stellar french lunch~quiche, croque, salade, and french fries.  Then we shared the ever dramatic farewell moment in a European train station.  Even though it's a night and day apart, it was hard to let him leave.  I took the bus home and tried to determine what to do...

What did I do?  I skyped my family like crazy!  I talked to Miss Foo, my mom, KHud, and BHud.  I even talked to Jan (my step-dad) who just so happened to be in my timezone.  He, too, was in Germany yesterday and was actually located closer to me than Kyle.  Crazy times.  When I wasn't on the phone like a high school girl, I indulged in a chick tv marathon.  Yesterday I consumed Cycle 12 of America's Next Top Model.  It reminds me that I'm happier living with a boy than any number of girls (excluding my lovely sisters).  Yikes, those models are mean to each other.

Goodbye Jan!  Hope you drive safely back to America.

You may be thinking, what a waste to live in France and have the opportunity to explore and enjoy spring and sunshine with just your thoughts and God.  Well now, I didn't dispense all my alone time vegged out in front of my computer.  Yesterday and today I took a couple of walks~ il faut en profiter, as the French say.  Today I graded tons of tests, washed the dishes, tended to our little garden, ran errands, planned for school, and filed bills and miscellaneous paperwork.  My reward for all my hard work on my day off~ a tiny pizza for one which Kyle bought for me!  I think he was afraid I would starve without him here to make dinner, and I might just have... Not to dwell on college boy food, but I love how french my pizza toppings were~ I had a tasty lardon (real bacon bits) and chevre (goat cheese) pie.  My favorite part of the day was doing my Bible study lesson.  Usually I do it on during my 2 hour lunch break on Thursdays, but it was so much more enjoyable to do in my home on my cozy sofa.  I was happy to find a purple pen I didn't know we had to take my notes.  Happy day!

Kyle will be back later tonight.  I can't wait to see him again and give him a big hug.  These short separations don't necessarily make me appreciate him more.  On the contrary, they make me want to skip out on our responsibilities and spend more time together.  I just can't get enough quality time with Kyle.  Good thing there is no Starbucks in Metz~ otherwise, the temptation to skip school would be too great.  God knew what he was doing, and I believe what is written:  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  That applies to international coffeehouse chains, too.

Show & Tell~ It's back!  I have two things to share today and the theme is two-sided.  The first is a lovely art project created by the one and only Auriana.  She's on a role these days.  I'm am terribly sad that she didn't pass the standardized English exam.  She did better than some of the students who did pass, but they automatically fail the ones who don't nail the listening comprehension section.  I dislike this test tremendously.  Anywho, let's enjoy her creation.

Don't give up, my little pupil

This may wear off, too, when she discovers her test results.  *sigh*

What I'm about to show you is the great mystery of the day.  As I was walking today, I reached my hand into my pocket and discovered a large coin.  You see, we've been having lovely weather and I put on some shorts I haven't worn since I lived in Atlanta last August.  Thinking to myself, I determined it must be a quarter.  Upon looking at it I was stunned to see what was actually hidden away in my summer attire for who knows how long.  It's an Australian dollar coin!  Where on earth did this come from?  I've never been to Australia, and I cannot think of an occasion where someone decided to give me a dollar from down under.  It came as quite a shock to find foreign currency tucked neatly away in my pocket. 

Long live the queen

Even after some internet investigation, I cannot tell you who this fella with the shadow is.  Mystery.

Project Pretty Porch

Our devotion this morning had a poem that ended with "God has plans for you", but Kyle astutely said that God also has plants for you.  That's because today we planned to go to Jardiland and buy some things to make our porch a happier place.  Hopefully all the coldness of winter is gone and our sweet little sprouts will be safe.

So we set out for the garden store on foot with lots of bags in hand.  It was like being transported to America when we entered our french version of Pikes nursery.  They had not limited to themselves to indoor/outdoor plants and lawn ornaments.  No, they had lawnmowers, patio furniture, bouquets for sale, garden gear for children, and chic home decor.  The didn't even limit themselves to a home/yard store.  Jardiland is also a pet store!!!  They sell bunnies, rodents, and fish to your hearts content.  I was ecstatic; I think we'll return just to look at the bunnies and such.

Look, Miss Foo! A corner loaded with tiny robo-dwarfs!  If we weren't returning back to the states in September....

We happily selected herbs to achieve Kyle's culinary dream of tasty herbs on hand that aren't overpriced at the grocery store.  We selected some thyme, rosemary, chives, basil, and Italian flat leaf parsley.  It smelled like Mario Batali and Giada di Laurentiis had jumped into our shopping cart while we then perused the flower section.  We had a lovely employee help us find everything we were looking for to complete our window boxes, and he was gracious enough to point out where the 1euro flowers were.  He gave us the whole "there's a sale, but we're not supposed to be promoting it" deal.  Bless you, Jardiland employee.  Hamiltons can never turn down a deal.  I picked out some cute white and pink geraniums.  Our last items we required were dirt and a hand shovel to make the work easy.

We bagged our items and then ventured back to our home for what seemed to be one of the longest walks we had taken in a while... here's why:

What a dirt bag!

Grocery bags and a back pack full of plants and planters

Police blocked our passage home to allow these mysteriously large vehicles pass.

Getting all our goods home was just the beginning of the fun.  We had glorious sunshine and breezes to soak in while we arranged our plants.  We discovered that we really enjoy gardening today.  Hopefully our plants will thrive as we tend them.  Here are some pictures from the process:

All the elements

Getting dirty

Still blooming!

Easy does it~ our basil is so little.

Et voila!  A perfectly beautiful tiny garden for our newly reclaimed bonus room (the porch).

Yum!

Chives just look like grass

Mes fleurs!  Cute, huh?

Pink!

White!  I really struggled not to get white and yellow flowers.  I've got it bad for Tech...

The finished project!

Now that we have dirt left over, Kyle is dying to pick out a few more things.  Who knew his black thumb would turn green?  I hate when days like these end.  In just a few short days, I'll be back to standardized testing and mastering the art of teaching baby English.  Kyle, too, is about to have a big change in schedule.  I'm happy to report that he has two weeks left at GTL.  Then (we pray) he'll be done with school for a long time.  After that, he'll start his internship at a lab full of equally smart French dudes.  It's focused on nano-structures.  I'm not sure what that is...  to me, Kyle is an international man of mystery.  Also in wonderful news about Kyle, he has an assessment day at a Siemens office in Germany.  We hoping that it leads to an excellent employment opportunity in October.  We're pretty excited about this.  Hope you are happy and well wherever you are.  Bon weekend.

Saturdate

Rather than spending a sunny weekend in Paris, we improvised a lovely date day Saturday.  We are having the most glorious weather you can imagine here~sunny, clear blue skies with temperatures in the 60s.  Believe it or not, there is no trace of ash in our skyline.  It's a mystery.  Kyle had to accomplish a good bit of studying as well as prepare a cheat sheet for his upcoming exam.  I took the opportunity to dedicate my afternoon to lovely reading so as to not distract Kyle from his studious efforts.

Would you believe me if I told you that's his thinking face?

Hizzle Cizzle

It gets worse the closer you get.  I only like talking about random variables when hypothesizing Lost theories...

Kyle rewarded my good behavior with a Coke!

The view from my cozy couch at GTL.   Told you~ no ash here!

Keeping it classy with Jane Eyre and Braised Chicken flavored ruffles.  Even french snacks are so chic.

This was a lovely way to pass the afternoon, but we were on to more serious date related activities for the evening.  We returned to our abode for a fancy salad.  You know I'm in the kitchen preparing dinner when it's a salad.  I found these awesome jars of salad mix~sun dried tomatoes, feta, herbs, and lots of olive oil.  Throw in some olives and hard boiled eggs, et voila~ fancy European salad.  Kyle is so sweet; he kept telling me it was a great salad as to not discourage me from further esculent experiments in our kitchen.  I think it's working~ I'm going to make pigs in a blanket today using pate feuilletee and saussice de strasbourg (that is, puff pastry and hot dogs... it's so regal sounding in French). 

I should note that this day was special because I insisted on Kyle choosing a shirt for me to wear.  He instinctively selected my most plaid garment as well as one of his own.  His Scottish love for tartan textiles is in his blood.  You'd know it even if you didn't know his last name is Hamilton.  (On a brief side note, Hamilton is also the maiden name of C.S. Lewis' mother.  I hope through some genealogical miracle that he and Kyle are related...)  It just makes the day so much better when you're in plaid.  It inspired me to look up quotes where I could easily insert the word "plaid" in the place of "glad".   I added the best one to my facebook account, but I'll share some of the less than charming examples I came up with...

For Ladies:

I've been a wicked girl," said I: "But if I can't be sorry, why, I might as well be PLAID!
Edna St. Vincent Millay

Let the wife make the husband PLAID to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.
Martin Luther 

A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is PLAID has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears.
Anne Roiphe

Just silly:
Bluegrass is wonderful music. I'm PLAID I originated it.
Bill Monroe

I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be PLAID to make an exception.
Groucho Marx quotes

The great secret of happiness in love is to be PLAID that the other fellow married her.
Henry Louis Mencken

I'm PLAID I don't have to explain to a man from Mars why each day I set fire to dozens of little pieces of paper, and then put them in my mouth.
Mignon McLaughlin

 On Life:
I suppose what makes me most PLAID is that we all recognize each other in this metaphysical space of silence and happening, and get some sense, for a moment, that we are full of paradise without knowing it
Thomas Merton

Be PLAID of life because it gives you the chance to love, to work, to play, and to look up at the stars.
Henry Van Dyke 

Foodies:
I don't like spinach, and I'm PLAID I don't, because if I liked it I'd eat it, and I just hate it.”
Clarence Darrow

“Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea! How did it exist? I am PLAID I was not born before tea”
Sir Philip Sidney 

There you have it... the less desirable PLAID quotes.  Back to date business.   My salad certainly couldn't fill us up.  We needed dessert and headed to our local McDonald's to satisfy our ice cream craving.  A little over a year ago, this McDonald's burned to the ground, but we never learned if there was criminal involvement.  They rebuilt and incorporated super modern decorations to make this McDo very trendy (here's a news article if you are interested and can read French).   The McFlurries are pretty good, too!

Thankfully, it no longer looks like this...

Still no ash, inside or out.  Just happy cups of glace italienne (soft serve in French).

M&Ms were a good choice!

I can really get into plaid, salad, ice cream dates.  We topped off the evening with our friend Peter and his girlfriend Cecile.  The fellas jammed on guitar and banjo, and we enjoyed beer and wine until super late at night.  No pictures from this segment; it was our first time meeting Cecile.  I have yet to snap a shot of someone to put on my blog in our first shared social event.  May I never be "that girl". 

There is still a glimmer of a hope that the Hamiltons will come to visit us, but it's no guarantee.  Hopefully we'll get to see them soon and share some stories with you.  A plus et bon dimanche!

Revelation

Normally I don't indulge in lots of naval gazing and self-examination in this blog.  However, there are occasions where the rules must be thrown out and the truth must be brought to light.  Today I'm talking about 1997.  This was a pivotal year in my life~it was the year that I made the switch from pop boy band fascination to crazy rock and roll.  I attended my first concert in Atlanta in 1997 (Veruca Salt & Bush at the Omni).  It was just the beginning of my love for rock shows and walls plastered with posters of my favorite bands.

Today I realized that I may have unconsciously transitioned due to something as petty as a crush.  Not a crush on any boy at school who persuaded me to drop Star94 for 99X.  No, I am ashamed of what I'm about to reveal.  I think my deeply rooted love for Silverchair (as most of my close friends and family know, they are and have been my favorite band for years), yes, my deeply rooted Silverchair love comes from....

TAYLOR HANSON!!!!! (cue dramatic music)

My sisters can attest that the summer of '97 was a harsh summer where each morning they were awoken to the vocal styling of Taylor, Isaac, and Zac Hanson.  Mmmbop sometimes repeated for thirty minutes straight at the break of a July dawn.  I was obsessed.  Behind the clothes in my closet I had fashioned a small shrine of photos and posters of Taylor and the brothers as I had collected them from Tigerbeat and other teeny bopper magazines.  

1997 is also the very same year (I believe) that I traded my Nutcracker cd for Frogstomp (Silverchair's first album).  That's right, I lacked so much class that I valued Daniel Johns musical skills higher than those of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  My big sister KHud capitalized on this exchange and I don't think she ever looked back.  For me it was the inception of a lifelong adherence to all things Silverchair.

How did I conclude that Hanson brought me to Silverchair?  Let me show to you some photos I've collected from the interweb (all of which are in black and white for an artistic effect).

Daniel Johns of Silverchair is the line leader

Taylor Hanson again

Daniel Johns looking crazy with his Chuck Taylors

Awesome fan art of a youthful Taylor Hanson (he looks like a lady)

I even found some fan art of Daniel Johns (btw~Miss Foo, it'd be awesome if you could give me your rendition of DJ... just saying.)

Even as adults they look the same!

I think the photos reveal how my girlish crush on Taylor Hanson opened the door for me to instantly find Daniel Johns cute when I was all of 13 years old.  If it hadn't been for Silverchair, I may still be crazy for those Hanson brothers and their sugary pop variety of hits.  Think of the ridicule I've escaped.  I can hear them now, "She's 26 and she still loves Hanson?  Are they even still a band anymore?"  And yes, they are.  Thankfully Silverchair is way more obscure to the U.S. audience so most people don't have the ability to say whether or not it is sad that I've been hooked on them for over a decade.  

Their similarity in appearance also probably explains why I was reduced to middle schooler fascination with Silverchair when I actually met them.  How shameful.  I'll leave you with several of my own pictures of Silverchair.  Promise the next entry will be about France.  This was just too big to not share...

 They are behind the girls...

I should have tried harder to get a better shot.

That's right!  His guitar is behind his head.  He can also play it with his teeth.

Farewell for now friends!

A Time to Weep and A Time to Laugh

In a mysterious and unexpected turn of events, the arrival of the Hamiltons in France has been delayed.  Many of the readers may have already heard about the catastrophic volcano eruption in Iceland today.  It's terrible news for those in Iceland as the heat of the volcano has caused glaciers to melt which then flood their towns as the water rises.  Why should this affect a lovely southern family from joining us in France?  Dastardly winds have swept the volcanic ash across the skies in Europe causing major problems for the airline industry.  Thus Charles de Gaulle is anticipated to be closed for the next couple of days.  I'll bet the airport employees are ecstatic that they get a few days off without even having to threaten to strike.

Ominous + Cumulonimbus = Ominonimbus or Cumuloniminous

The system is down

Kyle and I had booked train tickets to carry us to Paris tomorrow.  Hot on the heals of having a great group of friends stay with us, we were thrilled to end the week with our first trip back to the city of lights since we moved here back in September.  It would have been nice; we've eaten so much the last few days that I was looking forward to the cardio-inducing effort it takes to scale the Eiffel Tower.  On top of that, our plans to roadtrip to Normandy, Nancy, and Natzwiller have been postponed.  We canceled the moment we realized their would be no Hamilton clan to greet until perhaps Monday.  At least we'll have the better part of a week to spend time together.

Tiny coffees and pastries were the highlight of our last Parisian tour.  Also, people watching at Gare de Nord.

It's most frustrating because we haven't seen Kyle's family for so long.  The fact that his parents, brother, and sister are all able to come at the same time is mind boggling.  Their plans have been in the works for ages.  Of all things, a volcano disrupts our spring break.  A volcano... seriously?  You just have to laugh because it is so absurd.

If they had a family band, I'd hoped they'd call themselves the Hamiltones.

On a completely unrelated note, it was about one year ago when I started this blog.  Happy bloggiversary friends!  In my first entry (It's official), I described a bit about how this adventure all came together.  It's sort of mind blowing how much has happened in one year's time.  This time last year I was enjoying a whole host of wedding activities~showers, bachelorette party, thank you note writing sessions, dress fittings, happily receiving RSVP cards in the mail, marriage counseling, and so much more.  Kyle was working and taking classes; he was getting ready for finals.  I was juggling the fun of being a bride with my 3 part-time jobs.  It was a crazy season.

After a shower, Kyle couldn't wait until the car was unloaded to see the plethora of goods which now belonged to us.  We had a lot of hair...

A lot has happened in a year, and I'm glad God gave Kyle and me a trip to France for our first year of marriage.  We used to joke that it'd be like an extended honeymoon.  I think we can both agree now that if it were really like a honeymoon, there would be a freezer for ice cream, warmer weather, appliances (you name it, we'd like it), and perhaps a tub where one could recline.  Alas, we still get tons of quality time together, a nice view of a lake, and the option to eat exotic foods like escargot on a daily basis.  It's not that far off from our vacation to Florida last summer...

We traded our swimmies for scarves, our Cheez-Its for baguettes, and our sand for stones.

Hopefully wherever you are, you haven't been affected by the Icelandic volcano or an earthquake in China or even a potential coup d'etat in Thailand.  Mercy, there is a lot in the headlines today.  I thought the worst was over when Portugal and Rhode Island were flooded and Chile and Haiti were rocked by earthquakes...  We are living in interesting times.  Please feel comforted by this classic gospel tune as performed by Kyle and Brooks.

Brooks was recovering from a cold~thus his voice was a little hoarse.

England Hath Long Been Mad

Thus you should visit France.  Saturday night Kyle and I received a large and friendly group of friends who live, study, and work in Birmingham, England.  It was quite a treat to enter the train station and spot friends with iconic hats just above the crowd (Brooks' notorious younglife hat and the ever popular DAG cap on none other than Scott's crown).  The whole all-star line-up is as follows~Jason Tatum, Emily Desprez, Fanye Abbey, Scott Gillard, and Brooks Tellekamp.  We prepared for their arrival by collecting air mattresses, blankets, and sleeping bags galore.  Our little apartment was transformed into a veritable campsite.  7 folks in our little home; remember what our living room looks like?  Dear Tatum slept in our kitchen; he strategically angled his body among canned goods, the fridge, and trash cans.

Tiny House!

Our first night we stayed up talking and enjoying snacks and stories.  It's just good to be around familiar faces and hear about their experiences in ministry abroad.  They all have been at Canvas as exchange students (or for Tatum, working as a full-time missionary).  It's a campus ministry at the University of Birmingham; it's a really cool place where they share free meals, have concerts, build a community, and offer the students a place to hang out.  Hopefully we'll get the chance to visit them before it's time to pack up and move back to the states.

Everybody in front of the very old church

So naturally our first full day had to be spent out and about in Metz.  We visited all the hits~the oldest church in France (St. Pierre des Nonnains), Porte des Allemands, St. Etienne's cathedral, the Ile d'amour where our church is located (Temple Neuf), the Chapel des templiers (Knights' chapel), Esplanade, and the statue of the Marquis de Lafayette (for our Fayetteville guests).  I believe the most enjoyable parts for all were our trips to the bakeries.  Our first was made popular by JT (our last visitor).  We scarfed an array of treats (escargots & lunettes...yum!)  Kyle and I are becoming regulars at this place; the little round lady who works there never fails to spoil Kyle.  This day he scored a free coffee.  Our second trip to a patisserie was absolutely necessary.  Rain chased us away from Metz landmarks and we delighted in cakes and raspberry treats in the shop next to the cathedral.  We were really fortunate so many places were open on Sunday.

Inside God's lantern

Sunday night Kyle and I made a salad and quiche Lorraine for our pals and enjoyed hours of great conversation and laughs.  Even though we didn't really go out to eat, we wanted our friends to have authentic French food on their stay with us.  Monday for lunch Kyle made crepes (both savory & sweet) and for dinner he whipped up French onion soup.  We also worked in my mom's delicious bagel, cream cheese, red onions, smoked salmon treats (we left out the capers and opted for tomatoes).  They were a hit!  Everybody loved them.  Kyle even had made the bagels from scratch; I'm always reminded how lucky I am and yet at the same time that I shouldn't abandon working out or jogging any time soon.

Livin' large with plastic wine glasses

Since we had tackled a good bit of Metz on Sunday, our friends took Monday for a day of rest and preparation to launch into the rest of their travels.  It was good because they were able to do some laundry, read, write, send some postcards, and catch up on some sleep.  It's really fun to have friends to just hang out with in the dorm.  It almost is like what we could be doing back in the states.  Something about seeing friends abroad makes it feel like you should always be doing epic things like traveling or sightseeing.  Now I feel like this is a much better way to have guests~it's so fun to just bum out with cool folks.

The obligatory group shot

Well, Robert Burns once wrote "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley...".  Such was the case with our dear friends.  They planned to depart late Monday night to take a shuttle to Frankfurt.  We rode a noctobus downtown around 11:30pm to determine where their point of departure was.  After determining their launch point, we then needed to find a place indoors for them to hang out until 3am.  That's right, 3 hours after normal buses stop running.  We found a nice bar to hang out in, and our gracious friends (the Reindls) picked Kyle and me up at 12:30am to return to the Technopole.  Tatum successfully made his getaway to Germany at 1:30am.  Sadly, Brooks, Emily, Fanye, and Scott had a snag in their planning and had made their shuttle reservations for Tuesday night (not Monday).

Farewell Tatum

Around 4:30am, Kyle and I heard a ratta-tat-tat on the wall.  Our friends had found their way back to us.  Thank the Lord we woke up to let them in.  After getting them all settled for bed and such, the reality set in.  We got a bonus day with the friends!!!!  So today we are camping out again in our living room.  Brooks provided the jams (did you know he has Rage Against the Machine in his guitar repertoire?).  It was delightful.  We took a quick stroll to the grocery store to grab some sandwich things, snacks, and lentils for dinner.  This is one of Kyle's favorite dinners that I'm glad he gets to share.  It's super tasty and hope the friends dig it.  Tonight we relaunch them.  This time they are shuttling at 3am, but we are dispatching them in a taxi from our place at 2am.  It hopefully will be a better plan with a happy ending.


Alas, for now it is time to skype with Miss Foo and eat a mound of lentils... it seems Kyle got ambitious and cooked a lot.  Take care friends!  On the horizon~the Hamilton family arrives this weekend.  Get excited!