"adios"

Hello!

This week has been busy and this weekend is about to start and is bringing on some more busy! All wonderful! (except today when I totally crashed.) Last weekend I got next to no sleep and was super duper busy having way too much and I paid the price when last night I got 4 hours of sleep and could not function today. Way to go Kara! It also was rainy and a tad bit chilly so sleeping was the perfect medicine, also considering I have been getting sick, or should I say, I am sick! Although it came at the price of missing my second language class which I was bummed about but I guess its better I miss my 2nd class and not one thats more important when i'm learning stuff I don't now.

I finally racked up enough courage to ask my host mom to buy certain types of food to have around the house that I like. Mainly meat! So today lunch felt like home as I cooked myself a nice Salmon fillet thing and i even found some good seasonings. Tasty! No more going hungry.

This weekend is what Paris called and celebrates La Nuit Blanche which is translated as "white night". It's the first saturday in October every year where Paris is open all night long (the museums, pools, libraries, stores, etc) and I am sure there is quite a bit of partying and entertainment and as well and its all FREE. So I will be sleepless this weekend as well. Yipee! But its all in the name of being as Parisian as possible, and what would I be if I didn't celebrate like the Parisians did?!?!

Also, I will mention I have made some more friends recently and I'm not sure if I have mentioned all of them but I am sure that pictures will be available in the coming weeks and months. There is one girl that I just absolutely adore and we both agree we are soul mates. Its ridiculous how well we get along and have the same interests and even so far as to have the same ideas and opinons on how a church is to be run and politics and the nitty gritty that people would rather not talk about. She is from England and so sometimes we bicker about who's country is better (I, of coarse, think the US trumps every other country) but we finally came to the conclusion, France is the best! duh, or else neither of us would be here! haha. She brings a smile to my face as I think of all the wonderful memories I've made with her and all the ones that are to come... thank you Jesus!

Also, I have been thuroughly blessed. I know I preach it often but God says in the Bible that he will always provide for his people and while I believe it, living in the States and having so much at my fingertips, it was sometimes hard to recognize God's faithfulness in his provision to me. But being here in France where I'm relying on him and only him, I see his provision tenfold and in everything. I met a girl who was attending my church and was to return back to the States indefinitely and I was talking to her about how I just know I am not prepared for the winter that is to come...(speaking in terms of clothes) and she mentioned how she had a bunch of stuff that she didn't want ot take back with her as she was moving to Cali (and clearly does not need tons of scarves and gloves) and said she'd sell/give them to me. I received my bag of goodies last night and went through the bag today...hallelujah! It has multiple scarves, and good ones, several pairs of gloves and a nice wool sweater. I am so thankful as these are things I could not afford on my own. At least not unless I was suddenly blessed with a lot of extra money.


PS. Strike numero three is happening this weekend and a friend "mom" that I know here in my town was telling me about it so maybe I'll have the opportunity to go witness the protesting!!! I'm so excited!
AND AND AND...my heart almost skipped a beat today and i had a smile on my face that spanned from ear to ear when my little boy told his friends, "adios" when we left the park. hahahaha!!! Who knew they'd become trilingual in this year span of time! haha.


Anyways, I wil leave you now...My room is cold and I need to go set the table for dinner!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE you people....
kara

bonjour

bonjour! comment ca va? ca va, bien! et tu? moi aussi. merci!
Today was my first day of language school and I have to say that it kind of resembles the private french classes I was taking back in the States this exact time last year. Interesting! Possibly the same price also!! So the teacher is very kind and my classmates are all au pairs except for one lady who, if i translated correctly, married a French man and is trying to improve her French but seeing as how I only speak 4 year old French, I could've made that up! All I know is how she old is and that she is from Denmark. And I think i cheated on where she is from because I was sitting next to her so I saw it written down on her notes. Ok, that was pointless. Anyways, the teacher seems nice and she tries to only speak in French but thankgoodness she knows English incase we just have no clue. I'm in an advanced level of beginner which means we aren't learning vocab or how to conjugate the verbs but bettering how to create sentences from what we already know. It's kind of hard, I'm not going to lie. We were to introduce the person sitting next to us which I think I did alright. And then we were given a piece of paper with a picture and a million and one things going on in said picture and told to describe everything in French. Needless to say I need to practice vocabulary because mine is a bit rusty. That and I have officially decided that I was not born to learn multiple languages. It is not one of my gifts! But that does not mean that I am going to let that conquer me, I am going to conquer it! I mean, school wasn't my gift either and I conquered it so I can conquer a foreign language, also! Can i hear an amen!!!
I am officially switching (slowly) from English to French, tellng my friends to start speaking to me in French more so that I can practice speaking back. It's interesting the sentences I can create when taking an opportunity to do so. Some of my friends find it a bit humorous to hear me speak French because of my 'accent' which I find funny because I didn't realize I had one. :-) I know one girl in my class, she is an au pair in my town and we ride the bus together and get along well, I'm glad for that! I take class three times a week for two hours at a time. The only thing (maybe not the only) I don't like is that it feels like school and honestly, I was looking forward to the idea of never having to be in a school enviornment again but alas, here I am, a student to the French language.

On another note: this weekend was legendary for many many reasons. Most of them wonderful!!! I made a few more friends, bonded with a few friends I had already made and honestly had a rockin time! I picked up a weekend flat while I was at it! And slept almost none! All in all, it was my best weekend yet.

My father is making me research more while I'm here about other au pair's experiencs and since it seems as though he either has more time than me or is better at researching than me, he has found a few more blogs for me to read, well, one. And I was reading some of it this evening and I found a common theme that this former au pair and I share, besides being au pairs in the suburbs of Paris, we both live for the weekends! I hate saying that I live for anything like a weekend because I want to enjoy every moment of everday, but honestly, when your job is living and helping raise kids that aren't your own, you are thankful for the chance to be a young adult again and weekends are those times. During the week I am subject to my host family and luckily I have been blessed with a wonderful host family who rarely ever needs my services meaning I am not taking advantage of or forced to cancel plans at the last minute plans, but it does get a bit clausterphobic living where you work.

So back to my weekend, I left Friday before dinner and did not return my house until Sunday for dinner!! I enjoyed the weekend with some friends, all new but soon to be old friends as I'm sure they'll be friends for life. We bonded over fabric shopping, interesting company, and long walks late at night taking us right past the Arc de Triumph. I am so blessed to have made the friends I have. I do not lead the typical Au Pair lifestyle but I think I am okay with that because I am happy with my friends and with my experiences and my memories and that, my friend, is worth it a lot!

It has become tradition (for me) to make it back to Saint Germain just in time to catch the last bus back to Chambourcy at 7pm on Sunday evenings which puts me at my house in time for Sunday dinner that is usually being put on the table the moment I walk in the door. Perfect timing if I do say so myself! After a few long weekends I've had, its the perfect ending to usually untopable weekends (which are usually topped the next weekend).

I am sleep deprived but because of my own doing and I wouldn't have it any other way! I am loving living life as a local but thinking I might soon pick back up on being a tourist at times as there is still so much to do and see and who knows how much longer this awesome lifestyle I have is going to last. And the weather for that matter.

This weekend started the beginning of the French's fall and I'm not so sure how I feel about it. Like it or not, it is here and I am having to bust our my coats. Seriously, its still September and people are wearing long coats... its crazy in my head! I remember last October it was still HOT in Texas adn I remember having a breakdown because I was tired of wearing the same outfits for the past 6 months as summer is a rather long season where I come from. And now the seasons have completely flopped and I hear winter is a long season now. Joy! So just an FYI: for those of you who have compassion on the poor and cold, or who were and are planning me a Christmas present, I can use good socks (I hated socks in Texas so I amybe brought 5 pairs, all of which are ankle socks, I am currently wearing my one pair of ski socks I bought in March in the Alps) ear muffs, and maybe another good warm scarf! Not sure if any of that stuff exists in Texas but this girl could definitely use some of that in the coming weeks/months!

Oh and this weekend, while fabric shopping with another friend who is here working as freelance costumier (designer) for fabric for the hott dress he is going to be making me, I found my new place for buying cheap but cute sunglasses! Back in the States I had gotten into buying 10 dollar sunglasses every few months when I finally wore my current ones down but upon moving here and using my sunglasses everyday  (becuase I swear the sun here is 10times brighter than anywhere else i've ever been, dont judge!) they were finally falling apart on me and I was wondering where in the world I was going to find some more really cheap sunglasses. Alas, when in doubt, go shopping in tourist areas and you can sometimes find the cheap stuff there...i Found some cute aviator knock offs for 5 euros. can't beat that! I will be going back in a few months for my next pair! And I got some rockin' fabric for my soon to be one of a kind awsome dress made especially pour moi!

Ok, well, i"m off to bed! Tomorow is another long day and I'm excited about it but do need the sleep to function... Hope you Texans are enjoying the lower temps!!! I will be cuddling up in my bed tonight wearing every peice of warm clothing i can dig up and put on my body including a few blankets. Miss you all!!!

striiiiiiiiiiike 2!

and right now (yesterday, today, who knows when its going to end) is strike numero dos of my life in Paris!!! Fortunately, I actually have survived this one. I went into Paris both days and did not have any complications with the train or metro or buses and I am so very thankful for that! Hallelujah!

I am learning that I am not a fan of getting lost! Who is, really? But I really really am not a fan of it! It can be fun and sometimes funny if its the day and you get a lost in a nice part of town and there is fun stuff to look at or you're not in a rush, but lately its just become flat out annoying! haha. When I had a car, it was easy to know where I was going, I always had a feeling about how far to go and when to turn and where I was. But after moving here, its like my ability to know directions has gone completely out the window. ha. Maybe its that my car had a direction thingy on the rear view mirror so I always knew what cardinal direction I was going or that driving is a lot faster to reverse the wrong direction you've been going but I find myself a lot in Paris. The one good thing about getting lost is that I normally am able to find my way and once I have, I feel as though I know the area better and won't get as lost the next time.

So back to the strike. Yesterday started another strike here in the lovely place that I live. Hopefully this won't last too long as it can have some major effects depending on how severe the strike it. I was in Paris the other night and decided to stay the night but needed to be on the first train back home as I still had to take my kids to school and its roughly a 2 hour commute. This strike isn't so bad and so the RER A was still running pretty frequently and the buses were still running on time so I made it back but I was so nervous. But yesterday when I was in Saint Germain-en-laye I passed by the park that I've mentioned numerous times before, the one at the Chateau, and it was closed because of the strike. I found that very interesting. There was a typed up piece of paper stuck to the locked up gate and it read (in French of coarse), "Because of the social movement for the defense of the pensions this area will be closed on Thursday, 23 September. We appologize for the inconvenience.". Interesting, eh? Didn't know that public parks when on strike did you? Neither did I!!

Yesterday I went and took my exam for my French classes to see where I was to be placed and I basically had no clue how to do any of it and it made me feel so stupid. haha. I mean, I've had 4 years of lessons, but that was 10 years ago (gasp!) and then I had a very intensive session last fall but when you don't use it, intensive or not, how do you remember that well? And then I'm around a 4 and 6 year old a lot and I understand what they say, but I've memorized and understand what they say, which is basically the same 5 phrases over and over again. "Je suis fatigue" "Maman, gateau!" "On va l'ecole" "On va le parc" haha. Translated, incase some of you are clueless, translated these say, "I am tired," "Mom, candy!", "go to school" and "go to the park". Anyways, I am being put in the 2nd level of beginners classes with the option of moving up if I feel as though I already know what they are teaching. I really want to learn French. The lazy part of me says, geez, everyone speaks English everywhere you go and its a lot of work to learn another language and a lot of confidence to use it, but I really am and want to stay deteremined! I want to stay here (in France) for a while and that requires that I integrate myself into the culture as much as possible. So, come Monday, I will be learning French three times a week for two hours at a time and I am excited about it!!!

Well, I have to cut this lovely blog post short as its now time to go pick up the kids from school. And lovely for me...its raining!

Hope everyone is having a great Friday and enjoy your weekend, I will be enjoying mine!!!
Love, me!

just another day

Goodmorning to my fellow Etats-Unis famille. Not sure if that is correctly written, oh well.

I just wanted to say that if you read this, now is the time to pray for me or send me your words of encouragement. It is only 2:20pm and I am already ready for tomorrow. Wednesdays I've found to be harder than other days as I am home all.day.long. with the kids and my host mom and let me just tell you, its a big ball of crazy maniacs and i just want to pull my hair out all.day.long.

So, today is a rough one, tomorrow will be better and the weekend is approaching so no reason to cry over spilt milk as I'm sure someone once told me, if i can even put that there properly. Not sure if it makes sense but sounds good to me. But I do have to be honest that when I have a bad day, it makes it harder to overcome in the moment as I suddenly become homesick for my friends and family and good ol southern comforts and hospitality. A hug. A Dr Pepper and the people I love and cherish so much.

Anyways, I just thought i'd share my heart at this exact moment as I have a few moments (finally) to myself with no one around and I had no one to "complain" to. So YOU are it! Thank you for being there for me, haha!

The light at the end of the tunnel is that I have plans this evening and that means exiting my house and getting away for a few hours! Tomorrow is a new day, and full to the brim with things to do and people to see and before I know it a whole new weekend has approached and I just love my weekends.

I love you guys to the moon and back, me

are you wondering what I did today?

Because if you are, I have pictures to show you.

Today I met up with an Au Pair from Chambourcy and we rode the bus to St. Germain to enjoy one of our last days before we start French classes (THREE TIMES A WEEK). We first went to the market that happens every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in this town. It's not a particularly large one but its a market and its fun to see fresh flowers/fish/cheese sometimes. Even though the last two of those tend to be rather smelly.

And I also saw this: 

this is NOT a joke, it was for sale. 

Then my friend and I went for a picnic lunch at the parc next to the Chateau. I've shown pictures before as its right across from the RER station and its big and beautiful and I realized today you have a view of Paris from this park. It was a nice day, not too hot but pretty warm, which is wonderful considering in the mornings and evenings the temperature is dipping to the low 60's if not lower. Agh. I'm honestly not ready for the cold this early in the year. 

If you look closely, the set of tall bulidings just over my right shoulder is La Defense, the business district in Paris and then you see a hill over my left shoulder and if you are able to open this picture larger and zoom in you will see a very tiny stick pointing out of the hill, that is the Eiffel Tower. You can see it better in person, the picture doesn't do it justice. I am pretty far from the Eiffel as this picture would show, but its not so bad (most days, at least).

And then my friend and I walked to my language school to check it out and ask how much exactly I needed to pay. I found out that I have to take my placement exam on Thursday, which I'm glad I asked because I was planning on going on Friday. I also found out just exactly how much it is and it scares me. If you read this, please pray for me and my finances. I am not a money girl or a numbers girl and with living off the little income I make and wanting to do everything and see everything, I'm having to learn to be patient, even with money. I am having to learn how to allegate my money each week so it goes to places that are honoring to God and not being wasted. I truely believe that if you are honoring with your money, that God will provide for you and I am trusting that. This language school is not cheap and that scares me. But I also know that I am going to be getting a great education out of it so I need to remember that. Being a "grown up" is not so easy I am finding out, even living in a foreign country. Try learning to manage all aspects of your finances and doing it while having to add in exchange rates and bank fees and figuring out how to "wire" it over, thank God for wonderful fathers who are so helpful and so willing to be helpful! I am not quite sure where I'd be without mine, just being honest!!!

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far! I have a bunch going on the rest of the week that I am super excited about. My church is having what they called "Equipped for Life" on Wednesday, its what they do on the opposite Wed as Connect groups, and then Thursday is my placement exam for my language school and Friday I have plans (hopefully I"m able to keep them) to meet up with a friend in Paris to teach her how to drape (on a mannequin) and I'm super excited about that. I'm a bit rusty as I haven't done it for a few years but I'm eager to relearn myself. And she offered free food in exchange for teaching her so I"m not going to lie, I'm equally as excited about that. And then Friday is "Sisterhood something" where a lady from the DFW area is coming to Paris to talk to all the ladies in the church. Life has picked up ten fold and I am going constantly but trying not to take any of it for granted! 

I love you guys a million times over!!! Love, me

continued

as promised!

So a side note: I'm watching the season finale of Survivor from last season right now as I just painted my nails and am waiting for them to dry. haha. When the finale of survivor aired back in May, I was in China and not able to stream the episode and could never find it online once I got back. I found it today and am being a dork by watching it. What can I say, I have nothing better to do while waiting for my nails to dry, haha.

So on Saturday after my driving lesson I hurried to pack an overnight bag and head out to catch the suburban train into Paris. Long story short, I missed it by five minutes so I had to wait about 20 minutes for an RER (a train that stops at every stop/town on the way into Paris). Luckily my friend who I was meeting was running late also so I didn't end up keeping her waiting for too long. We met up at the train station, hopped on a train and headed out to go run an errand. We ran the errand and then I was to go spend the night at her house with her. She lives barely north of Paris in a more suburban like area in a flat with her parents and sister. I was excited to see what a family life would be like in Paris, in a flat! We decided to take the bus so we could enjoy the views of driving through Paris. It took a long time that way. haha. I will opt for the metro next time. haha. Once we arrived at her house spent the evening doing odd things about her flat, rearranging a few pieces of furniture in her room, cooking dinner, watching a movie, etc. This sweet sweet friend who I am loving spending time with, shares my same love for clothes and shopping and looking as fantastic as can be and I had mentioned to her that I needed to find a jacket to buy. So my sob story is that coming from Texas, not only is the weather 100% different than it is in Paris but I also had no clue what kind of clothes I would need. Well, right now is "jacket" weather and I did not bring a jacket nor do I really own a jacket. I had mentioned this to her and she had said without hestiation that she many jackets and if I could fit then I could borrow a few of hers for the season. Whaaat? So Saturday night once we got to her flat she started going through her closet and ended up pulling out there jackets that she is letting me borrow. And they fit! Perfectly! I am beyond elated to know that I am not pressured to buy more articles of clothing right now. Normally that sentence would send me into a panic, that I said it, but right now, with everything going on financially and realizing just how LITTLE I make, I'm trying (key word trying) to be more conscious about how and where I spend my money. Its not easy. Especially when everything here is way more expensive than in the US, not including the exchange rate. So I am very blessed to have met this girl for more than one reason but feel even more blessed that she is lending me some clothes that are going to make being here for the next few months bearable. The night was great and I thuroughly enjoyed myself and her company! It's great to know that I am starting to build some great relationships that hopefully will last a long time and not that I am looking to replace anyone from back home, but I do wish for relationships like I do have back in Texas. I do miss all my great friends so much and I wish so dearly so have a few girlfriends who I can laugh with about the dumb stuff and enjoy dressing up with but also enjoy doing nothing with.

So this new friend of mine is very involved in my church (where I met her) and she normally has to be at church at 8:45am on Sunday mornings. What? I am a regular attender of the 1pm service and even with taking 2 hours to get into Paris I still don't wake up until 10am most Sundays. Ha, not this Sunday. I was up and at church by 8:45am along with a whole lot of other people. I had been thinking and feeling like I need to get involved in the church as this is my new "permanant" home and with no end in sight, I feel very strongly about everyone being involved somehow at the church you regularly attend. I was still a bit shy and apprehensive as I don't speak French and there are a lot of people who don't speak English (as well, there are a lot of people who don't speak French like myself) and I didn't know very many people. Well, it was a divine appointment I feel that I was there that early as I was pulled into help out because I was there. I was later told that the people who are there that early are there to help so I guess they assumed the same for me, haha. But i was very glad that I was pulled in to help because it was just what I needed, a little push. I am now on the "host" team at church where I help greet and seat people and am working towards getting to know more people and get more involved as my schedule allows. Its crazy what God will do when you let him. I have said this before but I strongly believe it. Through this experience yesterday I was even able to meet a few really great people who I had not met before and was very excited to have the opportunity to do so.

After church I went for a picnic in the park as I normally do each Sunday but this time it was with my newly joined "connect group" that I attended last Wednesday. They have been another blessing to me also. The people in this group have roped me in also and have invited me to join them on multiple occassions already and I only fit met them on Wednesday. How amazing! What I want to say about this connect group is that I love how it is a different group of people than I would normally associate with. I don't mean that in a bad or rude way but they are a bit older than me and they are in different stages of life than me, but I love it! I think it will be good for me to be around different people than I would normally gravitate to to be friends with, but I also think these people can bring a new perspective to me. Also, the Bible study is conducted in French which will be really good for me as not any other areas of my life are done soley in French and I could use some hard introduction to no English and being forced to focus on what is being said and understanding it. Well, we had a picnic for one of the girls in the group who's birthday was sometime near yesterday. I still have no met her, she was in the group yesterday but I had to leave pretty soon after the picnic started so I did not have the opportunity to introduce myself. oops! It was a great picnic and a nice way to relax (for a few moments at least) following a very busy weekend and particularly busy Sunday morning.

So that was my weekend! On my way home I was thinking about how my body was aching so badly and how so very tired I was, but was overtaken with the thought that I am so blessed to be here and to finally feel at home... This weekend was busy and full and all of what I did are things I would have done with friends back home. I thuroughly enjoyed myself at all times and no amount of pain in my body or aching tiredness going on could erase the fact that it was a great weekend! Texas will always be my original home, but Paris is really starting to feel like my current home, and for that I am truely thankful!

I have a lot going on these days, in my head, in my prayers, and in my just plain general life that I would love to share with you so I will make another post about that and save it for another day. Some of which includes job searching, yes, I am job searching only 6 weeks into my current job, haha. But I'll save that for another day!!!

I love y'all and hope you all know just how much i love you!!!!!

Love, Me

l.o.n.g.

Long weekend equals lots of fun equals very tired me!

I had a great, great weekend thanks to my new and very fun and amazing firends that I have formed here in such a short period of time. I owe it all to them and their kind spirits and fun personalities, without them, I would still be spending my in Chambourcy alone. Ok, maybe not in Chambourcy. ha.

This past week was just plain awesome and so incredibly tiring as I was always going, going, going. My feet are starting to hate me. I am already a slow walker but I am walking even slower because my body is just plain tired. But I am not complaining, its a good tired...a "i had so much fun its ok if my body hates me for a few days, it was well worth it" kind of tired.

>>>May I just insert right here that I might just pull my hair out right now because my 6 yr old boy was put to bed a few minutes ago and he tends to get a burst of energy around bed time and he's in his room making tons of noise (while in his bed) and the door is open. It's very loud and very annoying and happens most evenings. :-)

So Friday night I had plans to go out with some people from church and I decided to show up late as I had run out of money until I was paid so I chose to stay home and eat dinner with my host family. Not a bad idea! BUT I missed my bus to the train station and unfortunately it was the last bus for the evening. I almost cried. Ok, I lie, i didn't actually almost cry, but i was mad at myself! I have been missing buses and trains and appointments like crazy recently because I am not accustomed yet to this type of transporation and its driving me nuts. So my thought was...should I go back and get the bike? should i ask for a ride? should i walk? Well, I decided if i rode the bike to teh train station i had to eventually ride it back and i wasn't in the mood to ride it back up a hill anytime soon so that was out of the question, and asking for a ride at 8 30 was not really an option either and I was already dead set on going to Paris this evening so I did the only other thing I could do: walk. So let me give you a little background infromation: I have told you how i have walked to the train station before and its not so bad because its only 40 minutes and its downhill...this was not the same train station. This train station is a bit further and all flat ground and on the side of a highway. Boring and long. And i have since learned that I am a rather slow walker. So I set out walking. An hour later Im about to give up and I don't know, fall over on the cold sidewalk and hope that some handsome man drives by and offers me a ride and we live happily ever after (ha) and then Jesus sends me an angel in the form of another bus...hallelujah!!! I see a lady standing at a bus station just across the street so I walk over there to see if she is indeed waiting on a bus and if it will indeed take me to the bus station which is actually 2 feet from the train station...holy moly, the bus comes 2 minutes later, i walk aboard it, and 5 minutes later I am at the train station. (a walk that would have taken me another 30 minutes if i was walking fast for me). Praise the Lord!!! I finally make it to the destination of choice around the early (ha) hour of 10:45pm as most of the people had already left from my group. My friend and I stayed about 20 minutes longer and then decide to leave ourselves. She has a train to catch back to her house at a certain time and I had to find my way to my friends flat who was so graciously hosting me that night. So we decided to walk to the metro station...and not the close one, one a few hundred blocks away. Such is life in Paris!!! The story gets boring from there as my friend and I leave to go our opposite directions and I head out to my friends flat. I clearly get lost as is my style these days and eventually find her flat and am so thankful. It was very cute and she was very hospitable (very uncommon for France) and we had some good conversation and then we both passed out! My first night spent in the actual city of Paris and I honestly wished it was every night for me!!! But I wish for a lot of things that I don't get so its ok!

Saturday I made my long treck back out of the woods where I live. I have come to find it takes approximately 2 hours for me to get from the center of Paris to where I live if I have to wait at all. I knew I had a bus to catch so I try and catch a train according to how long I think it will take me to get there. I still have not yet mastered this art as I have clearly stated that I am becoming quite good at missing the buses and trains and my brain... haha. Anyways, I catch a train back to Saint Germain and anxiously watch the clock tick away and my opportunity to catch the bus along with it. Agh! Honestly! The buses only run every half hour on Saturdays and I ended up missing my bus by TWO stinkin' minutes. All thanks to the fact that my train was going quite sloooooow. (its a fan of going slow these days, no sure why...) So I am left to patiently (ha) wait (ha) at the bus station for another half hour for the next bus. Well, as the day was going so smooth already, why not for the buses also? The bus was ten minutes late meaning I sat and waited for a bus for 40 minutes. Ok, so enough blah blah complaining, once i made it home lunch was almost ready and I was starving and so excited to be eating a hot, already prepared meal! I enjoyed the meal with my host family as I most of the times do and then set off to decide my next plan of action: shower, nap, what?!

My host father then came upstairs and offered to take me for my SECOND driving lesson. Woo hoo!!! Ok, lets just say this driving lesson went a lot better than last weekends! Thank the Lord. I am learning to drive this car! I am thinking maybe 1 or 2 more weeks of driving lessons and I should be cleared to drive on the roads amongst all the crazy French people. And let me remind you that I have still had less than two hours of driving instructions and time so I don't think I'm doing so bad considering I never get to practice either. So Saturday I learned how to stop on a hill and start on a hill. Not an easy concept. I like automatics. But I do not have this option so its a fun challenge as I don't have many of those these days (ha). But it really is a fun challenge. I stalled out a bajillion times trying to go from stop to start on a hill but I got it maybe three times. And then my host father made me drive home. On the road. The road with other cars. I almost peed my pants or broke the steering wheel or both, from anxiety. But i made it! Only stalled once I think (if that was even a stall), only got one horn honked at me, no one passed me and I drove up 3 hills without stalling or having to stop. I am getting somewhere. I cannot wait until I have mastered the art of driving a manual have that much more freedom!

This post is already long and we haven't even gotten to my Saturday night or Sunday and I stayed pretty darn busy. Also, its geting a bit late and I have to get up early with the kids so I am out for now. I will finish this manana as the people back home would say. I will let you guys know tho, sometimes I revert back to my old self and tell people Adios and hola and I even caught myself telling my kids, "no mas" the other day as to their response, "je ne comprende pas" hahahaha! i don't know how to say it in french but spanish works well...for me! Oh well!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!! And thanks for all the letters! You know who you are but I got about five hand written beautiful letters from my amazing friends and family this week and I really loved each and every single one of them!!!! And I plan on writing you all back...once I'm caught up on sleep that is!
G'night, Kara

One month!

I meant to add this to my blog on Wednesday but I forgot as I have been super busy all week long, BUT...

Wednesday was my ONE MONTH mark of being in Paris! How crazy!!! At times its feels like the days go by super slow but the weeks pass before I even realize it. How that happens? I will never know! But here I am starting a whole new month and who knows whats in store for me now, I guess just wait and see! I have a busy and long weekend ahead of me and I am excited to share it with you once it's over! (If it ends up being interesting enough)

Love you guys and thank you for your love and support and letters and packages and messages and prayers over the last month...

Love, Me

you know that...

...when i stop posting so frequently that things are going well!!! Hallelujah!!!
That doesn't mean things aren't still crazy and hectic and that I'm up to some crazy shinanigans, it just means that I don't feel the need to tell every waking detail of my life on this blog at all times. That is a praise!!!

So this week has been ridiculously busy and I am so thankful for that! I am working on seeing the glass half-full all the time instead of empty as even when things are going well, I can still seem to find the negatives in situations. My host family is still going great... I've had my days where I felt like I wanted to leave and I wanted to find a new family because it was exhausting to be here emotionally but I'm getting past that. My family really is great and they have been so great to me and I need to work at being even more flexible and not so high strung about dumb stuff like asking favors or not always knowing whats going on. I'm starting to think that if y'all were to be around me and see me now you would not recognize the person I am. I am a lot more laid back and things really don't bother me as much anymore. I mean, I would like to think that I was a relatively laid back person except when i wasn't and that I didn't get upset too easily but now, when things go completely wrong, i find it humorous. haha.
Take for example, yesterday I went into Paris to go to what my church calls "Connect groups" which is a bi monthly Bible study at someone's house. My google maps mixed with my lack of good directions on the piece of paper I had put me in the completely wrong direction....FOR AN HOUR! I was an hour late to this Bible study all because the city is too darn big and when you exit a Metro station there are usually multiple streets you can exit onto... it makes for confusing times trying to find your way. I honestly thought it was funny that I was lost, of coarse I'd be lost. I ended up walking past 2 other metros before I thought to call someone because clearly they would not tell me to exit one metro stop if i was going ot have to walk so far i'd pass a few others. Come to find out I had walked in the completely opposite direction from what I needed to be going. Sweet! Eventually I found my way and I had a great time meeting new people and reading the Bible, etc.

So that brings me to my week:

Monday I had a doctors appointment in the south of Paris. It took forever to get to, was a very awkward 90 minutes and afterwards I was very thankful it was over and now I am legal to stay here...for a few more months at least! Adventure nonetheless!!!

I am about to go into Paris today which means I will have been in Paris four times this week (every single day this week to be exact) and I am planning on going Fri, Sat and Sunday! On Tuesday I went into Paris (on my own dime, yes, it costs almost 8 euros round trip) to meet up with a new friend. I figured if I pay myself to go once a week to meet up with people either during the day or for dinner then its totally worth it to me. Relationships are really important and I can't leave the weekends just for trying to make better friends. There just aren't enough weekends! So I met up with this girl and had a blast! She is from Paris so she knows the city like the back of her hand and it was fun talking to someone new and learning about them and it didn't hurt that the views of the city weren't so bad either! She showed me some places to go shopping on the cheap as I desperately need to find out how to show on the cheap and really just enjoyed myself.
Yestesterday the kids had off school and so I was around to help my host mom in any way she needed. I took the kids to la biblioteque and we stopped at Tabac (the corner store) and got  a sports paper for my host father and then headed home to .... DRAW. I think if i am asked one more time to draw les fleures or la coeur i might fall over dead! my little girl is a bit obsessed with coloring these days which is great because its something I can watch her do but not have to participate and get dirty whereas Play-do requires lots of effort, haha, but she just loves for me to draw FOR her while she literally sits on top of me (almost to the point where i can't draw since she sits on my right side) and watches me. The girl is so mesmorized with me drawing that she will sit and watch me do it for close to an hour if my picture is that interesting. THank you mom for drawing us cool stuff as kids that I remember thinking was da bomb and now I am doing that with Clemence. Its a funny cycle I tell you. She thinks everything I draw is pour moi (pointing to herself).."for me" she says! And she just loves when I draw her name in bubble letters.

Last night I wanted to go to this Bible study I mentioned earlier called "Connect groups" and I had been worrying about it all week wondering how I was going to manage to go this week and every other time for that matter. The group doesn't gather until 7:45pm and its about an hours trip for me to come back and its a week night which means if my host parents need to come pick me up than I can't stay out very late (9pm is getting late for them) and all this stuff. I talked to another au pair in my town and she had mentioned how she was going to ride her bike to the train station and then ride it back at night so she could be responsible for herself. I had contemplated riding my bike to the train station but hadn't gotten enough courage to actually do it...until she said she was going to do it and then something lit up inside of me and said, if she can do it, so can you! So last night I mustered enough courage to grab my host mom's bike and ride the few miles to the train station. The weather was chilly which was perfect since once I arrived I was sweating because I am that out of shape. It took about 30 minutes to get there, not a big deal, about the same amount of time it takes to get there on the bus. I really felt proud of myself to doing it, for going out of my comfort zone and taking control of the situation. I was able to make it to my appointment last night and thuroughly enjoyed myself without always looking at the clock thinking i need to leave soon to make it back to the train station at a decent hour.

I am learning that I really need to be humbled... and by that I don't mean I am trying to be humble. I don't think you are actually humble if you can say that you are... but the Lord is humbling me daily. It's quite the experince, let me tell you. I went from in the States having a life, friends, a church, a bank account, a cell phone, never having to worry about money or where it was going to come from, having a rockin car,  a solid and amazing family, etc...to France where I was stripped of it all. I've had to wait on God's timing for a lot of things and because of that I've not only learned to trust him more but to have faith that he's going to continue to provide for me. To go from having a brand new car that was my own to having no mode of transportation was a bit rough, I'm not going to lie. It's been humbling to have to ask for rides and help all the time. Not something my American pride would've let me do, not very often at least. But I had to leave a lot of my American traits at the airport along with my American pride. And it's been a blessing, sometimes a disguised one, but a blessing nonetheless, to be 23 and learning some major life lessons that I'm not sure I would've ever learned had I not been given this opportunity or this life!

I am learning to be more patient with my host family. Sometimes they drive me crazy because they forget that I'm around...I don't mind helping with laundry or dinner or ironing or going to the bakery to get a baguette. Thats what I am here for, right? The other day my host mom had to go into work early and so she had my host dad stay home and wake up the kids and get them ready for school when he normally goes to work early also and I talked to my host mom about that and I said, you know, when your schedule changes, earlier in the mroning or later in the evening, let me know, thats what I am here to do. I can get the kids ready for school or prepare lunch or dinner for them after school. And she said to me, "Oh, well, i didn't think you'd want to"....HELLO?!?!?! I am getting paid and getting free food and room to do what exactly then? I am still trying to figure out if she doesn't trust me just yet or doesn't want to give me too much responsibilty too fast but whatever it is, I am an experienced nanny and experienced with kids and I think i am adjusted and settled! I hope she understands that I am here to do things such as that and to help her around the house and takes me up on my offer some time soon... but in the mean time, I am learning to be patient and love them as they are.

I am beyond blessed to be here and the Lord shows me that each and every day when he teaches me new lessons or provides for me or keeps me safe and out of harms way. I am still a work in process as I know I will never be fully Christ-like, but I am striving day by day to seek after His heart and what he wants for my life. And in the mean time, I'm having quite a bit of fun!!!!

Love you and miss you all so very much!!!

Oh and G&G: I know you read this and I told you I'd call you Monday I think and I totally forgot and went to bed around 10pm my time so I hope you don't hate me and I will call you soon, I promise!!!

and if anyone else has an iphone or blackberry, let me know so we can chat whenever! I love my cousin Sarah who has been sending me videos of my baby, daily! It makes my heart go pitter patter!!! :-)

Now I am off to go shower quickly and head out to Paris for the day. My host mom does not need me to pick up the kids from school today so she suggessted I go spend the day in Paris with friends! Thankfully this time around I have friends to hang out with and I am very excited to spend another day exploring in the company of some great people!!! Bonne journee! (have a good day!)

love, me

long.day.

So I totally just mistyped day because on my new blackberry the letters are in different places because it is a french phone and the french keyboard is different from the american. haha. i'm silly.

My weekend:

Sunday was just fabulous as I expected and predicted! I say expected but really mean "hoped" as I still in the back of my mind prepare for the worst at all times as its just habit now. I ended up having a driving lesson on Sunday morning as my host father, i've told y'all before, is teaching me to drive his manual so that i can hopefully, one day, not need to ask them for rides but drive myself. Ha! I am hoping we have more time soon because that 45 minutes did me nothing but make me even more scared of a darn manual! Forget the fact that I have to basically relearn how to drive on someone else's car and its a manual but add to that the fact that I live on a steep hill, therefore, i have to learn to drive a manual up a hill. Sweet!!! I really wish I had had the opportunity to learn in the Texas where the land is flat.
After my lesson I went to church and it was an interesting time at church. I love this new church and I love the people who go and I love attending and I love how i'm starting to get involved, but there are a few things I wish I could be a bit different at times. I know though, that i am limited in my choices of Christian churches in Paris so I can't be picky and I have met some amazing people while attending in the last few weeks so I'm not hating. This Sunday was all music worship. It was interesting. I've never experienced a service like such before. The one thing that bothered myself and my friend who I go with, was that it was sooooooooooo loud! I mean, i guess next time I"ll know to sit further back and hope that that helps but neither of us were in great moods aftewards, which it should've been the other way around, because of just how loud the music was. And i was a little bummed as I was hoping and expecting a message from the Pastor and so I was caught off guard when it was 2 hours jam packed of worship by way of music. The music is powerful and its awesome singing in French as well as English. Anyways, after the service we grabbed some lunch and headed over the park for a picnic. I just love picnics! I'm a city girl, but a city girl who loves the company of others while sitting on a nice spot of green under the not-so-hot sun shining down. (One thing I do not miss about Houston and love about Paris, the abilty to be outside longer than split second without wanting to fall over in heat exhaustion)

On the way home from the picnic, my friend and I started talking about church and how we felt about it and what he liked and didn't like and were comparing notes about each others home churches. Lets just say that this church is absolutely nothing like Houston's First. If i were to compare and contrast the two, it would be similar in me comparing Paris and Houston. She and I started talking about how we both felt like we needed to go home and hear a sermon and study the Bible. (I find it interesting how God places people in your life...awesome!!!) And so the more she and I talked the more we concluded that we should do our own Bible study! Sure we're getting involved at church, sure we attend, but we don't feel right now that we are getting enough BIBLE STUDY...studying of the Bible. So I suggessted to her that we have our own Bible study. The two of us! She's a friend who I have hung out with the most since arriving here, we live relatively close to each other therefore allowing us to see each other more easily duirng the week and we (or I ) enjoy each others (her) company.
So there you have it: my friend and I are going ot go some Christian book store that she said she knows of in Paris and find a book to go off and and really just dig deep into the Word of God and feed off each other and learn from each other and grow while also doing all those thing in the Word and with our relationship with God. How amazing! I am so pumped to get this going.

Then today comes: Monday morning...
Today I had an appointment in the south of Paris for a government appointed doctors appointment. saaaay whaaat??? I do NOT like doctors! Honestly! I avoid them at all costs! I would rather be around stinky French people all day then visit a doctor. But I had too, so I went. Haha, my cute father was nervous for me and told me to send him teh website of the place and all this information and I told him it was okay and not to worry. I mean, to be honest, I was a little nervous myself. Government and doctor are not two words you put in the same sentence in America so it was bit weird... I decided I would make the most of my day and go into town earlier than needed and run a few errands as I don't get to into Paris during the week all that often now. My Navigo only works for where I am during the week and that does not include the cool and fun places of Paris (although it does include Versailles so hello Versailles..) So i made my way into town and found a new mall. If you can call it that. I stopped at Chatelet and realized that the metro stop is in the middle of a mall I guess. I bought a phone cover for my new blackberry, its purple and will hopefully keep it scratch free. And then I realized there was an H&M across the hall....so I of coarse went into. Found myself a few items, duh!! And then headed out to this doctors appointment in who knows where. Lets just cut out the nitty gritty that isn't that interesting and say it wasn't that bad. Honestly. They took my height, weight and eyesight... took an xray of my lungs and checked my heart rate and blood pressure, and 90 minutes later I was ready to peace out. Well, another ten minutes up one floor getting my FOR.REAL.VISA.PAPERWORK. hallelujah!!! I now am legally here for the next year! And I am legally healthy, according to the French that is. haha. I have an xray of my lungs to show for it, no doubt.

here it is ladies and gentleman... the last and final peice of the puzzle

Oh and just so you know, the French are now occupying 2 pages of my passport and that is just for 1 year. This only lasts me for 10 more months and I have only 7 months before I have to apply for another one if I want to stay past my one year deadline. Holy moly on the paperwork!!!

You would think that my day wasn't that interesting but days like this make me worn out and completely exhausted! Seriously. Dragging myself around town, carrying my large LV purse that can hold anything everything i can shove into it, using my brain in more ways that I could ever imagine trying to figure out how to get places with hand drawn maps and not stress out too much at a doctors and the list goes on and that leave Kara feeling like one tired girl! I was seriously almost too tired to eat dinner. But thats just laziness at its best right there. I did eat dinner, don't worry!

When I was at the metro stop La Defense, I was walking to my train and stopped inside a Monoprix or something like that. Its the equavalent of a gas station corner store I guess but at the metro you don't need gas so its just a little grocery store if you will. Anyways, guess what I found:

A Dr Pepper. At La Defense... interesting. Such a random place to find it. So much closer than either of the American grocery stores no doubt. I have no tasted this one yet so I'm not sure if it tastes the same, the can is a bit different so thats why I'm saying that. Can't wait to find out tomorrow morning for breakfast as I indulge myself with Dr Pepper and Cheetos!

Oh and speaking of breakfast, I might have to hold off on the Dr. Pepper because I have plans to meet a girl from church for breakfast tomorrow morning, in Paris. I do have to pay to go into town tomorrow but I think its worth it, to build relationships. You can't really put a price on it, unless of coarse, you are broke, but I am not broke just yet so I can afford to spend money on food and the train...right now! haha. I am super excited to have a full week so far and not be sitting at home finding way to occupy myself in small town Paris, or so thats how I feel out here in the boonies sometimes, haha!

So cheers to being healthy, happy and new friendships...

I miss you guys but hope that you all miss me so much you just have to book a ticket asap to come see me....you know you want to!!!!

Kara

not a single hitch...

so yesterday I can say was maybe the first day since i arrived here where nothing went wrong... I made the buses, trains and metros ok, didn't get too lost, enjoyed the company of new friends and enjoyed viewing a new part of town, found an American grocery store and enjoyed an old favorite, made it home in one piece and enjoyed a nice dinner outside with my host family, and even my night ended with a surprise and lastly, chatting it up with family via skype and friends via blackberry messenger and my new obession: Whats app!!!

So yesterday may go down in history as one of my best days yet... how amazing is that!! I really am less like a foreigner and more like a resident as i am not meeting daily or hourly obstacles or barriers...it was nice to have the day flow naturally and just enjoy it all, in full!!!

After dinner we were in the backyard picking up the plates to take inside and the sun was setting so it was a nice time of the night and the doorbell rang... my host parents were a little caught off guard as they were not expecting any guests... well it was our neighbors...delivering a package...for MOI!!!!!!

My first carepacke from the USofA arrived on 9-11 and was from my dear dear friends Taylor, Ben and Raleigh!!! What did it have in it you might ask??? Well, just take a look for yourself:

it came complete with a few of my favorites: Jalapeno cheedar cheetos (a must in everyone's diet), a texas flag of coarse (i forgot to bring one with me...oops), some guacamole seasonings to add to fresh alvacados and 2 pictures of my dear friends as I (dont hate me) forgot to print out their picture and put it in my photo album before i left. And they had just had some pretty awesome family photos taken so i for sure needed a copy!!! 

So ladies and gents: this is what an amazing carepackage looks like...nothing big, nothing expensive and nothing too heavy....simple and sweet!!! It turned an already great day into an even better one!

So lets recount yesterdays activities as if i already haven't: yesterday part of my diet consisted of: dr pepper, goldfish, and jalapeno cheedar cheetos! 

I would say that life just can't get better than that but i'd be fooling myself, today I am headed off to church to go spend time learning and praising Jesus and then spending some more time with my friends who are doing the same! Now thats a good day if i do say so myself!! 

OOOOH, and I need to add: to those of you who have a blackberry or iPhone, my sweet new friend yesterday introduced me to the world of freaking amazingness as she told me about this app called "whats app". Its like blackberry messenger but for iphone and blackberry users....and the best part...its FREE!!! Which means I can now chat with my people back in the states whenever we want to, FOR FREE!!! I think i almost peed my pants in excitement as some of my friends and family downloaded the app last night and we were chatting...its so surreal how small the world has become! The app does cost 99cents for iphone users i do believe but i think its a free app for blackberry users. But come on now, you can chat with me for 99cents!!! Its totally worth it! so if you want to chat with me you have to let me know so i'll put your number in my cell phone and find you in the network! 

Well, its another rainy day here in the beautiful land of Paris...wish me luck as I 'swim' to church this morning! Thank God for umbrellas...!!!

Love you people! Kara

no. 2

its the second post in one day but a few things happened today that could not go without mentioning:

(it is almost dinner time and i have yet to go out and learn to the drive the car yet so i'm not sure it'll happen today!! i decided doing something else was more important than learning to drive a car, you will see in just a moment)

So....without making you wait any longer (because i clearly have made you wait)....

Yes, that is Dr. Pepper in Paris! I couldn't be happier if I tried!

ANDDDD Goldfish... hallelujah!

All found at this hole-in-the-wall American/English grocery store. It's literally the size of a bathroom back home but it sells the stuff that is going to keep me HAPPY!!! haha.

And I found Dr. Pepper and goldfish after I enjoyed this wonderful brunch with a few new friends...

I apologize for the semi-bad pictures as they were taken on my *new* blackberry and i've realized that the blackberry does not take as good pictures as the iphone! bummer! :-(

But I am so blessed (again) to be here and living this life! The girl who invited me to her apartment this morning for brunch has been so kind to me and she not only gave me quite a bit of advice on living and going about my life here in Paris (she's been here for 8 years she said), she also hooked up my blackberry with cool apps and such (she has one herself), but I just thuroughly enjoyed my conversations and sharing a meal with these people!!! It feels more and more like home the more I spend time with people one on one and doing things such as eating a meal at someone's tiny studio apartment. It was quaint, it was cozy and it was exactly what I needed this Saturday! 

I am now determined to live here...indefinitely! Please don't pass out or cry at the thought of that...haha! Before moving here I had no plans to come back anyways so it should come as no shock to anyone who knows me... but now i have an obsession with checking out studios as I pass the real estate shops (whcih are everywhere) to see how much they cost and I love looking up used bikes on craigslist and planning my life...here! Sorry guys if i busted anyone's bubble! I am an American, a proud American...but an American who is beyond excited to set up shop here in this lovely country! 

Oh, and beyond building some pretty cool friendships this morning...my friend (who's apartment I was invited to) gave me three books to read...in english!!! I am so excited! I loooove reading now that I am not forced to read dumb textbooks for school and the saddest thing about moving was not being able to bring almost any books. I brought three Bibles and a few travel books and then 1 actual book. So my new friend put a pile of books she is finished reading on the table and told me I could borrow a few and i took three! i am so pumped!!! 

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying a great Saturday doing whatever you are doing! Mine is coming to an end...i'm ready for dinner so I can stop eating my goldfish and save them for another day...like tomorrow! Love you guys so much, me!

baywatch theme song

Yesterday was a slow and uneventful day for me. I was tired and had a few things to do around the house and by the time I was showered and dressed it was too late to go anywhere so overall it was just a nice and relaxing day. The sun was out! (thankfully) and I had my windows opening listening to my recently downloaded Brad Paisley's American Saturday album. I thought I was going to be able to say nothing eventful happened, nothing to blog about, nothing really to talk about, ha!

Last night I met up with my au pair friend who lives about 10 mintes by train away, and we went to this welcome party for our church. It was hosted at the Pastor's apartment and was for people who are new to the church, to meet the people who are in charge, to meet other people who are new, get acquainted with what the church believes and also find ways of being able to get involved! It was such a great evening! I do have to admit that I was tired by 9pm as I am not used to being out and being social like that anymore, but it was delightful nonetheless to meet other Christians for all over the world doing everything you can possibly imagine here in this city but all have one common factor: our love and devotion to JC!!! I have found ways I can get involved, been introduced to many new people, and even made a few new friends.

Well, the first situation arose when it took me about an hour and a half to get to the Pastor's apartment when it should've taken maybe 45 minutes. I took a bus from where I live to the train station and was able to get on a train within ten minutes of being there...well the train decided instead of going its normal speed it would CRAWL along the tracks...I honestly thought I could've walked faster than the train at some points. It was a bit creepy also as it stopped, came to a dead stop, in a tunnel. It was dark and just creepy. What should've been a 15 minute train ride to my destination of choice turned into a 45 minute train ride. :-( Then once I arrived at La Defense to switch to the tram, I had no clue where the tram was! agh! Thankfully I was born with some common sense and an ability to navigate in unknown territories and I was able to find the tram but it seemed like one mishap after another.

I then realized that it was not a "dinner" as I had originally thought it was going to be. I should've known that no dinner would be served as you didn't have to pay to go and it was being hosted in a Parisian apartment (the big ones are considered small to me as I come from Texas where my one bedroom apartment for myself was almost 800 square feet...). Well, I had left my house around 6pm (when dinner is not served until 7:30 or 8pm in my house) and had not thought to grab a snack or anything. Smart one. We arrived at the Pastor's house and immedietly started meeting people and chatting away and before I knew it, 7:30pm had turned into 9pm and all I had eaten were 2 rather small carrot sticks and a inch of bread with some cheese. It was 10:30pm before we finally left and I was starving by this point. Not an uncommon situation for me now that I live here. haha. I'm still learning how to eat what is served to me and not be hungry 3 hours later. Not sure how to fix that though.

So then Lisa and I headed back to La Defense to catch our train back out to the burbs and we get there and look at the schedule on the tv that tells you what trains are coming at what time... um, we have a problem...the only train coming for the next two hours is the one to Saint Germain. Thats fine for me, I can go to that train station without a problem...My friend on the other hand cannot get to her house by way of Saint Germain. Oh.snap. What do we do? Seeing as how anything that could go wrong has gone wrong since I arrived here, this was not a big deal. I mean, no one was bleeding or seriously hurt in any way so this was easy breezy! Ha! After a short panic session and trying to figure out an alternative solution but deciding that I'm not going to leave my friend at a shady train station at 11pm by herself, I do the only thing I know to do...I call my host father and ask if he wouldn't mind giving her a ride to her house at 11:30pm at night. I owe my host family so many favors its not even funny!!! I mean, I hadn't even intended on staying out that late in the first place so my host father was kind enough to stay awake to come and pick me up from the train station and then he politely agreed to drive an extra 15 minutes to take my friend to her house in another suburb. Luckily my friend did not live too far so it wasn't a very big deal, but we both just felt bad for the inconvenience and the fact that it was nearing midnight by this point. Needless to say, I am frustrated with the unreliability of the trains and their lack of running on a consistent basis! I mean, its Friday night and you're not running past 11pm? Thats ludacris!

Needless to say, we both made it home safe and sound and I thuroughly enjoyed myself minus the few mishaps along the way! This city is definitely trying to teach me a lesson which I knew prior to coming here so its not a slap in the face or a rude awakening...but it doesn't make learning "patience" and how to be "humbe"...two things i'm not good at, any easier by any means! But i can confidently say that i am learning how to not panic in the times of trouble or frustration, how to keep my mouth shut when its the best option, and how to really go with the flow more than I even though possible!

I was reading my "prayer walking" book this morning which encourages me to walk and pray consistently every day and while I have not been very consistent in the walking, well, lets be honest, in either, I decided a Saturday morning with the sun shining was a perfect way to start the day. This chapter  talked about how being consistent and persistent in your prayers pays off because our God is a good God who wants to bring about justice  and quickly (Luke 18:7-8). It was such a powerful way to start my morning as I am reminded, I am not only not here alone but I am surrounded by a God who LOVES me and wants me to bring my requests to him. And that I do, i can assure you of that! He brought justice to the widow in Luke 18 and he will surely hear my cries and pleads to him today and answer my requests. He doesn't say they'll always be answered in the way I think they should, or in my timing, but He will hear them and answer them! I am so blessed to be on this journey alongside the one who brought me here! It's an amazing thing to know you are right where you are supposed to be. Amazing. And last night and each day I am here, proves that to me more and more. I feel like the church I am getting involved in is right where I am supposed to be serving and learning. And I know that where I am living is right whre I am supposed to be living and serving! I still have a few 'kinks' to smooth out and the road is still bumpy...but I honestly pray that it always will be so that I never forget where I come from and who I serve.

So, I'm off to go into Paris this morning to meet up with a lady I met at church a few weeks ago, we bonded on Facebook over my want to go to the American grocery store...and coincidentally, its an American/British grocery store and this girl is British. She so kindly offered to host me for brunch in a little bit so I'm excited to spend some time with someone new! And enjoy a nice dr pepper for the first time in almost month! And then later today my host father is going to teach me how to drive his car so last night does not repeat itself! I am excited and a tad bit nervous to learn to drive a manual, but i figure, everyone else has learned so it can't be THAT hard!! :-)

Oh, and I got another letter from the states yesterday, Thanks Ellen for your encouraging words on my last post but also for your very kind letter! It made my day as I enjoyed reading it!!!
And since I'm doing a shout out, I also received a letter this week from my dear friend Alisa!!! I love you guys so much!!!

Love, me

slight obsession

Ok, I think I have to admit:

I have a slight obsession with writing letters! Those closest to me can attest to that as I'm sure most of you have received a few letters from me over the years. I love buying stationary and cards and postcards and fun pens and all the like. I love going to the post office to drop off my letters and buying new stamps. It's like candy to me! Last weekend when I was in Paris I was looking for some fun postcards that weren't the cliche ones that everyone always buys but that I think are ugly (but still need to be affordable) and I was able to find some. I thought they would be good for special occassions...well, haha, special occassion my butt, they are all already used and about to be mailed out today! haha. Oh well!! I just LOVE mailing letters. I love knowing that I am making someones day by taking the time to tell them I am thinking about them, I love spending the time personalizing the letters to each individual and who they are. Call me crazy or call me old school, but i love letters!!!

On a different note, I've decided that when I walk the kids to school and home from school I feel like a momma duck, haha. The kids usually trail behind me, one behind the other, and while I only have two instead of 6 or however many ducklings mama ducks usually have, its still funny. It's a follow the leader type game. Just thought i'd insert that.

And one last thing: I miss music like its not even funny! I was so used to listening to the radio, pandora, etc all the time and now I have nothing but my iPod. Not to complain, i just miss country music, sadly, haha! I have no idea what new music is coming out anymore and I have no way of listening to random music throughout the day..does anyone know of a way i can stream music here in France other than buying it off of iTunes? K, thanks!

Ok, I'm off to go shower and find something to do. Hey, does anyone have a blackberry? I recently got one (as in two days ago) and I was trying to figure out if I could blackberry messenger people in the states or not... that would be pretty cool if i could.

Love you like whoaaaaa, kara

the stars at night...

...are big and bright!!! clap*clap*clap*clap deep in the heart of texas!!!
reminds me of, the one i love, clap clap clap clap, deep in the heart of texas!!!

Ok, thats stuck in my head right now but mainly because i just love where i come from, can i get a "hell yea" as Gretchen somebody says in her song that was a hit back about 8 years ago... ok, i'm done.

Today was a repeat of a lot of my days here: great, frustrating, and great!!! It's like a sandwhich full of frustration but so sweet and tasty on the outside that at the end of the day it doesn't really matter anymore. Except of coarse, I get to wake up and do it all over again. Thankfully tomorrow is FRIDAY which means the start of the weekend and I have plans all.weekend.long. hooray.

This morning was great for me as I went into  Saint Germain to meet up with another au pair I had met at the bus stop last weekend. She is from Germany but speaks pretty good English and I was very excited to spend the day with someone, as opposed to being by myself. It's funny how times have changed. I would've thought meeting someone at a bus stop and becoming instant friends and going to hang out just a few days later would be weird but its definitely the norm now.

And after a three week haitus from shopping, I am now back in the game! Yes, thats right, after living in Paris for three whole weeks, I finally made my first clothes purchase. That is a big deal for me! I bought my first pair of skinny jeans and a cardigan sweater for the cooler weather that likes to live here where I am. I am excited to work my wardrobe toward being more European and less American. It's a bit difficult as I am drawn towards the more American styles, and revamping your wardrobe on a tight budget can be hindersome also! (is that a word?)

Today was also a great experience as I had the kids until 7:30pm this evening by myself!!! I haven't been left alone with the kids more than hour since I moved here and so it was nice to be the one in charge for once and to be able to make the rules an just spend some uninterrupted time alone with the children, playing and doing whatever else we wanted to. But this situation also lead to some major frustrations....

I have been struggling lately with my position here in this house. I love my family, have not a bad thing to say about them. They have been as hospitable as can be expected from the French if not more, they have bent over backwards to help me get settled in and get all the necessary things prepared for my year here in France. BUT. I never work. Or so it seems to me. I work maybe two hours a day. Wednesdays the kids don't go to school, but the mom doesn't work then either. On weekends they have never asked me to babysit so i try and find things to do and places to go then so that i am not always home. And i don't mean to sound like I'm complaining about a good thing, but I am being paid to work and I was under the impression that I'd be "working" and I just feel as though I am not needed around here. Sure the mom needs to me to take the kids to school in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon but she leaves ten minutes before the kids leave to walk to school and she comes home not even an hour after the kids get out of school. And Wednesdays, I thought i'd be working all wednesday, taking the kids to the biblioteque and to football practice (soccer) and making them lunch, but none of that is happening because she stays home on wednesdays. So that is my current struggle, where exactly do I fit in in this family!?! I never know when I'm working and when she expects me to spend time with the kids and when i am free to make my own plans or spend time alone in my room. It's such an awkward and lonely place to be, in my head at least. I want to feel needed and like I am working for the money I am making and I am able to be responsible and I feel none of that. I know its only my third week I have been here and as everything else has, I need to trust that these issues will resolve themselves also, but I can't help but just feel the way I do since I have no reason to think otherwise. I'd be open to any opinions that might be out there, or anyone who has any advice on a situation like this.

As the day started out great, it became quite frustrating as my host mom did not return from work until 7:30pm tonight which is when the kids are normally fed dinner. I knew she would be coming home later than usual this evening so I asked her what all she wanted done before she got home and all she said was to have the kids bathed. Done! So as the clock ticked on I had set the table and gotten everything else ready around the house for the end of the day and knew that the kids were starving, i mean, i was starving myself, but I had no idea what she wanted to cook for dinner. It was frustrating my head that I couldn't help start dinner or that I couldn't do more. But she doesn't let me or ask me to. i would've glady had dinner waiting but she declined my offer for help. So i digress and sit back and let her take care of business.

I really am learning patience like none other in all of these MANY situations. Patience to keep my mouth shut when all I want to do is scream out in disagreeance or frustration. Patience in keeping calm and not having a breakdown for one reason or another. And patience in knowing that 'this too shall pass'. I can honestly say that these situations i have had to encouter, from the cell phone to the bank account to the bus to the family, are all very humbling as I no longer can take control of any of them...I am left to ask for help and depend on others or just to keep my mouth shut and deal. Not the norm for me. I guess the norm for me is changing.

To end the evening, I came upstairs to watch some American tv shows online as I needed a break, and my host mom came up while I was in the middle of an episode of Big Bang Theory and made my whole day the best one yet (I say that all the time now!). She presented me with my Navigo..my metro pass! Thank the Lord!!! I now have the ability to travel on the buses and trains without having to pay each time. THat is such a relief. It was the last piece of the puzzle to make nearly everything here complete in getting situated and feel more like a resident and less like a foreigner. I now have a French cell phone contract (for 24 months I might add, a bit scary!!), a French bank account, a French visa, a job in France,  and NOW my metro pass. Hallelujah!!!

So this weekend starts an adventure of my life in France feeling less like a tourist and more like a resident! It's definitely an answered prayer! I am making friends, building relationships, getting plugged in, making plans, learning the ropes and my way around town. It's surreal and its real.

I love you guys so much for caring and loving me and wishing me a better day when I make it known that it wasn't so great! You're love and support carries me through the rough times. I know no other way to express my gratitude than to say thank you a million times!!! so THANK YOU!!! And I love you!

love, me :-D

houston, we have a problem...

....err, not so much. Well, i mean, my life isn't peaches and cream but who's really is? I've decided I need to be a more positive person. Honestly, I think I've done a pretty good job given the circumstances of my life in the last three weeks. PS. Today is my three week anniversary for being in France. woo hoo.
I mean, if you think about it, i have all the odds stacked against me and I have almost gone through my entire "to do" list in three weeks! That counts for something, right? And i've even added things to the 'to do' list after i did them because they weren't already on there because i didn't realize they needed to be done, so i'm accomplishing things day by day and while they are slow, they are steady! Let me get an AMEN! amen!

Today was another rough day but all for stupid reasons and the end was not so bad so I don't have much to complain about. Actually, if there is anything to be said, its that I have an amazing family and some pretty amazing friends! I've come to learn, being here all alone at times and very far from anything i know and is familiar to me, that I much appreciate the small things in life that much more. And not just small things, but the big things also, like my friends and family. Every time i have the opportunity to spend some quality time with any of them online via any sort of chat or skype, i am reminded tenfold just how blessed I am to have such quality friendships and such rock solid relationships!

So today I was able to check off my list:
I GOT A NEW AND BETTER WORKING PHONE!!! It's actually the Blackberry so I have unlimited texting and unlimited email and internet. The only catch is i only have 2 hours of talk time a month which we'll see how that goes but thats how the french do it, by hours, and they don't offer that many hours for low prices. i figure with unlimited texting and facebook and email capabilites i should be able to make plans and find my way places without too much chat time. finger crossed.

I also received my carte bleu today in the mail which means I now do not have to have cash on me at all times when I am out and about. The French's credit cards are different from ours in America so its nice to have the security of extra money if I need it when I am out.

Now all that is left really is to get my metro pass but it shouldn't come for another 10-15 days by mail so that is just a waiting game. agh. at least today my host family made the comment (which all americans think and i now can attest to) that the french are slow and not efficient at most things they do. it made me laugh. they said that everything that could go wrong for me did and that i must not have a good feeling about france but that at least since everything has gone wrong that could, hopefully things will start going better. I still love France, despite their holidays, strikes, and lack of efficiently in most things!!! But it definetly makes me miss America on more occassions that not!

Well, I am out for the evening. It's been a long day mentally and i am in much need of a good nights rest before i start the day all over again. thankfully tomorrow involves meeting up with an au pair in the next town who i met last week at the bus stop so i'm looking forward to that. and then the weekend is pretty busy as i am starting to get involved, make friends and gladly have plans!!! (ps, i did just say that i was meeting up with someone i met at the bus stop, my how things have changed!!! haha)

I love you people like its going out of style,

love, me!

ps. and beacuse i know everyone loves a post with pictures, here ya go:

my new phone and i am so thankful to have it!!!

she's cute... some times!