recommendation

Yesterday was Wednesday, the day when the kids are off from school. My host mom has been rather sick this week so I had decided no matter what I was not going to end up going to Paris last night for my church gathering so I took it easy trying to keep my patience intack the whole day! (Let me tell you, spending ALL day home with mom and 2 kids can become quite exhausting!) In the afternoon my host mom needed to take the kids for a previously scheduled check up at the doctors and she decided she didn't need my help so I was left home...alone...by...myself... woo hoo!!! I have been reading a book a friend let me borrow when I first moved here and its a really long book (over 500 pages) and I had given myself a deadline of completing it by this past weekend. Well, I'm happy to say that even though I'm a few days past my deadline, I finally finished my book. It has a rather catchy title, Losing My Virginity, but don't let that fool you, its a fabulous book! It's an autobiography of Richard Branson's life, the man who started any company with the name Virgin. Most notably Virgin Music and Virgin Airlines which you still find both of in almost every country. He tells of how he grew from being a "nobody" in school and having no future according to his teachers and deans, to being one of the most successful people in the world. He has overcome many, many obstacles, some I'm sure a lot of you have no idea about. I really have more respect for the brand and plan on using and buying from them whenever possible and I suggest you also do the same. Anyways, if anyone is interested in autobiographies, I highly recommend this be on your to-read list. I'm not sure I've ever voluntarily read a 500 page book much less unvoluntarily, so I am proud of my accomplishment!

Anyways, Friday starts the beginning of my 13 day holiday. Well, I am not actually starting my holiday until Wednesday but the kids have no school for the next week and a half! Woo hoo!!! My host family is planning on going to the South of France for a week and I am staying here and hanging out. I had thought about going on a quick trip but things kept falling through and I am honestly happier having some down time to be alone (since there is rarely down time here) and spending quite a bit of my time in Paris with friends. On Friday night of the weekend (not this weekend, but the following) I am hoping to have a little sleep over for a few girlfriends at my house here in the countryside. Since we couldn't do a get-away we decided it would be fun to do a mini getaway, since afterall I do kind of live far away! haha. A night of cooking an all you can eat Mexican buffet courtesy of Kara's cooking skills (ha!) and watching movies in french (with english subtitles) and being girly. I hope this works out and it happens because I could surely use a  night like that!

Oh and for those of you hearing about my country on the news, its crazy! But don't worry about me, i am just fine! So the French are striking AGAIN, big.deal! So the government raised the retirement age from 60 to 62, which from what I've heard is still one of the youngest retirement ages around anyways. Well, the French are pissed off about this. (Honestly, in my opinion and in my host moms opinion, the people are going to oppose ANYTHING the goverment does) So they are striking and demonstrating, but now its gotten to a whole new level which is defaming personal property. Burning up cars, breaking in store windows, etc. Luckily I live in a nice suburb where that isn't happening and I am blessed to be in a very quiet part of town but i am praying for those who are being affected by all this. And for what? 2 more years of working? Come on! Even if you don't like it that is not a reason to mess with other people's stuff. But I have decided I am an American and have american ways of thinking therefore I will never fully understand striking or demonstrating. At least not to that extent. And on top of keeping the metros and trains from running smoothly, they are now blocking the gas trucks from refilling the gas stations with their supply of gas so people are slowly becoming unable to drive to work and where ever else they need to go. Good timing as today I woke up and its 28 degrees F or -2 degrees celcius, and there is a week and a half holiday starting soon.
If you wouldn't mind keeping this situation in your prayers. I don't believe I am directly affected but I stll live here and these are the people I am among and the country I am living in right now. Pray for peace and understanding!


Well, thats all for now! Hope everyone is staying warm where ever you are. I mean, I'm pretty sure its not even cold in Texas right now, lucky! I realized this morning that I traded one extreme for the other! I used to have summers 9 months of the year and now i have winter 9 months of the year! I really had no clue what I was getting myself into.

Love you guys to the moon and back, Kara