My first visitors

 Last week I had the privilege to hang out with some familiar faces from MN. Dawn and her daughter Sara (who is actually studying in Spain this semester) jetted over to France for a few days and we traipsed around the city. I was able to share some of the sites that are familiar to me in Paris(the above photo is a site that is still mesmerizing to me even after seeing it numerous times).  In addition to working on my tour guide skills (that I hope to be using with ALL of the friends and family visiting) these few days in Paris also allowed me to check out some new spots which was really great.


One of my new favorites was seeing the beloved Eiffel Tower lit up at night. In addition to lighting up it does some fun blinking light show every so often as well.  I can envision sitting at a cafe with this in view and sharing some coffee and dessert, anyone want to join me?

After walking through the Montmartre neighborhood and seeing Sacre Coeur we headed down the hill and walked to the Moulin Rouge. Conveniently there was a Starbucks located right across the street that allowed us to sit outside and enjoy a little taste of the states while looking at this fun venue.

We also went to the famous Louvre. I had seen the Louvre during a river boat tour in the past but up close this building is bigger than I could have ever imagined.

 They say that it takes a whole day to get through the museum. I can completely understand why after seeing it. Being a resident of France there is little in the site seeing department that makes James excited to see repeatedly. I had texted him while we were sitting outside the Louvre and he responded that it was one of his favorites. So it is on the to-do list that we will be spending a day here in the future for me to experience all the amazing art that is within.

After a few days in Paris, Dawn and Sara came out to spend the day in Chartres with James and I. It was really fun showing them around the city, hosting them in our home, and trying to jam in as much French experiences as possible before they left the following day. Sara really wanted to learn how to make crepes so James and her spent a little bit of time in the kitchen and there is video to prove that by the end she was able to flip a crepe like a pro.

Of course these experiences also included amazing desserts (macaroons, religieuse, and too many others that I have yet to know the names of), the best French baguettes in town (so good that they both took some back with them on the planes), and of course a little French wine with (our Korean) dinner.

It is amazing how spending time with friends from home even in a foreign land feels familiar. Thank you to Dawn and Sara for all of the laughs and for allowing me to finesse some of the tour guide skills for the next round of visitors.

P.S. There are more macaroons waiting for your next visit (or an apple croissant or chocolate eclair)!!!

Making the move tomorrow

Writing this post surrounded by boxes as the plan is to move to Chartres tomorrow (the city we plan to live in long term that is closer to Paris). This week we have spent a great deal of time packing and deciding what we are taking to Chartres now and what is going into storage for a short while as we will be staying with some family to start. This is the plan until I find a job and we can save our pennies to live in a castle, I heard those are pretty cheap in France.

For the most part this move is all positive, at least in my book. We will be in the city that we plan to live in which means I can try and put some roots down and invest in getting to know the city. I can unpack the suitcases I have been living out of for the past 3 weeks. There will be other people to interact with when James is working long days. And we will be closer to Paris with easy train access for all of the job interviews that will be presenting themselves.

Speaking of the job front, I have been submitting applications for positions teaching English or to nanny. While these are not my first choices (using all of that higher education), they will give me the opportunity to get my feet wet and hopefully start meeting people here. While applying for those positions I am still job hunting intensely to see what all of my options are and hope that something ends up being a good fit.

Feel free to send good vibes this way that the move is smooth sailing tomorrow (it should go great as there are friends enlisted to help, but let's be honest, this girl is sick of packing and moving)!!!

Cheesecake, the results are in...

Thought I would give a quick update about the dinner on Saturday evening (more importantly the cheesecake) and weekend events here. We had a delicious dinner at our friends. It never fails that she pulls out all the stops and it is a multi-course meal. It is even more impressive to note that this was accomplished yet again in spite of the broken arm she is dealing with. So this only adds to the pressure of the cheesecake being at least edible.

I had made sure to ask James to give a disclaimer about the cheesecake upon our arrival at their home. He briefly explained the process of making it and being unsure if it is even close to what cheesecake should resemble. So after the incredible meal we take the cheesecake and strawberries out to serve. James finds the need to record the events on his iphone as I attempt to serve the dessert (remember this is a normal pie type pan, no springform pan to aid in easy serving).

Everyone has their piece of cheesecake and I plead with James to try it first so that if it is awful we can spare the others from eating it. He takes a bite and claims that it is great. His friends follow and report that they really like it.  So with less anxiety I take a bite...to all my fellow cheesecake loving friends, this is NOT what cheesecake is suppose to taste like. In addition to the taste being different, the texture is way off. The part of cheesecake that is normally smooth, dense, and savory is a light and cottage type texture (maybe because the ingredient is not really cream cheese?). If you have never had cheesecake maybe you really can like it. However, to know what the real stuff tastes like it is suffice to say, this is not it. The best parts to me were the crust (made of biscuit type cookies) and the strawberries.

There was about a 1/3 of it left after everyone had a piece (of which they actually ate, no small pets to sneak it off to). At the conclusion of the evening, our friends report that they will finish it and get the pan back to us. We saw them the next day because we went to a outdoor city market (like a flea market) in the village near their home. They returned the clean pan to us and I am not convinced that they just didn't toss the rest out after we had left.

The lesson learned(in my point of view) is that we find real cream cheese before giving this a try again OR just buy some of the fabulous desserts available at any given bakery.

Adventures of cheesecake

The first week in France has gone well. I am adjusting to the time difference, enjoy being with James and starting to take in my new surroundings in a different way. In many ways France feels similar to home but in so many little ways, things are very different too. An example to help illustrate this is trying to make a cheesecake.

James really enjoyed cheesecake when he was in the States and during that time made a point to say that he hopes I can make cheesecake for him in France. So I got a recipe from a friend, which is suppose to be "to die for cheesecake." While visiting a friend the other day they invited us to dinner for Saturday evening and James declared, "we will bring cheesecake for dessert."

So I scrambled to make sure I have the recipe and yesterday we set out to get things we will need to make it. As we may or may not have pointed out in the past, James doesn't have a lot of kitchen supplies! A spring form pan is definitely not something that he had. We went to 3 different stores and could not find a springform pan to buy! James asked "do we really NEED this type of pan or can we make it in a pan that is similar but the sides don't come off?"  I guess he really wants some cheesecake. Now I know how to bake but in no way is cheesecake something I have made more than once; I mean who needs to go to such trouble with the Cheesecake Factory not far away. With some hesitation I agree that we will try to make it with the other pan.

The next item on the shopping list is to find a handmixer. Stores 1 and 2 did not have them but we scored at the 3rd store. So now onto finding the ingredients. I had talked to James the other day about cream cheese (prior to the cheesecake making came about) and he and his brother insist that there is cream cheese in France; they know what Philadelphia cream cheese is and claim that it exists here.

During yesterday's shopping extravaganza Philadelphia cream cheese was not to be found. Some other items on the list proved to be pretty basic: eggs, sugar, and vanilla. However in addition to the cream cheese 2 other items were causing me some concern, graham crackers and sour cream. James was confident about what sour cream was and we purchased a container of it. The cream cheese that we bought was the brand he saw a picture online this morning while researching what a spring form pan was. Now for all of you cream cheese loving fans, this is where it gets REAL questionable. The cream cheese that we purchased came in a container like cottage cheese or yogurt would, not our standard 8 oz block format that all of us Americans are used to. Graham crackers were not found so we purchased something that looked close and is probably some sort of biscuit cookie. I figured that this could turn out ok since there are cheesecakes that have oreo crusts and such.

We left the store with all of our supplies and started in on the process of making this cheesecake. The crust process went fine, just labor intensive with the crushing of the biscuits. The cream cheese filling...let's just say that if this is in fact cream cheese, it does not have the same consistency as the cream cheese we are used to and sits in a little liquid with a built in strainer. Throwing a little caution to the wind,  I proceeded to mix things and dump them into the pan. I baked it in the oven and after cooling it on the counter it has been in the fridge since last night.

It should be quite an experience this evening when we bring this cheesecake to his friend's house. Not only do I have no idea if the ingredients are comparable, but the conversions of measurements and the oven temperature also play a role. Thankfully the company we will be with this evening are good sports and if this is a total flop they will be able to have a good laugh with us. James is confident and said that if this is the best cheesecake I have ever had then he is going to tell them that he made it :)
Stay tuned to find out the results, fingers crossed that it is at least edible!!

The day has arrived

Again it seems that so much has happened since I last sat down to write a blog entry.
Here is a quick summary as to what has transpired in the last month or so.
-I went to Chicago and applied for my visa
-Less than 2 weeks later my passport arrived back in the mail with the visa in it!!
-I turned in my notice at work and had my last day 1 month later
-I said many, many goodbyes to family and friends
-I took a flight from Minneapolis to Iceland to...PARIS and arrived here yesterday!

Yes, can you believe it? James and I are in some disbelief too!! I told him last night to pinch me to make sure I was really sitting next to him in France instead of talking with him over skype, sure enough, it was real. The day has finally arrived that we are together without a countdown in place of having to say goodbye again anytime in the near future.

It has been an emotional rollercoaster for me the last 2 weeks or so as this day was approaching. I was so excited to be next to James and start the next chapter of our life TOGETHER but also had a difficult time leaving all of my family and friends in the States. I know that there are going to be days that I miss them all terribly and wonder what I am doing on this side of the pond but today I am excited and going to enjoy it. I am looking forward to so many new adventures. Some of the things that are coming up on our path are:
-We will be moving to a different city (Chartres) than the one James has been living in
-I am job hunting and will hopefully find a job in the near future
-I am immersed in the language and culture and hope to be speaking enough French to survive soon
-I have visitors that have plans to be in France in October and more people in November

I also plan to use the blog to update friends and family in the States so that they can get a glimpse of my new life here in France with James. I hope that everyone knows how much their love and support has meant to get us to this point. I had an amazing send off from MN the last 2 weeks and definitely could feel the love! So for all of you in the States...Merci beaucoup et a bientôt!!!!!

One of the other most important men in my life

James and Maëlle's time in the States was wonderful. We were able to see lots of people important to us and enjoyed being with everyone during the wedding celebration for his niece. One of the events that now holds a more significant importance was the lunch we shared with my Grandpa Jack and Grandma Dianne. It was something that we squeezed in to one of the afternoons before the wedding and drove out to their home for lunch and visiting. Little did I know then that it would be the last time I saw my Grandpa Jack here on earth as he passed away suddenly last Tuesday.
In addition to this being a shock and devastating news it also derailed the plan to be in Chicago Thursday through Saturday for an appointment at the French Consulate on Friday morning. In spite of this being a very difficult week there were many blessings that I was able to identify. James got to spend time with Grandpa Jack on more than one occasion. James got to know the man that was a pillar in my family and loved and respected by everyone. Grandpa Jack was able to share our wedding day with us 6 months ago and I was able to share a dance with him.   Despite the fact that I would much rather have him still here with us, I am glad that I was still in MN during this time to be with my family and honor his life and the legacy he has left behind.
Grandma Dianne shared with me that Grandpa wasn't ready to let me go and move to France. I guess he made sure that he didn't have to say goodbye.
In addition to trying to grieve this significant loss in my life I had to do it without James by my side. While this was not ideal, he did a wonderful job of being supportive and loving even from thousands of miles away. I love that he "gets it" and really knows how important this amazing man was in my life. James pointed out that Grandpa Jack has a much better view to watch over me now wherever I am, and that he will always be with me. So while my heart is broken due to this loss, I am fortunate to have had this man in my life for 34 years. He has been an amazing adviser, one of my biggest cheerleader's, and gave the best hugs. So while France is far away, this last week it definitely feels like heaven is a little bit further out of reach.
Grandpa Jack I hope you like Chicago because this week you are coming with me to the consulate and going to get this visa application taken care of!

Silver lining

This evening I felt a pull to write on the blog. I know it has been a LONG time since the last entry. Even if no one else reads this it feels important to document and update where things are on this journey so that I may reflect on them in the future.
Tomorrow James and Maelle arrive in Minneapolis. This makes my heart happy for SO many reasons. It has only been 1 1/2 months since I was in France and last with James. This has been the shortest time we have ever been apart and yet it feels like all of the others, long! Since my visit to France in May we have had some progress in the paperwork department. I am happy to report that we now have the "livret des famille" (translation=family book, also known as our French marriage license). It feels victorious to FINALLY have this document as it has been a challenging 6 months of paperwork since getting married.
This is the last document needed for me to go to Chicago and apply for the visa in person. Due to our lack of confidence in the mail systems James will be bringing this document with him and delivering it to me in person. So sometime in July I will be traveling to Chicago and appear at the French Consulate to request my "long stay visa for a spouse of a French National." If there are no further barriers, after this meeting it is approximately 3 weeks until the visa is approved and then mailed to me!
In addition to this visit being another opportunity to spend time together, it includes a big event. Our niece will be getting married and this will be the first time in about 10 years that James, his siblings, and their children will be together all at the same time. So while this delay has occurred in me getting to France, it is definitely one of the silver linings that I have found.  This reunion is happening and likely would not have been possible if I were in France busy trying to get established in a new job and transitioning to our life together in France.
I look forward to the next 10 days, sharing time with James, his family and my family and friends. It is a little bittersweet when I think of this visit as I am not sure when the next time we will all be in the States together. What I do know is that I will cherish the memories that these few weeks will bring us just as I have all of the other times I have been able to share life with my husband. I don't wish this long distance/bureaucratic/paperwork nightmare upon anyone, but it has taught me to make each moment count and cherish the little things as much as the big.