January 22, 2014

Back to the Waiting Room

As goes with many things in life, "the best laid plans of mice and men..."

So, my original Plan A (May 2014) had already been dropped for Plan B (February/March 2014). But due to factors outside of our control, Plan C is beginning to formulate.

Of course, Plan C is still waiting to be launched, relying heavily on - once again - factors outside of our control.

But it's okay.


I finally canceled my Lisbon reservations yesterday. It was a little bit sad, frowning at the reality of Plan B going into the ground for good.

I'm still banking on a few things...

1) Spain and Portugal will continue to exist for at least the next 3 years (hopefully more).

2) Marc and I will continue to live in a nearby European nation for at least the next 2 years (hopefully more).

3) I will have friends for at least the next 12 years (hopefully more, but this at least gets me a great 40th birthday celebration).

And this is why it's okay.

My worldview is anchored in the fact that when something does or doesn't work out, it's always for a reason, and God is always in control of whatever that reason may be - and He is also in control of whenever we may or may not find out what that said reason was!

There's still a wild outside chance that IBIN2014 could still happen in June this year, but if it doesn't, that just means it is postponed. Never canceled.

The most annoying thing about having to wait around for IBIN2014 to happen? I'm gonna need to change all these dang hash tags and titles. IBIN2015? IBIN2045? Let's hope not.

I started the design for this journey with spontaneity and adventure in mind and heart. Adjusting this trip to accommodate the unexpected in our lives is simply part of the process!

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January 19, 2014

VLOG: First Home Win Highlights

Yes. It's taken us until mid-January to win a home game. Hey - we'll take it!

We beat the fourth place team, Leo Lagrange Nantes, in 5 sets today!

Scores were: 27-29, 25-21, 19-25, 25-20, 15-12. It was a really fun, competitive match, and it was quite a relief to finally win in front of our home crowd. Because we won in 5 sets (instead of 3 or 4), we only gained 2 points in the pool score, which keeps us steady in 8th place. However, we are now only 1 point behind both the 6th and 7th place teams, and wins can only help us!

Here are a few video clips, thanks to Marc!


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January 11, 2014

The Day I Pretended To Be Parisian

Dear Women of Paris,

Do you eat morphine for breakfast?

[Maybe it's hidden in the cigarettes?]

Because your feet, legs, back, and brain must be absolutely NUMB to wear those high heeled shoes all day long.

I've never been much of a "heel girl." I think I wore the same pair of high heels exactly twice during my four years of college; once for a ridiculous costume night on the town, and the second time was for a school skit. Clearly, I was serious about my fancy shoes. These high heels were from high school prom - and hot pink.

It all started with my bright idea to show off my gorgeous (and by gorgeous, yes, I do mean they are just all black and leather and there is really nothing that spectacular about them) Alberto Fermani black leather handmade high heel boots. Ever since I bought them off Tanya and her thrift store finds, I had wondered about their actual worth. When I finally Googled my way into the world of ritzy Italian leather boots, I found the current equivalent of the boots in my possession to be priced at six hundred and seventy-five dollars.

The proper response was probably to lock them in the wall safe we don't have, but instead I chose to wear them. All day. In Paris. Beating my feet to death.

I ventured out confidently on free museum Sunday this January, feeling oh-so-chic in boots that someone once paid more for than my own wedding dress. I managed quite well; nobody else would have known I wanted nothing more than to walk around barefoot for the remainder of the day.

This is how I now know that Parisian women are the best liars in the world. I also now understand why all the women stare at the ground while they walk; their cramping feet must not misstep. And don't you dare try to explain to me that you have "comfortable high heels" - NO. Not only is that an oxymoron, but it's also another lie; just because a high heeled shoe is more comfortable than another high heeled shoe does NOT mean they are, in reality, comfortable shoes. #realitycheck

I began to adapt to my new needs and problems. Oh, a bench? DIBS! Do not battle a high-heeled woman for a seat. I was prepared to heel stab the elderly and/or children for those coveted resting points. I would try to stay seated as long as possible wherever I was planted, feigning a fully engrossed fascination with my notebook. And to know my boots are but a dream to the women who torture themselves with stilettos and 4+ inches of height!

A [very small] part of me feels sorry for the French ladies gingerly taking every path of least resistance all over the cobbled and uneven streets of Paris everyday. And then I remember - nobody forces them to wear those shoes, let alone buy them! It's hard to have empathy for someone who knowingly chooses to inflict pain on themselves and their bank accounts ($675 for leather to put on your feet?!). The chic shoe issue definitely applies to what my Uncle Mike says: "The French are slaves to aesthetics."

[Therefore, DO NOT feel sorry for me. This was MY idiot experiment. Just learn from my experience. I know I have.]

After the first hour, my feet were basically finito, but I stayed out another seven hours, balancing my way through two museums (Conciergerie & Cluny), church, dinner, and dessert. Then I had to walk home from our train station. Normally eight minutes. Always uphill.

As I winced my way home, all I thought was: my feet do not feel like $675.

I don't care how nice a pair of high heels looks on the outside. If you're walking any actual distance, pack some slippers to wear until you arrive at whatever destination where spiked feet are an entry requirement. Flat women's shoes were invented, like, a hundred years ago. I encourage you to try them and find out what you've been missing (enjoyable walks, views of beautiful high buildings and trees, comfort, endurance, happiness, joy...a good life).

And as for my darling Alberto Fermanis? No, they are not for sale. They have, however, been relegated to limited minutes and sedentary activities. For the time being, they will look and feel much nicer on the shoe rack.
   
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January 3, 2014

Holiday Team, Assemble!

The most awesome traditions come about by accident. This is the third successive holiday season in a row we have spent with our great friend, Jes. 

We found beer for Jes!
But our tradition is very progressive - because it's never the same holiday.
2011: Thanksgiving in Paris
2013: New Year's in Paris
2014: TBD, but definitely none of the above, and not in Paris!

This year we had about a week and a half together to celebrate a barely belated Christmas, and ring in the new year with our best laughter. We spent the in-between days on a road trip to the castles of the Loire Valley, and enjoying the mild winter weather in the streets of Paris.

I love when my friends become friends...
We were also joined by other Americans for our New Year's Eve soirée; my dear volleyball friend, Tanya (I have a lot of friends named Tanya!), her current teammate from Germany, Molly, and Molly's brother on holiday from the States, Trevor! Our out-of-town neighbors also graciously allowed us to host our friends in their "belle maison," making for the greatest night possible.

This was just the appetizer table.
Equally managing a party of six between three people is: perfect. Marc, Jes, and I were super on top of party food prep way ahead of time, and we cleaned as we went. Our menu of appetizers (see photo), lasagna and avocado/mango/spinach salad, and crêpes for dessert definitely fit the bill of a complete NYE dinner! When the party ended at 3am, we had minimal final clean-up. Seriously my new favorite way to throw a party!

Just the beginning of our crazy night of laughter!
We borrowed a game we learned at our first French NYE party called "Time's Up!" It's basically a mash-up of a bunch of games we've all grown up playing, but I tell you what - it's a whole lot easier to play in English.

To set up, every person writes down 8-10 famous people on slips of paper and tosses them into a bowl/hat. It is a game of three rounds: Round 1, Taboo without "Taboo words" (just explain whatever is on your card); Round 2, describe your card with only one word; and Round 3, Charades (if I have to explain this, you should go re-live your life).

What makes this game so much fun is that you use the same cards every round, creating unbeatable inside jokes from the cues we choose to give each other. It's definitely one of those "you had to be there" games, so I won't bother you with the particulars, and the six of us will find our jokes funny forever. I will say that it was hysterical to play around our age gaps (32, 30, 27, 22, 22, and 20!). Our definitions of "famous" all learned something (or someone) new!

Enjoy our final moments of 2013 with us, with our multilingual countdown!


Languages included: English, Spanish, French, German, Hebrew, and Chinese! We Americans are working hard to move up in the world of cultural literacy.


HAPPY 2014 FROM OUR NYE FAMILY TO YOURS!!!
MEILLEURS VOEUX!!!

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