Oh la la!!

It has been such an excited, long, beautiful, and exhausting couple of days! First, let me tell you that Iceland has a kickass international airport that I got stuck in during a delay Thursday. It was bumpin'! There the sun doesn't rise until around 0930 and it only rises on half of the horizon, quite beautiful if you are by chance flying out at this time ;)

My flight arrived in Paris at 1315 (local time. 0715 est) and I took a cab to where I will call home for the next ten weeks.! Although we move into a bigger apartment later this week it will still be in Paris 👍🏻 I got to see Reesa and Rogan ;) and Hilary and Geoffrey were very relieved to have someone to help with the kids! Then because of the time difference I stayed up through the evening until the kiddos went to sleep. I had a wee bit of a melt down regarding my pain, but the flight took a lot out of me and I really needed to sleep. I did however get to go to a fresh seafood market and a all natural food store which were both spectacular!

My first full day in Paris was spent working out the kinks with phone plans and getting the new apartment secured. But I got to go to a huge, gorgeous department store, Le Bon March, that had just start decorating for the holidays! Here, in France but especially Paris in general, they go all out for Christmas and New Years!

My second day of 'sight seeing' was at the Musee D'Orsay. It is essentially right across from Le Louvre. Dig this-it was cold and raining out, absolutely miserable to be standing outside in a line that was about thirty minutes long, with 2 two year olds!!! All of the sudden a security guard comes up and takes us to a reserved entrance which got us in and through security in less than five minutes.  We had a bit off trouble accessing the special exhibit because there wasn't really an elevator or rap but we made it to the Splendeurs et Miseres, Images of Prostitution from 1850-1910.  It was surprisingly well done. It went into how girls were put into ballets to find rich 'keepers' or husbands by their mothers when that isn't really what happened, they would end up selling themselves to the wealthy men making a very good living.  It also explained how brothels, madams, and pimps changed prositituion as time went on. The artwork was incredible. I also got to see one wing of the Impressionist artists, including Monet, Renoir, Sisley, and Pissaro.

The architecture in Paris is beyond imaginable. Each street is different from the next and the inside of the buildings are just as beautiful and particular. ;) Words cannot do them justice so here are a few pics...

Au Revoir!!!

Today was the last day of waking up in North America (at least for a few months). I'm rather excited about jumping the pond, but I'll miss my parents and Alex very much.! Especially cooking for/with them :) But off to bake in Paris it is! It was especially hard to leave my parents and Benjie for the first time as a young adult. 

              (Benjie getting coffee with Alex and I a couple of days ago, he loves me)
Not many people fully understand how close my parents and I are, but when my mom meets me at the gas pump and just gives me a giant hug because I've suddenly turned into a pile of phlegm and tears, and silently kisses my forehead and laughs-they know. 

All in all the adventure seems uneventful so far, although I should mention we have yet to actually take off for the first leg of the flight to Iceland. AKA Reykjavik.  The Paris attacks made some of my family nervous, some tried to tell me I shouldn't go, and I just shrugged my shoulders.  What's the worse that could happen, right? Elora was okay over in Lille and the Groves were all safely asleep in their Paris apartment, now I just have to get there...

(The incredible view just two blocks from where I'll be staying)

Everything has seemed a little rushed since this weekend though.  Luckily today I got to say goodbye to Chelsea, while I was able to talk to Angela once I was through security and she kept my mind level-per usual. Last night I was lucky enough to see a sneak preview of the first dress rehearsal of Mary Poppins at Northern Stage. I didn't even think about what the show would secretly mean to me, let alone how excited I was to see a show done from my childhood. I got to go with my fella Alex which was perfect on so many levels...Firstly he was a band geek in school-so he gets that my family does theater (and we do it well, and we embrace it).  He whole heartedly enjoyed holding my hand while I bopped along to the songs and clapped my hands.  He even listened to my version of the film and how it differed from the show. And...okay I found this a bit hard to believe but he claims to have never seen Mary Poppins! His mom was (and is) great! A crafty, baking mom who drove her kids everywhere. I find it hard to believe he never saw the classic Mary Poppins! Although it may be a bit of that 'Dickerman' selective memory. 😝 BUT back to why seeing the show a good event for my last night in America- I am going to Paris to be a nanny to two 2 year olds! I am going to go on adventures and turn Paris into a city of my own! I am nowhere near Mary Poppins as a nanny but I love the Grove Family (especially little Rogan), and I am so happy to be part of the Paris Groves :)

Alright, tis 6:26pm EST and I am flying somewhere in the stars over Canada. We will see about posting this bitch when I land.