New Year's Eve

We have spent most of today regrouping for the new year.  We have laid low in the hotel room after a yummy breakfast at the hotel.  The kids are watching some fun Disney movies on one of the hotel channels & Chris and I are looking at the year ahead.  We wanted to take some time before getting home when the jet lag sets in - so we at least have a tiny glance of the things we can potentially see in January. 

In the early afternoon, we went out for a walk and walked along the Champs de Mars toward the Eiffel Tower.  Along the route, we saw a man with pedal race cars & it looked like a great way to get some energy out.  The man was cheering the kids on as they went around the track - saying, "Champion" "Bravo" and they loved it!!

Afterwards, we walked under the Eiffel Tower to the Christmas market at Trocodero.  We feasted on Baguette Hot Dogs & Frites and instead of clinking champagne glasses for New Year's Eve - we cheered to a new year with our baguettes.

As we were eating today - we were discussing the many things we have loved but we also began talking about the many things that may have come off as without difficulty on the blog.  So here goes - We've given all the highlights on here - we thought it was worthy to tribute the low lights & hopefully a taste of reality beyond the pretty blog:

• All the cool points of packing everything in a carry-on go out the window when you try to get through a full flight of people with a family of 6 & are sweating like a hog.  See the Atlanta post & sometime ask Chris to recount the story.  You too can experienced the full on giggle we get from him retelling the details of how difficult it was.
• Cleaning up vomit upon arrival in our new rental car.
• Anxiety from new sights & sounds, and sleep deprivation our first week
• Trying to figure out how to get a grocery cart & ending up with a grocery member card.  
• Asking for a specific ingredient and realizing you are saying the word completely wrong.  For example, dinde (turkey) is not pronounced dindy with a long e sound. 
• Going from larger to smaller in sleeping arrangements and expecting everyone to get along - um, no - lots of working through conflict.
• Our Caen house was very cold & we could not figure out the heater.  We slept in long johns & fleece pajamas. 
• Internet that fit into a tiny window frame.  We would often times find Chris outside bundled up outside trying to work in a lawn chair.
• One bathroom & shower for up to 8 people ... need we say more.  
• Squeezing ourselves into a tiny European hotel room & the smells these children can produce.  I told Chris today it feels like someone shoved a rotten piece of broccoli up my nose.
• We can get along just fine in counting to 10 and saying merci - get beyond that and it is just difficult.  Chris says he speaks at the level of 3 year old.  If so - the kids & I are at about age 1. 
•  The amount of times we have had a dozen of broken conversations in French.  Thankfully laughter has been soon to follow, but telling a store clerk that I loved myself, when I was really trying to tell him my name & ask him his. Thankfully he thought it was pretty funny.
• Being reprimanded by a French lady for my children pushing onto the metro & I soon followed so I could get to them before the doors closed.  Awesome!  We had it happen a second time yesterday & a man started griping at us in French.  Chris shared a few words with him in our defense.  Eek!! 
• Setting our family in lots of blessing is incredible - but also breeds a heap of ungratefulness.  Lots of working through these moments. 
• Depending on public transportation in one of the largest cities in the world.  We thoroughly enjoy using the metro & even the charm & culture that can be part of it (musicians riding along with you).  But learning what the end of the line is & which line to take & where to transfer to & not to mention the RER trains.  These are my least favorite, only due to the fact that you have to know which direction, is a short or long train so you know where to stand, and what is the name of the train (they nickname all of the trains).  May we count the ways with that one...plus add in doing it with 4 children.
• Being far from home has its perks and delights to be in a different change of pace.  But add in deaths and trauma of any sort and it just adds difficulty being far away from loved ones.  
• Never knowing if our debit/credit card will work at a location (seemed to work about 50% of time in Caen, 75% in Paris) due to not having updated micro-chip in our card and inconveniences of having to wait in long lines because of it.

We still have to balance each of these with the other side of the coin … each was opportunity for growth, pushing past and through our own weaknesses, limitations and trusting God.   I don't share all this to bash ourselves or have some kind of pity fest over here and make for an awkward post.  We share it to show that life continues on whether you are in France or at home in Texas or wherever you are.  Time away is good and we so appreciate all we have experienced & learned & the perspective we have gained to start a new year.     I like how David Lebovitz wrote recently and found it fitting with our New Year's Eve toast:  "But we all know that a perfect baguette doesn’t look right. It’s the bubbles, burnished spots, and irregularities that make it so appealing. Nor should a croissant look like it belongs in the Louvre. Part of it is crunchy, with craggy ridges – and the ends might be a tad burnt. But the inside may be tender and delicate, and balance out the irregularities. Flaws are what makes something interesting, and I prefer a few blemishes over a pristine appearance." So cheers to a new year & embracing our craggy ridges and trusting the LORD to work and grow in us His good grace & love in 2013.

We are celebrating the New Year at the hotel with yummy pizza & more pastries!

 

Happy New Year from the Blockers!!!  

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may

overflow with hope by the power of His Spirit."

Romans 15:13