Finally I can talk about it officially! We're moving to San Diego at the end of May. There, it's said. Pfiew, it feels good not to keep this hidden anymore. We have been talking about moving to Southern California for years -and then finally about a year ago I felt at home here in Seattle, after 5 years (I'm slow like that!). And that's when Joe's work decided they would open a branch in San Diego -and because Joe had pushed so much for that idea, they started talking to him about opening the office there. He interviewed last week and he got the final and official letter yesterday. On my end, I started talking to my boss in November about the possibility of working from home. He immediately agreed. Last Monday, HR officially agreed to let me have a home office. So voila, we're moving in a few months!
This is so exciting for so many reasons. We'll be closer to Joe's family and our friends from there. We'll be in the sunshine all. the. time. And did I mention we'll be closer to family? And the sun?
It's bittersweet for me because I'm losing a few things I really enjoy here: a church I love (though yeah, ok, I never go), girlfriends I love like they're my sisters, and an urban life that is so very convenient. Oh and an intellectual and liberal city. I'm going to miss all those Obama stickers on cars!
Now we have to go through the apartment, decide what we're going to keep, throw away, and donate. And we need to pack. Oh packing, how I loathe thee. And we have to find a new daycare for Léo. Stress-stress-stress-stress.
This weekend we're going to Orange County and San Diego to visit houses. That should be fun.
So YAY! We're moving soon. We're ready for this new adventure! Expect both thrilled posts and a bit of wah-wah in the next few weeks.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Books Cravings
I am craving books about Parisian / French life with children (from a French or American point of view) and social justice (how to live it out, that is, not just theology of social justice). That's what's in my heart right now.
That's all.
That's all.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
7
My great friend Melanie recommended the book "7" to me. Oh boy, was it inspiring. Jen Hatmaker's previous book, "Interrupted", was also really interesting and challenging. A couple of friends have either read or in the process of reading "7" as well. If you're looking for a super friendly book (no guilt, no false theology of you-have-to-suffer-to-follow-God's-will-for-your-life. I'm looking straight at you, book) and a challenge, get this book.
God has been working in me for a couple of years now. I feel I need to do more. Or rather I need to give up more, donate more, be more compassionate. "7" was the perfect book for me. Have I done anything since? Um. Nope! But I'm praying and really really wanting to change and be closer to what God and Jesus want from humanity: that we take the burden of those who have less -less money, less justice, less opportunities-, make them our own, and reduce impunity to zero.
I'm working on it. I'm inspired by people like Jen Hatmaker. I'm inspired by my friends who are so godly and humble (I love my friends!). In this season of Lent, I need to be challenged to do more. And I need to be held accountable -so I'm relying on you to call my BS and remind me that buying a Venti latte a day is not quite the way to go!!
Anyway... Read "7!"
God has been working in me for a couple of years now. I feel I need to do more. Or rather I need to give up more, donate more, be more compassionate. "7" was the perfect book for me. Have I done anything since? Um. Nope! But I'm praying and really really wanting to change and be closer to what God and Jesus want from humanity: that we take the burden of those who have less -less money, less justice, less opportunities-, make them our own, and reduce impunity to zero.
I'm working on it. I'm inspired by people like Jen Hatmaker. I'm inspired by my friends who are so godly and humble (I love my friends!). In this season of Lent, I need to be challenged to do more. And I need to be held accountable -so I'm relying on you to call my BS and remind me that buying a Venti latte a day is not quite the way to go!!
Anyway... Read "7!"
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The luxury of giving up
It's Lent. I love Lent! It's like new year's resolution but with a purpose. It's a time of reflection and change. And it's only 40 days -ha! I am not giving up anything this year. I just want to be more mindful of others and others' needs. And that begins by realizing the luxury of what we have here. We can give up so many things: Starbucks, Facebook, sugar, eating out, meat, reality TV, etc. This season let's just pause and think of all that we have. Let's do this not to feel guilty but to increase our compassion and awareness of all that we could give up for others.
Happy Lent!
Happy Lent!
Friday, February 8, 2013
8 years!
8 years ago today I left France and moved to the US.
I left a country that I love for a man I love even more. I left a family I love more than words can express to create a family of my own. I left my culture, my food (bread and butter - what), my habits, and my friends to find a culture quite similar but not quite, food I have grown to love too much, and friends who are now another family. I was so joyous to be able to live with Joe -and, holding a fiancee visa, to marry him (within 3 months, as the visa required!). But oh, how it hurt to leave. I cried every day for months thinking of that day, mainly because the thought of leaving my family, in particular my mom, who had a really hard time dealing with my departure, was a bit hard to bear. But right when I arrived I busied myself with the wedding preparations and was really happy about that!
I love my life here. LOVE it. I love how friendly most people are, how easy it is to switch careers, how easy we have it (except for, oh, maternity leave and health insurance and America's love of guns). How easy *I* have it. Really I am so thankful for my life, here in the US. But I also miss my family, some friends, bread, pastries (oh the pastries...), talking about politics at any given dinner, Paris and Normandie.Sometimes I dream of going back, even for a few years. Seeing Léo at school with other French kids would be so fun. But we have jobs here and a good life. Moving to France without a plan would be scary -especially because I'm a person who doesn't deal well with change. Maybe one day, though...
So today I celebrate 8 years of joys and quirkiness, of new life (lives!) and surprises... and I rejoice at my trip to France in a few months!
And if by chance you are a French reader and know of an opening for an development worker position in Paris, let me know. I'd move back home in a heartbeat!!
I left a country that I love for a man I love even more. I left a family I love more than words can express to create a family of my own. I left my culture, my food (bread and butter - what), my habits, and my friends to find a culture quite similar but not quite, food I have grown to love too much, and friends who are now another family. I was so joyous to be able to live with Joe -and, holding a fiancee visa, to marry him (within 3 months, as the visa required!). But oh, how it hurt to leave. I cried every day for months thinking of that day, mainly because the thought of leaving my family, in particular my mom, who had a really hard time dealing with my departure, was a bit hard to bear. But right when I arrived I busied myself with the wedding preparations and was really happy about that!
I love my life here. LOVE it. I love how friendly most people are, how easy it is to switch careers, how easy we have it (except for, oh, maternity leave and health insurance and America's love of guns). How easy *I* have it. Really I am so thankful for my life, here in the US. But I also miss my family, some friends, bread, pastries (oh the pastries...), talking about politics at any given dinner, Paris and Normandie.Sometimes I dream of going back, even for a few years. Seeing Léo at school with other French kids would be so fun. But we have jobs here and a good life. Moving to France without a plan would be scary -especially because I'm a person who doesn't deal well with change. Maybe one day, though...
So today I celebrate 8 years of joys and quirkiness, of new life (lives!) and surprises... and I rejoice at my trip to France in a few months!
And if by chance you are a French reader and know of an opening for an development worker position in Paris, let me know. I'd move back home in a heartbeat!!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Words!
Léo has been understanding English and French quite well and he's talking more and more. Here's a little update of his vocabulary at almost 22 months (TWENTY TWO?!? Wow...)
- He says mama (sometimes "momon" for maman) and dada or daddy. He says "babi" for papi. He says "pa" for grandpa. He also knows the name of two friends at school "zzza" is Jack and "Mani" is Amani.
- He usually only pronounces two phonemes and not the end of the words: Ba(ll), bu(s), bi(rd) -actually he says "boo" for bird and "boo" is also for balloon-, boa(t), bi(ke), baba (byebye). So many baby words start with a B. At first he couldn't pronounce "p" and only said "b" (bea for pea = please. ba for pa = grandpa) but now he knows Ps!
- "Hai" for hi. He says hi to a lot of people. What a cutie!
- He says "non." Not "no" but "non." That's his only French word! For yes he has a high pitched "mmm."
- Of course he says "baba" for bottle and for anything that contains liquid.
- He says "dagay" and "agaaaaay" for again. He says that word about 408 times a day.
- "Doh" for go. When he watches sports on TV he says to the players "doh, doh, dho!"
- He uses a lot of sounds. Looots of sounds. All things that go have a sound as do all animals. Food is just "mmmm." His pillow and blanket have the same sound, kind of a silent snore "zzzzz."
- He shakes his body left-right-left to mean music.
- He says "nana" for banana and "appo" for apple, oranges, pears, and any fruit that's round.
- He has his own counting system: "bee boh da" are 1, 2, 3. I don't know how he came up with that but he's super consistent. And because we count stairs when he takes them, stairs are "bee-boh-da."
- Elmo is "Lala" because that's what he sings. Cookie Monster is "rwarwa", as are cookies. He knows the name of "Abby."
- He says "pea" and "tatoo" for please and thank you. He's quite polite, I must say.
- He knows the letter "o" because we keep on showing him the letters of his name and say "L-E-O-O-O-O." So he points to the "o" and says "o-o-o-o." His name is "élo" or "eelo." He says his name 1,010 times a day!!
- Other random words: "guitah" for guitar, "soo" for shoes, "boo" for blue and blueberry (and grapes because they look like blueberries!).
- He only puts two words together now. "Eelo doh," "baba pea" and so on.
- He points at the rest to show us what he means and it works really well!
That's it for now, I think. It's really neat to hear him try new words. He's not in any hurry to speak more because we all understand each other rather well.
- He says mama (sometimes "momon" for maman) and dada or daddy. He says "babi" for papi. He says "pa" for grandpa. He also knows the name of two friends at school "zzza" is Jack and "Mani" is Amani.
- He usually only pronounces two phonemes and not the end of the words: Ba(ll), bu(s), bi(rd) -actually he says "boo" for bird and "boo" is also for balloon-, boa(t), bi(ke), baba (byebye). So many baby words start with a B. At first he couldn't pronounce "p" and only said "b" (bea for pea = please. ba for pa = grandpa) but now he knows Ps!
- "Hai" for hi. He says hi to a lot of people. What a cutie!
- He says "non." Not "no" but "non." That's his only French word! For yes he has a high pitched "mmm."
- Of course he says "baba" for bottle and for anything that contains liquid.
- He says "dagay" and "agaaaaay" for again. He says that word about 408 times a day.
- "Doh" for go. When he watches sports on TV he says to the players "doh, doh, dho!"
- He uses a lot of sounds. Looots of sounds. All things that go have a sound as do all animals. Food is just "mmmm." His pillow and blanket have the same sound, kind of a silent snore "zzzzz."
- He shakes his body left-right-left to mean music.
- He says "nana" for banana and "appo" for apple, oranges, pears, and any fruit that's round.
- He has his own counting system: "bee boh da" are 1, 2, 3. I don't know how he came up with that but he's super consistent. And because we count stairs when he takes them, stairs are "bee-boh-da."
- Elmo is "Lala" because that's what he sings. Cookie Monster is "rwarwa", as are cookies. He knows the name of "Abby."
- He says "pea" and "tatoo" for please and thank you. He's quite polite, I must say.
- He knows the letter "o" because we keep on showing him the letters of his name and say "L-E-O-O-O-O." So he points to the "o" and says "o-o-o-o." His name is "élo" or "eelo." He says his name 1,010 times a day!!
- Other random words: "guitah" for guitar, "soo" for shoes, "boo" for blue and blueberry (and grapes because they look like blueberries!).
- He only puts two words together now. "Eelo doh," "baba pea" and so on.
- He points at the rest to show us what he means and it works really well!
That's it for now, I think. It's really neat to hear him try new words. He's not in any hurry to speak more because we all understand each other rather well.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
2012 Recap
Happy New Year!
Bonne année 2013.
I wish you all a year of joy, love, and fulfillment.
It seems that 2012 came and went. A lot happened! I stayed with the same organization but have a new job that I love. I visited three new countries (2 for work, 1 for leisure). I also took 3 domestic trips for work and as many to visit family. Léo turned one, learnt to walk, is learning to speak, and has been delightful year round. He finally has been sleeping through the night for 3 weeks straight. Joseph had a great year at work and now has a really great opportunity to open a new branch. Finally my dad and brother visited us at the end of the year -great way to end the year!
Next year promises to be exciting as well. We're going to travel to Europe in the spring. We are thinking about buying a house (I can't give too many details right now but they'll come in due time). We're also thinking of Baby #2 in the near future (+ 9 months obviously!). I will travel again for work, mostly to El Salvador, which I'm really excited about -I'm a little less excited that my first trip there is in just a week because I'll miss my baby but hey, at least I get to travel. This year Léo will turn two and will probably talk a great deal. I can see fun and tantrums in the future!
As we were watching the fireworks ringing in the new year I thought that this year I don't have resolutions. I don't even have great expectations. I am just going to enjoy the ride. I do have some resolution-ish thoughts (be kinder to the dogs, eat healthier, save money, smile more) but nothing specific that can be broken after 2 weeks! I'm ready for 2013.
Bonne année 2013.
I wish you all a year of joy, love, and fulfillment.
It seems that 2012 came and went. A lot happened! I stayed with the same organization but have a new job that I love. I visited three new countries (2 for work, 1 for leisure). I also took 3 domestic trips for work and as many to visit family. Léo turned one, learnt to walk, is learning to speak, and has been delightful year round. He finally has been sleeping through the night for 3 weeks straight. Joseph had a great year at work and now has a really great opportunity to open a new branch. Finally my dad and brother visited us at the end of the year -great way to end the year!
Next year promises to be exciting as well. We're going to travel to Europe in the spring. We are thinking about buying a house (I can't give too many details right now but they'll come in due time). We're also thinking of Baby #2 in the near future (+ 9 months obviously!). I will travel again for work, mostly to El Salvador, which I'm really excited about -I'm a little less excited that my first trip there is in just a week because I'll miss my baby but hey, at least I get to travel. This year Léo will turn two and will probably talk a great deal. I can see fun and tantrums in the future!
As we were watching the fireworks ringing in the new year I thought that this year I don't have resolutions. I don't even have great expectations. I am just going to enjoy the ride. I do have some resolution-ish thoughts (be kinder to the dogs, eat healthier, save money, smile more) but nothing specific that can be broken after 2 weeks! I'm ready for 2013.
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