A Parisian B'day week!

So I always tell everyone to be friendly to everyone b/c you never know when that person might be able to help you or has a house in Figi or something like that. Well that could not be more true for this week for me. About 10 years ago my great-aunt had a foreign exchange student. Maelle, was from France and is my age. Well my cousin and her hit it off pretty well and continued to talk and kinda date over the course of the last 10 years or so. Even though my cousin is now married, Maelle has kept in touch with our family some, which helpe me immensely. I booked my flight back through Paris since it was cheaper and Maelle insisted I stay with her & her family. I had no clue just how great of an offer that was! I arrived Saturday evening...she,her boyfriend and his friend picked me up at the airport, which i later find out is really far away for them to drive! We arrive at her house and i freshen up some and then she's like ok you help me cook...she acts like it will just be something not good that she throws together but then we end up with this fabulous meal! Endives wrapped in ham covered in this delcious creamy cheese sauce! I knew then that I was smack dab in the middle of living a French life!!!! Her Brother was also there, Guillaume (aka William in English) w/ a few friends. He's 21 and at first i thought immature until i got to know him! That night we went out with Maelle's boyfriend and 2 of his friends...unfortunately none of them spoke English (except Maelle speaks great English!) besides a few words. So it was really just me listening and taking in the scene of Notre Dame & them talking in French. Now i do know some french but not enought to put their sentences all together! Seriously though since I've been here my mind's been going 90 to nothing trying to figure out what they are saying! I must say though that I'm suprised how much I remember. I discovered I do very well at reading though. I love reading all the signs/advertisments!

Sunday, we slept late & Maelle went to the pastery shop & got some DELICIOUS croissants,etc. Had the best breakfast! Then we took the Metro to Champs D' Elysese (sp?) which is one of the most famous streets in Paris. Big shopping, lots of famous name brand stores! We went in a few, mostly window shopping and then went to lunch @ 3 (ha!) to this place that's famous for their macaroons...not like our macaroons at all! This lunch was amazing, i mean like amazing, everything we ate from the rolls, to the sandwich to the fries to the macaroons were fabulous! I was so content after that meal! next, we intended to walk to the top of the Arc de Triump but Maelle was too tired so i said I'd go another day! Then we went to a park & sat in these amazing reclining chairs! Finally we got home and for dinner made eggplants, zuchinni sauteed with colorful salad. All the meals are so healthy and tastey here for some reason, although they always have dessert of some type at the end. That night we watched Ratatouille, Maelle's favorite movie, which is based in Paris, so it was very appropriate! :)

The next day, MY BIRTHDAY, I slept late. Then got up & started getting ready. Guillaume came in & asked me my plans for the day I told him going around to the sites,etc. He said well maybe I take you on my bike wherever you want to go. I was like umm...ok. Then he went and got me, him and his friend Marshall (very cute boy) Chinese food. He was so cute about making sure he knew everything I liked! Maelle came home sick that day, which I was glad to get her approval to ride around town with her brother! She gave him a good mom speech about taking care of me! ha! So it was so cute...I put on this huge helmet, hopped on the back of his scooter/motorcyle and off we went! This is where a soundtrack for the day begins to play...we stop to get gas and he brings me some cany out from the store! haha! Such a sweet gesture. Also, keep in mind he doesn't speak english a lot so for him to make the effor to talk to me about all the things we see and where we go is huge. I could never imagine doing that in America for someone. Every corner we went around I'd catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower and ask myself...is this really happening? Then I'd squeeze him a little tighter as he weaved through traffic! haha! We went to Sacre la Coeur, which is gorgeous white church on top of a hill, we went inside and he explained a lot of stuff to me about history. I began to realize he knows a lot about everything! Literally, the BEST tour guide i could've ask for!!! We walked around some and he showed me the best school in Paris to go to & told me about how you can't grow wine in this certain area,etc...Then we hopped back on the bike and he took me by the Moulin Rouge and that sketchy district, telling me little facts a long the way! Then we stopped at the store where he works part time...kinda reminds me of AtHome in Homewood or some decorating store like that, which I never would picture him working at. (i'm continuing to grow a huge crush at this time! ha!) then we went to a cafe nearby for some red wine and just talked. His girlfriend had just broken up with him so we talked about that and i tried to give my best "older woman" advice! He said he wants to be young when he gets married so he can be young and fun for his kids...I was like oh my please come to America with me, every girl will love you! haha!

Next we stopped at a Pastery shop where he said had the best pasteries in the world, they always win the big contest that are world wide. So we boxed up those, bought a baguette, which i had to put in my purse. I felt so European at this moment, I could've died! :) He took me to the Louvre, which i wanted to visit inside but forgot about that & just followed his plans. We went to this gorgeous square in the middle of the Louvre and shared our pastries. Of course, he also worked at a hotel that makes pasteries so he told me all about each one and the process of making them,etc... I mean for a 21 year old he amazes me at how much knowledge and experiences he's had! Oh and we also stopped by the Ritz, the one where Princess Diana was last seen leaving before her crash. And across from there is a area full of expensive jewlery. He took me to each shop and told me which jeweler was the best quality,etc. The only thing that could've made that complete is if he'd walked in the store and bought me one of the diamonds! haha! After our pastry debauchary, we went to this garden area where he said is the place that is the best in Paris to come think. He said "if you have problem or someone breaks up with you or you lose your job this is the best place to come think about it all" So we sat and we thought! :)

Finally we made it home, I wish I could put into words how great the day had already been...what I've written above doesn't do it justice at all!!! So then the birthday just keeps getting better. I come home to 56 facebook notifications of b'day wishes! YAY!!!! Then Guillaume & Maelle make me a birthday dinner. Did I mention that Guillaume is the best cook ever!!! He made this chicken curry with rice that was amazing! A tomato & mozeralla salad with great homemade dressing. And then the big finale....a chocolate molten cake. You know the kinda that's cake and then gooey in the middle!!! I mean seriously one of the most heavenly things I've put in my mouth!!!! Oh & by this point in the night they had about 4 other friends join us and one brough me a bottle of yummy wine! These people were all so great and they'd never met me and barely speak my language! So they put 4 candles on the corner ofthe cake and a sparkler in the middle!!! it was sooooo cute!!!! The more friends came and brought some wine and we all just hung out and talked. Some of the friends that came spoke better English so that helped me too! they were all just so great to this birthday girl! Oh and they even signed a birthday card for me!!! :)

If I had to be thousands of miles away from my family and friends on my birthday I'm so blessed that I was with such great people and events to make it ok! Ok time to go shop for a few items and visit inside Notre Dame! And in case you haven't heard yet...yes, I'm going back to Greece to work for the summer! Oh and yes, I'll write more about Greece when I can! Sorry!! sooo many stories!!! Love and miss you all!!!

Spanning the World...jobless

Ok so for those who may or may not know I lost my job a couple weeks ago...totally unexpected and very, very sad! i had started to write this very indepth blog about it all so express my feelings but then things began to change quickly in a world-wind...literally spanning the globe. So for now...that's all ya need to know...lost my job but got 3months insurance and severance! yay!!!! thank goodness for that b/c that allowed me to feel 100% better by booking a very last minute trip to Greece and Paris on the way home! As most of you know (expect for those few blog stalkers i might have) my BFF Haley lives in Greece now with her boyfriend. this was my 4th time going and every time i learn soemthing new, do something new and have a different experience. It's funny i saw a guy Akis who i met there 6 years ago and we hadn't seen each other in 6 years! We had such a good time catching up especially b/c he speaks English very well! Haley and I took one day and discovered the northern half of the island...we saw some amazing, amazing views! We discovered an amazing castle and just romped around the whole thing taking tons of pictures. It's so great just driving aorund b/c the island is so small you can't get lost really. We bought a map and highlighted the route we took too.

Also, my favorite Greek is Spiros, who i met 2 years ago. He's only 23 but is as mature as me for sure, especially by Greek standards. We became very close the first time i was there and then kept in contact over the last year via IM. We had many long talks via IM. We lost touch at the end of the year so it was sooo great to spendmany nights up late talkingto him. Oh and one night we were eating dinner and Cristo (haley's bf) was like "hey, let's go to a movie" I was like sure why not, who ever goes on vacation to Greece and goes to a movie? but it was so fun!! they even have intermission during the movie. Oh and Haley and Cristo secretly got Spiros to show up at the movie theatre. i had no idea! it was really cute though. and then afterwards, i left with him and got to ride in his new Fiat car! haha! and we went to this place called Potato Mania, which apparently is his favorite place to eat Haley said. And when i realized what it consisted of i am for sure that it is my favorite place too. it's essentially a french fries bar where you put whatever toppings you like on it. And if you know me you know i LOVE fries!! haha! It was so cute, he had to hel me order and tell me what all the foods were. and then we had a heineken overlooking the port in Corfu town and eating the delicious food! ok...crap...gotta go eat my chinese food with my french friend's brother...to be continued...haha!!! sorry..i tried

No time for writing

haley & i on one of our driving the island adventures

We found a castle!!! Gorgeous day for finding one, ha! Breath taking views!

My sweet Spiros and me! ;)

Some traditional greek dancing...the guy on the left is Haley's boyfriends twin brother! ha! Gotta love it!

A view of Corfu Town behind us...we're on top of the old fort.

ok don't have much time for writing but here's a few pics...

Dram is a form of measurement

So the weekend is over, yet again, and we're back to reality of work days! YUCK! But I did learn something new this weekend...the word dram is a type of measurement in the liquid form. At least that's what they told me when I went to Dram a new bar/restaurant in Mtn. Brook village. Above it is a restaurant called Avo (short for avocado). It's a lil more pricey than others but not too bad. They have some fun/different items on the menu. I'd definitely recommend trying it sometime! They have a really cool martini that has balsamic vinegar in it, which i know sounds totally weird, but it's actually really good in a weird way! 

I went with Jeanna, Jenn and Tara. Love those girls and was so glad to go out with them, definitely needs to be done more often! We had this guy hit on us with this line "My buddy and I were betting that 2 of y'all were married and one of y'all single" (Tara had left us by then) LOL! Very appropriate approach for Birmingham, AL!!!! Saw a handful of other familiar Bham faces there too! :) 

Saturday I made the rounds in Bham. I stopped by for a visit with Elizabeth and her family, including her super cute nephew and niece. Even though her poor nephew puked all over the place, her niece wowed us with her large vocab. for a 2 year old! Then we went to Beth's going away party...she's moving to ATL! :( Although, Beth is happy to now be part of my reference group "My Atlanta girls"! haha!  Then I visited all my favorite nephew! 

Easter was fabulous!! Great church service to keep me focused on my Lord and his will! We all went to the Stewart's (my 2nd family/forever neighbors) for delicious lunch! And Sawyer was on very good behavior and loving his Auntie Brandi. Every time someone tried to steal him away he got fussy and they realized he was happier with me!!! hehe! It made my heart smile!!! I even got to lay out for an hour, read and work out! Very efficient and rejuvenating Easter Sunday! Hope y'alls was just as marvelous!!! 

Happy Easter! Thanks Jesus!

Well with it being Good Friday and Easter coming upon us....I just wanted to post a positive message for those feeling like they need a little more God. I mean, all of us can use a little more God, to be honest! haha! This video is a great lesson...take a break from your busy day and watch it , ok?! Just a reminder of how great our God is! Even when we get frustrated, confused or start to question God...he loves us and all things are created by Him and is held together by Jesus Christ! There are more parts to this series but i just posted this part! Enjoy! Happy Easter all! 

Weekend Wows

Well I must admit that lately I've just had some great weekends. The kinda weekends were you just feel blessed to have good friends and family and you just smile about it all. This doesn't necessarily mean i did anything big...it was just good!  

Friday night I went to this Friends of St. Jude's cocktail hour at the Redmont Hotel in downtown. They have a great rooftop area, where they'd set up a food, drinks and a DJ. It was so cool up there, great views of the city at sunset time and something different. I went with my friend Lisa and 2 of her friends. We had a great time, saw a few familiar faces and enjoyed the night! Then when I got home everyone was there for game night!!! We played a rousing game of Apples to Apples and unlike last time when I got a little too competitive, this time was a blast and I actually won quite a few rounds! :) 

Saturday started off with a bang at a 5K run through Mt. Laurel. Very early in the morning but still felt great to run it off! I talked Jeanne & Jeremy into coming and Kelly joined too. And then Megan (who started this whole group of runners), Sara, Todd and Will. I hadn't run that much since the 1/2 marathon and i was kinda out of shape for sure! Next, I met Jennifer, who lives in Philly now, at Taziki's and devoured a "Friday special",which yes they have on Saturday!!! Then layed out on the porch, read a good book and got ready for the evening! 

Saturday night we all went to JClyde's for Megan's b'day! It was perfect weather for patio eating! It was a huge group of people too! I had soooo much fun!!! And met a new crush, who I have no clue anything about but I'm doing my research! hehe! 

Then church on Sunday with the family. My grandparents from Chattanooga were in town, so I got to hang with them and hear how super busy their lives are...i know where i get it from! And I got some Sawyer smiles too, which always make my week complete!!!! I can only hope this weekend is just as blessed and enjoyable! :)

Short and Sweet, like me!

Ok cheesy title, I know, I couldn't resist! So just a quick little post about the fact that I have this potential job opportunity. In an absolutely random search on monster.com one day I came across the exact same position I currently have...except at a better organization but farther away. I'll spare you all the details until I know more but I have an "interview" with the girl who'd be my boss. (Friday afternoon) She says it's going to be more like a conversation, so hopefully nothing scary. But if you read this in time say a little prayer for me and the fact that God will direct me where I need to be surrounded by who I need to be around. I've always had the desire to get out of Birmingham but the reality of it is definitely scary. I just have to trust God to open and close the correct doors and that I'll know when to take which door!!

 Proverbs 3:5-6...a good one for all to keep close... whether it be on your dashboard, your calendar in your bathroom or your wrist! ;)