Announcement!

I have made a lot of decisions and thought a lot in the past week or so. It feels really great, and is a huge relief to finally know what my life will kind of be like until next April. It doesn't seem like much, but I am really happy that I now know where I can call home, at least for a little while.

I received my renewal (or renewment, which isn't even a real, live word but other assistants kept saying it) and decided to take it and after a whirl-wind of ticket searching and not buying the ticket when I should of and having it be much more expensive the next day and then re-searching again and getting frazzled, I finally have a plan. I will be home on August 27th and fly out again on September 26th.

Things I hope to do or am excited about:

seeing my family. giving my momma a big hug for real and not just over the phone.
friends! oh! please! seeeeee me! I have missed them allllll soooooo much!
drying my clothes.
horsies. all day, every day to get my fill for the next year.
the PNW and all of it's beauty. mountains! rivers! ocean! islands! hikes! so many hikes!
TT-my little car
Avellino gluten-free treats
a good mixed drink. or even a bad one. but one that is less than 8 euros please.
going to SF to get my visa and maybe my sister coming to adventure with me
just be able to be home at my home and look up and see mountains and have it rain and maybe hear a popsicle truck coming down the street.

I will get my fill in a month and then I will come back again to see what primary kids have up their sleeves.

some things that I have learned this year:

the difference between its and it's (to think that I was in AP English...)
that I like plain yogurt. and tomatoes. and onions. and so many things that I never thought I would eat.
Pho is so good.
That I can do just about anything. And survive it.
I can cook! for reals!
I can speak another language and be confident!
how to relax and go with the flow, how to stay in bed later on the weekends and stay up later at night. and to be flexible and let go.
how to share.
pourquoi pas? that was my motto. why not? i learned not to say no, and to experience new things!

missing

these were missing from my last post. and I have new ones too!

here is that Mille feuille that I talked about last time. Yum. Oven roasted tomatoes with eggplant and basillic with mozzarella. 

and the amandines aux cerieses that I was waiting for. 

the baby artichokes!

late night velib bike ride home after eating mountains of mexican food and perfect margaritas. 

this little guy snuck on to the blanket

and into my heart!

kiko.

fancy picnic in the parc floral