Christmas Moment #2




While I was with Tracey (my sister) in that cute shop I mentioned previously, she showed me a necklace she'd considered getting me that had the Scripture "for such a time as this" written on it.  She knows I love this verse from the book of Esther in the Bible.

Why do I like this verse and what does it have to do with our Paris dream???

Esther was a young Jewish girl placed in the King's court against her will and then made Queen against her will. When her people's lives were threatened, her uncle sends her this message:

          "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" 

                                                                                                             Esther 4:14b

I think of that often these days.  Is my life more than just a sequence of events and places?  Has each place I've called home, each person I've called friend, and each church I've called family been in my life "for such a time as this"?    I believe so.

And now Paris awaits...for such a time as this...

       

Christmas Moment #1

As is our holiday habit, we went to Kansas City for Christmas with our extended family.  We always stay on the fabulous Country Club Plaza (that we love!).

It's a fast, fun weekend.  Friday dinner with David's brother, Saturday breakfast with dear cousins and last, but not least, Saturday afternoon (including a little shopping!!) with my sister and an evening with her and her family.

This year, however, I had the opportunity to share our dream with two women along the way.  One while waiting at the airport in Dallas and one in a darling shop in Smithville, Missouri.  Each conversation began with their questions to me, our story (abbreviated!!) and their own adventurous desires and curiosities about the steps needed to accomplish this kind of major lifestyle change. Thank you, ladies, for letting me share our experience.  It's for people like you who wonder about living in another culture for whom I am doing this little journal.

I'm a Midwestern girl married to a man whose dream I share-living in a different culture.  If I can make my dream come true, so can you!

Dare to dream-whatever your dream may be....

Christmas Decorating!

I love Christmas!  Nikki once said our house looked like Christmas had exploded - I decorated the big places and the little nooks and crannies!

This year, however, I had to minimize to keep our small "for sale" townhome looking uncluttered and larger.  I didn't give up decorating the large spaces (the trees) but the nooks and crannies I always loved.

It made me sad - as I thought about it, I realized I felt as though I was giving up a life I loved for a life I didn't yet know.

But the unknown isn't bad, just unknown.  I will make Christmas this year all I can - minimizing the "things" and maximizing the "moments"...time and experiences with the people I love.

And that is Christmas!

Our Visa Interview!!!

Though we were unable to meet with our friends 😢, our trip to Houston was a success.  We woke to snow (yes,snow in Houston!!!) which we thought was a good omen (because we love snow between Thanksgiving and Christmas).  Got to the consulate without a hitch and had to wait only a few minutes before we were called.

We both had expected the interviews to be conducted in private rooms but instead we both sat in front of a glass window with a French woman on the other side.  Not very personal but, hey, it's French!!  She went through all our papers, asked minimal questions (she laughed with us about David putting my birth year as 1952 instead of 1953 saying he could have at least made me younger!), then took our fingerprints.  That was the hardest part for me-it would not accept my prints, and I had to do it over and over and over until finally she had them (whew!!!!).

We had made duplicate copies of everything (as our letter instructed us to do) but we only needed one copy (better too many than too few!).  She took our pictures (not smiling so I'm sure they're very attractive!!!!) and said our files were complete...au revoir!  She had asked earlier when we needed the visa (March 1) and said it can take as little as 10 days (yea!).  So we'll see....we didn't walk away with our visa but we didn't expect to...out of her pay grade probably!!  But she said nothing to make us believe we won't get it.  An easy-peasy procedure that I'm glad I didn't spend any time fretting over!

Visa application - check!

The last big step now is selling the house!

And still we wait.....

December 7, 2017

So, the other big thing that has happened is I'm no longer working.  If you see my Facebook page, you know my doctor has sold his practice (which I knew was coming) and it seemed a good time for me to leave since there will be lots to do in the next few months.  Another step toward the dream!

Today we leave for Houston for our Visa Application interview at the French Consulate in Houston.  David has accumulated all the necessary papers according to the information we were emailed.  We each have a file since we're not certain if they will see us together or separately.

While there is no reason we should not get a visa, it is still a little stressful as our whole dream depends on being able to stay more than 90 days.  That said, I don't feel worried about it since I believe "greater is He that is in me....".  I just hope they don't ask for something unexpectedly that we don't have.

The fun part of this little trip will be seeing good friends from another life.  We lived in Springfield,Missouri, when Courtney was born (a long time ago!!!) and the dear friends we knew there now live in Houston so dinner is planned.  I love reconnecting with friends who touched our family along the way.  It's the blessing of all the moves.

Until after our interview.....

December 5, 2017

Well, in three months we'll be in our perfect apartment in Paris!  Of course, right now we don't know where that apartment is or what it looks like, but we know Karina will find a great place for us to live our Paris life.

Before Thanksgiving Karina sent us an email with seven apartments that will be available in December and January (really too early for our needs).  We were surprised to receive anything so early but also excited to see what she had found.  We read all the info on each apartment and looked at all the pictures...and immediately eliminated four (we put one back in the possibility list later!).  We were in full agreement in that elimination.

However, when we began prioritizing the remaining three, we realized we're not quite as in sync as we thought!!!  My first choice was David's second, and vice versa!!!  "My" apartment was in a perfect location and under budget.  But it was older and needed a little TLC though the kitchen and bathroom were clean and simple...however, the apartment was smaller than we really want.  The owner was a charming (according to Karina!) lady who was willing to work with us and even hold the apartment til March.  "David's" apartment wasn't quite as well located (though it was in an area we would consider) and was over budget😟.  However, it was larger and very nicely finished out.  You can only imagine the many conversations we had about these apartments!!! The final straw that broke the camel's back (after Adrian said she'd go see both apartments and give us her opinion) was learning "my" apartment didn't have a clothes dryer (or a washer-dryer combination).  Just a washer.  While we are prepared to live with a small dryer that takes fewer items and takes longer to complete, not having a dryer at all isn't something we're ready to live with....unless we absolutely have to! "David's" owner isn't willing to hold that apartment so Karina is back to the search and will begin sending us reasonable apartments in January.

And so we continue to wait...