the best part of waking up...

...is Juan Valdez coffee, straight from the "coffee growing" region of Columbia, being deliver to your door! Thanks Brad :)

Katie tagged me...

4 books I am reading:
1. George Muller Biography
2. "the devil wears prada" Jennifer Weinberger
3. "Hunger for God" John Piper
4. "The DaVinci Code" Dan Brown

4 things I am learning:
1. Trusting God with your life can be a crazy adventure
2. Living in the "now" is hard, but it is all that I have been given
3. No matter how many layers you wear, the cold still finds a way in
4. Never be afraid to explore new things

4 celebrities I would go on a date with:
1. Michael Vartan
2. Zach Braff
3. Ewan McGregor
4. Bradley Cooper

4 jobs I would like in the future:
1. Host of the show "Great Hotels" - you travel the world, staying in the best hotels, and do reports on what you think
2. Naming Cars & Crayons
3. Director of a World Aid organization
4. Book & Coffee reviewer (that would be the life, just drinking coffee & reading books)

4 clothing articles that I always pack for a trip:
1. J Crew flip flops
2. Jeans (Gap Long & Lean Stretch)
3. a scarf
4. my black tank top with lace detail

4 favorite drinks:
1. Anything from Starbucks
2. Coke Light (so much better than Diet in the states)
3. any kind of Punch
4. snowcones!!

4 people that make me laugh:
1. Christin Braeuer (Williams)
2. Brian Regan
3. Oren & Cindy
4. Josh, Seth & Curtis (is that cheating to put you all together?)

4 tags:
1. Melissa W.
2. Joshua L.
3. Brad B.
4. Seth J. (make a blog for the love!!)

Hear ye, Hear ye...Let it be known to all who come after to read this that Mr. Joshua Paul Langston is my friend. He recently expressed frustration at my omission of his current city of residence on the assumption that it was "not exotic". I wish to amend this oversight and ask you to state your case on why DFW is worth of mention among my international links. If you choose wisely, this telling photo will be promptly removed and replaced by one showcasing your masculinity.

things you should know...

1) I was at a movie premier Monday night! Though it was the opening for a dumb French movie and I only knew who was famous when their photo was taken by the mob of press. Also, my movie-going experience was interrupted by the event (I had to sit on the ground outside my theatre instead of in the plush lounge and then could not find an exit out of the building!). It reminded me, just a little, of what I missed last December (by a few measly minutes) -- the full cast of Oceans 12 walking down the street to their premier...

2) I joined Facebook. I know, I know...it is classic freshman move but I was starting to feel left out. Though since I don't have an A&M e-mail account, a friend hooked me up with one from OU. If you see my name listed under Oklahoma, know I am not betraying my roots, it was a necessary means to an end.

3) Friday I am getting a new washing machine! This may sound very boring to you, but it is a very happy day for our house. Our old one only works for about 10 minutes, then you have to re-start it...if you forget your clothes get moldy. Not cool.

4) I have officially begun researching grad school / seminary. I have, thusfar, requested information from Wheaton, Golden Gate (San Francisco), and Southern (Kentucky). Where do you think I should go?

5) I am currently reading 2 books: a biography "George Mueller, He dared to trust God..." by Faith Coxe Bailey AND "the devil wears prada" by Lauren Weisberger

6) A few weeks ago I was at the library with an adult friend I am teaching to read. We were in the kids section and she picked up a book and asked me to help her understand it. We sat down and I began to read it, before long a group of kids gathered thinking I was the "Story Time" lady. It was embarrassing b/c I am sure most of their French is way better than mine...

7) I caused a motorcycle accident last week. I was trying to cross a street and I didn't see him coming. When he tried to stop his bike laid down. He was okay enough to stand up and cuss me out in French, so I panicked and ran for the bus...what else could I do? I felt bad for him and thought about it all day...but going back to say "sorry" didn't really seem sufficient.

a little sip of culture

Traditionally in France, chocolate chaud (hot chocolate) and café au lait (coffe with milk) were always served in a bowl...though this practice is hard to find today in most cafés in the city, it does still exist.
We are doing our part to keep the practice alive by recently purchasing a full set of bowls for our house. It is a fun tradition, and holding the bowl does wonders for keeping your hands warm in the winter!

Yesterday I went to see Victor Hugo's house, a small museum just off of Place Vosges in the Marais district. It was full of original decor, hand written letters, beautifully bound books, one crazy chinese room, and vintage posters from his works. After exploring this museum we stopped by the Musee Carnavalet, which documents the history of the city of Paris. It is organized by century and was much bigger than I imagined. It has been a while since I made myself be a tourist and see new things...I enjoy living in this city :)

What happened to Kirk Bozeman?
For some reason his "Songs from the College Front" have been frequenting my Ipod these past few weeks and have left me wondering why in the world he has not recorded some more music for me to listen to.
Kirk, buddy, don't waste your talent...send me some new stuff!

all i want is a parapluie ...

Last week, I was in one of the largest, most organized, and elegantly decorated French Department Stores with my visiting friends. I was helping Kayla shop for tea when Andrew remembered that he needed to buy an umbrella (sincle his had been lost at the Louvre). We were in the "maison" = home part of the store, which is seperate from the others, so I was not sure if they would have one...but Kayla said she remembered seeing a display of them in the window on our way in. So, Andrew and I set off to find one...and 3 floors later, though we found a sweet 6ft. tall rubber ducky...we had yet to see anything resembling an umbrella.
I finally was able to hunt down and employee, who told me that the umbrellas were on the ground floor. So we went all the way back down there, and when I asked another lady who worked there she replied:
"do you want one for a man or woman?"
Me "we don't really care, but i guess for a man"
Her "well we don't have any umbrellas here, but if you want one for a man you can go to that men's section of our store across the street"
Me "okay, but my friend saw some in the window here"
Her "nope, no umbrellas here"
Me "okay then, thanks"

Then, after deciding that even if they had one I would not buy it b/c of the simple in-efficiency of the store...on our way out we saw a window display of nothing but umbrellas. Oh, life in France...

Today, for my day off, a friend and I explored a new area of town, Bercy village...we had a lunch at a quaint French place (I ate Foie Gras = duck liver), then we spent the afternoon browsing some new shops in the area before heading home to get out of the snow.
The picture above is to show off my new coat...
Many Thanks to Kayla, Micah & Andrew who left it for me as a "thank you gift" on their recent visit. Now when I walk down the street, stylishly warm, my thoughts will be of you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Micah, Kayla & Andrew (half pictured) came to celebrate New Years...good times were had by all! I am blown away by your gracious "thank you" gift...you are way too good to me. Thank you for your continued friendship that spans the ocean :)

On Christmas

my friend Andrew clearly articulated my thoughts on the highly debated "Christmas" issue in advertising and cards this year....click here and scroll to the post from December 21