so, you ask...how does one celebrate Fête du Travail (Labor day)when in France? Why, you go to Disneyland of course! EuroDisney here we come...
(don't worry, I'll let you know if the rumors about it are true)

PODCASTS!!!!!

The Easter Bunny came to my house today (via La Poste)!!
Except, instead of chocolate eggs he sent makeup, pajamas & shampoo (wahoo!!)...glad he knows me so well ;)

I love Paris in the springtime...

Saturdays make me happy. We got a bagel sandwich picnic from Angie's coffee, then coped a squat in the park at Trocadero (across from the Tour Eiffel)...the sun was shining, the grass was green, my book was classic, and the nap was refreshing. Ahhh, does it get much better?

Aux Pays-Bas

Greetings from Holland!
Unfortunately my vacation to The Netherlands is over, and I am back in Paris (that is a sentence I have never typed before!). Anyway...like I said, I loved it there. I stated at least 50 times that I would like to live there, or at least rent a summer cottage on the beach (should I ever become the 'summer cottage' type).

Highlights: visiting Corrie Ten Boom's house and literally standing in "The Hiding Place", our beach front village and apartment, a 3 hour walk through world famous tulip gardens, a canal ride through Amsterdam, touring Anne Frank's house, everything being cheaper than France, the Argentinean steak house (where we sat in a booth made of cow hide and had the best meal I have had in months), the Englishman who made us hot chocolate when our car broke down, the 5 hour search for food on the way home...

[Dear Belgium, I am on to your conspiracy to make my life difficult. I don't know why you made it ridiculously hard for me to find a place to eat lunch on Thursday. The longer we drove, the lower our standards went...and once we settled on McDonald's (the lowest), it took us another 2 hours to even find one! Why do you do this to me? I will still eat your chocolate, but don't expect another visit from me anytime soon. Love, Bethany]

All that to say, Click here to view my complete set of photos!

Update:

I heart Holland!!
Seriously, it is wonderful here. The people are nice, the cities are clean, the architecture is unique, there are spectacular flowers everywhere you look, and they have Dr. Pepper in the grocery store (Anna purchased 13 bottles today!)...so just in case you were wondering, I am having a fabulous time.
We are off to Amsterdam tomorrow-- and will be sure to avoid the "cafe" scenes that serve up a whole lot more than coffee ;) And I will take a walk on the beach by my apartment before I leave...weather permitting.

Joyeuses Pâques

"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy...He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" Titus 3:5-7

One of the first questions I remember people asking me as a child was "what do you want to be when you grow up?". It is exciting to look ahead and dream of what the future could be. The choices seem endless, but for me the only nagging part was always "when will I be grown up?".
Will it come with my first kiss? graduating? finding my first love? moving away to college? having my own cubicle? living to Paris for 2 years? being able to eat all the cookies I want for breakfast? (yeah, I do that sometimes...sorry Mom)

Or does adulthood lie in things I have yet to do like buying a house? getting married? birthing children? managing a stock portfolio? watching a loved one die?

7 years ago I graduated from High School, and started college. Almost 3 years ago I graduated from college, and started the "real world". It was very anti-climactic to realize that in fact everything until that point was not false...I was already living my "real life", but now I was just expected to pay for more of it.

Adulthood brings responsibilities, stresses, and griefs...but does not necessitate a "growing up". I still feel like a girl most of the time. A girl posing as a woman, who many say is "living the dream in Paris". Sure, I am have quite a few stamps in my passport and have had my wide-eyed innocence crushed more than once, but most of the time I still fell less like an "adult" and more like a child. A child that enjoys today, that has faith in a God I cannot see, and who has bright hopes for the future (though I still don't know exactly how to get there...)

And, I am hoping that I always feel this way. Ready to learn something new. Ready to stay up late to do something that makes me happy. Ready to make decisions on what makes my life the fullest, not on what is the most logical. Ready to trust in the Holy One who has been there every step along the way.

May I never grow up to feel like I've got things all figured out...

Here's to the adventure, and to never growing up.

Rockstar Kel & Funky V

At last...two of the greatest gals I know have teamed up to make one sweet blog. Don't miss out. Click here.

Top 5 ways to tell it has been a long winter

1. "feels like 50" translates to "dig out the sandals!"
2. your jeans feel strange, not because you changed sizes, but you forgot what it feels like to wear them w/o another layer
3. your neck feels too naked and feeble to go out sans scarf
4. your can't really remember what a tan line looks like, your whole body is one color: WHITE
5. getting dressed is hard b/c someone might actually see something besides how well your jacket and scarf coordinate

Speaking of Tulips

I am planning to roadtrip it up to Holland in a couple weeks to catch the Tulip Festival...why not, huh?! suggestions? reccomendations?

Spring is finally here...



"So--who is like me? Who holds a candle to me?" says The Holy. Look at the night skies: Who do you think made all this? Who marches this army of stars out each night, counts them off, calls each by name-so magnificent! so powerful!-and never overlooks a single one? Why would you ever complain, saying, "GOD has lost track of me. He doesn't care what happens to me"? Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening? GOD doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind." Isaiah 40 [The Message]