Safe Arrival

Well, we made it safely to Paris about 24 hours ago. It was actually quite a miracle that we got all the way here with all our bags:

After our arrival, we wandered around the business district, waiting for our hotel room to be ready. Here is us (EXHAUSTED!) in front of L'Esplenade and L'Arch de la Defense:

This morning, here was the view from our hotel balcony; the hill in the distance is Montmartre (yes, the home of the Moulin Rouge) topped by L'Eglise du Sacre Couer (Church of the Sacred Heart)... Ah, Paris!

We're off to search for apartments today. May we find the right one and know it is where He would have us.

Departure

Well, the date for departure is not only finally set, IT'S TOMORROW!! Although Chris is going to hate me for this comment, I have to brag for a moment that I am taking WAY less stuff than he is... I have only three bags total (and one is just my laptop bag), and he has five. Now, in his defense, his clothes take up more space; he has to be dressed in suits and such for work, and most of my clothes won't fit in about three weeks anyway, so I'm leaving lots behind. Plus my bags are more stuffed and he's going to carry one of my coats for me. But I still feel good about my mad packing skills...

Ok, prayer requests:

1. That we didn't forget anything.
2. That we have a safe flight and are able to sleep.
3. That my medicines continue to work and I don't get sick on the flight (last time I ended up in the hospital was following an overseas flight).
4. That the apartment search (on Thursday) reveals the exact place God wants us, and that it is ready for us to move in ASAP.
5. Clear lines of communication and efficiency between Chris, his company, the relocation company, the realtor, and anyone else needed for things to go smoothly.
6. Sanity, sleep, and LOTS AND LOTS of grace for both of us.

We are thrilled, terrified, excited, overwhelmed, and exhausted all at once... What a way to start an adventure! Thanks for all your prayers and love.

I'm Thankful For...

Coca Cola. Is that sad? I just have to confess that since "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17), that I praise God for Coca Cola, from a fountain, with crushed ice. Has anyone else ever felt so thankful for such a silly thing? I think sometimes it is the littlest things that get us through the day, especially if they keep us from throwing up.

More importantly, I am thankful for my family and my Savior. I promise I haven't totally lost my mind. :-)

The OTHER News

By now I think everyone has heard... we're pregnant! Actually, to be more precise, I'm pregnant, but we're having a baby!! Yes, we are so excited, and no, we are not crazy. In fact, God, in His infinitely wise and often amusing timing gave us this little gift about three weeks after we decided to move to Paris. Oh the irony... But I'll explain.

Chris and I have actually been hoping to get pregnant for almost two years now. I have to give a little credit here to Ben and Tiffany Wall who gave birth to the oh-so-adorable Addison Elizabeth back in December of 2007. It was around that time that Chris and I decided we wouldn't mind having one of our own. But God obviously had different plans.

It's funny (and those of you who have struggled with infertility will know exactly what I'm talking about), the longer it takes, the less you want to talk about it. It can be very demoralizing, to be honest. But, like all trials, God has used His beautiful plans to accomplish our sanctification. Throughout these past two years, I was frequently reminded of Isaiah 55:8 - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." And Proverbs 19:21 was a sometimes stinging, but ultimately refreshing (like conviction usually is!) reminder - "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." For years (probably since early high school), two of my favorite passages have been James 1 and Romans 5, both of which discuss rejoicing in trials and tribulations because of the refining/perfecting work which God does in us through those experiences... I guess God thought I needed to learn that lesson experientially rather than merely intellectually.

At times when there is persecution and martyrdom taking place in many other places on the globe, I feel that I must include an asterisk: I know that my trials were minor. I was blessed in so many ways while we were waiting: I had a blast traveling and enjoying alone time with my sweet husband; I was blessed over and over again by the privilege of teaching at Houston Christian High School; I had time and energy to pour into friendships that probably would not have grown as they have if I were busy with an infant, and we now have this opportunity to live in Paris for a year, which may not have seemed feasible with a little one. I really am thankful that God had other plans than we did. But I also can confess that, minor though it may have been, wrestling with infertility is challenging; it is humbling; it is discouraging at times... but, ultimately and most importantly, it is refining.

So, back to the irony, about three months ago when we found out about the opportunity to move to Paris, I literally thought to myself (and even confessed to a few people), "Wow, maybe this is why God has been putting off the 'baby thing.'" I figured that at least this would be a fun distraction and a great way to spend our childless time, right? Maybe... But three weeks later I found out that our childless time would only include the first half of our time in Paris. Wow. Lots to wrap my head around.

This post is becoming VERY long - my apologies. I will try to end soon by saying that this obviously brings up MANY more prayer requests: safety for our child, preparation for our hearts, a fabulous doctor/midwife in Paris who speaks English, a quick and smooth transition into the French healthcare system (since I am supposed to be seeing a doctor within our first month there, which also happens to be the holidays, of course)... So many things for which we are so dependent upon the Lord!! I wouldn't want it any other way, though.

And one more little note: this is the real reason that I didn't actually do any traveling while in Windsor a few weeks ago. I noted in a previous post that I was "overly ambitious" about what I could accomplish on my own while Chris was in meetings. That's true, but the cause was not as I implied. Actually, I was vomiting over and over and over again. In fact, after almost 72 hours of nothing staying down, I went to see a doctor. Since I was terribly dehydrated and my blood pressure had dropped to 80 over 50 and I had lost close to 10 pounds since I got pregnant... They admitted me into the hospital. Unfortunately, we had not yet told anyone I was pregnant, since I was not quite 8 weeks yet, so we tried to keep it a secret that I was in the hospital... The whole thing was a bit of a mess. I tell you all this for two reasons: first, so you can laugh at me. And those who know me well know that I HATE, FEAR, DREAD doctors... Fortunately, they were all very kind, and I was even able to smile by the third day there (I was there for four).

Second, I tell you because I want you to know how wonderful my husband is. The whole reason we were there is because his company sent him to attend meetings in preparation for his new position. He was in a dilemma, therefore, about taking care of me (in a hospital 20 minutes away from the hotel) and attending his meetings, since the company had paid for us to be there. Anyway, he was wonderful. He managed to juggle both, be there for me in the hospital for hours on end, take about a million taxis back and forth (since we had no car, of course), and still do what he needed to do for his company meetings. All without ever complaining. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!! And I am SO glad that he is the father of my child; I know he'll be a wonderful dad. In summary, praise the Lord for his graciousness, timing, gifts, and sovereignty.

The House Hunt

Well, I have good news and bad news to report on this front. The bad news first: we found a beautiful two-bedroom apartment in a lovely building in a safe area near a metro stop, and we lost it to another offer. The good news, though, is that we have now narrowed down where we want to live and what we're looking for, we have a realtor contact there who is looking for us, and the turnover on apartments in Paris is such that we should be able to move in a mere week or two after we find the place. But let me start from the beginning...

We arrived late Saturday night, and we decided to take Sunday easy. After visiting a church that had been recommended to us by friends of friends (which we liked very much, by the way), we spent the day wandering around a bit. To understand our search, you'll need a basic understanding of Paris' arrangement. The entire city is divided into arrondisements (basically districts) that are numbered in a spiral pattern (like a snail) from the center outward. The famous Louvre museum is in district 1, for example, Notre Dame is in district 4, and so forth. Everyone in Paris equates everything by districts; some districts are posh, others are sketchy, some are purely touristy, others are more residential. We had to decide what district we wanted to live in before we could even start looking for apartments. To add to the complications, we still had not heard from the relocation company that was supposed to be helping us because Chris's company had run into some delays on the financial approvals. Therefore, we mostly wandered, prayed, and made game plans on Sunday.

On Monday, we began a trek across the districts we were considering: the 16th, 7th, 4th, and 3rd. The 16th is much more residential feeling, a little quieter than the others, and with easy access to grocery, hospitals, etc. It is still very typically Parisian, though, with the beautiful 6-story buildings and windy streets. The 7th contains Les Invalides (Napoleon's tomb) and the Eiffel Tower, which obviously lends itself to some tourists, but the actual residential portions between those sights are relatively quiet, with great outdoor market shopping, a safe and classy feel, and easy access to other cool places like the Orsay museum. The 3rd and 4th are basically connected and comprise the area known as Le Marais. It is an area with a sort of "village" feel - no chains, lots of cool individually owned shops and restaurants, narrow and windy streets, and some really cool old buildings. Unfortunately, it is also the hotspot for the 20-something night life. It is a really cool place to be, especially during the day, but there can be a lot of noise and some sketchy people loitering about at night. Our goal Monday was to see each of the neighborhoods in the daytime and the night time, to get a feel. Thankfully, on Monday night, we heard from the relocation company and set up to view apartments with the realtor on Wednesday.

Since Monday's goal was a bit too optimistic, we used Tuesday to finish our neighborhood scouring, and drew the following conclusions: the 3rd and 4th posed the above-mentioned problems for Chris; he was concerned about me walking home at night by myself in that area. Plus, since you sleep several months of the year with your windows open, a noisy street can ruin a night's sleep. However, there were some parts of the area that were probably ok. The 16th would be nice and safe, but maybe a little boring. The 7th seemed the best balance of the two. Plus the 7th is right on the Seine, which makes for a lovely place to take a stroll, obviously.

That left Wednesday to work with the realtor. Thankfully, she had lots of answers for us concerning things like hospitals, shopping, bank accounts, etc. I think these relocation people will really earn their keep. She had six apartments to show us, some in each of the neighborhoods we were considering. Although we some some beautifully Parisian apartments like the one below (it was the one with the red flowers on the balcony, and was in the 4th district) with gorgeous balconies and elegant moldings inside, we confirmed that we wanted to live in the 7th.

The apartment was saw in the 7th seemed wonderful: 2 real bedrooms (big enough for queen beds and closets and nightstands, which is not always the case in Paris), a balcony that ran the length of the apartment and included a great view of the Eiffel Tower, in a building set back from the street in a pretty little courtyard (which helped with noise and provided extra security)... It seemed perfect. Unfortunately, we found out this morning that the landlord accepted another person's offer. Apparently there had been an offer in the works when we went to see it, so they beat us to it. So where does that leave us?

It looks like we are still planning a Dec 1 move date. The plan will be to stay in a hotel the first few days and work with the realtor to find an apartment. Due to the quick turnover possibilities that I mentioned before, we should be able to be in a place no later than Dec 15, Lord willing. Since we are moving to a furnished apartment, we will only have clothes and personal belongings to pack, making a hotel transition doable. At least we now know exactly what we're looking for and can work over the next month to find it online and have appointments ready for viewing upon our arrival. Most importantly, though, WE NEED PRAYERS! I must confess that I am struggling against anxiety - not terrible, just a faint murmur of butterflies in my tummy - and I don't want that. I want to trust fully that God is and will be faithful as He always has been, that He will provide the perfect place, and that it was NOT the apartment we thought it was. I want to be thankful that He steered us away from that apartment for whatever the reason, and I want to be excited about what He has in store. Thank you for your prayers, and sorry this post became so long... But that's the scoop.

When in Windsor...

So I was overly optimistic about how much I could accomplish solo in England. Instead of traveling all over while Chris was in meetings, I took it easy at the beautiful hotel grounds where we were staying. Not quite as exciting, but at least it shored up my energy for our house hunt in Paris. Here is a picture of the place where we stayed (you can see why I didn't feel the need to leave!):

We did get to see Windsor, though, which is such a charming small town. The river was beautiful, and all the trees were changing (yes, O Texans, trees' leaves actually change colors in the fall in other parts of the world). The highlight, though, was naturally Windsor castle, "home of the monarch for over 900 years," or so they claimed all over the town. Check out how cool it was - it was so typically castle-like!

The moat was empty, but they had filled the area in with a beautiful garden:

Although it was rather rainy and gross that day, we had a great time!

The Journey Begins

Well, after two months of waiting, we have finally taken action towards our overseas move. I must admit that God taught me a LOT about patience and control (or my lack thereof) during those two months... But now it suddenly feels like a whirlwind.

We have come to Europe to find an apartment. Actually, we are currently in London where Chris has some business meetings and I am trying to occupy myself without spending too much money. :-) On Saturday, though (after Mon-Fri meetings), we'll be taking the Chunnel to Paris (how

weird to be on a train under the water - I'm not so sure about this!) to meet with the realtor and find an apartment. We have about four days to do so, so prayers are much appreciated!

Meanwhile, we had a fun day yesterday: not sleeping at all on the plane, waiting in the immigration line for two hours, wandering through Heathrow for another hour looking for lockers to hold our luggage, and then taking an hour long tube ride into London... Oh wait, that was not the fun part. Really, the night and morning were rough, but once we made it into London, we (tired though we were) enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

We walked from Parliament, past Westminster, to Trafalgar Square.

We ate lunch at a pub near the square and then headed down The Mall toward Buckingham, took an hour-long detour in St. James Park where we lay on the beautiful lawn and slept, literally.

I'm not sure the bare ground has ever felt so comfortable.

Then we headed past Buckingham toward the Hyde Park Underground Station and back out to Heathrow to get our luggage. After a short cab ride, we were in Windsor at our hotel and asleep in bed... by 4:30. That was truly heavenly! For those concerned, we did wake up for dinner and go back to bed around midnight - we haven't completely ruined our sleep schedule. That's about all for day 1; day 2 has begun, but I may just take it easy at the hotel today while Chris has his meetings. That still gives me four more days of trying to entertain myself in Windsor and London... Thanks for checking in!