Gay Paris?

So, this is entirely my (Erinn's) perspective. Jason will have his own take on it all. I think, had this wonderful opportunity to visit Paris come at a time when I was a little more energized and jazzed about travel, that this would have been a completely different experience. I'm just at a point in this adventure where I'm a little spent, a little done with being flexible and easy going, so any little challenge is ripe to set me on edge. We really did have a great time in Paris overall. I think I had my few moments of "transcendence," but the moment to moment living, ah, not so transcend-y.

It started with traveling way too early on Tuesday morning, and that is always a sure fire way to summon my teenage self. I was taking the chunnel with my wonderful in-laws and the 3 kids (J came later in the day after teaching). If anyone could ever cause me to let my better half win, it would be these benevolent people. Ted and Tori, aka Tutti and Papa, are truly full of goodness and mercy towards our little family and it really is life giving to, ahem, receive, receive, receive.............. c'mon we've been out here on our own, in a foreign land- it's ok, right?

I think the best way to capture the experience is to once again completely exploit the use of semi-colons and parenthetical expressions and do my stream of consciousness blathering about highs and lows. Here goes:

Highlights:

 Seeing Brendan's giddiness at entering Paris (noticing French signs, etc.); eating countless nutella filled pastries, croissants and baguettes; observing French people: their dress, their mannerisms and mostly their beautiful language/accents; seeing a patisserie/boulangerie every 20 feet or so (where we would have a mere Starbucks); enjoying perfect fall weather with turning leaves and beautiful architecture at every turn; watching Lily "sketch" in front of famous paintings; seeing the Eiffel Tower at night (riding to the top and enjoying the spectacular view); hearing Lily say "for free??" every time a Nigerian salesman approached her with some piece-o-crap trinket; seeing Notre Dame at sunset and eating so-so hot dogs and fries while sitting on a curb, watching a flame-thrower and delighting in the sweetness of a new walker; surprising Lily with balloons, silver streamers and a candle in a croissant in our hotel room on Friday, her 6th birthday; having lunch at a tacky American style restaurant and seeing our kids delight in its familiarity while watching (so bad they're good) old 80s music videos; and, finally, the chunnel ride home: I got to sit on the other side of the aisle, and Oliver kept calling out for "Mommy" but most certainly meant Daddy :)

Lowlights:
 Sweating bullets as I tried to walk the teeny tiny aisles of the chunnel while carrying Oliver and continually bumping into seated passengers; navigating a new metro, one that has no plan for strollers and that is, for me, way more confusing than the tube; getting completely lost with Tori hours after we arrived in Paris. I'll spare you the details, but, despite their lousy reputation, we encountered some of the NICEST French people ever. They completely went out of their way to help us, and we were a sorry crew who couldn't even remember the name of our hotel. (As a side note: Tori completely embodied the British mantra "keep calm and carry on.") I, on the other hand, was considering just crumbling there on the sidewalk and pitching a fit. My IQ was dropping minute by minute and that is about all I could dream up. And finally, now, being home with a house full of wet laundry- this is a bit of a high and a low. Being in Paris has made me appreciate London more, appreciate where we've come from and the fact that we are somewhat settled here. Coming home really felt a little like coming home- that's the high. BUT we don't have a dryer (the low). We have a drying rack (it does hold a lot, but, yes, it is as primitive as it sounds). This, before coming to London, was my chief objection to the whole thing: "Oh, my, you get to live in LONDON for a semester- how amazing that will be?" "Yes, but I won't have a dryer." I swear those were often my first thoughts and words, crazy girl that I am. Now that we're here, I hardly think of it. It sort of feels right that laundry should involve some blood, sweat and tears, or at least patience. Yes, things are a little "crunchy" and the smell is a little off, but overall it's ok, until today when I have mountains of laundry. Today the whole flat feels damp. Oh, and lastly, J's parents left today. We are now on our own for the final 6 weeks. It's been so great to have these visitors to look forward to, and now it's over. Bittersweet. We miss the community, but it's a rare opportunity to slow down and really focus on one another.............. or kill each other.......... prayers for the former, pretty please.

Glad to be home but also really looking forward to our Long Beach home..............

Erinn