Hello My Lovelies!

Hope you're all doing well!

First off, Happy Birthday to my amazing Grandma Skip! I hope she had a great day full of fun and beautiful Florida sun. May there be many more birthdays to come! (send me some cake if you can!)

Time is flying by and the countdown is nearly at it's end. From where I sit there are two days until the day of my departure for Paris. Stanley is sitting here with me looking anxious to get out of our tower so I'm sure it will be interesting.

A huge thanks goes out to my Aunt and Uncle for saving my life on the financial front. Paris would be very difficult to survive without their help.

I have all my ducks in a row and all I have to do is turn in an essay and take two essays before I have a week of freedom and fun mixed with a splash of work. Just as the French would have it I'm sure.

Can you tell that I'm excited?

If you can't, then consider this,
My plans for tonight include a French movie and going to Wal-Mart for those last minute trip purchases, such as a camera so that I can document all of Stanley's crazy stunts while we take on a European capital. Yeah, my camera broke, I dropped it because I'm a goof and forgot that it was in my purse.... So a new camera it is!

French House dinner last week was Chandeleur themed. We had a boat load of crepes made and yet we still didn't seem to have enough to feed everyone. It was a touch frustrating but there were so many potatoes that I made a wonderful potato mash with mushrooms, onions, garlic, and cheese. It could have cooked a bit longer but I was starving so I couldn't wait for it. I mean, it was still good but some of the potatoes were still firm so it wasn't completely a mash yet...

I'm still so addicted to The Black Keys.... you guys, it's bordering craziness when I hear them play. I can name songs within two notes if I'm really on and I sing along a lot (to the horror of my poor roommate). They make me happy and if I could see them play live, my life would be made.

Okay, so exaggeration.

Going to their concert would be absolutely AMAZING but it's not everything. Life doesn't stop for moments like that. We still have to figure out how to get a job and pay the bills all while balancing some semblance of a social life in which there are friends and family wondering what you are doing and why you aren't visiting or hanging out with them. It's a complicated jumble and prioritizing is probably impossible but we do it anyway.

I've been doing it a lot lately. Studies versus friends and family. I've had to take a step back from the social and freak out a bit before everything finally came together and made sense again.

I'm sorry if you feel like I've not been a good friend lately. I mean, I'm always willing to listen and help if I can but I've been a little egocentric lately in trying to get everything to work for Paris and that meant haggling with professors over dates of midterms and essays that I'm doing early and that meant that I couldn't focus on a whole lot. I lose my mind sometimes. Okay, lot's of times but please don't hold it against me...

Okay, so on a good note, to close, my new camera is AWESOME and I can hardly wait to use it so I may have some random pre-departure pictures for you with a special thanks to Stanley for his amazing posing skills.

Excitement!

Talk to you all again from Paris when I update!

Blessed Be