Long time

It's been almost a year now since we have been back home after our Adventures Abroad. We miss France and the friends we made while there.

Farewell to France

  

in a French town

  

Countryside photo

  

Final Photos of France

  

The welcome board

 When we arrived in Allegre for our weekend at Marie and Pierre's, they had a chalkboard with a "WELCOME" for all their house guests! 

Our last rendez-vous

  

What's up?

Where have I been? Why haven't there been any more posts?
Well... the Adventures Abroad have come to an end. After about 18 months of living and working in France, we have moved back to our home in the states. It is a bittersweet move. We were starting to learn the language better, feeling a bit more comfortable doing the ordinary things in life that were very difficult in another country, culture, and with a different language. At the same time, we missed our family and friends and all things familiar. We are very happy to be back at home in Texas.

We first got hints of a move back in the early part of the year 2006. There was a lot of movement in the company and specifically in the division where Paul worked. We knew there would be the possibility that it would mean a move. Our feelings were very mixed. Some parts of us wanted to stay, we thought about insisting that we had committed to a longer time period and we didn't want to move.... but the lure of being in a place where we were very comfortable and had our loved ones around us was also tempting. We waited it out... and not knowing what or when there might be a change. I suppose that was the hardest part. It was hard also to continue to build close friendships with so many people in France when we knew that we could be leaving very soon.

We arrived back in France after our repat vacation only to pack and ship our belongings, then move into a hotel in Lyon. Our very last weekend took us to the country home of Marie and Pierre, to the country music festival that we had so enjoyed just the year before. We spent our last days with the French friends who so graciously opened their hearts and home to us many times. It was so very difficult.

So we are back in Texas, living in temporary quarters until our things come across the ocean to join with us again. That will likely take about 6 weeks. Our old house is vacant and so we spend much of our free time fixing it up. We bought a new car. We had to buy new appliances too. All the things that I gave away have to be replaced. We are working on it.

Paul is back at work in a new position. I will go back to teaching at my school with the students and collegues that I have always considered my extended family.

We have been so blessed to have had this experience. We even composed a list of what we will miss most, what we WON'T miss, and what was great about the adventure, and what we would like to forget. So stay tuned for the final chapter of our Adventures Abroad!

Way to go Trey!

In the news....

Lyon's Hot (you think Houston is hot?) 

back in Lyon

I arrived back in Lyon last night and was suprised that it was SO HOT. We went to our favorite pizza place and had the usual. I didn't sleep much with all the heat! Check out the forecast for today... and with no Air Conditioning, I may need to visit the frozen food section in Carrefour today just to cool off.

just a quickie

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13999143/page/2/

florida beaches are the best

 There's no other place like it in the world! The white sugar sand, the emerald green water, the hot sun ... I love Florida beaches!!