5 :)

Happy Friday everyone! In some ways I feel like the weeks are flying by and in other ways I feel like we have been gone for a month.  I am beginning to crave some Skype dates, so get ready for my requests :) 


This weekend our goals include:

• Moving into our new apartment (yay privacy! yay unpacking!) 
• FINALLY getting a cell phone plan for me (I finally was able to jailbreak my phone using trusty ol' google- we will see if it works!)
• Researching where to stay in Bordeaux at the end of September when Alexis & Charlie come in town! Yippee!

Here are 5 pictures I took this week that made me smile :) 

1.  Post dinner story time with Uncle Logan.

2. This was taken at the Opera- that building behind me is actually a castle (chateau). It was beautiful. 

3. All of us at Intermission. The Opera was sung in German w/ French subtitles... so um, yeah I was quite confused...but it was a lovely, cultural experience. 

4. The FLOWERS are beautiful and they are EVERYWHERE! Every window, street corner, roundabout, & home. I want flowers like these in every window someday when we have a house! 

5. The happiest little man you will ever meet- My adorable nephew Ryan. He always bring a smile to my face!

Have a great weekend everyone :) 

xo,

Mrs. Frenchy

French Home Inspiration

Happy HUMP DAY everyone! As I mentioned in my last post, we are currently living with Logan's parents, but we get to move into our cutie log cabin apartment this weekend! We couldn't be more ready or thrilled. I love having a blank canvas to play with. Below are a few of the insipration photos I have gathered to help us in decorating.  

BONUS: We have been moving an 87 year old lady (Madame Rouge) out of her current apartment and into her new assisted living center.  Because of her big downsize, she has offered to give Logan & I some of her old furniture and other items:  A handmade bed and wardrobe made by her mother in law (easily 100 years old), a tea set made from Limoges pottery, a lantern (not the Ikea kind) that her family used to use when it got dark outside - practical, not decorative. We are very excited! 

Side story  (A Lesson in Immersion) : The boys left me alone with Madame Rouge while they moved the heavy furniture to her new place.  She is French. 87. And doesn't speak a LICK of English! She talked to me non-stop about all the items in her home and the history behind them and she thought if she talked SLOW enough, then I would understand.... haha but vocab is vocab and no matter how slow you talk, I am not going to understand! It was an hour and 1/2 before I was picked up, but Madame had kind eyes when she spoke and I just smiled and listened and would occasionally say "Oui" haha.... oh my! We are going back today but I will be taking Kristin or Sheri to be my translator. :) 

I love the ladder as a bed rail and the built in bookshelves! 

I love the crisp white, but would need pops of color... but I do think we are going to use a pretty curtain as a room divider and I found a "How To" on how to make that pretty light fixture! 

I cannot tell you how much I love this mismatched kitchen- the bright colors and fabrics... swoon!

This is just pretty and has the same ceilings we will have. 

My muse... the short bed, the woodgrain, the bright pops of color... perfection. 

Love the chandilier- rustic elegance :) 

Again, I love the crisp white and the whimsy netting around the bed. 

We start construction on our place on SUNDAY.... we are building a wall, a desk, and some built in bookshelves... I will keep you posted on our progress! 

A Few Observations

It has been a great few days! We are beginning to get in the groove of living in a foreign country and running a bed & breakfast.  In fact, we are over capacity right now, so Logan & I are staying with his parents because there are 3 people currently staying in our apartment! We should be able to move in next weekend which will be nice- then I can start unpacking, organizing, and nesting :)  Apparently there are some GREAT antique shops/ flea markets around here with treasures that are up to 100 years old!!! 

So far, I have only had one minor melt down and it was the night we arrived right before bed when I realized the reality of our situation and how long it would be until we saw family & friends again.  It was completely overwhelming, but I have honestly been fine ever since. I think the fact that Logan's family is here has helped me a TON! I love seeing my 2 nieces and nephew each day- they always make me smile :) I want to soak everything in and I do not want to waste one minute comparing it to what I am used to or complaining about how things are so different. Instead, I am trying to treat this as a blank canvas and a NEW experience that I am very lucky to have. 

Here are a few of my observations thus far:

• French people do not drink coffee out of mugs, rather BOWLS
• There is no AC.... anywhere... so windows are ALWAYS kept open
• I have yet to meet someone in a hurry or acting impatient... people take their time here and the pace of life is much more relaxed and less "rat race"
• The grocery store is GREAT vocabulary practice for me and is more or less the same as an American grocery store
• The town SHUTS DOWN from 2-5pm (so do not try late lunches), most stores are open 1/2 days on Saturday and closed on Sunday and Monday 
• There are BEAUTIFUL bright flowers EVERYWHERE in town, it is VERY pretty!
• The local pool requires men to wear SPEEDOS ONLY. No swim trunks allowed (hahaha love it!) 
• Bread is put on the table, not on the plate. 
• Wine is acceptable at ANY time of the day.
• They LOVE Lady GaGa and Britney Spears over here! Awesome. 
• Most French women wear their hair natural- wavy, curly, etc.  I did that for a few days and then decided to purchase a hair dryer and straightener.... I am AMERICAN after all! :) 
• Since this town is so tiny, people know each other and run into each other all the time.  We had the grocery store owner Marc, over for aparetifs (appetizers) the other night. 
• People leave their car keys in their cars here.  

Okay okay, I know you really just want to see some pictures, so here are a few from our iPhone! 

Kailyn & Sophia at our pond on The Colorado property 

We took a long walk around the entire place the day we got there! 

My first grocery store (supermarche) shopping experience! 

Egletons... adorable. Lots of cute flowers! 

The Frenchman shaved himself a mustache... it looks hanus.  It will NOT be staying to visit us for very long! 

My first castle sighting in town... yes, someone gets to live there! 

 I love the mornings... especially when we pick up pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants) ! 

This is the spot where we had an afternoon glass of Rose and relaxed.  Not too shabby :) 

Santé! (Cheers) 

MY ADORABLE and HAPPY nephew Ryan.  He doesn't like to wear pants. haha! 

 Making my first meal with Kristin.  We made vegetarian and regular Chili - chili is NOT popular at all in France, so the Frenchies love it! We made it for 60 people!!! 

 Learning to cook in BULK! 

The vegetarian chili... yum! 

Just hanging out :) 

Miss you all... Bisous (kisses) xo,

Mrs. Frenchy 

Bienvenue en France!

Sorry it has been a bit quiet around these parts this week- but I can MORE than make up for it today :) 

I have put together a mini movie of our 24 hour move that lasts about 9 minutes! I hope you enjoy it.  I will be doing a ton of these moving forward- it was SO much fun! (Isn't it funny how we have such GREAT technology and choose to make things look old?) 

I miss you all and cannot wait to share everything we have been up to this week! 

Au Revior (for now),

Mrs. Frenchy (officially!!!) 

Au Revior Texas, Howdy France!

Source: fashiontoast.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

The time is finally here!!! We are moving TODAY!


After 2 weeks of stress, anxiety, and tears it is time to board the plane that will change my life.  This whole goodbye process has been a lot tougher than I imagined, but Logan has been a huge support and I feel very blessed that I will have him and his family by my side during this transition.  I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us over the next couple of years.


Things we have accomplished in 2 weeks:

• Selling our 2 cars in 4 days on Craiglist! 
• Purchasing a year's supply of contacts 
• Moving Leslie Mayemba (a close family friend) into Baylor for her Fall study abroad program
• Getting a power of attorney set up to do our wire transfers while we are abroad
• Closing out credit cards, insurance, and cell phones (I am going to miss my number! I have had it since I was 16.... ) 
• Purchased a new Mac Book & iPod touch 
• Purged about 40% of my clothes
• Fit our life into 6 suitcases more or less (Hey visitors- we will be sending you with an extra duffle bag in exchange for a really cute chalet in Central France!) :) 
• Purchased plug adaptors and stocked up on basics that we need - deodorant, contact solution, etc.
• Went through ALL of my childhood keepsakes to figure out what to keep and what to throw out
• Put everything we wanted to come home to, in STORAGE (furniture, wedding gifts, appliances, etc.) 
• 2 goodbye parties and more than I can count Happy Hours, lunch dates, & dinner dates. 

Thanks to technology, we will be ALL OVER Facebook, Skype, and Twitter.


I am so ready to explore the unknown and share our adventure with you! 


A Bientot!
Mrs. Frenchy 

France: My Fears

Source: vogueandcoffee.tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest

I have already prepared myself for the fact that I am going to have some sort of culture shock/ loneliness after the initial excitement settles down.  That being said, I do have some pretty real fears:

• Fear of people forgetting about us - I know that sounds really odd, but I have always loved being in the know, perfect attendance at every event - birthday/ graduation/ baby shower/ wedding - and that is just not going to be in the cards after we move due to finances and logistics.  I think my fear is missing out so much that when we move back someday, everyone will have moved on and people will have taken our place.  (BUT I fully realize that is just my insecurity)
• Fear of not making new friends - I can make friends with a wall.  But that wall speaks English in my imagination.  SO, I just hope I can get familiar enough with French to where people can get to know me and my personality rather than the American girl who fumbles over her French. 
• Fear of the unknown - I have never lived far away, much less in a foreign country.  I am such a planner and organizer, that the unknown overwhelms me, but I am trying my hardest to channel that into excitement.

How you can help? Keep me updated on your lives!!! This blog thing is a great outlet for me, but it is very one-sided. I would love to receive updates via email whenever you have a few extra minutes... and of course, I will be actively on Twitter & Facebook and all that jazz to stalk you guys!  


This time... next week... I shall be in France! (pinching myself!) 

Cafe Brazil: Special Memories

Every Friday for the past year or so, I have eaten at Cafe Brazil on Lower Greenville with my girls. It started out as Morgan, Nicki, Jen, and myself and it was a time of laughter, tears, sometimes serious, sometimes surface level conversation.

You may remember last Fall we all went to "Painting with a Twist" as a girl's bonding night before Nicki moved to College Station for Kent's Med School.  Below are all of our "Cafe Brazil" paintings! 

In February, we lost Jen as she traveled the world with her husband.  She got back and then moved to Nashville last weekend for Steven's Grad School. 

July 29th was my last morning at Cafe Brazil with my sole remaining breakfast partner in crime- Morgan.  We felt it only fitting to donate my painting to the restaurant to be hung on the wall.  It was therapeutic, symbolic, and special.  (I told our waiter to please just leave it up while I was there and he could do what he wanted with it after I left!) 

When I got to breakfast, Morgan had printed out a picture of our table that we sat at EVERY Friday + a Cafe Brazil t-shirt! 

There is my painting! 

And it made it on the wall!!!  (Please don't tell me if it has since been taken down) 

Our most favorite waiter.... he was tattooed and funky and probably would be a good match for a nicer Kat Von D. 

Walking through life in authentic friendships... It was brilliant and wonderful and so special to me. I love you girls and cherish each one of you!   I also think we should donate ALL 4 of the paintings to make a complete set :) Hint Hint...

Our Wedding Album (Better late than never!)

Our professional wedding album was not quite in the budget, so we decided to design our own using BLURB.  I am happy to say it is 70 pages and was under $150! I will be sure to give a full review once we receive it in the mail.


You may be thinking, well Abby you got married almost 2 years ago.... True, BUT I am a perfectionist and there's nothing like an international move to get my butt in gear to finish it up and order it! Since we are only packing clothes and a few pictures, I figured this would be something I would cherish and look at often.   Enjoy :)

Our Wedding | Make Your Own Book

Checking In...

Little time. Little energy.  Here are my ramblings in no particular order.  Some are TOTAL "Debbie Downers" and others are "Praise God!" BUT I am in the business of being authentic, so here we go. 

Source: flickr.com via Sharon on Pinterest

• I sound like a broken record, but to say we have been busy the past 2 weeks is an understatement.  People have asked if we have enjoyed not working and to be totally transparent, I haven't even noticed.  Our days typically consist of waking up around 8:30am, run errands, lunch plans, errands, dinner plans, being productive, crashing. Copy. Paste. Repeat.  
• We had our first Going Away Party on Sunday - we had a HUGE turnout and it was a blast to see everyone!  Thanks to my Mom & Chris for throwing such a cute & fun shin dig :)
• We sold my JEEP in less than 24 hours on Craigslist! Such a blessing - honestly, I think God knew I was teetering on the edge of my sanity and said- I will throw her a bone... and his name was Sergio. So anywhoo, 1 down, 1 to go! (It was sad seeing the Jeep drive away though- I LOVED that car!) 
• Saturday all I did was cry. Cry, cry, cry. What do you want for lunch? tears, waterworks...  THEREFORE, Logan scooped me up for a nice steak dinner at Ruth's Chris and then surprised me and took me to a hotel for the night. It was a much needed R&R for me and got us re-focused on the home stretch and end goal.  (Did I marry a catch or what!??!?!) 
• I will probably NOT be blogging much...I miss having a desk job where I have time to read blogs, write my blog, and PINTEREST to my heart's delight! 
• Warning: I suck at goodbyes.  Therefore, my approach has been and will continue to be "See you later" and then blocking it out of my mind how long it will be until we meet again. 
• Attention BABIES who have names starting with an "L" - (Lola, Laine, Landry) I need you to know that it is FULLY acceptable to grow slowly b/c the fact that I am saying bye to a little one and coming back to a walking, talking, toddler is maybe a bit more than I can handle at this point. 
• If I could bypass this entire week and just channel myself to Paris, I would. I will be honest - I am dreading this whole week.  The emotional goodbyes and the airport scene. I could really use your prayers because I know I am going to need all the help I can get! 

On a more positive note.... I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS ADVENTURE TO BEGIN !!! I am getting more and more excited by the day :) It is worth ALL the stress and anxiety and is truly a dream come true for us. 

xo,

Mrs. Frenchy (ALMOST LEGIT!) 

5 :)

These are my top 5 Favorite Summer Tunes.  They are all upbeat and fun and will put a SMILE on your face! :) Happy Weekend! 

July: Month In Review

This is a few days late, but I get a "Hall Pass" due to the chaos of the upcoming move :) 

Jayne's birthday brunch at State & Allen.  2 weeks after this, they found out they were moving to Kansas  City, MO for her hubby to work for Hallmark - BIG Month for the McCabes!

Logan and I got CONTACTS!!! I still hate them, but Logan has adjusted quite well and I LOVE seeing his blue eyes now instead of glasses :) 

A FRONT ROW Rangers Game.... now THAT my friends, is how you watch a Rangers Game w/ Miss Meredith Wilson.  We had an absolute BLAST! 

Yep, those are our feet on the dugout. DBJ. (don't be jealous) 

Our clan... Thanks again Mere :) We had a blast! 

Painting class with Alexis & her sister Leslie at Social Art Studio.  (Similar to Painting with a Twist) 

Our finished products... not going to lie, I did not care for how my painting turned out. 

I got home from Painting class at 11pm and had to be up at 3am the next morning to leave for Florida! 

We had the BEST week at North Captiva Island. 

The next weekend we headed to Wimberley for some QT with family and friends. The Yarger clan is ALWAYS a good time and the Hill Country was beatiful and relaxing. 

We had a going away party w/ the Harrell side of the family. It was so great catching up with everyone!

Some snuggle time with this little Pumpkin :) Laine Zindel is precious! 

OUR LAST DAY OF WORK!!!!!!

After getting off work, Logan & I headed straight to the Rehearsal Dinner to kick of the wedding weekend for Landon & Kerri WEBB!!! (Thus my pun= The Webbing)

Look at how HOT Kerri looked? She was glowing. 

The newlyweds!

Phew! That was a BIG month! I am not going to lie, we are HAPPY July is over.  It was a little too packed...but it was full of FUN.  It has been great to have the week off to get stuff done- although we are not working, it has been far from a "vacation" haha! We are very happy we decided to give ourselves 2 weeks to prepare for the move- we are going to need next week to wrap everything up! 

Welcome August. Welcome change. Welcome France. 10 days and counting!