Happy Halloween!!!!

We have our good friends Lorenzo and Marie Alice in town (with their 5 kiddos) and between them and the 4 Isaac kids, we have ourselves a mini Halloween celebration :)  Later tonight we will have a few trick-or-treaters, bobbing for apples, and pumpkin painting! 

I thought I would leave you with a few ghosts of Halloween's past.... We are typically away celebrating our anniversary on Halloween so we haven't dressed up in a few years.  

 The Village People

 The Great Gatsby

 Bumble Bee

My very MANLY WonderWOMAN... Wow! My Dad had questions after that stunt, haha! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM FRANCE!!! 

This is not my pumpkin, sadly... Will be copying this NEXT year though! Thanks for the image Sara.

3 Years Strong

Happiest 3 years of my life.  I can say with 100% conviction that I am more madly in love with this man today than I was on the best night of my life when I became his bride three years ago.  There's truly no one I would rather go through life's ups and downs with than My Frenchman.  We have had one wild adventure so far with the biggest one yet around the corner.... PARENTHOOD!!!! I cannot wait to see Logan flourish in his role of "Dad." Seeing as he is the cutest uncle to all our nieces and nephews, I cannot imagine how much more intense his love is going to be for our Stella. 

Happy 3 Years to us! (AND to our last Anniversary as a family of 2!) 

XO,
Mrs Frenchy 

5 :)

Happy SATURDAY!  

We actually prepared/served a lunch for 43 people yesterday, took a much-needed NAP, then had dinner with some friends in a nearby town.  What? Abby had plans on a Friday night??? Why YES I did.... proudly :) I even stayed up past 1am which hasn't happened in months!  

Here are my belated 5 Friday Smiles. 

1.  A HAPPY HALLOWEEN gift from my Mom including a fall Herringbone scarf, my beloved People Magazines, our favorite Halloween candy, and the new Mumford & Sons album which I really love!  Note: Halloween card says "Bone Jour" - only Debs would track that down :)  Thank you MOM! We always love getting your care packages.  


2. The CUTEST DIY on A Beautiful Mess.  I am thinking my nieces and nephew would LOVE this for Halloween since we don't really do trick-or-treating here in France.  (At least in our area...) 

3. My new mantra! An especially great reminder after a frustrating day as an ex-pat. 

4. Fall fashion... le sigh.... Unfortunately I am far from stylish these days and more about "whatever fits" but I do love this belted dress, tights, and knee boots :) So so cute! 

5. Logan and I celebrate our 3 YEAR Wedding Anniversary next week and I really really love this bracelet from Etsy.  We don't exchange gifts, we take trips instead... so I may have to put this one on my Christmas Wish List! 


BON WEEKEND everyone! And a special shout out to my friend Allison who is having her baby shower today! I am so sad I can't be there, but I know it is going to turn out so cute. It was so much fun helping plan it. :) 

Our Trip to Montpellier

First of all, thanks to everyone who reached out to me concerning my Mammaw.  It was really a hard week and I am happy to put it behind me.  I read all of your sweet comments, so thank you for your support and thoughts! She was a wonderful woman that I will never forget. 

Reflecting back on happier times, we had so much fun in Montpellier a few weeks ago! 

First of all, the drive from Egletons to Montpellier could not have been more beautiful. I think that is why the 4 1/2 hours went by so fast!  The leaves were just starting to change and we stopped in a cute tiny town called Murat (in the Auvergne region) for lunch with the locals.  (We got many stares because we clearly did NOT belong there! haha)




Friday night we had our fancy anniversary dinner at La Girafe (thanks to Natalie for the suggestion) and it was the best duck I've eaten to date!






On Saturday, we walked around and explored the city before meeting up with all my virtual BLOGGER friends!!! Chez Boris was the perfect backdrop to an afternoon well spent.  I can't think of another way to describe it except for it was good for my soul.  I know that sounds dramatic, but for the first time I was sitting alongside women and friends who were going through the SAME emotions, struggles, and situations I was facing.  It felt so nice to finally talk to people who understood what I was going through- the PROS of living in a foreign country, the homesickness, the language barrier, the difficulty in finding a social life, etc.  If all of us women lived in the SAME CITY, I think I could stay in France forever.  We spent hours talking (IN ENGLISH) and getting to know each other.  It was comfortable... like we had known each other for years.  The ex-pat bond is so unique and strong and after leaving that lunch, I finally felt like I wasn't alone.  I had a community supporting me... my own little set of cheerleaders and encouragers. That was made even more evident to me last week with the loss of my grandmother and being so far away- so thank you ladies! 








On Sunday, we slept in and drove a quick 10 minutes to the Mediterranean Coast for a walk and some lunch.  The beach was so pretty and peaceful and we are already planning a trip back next Fall so we can take little Stella :)  The promenade where we had lunch was sprinkled with merry-go-rounds, young families riding bikes and roller blading, and elderly couples enjoying a long, lingering Sunday lunch.  We had some yummy seafood with a view of the ocean and left Montpellier happy and so very content. What a wonderful weekend!  

Mammaw

Miss you already.  Wish I could be there today to celebrate a life well-lived, a love story worth aspiring to, and a faith to be revered. Love you very much. 

"When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me Home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Bits & Pieces : Fall

1.  Blueberry muffins. (Used our very last box from the US!) 

 2.  Basketball season is back in swing. Logan is playing a level UP from last year and doing great! 

 3.  Late night jam session with clients. 

 4.  Family of 3 :) 

 5. Nieces and nephews 

6. Drive home from French class. 

 7.  People watching at our hospital.  Yes that is a hospital gown, cardigan, and HEELS. 

 8. Feet... are... disappearing... 

 9. Growing girl. (Stella AND Mom!) 

10.  Monpellier/ Early Anniversary Trip.  Will blog details soon!