I rang in the new year last night in my apartment with Max. My flight back ended up being fine, despite an hour and a half delay in Toronto that almost made me miss my TGV train in Paris. Thankfully the passport control and luggage gods were with me, and it only took me about 30 minutes to get off the plane, get my stuff, then race through Terminal 2 to the train station. I just barely made my train to Lyon (but I did!), and Max was waiting at the other end to pick me up and drive us home (where I was greeted by kisses from a very happy group of bébés).
I took a nap in order to stave off the jetlag long enough to ring in the New year with Max. We toasted at midnight with a glass of champagne and resolutions to make 2013 a good year, filled with happy memories and future projects. The problem is, with Max's job, we are never certain about the future, the long-term, anyway. I honestly can't say where we'll be at this time next year, and it's (somewhat) ok. He might be transferred elsewhere in France (we are trying for Annecy), we might move into a new apartment here in the small town where we currently live, and I have no idea what kind of job I'll be doing (if any at all!). I used to be a planner, and my new year's resolutions were tied up with plotting and projecting everything to follow after January, but I've learned that's not how I can do things now. I'm slowly teaching myself to just go with the flow, enjoy the present, and adapt to whatever life brings us. It's not easy, but I'm better off for it. Life is short, after all, and stressing about what may or not conspire in the future won't make things any easier in the present.
So that said, I don't have any solid resolutions besides trying to get over my fear of driving. I drove a bit while I was in Canada, and I'd like to find the confidence I had for navigating Canadian roads here in France. I think I'd feel a lot more independent if I weren't so hung up on taking the car and having to drive myself somewhere. Building confidence while driving can only come by actually doing it, so I've resolved to take more and more short trips to places I haven't dared go before now to see if it gets easier and less stressful for me. I'm not sure I'll ever be a confident driver, but I'm not helping myself by always saying, "no, I can't" or, "I'll wait for Max to take me instead."
I'd like to give a shout out to my friend and fellow blogger, Decoybetty. She writes a great blog about being an American expat in Australia, a vegetarian, a new wife, and animal lover. She also held a giveaway a month or so ago, which I won (!), and my beautiful new necklace and earrings set were waiting for me when I got home yesterday. I encourage you all to check out her blog (on my blogroll), and also the Etsy shop where the jewellery came from because the creator has some really pretty and affordable stuff for sale!
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| My new necklace :) Isn't it gorgeous? Just my style. |
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| And the dangly earrings :) |
And to my family & friends back in Canada...I love you all and miss you already.
6 comments:
Thank you so much for the shout out - and i'm so glad the giveaway arrived safe and ready for you!
I'd also like to become a more confident driver in Australia...but that whole driving on the other side of the road thing still has me a bit weebly.
Happy New Year! I'm glad you got back safe from Canada, the weather this winter all over North America seems a little wicked.
Looking forward to more posts about the bebes. I totally understand wanting to plan and the uncertainty, but you're right, you really just have to let go and see what happens. And good luck working on the whole driving thing....it really does make you feel like a place is more yours.
Lovely necklace! You have made progress on being a go-with-the-flow girl. It's tough for us planners. Hope that the change will be doable for you. That's a good goal to drive more. Small steps. You can do it!
So glad your travel plans went well- I hope mine do too! Lucky girl to win such beautiful things!
Wow very beautiful necklace. I really like this. Thanks for sharing with us.
Crystals for Sale
Thanks.
Yes, that necklace and those earrings are beautiful!! Lucky you!
I hope 2013 turns out to be a great year for you, Max and the Bébés. I've never been a planner so my sudden unemployment situation hasn't fazed me much (except the dip in finances). But I need to try to find work soonish. Maybe that should be my resolution! Sigh.
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