What to expect when you're least expecting...

Today I went to the doctor and my fears were confirmed. I'm pregnant! 

It's VERY unexpected but I guess that's what keeps life exciting. I'm still trying to get over the shock of it all and am not sure what the future has in store but I do know that some adventures lie ahead!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Just when I thought I had life all figured out, or at least the coming year...

The plan was to travel to the south of France and work on organic farms for the month of July. Then the first of August, I'd go to Greece with some friends and enjoy some beach time before heading back to Utah around the 18th. Next on the list was spending quality time with the family, along with getting enrolled at UVU so I could finish one last semester there before moving to St Louis. All the details were in the beginning stages but the outline had been made.

However, things were quickly put into question when my host family offered me to stay with them for another year. The question was, do I move back to the states and graciously accept the responsibilities of adulthood? Or, do I continue the dream of living in France for another year, work on my French and continue to eat delicious pastries? Decisions, decisions...

As you may have already guessed, I've accepted the latter. Thus, my stay in France will be extended. There's plenty of paperwork that is yet to be done, but if things go as planned (fingers crossed) I will be here until August of 2012!

The Missoura Madness

View of Saint Louis

Went to the zoo and saw some penguins

Saint Louis Art Museum (Statue of Saint Louis)

The spider we named Frank that hung out with us for an evening.

A very eclectic bar, covered in everything you could imagine.

Went for a hike and found this little dude, who apparently had too much fun.

Jake, Adam and Jeremy admiring the shapes in the sky.

The famous St Louis Riplets. 

They were so good I brought a bag to France with me.

The FBC ride. (F'n Bike Club)

Every full moon bikers gather together and ride around the city. 

It was quite the experience.

Hanging out with friends after the Bug Chaser show

The Bug Chaser's (My friends very talented band)

Bug Chaser music

Saint Louis. The city with a small town mentality. Everyone seems to know everyone and even if they don't, they'll treat you like they do. I've never before met so many friendly people that instantly welcomed me into their community and made me feel like I belonged. People who I had just met were offering me a stay on their couch if needed. You don't find that kind of hospitality everywhere, believe me.

The music scene seems to be bursting all over the city. Coffee houses are littered with artsy flyer's for all the up and coming shows. Everyone is involved in one way or another. Whether it be rapping with the King Kong Magnetics gang or helping to put out tapes for Bug Chaser. It's a passion for music so contagious and inspiring that you can't help but want to catch it.

The city offers plenty of things to do. If there isn't a music show you want to catch, chances are you can find some poetry reading, pub quizzes or if it's a Monday night you can watch some cult classics down on Cherokee Street. Which also happens to be a great area for good/cheap Mexican food. 

(Note: Don't ever get a Chicken salad no matter how much you're craving it. You'll be sadly disappointed. I know I was.)

So while at first glance Saint Louis may not seem like the most charming of cities, you quickly learn that the charm is in the people. It's the kind of place that I can see myself moving to because I fell in love with everyone I met.

Oh how I love going to the doctor in France

Somewhere around 8 months ago, I noticed a small bump on the back of my head. It's tender to touch, mobile and hasn't gotten any bigger. I did my fair share of googling and decided it must be a cyst, or in other words, not serious. Given that I love going to the doctor so much, I figured I didn't need to bother anyone about my bump.   But, as parents tend to do, they put the fear in me and told me that I should get it checked out because what if it was cancer?

I was dreading the appointment not only because it's the doctor, but because I get the added bonus of trying to speak to him in French. I looked up the word for cyst, kyste, gave myself a small pep talk, then headed out on the ten minute walk to the office. When I sat down in the waiting room, I took note of the three other people who were waiting so I could know who was before me. Unlike the states where we have a check-in of sorts, here you just go in when you know it's your turn. I pulled out the book I'm currently reading The Alphabet Versus the Goddess (would highly recommend it) and attempted to read while I wondered what the other people had and hoped I wouldn't get it. 

Finally it was my turn to follow the doctor back to his office. We sat down and I began saying, "Je suis jeune fille.." when he interrupted me with, "je sais, je sais..." My host-mom had spoken with him earlier and told him that I would be coming. I then tried to explain that I thought I had a cyst on the back of my head and he took me into the other room to sit on the table so he could look at it. After about 30 seconds of rubbing the bump and feeling around my scalp he said, "Ce n'est pas un kyste." Then he touched the rook piercing in my ear and asked how long I'd had it. Over two years. He seemed surprised then asked if I've had any irritation or infection from it, to which I responded, "Non, pas des problemes." We went back into his office and sat at his desk and he told me that the bump was caused by the piercing and that maybe if I took it out, it'd go away. This didn't make me very happy. I don't understand how I can have a piercing for so long and NEVER have any problems with it and yet it somehow forms a bump on the back of my head. I tried to explain this to him but he just shrugged his shoulders at me. He gave me a prescription to get my blood tested, charged me 23 euro for the 8 minute visit and sent me on my way.  

2010 Adventures

Reflecting on my year of 2010 and the photo highlights from it.

Click here to view this photo book larger

My Sunday in Paris

My friends and I went to Hotel de Ville to go ice skating. After standing in line forever and watching everyone else skating, I decided I would just watch and take pictures. I didn't plan ahead very well and was wearing a dress and didn't want to be the girl falling on her ass in a dress.

Gliding along. music in the air

Carousel, crepes and cotton candy

Water color sky and twinkling lights

Shadows and blurs 

The cheerleaders on the sideline

Notre Dame

River. Tree. Church.

Filling our bellies and thawing our toes.

Christmas in Ireland

When it comes to travelling abroad alone, I seem to have the utmost of adventures. I was scheduled to leave for Dublin Dec. 23rd and the night before there was a snowstorm in Paris. I tossed and turned all night, worrying whether or not my flight would be cancelled and after just 4 hours of sleep I got up and headed to the airport. I arrived at the Beauvais aeroport by 7:15 and spent the next two hours waiting in lines. My flight was scheduled to depart at 9:25 but of course they didn't even start boarding passengers until nearly 10:00. After I finally made it on the plane, I began to relax and fell into a nice slumber only to be woken up by the flight attendant announcing that there was too much snow at the Dublin airport and we'd need to land in Cork instead. They told everyone that there would be buses waiting to take us to the Dublin airport and that it'd only take 3 hours. With no phone or internet, I had no way of letting my friend know that I would be arriving much later and on a bus none-the-less. Thankfully the woman I sat next to on the bus let me borrow her phone and I called Sinead's mom to tell her I was on my way. The "3 hour" bus ride turned out to be a 5 1/2 hour ride but it didn't matter when I finally got to meet up with Sinead at the arrivals gate. We found the bus to take to her town, which normally is around an hour trip but because of the snow it ended up taking 3 1/2 hours. Needless to say by the time we made it to her house, we were both exhausted. 

It was freezing, the rolling hills blanketed in white and the narrow streets barely drivable. The first few days were spent inside in effort to keep warm. Christmas was unlike any other I'd celebrated. I attended my first (and last) Catholic mass where we sang "Happy Birthday dear Jesus" and I couldn't help but laugh. I sat quietly and observed the service, surprised by the amount of standing up and sitting down that is done along with all the praying. Afterwards, like true Irish Catholics, the families got together and began drinking at noon. There was something wrong if you didn't have a glass in your hand and a buzz on the way. That evening was Christmas dinner with Sinead and her family which reminded me of home. There was turkey, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, brussel sprouts and beef. Great food. Great company. After dinner, everyone went to Gaga's (Sinead's grandpa's) and drank some more and sang and danced. The most memorable Christmas in my life and I'm grateful I had the experience to share it with such fun people.

The following days were blessed with rain, which helped melt all the snow. As the white disappeared, green took its place and it looked like all the pictures I'd seen. It's a beautiful country and I look forward to going back and discovering more.