Oui, un peu. That was my typical response to someone asking if I speak French until this week. Now, day by day, I can feel myself turning into a French language master! This week I started an intensive French course at Alliance Française, a language school in the heart of the city. I was lucky…
Category: Toulouse France
And the Winner is…
Toulouse, France! We’re staying! After a very long, nearly two weeks of limbo, we finally got the word that we can stay here until after our baby is born (though not without some last minute talk of Germany or even Florida—but that’s another story). Though the prospect of Doha was exciting, the ability to stay…
29 Weeks and Limbo
I currently feel like I am stuck in a movie. One where the hero and heroine have faced and overcome some incredible, life-changing obstacles and are starting to walk off into their golden sunset when, suddenly, the storm clouds roll in and a dark villainous voice mocks them saying, “not so fast, my pretties, not…
Expecting Expat: Pregnant in France
I feel I should start this post with a bit of a disclaimer. I am making observations as a first-time mother living temporarily in France. Comparisons I make between the U.S. and France are merely based on my observations and personal experiences, as well as from anecdotes from friends, family and those ever-addicting pregnancy message…
2016-The Year of the Baby!
Happy New Year! I hope all of you had wonderful holidays and got to spend plenty of quality time with family and friends. We were blessed to be able to celebrate Christmas in Paris. Christmas Eve, Matt and I attended Midnight Mass at a heavily guarded Notre Dame. Temporary fences provided a wide perimeter around…
A Tale of Three European Christmas Markets
I think I’ve dreamt about visiting a German Christmas market since I was in high school learning German and studying the country’s customs and cultures. Visions of stalls piled high with sweets and festive treats filled my head. The image of lights twinkling and decorated trees towering over snowy streets beckoned me from afar. Once…
A Very Expat Thanksgiving
This past Thursday was Thanksgiving in the U.S., but for the first time in our lives we spent it in another country. Since it’s obviously not a holiday in France, Matt unfortunately had to go into work. However, as he was working the late shift that day, we managed throw together a little festive lunch…
Top 5 Favorite Things about Toulouse
Musée des Augustins It’s time to say goodbye again. In just about a week or so, we will be packing up once again and moving to a new location. Next stop? Frankfurt, Germany. It’s hard to believe that we’ve spent the past five months living in France. It’s even harder to believe it’s already time…
Prayers for Paris
We woke this morning like it was any other Saturday morning. After sleeping in a bit and exchanging good morning kisses, we grabbed our phones to check for anything we missed last night. Life in the “always connected” world. What we saw shocked us. Messages had come in throughout the night on Facebook, email, text…
A Cheesey Day in Montauban
Southern France in fall has proven to be very beautiful. The leaves are changing, the weather is mostly mild and the fruits and vegetables are a gorgeous mélange of autumn hues. While the slow shift of seasons is similar to what we were used to in the U.S., the decided lack of fall marketing is…
Eat, Drink, Move (Repeat) 