Seasons of Preparation

I love seasons of preparation such as Advent and Lent. They often don't get much recognition - especially as the hype of Christmas overshadows the celebration of Advent. Don't get me wrong. I love the Christmas season - the lights, the decorations, the Christmas markets, the food - but it all feels so empty if there is no meaning behind it.

How many of us countdown (if only in our heads) to our own birthdays? Advent gives us a way to mark the days leading up to the celebration of Christ's birthday. We may never fully grasp the beauty and mystery of God Incarnate, but Advent gives us a month to reflect on the wonderfulness of this Gift during a season that can become chaotic if we lose sight of it all.

This year we are marking the days of Advent with a garland that I made. Each little 'tree' has some delicious German chocolate inside, and we enjoy it alongside selected Biblical Advent readings. I found the idea for the 'calendar' from here. It's pretty simple as Christmas decorations go, but it has spruced up our apartment nicely along with our little sapin de Noel (French for Christmas tree) aka the evergreen UFO. It was cheap and is not quite the shape of a Christmas tree, but we love it.

Many of you know by now that Advent isn't the only countdown to a baby's birth that we are currently taking part in. Only this other countdown thankfully has a bit longer to go...approximately five and a half months to go. Yes, our tiny Parisian studio is now home to three Wards, though thankfully one of us is really small for the moment. This was quite an unexpected surprise and after having a few months to take it all in and freak out quite a bit, we are both very excited and looking forward to welcoming this little one.

Thanksgiving en France

Whenever you take something that is quintessentially American and try to recreate it elsewhere you are bound to have interesting results. Sometimes it is actually a success, as with the cheesecake I made for Zach's birthday without using any cream cheese at all. Most of the time, however, it turns out just not quite right as with any attempt at Tex-Mex food here in France. So take a holiday as American as Thanksgiving, then have it hosted by a Franco-Haitian professor with guests coming from at least five continents, and you've got something quite interesting indeed.

This past week, Zach teamed up with a professor of his to help plan a Thanksgiving feast for his classmates. It was impossible to coordinate who was bringing what with over thirty guests, so the invitation was open to bring anything, particularly traditional Thanksgiving food if possible. What do you get when you ask university students in France to bring something to a party? Wine and cheese and more wine...except for the three American students who brought stuffing, green beans, and an apple pie.  Now Moise, the professor, had already bought several kilos of cheese and a few cases of wine. This Thanksgiving smorgasbord was quickly shaping up quite differently than expected. Thankfully we did have two turkeys, but Moise insisted that one be smeared with foie gras and stuffed with more foie gras.  While foie gras is delicious, if you don't know what it is, it's better not to find out before you eat it. We had volunteered to bring mashed potatoes, but they were definitely trumped by the HUGE, delicious dish of gratin dauphinois that another professor brought.

There we were in a very crowded apartment in the Marais spending Thanksgiving in a most untraditional way. However, maybe Thanksgiving has become too much about the traditions rather than what it really was meant to be about. Upon taking a second glance, the crowded apartment (which had a view of the Eiffel Tower I might add) became full of the people who have become like family to Zach and now to me, and the haphazard selection of food became filled with all sorts of French delicacies that we will miss dearly when we leave France. We have much to be thankful for. Sometimes, it just takes a second glance.

Wedding Weekend

We spent a lovely weekend last week in the countryside east of Paris where we celebrated the marriage of our friends Katie and Jonathan. They are friends from my time in Aix who have also moved up north to the Paris area, and we couldn't have been more pleased to take part in their wedding festivities.

Zach and I met up with our friends Josh and Julia who had flown in from Aix and who let us trek out with them in their rental car. How nice to get out of the city and take in the misty countryside where the trees were in full autumn splendor.

Weddings in France are required to take place at the 'mairie' (city hall), and the church ceremony we attended was focused on seeking God's blessing and recognition of their marriage. It was an immensely pleasant surprise that the preacher giving the message was Hugh Wessel, a friend from my time in Marseille three years ago. Three months into our own marriage, it was a beautiful reminder of God's purpose in marriage.

And after the ceremony...celebration! In France this generally means lots of good food and drinks over a long period of time spent in good conversation, oh and yes, more food. Guests lingered at the church for a couple hours grazing on appetizers and countless, beautiful bite-size desserts (I lost count how many Zach sampled) while the bride and groom greeted everyone.

Later in the evening we migrated an hour to the south to a quaint farm that had been converted to a reception hall and guesthouse. Then ensued a six-hour, multiple-course meal interspersed with speeches and games about the newlyweds. We ate and learned more about Katie and Jonathan than I ever thought possible! Amazingly, we found room for dessert and at 1:30 sleepily made our way to our lodgings for the night - thankfully located just next door. What a joy to have been included on all this! Sadly my camera was left in the car for the evening, but I doubt we will easily forget this first French wedding we attended.

Ashkenazy Conducts Rachmaninoff

On Zach's birthday last Sunday I didn't let him have his present right away. Instead, in his card I jumbled up the letters of the following words "Philharmonia Symphony: Ashkanazy Conducts Rachmaninoff." You see, Zach likes a challenge, especially with word games, and I thought that this would prove to be at least a small challenge. Wow was I wrong. The little stinker sat down with relish and solved all five words in a few moments. Really? Ashkenazy and Rachmaninoff are that evident?

Backing up a bit, Vladimir Ashkenazy is a world-renowned Russian pianist who began conducting in the latter part of his career. My heart skipped a beat when I found out he was conducting in Paris a week after Zach's birthday...so perfect.

So we dusted off our nice clothes and hopped over to the Theatre de Champes Elysees yesterday afternoon for a very memorable performance. Ashkenazy conducted London's Philharmonia Orchestra as they played Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto number 3 and Symphony number 2. We had previously found out that the third piano concerto is rarely heard in concert. The sheer difficulty of the piece intimidates most pianists. Even the pianist that Rachmaninoff wrote it for never attempted it! Needless to say the pianist we saw, Nikolai Lugansky, was exceptional.

Perched up way high in our box seats, we were well placed to see the pianist's hands. Lugansky played with stunning ease and stability, even through the extremely complex segments when he would momentarily rise from his bench to make the reaches that were required. This song was evidently embedded in his soul. From the conductor's stand, Ashkenazy deftly led the orchestra with such passion that he frequently had to wipe the sweat from his face. He was so clearly enjoying every second as were we. The Symphony number 2 that followed was also beautiful, and we left inspired and fully grateful for the opportunity to hear and see such excellent music played.

Zach's Birthday! ...and The Crazy French Strikes

Zach and I celebrated his 24th birthday yesterday. It's hard to believe it's already mid-October though it feels like December outside. We went out for a nice dinner and then enjoyed some delicious homemade cheesecake (my first cheesecake attempt in France without real cream cheese). We've postponed more celebrations for next weekend after Zach finishes the six exams he has this week...

Apparently the French don't believe in giving up after three strikes. Last year while I was teaching, I became used to the occasional symbolic strike that occurred once every two or three months. But this fall has been different. I'd lost count of the strikes that were called since the beginning of September. Then last Tuesday the unions called for a greve reconductible - a renewable or limitless strike.

Just to explain a bit, the French are up in arms over the recent law that was passed that raised the retirement age from 60 to 62. There are, of course, concerns over various nuances, but that is essentially it.  Nearly all the other countries in the European Union have a retirement age of 65.

While during typical strikes, elementary schools, post offices and transportation lines close for a day while people march in the streets for their cause, what France is now experiencing has come to a whole new level. Notably, high school students have joined in the chaos, claiming that they will be the ones most affected. They have built actual barricades in front of their schools to prevent them from opening. Also many gasoline refineries have closed, and access to gasoline has become scarce in some areas. Zach and I have even seen a local daycare claiming that they are closing shop in order to strike 'for the children'.  With no end in sight, life carries on as usual for us.

2 Months!

So...we start a blog and then don't write. We haven't completely missed the point. Life has just been unexpectedly full lately.

Yesterday marked two months since that beautiful day in August when we were married.  What a busy two months - spread over three continents, changing lodgings eight times to finally settle into our little Parisian apartment.

After the sunny skies of Colorado and Morocco, the Parisian gray that seems to permeate here was a bit difficult. However, today (and the rest of the week!) promise to give us a taste of some sunny fall weather, and we will enjoy it.

The messy 'before' picture

What better way to celebrate mid a busy week than with a nice salmon dinner finished by pie? I had been wanting to try to the single-crust plum and apple pie from the blog Smitten Kitchen which I enjoy reading. We had never tried plums in pies before, but it was delicious! I was pressed for time and didn't have time to chill the crust and thus ended up dolloping it in a haphazard mess all over the pie. It still turned out beautifully (if a little funny)!

Bienvenue!

It's Saturday morning, and we sit here doing our typical Saturday morning ritual...fresh-from-the-oven pain au chocolat with coffee for Zach and tea for me. We'd love to have all our family and friends here to share in this with us, but hopefully this blog will give you a window into our life and what we're up to lately.

For those who don't know, we are newlyweds of 42 days who have moved to Paris to finish schooling and enjoy our first months together in the City of Light. We've set this blog up to share stories and recipes from our many cooking adventures to come. Mostly, though, we want to keep up with our wonderful family and friends all over the world...so welcome and enjoy!