THIS is the Last France Post

How does this happen two years in a row on the same weekend?  The big weekend before Christmas, when one of the Rochford twins try coming home from a long semester abroad.  I don't know how a blizzard suddenly decided to hit Paris.  Or how it picked the weekend I leave.  Or how it decided to last until Tuesday.  But here I am, nestled up in the Hotel du Parc in Montpellier, much thanks to Emily.

Shall I commence with the events that took place yesterday?  Maybe I should start with Saturday.

Emily's mom was supposed to fly into England and then Paris and then take a train from Paris to Montpellier.  She got stuck in England and was there until early this morning.  Luckily Emily was able to book her a seat on the Eurostar, the train that goes under the English channel.  Apparently her poor mother slept in the hallway of a hotel Saturday night, but Emily was able to get her an actual room for last night.  As soon as we saw that so many flights were cancelled on Saturday, I had a terrible feeling about my flights.  But after getting to the airport and the gate with no sign of a delay or cancellation, I felt better.

I had gotten up at 5 to make sure I had everything ready and would have enough time to lug my stuff down the staircase in Triolet and hand in my key.  Plus, I wanted to make sure my cab showed up.  It did, which would have been great if my flight had actually taken off.  I checked my bags, they were both slightly over the weight limit, but no one cared.  If they care on Tuesday I'll flip out.  Maybe if I show them my receipt from already checking my bags on Sunday they'll let me off the hook.  We'll see.  So I was sitting in the lobby, waiting to go up to security because I had a ton of time before my flight would board at 9:50.  I saw the girl that lived with Emily, Melissa and then we met up with her friend Becky.  We went up to the gate, no problems at security, took a seat.  At 10:20, when our flight was supposed to take off, we were still sitting there, with no update even about a delay.  People were asking the workers and they had no idea.  Finally, about 20 minutes later, Becky checked the flight on her phone because she had the internet on it and it was cancelled.  How did the internet know this before the people at the airport?  So the three of us starting freaking out, along with the Greek girl sitting next to me.  There was no one even at the customer service desk.  So we ended up going back downstairs and waiting in line for 2 hours before booking flights for Tuesday.  At least I only have to stop in Paris and Boston, as opposed to Paris, Montreal, and New York.  We had to collect our luggage.  It never made it onto a plane, and yet when I got it back it already had a tear in one bag and a cracked handle on the other one.  How does that happen, Montpellier airport workers?  Are you fucking retarded?  Thanks for ruining my brand new luggage.

After booking my flight I started to panic, not knowing where I was going to stay or how I was going to get back to the city.  I finally realized that Emily had a room at a hotel near the Place Albert Ier tram stop because her mom was supposed to come.  So I called her and asked if she thought I could get a room there.  So I went to find the shuttle, which had moved from the last time I took it.  While I was searching for the new stop, I ran into the Greek girl, Victoria.  She was looking for it too, so we figured that out.  And thank God we were together or it would have been impossible to get all our luggage onto the tiny shuttle.  Team work!  I'll never forget her- she was next to me when we all found out the flight was cancelled, told me everything would be ok, stood in line behind us when we were waiting for new tickets, and then we happened to run into each other while looking for the shuttle.  Thank you Victoria.

I met Emily at the Place de L'Europe tram stop and she helped me get my bags to the hotel, I got a room, and here I am.  I had a wonderful breakfast with 2 cups of real coffee, none of that European gulpful of coffee.  And the women who work here are wonderful.  The one lady said she'd reserve a cab for me, but I don't know if she'll remember, so I'm gonna do that after I shower in a few minutes.

I will say this: I freaked out yesterday.  I was actually doing ok for while.  I cried when I called home to tell Mommy my flight was cancelled and again when I was getting my ticket when Mommy called to check on things.  But the lady finding me a ticket was so sweet.  She was a little older that Mommy and after I got off the phone, she put her hand on my shoulder and said that it was going to be ok and I'd get home.  Then she asked how to pronounce my first name (on my tickets, my whole first name appears as Heather Mary).  So I told her and she said she's never heard it before and that its such a pretty name.  Thank you lady at the airport for being so sweet to me.  I'm glad I've managed to run into the nicest people in this city these last two days. 

I think it's safe to say that I completely lost it when I found out that Carl might not make it to the airport on Tuesday.  I was completely exhausted after being up at 5 and not sleeping well the night before and standing in line for 2 hours and then going to a concert that Emily had originally bought tickets for her and her mom. 

But now, I'm rested and have a clear mind.  I know I was a bitch yesterday.  I've always had it in my nature, hence I know every word of Daddy's "nothing to fear but fear itself" talk.  I'm especially horrible after not sleeping or not eating, and I hadn't done either yesterday until late.  So I'm better now, if anyone wants to know.  Sorry for freaking out. 

All the love and see you all tomorrow evening,
Heather *muahs*

Last France post??

So Shannon wanted me to write another blog this week.  I don't see it being very long or funny or even interesting.  My whole life is focused on getting home.  It's all I think about day and night.  I can't even sleep at night because I think of going home.  Can this week just end?!  It's only Sunday, I have a shit load of crap to do involving leaving, 2 exams, and I can't take it.  If one little thing goes wrong, I'm going to snap.

On a high note, Carl and Psych introduced me to one of the most amazing songs.  It's called "I Go To The Barn Because I Like The" by Band of Horses.  It's amazing.  Check it out.

Hm, nothing else to say.  Honestly, nothing has been going on except for me packing, trying to clean my room, and obsessing over going home.  I've watched all of the first 4 seasons of Psych, mostly in the last week.  Sad?  Yes.  What's even sadder is that I only have one Law and Order episode left.  What am I going to do after I watch it?  Seriously, these tv shows are what have been getting me by.  Thank you Carl.  I watched Christmas Vacation last night.  Maybe I'll have to start watching movies instead of tv shows.  I've already started rewatching my favorite Psych episodes.  It's so addicting and I can't wait to catch up on Season 5 when I get home.  So amazing.

So can I just go home now?  Sorry Shannon, this is your fault for telling me I had to write another blog.

Oh I actually just thought of something really weird:
-Emily decided to move to an apartment because she can't stand her host mom anymore and I went to the rental agency with her the other day so she could give the man copies of her passport and visa, etc.  Well, he asked me if I was from Baltimore, too, like Emily, and I said, no, I'm from Buffalo.  And he got really excited and said 'That's a great town!  I love the Buffalo Bills!  I love to watch them!'  Um, can someone please explain this to me?  I was too much in shock to ask him how he knew about the Bills.  Fast forward to a day later:
-Emily and I just finished up our dinner at our favorite crepe place (La Grange aux Crepes) and the waitress who knows us by now as we go there every Friday for lunch came out of the kitchen to chat with us.  When she found out I'm from Buffalo she said 'You have the team.  Is it basketball?  The Buffalo Bills'.  Can someone please explain this to me??  Two people in two days know the Bills?!?!  What is going on here?

So I think that's all I've got.  Except that I'm currently sending facebook posts back and forth w/ Anna about a fake passionate kiss and no one understands it but the two of us (and Kelly).  It has cheered me up just a tiny bit.

See you all soon and love,
Heather

Ready to Come Home

I think I've done an excellent job of not complaining about wanting to come home.  I did not (probably much to Mommy's surprise) call home once my first 4 months here to say I wanted to come home.  Not once.  But now, as I enter into my last three weeks, I'm going to say it: I WANT TO COME HOME!!!!!!!!  I think all this excitement is getting to me.  Knowing I can actually start shipping stuff home and packing is killing me.  This past week felt like the longest week in months, only because I knew I'm so close to coming home!  I hope the next 3 weeks go by much faster!

Maybe it's not all excitement, maybe it's also part due to stress: I have a 10 minute presentation on Thursday about a Shakespeare Sonnet (Sonnet #2, if anyone is interested in helping....Thanks again Shannans!!).  What, you may be asking yourselves, can someone possibly talk about for 10 minutes that pertains to a freaking sonnet?!  It's 14 lines long for crying out loud!!  All I can say is that even after discussing things with my professor, the British girl in class and myself are freaking out.  It's not going to be a good day, I can say that much.  My prof tried to make us feel better by saying that no one was going to rate us on how well our French was, just on the content.  Well, thank you M. Marty (yes, Marty), but that doesn't make me feel any better about standing up in front of a bunch of French students and trying to speak about a dumb sonnet for 10 minutes.  I pray no one is in class (last class there were 6 if us).  It'll make it somewhat better.

After that is over with I'll have one week left of classes.  So maybe after this week everything will be ok.  Either way, I'm ready for home and Mocha and our wonderful coffee maker that BEEPS when the coffee's finished brewing and my beautiful brand new washer and dryer and Mommy's home-cooked dinners and EVERYTHING!!!!  I can't wait to go out and get a normal sized coffee.  It's going to be soooo good.  And I'm going to wear every piece of clothing I own, I'm sooooo sick of wearing the same couple pairs of pants and tops every day.  And shoes - a girl who sold shoes for 3 years should NEVER go to France for 4 and 1/2 months with only 4 pairs of shoes: it's suicide.  My boots had better be up from the basement, that's all I'm saying....

I guess I should get back to this sonnet analysis.  Awesome.  23 days, and then I'll never have to deal with Shakespeare again, never have to go to that dumb Anthropology class again (sorry Anna, but it's boring), never have to go to that ghetto campus, and NEVER HAVE TO LIVE IN THIS DORM EVER AGAIN.  Hallelujah!!

The Final Stretch!!!!

So, here we are: I have 27 days until I am home :)  Not counting this week, I have 3 weeks to go!  I have ONE more Medieval History class!  I also have my Shakespeare Exposé next week, December 2.  The only plus side to that is that it'll be December!  But I just sent that prof (the Justin Sane look-a-like) an email saying I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.  So hopefully he gets back to me tomorrow and we exchange a couple e-mails until he realizes it would just be better for both of us if I just write a paper instead.  (Wishful thinking). 

News update that I totally forgot about: there is a boy in that same class who looks EXACTLY (and I mean EXACTLY) like Rabbit in U-571.  I'm not talking about older version of Justin Sane, I'm talking about you could probably re-film the movie with him in it!!!!  Kelly, you must know exactly what I'm going through - only you could understand!!!!  I want to take a picture, but that would be really weird.  But everytime I watch my favorite actor ever, Will Estes, in U-571, I'll be reminded of this french guy....  Absolutely crazy: TWO doppelgangers in the SAME CLASS?!?!  It can happen people: this is proof!!

Anyway, I had a perfect time with Carl.  Arles was wonderful.  I also had a great time with Marsha and I cannot thank them both enough for loving me enough to fly across the ocean pour me rendre visite!  Merci à vous deux!!  *kissies*  I would go into every last detail if only I had the time!  Alas, I have so much to do, and it seems to have crept up on me out of nowhere!

Let's see, the to-do list:

• Anthropology: finish reading a huge section of a really boring book.  There are a ton of words I don't know, so I look them up and it's the same word in English.  Problem is NOT solved.  Also, finish reading another book (the whole thing this time).  It is easier to read, so that's good, but the main reason why I haven't succumbed to the torture is the lime green cover.  It's what keeps me going, seriously.  In-class essay for the final, but I don't know if it's in 2 or 3 weeks....
• Comparative Literature; I have the *dreaded* exposé on the 2nd.  Followed by in-class essay in either 2 or 3 weeks, he "wasn't sure".  Isn't it your job to be sure, Mr. Older Version of Justin Sane (mind you, I would never speak in this tone of voice with the real Justin Sane).
• Poetry: Originally, I would have had to write a dissertation on a poem by Ronsard to hand in on the last class day (December 9th).  But grâce à la grève, she doesn't think we have had enough time discussing poetry (I've spent MORE than enough time discussing poetry, thank you VERY much) to write a dissertation, so now I have a "reflection" due the same day.  What exactly is the difference?  I believe the dissertation would have had a question to answer.  For the reflection, I just need to analyse the poem to the best of my ability.  I will be putting "Je suis américaine" on the top of this paper for suresies.
• Medieval History: nothing really.  I have to look over my notes and then 2 Mondays from now I have to answer some short-answer questions in class.  We're not exactly sure about this, so I'll be emailing him later this week to be sure of what exactly is going on.
• Grammar: nothing really, again.  Mondays, we learn more grammar stuff (yay!! --note the scarcasm--), and on Tuesdays, we do writing practice.  So we'll continue with that for the next 2 or 3 weeks, have a little test, et fini. 

I'm looking forward to the end of this.  It's been a long time!  It hasn't been a bad time, but I'm more than ready to come home.  I can't believe I have to finish buying Christmas gifts already, and start shipping stuff home!!!!  I hope you're all ready for me ;D

Vive La Grève!

So, it's Grève Week here at Université Paul-Valéry.  That is the official name we American students have given this crazy crazy week!  What is a grève some of you may wonder?  A grève is a strike.  As in the students here blockaded the entrance to campus as well as all the entrances to classrooms and buildings.  As in I sometimes wonder if I am currently living in a civilized country or not....  I never got to see the students outside the campus striking (grèving, as I like to call it), but apparently it was something else.  I did, however, see the artwork of the blocked doorways.  There is an outdoor staircase which was blocked with many chairs and desks and how they got them to stay in place is beyond me.  It took some skill.

Grève Week was officially declared earlier in the week.  On Tuesday, the students went on grève, then decided to grève the rest of the week as well.  So as to lower the amount of damage to school property, the school officials decided it would be in their best interests to close campus for the rest of the week.  Now hopefully this doesn't continue into next week, or I have to figure something out.  Apparently, the International Relations office emailed all of our professors to tell them that if this continues they have to email us our assignments so we still get grades and credits this semester.  This is important, as Paul-Valéry students apparently enjoy grèving, even when it lasts a whole semester....so we shall see how this pans out!

The grève is all thanks to the French government trying to raise the retirement age from 60-62.  SIXTY TO SIXTY-TWO!!!!  And people are lighting cars on fire and blocking oil refineries for this?!?!  Do you now see why I feel like I'm living in an uncivilized country sometimes?!  First, I can't buy decent coffee in a grocery store, now people go ballistic because of 2 extra years of work!  TWO YEARS!!!!  Grow up and deal with it!  Oh my gosh!!  Trains are only running about 50%, theres no gas to be found, people are losing their minds, high schoolers are getting themselves involved (violently sometimes) just because they can get out of school....  Will I be living in a dangerous 3rd-world-esque country soon, I wonder? 

At least planes are still landing and taking off (knock on wood).  Air France announced that it will keep  running 100% of its flights.  Most planes are just asked to refuel before landing in France, or have to stop somewhere right outside of France to refuel on it's way somewhere else.  Crazy crazy craziness.  All over 2 extra years of work. 

Such has been my life recently.  Gotta love France.  At least I really get to see what French culture is really like: there's the grève and my Anthropology memoire, which I don't technically have to do except that I've pinned myself into a corner....  I honestly can't wait for some Buff State classes next semester!

I'm Halfway Done!!

So as of today, I am more than halfway done with the semester here!  I thought the day would never come, haha.  And Carl is coming in 12 days!  It's so close I can't stand it!

So I haven't written in a while, I know, but not much was going on.  I've just been doing schoolwork, which isn't fun.  I also somehow got myself into doing more work than is actually necessary: my Anthropology professor mentioned to the class about signing up for some paper in class the other day, so I caught her after class and asked what she was talking about, as I didn't recall her ever mentioning this before.  She told me to come to her office the next day to discuss it with her.  It turns out that the paper she mentioned is the Memoire that all the License 3 (final year) ethnology students have to do to be able to graduate.  They hand in a dossier/CV in December and then write the paper throughout next semester.  My professor decided that it would be a great French cultural experience if I handed in the first part of the paper.  Good job Heather, for trying to be a good student and getting yourself messed up in all this business!  So I'm doing a bilingual dossier for her.  Awesome.  I don't really have much to do, she even admitted it.  She gave me the name of some book to read and said I should just interview American students about their motivations to study in Montpellier (the topic of my Memoire).  She actually said the most difficult part would be to find American students to interview.  Little does she know I know about 40 of them and have 2 other Americans in my hallway....  So I basically just have to write down important quotes (in English, without translating), explain them and compare them to what other students said, and then write summaries about different topics I will be discussing (that part is all in French).  She finally put up a little outline online, but it's confusing.  So luckily I have to hand in a rough draft in the middle of November so she can let me know what I have to change.  I guess it will give me something else to do beside read because I feel like that's all I've been doing lately.

On another school note, I have to find out exactly what is expected of me for this Shakespeare sonnet expose (with accent mark on the second e)/commentary.  The British gal and I are both so confused because all the French students have done this before and know exactly what is going on.  So we are both planning on emailing him within the next day or so to figure that out.  As soon as I figure it out, I'm doing the whole thing in a couple of days, as my 'expose' (if I end up having to do one), will be December 2nd.  I don't know if I have to also do a commentary or what, so we shall see!

I also get to find out the topic of my Ronsard dissertation this week, and that will hopefully be almost finished by next weekend, as that will be due December 9th.  And honestly, after Marsha leaves I won't have much time at all!  And I'm thinking the Athropology dossier will take up more time than the two literature assignments, as I'm used to papers for French literature, but not Anthropology.  I'm also expecting my Anthro prof to tear my format apart, as I really don't know how these things are done in English, much less in French. 

Now for the fun stuff!  Last weekend, Friday to be exact, Emily and I took the train to Carcassonne!  Can I just say that it was one of my favorite places in the world?  It's like a fairytale land!  I will have pictures up soon (hopefully tonight or tomorrow), so that everyone can take a look.  Honestly, I didn't want to leave!  It was just absolutely gorgeous and medieval and terribly romantic.  I would love to go with Carl for a weekend if we ever get to travel around Europe for a couple of weeks.

The train station is in the newer section of town, so we set off in search of the tourist office, which of course was closed indefinitely.  I feel like that's the story of our life: it's either closed or we can't find it.  So without a map to guide us to the Cite (accent mark on the e), which is the old fortified medieval city, we set off in what we hoped was the right direction, wandering around and peering down side streets until we saw towers.  We crossed a bridge, from which we saw the most beautiful scene in the world (beside the Buffalo skyline, obviously).  There was a little river below us, and across the river was the gorgeous fortified city, with a park full of trees below it!  And since it was raining lightly, there was the faintest mist in the air, making it absolutely romantic and fairytale-esque.  My pictures can't really capture the full beauty of the moment.  All I can say is, if you ever get yourself to Carcassonne, make sure it is on a misty morning in the Fall.  You won't be disappointed.

After crossing the bridge and trying to figure out how to actually get to the hilltop where the Cite is, we ended up following an older British couple.  They were so adorable.  They were maybe 5-10 years older than Mommy and Daddy, and held hands the whole way up to the entrance, where we lost them.  The woman had a slight limp, and had to walk very slowly, especially since we were walking uphill.  But the man was so patient- he just held her hand and walked beside her.  It was so cute.  Once we got to the hilltop, the view was wonderful!  You could see everything!  And inside the walls, the city was so cute!  We walked around the ramparts (I was terrified!), then toured the castle, and then wandered around town for a bit.  We ate at the cutest little restaurant, L'Ecu D'Or, where Emily and I both had Cassoulet.  It was perfect for a chilly, wet Fall day in France!  I want to find a recipe when I get home to make it for everyone!  You'll all me very happy with it, especially the dog.  I know Daddy would have just loved it!  We also had the best chocolate mousse for dessert, and my starter was a chevre chaud salad, which was absolutely amazing.  However, I would have to say that the most memorable part was hearing Moby's big hit from years and years ago.  It was called "Southside" or something, and I think it was on the Now (insert number here) CD that was always advertised for on TV.  It was just so strange and funny because all the other songs were typical French restaurant songs, very mellow and relaxing, and then all of a sudden Moby came on!  I haven't heard that song since I saw one of those dumb commercials!

Another highlight: La Maison Hantee (accent mark on first e), aka Haunted House.  A bunch of highschool-aged students were standing outside waiting to get in, it was quite funny.

Also, there were a TON of British people there.  If you want to see Brits in France, just go to Carcassonne.

So that was Carcassonne, and also the only thing of interest from last week.  This weekend, yesterday to be exact, Emily and I took a bus for only 1E50 to a tiny village called Clermont-L'Herault.  We never would have heard of it, except for the fact that on Friday after lunch Emily took out a Southern France tour book she found in her hostmom's house and we saw something about it.  It seemed cute enough so Emily found the bus routes (she's amazing at that, if you ever need a train/bus route, just ask Emily for help), and we left around 10am yesterday.  It was only an hour bus ride, through the mountains and some cute small towns.  The town itself was so adorable.  It's a perfect place for a romantic, peaceful weekend away from it all.  There are mostly just locals, but still things to do, such as shops, a gorgeous church, a feudal castle (which was closed, but maybe we'll go back as it was so cheap), and beautiful streets to wander down.  It reminded me of day trips while on vacation in maybe Saratoga Springs, when we went to a little town and had breakfast or lunch at a little diner.  It was Fall, so it must have been during that trip. 

Anyway, we both decided that it would be a great place to live someday, as it's near the countryside but close enough to the city, is soooo quiet and peaceful, and is absolutely gorgeous.  We also decided that someday, even if it's in 50 years from now, we are going to get together and backpack/bike/rent a car/whatever seems most convenient at the time across France, mainly to check out all the tiny villages in the countryside and in the mountains.  We made a pact, and we won't break it!  I'm excited for that, maybe I should save it for a mid-life crisis!

We got back to Montpellier early, at 3 or 4 and wandered for a bit.  Then I came back here and made myself CHICKEN NUGGETS with MIKE'S HOT SAUCE!!!!!!!!  Amazing!!  I'm so excited I found his hot sauce, it absolutely made my life!

Today I've just been sending facebook messages to Carl and reading for Anthropology.  Sooo much fun.  At least it's cooled off here: it's only been in the low-mid 60s for the last couple of days, and it's not supposed to get any warmer!  Yay, it kind of feels like Fall (finally!)! 

I hope all is well at home!  I'll post another blog soon and hope to have pictures up asap!  I love you all, please send my love to the Grandma's and Mocha!

3 Year Anniversary :)

So today was me and Carl's 3 Year Anniversary.  3 years already!  Can you believe it?  Us neither.  It's kind of crazy, especially when I go through pictures and remember everything like it was yesterday.

To start things off, Emily came over early to drop something off.  I thought it was just the papers for my Monoprix fidelity card (it's like a bonus card), but she had a big bag with her.  She said I couldn't look at it yet, but that by the end of the day I would know what it was and would know when to look in it.  After she left, something kind of clicked a little bit....

Anyway, the other day Carl told me that if my phone were to ring with a number I didn't know today, that I HAD to pick it up.  Even if it wasn't him talking on the other line.  Of course, I didn't like this idea at all, as I hate talking to people I don't know on the phone and I didn't even know what it would be for!  The only times it has been perfectly easy for me to talk to strangers on the phone was at Sears doing shoe checks because I knew the person on the other end was in the same boat as me.  Plus, it was kind of my job.  So I was worried all day that I'd miss the call, so I turned the volume up really high (I have to remember to turn it down before I go to bed, or I'll wake up with the loss of hearing in one ear), brought it into the bathroom with me when I showered, carried that huge, clunky phone in my front pocket while grocery shopping, brought it into the kitchen while cooking lunch, and then had it glued to my side for the rest of the afternoon.  No call.  I was kind of starting to get worried by now, as maybe my number wasn't working (Carl had said it might be a local number). 

So you can see where I thought that maybe these two things were linked....the phone call which had something very important to do with our anniversary and something wrapped in bags that I couldn't open until I knew the time was right....  maybe right when a phone rang?

But the phone never rang.  I had enjoyed my lunch and a light snack and tea and was enjoying myself watching highlights of the Sabres vs. Senators Round 2 of the 2006 Playoffs.  In the middle of my highlights, there was a knock on my door.  Thinking it was either Emily about my mysterious gift or Bronwyn telling me my hockey highlights were too loud, I got up and opened the door only to find ---- a random french girl standing there holding a baguette.  She informed me that when she had asked for her mail at the 'Acqueil', the guy working there had asked her to go to room B24 and tell the girl there that he need to talk to her.  Right away I thought that something must be wrong, such as my rent or something equally as important.  So I originally planned on going down tomorrow morning, so as not to let it ruin our anniversary.  But after a few minutes, I literally felt sick with worry, so I went down to the 'Acqueil' and said, "You needed me?" (only in french: "Tu as besoin de moi? Chambre B24?") "Room B24?".  He asked me what my name was (probably to verify that it was really me), and then walked over to the door, where I followed him (our conversation had taken place through the little window).  Then he handed me this giant box!!  I was in shock, until I looked through the see-through lid and saw flowers!!  My heart nearly fell out of my chest!  I don't think I've ever had such a wonderful surprise!!  Right away, I almost started balling my eyes out, and I know the look on my face must have been full of such joy and surprise because then the guy said, in english, "Enjoy!" with a huge grin on his face and I said "Thank you!!" and walked myself and this big box of flowers back up to my room, trying not to cry with happiness!!!!

And then what do you know....I opened my pink roses (!!) and realized it was time to open what Emily had brought me this morning.  Lo and behold, it was a vase!!!!  So as I started trimming my roses, Carl came online!!  Perfect timing!! 

So, yes, I have to admit that even though we are 4000 miles apart for our anniversary, it was still a perfect anniversary (if you don't take into account that he was here to spend it with me - but we talked on the webcam for a really long time, so it was almost the same thing....almost....).  I can't believe how thoughtful Carl is.  A+ for being extremely romantic even when we're so far apart :  )

I took it upon myself to dress up a bit in a nice sweater (and skirt earlier, but then I got chilly so I put on my dark-wash skinny jeans, very classy) and to make myself a nice dinner.  I made stove-top macaroni and cheese, which turned out to be amazing!  I'll send anyone the recipe if you want it!!  And it was quick and easy, too!!  I also had some Chardonnay (Carl had some in Belhurst, so when I saw it, I just had to get it).  And in a little bit I'll be having my dessert of french vanilla coffee (from Carl <  3) and crousillant chocolat noisette, which I'm not exactly sure what it is, but the picture on the box looks like it involves chocolate mousse.  I'll let you all know.

In other knews, the fantasy hockey draft went better than I had expected last night, after my draft decided not to load.  But luckily I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world, who put his own draft on the line to help me out with mine *smiley face*!!  I have a pretty good team and I'm excited about it.  And I'm pretty sure that I'm already addicted....

Tomorrow there is apparently a bazaar thing going on at Comedie, with vendors selling all sorts of things, including food, so I might head out there in the morning/early afternoon just to check it out.  Otherwise I'll be couped up all weekend because Emily has a friend visiting and they are doing all sorts of things together.  Plus, I have an essay to write so I'd rather get that done tomorrow or Sunday rather than wait til the last minute on Monday.  So even with getting out tomorrow I'll still be couped up doing that!!

I also have been reading du Bellay's Defense et illustration de la langue francaise (Defense and illustration of the french language) FOR FUN!!  Well, not really for fun, more like because it's on all the French M.A.  reading lists.  But I already had the book because we are going to be referencing it a lot in my Ronsard class, so I figured I'd like to have it for that.  So I've been reading it.  It's an easy read, and pretty interesting so far.  Never thought I'd say that, but it's true.

I hope to write soon!
I love you all.  Please send my love to Mocha and to Gramma and to Bushie.
And don't forget how amazing Carl is next time you see him!!!!
Luvvies forever,
Heather