Rocky à Metz!

We have finally hosted our second visitor! Rocky came to visit us here in Metz before going to a conference being held in Paris. Although Metz isn't a very exciting place Rocky came at a pretty exciting time. This was also a very good excuse for us to make the guest bedroom a more official guest bedroom. The blue futon is now in it's permanent home having been replaced by a dark grey one in our living room. It works very well because it fits perfectly in the space.

Before we get to the exciting part... We took Rocky down to the technopole and gave him the grand tour of Georgia Tech Lorraine. Then, while I was giving an English lesson, David and Rocky worked in the PhD room - David on his research, Rocky on his presentation for the conference. The weather was pretty warm while he was here (except for the time when there was a huge downpour of rain...at least he got to see what the weather is usually like in Metz).

Rocky also got to experience my cooking - helped a little too. Doesn't it look like he is having a lot of fun? :o)

Ok, so for the more exciting part. During his stay the TGV (fast train) to Metz finally started running...and this means celebrations. The city set up a huge stage right in front of the gare and both Friday and Saturday nights there were performers and entertainment of all sorts. We got to see an orchestra, electronic sliding trombone-like instruments, a video of how train travel has evolved, the French "American Idol" equivalent runner-up, and fireworks. Since he was leaving on Sunday (the first day of the TGV actually running) he was able to take it for his return trip to Paris. BUT the night before he left he took us out to dinner. We went to a restaurant that we've never been to before, but definitely will be returning to. We all had delicious 'french style' meals followed by dessert at Top Ice Cream...the best ice cream place in all of Metz.

We probably could have shared ONE of those desserts between the three of us, but we didn't realize that when we ordered :o) ...we usually only get cones.

That concludes our time with Rocky. It was nice having him come and bring a little feeling of home. Everyone is welcome!

Villefranche & Antibes

Next we went to Villefranche. It is a very small place between Nice and Monaco. Most tourists don't visit Villefranche like they would other places because there really isn't much to do here. It is very peaceful and quiet, but there isn't much to see. We saw lots of boats...lots of boats...and that was good enough for David. We also found some decent places to eat, but it took us a really long time to find them. It didn't take long to see all of Villefranche, thus, we only stayed for 1 night. Then we headed toward Antibes. BUT, check out the gare in Villefranche. It's really neat because it is so close to the water. Most of the time that you travel by train around the south of France this is the kind of view that you have...darn.

We then arrived in Antibes. Although very touristy Antibes was wonderful! We finally saw some sandy beaches (the others were rock beaches) and we found a really good restaurant that we went to twice during our stay there. Our hotel was really nice too. It was the only hotel we had that did not have air conditioning, but it was the nicest looking room with the most comfortable bed.

We also had a really nice view of a playground. The first day that we were in Antibes it was a little later so we went to one of the playgrounds to talk and watch kids play for a little while. While we were there we saw a rat that was hunting for food. Someone had thrown out some very large chunks of left-over baguette that pigeons were picking at until the rat found them. It was hilarious! He would jump into the crowd of pigeons, scare them away, steal their bread, and hop off towards his little hole. The funniest part was watching this small rat trying to run with a huge piece of baguette in his mouth...it occupied us for a while.

Also while we were there we met an American girl who was working in an ice cream shop. It was very strange how we met her. David was ordering our ice cream by speaking french...then the girl looked at him a little funny and said (in English) "So, that is 2 cones with one scoop of chocolate each?" We were blown away...we weren't expecting her to say that. Then David asked her where she was from and she said Atlanta!! Weird huh? She said her mom was French and they moved back to France about 3 years ago. She said that she had met someone else from Atlanta a little earlier that day - it's a small world.

The most exciting thing we did while we were in Antibes was watch a group of old folks play Botchy (although it has another name here). It was neat because while we were watching, one of the men started talking to David and when we told him we were American he said very well: "Oh, do you speak English?" then laughed - we think it is because that is the only English he knew. But we talked to him about living in Antibes, which seems a lot like Florida in terms of a good place for the elderly to retire, etc. It was neat...they were very competitive in their playing and it was cute to see the little old lady's sticky out their tongues at their husbands when they made a better shot.

So that wraps up our vacation!

The Principality of Monaco

Traveling to Monaco was definitely an adventure. We actually went twice. From Nice we took a bus, for about 40 minutes, that took us to Monaco. The first day we could only walk around select areas because it was the last day of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Monaco is the world's most densely populated country and second smallest independent nation - The Vatican being the first (population: 32,410...area: 485 acres).

The first trip: It was very interesting. I've never been into racing (and still am not) but encountering it while in a foreign country is pretty neat. The entire country was full of security and police and barriers to keep people from seeing the race unless they had purchased tickets. They must have taken a lot of time prior to the race to walk everywhere and determine where the "track" (road they were using) could be seen because we weren't able to see anything no matter where we went. We heard it though! It was so loud! We were able to walk around some areas where they were selling racing merchandise and even get really close to the road where they were racing because the sound was deafening...we had to walk around with our ears covered because it hurt not to...but we still couldn't see anything. So, after a somewhat disappointing day of site seeing, we decided to come back again. We really wanted to go to the aquarium, but the day we were there, was the only day of the year that it is closed...the last day of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Our second trip to Monaco was much better. While many of the barriers were still up, we were able to walk around everywhere and even on the streets they were using for the race. We could see tire tracks and some of the advertisements were still up.

We visited the palace of the Prince of Monaco. (Monaco is a constitutional Monarchy so the Prince is the head of state.) There were guards outside that walked back and forth in front of it. Then we watched them change. The area all around Monaco is beautiful. The large cliffs that look over the very blue Mediterranean...it's very nice. Many rich people live/move to Monaco because of it's nice atmosphere.

So, some history of Monaco... Monaco has been ruled by the House of Grimaldi since 1297, when François Grimaldi ("Malizia", "The Malicious") and his men captured the fortress protecting the famous Rock of Monaco while he was dressed as a Franciscan monk. He gave David some pointers on using a sword...

Then we ran into Prince Albert the 1st. HE gave David some pointers on how to steer a boat. Prince Albert the 2nd is currently living in the palace (Albert the 1st's grandson). I'm pretty sure we walked around everywhere possible in Monaco. It is pretty small. But it was very pretty. There were boats everywhere - which David loved. And the scenery was just incredible. Most of the things we saw looked like they would be part of a resort or something and they also had a bunch of casinos...and those were very pretty buildings.

After our self guided walking tour we finally went back to the Aquarium. Of course it wasn't as large as our new one in Atlanta...or most other aquariums I've been too, but there were a bunch of neat things inside. We even saw those eel things that are in the Little Mermaid movie - Flotsam and Jetsam. Well, we think that is what they are based off of...they can be 6 feet long and have those creepy looking faces. We also saw a lot of the characters from Finding Nemo. Nemo of course...Mr. Johansen (the flat fish with eyes on top of this body..the "kids" got into his yard before school one day)...I'm pretty sure I saw the fish that Gill was based off of...star fish (Peach)...and one fish that looked like Gurgle (the fish that hates being dirty). The Aquarium also included a Museum. Most of the things in the museum are from the travels of Prince Albert the 1st and they was also a section that Prince Albert the 2nd had contributed to. Albert the 2nd actually brought a chunk of ice from the North Pole back with him and they have it in a container that is keeping it frozen. They also had models of Albert the 1st's sail boats and equipment. And this model of a very old submarine that David tested out. I can't imagine trying to use this thing...there are so many knobs and handles and things to think about....and I wonder if it had a window so they could look out of it...I guess they would need one or what is the point huh? It was all pretty interesting and we were really glad that we were finally able to go.

So, David and I recommend visiting Monaco if you are ever in the south of France...just don't go on the last day of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Nice - and it was.

Here begins the recap of our vacation to various locations in the south of France.

Today we begin with Nice. (pronounced like "Niece").

After an 11-hour overnight train ride from Metz, we were in Nice. We walked to our hotel and checked in. We were a little early to check in but this ended up being to our benefit. We were planning on leaving our bags in the hotel lobby area while we began site seeing but just as we were about to leave the lady at the hotel gave us a key so we could take our things up to a room. We thought that this would be a temporary room but it turns out that they gave it to us for the duration of our stay. Why does this matter? Well, they gave us a room with 3 beds! 1 double and 2 twin! If you have ever been in a hotel room in France you will understand that this is a very large room. Most French hotel rooms are very small.

After we washed up a bit we headed out to our first site seeing destination. La Turbie.

Here, there is a monument and small museum. Before we went it we walked around a little because we heard a very strange noise. It sounded like a billion gigantic bumble bees swarming around. At the edge of a sharp cliff, we realized we were looking down on Monaco. Then it made sense... the Monaco Grand Prix was going on and we were hearing the noise from the race cars echoing off of all the cliffs and buildings and the water. At first it was hard to pinpoint where the cars were actually driving but eventually we got a glimpse of a tiny speck moving really fast along a road. I'm not a big racing fan but it was neat to see.

Then we went to the monument, which is currently very destroyed, as are most pieces of history in Europe. It is called Trophée des Alpes...or the Trophy of Augustus. erected between 25 -14 BC in honor of Emperor Augustus, who subdued the Gaulish tribes. Although it isn't much to look at now the museum had a replica of what it looked like when it was first built. There was hardly anyone here because it isn't a typical tourist attraction, but when you have the help of Rick Steves you can find anything! :o)

Since there were so few people there we got a guided tour up the monument (it has been slightly renovated thanks to some rich Americans who fell in love with it many years ago...so now it has stairs to the top and a few columns so that you can get an idea of what it was like long ago.) It was also getting a little rainy and windy so we didn't linger long.

After our time there we headed to find some lunch. We ate a a restaurant (also recommended by Rick Steves) that overlooked part of the Mediterranean. We spoke with our waiter and he told us that about 10 days prior to our visit Rick Steves had actually been there...and he sat at the table that was right next to us. Darn, just missed him. It would have been funny though to bump into the guy whose travel advice we were following as we were following it.

After lunch we did some walking around just to see the area - because the monument was actually the only thing really exciting in the town. But, we did find some animals. There were two cats...this red one was the most friendly. It was rubbing all over my legs. ...I've been seriously cat deprived, I loved it. Then we found some goats. Haha, yep, goats. They were standing on the edge of a cliff...like mountain goats...BUT we are pretty sure they are milk goats because they smelled just like goat cheese! It was weird! The goat cheese (chèvre) that I buy at the store smelled just like these guys - seriously. There were a couple little ones too and they were cute.

Then we left La Turbie (via bus) and went back to Nice. We spent a lot of time walking around Nice by the water and looking at the really huge hotels that line the shores. It is just like the popular beach destinations in the US with some 'surf' shops, restaurants beach-side, and other beachy things, but the water was beautiful and we didn't get sick of looking at it.

One day, when we were heading the beach to get a little sun I walked into a fence that had been set up because they have been doing a lot of construction. It hurt pretty bad and bled a lot but the most interesting part is... Right after I cut myself we looked for a place where I could clean it out (aka place with public restrooms). The closest place we found was a McDonald's. :o) We walked in and noticed that all the tables and chairs were stacked up like it was closed. Well...it was. They were about to have some repairmen work on the water line or something. But, after they saw my arm, they were quick to help out. One of the ladies that was there got some hydrogen peroxide-like stuff and some gauze and a band aide from their first aid kit. I didn't think about it at the time, but they could have just told us to go to the nearest Pharmacy. Lesson: (if American) when in need in a foreign country seek out a Micky D's! haha.

After all that David bought me a strawberry ice cream cone :o) and we headed to the beach. Honestly, it was a little too late for a beach trip. The sun was setting quickly now and it was getting a bit chilly so we didn't stay long. Eventually we left, found some Chinese take-out for dinner and ate back in our hotel room with chopsticks.

The last night we spent in Nice we went to another Rick Steves recommended restaurant. Here we ordered a Menu (this doesn't mean the booklet you get to see your meal options), in France a Menu is a 'coursed' meal - in this case 3 courses (appetizer, main, and dessert). David followed a Rick Steves recommendation for his appetizer and this is what he got! The largest pile of sausages and pate we've ever seen served. At first he was a little nervous, thinking that he was supposed to eat the whole thing, but he asked the waitress and she told him to just take what he wanted and leave the rest. We think they just pass it around to whoever orders this stuff until it's gone. It was definitely a memory making moment though. I got a salad. For our next course David had duck and I had veal (I know, I said I'd never do it). Then for dessert David had ice cream and I had chocolate "cake." ..in France cakes aren't the same as they are in the US...not fluffy, more dense.

While in Nice we also did some people watching at the beach, tried some bread from an award winning bakery, and went into their most famous hotel - Hotel Negresco. It was a very nice first destination for our trip.

Unexpected visitor.

Look who came to visit us before we left on our vacation!

Friday morning we took a train to Luxembourg to see Pirates of the Caribbean - At Worlds End, and when we came home this is what we found. Amidst the chairs used for drying laundry we found the neighbor's cat sitting on the floor! We had left our windows open and she must have jumped in. When I looked out the window I noticed that her window was closed. Maybe she had gotten locked out? She jumped back out of the window in fear when we came in the door, but to my surprise I was able to coax her back inside (just to see if she'd come)...and she came. I think it might have been too hot for her on the roof because as soon as she came in she plopped down on the floor and just laid there. So I gave her some water but she didn't drink it.

Everytime we got close to her she would run in the other direction or hiss at us but I'm pretty sure she spent a decent amount of time in our apartment while we were gone. Eventually I knocked on their door and told them their cat was in our apartment. One of the girls came over to get her but it took a long time because the cat didn't want to go to her owner either. She hissed at her too. I have a few theories...

Her owners smoke...so maybe she doesn't like the smoke, hopped out the window, and got shut out.

OR, maybe she was escaping from them because they don't treat her right, found our empty apartment and didn't want to leave.

OR, maybe she could tell that I miss my dog and wanted to come visit me :o)

Who knows. I don't mind if she comes back...just as long as she goes home every now and then. But their window hasn't been open since we've been back from our vacation.

Speaking of our vacation - I will be posting blogs about each place we visited; Nice, Villefranche, Monaco, and Antibes. I'll break them up so they aren't too long and so I can post more pictures from each. I'm also going to make a little video of the trip so stay tuned for that!

Everybody loves pancakes.

Our most recent passion has been to make some really good pancakes. After being inspired by an America's Test Kitchen recipe, David and I have already enjoyed two mornings full of pancakes.

First time:

Here we tried the basic recipe - only because we couldn't find the blueberries that David wanted. The pancakes were delicious! I even added some chocolate chips to a few. But, the consensus was that they were better without.

Second Time:

The quest for blueberries was successful! They were very tasty, but we have decided that they were too large. How could this be a problem, you might ask? Well, on the ATK show they used previously frozen small blueberries...like the kind you would use for a dessert recipe. Not knowing that this would cause a problem, we used them anyway. The reason they weren't the best was because they held up the center of the pancake so that it was too far from the heat and there were many occasions that the pancakes weren't cooked all the way. So I finished the batch without blueberries and MY opinion is that the pancakes are best when they are just plain. The recipe is so tasty that you don't even have to use syrup!

Dinner:

And how could I be married to David Swafford without knowing how to make a chicken pot pie?? Not just any chicken pot pie, but his mom's recipe of course! So I tried it...in a foreign land with some substitute ingredients...and it wasn't that bad. The biggest problem is that the original recipe is for a larger thus shallower pan. So I mixed everything so the ratios were right, and then had to take some out. I think it was still a little too deep causing it to be too runny, but we're getting there. The crust was good though. Self rising flour is really cool.

The next bit of exciting news is that David and I are leaving for a vacation tomorrow. We are headed to the south of France in hopes of warm weather, lots of site seeing, and a good amount of time on the beach...in the heat! Hopefully the weather there will stay warm...last time we were at the beach it was a disaster. :o\

Until we return...

The children have arrived.

This past Monday David and I, along with our friend John, took a road trip to Frankfurt Germany to pick up some undergraduate students that will be spending their summer semester in Metz. We ended up seeing more of Frankfurt than we were expecting...

To start we got these cool t-shirts to identify us as the people that it is safe to go with.

Then, we got to ride on this cool bus all by ourselves. It seems like it would be a double-decker bus but that isn't the case. The driver and luggage space is below, and the passengers get to ride up high. As you can see, you took the really good seats. For most of the ride we all were reading our various Harry Potter books. (It's 3 hours both ways)This is the rest of the bus...and because it isn't that interesting I will take the time now to tell you about why we spent more time in Frankfurt than we were expecting. As we were leaving Metz we noticed that the driver was following the signs to Luxembourg rather than Strasbourg (which takes you to Frankfurt more easily). But we didn't question because he is the driver.

Before long we found ourselves driving down a very small road...then into a very small town...then back out again and towards a gas station. At this point there was some concern that we were lost. We then stopped at the gas station and the driver got out. He went inside to ask someone directions. At this point it was confirmed, we were lost.

About 30 minutes later we found ourselves approaching an airport. I had just flow into Frankfurt after receiving my VISA so David asked me if any of this looked familiar. "No," I said. Written on the much too small airport we saw the name Frankfurt Hahn. This, in fact, is the regional airport of Frankfurt. Airlines such as RyanAir (similar to SouthWest in the US). Once we had walked into the airport and realized this we knew that there was noway international flights would fly here...so we went back out to the bus, explained this to the driver, who then proceeded to call his boss. After a brief phone call he told us "There are supposed to be students arriving here...you should go check all the flights inside." Why the bus driver would know this is mystery to me...but for some reason both he and his boss thought we had people to pick up at this airport.

After David and John spent a while in the airport...waking up some Asian guys that looked like they could have been GT students (Stanford instead...) they came back out and told the driver that "No...this is the wrong airport." Again, the driver called his boss to confirm the travel changes and we were finally on our way again...120 some kilometers in the wrong direction. We had to drive another hour and a half to get to Frankfurt International airport where we found 35 students and 2 angry professors waiting in the rain for their ride back to Metz. The bus was already 3 hours late. Why they all couldn't just hop on the train back to Metz (the same 3 hour trip) is also a mystery to me...but this is how it works for the undergrads.

Finally, they were all safely on the bus...ready for their naps on the way back to the Technopole.

Scuba Swaffs.

...some of those pictures from the website...

Pretty neat huh!?

Scuba Diving.

David and I have been interested in scuba diving for a while now. It just so happens that our friend Denis Grandidier used to be a diving instructor at a pool very close to our apartment. So yesterday he told us about an informational gathering that they would be having...followed by a baptism into diving! (Baptism, meaning that we got the chance to try it out to see if it was something we would enjoy and may consider pursuing)

So this is where it all took place. After we went through a room with some pictures and videos all about scuba diving with this club we went to the pool!

It's been so long since we've been to a pool, just being there was exciting. Anyway, below is a picture of my instructor (the one with the blue swim cap on). After they give you a brief orientation of the equipment and what you'll be doing, you get an instructor who takes you around the pool to make sure you don't have any problems. His name is Reggie (probably spelled "Regis" but I'll call him Reggie).

Although we weren't able to take pictures of ourselves we were able to take some of our friend John doing it, because he showed up later. (He had Reggie too)

For some reason they require you to wear swim caps...even when you're just coming to swim at this pool for fun. So they gave them out for free to anyone who wanted to get baptized. David's was black and mine was blue - of course. In the pool they also put some pictures of fish and had a tube releasing bubbles to create a more realistic atmosphere. (hahaha) I told Reggie that they needed to add some of those mechanical fish that swim on their own. He said that he had some at home...but he couldn't find them. Oh well!

For the pictures that they took of everyone, with a waterproof camera, go here. (There aren't very many of us...but you can see, in general, what we did.)

http://nautilus.asso.fr/

Then to "Photos"

Then to "Baptêmes 12/5"

So, by the end of the day it was official! We were baptized!

And we have certificates to prove it :o)

Because of all this we plan to join the club when they start certifying people again in October. It's going to be a lot of fun. We will be doing it with our friends John and Katherine and whoever else we can recruit from now until then. Woohoo - scuba diving trips to come!

In the most recent past...

It has been a while since I have done a food update for everyone, so here goes.

I made stuffed peppers! We prefer the yellow ones over the green ones. But they were pretty tasty. I do have some tweaking I'd like to do on them though.
Salsa! There is nothing like some homemade salsa. The only problem is finding cilantro over here. They don't sell it in clusters like they do in the US, so we borrowed some from a friend who bought it in the form of a potted plant.

Apple Nut Squares. Yummy! But when they are warm they taste best without the nuts. I think this recipe can also be used to make banana bread :o) ...bet you can guess what I'll be trying next.

A Quiche! Although very common, this quiche wasn't made by following a recipe. I did my own improvising and was thoroughly pleased with the results. (important...precook the crust a little before you add everything)

Chicken Cordon Bleu! Yum Yum, next time I will use crunchier bread crumbs, but we were very happy with the tenderness of the chicken and the delicious melting cheese...yum! Homemade Chocolate Chips cookies! Lacking some of the recommended ingredients I was able to make some successful substitutions and they turned out fabulously. :o)

And lastly...although not edible...we made dinner for our friend Vinod and he brought us a cactus! We named him Fluffy.

Politics, a universal similarity.

It's a hazy day here in Metz the day after the French Presidential election. The sun is not shining and it's about to rain. Some may say that this is because of the results of the Presidential election.

Similar to the last Presidential Election in the United States, France experienced a very close race yesterday before announcing their new President, Nicolas Sarkozy. The country was divided nearly in half as 53.1% of the people wanted Sarkozy and 46.9% of the people wanted Segolene Royal.

We went to one of the French PhD student's apartments to watch the results. There was a countdown clock set so that the most recent estimates could be posted all at the same time. (Unlike the map we usually get in the US where states are either colored red or blue as results come in)

Experiencing politics in another country is very interesting. But, it's all the same. The campaigning battles, candidate bashing, and extreme dislike of one party or another.

Sarkozy will take office in June, but the rioting has already begun (most the burning of cars).

Below is a video that was made (not by me) for Nicolas Sarkozy. Just like I had Segolene Royal's theme song in my video, here you will hear the one for Sarkozy. I still think this is the most interesting part of Frence politics. Every candidate needs a theme song...

Spider-Man Trois!

This past Wednesday we went to Luxembourg to see Spider-Man 3. We went all the way to Luxembourg (1 hour) because they show the movie in VO (version originale aka English). It was a very good movie, we were all very impressed. On the way to the theater David was trying to decide what to do with his sweatshirt. So we decided to try the French guy look...

It didn't last very long...he hated it. It was funny though.

We got to the theater and bought tickets. Each one had one of those scratch off prize things on the back of it. I got the best prize...buy one get one free BigMacs - but only in Luxembourg. Oh well. I've never really had success with these things before.
We were the first ones to the theater. At first we thought that we'd be the only ones there. (Surprizing because it was only the second day the movie had been out...but it was in the afternoon) Here we (minus me) are! Sitting waiting for the movie to start. It's nice to have prime seating.
And the movie began...

Everyone look for David's aunt's name in the credits! Vivian Baker - she does makeup.

The long wait.

Today I embarked on the final journey to obtaining my carte de sejour. Actually, over the last two days, but the story will be told in one.

First, from the Prefecture, you receive a piece of paper that has a date on it with two doctor's offices listed and times that you have been assigned an appointment. Then another piece of paper with a certain number of stamps on it and a dollar amount that you have to pay in order to get the stamps. In my case, 275 euros. Yeah, that's a lot.

The first medical visit was for an x-ray...an x-ray of my lungs. This is necessary to make sure that I don't have some illness (I forgot which one). Anyway, the process to accomplish this is quite interesting. You go to the doctor's office give your piece of paper to the lady at the front desk because it proves who you are and that you are there, then you sit in the waiting room and wait. They call your name and take you back into a room. There, the nurse tells you to "take off everything on top, and wait here" ... yep. So I stand there, with nothing on on top, and wait. Then another nurse comes in and grabs my arms and drags in into another room...very awkward. While speaking French she asks me if I'm pregnant (to which I say "no") and then tells me where to stand. As she smashes me up against the x-ray machine she tells me that I have to take a big breath and hold it whenever she tells me to. She then goes back to her "post" says big breath really loud takes the x-ray and says voila. I go back to my room, dress, and go back to the waiting room to wait for my x-ray. This is what it looked like by-the-way. Pretty cool huh...you can even see some of my intestines! Hehehe

Next, I had to take my x-ray to another doctor's office so he could evaluate it. But, I had 15 minutes to walk to an office that was a 30 minute walk away! Luckily, I stopped by the nearest bus stop to check what time the next bus might come and saw it would come in 2 minutes (it really came in 4, but it was ok) I was able to make it to the next office on time. At this office I had to wait much longer. First I was called back by a nurse who weighed me, checked my height, and then my vision, and then made me go back to the waiting room for the doctor. Then the doctor came and began calling patients. When he called me back he asked for my x-ray, took my blood pressure, and listened to my heart. Then he told me my x-ray looked good and that I should find a general practitioner near our house to check my vaccination records.

The next day I went back to the Prefecture, bought the 5 stamps that cost me 275 euros and waited for over two hours to turn in the stamps and doctor's form. When my number was finally called it took me 3 minutes, at the most, in the office, and I was done! Good thing I had my Harry Potter book with me so I wasn't bored and the time flew by. But now all I have to do is wait for the carte de sejour to come in the mail. This should take about a month or more. Why? No one knows. But finally! I'm finished! Now I can live in France with no worries.

On another note, David is in need of another hair cut. See:

Although he really did like this hair-do it needs to be cut again. I cut his hair now :o) And you can ask him, I do a pretty decent job. :o)