happy days

What a day! The to-do list has burst into flames & been forgotten about, but wow. I feel like so many things have happened today. Maybe it's the caffeine buzz I'm on right now, but today feels like the a huge victory.

Quick high points & things that will come back up on this blog in the near future:

 1. The opera Orlando Furioso is coming to town at the end of the month. Tickets are still available. I have a dress I've been dying to wear. This opera is related to my thesis project, & it would be a great close to the year if I could see this–my first opera & a memory of my last big undergraduate project.

2. We watched The Illusionist today, a beautiful film explained well here. I can't get over it, & I don't remember the last time I've left a film full-out sobbing. That rabbit! I miss Baby!

3. I've been eating my homemade tarte tatin à la pêche, an opposite of a diet but still not horrible for you (since mine turned out super dry & not sugary, as I used random odds & ends from around the kitchen instead of buying real ingredients).

4. We have started cat-sitting Sgt. Pepper while our good friend is out of town. This means we get to hang out in a big apartment as much as we want; we get loved on by a lonely cat-teenager; we get chocolate-covered cherries as payment! Stay out of town as long as you want, Lauren!

5. We're getting a lease on an apartment to review. Move-in date Aug. 16. Sooo... the moving in process & travel process is, in a word, complicated. It feels worth it, though–for the space & storage, the location, the security of having something to go back to & the feeling of having our first home in a way.

I feel really excited about life these days. We have days of rain coming up, so I'll be sitting inside with Sgt. Pepper, reading & getting ahead on other aspects of my life. I'll be ready for the sunshine & days out in the park when this big, four-day rain cloud passes.

Before the rain began today, we had a fun surprise coffee date. One of my French professors (who introduced me to Colete & Montaigne, for which I can't thank her enough) was in town with her daughter while they finish a small European tour. Her daughter was also finishing up a year abroad, & it was fun to have a chat in the sun to share stories of bizarre old women, children on field trips EVERYWHERE & navigating this small French city.

I viewed the visit as a test to myself. My professor was there for my final French exam, the last requirement before I could receive my degree. I felt like a bumbling first-year high school student during the exam, but she does so well at putting students at ease that I was able to speak through my errors & force myself to say SOMETHING.

I was afraid that I would have one of my freeze-up moments with French today. Would I be able to have a conversation with her? Would I feel too much pressure? Would her daughter put my French to share?

No, no & no. I felt no pressure & was completely at ease, making mistakes but letting myself maintain a reasonable rhythm. (French is a rhythmic language, & one of the biggest signs you're not a native speaker is a halting speaking style.) Joe & I were both speaking some of our better French, acknowledging our errors but moving on. It was an afternoon of reassurance. We have made progress. It has been worth it, all the ups & downs of this year.

A great reminder as we officially enter our last month. June 7 to July 7: the last month of the honeymoon year.

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