From a French chateau...

Remember the chateau overlooking St. Céré‎? Well Leny and the girls took Othman and I on a walk around it one afternoon. In the wintertime it's not open for visitors to see inside... so yet another reason for us to visit in the summer.

Looking up...

Still looking up... but craning our necks this time!

Makes me think of Beauty and the Beast
crossed with Middle Earth. 

Admiring the view! 

Othman with the scarf my mom made him
for Christmas.

There has been some recent renovation work on the castle,
but much of the original still stands!

Emma was a cute tour guide!

The opposite of the first picture-- looking down onto St. Céré‎.

Emma was really excited about the little
cave, but then was anxious to get out as
soon as she went in!

The outskirts of St. Céré‎.

Two messengers telling the slowpoke photographer to hurry up.

There were some men doing maintenance work around,
so we were able to get a peek inside.

One happy hiker.

Brave guy!

The tree the maintenance guys had just
 cut down was beautiful, even in pieces. 

Farmhouses and woods.

Such a beautiful place!

 As an added bonus Leny took us driving to see another castle close by. This one we couldn't get near to, as it's private property and apparently people actually live there. This one is more Beauty and the Beast crossed with Downton Abbey!! 

Right in front of this one was a big golf
course. Lucky golfers if you ask me!

Portraits

There were so many beautiful French children to take pictures of!!

With maman

Siblings

A welcome to 2014

Othman and I are back in Morocco after a much-too-short trip to France. Both of us are really missing the little girls today, as well as the not-so-little cousins! At least that means we really did have a wonderful time. It was decided we need to visit again in the summertime, when days are longer and warmer, and the castles/caves etc. are open to viewing! I'll continue posting some pictures from the trip, but am interrupting today with a post focusing on the year 2014 that has just begun.

To be perfectly honest, I've never been one for New Year's Resolutions. Making any amount of promises to myself while knowing full well I'd break them (and sooner than later) never seemed the best way to start a new year to me. But after having a few conversations recently, reading some other people's New Year's thoughts, and thinking a bit, I realized there were two resolutions I could make this year that were 1) realistic and 2) would enhance my life. Having figured them out, I decided this was a good of a year as any to join in the resolution hype!  

My first one goes back to the topic of thankfulness. Reflecting on the good things that happen each day and giving thanks for the blessings in life is something so important, yet I so often forget to do it. Beginning this year, at dinner each night I will name two or three things I'm happy happened that day. It'll be easy enough to do, Othman can remind me if I forget, and I think it'll help me keep things in perspective. Even the worst days have highlights, and focusing on them will be good for me. I've heard of quite a few families doing this with their children... but if it's good for kids then why not adults?

Thankful everyday that this man is in my life!

Yesterday I read a post that a friend from college wrote about things she learned in 2013, and really identified with one. She realized doing activities that brought her joy earlier in life had the same effect on her now. I found that to be true this year when I joined a choir and started singing again. Something else that was a big part of my life in high school and college was doing volunteer work, but since graduating from Notre Dame I really haven't gotten involved with any sort of community service. Considering I live in a country where a large percentage of the population is impoverished, it's really a pity that I haven't created the opportunity or the time for that. Othman and I have participated in a couple of things here and there, but nothing at all significant.

After arriving at the airport at 6pm yesterday and battling traffic jams until 8pm, Othman and I went to spend a quiet New Year's with 5 other people at a friend's house. One of the people I met works with an NGO called SOS Children's Villages. She told me all about her work and the positive and not-so-great aspects of the organization, and I told her about some of the different work I've done, including the summer I spend in São Paulo working with an NGO that helps foreign women caught working as drug mules and trapped in the Brazilian prison system. It was a kind of conversation that I hadn't had in quite a while. Then I told her how I haven't done much volunteering here, partly because of the language barrier, and asked if she knew about any French-only opportunities available. She said she has many contacts in Moroccan non-profit circles and that she can help me find something. 

Giving my time to help people that are less fortunate than me has brought me great joy and peace in the past. Knowing that I'm doing something, however small, makes me feel less selfish, which is interesting because most people, myself included, volunteer for selfish reasons. Any of you who have done extensive volunteer work have experienced that feeling of lightness and pride you get from helping others. It makes you feel selfless, but in a way seeking that feeling through volunteering is an act of selfishness. This circle is necessary though, to keep us going back to helping others, and it's a circle I want to jump into again. So that's my second resolution for 2014-- to go back to volunteering in some capacity.

Highlights of 2013

2013 was a good year for me. Got married, got two turtles, got an apartment, was in Morocco, the US and France, had some good career development opportunities, started a blog, pushed myself to be more creative with poetry, photography, painting and singing, and continued to learn about life, love and the world. I can't ask for much more from 2014 but to continue the trends that have already been developing in my life, and that during this year I never stop loving, learning and growing!

Celebrating 4 months of marriage in France

On December 28th here in St. Céré Othman's extended French family had a day-long party to celebrate our marriage. It was the first big reunion in many years for them, and everyone had a really great time! I loved meeting his aunts and uncles and cousins, most of whom I had never seen. Happily I didn't have a problem fitting right in, which was a lovely added bonus! 

Here are some photo highlights of the day:

Othman's mom had mugs made with every great-grandchild's picture on them as a gift for each.

The Berrada-Tratapel family!

Othman's grandparents!

Othman's aunt and her grandson.

Our (very French) third wedding cake! 

Two cuties!

She's daddy's little girl!

Baby Raquel, the youngest great-grandchild.

The cousins had so much fun all together, they were some dance numbers and a mini "The Voice" show, when they scooted their chairs around for each other and all chose teams!

The paper tablecloth was a hit!

A sweet moment with great-uncle.

Louna visited us two years ago in Morocco and it was lovely to meet her more grown up. She slept in the same house as us and we had lots of good conversations, and she fell in love with peanut butter, Rice Crispie Treats and the game SET this week.  She's the same age as Tessie and wants to come with me next time I go to the US, so I told her she's welcome but needs to keep studying English!

Louna's dad has professional DJing equipment and was showing Othman's mom the tricks.

A sweet mother-daughter moment.

A walk in St. Céré, Christmas afternoon

Photo report part 2-- the afternoon.



Emma drilling me on French vocab-- "C'est LE voiture ou LA voiture?"

The ponies went everywhere!

French signs can be so cute.

St. Céré is a village about 2 hours northeast of Toulouse
in Southern-central France. it has about 3000 inhabitants 
and it's super cute and very old!

They're such cuties!

Alyssa looking like she's up to no good!

There's a castle-- St. Laurent des Tours-- which overlooks the town.

Our wonderful hosts! Jessika, Leny, and the girls.

And the boys...

I was surprised at how nice the town is. Not at all like the 
little midwestern towns I'm used to!

Cousins!!

This is the house where Othman's mom grew up. 
Her sister still lives there!

Here's where we are! More towards the northwest you can see Angers, 
where Othman and I met. The last time he came to St. Céré was the
 Christmas before we met (February 2010).