life's a dance

Life's a dance

You learn as you go

Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow

Don't worry bout what you don't know

Life's a dance

You learn as you go

- Good ole John Michael Montgomery

I heard this song on the radio the other day and it sounds a bit cheesy, but I really did take it to heart. Since launching into my post-study abroad life, anxious feelings about my future have been bombarding my brain and stealing most of my attention.

I expected to come back from my semester in France and have all of it magically figured out. I think I believed that the perfect job opportunity would just land in my lap, tailor- made for me.

I sincerely wanted to have a life plan mapped out for me or at least a little something I can refer to when I don't know what's up next. But, there's a little thing called trust that I'm reminding myself to lean on.
Trust in God cause he did tailor-make me to be here for a certain purpose. Broadly, it's to glorify him. So I'm finding myself waking up each morning and reminding myself to:

1. Don't feel like I have to have it all figured out by dinnertime tonight

2. Trust that God is much more interested in who I am than what I do 

3. Take a deep breath because after all, I'm only twenty one

4. No matter where I am, remember to always be serving God and serving others 

So. Even though I don't have a roadmap marked out with flow charts and diagrams for future jobs and life plans, I think it is better that way. I know what I am passionate about and I know what my purpose is. For now, I think I'll celebrate cause life is a dance. 

deep in the heart

I didn't miss home until I arrived here.
It feels so right to be back where BBQ, George Strait and burning hot temperatures are a way of life.

Texas has been good to me the past week that I've been home. I was thrilled that I made it in time to celebrate one of my best friend and roommate's 21st birthdays with some of the girls who mean the most to me. I've missed long chats with my elderly "grandpa" across the street and my brother's silly, often ridiculous, jokes.

It's strange being in Dallas for more than a month during the summer and I think it's my first time since about middle school in between kamp, mission trips and traveling.

And for the first time ever, I just want to stay home for a bit. I started my summer internship at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children where I get to work alongside some really passionate people who are striving to help children through their differences. I even went shopping for business pants today. Weird.

I'm trying to sort through all my thoughts and emotions and ideas about this past semester and I've come to one conclusion which is: that experience was 100% unique. It was a time that can never be recreated because even if I were to revisit Grenoble, it was actually the people who made my semester so special.

It was Maggie from Michigan, Marjorie from Maryland, les filles- Zamzam, Danica, Rachel and Loren. Two of the sweetest guys I've ever met, Chris and Isaac. The "business" crew. Cicily and Catherine- my market, picnic, skiing and movie buddies. Precious Val from Cancun. Papa Patrick, The Kieser's, all the random cats that were always following me around. Most of all, Clo, Eva and Mateo. My French family who hopefully realizes that they still have a piece of my heart back with them on Rue Nicolas Chorier on the top floor apartment.

I'm afraid Miriam Adeney was correct when she wrote that "you will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place." 

Two of my fondest memories will always be the two different old men in a restaurant in Prague and in a hostel in Killarney, Ireland who sand "Deep in the Heart of Texas" for me.

It's good to be back; Texas, I think it's time to get reacquainted.

sheryl said it best...

....everyday is a winding road. 

Well said, Sheryl. Well said.

These were my sentiments exactly as I was wandering down an obscure road beside some donkeys in the French countryside, by myself. I couldn't help but giggle because I had no where else to be for the next few hours, so what was the harm in getting a little lost?

For the past month I have been spending my weekends in Grenoble after several weekends in a row of traveling to Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands and Czech Republic. Some of my favorite memories have been made here and I've fallen more in love with this beautiful city after spending time exploring it and bonding with my host family, whom I adore! It feels so reassuring to be comfortable enough to call this place home.

window to the world 

Speaking of home...I think my real home is actually on the top of one of these mountains. Sign me up for a little shack and endless supplies of dark chocolate and I should be good for the rest of my life. 

The second best day of my semester thus far was going up to Chamrousse for a full day of skiing with some pals in the most perfect weather we could have asked for. My host sister even brought a friend and joined us! (Host) sisterly bonding- check! We had an absolute blast flying down the mountain, falling on our faces and being in complete and utter shock at our surroundings. It was magnificent. Chamrousse is a ski resort that is situated RIGHT above Grenoble so we could turn around on the ski lift and see our little kingdom down below us. Happy, happy, happy day. 

So...what was the best day you ask? 

Visiting my favorite city that I have been to this semester thus far: Annecy, France. 

Wow. It was shockingly beautiful. Just less than two hours outside of Grenoble and twenty miles away from the Swiss border, Annecy is a petite village that has canals running through it and an alpine lake that is known as the cleanest in Europe. 

With peaks of the Alps as the backdrop, this lake was just stunning. I literally could not contain my excitement as we skipped through the outdoor food market with eyes bigger than our heads and plopped down au bord du lac for a little picnic lunch. Afterwards, we rented pedalos and maneuvered around the lake. The nice young man renting them tried to tell us that the water was too cold to swim in, but all we heard was challenge accepted, monsieur. Let me be the first one to tell you that the temperature of said water rivaled the icyness that is Taneycomo Lake in Branson, Missouri. But, alas, I survived and it made for one of the sweetest memories. 

don't let the smile fool you. you know what they say- laugh to keep from crying... okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic. but it was cold.

Annecy, thank you for a wonderful day trip. We fully enjoyed your vibrant tulips, fresh savoyard cheese, tasty gelato and homemade macaroons. 

Pourquoi pas profiter de la nourriture très délicieux?

À Bientôt. 

les vacances

A glorious period in France where students receive 15 days of winter vacation: les vacances. 
Thankfully, the awkward international students (my friend described our existence as similar to Fez, the foreign exchange student, from That 70's Show and now I can't help but think of him every time I'm in an uncomfortable situation) get to participate in this beautiful tradition as well. I love you, France. Thus, my friend Catherine and I began dreaming up our week in Amsterdam and Prague. Two completely different cities!

But! Before anything else, it was high time I went to see one of my very bestest friends who is studying in Paris for the semester. Shelbi and I adopted the mindset of professional wanderers and ambled our way through the streets of Paris, arms linked, telling each other stories of our semesters thus far and stopping more than once to sample the many flavors of Ladurée's famous macaroons. The Marie Antoinette flavor took the prize in our books.

No matter how many times I return to Paris, I've found that each time is special and different than the last mainly because of who I'm with and the season during which I'm visiting. With that said, this visit to the City of Light has been my all-time favorite.

We both found a few treasures at the Marche aux Puces, sat on the steps of the Sacre Coeur listening to live music and raced un petit voilier around the pond in the Jardin de Luxembourg. We even indulged in a very, very Parisian dinner of guacamole, perfectly sea salted tortilla chips, burrito à la carnitas and a fizzling Dr. Pepper. To our defense, we did do the French thing and buy a baguette and a block of cheese for a picnic lunch earlier that day. I just simply could not resist when I learned that Paris was home to the only Chipotle in France.

happiest girl in Paris

On Sunday we attended The American Church in Paris, a stunning chapel in the center of Paris where, as you can guess, there are services en anglais. Then, what else would one do in Paris but attend an antique book fair? You could say it was bliss- or something like that. We had our fill of kir and compté, took full advantage of the metro system, until we got caught....60 euros later....and witnessed all the mesmerizing magic of Paris that it always produces.  

The best part of the weekend was getting to talk about Jesus Christ and how our faith has been tested and strengthened during our stay in Europe. So with my heart full and my tear ducts a bit damp, we parted ways and I headed north to the land of the Dutch. 

top tier right here

Amsterdam. Most people associate this city with illegal drugs and the Red Light District. While these are indeed major attractions of the city, it has so much more to offer! Amsterdam is full of around 60 miles of beautiful canals, yet they are very different than Venice. Since housing is limited, Amsterdammers have taken a liking to living life on the water. Catherine and I stayed with one of these families- Eltjo and Liselore (so Dutch!) and had an amazing time experiencing the local side of A'dam in a houseboat. 

One of my favorite moments was going to this little restaurant named Wikel to enjoy a little slice of heaven aka- Dutch apple pie. It was a beautiful afternoon so we sat outside and watched all the people of Amsterdam stroll by. Then, to get a better idea of the history and layout of the city, we participated in a bike tour where we rode through the famous Vondelpark, saw the Anne Frank House, Dutch Tulip Museum and Dutch Cheese Museum. I especially enjoyed the Rijksmuseum- The Museum of the Netherlands. It has great exhibits on everything from Rembrandt's famous "Night Watch" painting to ancient Dutch war weapons. My favorite piece was of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo where Napoleon was finally defeated; it is the largest painting in the Rijks! 

Rijksmuseum

A few random facts about Amsterdam:

There are more bikes than people.

Holland is most well known for their windmills, tulips, cheese and wooden clog shoes.

One of the only word Dutch words I learned is straat. It comes in quite handy when trying to read a map! 

Also, "thank you" in Dutch is dank u. Very difficult. 

view from Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge) 

Our favorite part of the trip would have to be the overnight train from Amsterdam to Prague. (jokes) We were in a small Harry Potter style train compartment with three random strangers whose language we honestly couldn't identify. If nothing else, it was an interesting experience. 

On our first night in Prague we went to a restaurant called U Fleku where a sweet old man played "Deep in the Heart of Texas" for me on the accordion. Not to mention, Fleku translates to my last name in English. These were my people, y'all. 

During our walking tour of the city, I learned some pretty interesting facts about Prague and the Czech Republic, such as:

The Czech Republic is one of the most atheistic countries in the world, yet they have a national church. 

The Prague Castle is the biggest castle complex in the world, covering 70,000 square meters.

Thanks to the Nazi's during World War Two, one of the best Jewish museums was created in the Jewish Ghetto of Prague. The Nazi's thought they would be clever by creating an exotic museum of non- existing people, so while forcing the Jews to concentration camps, they were simultaneously collecting all of their personal items and adding them to this museum. The Jewish Cemetery was very interesting to witness as it has over 100,000 bodies buried there. 

Charles Bridge

After we were tired out from walking from one side of Praha to the other, we put our fancy pants on to see Sleeping Beauty: ballet edition at the Státní Opera. It was absolutely magnifique and made me want to return to my elementary days of tutus and my mom's hot pink lipstick. 

Side note: in this case, my fancy pants consisted of one of two pairs of pants that I had for the whole week and a half. So you can go ahead and say it was the fanciest of the fancy if you'd like. 

And that's a wrap! After visiting three beautiful cities, bonding with two great friends and surviving one bad case of the stomach virus, it is great to be back home in Grenoble. 

julia & ernest

Breaking news. I've made two new friends!!

Although they are not wandering the streets of France anymore, I've loved reading the tales of Ernest Hemingway and Julia Child as they spent time exploring the same country that I am currently living in.

Julia Child moved to Paris with her husband, Paul, in 1948 and immediately fell in love with the French and found her passion for cooking. With the end of the Second World War, women in America were all about the TV dinners and quick ways to make their meals. Julia Child revolutionized American cooking by introducing her deluxe step-by-step cookbook on French cooking for American cooks. This book was not only accessible to highly skilled chefs, but also the average Joe's (or Joetta's) who had an interest in vamping up their cooking abilities, French style.

Julia and Paul moved to Marseille a few years later when Paul's job in the U.S. government called them south. Julia recounted her days walking along the Vieux Port, hand picking fresh fish to make the famous Marseillais bouillabaisse and getting caught in the enormous gusts of wind, or the mistrals, coming from the Mediterranean Sea. After leaving Marseille, they moved around a bit, but still found their home in France after it was all said and done.

I loved reading Julia's memoir and I honestly felt like she has become a close friend after reading it! Or at least a great role model.

Now, Ernest and I had a bit of a rougher start. I wasn't sure if I could adapt to his short, frank writing style, but I really did become engaged in his adventures around France with other literary heroes such as Sylvia Beach and F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was fascinating to read about their lives and hear Hemingway's perspective on this brasserie and that friend, the milk man with his herd of goats, and his round about ways of walking home through the streets of Paris each day. Fitzgerald was writing The Great Gatsby during the time that Hemingway was writing A Moveable Feast so I felt like I was seeing behind the scenes into the process of writing two such classic novels.

While in Paris a few weekends ago, I of course had to make a trip (or several) to the famous Shakespeare & Company bookshop where Hemingway recounts borrowing endless books from Sylvia Beach and devouring his way through various literature. My dear friend, Shelbi, is a budding connoisseur on all things literature and all things Parisian, so I quite enjoyed my time wandering through the city with her.

Ernest and Julia, I'm so glad I had the pleasure of seeing a bit into your lives during the time when you lived and worked in la belle France. Thanks for inspiring me in a spirit of adventure, culinary delights and literary magic.

carnevale di venezia

Did you know that the word confetti originates from the Italian language? It seems fitting since the Italians sure do know how to pull off a rockin' carnival.
I was pretty fortunate to be able to revisit Venice (from the summer before last) for their famous Carnival which takes place every February with a group of about 40 international students from my university in Grenoble. We really took advantage of the whole mask-wearing activity since when else can you walk around with a silly painted mask on your face?

The whole town was chalk full of people parading around in the most outrageously beautiful and grand outfits. Also the crowds were bigger than any I've ever seen. Our bodies were squeezed together so tight that at one point I was afraid we were going to start fighting over the oxygen. 

And because no trip to Venice is complete without a gondola ride, a couple of us girls piled in and went for a spin through the canals!

Fabio, our sweet little gondolier who was serenading us with Italian melodies 

Other festivities include trying Limoncello, surviving the overnight bus (thank you, sweet Nyquil), wandering around Murano Island in the rain and falling in love with Italian Bellinis!

Thank you, Venice, for the sweet memories. 

a belgian valentine's day

For a last minute trip where we knew little details aside from the time and place of the airline flights, three chicks from Oklahoma, Seattle and Texas sure had a blast exploring our way through Belgium. We originally set out planning this little excursion because we wanted to go to the Avicii concert in Antwerp, which is a smaller city right outside of Brussels. By the end of our stay in Belgium we were so thankful that we got to see more than just Brussels! Brussels is a beautiful city, but to get the full experience of Belgium I definitely think seeing another city such as Antwerp, Ghent or Bruges is necessary.

before Avicii- I'd say we we pulled ourselves together pretty darn well for getting ready in the airport bathroom ;)

 I also experienced my first hostel! Everyone there seemed to be going to the Avicii concert as well so it was fun running around meeting them and getting hype for the concert. We became fast friends with three other Americans who are studying abroad in Madrid and spent half of our weekend wandering around with them.

our hostel 

AVICII

I think I could write a whole short story on how good the Belgian waffles are, but I'll spare your sanity and just tell you that I'm very obsessed with them. There's a little joke in Belgium about the different kinds of waffles- tourists always go for the ones loaded with strawberries, ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, etc. while the locals just snack on the plain ones that have sugar baked inside of them. My very first one had to be the tourist kind with extra chocolate sauce and then after that I settled down and went for the gaufre liège which still knocked my socks off. 

waffle # who knows how many at a flea market we visited 

One of the best parts of the trip was definitely the last night. Per recommendation from Raf, our favorite Brussels local, we went to this typical Belgian restaurant and had a lovely hardy Belgian meal of mashed potatoes and sausage and pumpkin ravioli. Then we stopped for some ice cream and skipped our way back to the Grote Markt to catch a glimpse of it all lit up. 

 Belgian waffles, don't you worry. I'll be back someday and we will reunite and it will be joyous.

marseille aka detroit

Before my friend Cicily and I took off on our grand adventure to Marseille, our program director and fellow students back in Grenoble were joking with us that Marseille is the French equivalent to Detroit. Apparently there are drugs galore and gang violence, my French friend even told me that most people in Grenoble are scared of Marseille!

So, with all this lovely encouragement, Cicily and I put on our big girl pants and boarded the train to Detroit...and what we found was a beautiful city with delicious seafood and killer views of the mountains and ocean! We stayed with the absolute cutest French couple named Sabine and Marceau in their apartment that overlooked the whole city. Okay actually I think his name is Paul-Louis, but I somehow thought his name was Marceau the whole time...moving on.

On Friday night we blindly stepped into French hipster central in this area recommended to us by Cicily's hip host mom. The restaurant was located in this huge warehouse with graffiti adorning the walls on the outside of the building and was so unassuming that we actually walked right past it the first time and had to be redirected by a sweet French woman and her little girl. Thanks Veronique and Stella! We ate one of the best Caesar salads we've ever tasted- the French know how to make em, I tell you! Then on Saturday we spent our time walking along the Vieux Port and visiting the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde which is waaay the heck up on this hill (Cicily and I were convinced that we were actually in San Francisco instead of Detroit). The Basilica was extraordinary. Very ornate and had a special Marseille touch to it with picture collages of the port on the walls inside the main sanctuary. 

On our last day we scurried over to Palais Longchamp, a real beaut, to participate in the opening weekend of a new exhibit in Le Musée des Beaux-Arts. Which basically translates to free. Gratuit has become one of our new favorite words over here. The Palais was built in 1839 to commemorate the construction of the Marseille Canal, but today is best known as the home of the Museum of Natural History and Museum of Beaux-Arts. 

After trying some navettes de Marseille (a cookie made in various flavors in the shape of little boats) and inching out as close to the Mediterranean Sea as possible to view some last museums and forts, we boarded the train back to Grenoble. I'm happy to say that Marseille has become on of my new favorite cities! There was so much to do and see, and if all else fails, there is always something going on down by the port...even in February! 

Until next time, Marseille! 

something far greater

Mountains and sunsets and friendships and new countries and fresh fallen snow. These things are all spectacular. True wonders that make my heart sing. They make my heart sing because they are great gifts from God, because he delights to show us his grandeur and splendor. But there is something far greater than all this that we have to look forward to: walking through the pearly gates of heaven to meet our Creator, our Savior, our God.

"but our citizenship is in heaven. and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."

philippians 3:20-21

We are called to yearn for heaven. And I don't think I take that as seriously as I should. Sometimes life just gets goin' and I forget to have an eternal perspective. Living in a foreign country has helped me slow down and think about that a little more. My life here is similar in many ways to my life back home. There are heartbreaks and hurt feelings, homework and 8:30 AM classes, temptations and many, many lessons to be learned. There are people that need love, and people who wonderfully shower love on me.

"He has set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." 

ecclesiastes 3:11

My main thought here is this: I am striving to enjoy the gifts that God has placed in my life, while also remembering that everything on this earth is only temporary. One day we will be united with Jesus and it will be perfect. In fact, that's the only time we can expect perfection. Until then, I think I'll continue to spend as much time in the mountains and trying new things as I can because that is how I feel the absolute closest to God.

p.s.- I found my new favorite cereal!!!! slightly obsessed...this is why I arise in the morning for my 8:30 AM class. 

a bird's eye view

Grenoble is situated in the middle of three massifs: Belledonne, Chartreuse and Vercours. You are pretty much guaranteed a view of one of them when walking down any street in Grenoble, especially where there are no buildings to obstruct your visibility!
A few weekends ago, my host family and I went on a randonnée to Fort Saint Eynard. The fort sits perched upon Mont Saint Eynard and is part of the Chartreuse mountains.

We started off walking on a snow blazed road squished in between huge, towering trees that let only the teensiest amount of sunlight through. As we ascended, we veered off onto a small trail which de temps en temps allowed my feet sink down to my ankles in fresh powdery snow. After huffing and puffing and slipping and sliding our way up to the top, I approached the absolute most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

So this is Grenoble, welcome.
Celebratory snow balls were thrown and meanwhile, I was standing there in complete awe.

Grenoble, you are truly a magical city.