The School Year Begins!

These past few weeks have been full of transitions, from France to Maryland and back to New Mexico for the new school year.  This blog post will just be an overview of all that's happened since I last wrote!

We enjoyed a few days in Maryland with my parents and my good friend Genavee who came up from NC to visit.  We played a lot of games and had lots of good conversation time, too!  My Nana and Pop-Pop also joined us for dinner one night.

Walking in downtown Frederick

Chocolate Lava Cakes!!

Dinner with Nana and Pop-Pop

Back in NM, we were happy to settle back in at home, unpack suitcases, and take a little break from vacation...  :)  We were surprised to find the desert looking so green during a particularly rainy season.  The benefits: a few beautiful rainbows and lots of wildflowers for our kitchen table!

And before we knew it, school was starting again with all the excitement and nerves that come with it.  For the first year, though, I felt more excitement than nerves, so I am thankful for a positive start!  I love my new students and was happy to see my 7th graders back for 8th grade, too.

You're never too old for a "first day of school" photo!

We worked all afternoon at school yesterday, so today we took a break and went with our church small group to McHood Park near Winslow, AZ.  There is a beautiful river that runs through there, with cliffs that you can jump off into the water.  It was a very fun afternoon!

Some people jumped from the top!  I just did the Batman cliff

Tomorrow we begin our first full week of the school year, so I'd better get to bed!

France Pt. 5 -- French Fairytales

The last stop on our journey was outside of Paris, in the suburb of Montesson, to visit the Rodes family.  Nathalie was an exchange student who lived with the Newmans for several summers when Jonathan was young; her family has remained very close to the Newmans (they came to our wedding, as well as Andrew and Meghan's!) so we were very excited to see the Rodes and their three adorable children!

 When we arrived, we went with Nathalie and the children to the château at St-Germain-en-Laye, where there is a beautiful overlook towards the city of Paris.  Capucine, Arthur, and Tiphaine enjoyed playing in the gardens.

Back at the Rodes' house, we had a delicious quiche dinner and played games with the children until bedtime! Tiphaine especially latched onto Jonathan, calling him "mon bébé".

The next day, we went to the Château de Breteuil, a well-preserved castle full of both history and fairytales! One of the owners of the château worked with a writer named Perrault, who compiled well-known French fairytales into one volume called les Contes de Perrault.  Around the castle and the gardens, you can find scenes from these stories, such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, and Puss in Boots!

 We had a nice walk around the gardens...

We also took a tour to learn about the history of the château itself, and we listened to a storyteller recounting three of Perrault's tales (a great opportunity for me to practice my French comprehension skills!)

Of course, the children had a great time just playing on the playground in the gardens!

 For dinner, we drove to "Hippopotamus", a nice and kid-friendly restaurant.  I enjoyed helping the children make some origami birds and balloons while we waited for our food.

All too soon, it was time to say "au revoir" to the Rodes family...the hardest goodbye yet...We had such a good stay with them!

After an early morning at the airport, we made our way back to the U.S., including a 7 hour layover at the Reykjavik airport.  It is sad to see this trip to come to an end, but I am so thankful that Jonathan and I were able to have such a great adventure together-- an incredible end to a wonderful summer!

France Pt. 4 -- Dijon, je m'en souviens...

In the fall of my Junior year at Wake Forest, I spent a semester studying abroad in Dijon.  It was an incredible time in my life -- living in a foreign country, traveling to a new place every weekend, navigating the challenges and joys of a new language and culture... I fell in love with Dijon, and knew I could not return to France this summer without stopping for at least one night here.

 My host family in Dijon, the Lafonds, are wonderful and invited us to stay at their house.  Only my host father was able to be there, unfortunately, but he was a great host!

M. Lafond runs a wine tour and shipping business, and as soon as he picked us up from the station, he took us on a drive through the "Grands Crus" vineyards of the Côté d'Or: some of the most valuable agricultural property in the world!  Later, he served us two excellent Burgundy wines as we enjoyed a delicious dinner together.

As I walked through the streets of Dijon, I was struck by memories at every turn.  It was a bittersweet day in many ways, knowing that I could return to Dijon, but could not ever return to that season of my life that had been so full of freedom and adventure.  Still, it was wonderful to see the town and relive some of those memories.

And best of all was getting to see M. Lafond, hear the news of the family, and even hang out with Molly, my favorite French dog!

In just 22 hours we were boarding the train again, heading back to Paris!

France Pt. 3 -- Beautiful Haute-Loire

The département where we stayed in France is called Haute Loire because it is the source of the Loire River.  This area is characterized by ancient volcanic hills marked with medieval villages, churches, and fortresses.  It is also famous for random products like its green lentils, hand-made lace, and Verveine liquor (made from the verbena plant).

 We explored the town of le Puy-en-Velay several times for its markets and tourist attractions.  One of its most striking features is the Rocher St. Michel, a 10th century chapel perched on top of the volcanic rock!  We climbed the stairs to the top and got a great view!

We also explored the Cathédrale Notre Dame where there is a famous relic called la Vierge Noire,  and we enjoyed wandering through the cobblestone streets and little lace shops.

On one memorable evening, we joined some friends of Françoise at a folk music concert and dance, where we learned the polka, the Scottish, and other traditional dances!  Another evening, we ate at a crêperie on the beautiful Place du Plot. The Crêpe Tatin--filled with warm apples, drizzled with homemade caramel, and topped with vanilla ice cream--was definitely one of the best things I've ever eaten!

At the end of our time at Duriane, Jonathan's parents (who had been vacationing on Île de Ré) came to stay at the B&B for two nights. Françoise prepared a big dinner for them on the first night, then the next day we explored the area.  First we toured Polignac, a medieval fortress with an impressive position over the valley.  We walked around the walls and ruins, then climbed to the top of the restored tower.

Next, we visited the family château of one of Françoise's friends.  Nicole's château has an amazing tower that is built into and around an old volcanic rock!  The billiard room and library were also fantastic!

We ate both lunch and dinner in le Puy.  Unfortunately the weather was cold and rainy all day, for the first time in our two weeks there.  But we still had a great time together!

Before Mom and Dad left on Monday morning, we made a quick trip to see Château Chavaniac-Lafayette, where thé Gen. Marquis de Lafayette was born.  It was an interesting visit, and the gardens were lovely!

After two weeks, it was hard to say goodbye to our host family, the farm, and Haute Loire.  However, our train ride along the Loire River left us with a few more beautiful images of this amazing, almost untouched region of France!