this year, thanksgiving was different. i was actually dreading it a little bit. it was the first time i had ever been away from my family...and i wasn't super excited about that.
so on the thursday after our trip to the alsace, we all got together at dr erickson's for a thanksgiving lunch. we couldn't do a dinner because of a previously scheduled evening class for art history in the orsay, but lunch was actually perfect for us.
we all signed up to bring something different. i made mama's carrots - the cooked ones with brown sugar and butter. so yummy. they were gone waaaay too fast.
when olivia and i walked out of our apartment building, the air was crisp and the sky was clear.
it actually felt like thanksgiving.
i know it's silly to say, but it felt that way. we got ourselves donuts for breakfast from this pastry shop on rue cler, which i firmly believe has the best donuts in paris. personal opinion, though. and then we went shopping for our food stuff.
we showed up at dr erickson's and played wii. olivia kicked my butt, which was to be expected. i mean, she has lapped me at super bijou quête* only like 6 times.
*super bijou quête is the only game on our paris phones. it's called jewel quest (?) in english.
then we cooked my carrots. nateybabes came and i helped him make his green bean casserole, which was exciting, because who knew cream of mushroom soup would be so hard to find in paris? and so different from american cream of mushroom soup? it turned out to be delicious, though, so no one should be worried about that.
when everyone was together, we played a few card games. sage taught us all how to play the game scum. that was super fun.
and then we set the table to eat! we couldn't have turkey, unfortunately. it's kind of a rarity in paris, i guess? plus it would be pretty hard to transport a 20 pound bird through the metros. ha. but we did have roast chicken. we had five roast chickens, in fact. and they were delicious.
we didn't have any stuffing. we didn't have any yams with marshmallows, or grandpa ed's cranberry sauce, or pumpkin or pecan pie. but we did have our paris family, all gathered together. it was kind of precious. it was the perfect day. we ate all of our food. we laughed and talked and genuinely enjoyed each others' company. we went around the table and all said something that we were thankful for.
and we had dessert. that was great, too. we had magnum ice cream bars, american brownies from a mix that alicia's mom sent her (thank you mama eyre!), and some sort of raspberry dessert.
and then we continued to play cards. we played cuilleres || spoons, but remembered that that game creates a lot of tension, so we went back to playing scum. haha. and people talked and laughed and we just had fun all together.
after our art history class, we got to go back to dr erickson's and eat the leftovers for dinner. it was an almost perfect day.
the only thing that would have made it perfect would have been my family. i sure do miss those funny people. (can't wait to see them in TEN DAYS not that i'm counting.)
here is a list of some of the things i'm thankful for this year (let's see if i can write this without crying):
♢ my family ♢
i miss them. i love them. i'm grateful that they love and miss me. i'm grateful that they are so supportive of me and that they are stuck with me forever. sorry i'm not sorry. :) i'm grateful i get to see them so soon. i cannot wait to hug every single one of them about 40 bazillion times. and i'm grateful for the tears that i know i will cry when i see them. because let's face it, i'm a tenderheart and i will cry. sorry i'm not sorry about that, either, guys.
♢ the world's best mom ♢
she may not realize it, but she is my best friend. she is the most kind and giving person i know, and i am so glad that she puts up with all the times i call her for help. i'm grateful that she is always willing to have fun with me, and that she loves downton abbey as much as i do. :) she's really the best, and i love her.
♢ the world's best dad ♢
i think he's a spiritual giant, and has been such an example to me in that respect. i love his sense of humor, and all of his "dave-isms." i'm grateful that he sings at the top of his lungs with me and enjoys tobiko. and i can't wait to get eggnog shakes with him.
♢ the world's best brother ♢
i look up to that kid so much (and not just because he's 8 inches taller than i am). he understand the meaning of hard work. i'm grateful for his example of achieving goals. i don't know anyone as driven or motivated as he is, and i'm grateful that i can look to him as an example because heaven knows how easy it is to be lazy. and i'm grateful that he will drive places with me, even though i listen to music that isn't cool.
♢ the example my family is to me ♢
thanks for encouraging me to go after what i want. thanks for teaching me to not be a jerk. thanks for showing me that true happiness is founded upon the gospel of jesus christ. thanks for helping me to build my own testimony, one that i can't wait to share with the people of the world.
♢ my paris family ♢
i am convinced that paris is magic. the city itself is amazing. but my experience here wouldn't have been half of what it has been without the people that i'm with. the friends i have made here have really become my family away from home, and i am so grateful for them. thanks for putting up with me, for making me laugh and smile, for knowing how to have fun, and for just being great people.
♢ the hurlbuts ♢
dr h & jennie were the greatest directors anyone could have ever asked for. i could not have gotten a better introduction to paris - and all of france - from anyone else, and for that i am grateful. i'm so glad they made their apartment feel like our home. i'm grateful for dr h's jokes and for jennie's love and care. i know that they cared about each of us individually, and they were like second parents for us! i'm so glad we got to know them.
♢ dr erickson ♢
um, hello? also the greatest director ever! dr erickson makes me smile all the time. he loves paris so much, and even though having to switch directors half way through our program was rough, i am so glad that dr erickson was the guy who got to take over. he has helped me to remember to look at paris with fresh eyes everywhere i go. he has helped me to understand the french language better. i love the way he talks about his wife. it is the sweetest thing i have ever heard, and i want to one day find a man who will talk about me the way dr erickson talks about jean.
♢ paris ♢
i love this city more than i can even begin to tell you all. i love the history that is here. i love the people. i love the food. i love the culture. i love the art. i love the museums. i love paris in the fall. i love absolutely everything about it (except for the chicken liver incident). i am so grateful that i have had the opportunity to get to know it. that i can say "i have lived in paris." that i can talk about paris as a home, not just some city that i have visited. i'm grateful for the cultural differences, and that i got to make some awesome betises || mistakes and learn from them (i will never eat in the metro again, i promise, please stop giving me dirty looks) (always say bonjour, say bon soir after 16:30 even though i can never remember that) (i will never leave the house again with wet hair, i swear on my life). i'm grateful to have been a part of this city in some small way. i'm grateful to have explored a new place so in depth, that i can begin to know it and understand it. i'm grateful for the magic that is here, and that i get to be a part of it. i hope this isn't just rambling. because i feel like it is. i hope you know what i'm trying to say, because i don't even have words to describe how thankful i am for the past three months.
♢ the lamppost at place de la concorde ♢
one day i was feeling super sorry for myself. i was pretty homesick about half way through the program, and i was just a little down in the dumps. i took myself on a walk before class, and i ended up wandering through place de la concorde. i was kinda looking at the ground when i almost walked into a lamppost. so i looked up at it. it was massive. it was green, with really intricate decorations. it was even decorated on the undersides of it. (who else would decorate the underside of a lamp? only the french.) and it was gilded. i started wondering, "do the french even know how lucky they are to live here?" and that's when it hit me "sydney freaking hughes, why are you feeling sorry for yourself? look at where you are. do YOU even realize how lucky you are to live here? you're in paris. go enjoy it." i'm grateful for that little reality check. that lamppost in the southwest corner of the place will forever hold a special place in my heart.
♢ the gospel of jesus christ ♢
i am so grateful that the gospel of jesus christ has been restored to the earth. and that i have it in my life. i'm grateful to be a member of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. i'm grateful to have a testimony of it. i'm grateful to have a personal relationship with my savior, who died for me. who has felt all of my pains, whether they are because of sins or not. i'm grateful to have someone who understands me so completely and loves me so fully. i'm grateful to my heavenly father for all of my blessings. i can't say enough to express my gratitude. i'm grateful for his never ending love, and for the chance that i have to be here on earth. and that i can return to live with him again. i'm just grateful.
♢ and last but not least ♢
let's go back to my family. because i didn't say enough about them, and i want to end on them. i know i am not a hughes on accident. i'm grateful that i am a part of the big, wacky, and a little bit (or lotta bit) weird roos and hughes family mix. it's the best mix of people that ever got mixed, and i love every single one of my family members, immediate and extended. i'm grateful for the temple, and for the blessings received there that can let me be sealed to my family forever. i can't imagine being stuck with a better group of people. i'm grateful for grandma coco, for raising her kids in the gospel and leading them all to where they are today. i'm grateful for grandma carole jean and grandpa ed for joining the church when my dad was only 13, and for not looking back. all of my grandparents mean the world to me, and i'm so glad they're mine! :) i'm grateful for my aunts and uncles, who are some of my very best friends. i'm grateful for cousins who are more like siblings than cousins. i love all those weird and wonderful people ♡
i think i am the most blessed girl in the entire world. i don't know what i did to deserve such a wonderful life, but you better believe i am stinkin' grateful for it.
(in case anyone was wondering...i did not make it through this post without crying. so...yep. if you thought that i would cry, then give yourself three sparkle points. you totally deserve them for calling it.)
and i totally would upload some photos of thanksgiving if blogspot would let me. but it's still being grumpy so...sorry!
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