Day 96, 97 and 98

Time flies when you're having fun.

Since making the brilliant decision to move AGAIN, things have become even more hectic if that is even possible.  The days are blurring together in a haze of sweaty trips to the school house and late nights finishing projects on Madame Chabou's house of horrors so that we can have the realtors over for pictures.  Couple this with the upcoming departure of our eldest to Wales and all of the shopping that such an adventure requires and you have little time for sleep let alone calm reflection on the days events.  Mercifully, Friday is finally here and the  eve of the weekend has allowed me a bit of time to sit down and write.  Today was full of activity like the two before it.  More of the same.  Frantic trips across town, back and forth to school, all punctuated by several trips to the market for food and travel essentials.  The difference today was that we would have mom home for the day to act as reinforcements.  It made things tremendously simpler on my end.  I arrived at my French lesson EARLY and could stay for the whole class without bailing early to make my customary 20+ minute hike to the elementary school.  What a treat this turned out to be.

After class, My wife agree to pick up the youngest and meet me in the Centre Ville for a bit of specialty shopping.  Our focus was singular.  As I mentioned before, I have become a bit of an espresso junkie and my Krups Pixie required refilling.  These are single serving packets that can only be purchased at one store that I have found here in town.  The shopping experience was a bit overwhelming.  A store that only sells these tiny capsules in every variety under the sun in a sort of drug store counter environment made my blood pressure rise.  We survived and came away with my favorite flavors in mass.  On our way back to the car park, the youngest who was tremendously well behaved in the coffee store  requested a bite to eat.  Eating out here is not a terribly kid friendly process.  To be honest, in a culture where children are to be seen and not heard, it is really fairly uncommon to see children in a restaurant or cafe.  My youngest is not exactly the model citizen when it comes to quiet culinary experiences.  That being said, his tastebuds seem to have a flair for French cuisine and I will be damned if I will let a possible outbreak of 3 year old temper prevent him from experiencing a different way of life and expanding his love for foreign foods.  We stopped at a little cafe and ordered a sandwich and Coca for each of us.

Cafe's tend to be a little quicker since self service is the name of the game in some circumstances, so we settled in under an umbrella to enjoy our lunch and a bit of people watching.  Much to my surprise, the youngest seemed game and settled into his chair quietly to enjoy his alone time with Ma and Pa.  He was of course the only kid in the place, so he already drew a bit of attention.  You combine that with his love for the people and you have the recipe for alot of impromptu conversation.  He is quick with the greetings and feels it necessary to stop everyone on the street to have a chat.  His personality is infectious and even the busiest of folks greet him with a smile and a polite Bonjour.  This entire experience has made him a very social ladd indeed.  Not measured at all in his personality.  Quite a contrast to his older brother who is stoic and still.  BOTH are my heart and my soul and I couldn't be prouder to call myself their father.

After a brief bite to eat, we were back on the road to have a brief pause at our current residence.  Soon, my wife departed to pick up the eldest and then we would be off for a bit more commerce to check off the last few items for his trip to Wales.  I too had a bit of additional shopping to do.  While we were out, I felt it necessary to purchase ANOTHER bicycle.  I know, I know . . . I have an illness.  I decided that for family purposes, my fixie was a bit high strung and while my cycling prowess is such that I don't worry myself with toting the kid around on the back of it without the aid of freewheel or breaks, it seemed that perhaps a second bike with a bit less attitude might make for a safer ride when the streets get crowded.  The real reason for the purchase however, is that I don't want to tear up my pride and joy with the kid seat and all of the extra weight that it places on the structural components of the bike.  So, I picked up a very nice and CHEAP mountain bike from my home away from home . . . Decathalon.  Man do I love that store.  Great quality at a tremendous price.  A sporty guy's dream.  It's like taking a kid to the candy store.  I never walk out of the place empty handed.  We also picked up some panniers for Mom's bike so we can tote some groceries when the need presents itself.

The weekend promises to be a busy one.  Some wallpaper and paint to be applied, some groceries to be procured and an older child to see on his way out of the country.  We will have a full house in the coming week and we have much to prepare for.  I have arranged a busy social calendar and look forward to the down time.  That down time comes with a cost and my anal retentive nature finds it necessary to get ahead on several tasks to allow me to take the time off.  That being said, we will certainly take a minute over the weekend to give Mom her due.  It is time for Mother's Day (part 2).  Apparently the French do celebrate this holiday, just not on the same day as we do in the States.  I feel it only fair, given how much that my wife does for this family and the sacrifices she must make to make this new life possible for us, to give her this second day of celebration.  I haven't yet figured out what we will do and how we will celebrate, but I will let you know what we figure out.  I promise to try and be more diligent in keeping the blog up to date, but give the house guests in the coming week, please forgive me if the posts are brief or a few days late.

As for the musical selection.  As I was waiting on my wife and eldest to finish up some shopping this evening, I discovered a radio station that plays Country Music on the weekend.  I knew that this would please my lovely wife, so I programed it into the radio in the ole family truckster for her listening enjoyment.  As I listened, a song came on that I had all but forgotten, but is a musical rendition of my life and should probably stay as a permanent fixture given it's relevance to this process.  The song is "Mr. Mom" by Lonestar.  Enjoy and we will speak again as soon as is possible.