Dimanche, 23 Decembre 2012: The Bon Voyage Home

The four of us got a good night worth of sleep so when Ori woke us up at 6h30, we were well-rested. He and Vlad had just finished their shift guarding the mansion. Ori took us to his favorite spot to watch the sunrise. They're such great hosts! They brought hot tea and everything. Though Ori is a photographer, we all took this opportunity to get some great shots. It was absolutely magical...We all sat there in silence as the sun rose.

I thought it'd be a good idea to make the guys breakfast to say thank you before we left. We made them baguette french toast, scrambled eggs, and yogurt with berries. I had had the intention on making smoothies but none of the blenders worked. We all ate, cleaned up, said our goodbyes and were on our way back west.

We had intended on stopping in Biot for glassblowing and Grasse to visit some perfumeries but we lost interest and just saw the towns in passing. We decided to stop Cannes for awhile so that we could at least say that we went there. I was so tired that I was just an absolute snail. We got some pictures at the Grand Auditorium where the festival is held, got some coffee, and walked by some really high-end stores. We made our way back to Aix soon after.

Danny, Kami, and I grabbed some pizza at my favorite spot before I went home to my family. The kids and even the dog were so happy to see me. It was really sweet but after about an hour of being with them, I was exhausted again. I napped for a bit before heading to Centre Ville to meet with Danny for dinner. I ended up not eating because I was feeling sick. And I was feeling sick because I was nervous to meet with Andrea afterward. Andrea and I met at the post office where we had met for the shoot the first time. We walked to O'Shannons and had a few drinks. Tried to get to know each other using Françlish, sometimes Spanglish. It was hilarious. I found out a lot more about him during this time, including how we came to meet. The story is that his associate Patrice had photographed me at the last shoot in La Penne sur Huveaune. Patrice went back to Andrea saying that he had found the perfect girl for him. Andrea feeling curious and suspicious of Patrice's claims decided to come to the next shoot to see if what he was saying was true. Andrea and I met at the Christmas shoot and that's where the story really begins. It's always strange for me to hear that someone knows about me before I know them, but this photography community is so small, it makes sense.

Andrea and I finished our drinks and walked around centre ville together to keep warm. We ended up walking all over the area for hours, just talking and getting to know each other. I walked him back to the parking garage at the end of the night and pulled him in for a kiss. I had been wanting to do this all night but I withheld until the very last moment. I didn't want to leave him after that but I know that "absence makes the heart grow fonder..."