Jeudi, 3 Janvier 2013: Le Tirage des Rois

Kami and I passed out as soon as we got back from dropping Danny off at the airport. Though Antoine and Nicolas had left and the triplets were still with their dad, I had Gregoire. Luckily for the both of us though, the creche was open. I came back and did some housework after I dropped Gregoire off. Kami was still sleeping so this gave me the opportunity to finish ironing the last basket of clothes. 

When Kami woke up a few hours later we watched the latest episode of our favorite show, American Horror Story: Asylum. Halfway through the show, Didier comes in. He has a big surprise! Kami and I walk out to the dining room. Paliermo and Carmine are already sitting down--two of the masons that are reconstructing the house. They brought brioche! It's one of the cakes that are eaten after Christmas and New Years that celebrates the Festival of Epiphany--the revelation of God the Son in the human being Jesus Christ. In America this is known as King Cake while in French-speaking countries, it's known as La Galette des Rois. There is always a trinket baked within--either a plastic baby representing the baby Jesus (America), or a clay trinket such as a crown (France).

Didier cut everyone a piece of the brioche which was lighty and airy with candied fruit on top. A few minutes later, it was determined that Didier was King because he found the clay trinket inside. This ornament just happened to be of a beautiful woman. Carmine was second in line, he found the "queen" figurine which in this case was a humongous bean called "la fève". I decided to steal the clay trinket from Didier and make it into a charm for the rear-view mirror in my car. Ha haha.

 Turn your head clock-wise. The picture won't rotate

Later that night, Céline came home with another Galette des Rois. This cake was more dense like a pie and had a thick filling reminiscent of vanilla and almond. Mom and dad called me out to the dining room where three other men were sitting. Didier said something about me "doing this the traditional way this time." I didn't know what he meant but I went along with it anyway. He and Céline are notorious for showing me the absolute coolest stuff. First they made me hide under the table because I was the youngest one in the room. They then told me I had six options "Mom, dad, Melinda, #1, #2, and #3--for each of the men who were with us. I then had to call out my options at random--this determined who got each slice of the galette. I later understood that this was to ensure whoever found the trinket was fated to be King. Alors, there was only one trinket--a clay crown, and it was found by mom. She was King for the rest of the evening, but she's the woman of the house so she's treated like royalty anyway ;-)

Mercredi, 2 Janvier 2013: Danny's Last Day in Aix

I woke up around 11h00 and immediately ran upstairs to wake Nicolas and Antoine up. I had decided that I was taking the boys to centre ville with me since it was also their last day in Aix. I wanted to help Danny get the rest of his gifts for his family in order so I figured we could all spend the day together. The boys took forever to get ready, especially Antoine who already has difficulty getting up for the day.

Danny had had an eventful night. My friend Loukas had invited me out to a casino but since I was too tired to go, I gave him Danny's number instead. The night seemed pretty eventful for the guys, ha haha. Other than losing 40 euros, Danny had a great time.

We finally made it to town and parked at Danny's apartment. The four of us walked to the Subway on Cours Sextius. It was surprisingly the same as in America, although their sub of the month included Raclette cheese. The guy making our sandwiches spoke english really well. When I commented on it, the owner turns to me and says "Well, he better speak english well! He has an American wife that gives him lessons!" Ha haha. His wife must have been here a long time because she has a french accent.

As everyone is finishing up their meal, Kami walks in. The five of us then head toward the Fromagerie in what we know as "Diagon Alley." Danny ends up buying 1 kg of two different types of cheese--Compte and Mimolette. We then switch onto a mission to find a sleeping cap for his grandfather who has Alzheimer's. After a fruitless search, we walk into a men's store and he finds a super cute toboggan for 45 euro. Super expensive!!! But so cute!!! After that purchase, we went to Monoprix so that he could find a container for his cheese so that they wouldn't make his bag smell. When we discovered that the French don't use Ziploc bags, he opted for tupperware.

We all went our separate ways after shopping but met up again around 21h30 that night at O'Shannon's. We had a few beers before Loukas, Chris, and their cousin met up with us for Danny's last night in France. Danny tried a beer with cherry syrup for the first time. We decided to call it an early night because we had to leave for the airport at 4h00.

I had texted Maman to make sure it was okay for Kami and Danny to come back to the house with me and nap. She said yes halfway home, thank goodness. When we got out of the car we saw a shooting star!!! It was amazing!!! I had gone out for the Geminid meteor shower and didn't see a thing because it was overcast. This was a spectacular moment for all of us and it marked a great finish to Danny's trip.

I heated up some leftovers in the fridge which we all finished before we went to bed. A few hours later, my alarm went off and we were on our way to MRS. It took us less than 30 minutes to get there. I had to make a few laps around the airport though because we weren't sure which airline he was flying out of, oh, and I drove the wrong way in the bus lane, ha haha. Good thing the airport is small and was not busy.

It was really sad watching Danny go. He's such a good friend to me and I know for a fact that we'll always have each other. He's the only one out of my close friends that has met Andréa and he approves, so that's a good sign. He's already planning our wedding toast, ha haha. 

When Kami and I got home, we saw another shooting star...I bet you can't guess what wish I made that time...

Mardi, 1 Janvier 2013: New Year's Resolutions

As continued from the previous post...

Everyone was entirely too drunk to drive or even walk home so 6 of us were posted in Krystle and Sebastien's living room. Two guys were sharing one couch, one guy slept on a loveseat, Danny took one of the air mattresses and Andréa and I 'slept' on one air mattress together. I had taken a caffeine pill earlier that night so I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. I just got into a comfortable position and listened to everyone breathe, for three hours...Oh My Goodness. This would've been a complete nightmare except for the fact that I was in Andréa's arms. Every time he would 'wake up' he would kiss me, so cute...

I watched the clock change, minute to minute. It was difficult to avoid since I was facing it. Around 7h30, I decided to go to the bathroom and watch the sun come up. It was raining so it proved to be pretty lame. Fifteen minutes later I went back out to the living room and Andréa pops his head up. I tell him we need to go and he just tells me to come back and cuddle. I couldn't say no to that so I got back in bed with him and stayed put for about another fifteen minutes. At 8h00, I wake Danny up and we head out the door.

We dropped Danny off first and headed back to my house together. It took a ton of convincing but he ended up staying. Andréa was so unbelievably tired, you could see it just looking at him. He didn't have any caffeine pills ;-) We walked into the dining room together where Didier was already sitting. I go right up to him and say "Dad, I want him to get a few hours of sleep before he drives home." Didier takes one look at him, his visage becoming seriously concerned and says "Yes! Of course!" Didier must have been pretty worried because anytime one of the kids made a peep upstairs, he told them to be quiet.

I lead Andréa into my room, tuck him into bed, and get in the shower. When he wakes up a few hours later, I've done 3 loads of laundry and ironed 2 baskets of clothes. He still looked exhausted when he woke up but he insisted on leaving so I let him, even though I didn't want him to go. He took dad's offer of a second espresso though to stick around a bit longer. This appeased me somewhat.

I didn't sleep after Andréa left. As all of Antoine and Nicholas' friends' moms came by to get them, there was a lot of commotion so I didn't even try to go to bed. After all of the teenagers except for ours were gone, Céline's mother, sister, brother-in-law, and their three children came by to visit. They were all curious about Andréa so I showed them his facebook profile and they regarded in awe. I got approvals from all sides of the table, even Bonne Maman :-)

Céline's family left a few hours later as I was making dinner for the boys. I ate dinner with Antoine, Nicolas, and Gregoire and finally went to bed...Only to get up a few hours later to Skype with Andréa who I decided I missed terribly. I was half-dead talking to him and Danny so around 1h00, I was officially knocked out.

Lundi, 31 Decembre 2012: New Year's Eve

Céline went back to the office today so it was just me, Didier, and his three boys. I picked Danny up for lunch so I was the only girl. For lunch I made a curry, rice, and salad. It wasn't very innovative but I decided to use what we had. 

I took Danny home soon after so that I could start getting ready for the night. Fast forward a few hours...Andréa arrives in town and I con him into picking Danny up so that I could put the finishing touches on my look for the night. When they arrive, the house is already packed with a bunch of male teenagers. Antoine and Nicolas had invited four of their friend over for a little New Year's Eve get-together. Céline and Didier leave for dinner at a new sushi restaurant and I'm given the responsibility to make the boys pizzas. Mind you, the table is already loaded with a ton of toast topped with tapenade, salmon, tzatziki, etc...By the time I finish the second pizza, Antoine tells me to stop because they're full. On that note, I was able to leave.

Danny, Andréa, and I arrived at Krystle and Sebastien's party and everyone was separated as they normally are at the beginning of all of their parties. The French normally hang around on the couches while all of the Americans surround the food and alcohol. Ha haha. We eventually get drunk enough and feel comfortable enough to practice our french. By the time we started to mingle, Krystle turned on Just Dance 4 on the Wii as she always does. We ended up playing for the next FOUR hours!!! All of us!!! No kidding!!! Danny and Andréa who absolutely does NOT dance got up there together!!!

When midnight was just around the corner Krystle put on "The Final Countdown." She and I rocked it out of course, ha haha. Of course we looked like idiots as we normally do but that's half of the fun. As soon as the song finished and the clock struck midnight, I turned around, found Andréa, ran up to him and planted a humongous kiss on his lips. He's so freakin' cute. He just stood there and smiled, which of course made me smile. 

As soon as it was officially January 1st, everyone was back to knocking down drinks and playing Just Dance. By the time our night was over, it was 5h14. Coralie and Jeremy slept in the guest room while 3 french guys, Danny, Andréa, and I slept in the living room. I could not sleep for the life of me...This continues in the next blog entry...

Dimanche, 30 Decembre 2012: On Your Own

I didn't see Danny at all Sunday. I was pretty busy with the kids and entertaining guests. Danny ended up going out to Bar Street by himself and reading in O'Shannon's until some of my friends walked in. He hung out with my friend Loukas and his friend Chris. They're both from Cyprus. The guys ran into some pilots both Cypriot and Swedish. I guess all of the fun started there because the story gets really blurry then...

Since I didn't go out, I skyped with Andréa all night. We asked each other questions about habits, etc...Such as "Do you get mad easily?" or "What do you do to let off steam?" Very important things to know. I think we skyped for about 5 or 6 hours so you can guess that we learned a lot about each other in that time. All of his answers were right in line with what I'm looking for but we'll see. I've been late for at least 45 minutes per visit and that's been three times now. He says he's not annoyed yet, but, is he? We shall see ;-)

Samedi, 29 Decembre 2012: The Italian Dinner Party

The italian masons working on our house had invited us to a dinner party tonight. Maman, Papa, Antoine, Nicolas, Louis--a cousin, Gregoire, Danny, and I all packed into the Renault Scénic to Berre L'Etang. Everyone was so friendly when we arrived, especially when they found out we were Americans. They were really sympathetic when they found out I was the family au pair because they have a niece that's doing the same thing in England. 

Robert was making pizzas for the first hour we were there. They have a nice, traditional pizza oven in their backyard. It was fun watching him make them, but the taste sensation was even better! I say this all the time, but it was so delicious!!!

I was amazed by everything that was going on so I shot a lot of pictures. As soon as Paliermo's daughter saw this, she herded me into the dining room where [I KID YOU NOT!] there was a huge plank of homemade gnocchi. She pointed to the hundreds of gnocchi and said "Photo!" Danny and I sure as heck started shooting, ha haha.

We all sat down for dinner soon after. I thought I was going to die because everything was so wonderful! The gnocchi was served in a homemade marinara sauce with humongous meatballs. We had a few after dinner drinks which included espresso, Limoncello, and sugar cubes that have been soaked in Eau de Vie (90 proof alcohol) and rare flowers from the top of the French Alps. I was quite drunk after the last drink.

Andréa picked Danny and I up from Berre L'Etang and met my family in person for the first time. The only kids he didn't get to meet are the triplets because they are with their father this week. The three of us headed to town and went to O'Shannon's for a few drinks. I ended up wanting to leave around 01h00 because I was so tired.

Danny headed back to his apartment while Andréa drove me home. I decided I didn't want to leave him yet so I had him drive to the top of the hill that I lived on. From here, you can see Gardanne. There were no stars out because it was cloudy but the twinkling of the city lights made up for it. It was so romantic...We sat up there together for hours.

When I finally decided I needed to get home, I realized I didn't have my keys. I had to call maman to let me in. I was waiting for her to open the door when I heard some intense snorting and running in my direction. It was a herd of wild boars!!! They are always in our yard but I've never seen them before. I was so scared I ran up to the balcony before I called maman again...I'm glad I know my fight or flight response works, ha haha.

Vendredi, 28 Decembre 2012: The Best Friend

Friday was pretty uneventful until evening came. I was going to O'Shannons to meet Andréa's best friend and another good friend. I was an hour late because I couldn't find any parking. It was a busy night for Aix! I felt so bad for making everyone wait. Andréa gave me shit about it for a bit before he let up, lol. I had been late the previous time we hung out too so he says I now owe him two extra hours at any given time. 

Back to Andréa's girl friends...Yes, girls. I'm not surprised that his best friends are girls. He's just like me. All of my closest friends are guys, except for a few select females. Manon is his best friend--gorgeous, super friendly, and spunky. Jezebel is visiting for the holidays. She is also beautiful but more timid--though it's probably due to the fact that she doesn't speak any english.

Kami and Danny met up with us while Mark, Loukas, and their pals were sitting at the next table. I kind of spent a lot of time talking to the Americans and Cypriots because it didn't seem like Andréa's friends had much to say and I really couldn't think of much to say either. Andréa tried to make an effort though and broke the ice. He told Manon she had to practice her english with me. We engaged in conversation for awhile--switching from english to french to franglais. Manon speaks english very well! But she says she's shy about it. That's how I feel when I speak french but you don't learn if you don't make mistakes. We all sat there and chatted for a bit even though it was difficult hear over all of the commotion. Then we all watched as Manon blew some creepy guy off. He had followed her to the bathroom and then back to the table. Agh...French guys...lol

We ended up going to Scat Club not long after. Kami and I had planned on dancing the night away. It was dead when we got in there as it normally is around 23h00. We ran into Jen who was with her boyfriend who is visiting from Virginia. We all got drinks but it was only me, Kami, Danny, Jen, and her boyfriend who were dancing. I tried to get Manon, Jezebel, and Andréa to dance but they kind of just planted themselves against the wall. They left a little before 01h00 I think, right before the entire club got packed. I felt so bad because I really didn't talk to them after O'Shannons. Girls typically bond over random things like dancing and I honestly expected to see them out there on the dance floor with us, but Andréa said it wasn't their scene. It was nice of them to stay at least. That shows a lot about their character. I like people like that. Manon and Jezebel left first and Andréa stayed behind to give me a proper goodbye. We walked out into the hall and I pushed him up against the wall, kissed him like I would never see him again, and let him go. Ha haha.

I liked his friends overall. They're super nice and seem completely sincere. They look like they could be fun but we'll have to discover together what type of fun they're into. You all know that I can be amused doing anything and everything so I'm sure we'll get along great. Hopefully I'll see them again soon!