I've finally written!

Hello everyone! I am sorry it’s been so long since my last update! I have been so busy, as you will soon find out…

When I last wrote, I was leaving for Italy to meet Peter’s family for the ordination of his brother, Josh, as a priest with the Legionaries of Christ. Peter’s father had found and rented an apartment for the week near the Vatican; we were five minutes by foot from St. Peter’s Square. It was absolutely amazing. We went to a prayer service led by the Legion on Friday night, and then had the ordination on Saturday.

It was held in St. Paul’s Basilica, and it was a sight to see! There were about 60 priests ordained that day, and the basilica was packed with around 5000 people. Mr. and Mrs. West had special seats for parents, and the rest of us were sitting around the basilica. Luckily, they had an elaborate film system and projectors everywhere, so every seat was a good seat! Father Josh celebrated his first Mass the following day at St. Peter’s basilica.

The following week was a blur of sightseeing. We went around to different churches, monuments, and museums around Rome. We also got to see the Pope twice – once at the Sunday blessing and again at the Wednesday audience. We were sitting pretty close to Benedict, maybe only about 100 ft away! During that week, we also traveled to Assisi and Naples, where the Wests showed me where they used to live. They took me to an excellent pizzeria, which was cool since Naples is the birthplace of the pizza!

Another very memorable event happened in Rome – Peter proposed in front of the Trevi fountain! He asked me to marry him on December 16th. We had just gotten out of a museum with his family, and we were splitting up. Peter and I went with his sisters to do some more sightseeing while his parents and brother went to do some shopping. Peter’s sisters stopped to watch a street artist painting, and Peter and I continued on towards the Trevi Fountain. Once we were there, we sat down to look at the fountain, and Peter gave me this strange look. I asked, “Why are you looking at me like that? Is it because you love me?” and he responded, “I’ve been thinking about how to say this, and this is what I came up with: I can’t wait to tell our kids about this story. Will you marry me?” He pulled out a beautiful diamond ring, and I was speechless. The whole time, I was thinking in my head, “Oh my gosh, this is really happening!”



Of course, I said yes, and he put the ring on my finger. There was a photographer at the fountain who took our picture so that we could capture those few precious moments after the proposal. When we were walking back to find his family, I kept asking him to pause so I could stand and stare at the ring. When we found his family, everyone was excited, and Mr. West ordered a round of Amaretto for all. I will certainly treasure this memory forever.



To inform you quickly about what we have planned for our wedding so far, we already have a date – August 21, 2010, and we have a church reserved in Virginia for the ceremony. I have colors picked out – dark purple and white -, but that’s about the extent of what we have planned. It’ll be interesting to organize this big event from abroad.

Anyhow, continuing with our Christmas vacation…

After Italy, Peter and I continued onto France. We landed in Paris, and it was covered with snow. A big cold front/snow storm had gone through France, and almost the entire country was covered by a blanket of snow. We caught a train from Paris to Strasbourg, a city on the eastern side of France, by Germany. They are known for their Christmas market which resembles those in Germany. It was magical with all the Christmas lights, the snow falling from the sky, and the hot wine to keep us warm. We stayed there for 2 days, and then we were off to Geneva.

While in Geneva, we didn’t see much. We walked around downtown a bit looking for a place to have dinner, but that’s all. We were there to catch our flight to Sweden, where we would spend Christmas with my friend Siri and her family.

For those of you who don’t know Siri, she is a Swedish girl I met while I was studying for the first time in France. We were in some of the same classes, and we did one project together. We’ve kept in touch and our acquaintanceship has blossomed into a friendship that I hope will last a lifetime. She invited Peter and me to spend Christmas in Karlshamn, a small seaside town on the southeast of Sweden, where her family lives.

Peter and I flew into Copenhagen, Denmark, and took a three-hour train ride to Karlshamn. It was so good to see Siri again! It was like we had never had time apart. Her family is very nice as well, and they speak English superbly. They welcomed us as part of the family, and we got to share in some Swedish traditions! We had pickled herring at dinner, learned how to say “Merry Christmas” in Swedish, and witnessed their drinking songs. Let me explain; in Sweden, before each sip they take – whether it be schnapps, wine, beer, liquor, etc. – they sing a song. They have different songs for each type of drink. It was fun to watch them all sing and smile at the table with a uniquely Swedish tradition.

In Sweden, we went to a neighboring town where Siri’s father works. It is a navy town, so we got to see some of the ships and the military base there. We also went to visit Lundt, the town where Siri goes to school. We had a nice, relaxing visit at each.

After Sweden, we flew back to Geneva and caught a train to the town of Avignon in southern France. It was nice to come back to warmer weather and longer days – we only had about 6-7 hours of daylight in Sweden! In Avignon, we went to see the Christmas market, Ft. St. Andre, the Chartreuse (an old monastery), and the Palace of the Popes (where the Popes resided in for about 100 years while the civil wars were going on in Italy). Peter and I had a great time taking it easy and getting to see all of the sites.

After Avignon, we headed back to Angers where he stayed with Catherine. We celebrated the New Year with her, and she fed us well! We saw all the sites around Angers – the Chateau of King Rene, the Tapestry of the Apocalypse, the chocolatiers, the shops, etc. We also went to visit Nantes – an old port city about 45 minutes west of Angers by train. It is famous for being the capital of the Brittany region before it became a part of France. We saw the chateau there along with the cathedral. It was so cold while we were there; some of the fountains we saw were frozen solid! We fortunately managed to stay inside warm buildings out of the cold.
We headed to Paris for his last night in France; we walked around and saw the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs-Elysees. It was beautiful to see Paris at night.

The next day, I saw Peter off to the airport. It was a tearful goodbye, but luckily, my friend Ginny arrived the same day he left. She definitely cheered me up and got my mind off of Peter’s departure. It was her first time coming to Europe, so it was neat for me to see everything through her eyes too. We went around and saw some of the same sites again, along with some new ones – Notre Dame and the Louvre. We also walked through some of the neighborhoods in Paris and got to see some of the less-touristy side of the city.



We left for Angers the next day. She stayed with me in my room at the residence, and while it was tight, I think we managed it well. While she was in Angers, she met Catherine, saw where I worked, and got a taste of what everyday life is like for me. Unfortunately, we had some bad weather while she was here – freezing and snowy – so it limited our traveling a bit. We did get to see the sites in Angers as well as travel to Nantes. Overall, I think she enjoyed her stay. I saw her off at the train station last Monday, and then real life started for me again.

I started my classes again last Monday. I only have a handful of new students this semester which is nice because everyone already knows what I expect in class and I already know a lot of names! I am also teaching fewer hours this semester which is such a blessing as it allows me more time to enjoy life in Angers as well as more time to plan a wedding!

This weekend was a little bit different of a routine for me though. As some of you may remember, I spent Thanksgiving with a Meredith alumna and her husband who live here with their two children. Their names are Debra and Charles, and unfortunately, Charles has been having problems with his sciatic nerve. He has been having intense pains in his left leg and spent all of last week in the hospital. They discharged him this past Friday, and Debra asked me to come over this weekend to help her with the kids. They live in a small town near Beaufort, which is about 50 minutes by car to the east of Angers. They bought half of a farm which they renovated into their beautiful home. It is absolutely enchanting to walk outside and see nothing but fields and farm animals. There is also a tranquility there that you could never find in Angers.

I had a great time there this weekend. Cayleigh (2 years old) and Jayden (8 months old) were so much fun to play with! Jayden just sat, played, and drooled by himself almost the entire weekend, and Cayleigh was a ball of energy. We walked around outside, watched some movies, played with PlayDo, etc. Despite the pinching and general testing that a typical 2-year-old goes through, I had a wonderful time with her!

I came back by the train today, so my second week is starting. I hope you all are well and had lovely holidays; thank you for those who sent letters and emails! I’ve really enjoyed them. Please continue to pray for me during my marriage preparation and my remaining time teaching here in France. I should be able to update more regularly now that I’m not traveling all of the time. Many blessings, and until next time!