Une Semaine

The first thing you must know is this: there is no such thing as a day in Paris without coffee. But seriously... It's bad. I've had probably two cups a day since I've been here! Yikes. Going to try and calm it down a little bit for this next week.

Anyways. I could not be more in love with Paris and just life here. Everything has been incredible! The Lord has provided, of course, but even more so He has blessed me beyond belief. Every concern or worry that I had about my first semester here has been erased. To begin, the roommate, Miss Tayler Mitchell, is great. She is precious and I love her already. We have had a blast this week exploring our neighborhood and Paris in general. I'm really looking forward to spending the next 15 weeks with her. Secondly, my host mother. I live with just one woman (and Tayler) and her name is Dominique, and I'm convinced we have the best! She is so hospitable and a great cook! She speaks some English, but she only uses English if I'm really not understanding something. Otherwise, the three of us speak french only.  The apartment we live in is adorable! It's a fairly small flat down a cute side street in the 19th arrondissement. Not a super nice or "chic" area but its perfect and I love it. Right down the street is the largest park in Paris called "Parc Buttes des Chaumont". And it is stunning. I can't wait to go back next week with my camera and take a bazillion pictures and explore. Central Park ain't got nothin' on it.

This past week has been full of exploring and learning about France. Classes start on Monday and I'll finally have more of a regular routine. With only one class a day, I'll still be able to spend most of the day exploring Paris and discovering all the local secrets as well as the tourist hot spots. The current local hot spot that Tayler and I enjoy and have visited three times already is a cute "brasserie" down the street named "Le Bariole". The waitress and owner have been very nice and their food and drinks delicious! They also have wifi :) As do many cafe's all over Paris. The easy access to wifi has made it very easy to communicate with peeps all the way back in America! As well as the fact that there is wifi in the apartment. Here are a few pics from the week:

Tayler and I

And some friends that I have made.. on a boat ride!

The original statue of liberty!

The raw meat... An experience I'll probably never forget

And the incredible Segway tour through Fat Tire Bike Tours! I highly recommend it!

All in all this first week has been so much more than I could have ever hoped for. It's been quite a whirlwind of a week- being up at 8 and staying up until at least 12, and walking everywhere! Prayers are always welcomed and appreciated. Tomorrow I'm going to the American Church in Paris so I'm excited to connect with some fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The God in America is the same exact God here in Paris which is obvious but really cool to see and live. Praying that I will not get caught up in wanting to delve into my year abroad and into Paris, France, and Europe, that I forget to rest in the Lord along the way.
 

His love never fails.

PS-If there's anything you want me to be more specific about or elaborate on, let me know! And I'd love to answer any questions you have.

The First Weekend

It is currently 4:18 in the morning Paris time. And 9:18 p.m. Texas time. Probably the worst jet lag I have ever experienced. I think it is a combination of nerves for meeting my host family tomorrow morning, sleeping in too late this morning and staying up too late. So I can’t decide if no sleep is worse or just as bad as less than four hours of sleep. I’d rather get my mind off the fact that I can’t sleep and talk about the day anyways! Other than getting lost multiple times, the day was good. The main event of the day was a cooking class that we took. After walking around the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame area, we left to meet up with our cooking class group and guide. The plan was to meet at 5:30 

and go to the market with the guide and talk about how to pick the best food. Unfortunately, there was some miscommunication and we missed a location change. So while the other three people in the group went to the market, we (my mom, her friend, Dana Hecht, and I) sat at a café on the other side of town and drank some coffee and waited for them to come pick us up. While that was relaxing, it was definitely a bummer to have to miss the market shopping. However, when Philippe arrived, I couldn’t have been happier. He was exactly the frenchman you would picture in a movie- chatty, friendly, slightly effeminate, and full of stories and jokes. He had lived in LA for 15 years doing both cooking and entertainment law- so he definitely had lots of stories. 

After stopping at the fromagerie and boulangerie to pick up some fresh cheese and bread we went back to his apartment with the other family, a mother, father and a son, and began to cook! After chopping up fresh vegetables, melting some chocolate and whisking eggs and sugar, the end product was a delicious 4 course french meal! He even taught us how to present it with style. I was so distracted by how beautiful and delicious the food was I forgot to get a group picture... Oops! The entrée was a cold cucumber and mint soup with a cream cheese mixture and a dab of balsamic vinaigrette. The main course was sautéed leeks layered with granny apples and salmon. And let me tell you-WOW. It was SO good. If you want the recipe, message me! It was so simple  and fun to make. Then, of course, following the main course was the cheese tray featuring brie, camembert, roquefort and one other french cheese. The camembert was my favorite. And finally, to end the meal was a life changing homemade chocolate lava cake. All it took to make was eggs, flour, sugar, and chocolate. But it tasted like it was a top secret, gourmet recipe! You can be sure I’ll be bringing that back to the States when I get home! Here are some pictures of the meal.

What I learned from this experience was how much of an event dinner can be and is in France. I’m looking forward to more dinners like it in the future! Which reminds me that I am supposed to be waking up in three hours to meet my host mother. Woof. I would love your prayers as I start a relationship with both my host mother and roommate! Also prayers for being able to sleep in the future!  

His love never fails.

Pre-Departure

     In t-16 hours I leave the country for 10 and a half months. WHAT?! I've been waiting all my life for the day that I get to study abroad in the magical land called France and that day is finally upon me. I can see it, taste it, smell it. And be overwhelmed by it... Being home for only four days between camp and France was craaaazy. People keep asking me if I'm scared and I honestly am not. But I think it's because I haven't had enough time to think long and hard about what I'm actually doing. Any time that I have had, I get distracted by the errands to run, laundry to do, last few american meals to enjoy and so on. So no, I'm not scared. Excited? Yes. Nervous? Heck yes. A million other emotions? Definitely. I don't think words can fully describe and capture how I 'm feeling. But they will have to do.
     The past three months spent in Tyler, Texas at the one and only Pine Cove Ranch were probably some of the hardest and best three months of my life. I got to be with awesome people. sing every day and worship our Creator in the most intimate way surrounded by close friends doing the same. There truly is nothing like working at Pine Cove. And there is no other way to describe it other than saying it was the best and hardest summer I've had. I could go on and on and on about how wonderful it was and all the things I learned but I honestly don't have the time, near enough caffeine for this hour, or your interest for that long :) For your sake, I'll keep it short. It is so bittersweet to go. I am unbelieveably excited for this adventure I get to go on, incredibly grateful for parents who love me, support me, and encourage me to do things like this, and of course sad to leave behind such good friends that I have made the past three months at camp and two years at school.

I have a few special shout outs to people who have gone above and for me in this process:

Shelby Stone

 My love. You have been, most importantly, such a faithful friend since day one that I met you freshman year in high school. And I have been grateful for you ever since. Thanks to your own study abroad this past spring semester, I get to take advantage of your knowledge, tips, advice, and cool backpack! Thank you friend for your excitement for me, your willingness to give me advice, and your ability to understand how much this means to me.

Katelyn Clemens

 My little dragonfly. You, my friend, I have known since sixth grade. The giggle twins! I will never forget that. And never forget spilling my dr. pepper on you. You also were my guinea pig ever since your exchange trip to Germany when you were only 17. I was shocked when you did that and admired you so much for that decision. I'm so glad that you have been home these past four days to walk me through what to bring and what not to bring during the terrible thing called packing. What would I have done without you? What would Stacy do without you?? :)

Carrie Jussely

Even though you have been in Cambodia for the past year, you have been so influential in my decision to go abroad for a year. Seeing your tumblr posts and instagram photos and just hearing about your heart for foreign missions before you even went really spurred in me, my own desires to travel abroad. Though it was something I always desired to do, watching you take a step of faith and trust in the Lord's provision for you as you embarked on a 2 year journey has been so encouraging and inspiring to see. Thank you for pouring into me all four years of high school and reminding me of who I am and why I live on this earth.

and finally...

The Parentals 

Stacy Wharton and Warren Pretlow. Where would I be if it wasn't for your support and encouragement? I am truly blessed to have parents that are so excited to see me pursue my dreams and so willing to support me all the way through. Not many parents are as eager to watch their children possibly give their life away to music or even leave America for an extended amount of time! But you have done both and more. I am thankful beyond words for all you have done for me even when I didn't appreciate it or want it. Thank you for believing me and trusting me, and most of all, trusting God to take care of me every step of the way.

So with those parting words, I will end this first post and wrap up my packing and embark on a journey that I know will be life changing.

His love never fails.