Merry December

First off I wanted to give an update about our Thanksgiving feast last week--what a night. An hour before the missionaries showed up, our power went out and we didn't get it fixed for a half hour. By the time they got here at eight o'clock, everything was still cooking except for the apple pie, so it was very interesting trying to cook and eat before nine thirty so they could get home on time (mission rules). It ended up not being the nice, quiet, sit-down Thanksgiving meal I had pictured, but it was still enjoyable. It will be an unforgettable Holiday that Kyle and I will tell our kids about.

I can't believe it's already December--it has been over two months since Kyle and I flew to France. I am very excited for Christmas here in France. Kyle gets two weeks off of work and we've decided to take a little trip somewhere. We thought about Alsace (a region of France near the border of Germany) because everyone keeps telling us how beautiful it is there during Christmas-time. We also thought about somewhere in Italy. Anyone have any recommendations? One of our favorite families in the branch invited us over on Christmas Eve so we'll be here for the Holiday. Apparently here in France Christmas Eve is  the day to celebrate rather than Christmas Day. They invited us two weeks ago saying "we had to do it early enough otherwise someone else would have snatched you up since you're so popular". That made us feel good. Then on the 25th, another family invited us over for lunch. We are so thankful for the church and the members here in Perigueux--everyone has been so kind and generous! Another reason I'm excited for Christmas is because Perigueux will be decked out with lights and decorations. Since the end of October, workers have been out stringing lights between buildings and apartments. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Last weekend we went to Bordeaux with some friends we've made to see the new Harry Potter movie--I thought it was great (probably because it was in English). We went out to eat at a nice restaurant and then walked around centreville (downtown) browsing some of the shops. We had a desert that is unique to this city called le canele. The outside is crispy but then the inside is very moist--super delicious... Bordeaux is famous for the wines they produce and it's also famous for having one of the longest shopping streets (.75 miles)  in Europe. We got a taste of Christmas at night in Bordeaux seeing all the lights and the walking through the Marche de Noel (Christmas market). Each city at Christmas-time has a Marche de Noel where wooden booths are set up for people to sell gifts, food, ect. Haha, one booth we saw was similar to the carnival duck bond game were you fish out a duck and the number on the bottom tells you if you won a prize or not. In this game, it was santa that you chose instead of a duck. I can't wait to check out the market in our little ville.

Le Canelé