I have my own flat in Paris...what?!

Today we got to meet our host families...and let me tell you!!

I just want to start out and tell you that Kayla and I have our own flat in Paris! Like literally our own flat by ourselves! Ahh!!! How cool is that?

Our host family is the Beauville famille consisting of Monsieur Beauville who is a financial agent in an American company, Madame Beauville, who is just so cute and so nice and tres francais! They have four children: a twenty-one year old daughter who we haven't met yet named Matille, an eighteen year old son named Nicholas, a sixteen year old daughter named Solenne, and a twelve year old son named Henri. Henri is such a teaser and makes fun of us and our french constantly! "Il se moque de moi constamment!" But I love it!

So here's the deal with our own flat: our family lives in an apartment complex and they live on the second floor, and then they have a third floor apartment that doesn't even connect that Kayla and I have all to ourselves with three bedrooms, a bathroom and kitchen included!!! WHOA!!! So freakin' awesome, right?

The entrance when your first walk in...

My bedroom...with french doors that open up to a balcony even!!

The view from my balcony...in the other direction is the metro station I will take to school everyday!

Just the kitchen...ha!

I don't even know what to say right now except that you should all be jealous! Madame took us around "la ville" by our house to give us a tour and there are so many little markets you can buy fruits and veggies at twice a week, and a huge grocery store with an escalator thing, and patiserries and boulangeries and a library...all within five minutes! Ah! It's just so great!

And I'm proud to say I can hold a decent conversation and not be corrected too much. I felt like a real french person...it was great! Although Im sure Madame speaks slower with us because when her kids speak and when she speaks to them...man is it fast!!

Adventure Number 1: The Airport

This morning was the most STRESSFUL morning of my life! No joke.

I arrived in Frankfurt, Germany this morning at 6:50 am, found my gate like I was supposed to with the help of some awesome friends I made on the airplane, and sat my little tushy down to await my flight. I waited. And waited. And waited and nobody was at the gate. So I checked the board and it said I was in the right place. But I thought I should make sure so I asked an "info lady" and she told me that my gate had changed. Well good to know Frankfurt!! Anyway, I went and found my gate only to find that my plane was 45 minutes late. Well I had a shuttle to catch as soon as I got to Paris so my plane COULD NOT BE LATE!!! Oh. Em. Gee. What was I to do? Nothing. Absolutely Nothing.

Fast forward a little bit when I arrive in Paris. So the plan when I got off the plane was to get through customs and baggage as fast as possible and find my peeps for the shuttle. Welllll, I got into terminal 1 into baggage claim 5/6 and couldn't find them anywhere! Nowhere!! So I asked someone if there were any other baggage claims 5/6? Turns out there was a baggage claim in terminal 2 and 3 also...oh and terminal 2 has terminal 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f and 2g all with baggage claims 5/6! What the heck was I going to do?? I didn't know where they were?

Good 'ole facebook helped me out! I was able to contact my program director and with another hour of walking around, asking for help (in french wahoo!!), a metro ride, and some tears...I found them finally! They didn't leave me. Thank heavens!!

Now I am here in my hotel and ready to take a nap. Phsych!! That won't be for a while. Now, it's time to adventure!!

Off to Paris: the city of lights and love...but not too much love sine Alex is stuck in P-town!

Today. Today I leave for Paris. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be IN Paris.

I got up at 4:30 am this morning ready to leave by 4:45 am...only to remember that I forgot to get a gift for my host family! Ah! Thanks to April Tolman--our family friend--we scrambled and got a gift together all in good time. Good thing April is always prepared for everything!! Now, I just know that I forgot something vital. Dang.

BUT right now, I am sitting in the SLC airport on my way to Chicago...and then Frankfurt...and then PARIS!! I am soooo excited. You don't even know!

Alors, bonne voyage mes amies!

Hello all you Yuppies and Oregonians!

Saturday Market in downtown Portland--like the new hippie headband? ha

Isn't he just a doll? Yeah, she thinks so too.

He lives in Oregon. She lives in San Diego. Soooooo they decided to go to Oregon for the weekend since he visited San Diego last summer, and boy did she enjoy it! This is how the trip went:

Thursday: It was dark when we got into Portland, so they don't know how the weather was that day, but-- according to a very reliable source called a sketchy looking guy on the plane sitting next to them-- it was sunny! Anywho, Maddi and Alex arrived in Portland around 8 pm. In the midst of moving out of her apartment, getting her hair done, packing for Paris, packing for San Diego, remembering everything plus one, and packing for their short trip to Oregon, Maddi forgot the most vital thing--underwear. Yes, she forgot her panties! So Terry (Alex's madre) stopped at Target so Maddi could buy three pairs of clearance underwear all for the low bargain price of $6! Wahoo! After the Target stop, they visited with Alex's nana and cousin Jenna for a small while and headed to Alex's home sweet home otherwise known as "the cutest house in the world!" He lives on two acres with a large, green front yard and trees all around . His house is yellow and it has a red bench in the front that Maddi absolutely adores! So cute!

Maddi also loves Terry and Alex's dad Larry. They are very nice and pretty funny, too. Maddi is dying to see Larry's Elvis impersonation that Larry did on their first date!! She didnt get to see it this trip, so better luck next time, right?

Friday (aka the busiest and fullest day of the trip ha!): It was sunny with zero clouds in the sky when Alex shook Maddi awake (lovingly of course) at 6: 50 AM!!! In case you didn't realize, but that is early! Earlier than Maddi has gotten up in the last two years, but let me tell you...it was well worth it! They woke up to meet Alex's grandpa Art at Joe's doughnuts, where he goes every morning with his buddies, who are also old and very cute. After breakfast, Maddi, Alex, Larry and Terry took off and visited a bunch of places. They started off at this town that is a total ski bum town called Government camp or "Govey." It was saweet! Next, they headed to Timberline Lodge, which is absolutely breath taking. After that, they went to Hood River and ate lunch at Terry's favorite Taco Del Mar. To burn off those calories, Larry decided we should hike up a thousand stairs--and at the top we could see everything and it was just lovely! Really dahling, simply extraordinary! The day doesn't end here. In fact it is only like 1 pm! Long story short, they visited a couple of other places including antique shops and Multnovah Falls where they hiked an incredible trail that overlooks a hugs waterfall! They then ended the day at a restaurant called Tollgate with Alex's grandparents and Aunt and Uncle. The day was long, and definitely full...but it was great!

Saturday: Sunny again. At this point, Maddi doesn't know why everyone is complaining about all the rain? The day started a little bit later with a four-wheel outing! Wah to the Hoo!!! Basically, Alex's family owns a ton of land, so Alex wanted to show Maddi just where he grew up: from the creeks he swam in, to the trees he chopped, to the yard he mowed, to the woods he enjoyed. It is absolutely breath-taking there and she LOVED every minute of this little excursion. The day was followed by a little shopping (best thing evah!)--they stopped at the Saturday Market in downtown Portland, where they encountered some strange people, beautiful people, ethnic people and all of the above plus some more. They also ate the best Gyros they have ever had...hello bah bah black sheep!! A little browsing and picking up one of the cutest red dresses you've ever seen (HE thinks SHE is smokin' in it hehe) came after Saturday Market, and the day ended with an early Easter dinner at Alex's nan's house. It was definitely a PARTAY in that house with all of Terry's family there!! I love me some parties!! ;)

Sunday: Rainy. Cold. Cloudy. Rainy. goodbye hint of blue sky I know is behind those clouds somewhere. Rainy. The rain came that day. But Maddi did NOT care at allll because Alex said he would take her out on the four-wheeler again...and he did! Even though it was rainy and gross and he had already done her hair for church. It's all G babay! After four-wheeling, Maddi and Alex had breakfast with Terry and Alex's childhood friend Kyle-- waffles, eggs, hot chocolate with peppermint patties. So stinkin' good! After breakfast, we hit the home ward where Maddi was introduced to lots and LOTS of people. She doesn't remember any of their names, but boy were they nice to her! She liked that. A lot.

Now, I am here in cold. rainy. cloudy. Provo. But it's ok because I am off to Paris in just three days!!! Yahooooooooo!! So stoked! Get ready Paris, here I come!!

It's already Tuesday, what?

One more day of finals... meaning one more day til Summer... Meaning only a week and two days til Paris!! Oh. Em. Gee.

I CANNOT believe that I only have one more day of finals and then I'm outa he-ah!! Alex and I are hitting the road...er actually we're flying, which I'm happy about...and going to Oregon for the weekend to visit his parents, and so I can see where Alex grew up. I have never been to Oregon or even the North West for that matter and I am just OH SO EXCITED!!

Alex came and visited me last summer in San Diego, so we decided it was probably a good idea that I visit and see his neighborhood and meet the people he simply adores there in his small town of Sandy, which apparently is next to Mount Hood.

As for now, I have taken my French, History of Creativity, and Molecular Biology finals, and have Nutrition and New Testament to go.

Wish me luck on these last two...Im gonna need it! ;)

P.S. The picture above was taken last summer in Hawaii...TAKE ME BACK TO DA KINE, yeah?

Engagement Pictures otherwise known as "Feeling Stupid, but Lookin' Cute anyway"!

Hello my pretties!!

About a month ago, Alex and I took engagement pictures and it was just grand! We did our first shoot with a woman by the name of Mollie, who is a photographer down in San Diego. We were so lucky to have her do our engagements here in Utah because she has a sister who lives here and little did we know, she actually graduated from BYU and is a member of the LDS church. Awesome, right? Anyway, about a week after we took our engagements with Mollie, a guy by the name of Ethan Watts asked if we would want to do a complimentary shoot with him. OF COURSE!! The more pictures the better, eh? Ethan is also amazing and I cant believe he is only 19 years old and has only a year of experience. This boy's got talent!!

So, besides the awkward "kiss her there!" and "now whisper a secret into her ear!" phrases the photographers were yelling at us, we had a pretty stellar time! I mean, we are part-time models, if you know what I mean? ;)

She and Him met...

Let's just say when Maddi met Alex, it was most definitely unexpected. Here's the story:

Maddi was taking Anatomy a couple of semesters ago. Alex was an Anatomy TA. I know you all see where this is going and you like it, don't you?

Anyway, Maddi had seen this TA in the Anatomy lab several times before, but had never talked to him. I mean, what was she supposed to say? "Those are some nice rhomboid muscles you've got there..." No. She didn't think so either. So she simply waited for him to come to her. And he did. Soon enough.

A couple weeks into the semester, Maddi was struggling to learn the 467 billions bones she needed to learn that week, and to her surprise the handsome TA she had seen around came over and asked her and a couple of other kids if they needed any help. Now Maddi couldn't let this opportunity go to waste and she really, desperately did need help, so she eagerly burst out, "I know nothing. Can you go over everything with me?" (That would give her a couple of hours with him, right?) He just laughed and said sure. We sat down, he got a probe, and then we went over every single bone from the scapula, to the pelvis, to the ribs. Oh, did I mention that she thought it was so awkward when he was teaching her about the pelvis? I'm not sure why. I mean, the pelvis was nothing compared to the reproductive system. Now THAT was awkward.

After learning everything and being so nervous to answer any question the handsome TA--she later learned was named Alex-- asked her, Maddi left the lab. BUT, before she left the lab she asked the other TA working with him if she knew if he was dating someone? The TA said she wasn't sure, but that she could ask him for me. WHOA! HELLO? NO THANK YOU? ARE YOU CRAZY? I didn't want him to know I was into him or anything...I mean c'mon! But the TA denied her request and as Maddi hastily ran out of the lab, she turned to look back and found Alex and the other TA I conversing.

Long story short, Alex pulled Maddi aside a couple of days after this interaction and asked her out. And the rest is history...at least I think it should make history books! ;)

This is us

She and Him is ACTUALLY Maddi and Alex... or if you want to be formal Madison and Alexander...but we only use those names when we talk in our fake British accents and pretend like we're going to a fancy ball usually called the library, so in that case you would refer to us as Madison and Alexander...other than that we're just Maddi and Alex or Alex and Maddi. I don't think it really matters. Also, we kinda like each other so we decided to get married sometime in the near future. We're pretty excited about it. Smiley face.

But before then, Maddi leaves for Paris for eight weeks at the end of this month. She is way excited! Alex is excited too, but not as much as Maddi since he will be losing his fiance for a couple of months and gets to stay here in Provo TAing for Anatomy and studying for the MCAT. Ew. You'll take care of him when I'm gone wontcha?

Anywho, what i'm trying to say is this is gonna be a blog about Maddi and Alex (or Alex and Maddi) and their little laughs, tales and adventures they have on a daily basis.