Jonathan to the rescue! (Again…)

What’s up everyone, it’s time for the husband to take over. We are a bit behind on the blog once again, so we’re taking some time over the Christmas break to reminisce over our fall activities, and of course share an update! (Editor’s Note: Make that late January, because some people [me aka Sara] are bad about posting. I have no excuse.) So, buckle up, we’ve got a lot to share. 

In our last blog post, Sara talked a bit about the personal challenges from this past year. So, I’ll just focus on more of what we’ve been up to, and will leave the ‘how we’re doing’ to her. 

We thought for sure we’d caught up on covering our summer trips from this year, but apparently we never got around to one of the most fun adventures we’ve had so far! Some of our best friends from college coordinated a Europe visit with us. Alex & Samantha Okowita flew all the way to Switzerland to see Cory & Jess Slep, and then all four of them ventured south to visit us! The six of us spent some much-needed time exploring Nice. It was the first time we had been there, which is a shame since the drive is only about two hours for us. 

We had A LOT of fun hanging out with them. Highlights included a lunch made up of food fresh from the Saturday market, getting gelato along the waterfront, trying our first ever Michelin Star restaurant, and of course many, many drinks. The Okowitas and Sleps are amazing. They’re the kind of friends where we can sit down with, hang out, and feel as though no time has gone by since the good ole college days. We really valued their visit; it was the perfect way to end the summer on a high note. 

(Editor’s Note: Somehow, Jonathan forgot that Samantha, Alex and I were volunteered to help launch the trebuchet. It was awesome. And also a little nerve-wracking as they told us all the safety instructions and such in only French. Whoops!)

Fall in Aix-en-Provence started off somewhat busy for us, and then eventually settled down as winter approached. Fresh off our time in Nice, I dove back into work at ITER. My research work was a bit challenging over this time period. In preparation for a PhD student coming to ITER to work with us, I was cautioned to not plan any travel for September. Then mid-August, that caution suddenly changed to no-travel in October instead. A bit frustrating, but I suppose those are the challenges of a real-world job. We managed just fine, taking some time to ourselves in September and then coordinating a long-awaited visit at the start of October, right before ITER work kicked into high-gear. Sara’s parents finally traveled to Aix-en-Provence to visit!

David & Belinda Cowell flew to Paris at the end of September and stayed with us in Aix for about a week. I know Sara was thankful to get some time with her parents, and they were excited to see in-person how their daughter had been spending her life abroad. They enjoyed the local museums, Cezzane’s studio, and of course the Apple Store next to the Rotonde. We got to introduce them to Chateau des Baux and, our favorite, the Carrieres des Lumieres. Then they went with us to Chateau La Coste for the first time on a winery tour. That one went much better than our impromptu winery visit the day before; always call to check and make sure a French winery offers English tours! Otherwise, the wine-tasting can be quite awkward. After lots of family time, David and Belinda returned to Paris for a day on their own before eventually returning to North Carolina. I believe that getting to play host for our parents helped put some worries at ease. Although we joke many times that we’re “surviving” in France, really we’re doing quite well. I won’t say thriving, but yeah we’re doing well.

(Another Editor’s Note: Jonathan completely forgot about me going grape stomping as well as the pumpkin/squash festival we went to! I’ll shall now write my own paragraphs and then give him control over the blog again.)

After my parents left, I went grape picking AND stomping with Lauren and Cindi! It was a blast. We were all let loose among the grape vines and allowed to pick the last grapes from the vines. We were even encouraged to eat the grapes directly from the vines. They were delicious! We then took our massive grape haul and threw them into a couple of barrels and got to stomping. It was very cold and slippery, but also sticky. A really strange combination honestly. Then our host passed a cup around filled with some of the juice we had just made and we all drank it. I did not want to, but was peer-pressured into it. It was… ok. I would not drink foot grape juice again. After that traumatizing moment, we went back to the house on the farm for an incredible spread of meats, cheeses, honey, fruit, wine and of course fresh truffles! It was a blast and I hope we can do it again.

A few weeks later we went with folks to La Courge en Fete in Rians, which is a massive town-wide squash festival. People were selling pumpkins and squash based foods, pastries, etc., pumpkins and squash for eating and all sorts of other fall-ish items. We had deep-fried zucchini blossoms that were really fantastic. 

(Editor’s Note: Ok, that’s all from me [Sara]. I’m sure I’ll pop back in with a smart comment again before this blog is up!)

One big event for me was “winning at Pokémon GO” this fall. After playing off-and-on for three years, Sara and I have done it. We’ve won. We each now possess a Shiny, Lucky, 3-Star Mewtwo. Mine is perfect, thanks to Sara’s excellent trading luck. So yeah, no other Pokemon matter in the game since we’ve caught the best. (Editor’s note: Please imagine the largest eye-roll from Sara. Of course, we have to include Pokémon GO in our very serious blog. Ha!)

October was just a blur for both of us I think. I was busy at ITER working with the aforementioned PhD student, doing our best to maximize his brief time in France. Remember when I said I was supposed to restrict travel during October? Well, that held true except for one event we didn’t want to miss (and had already bought plane tickets four months in advance.) Mike & Catryn were getting married in Boone, NC! Right at the start of November. Sara spent time in October trying to figure out how best to use this US trip: updating websites, fixing computers back home, and preparing a list of imports for the return back. Before we knew it, we were in NC and partying with all our college friends in a log cabin AirB&B. The wedding itself was beautiful and I’m really glad we made the decision to attend. It was worth the plane flight just to hear Mike & Catryn read their wedding vows to one another. We’re very happy for them and wish them the best in their new married life.

I did have to return to France earlier than desired, only getting to spend about five days in the US. It was worth it though. We got to see our friends get married while balancing the work demand for ITER. Sara, on the other hand, got to spend about two more weeks back home before flying back separately. She didn’t quite accomplish all the items on her to-do list (computer problems…), but I know the extra family time and cat attention was good. Plus she even survived her first international flight by herself! Just don’t ask her about TSA. (Editor’s Note: Yeah. We won’t talk about that…)

After that travel, life was fairly quiet through the end of November. We said goodbye to a bunch of ITER interns that had been in Aix since the summer. That has taken some getting used to: meeting so many bright interns and introducing them to Aix/ITER/us only to part ways a few months later to make room for more interns. Oh, Sara and I were invited to our first karaoke party at a Japanese restaurant in Aix. As expected, singing skills didn’t matter after a few drinks, and everyone had a good time. Even if all the ‘karaoke’ songs were streamed straight from YouTube. We also went to the ITER Christmas party which was a lot of fun!

(Editor’s Note: Sara here again. Jonathan didn’t write a closing paragraph, so I suppose that’s up to me. Ah, the life of an editor…)

 As always, we’re so close to almost being fully caught up. Next post will be all about more visitors (Aunts! Uncles! Friends!) and probably also our first Christmas in France. I won’t promise it’ll come soon, but who knows. The spirit may move me to start typing the next post right after I post this one. Only time can tell!

Ok, but seriously, Fall was great and we really had a blast with all of our friends and family. Thanks again to everyone who has been so helpful in anyway. We couldn’t do it without you!