THE NEXT ADVENTURE

It has been quite awhile since my last blog entry.  Things have been very busy for the Ellis' in the past two months getting ready for our next big adventure.  After 4 truly amazing years in New York, we have decided to pack up and return to California, but not without first spending some time abroad.  A week from tomorrow, our little clan will board the red-eye for France and spend the next few months soaking up the culture of a foreign land.  We will begin our journey for the month of August on the beautiful shores of Biarritz, France.  We have rented a little flat on the beach where we hope to sample the local cuisine, surf, cook, read books, possibly write a book, and spend as much time with little Annabelle as possible.  My parents will be joining us st the tail end of our Biarritz stay.  From Biarritz we will make our way southwest to Piniche, Portugal, which is about an hour north of Lisbon.  In Portugal we are staying here and hope to do much of the same but in a different country and with a few dear friends and family visiting.  As the seasons turn and we head into October, we will return to France to visit Nathan's extended family in Toulouse where Diane and Michael will be joining us.  From there our plans are open to see where our travels might take us...Switzerland? Italy? Hmmm...the world could be our oyster, no? 

When we originally came to New York in 2007 we had no idea what we were in store for.  We had no idea how much we would love the energy of the city, the historic streets of our neighborhood, the diversity, and the new friends we would meet.  We did know, however, when it was time to go we should do something a little different.  Neither of us having ever lived abroad, we felt this would be the best time to do it with Annabelle still really young and with neither of us working.  We do not speak a lick of French or Portuguese aside from the limited vocabulary from the budget version of Rosetta Stone that we have been trying to find the time to practice.  Ou se trouve le banque? We anticipate some challenges with the communication that I am sure will be frustrating and comical all at the same time. 

This week has been a series of goodbyes, which for me is the hardest part.  Nathan and I both wrapped up at work on Friday and it still hasn't hit me that I will not be returning to the office on Monday.  I wonder at what point the days will bleed into one another when you can't tell Tuesday from Wednesday, or when I will stop counting down the days to the weekend.  We said goodbye to the cats - Bruce and Walter will be taking an extended stay at Great Grandma Irene's.  We also said goodbye to Vido, our beloved nanny and to several different waves of friends both with tears and laughter.  Goodbyes always make transitions difficult but inevitable.  This final week in NY we will devote to packing the apartment, painting,  prepping for the big trip and saying goodbye to the city that has been so good to us.