Why have I been so busy, you ask? Well, aside from class anywhere from 3 - 13 hours a day, studying for 2 written exams, stressing about my 2 practical exams coming up in the very near future, traveling around Paris (general sightseeing and EuroDisney!), and catching up on some American TV (Real Housewives and Dawson's Creek...don't judge), I was playing hostess to Mom, Nora, and...Jonathan!!
Let me back up a little bit and explain to y'all what was supposed to happen. One of my first concerns when I decided to embark on this crazy adventure by myself was how I would spend October 14th. I knew I couldn't be alone, so Mom decided that she and Nora would come and stay with me for the week.
The day Mom left, she and Jonathan concocted this while story about how he was at house in bed with a migraine and he was really sick and blah, blah, blah... the whole family was in on it --- even Nana! All was fine and dandy because I had had class allllllllll day, so I didn't really think much of it until I got home that night tried to call him to see how he was feeling. I started getting worried when my messages weren't going through, so I started emailing and calling incessantly. I think I called his cell phone at least 3 times (at $4.99 a minute -- yikes!!) and the house at least 92348902834 times, and NO ANSWER!!! I'm pretty sure I slept for 3 hours that night, tossing and turning and hoping that he was okay. I even called Nana at 03:30 my time to ask her if she knew anything, and I suggested maybe someone should go down to check on him. She assured me that everything was fine and to go back to sleep. So, I went to class the next morning and was FREAKING OUT to Nicole that he was sick and yadda, yadda, yadda, and she was like, "Laura, he is on the plane to come see you!!!!" I am embarrassed to admit that my common sense NEVER kicked in because I was too busy worrying, but as soon as she said it, all of the pieces came together. Whatever, I have been gullible since day one, so nothing has changed in my old age. Anyway, Mom and Nora ventured over to the school in between my classes, and SURPRISE! Jonathan was there!
Mom was sneaky enough to catch these candid shots.
Unfortunately, I had to sit through another class that day, but it gave them a chance to get back to my apartment and unwind from the flight.
Before continuing with the recaps, I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on the past year. It truly has been a blur of emotional experiences --- good days and bad days and everything in between. I think have been doing relatively well since arriving in Paris...just trying to sort out the chaos going on in my head and work through the healing process. It has been a really nice change of scenery, and my mind has been occupied by so many new places and adventures. Although my heart will always be in Atlanta, it was really difficult to be there and constantly have to visit places that David and I had been together or streets we had driven down. Everything had a memory, and I think I am still too much in the grieving process to be able to reflect on all of those memories as a comfort rather than sadness. Also, leaving Atlanta gave me the chance to free myself of all of the toxic energy that reared its ugly head over the year, and that negativity can stay in the past where it belongs.
Once school had started, I hardly had time to brush my teeth twice a day, let alone have enough down time to really think about everything. Now, that is not to say that David wasn't on my mind every single second, but it was him, and not the terrible events of October 14th. Since the calendar hit October 1st, however, all of that went out the window. With every passing day, I couldn't help but think,"one year ago today, I had a brother that I could call up at a moments notice","one year ago today, I was still a sister", "one year ago today was the last time I saw him..." It was really tough. In fact, I started writing a blog the day before Mom got here, and it is probably best that I didn't end up posting it because it was pretty emotional, to say the least...
With all of that said, it is incredible how much the human spirit thrives and relies on company and companionship. Prior to their arrival, I was feeling as though I was in a deep pit of sadness, ready to crack at any moment. As soon as their plane touched the ground, however, I instantly felt better. In fact, we had a really, really enjoyable week, and I think David would have been very happy that we were able to have a lot of fun given the circumstances.
I'll leave y'all with a few pictures from their first night in good ol' Paris while I continue to work on all of the updates. I promise I will get them up in a more timely fashion!
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| My first friend was there to greet them! |
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