These past 3 months have been a whirlwind of nonstop activities, hanging out, dinners, costumes, themes, and late nights with this little family I’ve grown to love.  Both October and November have been jam packed to the point where I’ve had 3 nights per month of not doing something.  Three!!  In a month.  I’ve honestly surprised myself, I didn’t think I had it in me to hang out this much, especially when late nights and early mornings are paired together.

I tend to like low key, so when given the choice between going to a bar or, say, knitting on the couch, I would invariably choose knitting 9 times out of 10.  And I don’t even know how to knit.  I guess I’d just sit there with those big needles and a glass of wine, pretending.  Click click click.  “Look, a scarf!  Oh, it’s still a ball of yarn?  Huh.  Great night, glad we did this.” 

Mid-October started the sad, slow diminishing of the core Fat Tire crew–the long-term staff that have been here 8-9 months.  One by one, they’ve slowly trickled home, saying last goodbyes to Paris, to bike tours, and to this little exclusive American expat family we’ve all become over the course of a spring, summer, and fall of working, playing, eating, relaxing, traveling, and living together.

This tornado of activity, although slightly exhausting, has created a book’s worth of great memories and experiences.  I’ll spare you the book, but here’s a few highlights from the beginning of October:

Nuit Blanche, an all night Paris outdoor street party with art exhibits that ended at 5am with crepes, churros & chocolate in the Bastille

Sushi dinner party where Brian (our resident half-Japanese), made amazing amounts of sushi for us!!

Girls’ Harvest Party -With fall freshly upon us, we all realized it was high time we started cooking up some fall deliciousness.  On the harvest menu:

Homemade lentil soup
Herb crusted pork loin
Roasted sweet potatoes
Spinach salad with cranberries, feta, & toasted almonds
Hot cinnamon apple crisp

 

Also on the menu:

Beyoncé
Singing
Dancing
Hair Flipping

Girl’s Tex Mex Dinner Party -I had one week left at my beloved Rue Cler apartment and STILL had not had a dinner party yet, so I had the girls over for quesadillas & tacos.  We crowded around my tiny table sitting on chairs, bedside tables, and even a couple people on the radiator, had some incredible guac & homemade salsa, and ended the evening all piled on the bed together watching Beyoncé videos.

(There was a slightly obsessive Beyoncé phase when Countdown & Love on Top came out which lasted the entirety of October).

Moving to a new apartment – After 7 glorious months in previously mentioned beloved Rue Cler apartment, my sad, dilapidated savings account, nearly sucked dry, dictated that I must find cheaper accommodations.  Our manager, Jack, was moving back to Austin around the same time that both Jillian and I were looking for a new place for our next year in Paris, so we decided to move into his apartment (which I love!).

I was sad to leave my adorable apartment, I just loved it so much.  I’ll miss waking up and running across the street to get my favorite little puff pastries & a baguette for a leisurely morning, I’ll miss the constant piano playing, the lively market street just outside my door that burst into life every weekend, and I’ll miss that beautiful courtyard with walls covered in ivy.

I must say, this was my first time to move by cab.  It was a little weird to just bring everything down in suitcases and shopping bags, load it up in a taxi, and drive off to the new place (with the help of Maygan & Kyle, thank you!!).

Look, the movers are here! 

And it looks like they’re about to go on a lovely seaside vacation but they’re just trying on my beach hats.  Which reminds me…I need to plan more beach trips next year.  Otherwise the hats will go to waste.  That’s the main reason.

So yes, I’m in a new apartment now!  Closer to work, bigger kitchen (with an OVEN!! Ahhh!!), and even a dishwasher – unheard of Paris luxuries.  No washing machine, though, and I have responded by not doing laundry.  I should look into that.