Leaving France

(above images from recent trip to the Cote d'Azur with mom- me in Monaco and mom w/ Monte Carlo in background)

Oh la la. 26 weeks pregnant, 3rd baby on the way, 14 days until we fly to Chicago, 6 more days of school for Etienne, 8 more days of work at CERN for Denis, 6 more days of playschool for Xavier, 3 days of movers boxing things up, 1001 more social engagements and c'est la fin. We'll always come back to France since we have family here, but our 1 year 9 months of living in Sergy near Geneva, Switzerland has come to an end. As I did when we left California, I'll make a little list of what we'll miss most about living here

1) Family- we've been very lucky to see Denis's parents- Andre and Raymonde, his cousins and aunts and uncles, etc. We've been to Alsace countless times and his family has also visited us. We'll still see them, but the visits will entail a flight across the ocean.

1) Friends- new friends- American, British, Belgian, French, Irish, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish, Spanish- we have friends here from all over and it's definitely a plus to have this cultural mishmash that surrounds us. Not to mention old friends that we have had the opportunity to see during our time here:)

2) Bread, wine, cheese, creme de marron, les tartines- things we just can't find in the States. The creme de marron is for Denis and Etienne and I think my absolute favorite French food is a really good tartine- French bread, French butter, and French jam first thing in the morning. Can't beat it.

3) The Mountains- living on the Jura and near the Alps and the Vosges. Illinois does not have mountains, at least none that I ever saw in my 20+ years of living there.

4) French school- Etienne has had 2 years of free preschool. Of course it's not perfect, but he really likes it and I will miss it! Xavier had 1 year of playschool in Switzerland and would have been going to French maternelle this fall:(

The #1 thing we're looking forward to in Illinois is Family! I haven't lived by my family since 2002 and no time like the present with baby #3 on the way (Bingo according to Xavier and Timeo according to Etienne). I have to admit I'm also looking forward to barbecue ribs, baked potatoes, good hamburgers, Mexican food, sushi, and big breakfasts.