Noël, A season to be thankful.
What a year it has been indeed! Well, to start the story off pretty honestly...It's not all sunshine and roses to be living abroad. Yes, I am a housewife and contrary to what you might think it's not all "Creme de La creme", vacation destinations and never ending "free time". Don't get me wrong, I love our lives and we are so fortunate and so blessed, but there are some days where I look at the ironing pile and wish it would magically disappear...like the rest of the housework slowly piling up.
With all the benefits there is a whole lot of stress once the year end approaches, just because if you're on the end of a working contract you won't know where you'll be next year. It's the uncertainty of possibly being without work and having the pressure of supporting a family financially. You know the usual, every two years or so you have to start looking for new work. This is so many families realities and c'est comme ça I guess.
We have been in a tight spot at the beginning of this year and luckily with a lot of prayers and trust we have gotten a two-year deal and moved to a new town. Now it all seems like a distant memory and I cannot believe that it was only a few months ago that I felt it was all so hopeless. It's funny, but especially when you feel so alone, there are countless going through the exact same thing and mostly all that you can do is wait...
With the stressful act of finding a new house, driving to and fro and moving, I found out I was pregnant. We were "trying" so to speak, but I seriously did not believe it once it all sunk in. So many changes in one year. New job, new town and now new parents. Gosh, it was a mouthful and with thanks, I laughed on how unexpected life can be. What a blessing in between the madness. Just when you thought you got a handle on it all. Voila, Here you go, I know you can push through.
Five months in, were living in a new town, settled in to our house and I am almost 34 weeks pregnant. I cannot wait for the arrival of our son In Feb!! We are still deliberating on how many weeks I have to wait, just because in France waiting up until the baby comes naturally can take 41 weeks... The baby room is an ongoing project that I would like to share with you and how I have experienced being pregnant is France... So many things I did not know and can you believe I'll be giving birth one of these days. That will probably be a tall tale as well.
Like I said, it's not all rainbows and fairy dust. Sometimes it gets pretty lonely, intense and stressful being so far from home. Not being able to share your day to day with the ones that know you best is super frustrating at times. But hey, it's a privilege and life could be so much more strenuous. It's a season, it's one year of your life that things might be a bit tough to handle. So this Noël, I am so thankful. With all the struggles and uncertainties of living overseas, it's still a season of hope, love, and perseverance. With the new year on the horizon, I can do all things!
Have a blessed Christmas and New year!
Hey! Keep a lookout for my new website launching in January... Can't wait to share this new chapter of my Blog with you!!
M*
Looking for another traditional French Noël recipe---> Buche de Noël
