Our first celebration in France!
After weeks of assembling furniture, buying all the necessities for our place, and cleaning up the garden, we finally have something to celebrate.
Happy 40th Birthday Alfonz!
We invited a few of our friends to celebrate Alfonz’s special day!
It is always the same recipe for a great party.
1 Part Food
Two homemade lasagnas and one baked mac and cheese for the kids, along with one veggie plate and one cheese plate, loads of chips and dips, olives and pickles to round out the meal. The fridge was stuffed with marinating meats and back up pizzas in case the food runs out. You never know how much to make. It usually ends up being too much!
Our close friend and neighbour, Celine, brought over appetizers; tomatoes, cheese and meat on a toothpick and cheese with sausage stuffed phyllo pastry. She had the help of her son Luca and Angelina went over to help bake a cake for the celebration. A giant thank-you goes out to them. Everything they made was delicious and was eaten up.
1 Part Friends
We invited a few families we have gotten to know over the last 5 months to help celebrate our special occasion, people that already know us quite well. We wanted to invite more people, but being our first party, we don’t know what the proper etiquette is in France. So we winged it!
Everyone came between 2:00 and 4:00pm, and we had hot food arriving on the table throughout the course of the party, incase some ate lunch before they came, or if other planned to stay for dinner.
It makes for a great time when you have a variety of people that don’t necessarily know each other. Even in a small town like Capestang, you often see familiar faces but don’t always have the opportunity to talk with them. It was a good mix, and the conversation flowed both in French and English.
I had an entire conversation with a girlfriend in French. Another conversation in more of a version of French, lets call it ‘Frenglish’ and others only in English as they spoke French back. I love that we have friends that we can practice on that don’t laugh too hard when we make mistakes!
1 Part Wine
Boy did we drink! Everyone brought over a bottle of their favorite wine and we sampled a good portion of them. We haven’t been drinking in excess too often since leaving Canada. Once with Csilla in Hungary we tied one on over at her place, and twice over at Christophe’s place here in Capestang but all in all, not nearly as often as in White Rock, B.C.Canada!
At Les Platanes, our home, we have a drink with dinner or on occasion a glass of wine with lunch. Today was truly a celebration, one that called for higher alcohol consumption.
Alfonz has never felt or looked better in the 23 year I have known him. If ever there was a time to cut the rug, eat high calorie Italian food, and drink until you couldn’t, it was today!
Funny thing, no hangover! I think it is the lack of preservatives in the wine. When you drink high quality booze, and eat high quality food at the same time, it may be beneficial to your health. I’m just saying. A study should be done!
Enjoy the pictures!
That’s Hamori!
Hi Dennis!
We are thinking things go slowly in comparison to Canada. We would have been up and running making money by now back home. We are learning patience! 😉 lol Who am I kidding, we are just drinking more!!
The French are lovely, the people are nice for the most part, even through we are outsiders, and the school is a good fit for the kids too. The biggest bonus of course is the weather! I spent the whole day in the garden, planting, and I was crazy happy to do it! The sound of the morning birds are almost deafening. Paradise, with laundry on the line, and a little house with orange shutters. Tres Bien non?
Miss you too! Hi to all!
Happy Birthday Alphonse! Wow, things are looking great for you guys! I’m really stoked about all you have accomplished. Miss you too.
Found a great article about this and posted to our Facebook page. How in the Ukraine they are banning American beef, and the McDonald’s must comply to the higher standards of food or get out!
If we all stood up for slow food, it would be the standard.
Alfonz and I are both eating like mad here in France, baguettes and cheese each day, loads of butter croissants and after 5 months on this new diet have lost weight.
The French are on to something.
Thanks Miss Footloose (Is it Karen?)
Stavanger looks amazing! I love the rows of coloured houses, reminds me of Canada’s Maritimes. Unless you go through a move like this, it is hard to imagine. Have you thought about doing the TV show House Hunters International? If you want to be on, let me know, and I’ll pass on the contact information. Your story is a fabulous one.
We didn’t stop traveling after we had our kids, we continued, even while pregnant. Now that we are ‘indefinitely’ (if we can make that prediction) in France, I love how close we are to everything. Next week we go to Barcelona and then fly to Budapest for a quick spring break holiday. Can not wait to read how things unfold for you in Norway.
Thanks for your comment!
Fabulous! Would have loved to join the party. And as to whether good quality food and wine are beneficial to your health: The studies have been done. In spite of the rich food and wine, people in France have fewer heart attacks than in the US. I assume because they eat “real” food rather than factory produced fodder.
Congrats on getting all settled and Happy Birthday to Alfonz – looks like a great party! We’re just in the middle of all that moving and settling in drama and I can’t wait to be done with it and relaxing in our new home too!
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