Guest Blogger Lori: Chamonix

I don't think I have ever seen a place as pristine as this small town nestled in the Alps. Tucked away in a valley next to Mont Blanc, Chamonix is the definition of pristine. There was not a single cloud in the breathtakingly blue sky, the mountains were covered in perfect, blinding snow and the town itself looked like a gingerbread village dusted with powdered sugar.

The small ski town was flooded with people, skiers, snowboarders, paragliders, tourists and locals. The town was full of energy and had a very, for lack of a better word, "chill" vibe. We walked around the town for a while before stopping for a hearty, real alps style lunch, full of cheese and bread and warmth. We then decided to see the bottom of a ski slope. We started trudging up the hill that looked like it led to the base of one of the surrounding mountains.

We had fun along the way, throwing snow at each other, slipping around on ice and thinking of all the ways the absolutely massive icicles could fall and kill you. We ended up not being able to find the actual base, but kept on walking. We found a huge field that we all frolicked around in for a while.

 Then, we suddenly heard a strange "whoosh" sound. To our surprise and amazement, one of the many paragliders landed extremely close to us, just over a small ridge that lead to another field. We realized we were right next to the landing zone, and spent a good while watching paraglider after paraglider land.  Now, for those of you who don't know what paragliding is, you basically go to the top of a mountain, you get harnessed into a parachute (with a guide unless you are very experienced) then you run.. off the mountain. You don't fall, it's not like skydiving, you really just float around in the sky. I have wanted to do it for a very long time, and I almost had my chance. We heard a paraglider speaking english to his friend after he landed, so mom and I decided to go say hello. I expressed my interest in it and told him I had always wanted to try it. "I could take you right now if you want! I don't think I've ever seen such perfect conditions to fly." the man said. I started to become excited. It was a relatively cheap price and it looked like I was going to be able to cross something off my bucket list, until he said I needed a ski pass to get to the top of the mountain. Which I didn't have. Which was stupidly expensive. Goodbye hopes and dreams I had of running off a mountain that day. I told him I couldn't swing it that day, but would definitely come back.

 After that wonderful experience and very interesting conversation we had with him, we decided to walk back into town. We went to a small bar for drinks and coffees, sitting outside and people watching. After a nearly perfect day, we hit the road back to Lyon, taking in all the views driving through the Alps had to offer. So if you're ever in France, skip the cities and beaches, go to the mountains, especially Chamonix.

3 things I do every day

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle

From early childhood I was encouraged to set goals and work towards them by my type-A high achieving Dad. As an adult I've drifted away from setting specific, measurable goals and moved more towards forming habits that (hopefully) shape my character in a positive way. Here are three character-molding things I do (almost) every day -- and one not-so-good-for-you habit just to keep it real.

1) Time with God. For some reason I balk at the term "quiet time" -- it just sounds so churchy. Nonetheless I do make a habit of spending the earliest part of my day with the Lord. I call it my "BPPR" time: Bible, Pray, Plan, and Reflect. There's nothing scripted, and I don't do all four things every day. It's simply a chance to spend some time alone with my thoughts and with God through His Word and in prayer, and hopefully hitting the "spiritual reset" button. Some days I pick a chapter or two and read. Or I work through my women's Bible study lesson (currently a powerful study on Forgiveness). I need to focus more on prayer, the most difficult of disciplines for me. After praying and reading I ask God what He wants me to accomplish, and plan out my day. On a good day I spend some time reflecting on the last 24 hours: what do I need to confess? How can I make things right with someone I've hurt? What happened yesterday that I am thankful for? 

2) Exercise. This is a huge priority for me, and gives me a much-needed energy boost. I used to exercise to look good, but now that I'm in my mid-40s it's all about health: feeling good, flexibility, strength, posture and balance. I like to mix it up: jogging, walking up the steps to the Fourvière basilica, and even sometimes doing an insane cardio workout like P90X or the aptly named Insanity But my favorite exercises are bodyweight-only mat exercises like pilates or Power Yoga. I know what you're thinking: Christians don't do yoga! But the only praying I do during these exercises are cries of "help me, Jesus!" as I struggle to keep up with Sean Vigue's crazy YouTube workouts.

3) Learn Something New. Usually my learning comes from books. I'm old-school; I like to hold a book made of real paper in my hands, I like to underline key points and dog-ear the pages. Currently I'm reading a couple of great books for my assignments with LifeSprings women's ministry. I also read books together with Lori - we read a chapter each week and then discuss what we've learned. Here are some other ways besides book-learning that I use to stretch my brain: Ted talks, online magazine articles, documentaries, studying French...there are unlimited opportunities to learn something new every day.

After all the positive benefits of renewing my mind, body and spirit, it's time for a break. So here's the not-so-good thing I do every day: veg in front of the TV. I look forward to snuggling up on the couch with my honey and my sweet girls, laughing at silly comedies like Arrested Development or Scrubs, and turning off the brain for a bit. Like I said, just keeping it real!  

And what about you? What life habits do you try to cultivate? Share yours in the comments section!

Little Things: Grocery shopping in France

When adjusting to a new country, it's often the little things that make a big difference. Early on, there were a lot of "little things" to learn about and get used to. Now that we've been in France for 18 months, these differences seem so normal that I don't even think about them. But for the sake of other readers who may be new to France, let me share a few of the small contrasts that originally caught me off guard. I'll start with the grocery store.

• Bags - In the US I always cringed at the amount of plastic bags I was given at Wal-mart. Sometimes the cashier would put just one or two items inside each bag. They're free for the customer, so nobody seemed to care about the financial -- let alone the environmental -- cost. In France, the customers are responsible for bagging their own groceries and they also must pay for the bags. A tiny "sac plastique" costs 2 or 3 centimes, which is fine when you're just running into a store unprepared. But almost everyone here brings their own large, sturdy grocery bags for big shopping trips, or even better: a grocery caddy on wheels. 
  

• Milk - Giant gallon-sized containers don't exist here. Milk comes in 1-liter opaque jugs, which can be bought in singles or in a 6-pack. Also, most of the milk is UHT processed (ultra high temperature), so it has a long shelf life and there's no need to refrigerate it until it's opened. Personally, I think it smells funny and tastes quite different from refrigerated milk, so I only use it with cereal. We usually buy low-fat (demi-écrémé), easily recognized by blue caps no matter what the brand. Lait entier (whole milk) comes in bottles with red caps, while écrémé (fat-free) comes with green lids. 

• Eggs - Americans seem to prefer white eggs, which come from white chickens (or perhaps are bleached -- conspiracy theories abound on the internet). In the US, eggs are washed and sanitized before being sold in the supermarket. That's why they must be refrigerated -- the processing removes the natural protective coating that keeps eggs from becoming contaminated. In France, eggs are sold on the shelf at room temperature, and the same carton can include a variety of colors: brown, speckled, beige, you name it. Since they aren't pre-washed, I always wash the outside of the eggs before cracking them just in case. From time to time I find a feather (or worse) sticking to the outside of the egg -- yuck. 

• Butter - Butter comes in bricks, not sticks. A brick of butter in France is 250 grams, while a stick of American butter is 1/2 cup (113.4 grams). Converting recipes for baked goods that call for a "stick" of butter can be challenging. I usually guesstimate by using slightly less than half a brick, and the results have been just fine. Speaking of baking, recipes using the metric system use weight in grams for solid foods like flour and sugar. I still don't have a food scale; I just use my volume measuring cups and handy conversion charts I've found on the internet.

There you have it, four everyday "little" things that are different in France than America. Perhaps I'll do a part 2 another day (followed by part 3, 4, 5....) Until then remember that the little differences aren't a big deal: one is not "better" and the other "worse", they're just "different." 

And what about you? What little differences have you noticed between your home country and France? Leave a comment below!