Ça Marche
It is all happening. The boys are deep in the trenches, hitting up tutoring sessions twice a week. Night after night, they're putting in serious work, making sure everything gets checked off the list. The grind is real, but we're handling it. Then there's Charlie’s basketball two nights a week and Luke’s Sauvetage Coutier. Gabe's has his weekly routine locked in with those bar and restaurant meetings. He's also diving into the world of photography. Snapping shots, framing scenes - who says routine can't come with a creative spin? And of course we are getting in surf sessions when the conditions are right. You know, small and glassy. For me, Monday's all about Pilates. I also accompanied Vanessa to a yoga class. Both classes are entirely in French. Needless to say, we are all busy.
On a different note, Gabe finally had a doctor's appointment with Muriel Markov. We drove to Capbreton. Her diagnosis was interesting. I’ll report on that later. And then right after the appointment, we got into a car accident. A lady ran a stop sign in a roundabout and crashed into the rear passenger door. Thankfully, it is more of an inconvenience than anything else. Nobody got hurt except our new car. It is going into the shop on the 8th. The aftermath of the accident turned into this crazy paperwork saga. Initially, we just grabbed the lady's number, thinking we'd sort it out later. Then, our insurance lady let us know —no quick pics; you've got to fill out that glove box form. Apparently, a hand-drawn drawing is what the adjuster uses to determine fault. Gabe called the lady to let her know we needed to fill out the paperwork now, and she ended up asking us to come her home. Picture this: accident stress, paperwork tension, and an unexpected invitation into her house. Once we got the forms squared away, she kindly offered us a drink —water, martini, or wine? I'm internally screaming "Let's get out of here," but we play nice, decline politely, citing the kid-pickup urgency. Post-departure, insurance on the line again, and oops—no stop sign on our drawing. Round two at her place, luckily, she's a gem and adds the missing detail. In the States, this interaction would've been a whole different script.
Gabe hosted a Mexican Dinner night with the American crew. It was a blast - good food, good company. Then the following day, we had a Huevos Rancheros brunch with the Sivaks. Mexican food craving fulfilled!
We were told to go to the Deba market on December 16. When we loaded in the car, it was making a metal to metal sound. We decided to rent a car and then once we were on the road we realized that we left Gabe’s camera in the other car. So we turned around and by the time we got to Deba there were five vendors left. Oh well, happens to the best of us. On the upside, we experienced the Lanterns in Bayonne which was downright magical. It definitely marked the kick-off of the Christmas season for me. People gathered along the river, each holding their own personal lanterns. Then, at 7:30, like clockwork, they all lit up simultaneously, rising into the sky and casting this warm, beautiful glow. It was genuinely cool. I got this tingly feeling all over, almost overwhelming. There was this sense of hope in the air. I'm really glad we pulled together and made it there. It was totally worth it. When we got home, a parade of Santas on motorcycles or in cars was cruising up the Perspective (our street), honking horns and spreading holiday cheer. The whole town is decked out in Christmas lights, and Pere de Noel makes nightly appearances, driving through the neighborhoods. It's incredibly festive and just a whole lot of fun. I love Christmas!
Oh, and speaking of big moments, Luke had his York interview and online assessment. It's a significant step for him. Now, we'll wrap up his application and eagerly await the next chapter in this exciting journey.
The week took an unexpected twist with the arrival of Vanessa Schrieber. Her flight got diverted to Bilbao due to fog (instead of San Sebastian). We drove down to Bilbao, picked her up, and ended up having a late lunch in the city. Things got even more interesting when we found ourselves in this cool bar with Vanessa's local friends, Lorenzo and Inigo. It turned into a spontaneous adventure in a place we hadn't initially planned to explore. Life's full of surprises, especially when Vanessa's around—always adding that extra touch of unpredictability and fun.
We're continuing in the groove of good times. Ezra's Stateside, Vanessa is here for the week, and now Christmas plans? Biarritz is the spot. It's just a string of good things falling into place. Life's looking pretty darn sweet!
