Eat, Live, Love (The Much Anticipated Sequal) - The Bittersweet End to a Long List of Adventures with MooReece

As I sit at my desk in my bedroom in my house in my hometown I can't help but feel a little sad that our journey (mine and Moo's) has come to an end. 10 weeks together, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week can really bring a girl and her miniature stuffed cow close together. Undoubtedly the most exciting, entertaining, scary, stressful and amazing 10 weeks of my life.

I left Canada on the morning of Friday May 28th, 2010 with a suitcase, a carry-on and a series of goodluck charms from many of my friends and family. Some were gifts intended for the trip or lent out (and due to be returned), others from days gone by but all of which I hold dear to my heart and remind me of the people I love back home. For those of you who don't know - Moo was a gift from my best friend many many moons ago - he was attached to a keyring that eventually wore out and has been a permanent passenger in my Jetta ever since. It was only a propos that I bring him along for this extended journey of self-discovery. I would almost break into a fit of tears everytime he got lost in the bottom of my purse. When you travel alone - you need your best buddy with you at all times to keep you sane. But enough about that... what did I learn?

I learned so much about the world, cultures, politics, human kindness (and human irritability), food, language, food, the wonders of walking EVERYWHERE, food and most importantly MYSELF. As cliche as it may be, these trips, whether intended as periods of soul searching or not always amount to that. I left at the best of times and also the worst of times. Everything fell perfectly into place so that I could go on this trip, I had the money, time and opportunity to pursue this and like my friends all said "YOU HAVE TO GO!" It was something I had ALWAYS wanted to do and it was the chance to realize my biggest dream (marrying Adam vanKoeverden aside haha). Nevertheless, nothing I ever do can be that simple. I had to stir the pot and throw some fuel (ok more like gunpowder) on the fire that had been becoming my life just before leaving. And by just before - I mean like 20 minutes before my friend picked me up to drive me to the airport. But hey - that's how I roll afterall right? Not to mention I'd be 6000+ km away and wouldn't have to worry about being burned by the explosion. Needless to say it wasn't the best idea but it had to be done and it surely could not wait, or worst, not be dealt with at all. Then fear, jet lag and homesickness set in and sent me on this emotional roller-coaster that I thought would have me coming home within the first week. Will power and self-determination are incredible motivators - and as hard as I am on myself sometimes, one thing I am is determined and stong willed. I just never realized how deeply those traits were ingrained into my being. I forced myself through the hell of that first week and little by little it got easier. Or at least I tried to convince myself that it was. Things back home were still unresolved and I was losing my mind with worry. I know, I know... ME WORRY??? NEVERRRRRR.... HAHAHA Thankfully I made some of the best friends I could ever ask for and I was living in PARADISE! I could not have been more blessed and I kept reminding myself of the dream I was living and each day kept getting easier...

I had a little slip up in between Antibes and Paris when it was soooooo HOT and I was teething and suffering from massive migraines. Travelling+sick = BAD COMBINATION. My sanity started to slip and I couldn't wait to come home. I hated my first days in Paris. It was dirty, smelly, crowded and just plain UGH! I would have traded my BonJovi collection to come home. But then the ickiness faded, I made a new best friend whom I will cherish FOREVER and started falling in love with my life all over again. For Pete's Sakes I was living IN PARIS!!! Suck it up Princess and start having a good time! So I did. So much so that coming home was somehow worst than leaving in the first place. I worked so hard to get through the challenges that brought me to this Zen and now I had to leave it. Heck, I could navigate line 4 of the Paris metro without flinching - that's Zen baby! Just like every good book though, it eventually has to come to an end. And although my adventures might be temporarily suspended, my journey of self-discovery has just begun and I look forward to the many MANY adventures that are sure to be just up ahead.

I left Canada with a broken heart and a need for change and I came back with that change and the realization that a broken heart is only an illusion, what is real are the things, places and PEOPLE that you love and who love you regardless of where you are on the planet. So to all of you who have followed and kept in touch via email/facebook/skype thank you for caring so much. You have all played an integral roll in this journey and proved to me once and for all that "Love knows no borders"


J'vous aime TOUS and it's good to be HOME! xoxo

OUI c'est NORMAL! Happiness like only a laugh on the Seine can bring (Adventures with MooReece con't)

I've officially decided to name my next cyber project "FMAVIEdotcom" (please note that "dot" has to be pronounced with a french accent because HERE they don't say "pointcom" like we do in "quebecois", they say "dot" with their charming accent - but wait, we've been through this - the French don't have the accent - I do!!! Oy this is complicated!)

You see I will be leaving France in well under 48 hours now and I just spent the most lovely evening with my bestie just doing the "Paris" thang. We enjoyed a lovely dinner (note that we were seated next to Canadian tourists and HOLY COW we DOOOOO sound soooo funny!! I knew they were Canadian right away!!! I've heard enough different French to know my people when I hear them - AWESOME!!! I never would have noticed the difference 2 months ago). We had "Pantheon" Ice Cream (photos to come) and sat on the Pompidou pavillion where we were entertained by an asian man with an accoustic guitar singing pop/folk classics. LaBamba, Twist and Shout, Mrs Robinson, You're the one that I want, Unchained Melody (but I didn't hear that one...Jill caught it though LOL) and after asking me where we were from he sang some Bryan Adams "Everything I Do" and some Joni Mitchell! He was a riot and it was such a awesome way to spend an hour chillaxing with all sorts of people and catching some live entertainment. Jill and I are lucky that way - strolling into free and AWESOME entertainment! GO US! We said our goodbyes after our posteriors were beginning to be permanently imprinted with cobblestone outlines and headed towards the Seine.

Other than the Seine River (which is GROSS, to put it lightly) there are no bodies of water for public enjoyment anywhere near Paris. So every summer the city of Paris opens up "Paris Plage" where they literally turn the banks of the Seine into a beach area (they even truckload in the sand!) There are beach stands, beach chairs, water fountains and sprinklers to keep yourself cool - the only thing you can't do is swim! We decided to check it out and I must say I was quite impressed with the entire outfit. Very well patroled, no vehicles (but bikes unfortunately), mostly locals, street acts and entertainment all over the place and even "petit foot" tables (that's FOOZE for you non-frenchies). I think it's great that the city pulls this together because this city is so stressful and hot and icky - it's amazing to just go out to the river and relax as you would at the beach anywhere. It's no French Riviera or Deauville - but when you're in a pinch - and you're always in a pinch in Paris - it's a great substitute. We parked ourselves back down on the side of the Seine (I carefully removed my sandals as to not have them fall in the river) and laughed laughed laughed for the next 2 hours. It's been a long time since I laughed that hard for that long - people had to think we were drunk! Unfortunately for all of you it's all inside-joke stuff that just wouldn't translate well and the effect would be lost so I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say that we had quite possibly the BEST evening of our entire stay in Paris and there isn't another soul I would rather have shared "CE SOIR" with. Jill looked over at me at one point and asked "What are you thinking about?" and I thought about it and looked back and said "nothing" and for the first time ever I actually meant that. I had really been thinking about NOTHING - I was fully present and loving the moment that I was in - perfect in every aspect. I was 100% happy and there wasn't a single thought going through my mind. AMAZING!

Paris has been loud, pushy, annoying, smelly, frustrating, angry and just a royal pain in the you-know-where but after fighting against all of that I've finally realized that at the end of the day - that's PARIS! I'm living IN PARIS! I can walk by the Louvre and Notre-Dame and think it's no big deal...whatever. I can enjoy picnics and impromptu displays of hillarity on the Seine - just because... I can choose to be pushed, annoyed, frustrated, angry and bothered by the madness of this city or I can embrace it and love it like it was my home all along. This city IS beautiful, you just have to look a little deeper to see it. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and I can finally say with confidence that it hasn't been wasted because after 4 weeks I can definitely say that Paris has been my HOME!

Ouistiti!!

Saying Goodbye is Always Hard to Do (Adventures with MooReece con't)

My stay in the French Riviera has sadly come to an end. To say it was a cake walk would be a lie (it was more of a pain au chocolat walk). HAHA. Joking aside, there were some ups and downs and the first week was definitely harder than I ever imagined both physically and emotionally. I think that first week taught me more about myself and how to deal with whatever life throws at you than the 23 years leading up to it. That could explain my total emotional amnesia of back home. My first week in Antibes felt like YEARS and although time has sped up since, it still feels like THIS is REAL and HOME is a DREAM. My friends here, although I don't know them well, I feel like they've been in my life forever and this has always been our way of life. Several have seconded my sentiments on the subject. It's a REALLY weird vibe. Obviously I miss you all, every last one of you...but I'm not going to lie, it feels like you are all a figment of my imagination. I'm forgetting what you all look and sound like. Talk about living in the moment!

It hasn't hit me yet that I'm NOT going back to Antibes. I've said goodbye to everyone and yet it still doesn't seem real. This fantasy life that I am living is so incredible and so filled with experiences that it's hard to believe anything else is normal. Some days I want to fly home and go back to my real life (eventhough I don't really remember what that is like) and most of the rest of the time I stop and take a look around and appreciate the culture and the history and the beauty of where I am in that moment and I never want to leave.

I will miss Antibes and Sophia Antipolis so much. I will miss my bus driver who drove me from Sophia to Place de Gaulle after the gym every night. I will miss the endless stream of Gelaterias and Patisseries and Marchés but my waistline will not! I will miss the Sun and the perfect climate, the beach and the sea water in which I can freely float around (although I still sink a bit). I will miss the "Bedrock" our perfectly located little apartment in Vieille Antibes (26 rue du Haut Castelet) and I will miss the 3 minute walk to the Port school. I will miss saying "Bonjour" and "Merci, au revoir" everytime I walk into a store or by a shop/restaurant worker. But mostly I will miss the ease in which everything flows in the Riviera (except the traffic). Nothing is hectic, everyone goes with the flow and no matter how tired, cranky or homesick you get, nothing cheers you up like spending the afternoon eating wine and cheese with your friends on the rocks by the beach.

Pulled an all-nighter before dragging myself and my luggage (I will DEFINITELY need another suitcase to come home) to the train station for my 6:52 train to Verona which will be our temporary resting place until we move in in Paris.

VIVA ITALIA!