(Just found this one left over from my last hours in france that never got posted)
It is now 4h45 in the morning, in 30 minutes Im going to start the coffee, and in 40 minutes Im gonna wake up John (and dave he didnt make it all night like I did, but his flight is also five hours later than mine) so we can start our early morning walk across town to the car. Picking the girls luggage up and heading to the airport! From there were going to hang out until the girls arrive and then well check baggage and be en route, and I will be asleep.
On Tuesday night Dave, Amidée and I went to bed around 2h30am, only to have to get up around 10h30 in order to be ready for the lock smith who was coming to fix our door. Did I forget to mention it broke?
Here is what I did with my last week in France.
-Final Sunday at church AND Thomas raised his arms (and the smile) for the benediction
-Came home one night (Sunday I believe) to discover the door had magically BROKEN and hense locked us out, but david somehow managed to get the tumbler to turn and we entered and crashed.
-Spent the majority of Monday continuing to clean and empty the aptment with a large amount of time spent on one particular door
there were metal parts that broke and fell out. It now makes a very loud popping noise that echos in the stairwell and apt.
-went to pay my final Orange (mobile) bill (now Tuesday)
-Discovered my account hadnt actually been closed
spent the following two-three hours waiting, working on, and finally faxing papers to the Orange office
-Bought final gifts!! (at least this went well!)
-woke up early Wednesday to await the locksmith (who we discovered we needed to call at the landlords request and also on their bill! PTL) who was promptly thirty minutes late, only to tell us there was nothing wrong with our door
. Though the handle doesnt sit right and the popping noise it makes would give a heart attack to a man with colon polyps. Doesnt make sense? It is that loud.
-Was treated to lunch by our Swiss friend Amidée and had a great and encouraging talk with him!
-Checked my account balance at the bank (never got my secret code in the mail to check it online) only to discover that I have two outstanding checks totaling near 1000 euros
not closing that account for a while.
-Returned to the apartment to help carry the last of the mattresses and luggage down stairs into our garage to be put into a car later.
-went to Orange and got my account closed and billing info changed to my US address
I dont know how but it was AMAZING!!! God hath shown his love and light on me in a HUGE way through this. I could easily write a whole post explaining why.
-Finished writing my thank you friend cards (though there are always more people I wish I could have written them for
sorry if you didnt get one!).
-Went to try to meet Olivier for dinner
didnt work since my phone was canceled.
-Got dinner, helped load the car, came to the final prayer meeting and now just spent the last time playing a computer game to pass the time.
Now it is 5h00 and in about 25 minutes the coffee will be brewing and well be getting all ready to go!!!
Its surreal to think that in 24 hours it will be ten in the evening and Ill most likely want to go to sleep, 36 hours and Im having coffee with Peter Haas to talk about some church presentation stuff and also wedding things as well. Not to mention seeing pictures of his new little one!!
OK, enough of this post. Wont even be able to post it until I get home in about 18 hours or so. Wow, 18 hours and Im home!!
Here is to sleeping on the plane!
May God bless you for reading all this nonsense written on no sleep!
~paul
I miss Thomas’ benediction! What a great way to start a new week.