An in-person Christmas

Another Christmas in the books, which wasn't a given after two consecutive years of pandemic-related cancelations! Finally able to be in-person around the holidays, we resumed the classics: Repak Family Christmas Eve Dinner, Aloia Christmas Day Party, Cousins Campout, and even the latest Bowling with Grandpa. I'm proud to say I even got my first chance to buy my grandpa a beer! We hit up Philly to check back in with our former East Bay roommate who's thriving in the sub-zero East Coast temps, and we managed to pack enough layers to get ourselves through a few of those sub-zero days. I knocked out the big childhood-room-clear-out without making adding too much excess to our fully stocked two-bed/two-bath condo, and we made friends with Olive the dog. All in all, a successful trip back east. Happy holidays!

When the troubles began

Last week we set up our very first Christmas tree! Our hearts may be aching that our favorite child won't get to enjoy its glow this year, but it's there and we can feel a little fos/adopt-parent-y in spirit. Much to our surprise, the cats paid it no mind —until tonight, that is. When we look back one day and wonder when the troubles all began, when the little monsters emerged from our fur angels, look no further than tonight and those deep, dark, desiring puss-in-boots eyes.

Ca y est !

Thirteen years since I first Googled how one obtains French nationality, having heard talk of its attainability among the students living at the Cité U, ça y est, I can finally check off interview for a second nationality from the bucket list. I'll admit it was a bit surreal to travel to the first place I ever lived outside of the EST time zone, a journey very much in the opposite direction of France from where I come, to sit for said interview, but I suppose life never ceases to surprise. After my interview and a quick stop for some surprisingly good Persian ice cream, I had the chance to tour Nicolas around UCLA's campus, where I'd spent the summer of 2007: my first big home away very much away from home. I was disconcerted to discover how very much a brain can forget over 15 years. I knew my text books have all since become jibberish, but even some of the basic landmarks en route to my favorite destinations surprised me. I guess losing those memories cleared way for some new ones when I finally made it across the pond. Talk about home away from home - soon to be made official with the passport and all, on espère bien.

Los Angeles in winter time: other than Christmas lights on palm trees, hardly the exotic holiday destination one might hope for. But send me to Kansas for all I care, if it's to attend my French nationality interview, you'd best believe I'll drop everything to be there!