Thanksgiving

Is it just me or is there something really pretty about dead grass?

The (ex)Salt Marshes by my old maison.

Today the weather in La Rochelle is perfectly Thanksgiving-esque. It is chilly, but crisp. The sky was foggy this morning, but by the time we got out of the house, the clouds had broken into blue. Today I want to drive down the I-5 from Portland with my favorite sister, talking about how much we love Oregon and going home. I want to get dressed up in tights and a dress and go to Fred's for last minute Thanksgiving ingredients with my dad. I want to wait for friends to come over, have some type of seasonal cocktail with my mom, make a fruity vegan dessert, and eat a lot.

I won't do any of these things today, but that's alright. Even if it wasn't Thanksgiving, it would be apropos for me to make a list of thanks. Last Friday morning I went to Poitiers for the last of my visa appointments and somehow walked into the crosswalk right in front of a slow moving city bus. I don't remember seeing the bus, but I do remember being on the ground, surrounded by EMT's, my friends asking me questions about La Rochelle and my housing situation to keep me awake. And I stayed awake! After an ambulance ride, spending hours in a heavy-duty neck brace, having my favorite sweater and jacket cut off me and getting handfuls of head and neck scans, my young doctor told me absolutely nothing was wrong. No concussion, no fractures, no hemorrhages. Not even any stitches. A little war wound on the tête, a tiny shaved patch of hair, a whole-body ache, but that's it. I spent the night in the hospital for surveillance, feeling dazed and head-achey, but left in the morning. Though I looked like a pirate in my tattered clothes and bruises, I was awake and happy to be walking. My reaction to the shock has taken all week to subside, resulting in mild vertigo, headaches, and fatigue, but I'm starting to feel normal again. For this, I am incredibly thankful!

Other things to be thankful for:

-A lovely new apartment.
-Great colleagues who constantly look out for me and my weirdly affordable accommodations (said apartment, old polka-dotted room).
-The fact that I look and feel good with bangs.
-Getting paid a living wage for 12 hrs. a week.
-The fact that I have been able to hang out with Hannah in multiple places around Europe!
-The fact that Hannah came JUST when I needed some taking care of.
-YOU!

xoxo, more soon.

New Bangs; New Bangs in New Apartment.