Hanukkah and Christmas with the Quints!

Hiya!

I think most of you have probably seen the album Jill, the quints, and I have made of my visit with them. However, I really wanted to post some of my favorite pictures in this blog because, hey, that's what it's here for! ;)

The quints and I had fun celebrating each night of Hanukkah. Sometimes even their kitty, Angel, joined us!

We all got matching red sweaters, headbands, and mittens - the PWP at the AGP stores! I do think red suits us!

Oh - and look what Jill gave me! A necklace with a darling Le Tour Eiffel charm on it! I've been wanting one of my own since first seeing my friend Christelle's!

And, since Jill and the quints still celebrate Christmas, we six pulled on our PJs and slept underneath le sapin Noël on Christmas Eve...

...now that's a pretty cool tradition!

Christmas Day came and the quints found their much-longed-for bathtub and other neat presents. We each got the holiday shoe set as well - and I got a pink butterfly tee from MoA that I know Isabel is going to steal (because she always "borrows" my clothes and thinks she goes unnoticed doing it - HA!).

Oh - and the girls back at FHSG have assembled their holiday portraits and vignettes album, if you haven't seen that yet. ;)

This has been a really, really fun December - and it's not even over yet! The quints' birthday is looming up quickly - and they'll get even more presents. ;) Anyhow, it'll be wonderful getting to celebrate their special day with them. Especially since Zipporah was able to come to MY birthday party two years ago - on August 9th.

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!!!!

-Sophie

Tagged by Cali :)

Salut tout le monde,

My friend Cali over at Crazy For Cali tagged me to do this fun little meme, so here goes. :-)

List 7 songs you're into right now...

*La Même Histoire / We're All In The Dance

--> Feist

*1234

--> Feist

*A Weekend in the Country

--> Catherine Zeta-Jones & company (current B'way revival of A Little Night Music)

*Send in the Clowns

--> Catherine Zeta-Jones (current B'way revival of A Little Night Music)

*Not Fair

--> Lily Allen

*The Christmas Waltz

--> Kristin Chenoweth

*Christmas Eve

--> Céline Dion

What car do you want when you're older?

While I'd prefer to take the métro, I think a SmartCar would be absolutely wonderful - especially if I intend to move back to France. Maybe one like this?

Where do you want to live when you grow older?

Paris (bien sûr!) or maybe somewhere else in France? Perhaps I can move in with Sabine in Lille? Perhaps I'll just skip France and head to bella Toscana - beautiful Tuscany - or even London? If I decide to stay in the US, then maybe Seattle, San Francisco, New York? Who knows? Probablement France....

Where do you want to go to college?

Université Paris Sorbonne-Paris IV

Or perhaps Oxford, Harvard, or Yale...but honestly? I'm 13 and not ready to think about that yet. I'm not quite sure what I want to study yet, let alone where!

How many siblings do you have?

Une soeur qui s'appelle Juliette Adrienne...a sister who is named Juliette Adrienne and, actually, she's my twin, if you want to get specific. She's still in Paris, and I'm not sure she'll be joining me here or not. We are very different in personality though we are identical in appearance!

How many children do you want when you grow up?

Depends. Probably one or two, if I find the right guy to settle down with.

Boys or girls?

A girl would be the most desirable. ;)

City girl or country girl?

Je suis de Paris, France. I am from Paris, France! What do you think I am?

Flying or driving?

I'm so used to flying that it's kind of second nature to me now. Driving I don't know how to do...yet. I guess I prefer flying because I can't drive over the Atlantic Ocean to get back home. ;)

Biking or swimming?

Um, neither? I like going to the beach, but only to work on my tan. ;) Biking I will do to get around the city, though. It's more a source of transportation than a leisurely activity. ;)

Sports?

Well, Fair Hollow School for Girls is all about the arts. Sports? Not so much. Football's okay, though, and by that I mean SOCCER! I'm pretty decent at field hockey as well, although I suck at it on ice.

Books or movies?

Tous les deux! (both!)

School or chores?

School - I live for school! Even if I complain from time to time about endless homework, I still love to learn. Chores are boring. I'll confess to not keeping my dorm the neatest because I don't exactly like to straighten up! I'm not a slob, but I'm not a neat freak either.

Inside or outside?

Again, both. Wherever there is a mystery to be solved or adventure to be had.

Wednesday or Sunday?

Sunday = no class! (A girl does need a break every once in a while, even if I do love to learn!)

Friends or Family?

Both, I guess. I do see friends more, though, being that I'm at boarding school - and am pretty popular at that. And I don't exactly miss Juliette. Okay, maybe a little. I miss my parents, though! I guess that counts for something.

Fried or Scrambled Eggs?

I see both in the school cafeteria and do admit to liking both.

Pancakes or cereal?

I tend to eat hot cereal (oatmeal, grits) each morning before school. Pancakes not so much, although I like them. I actually like waffles better, and at home - in Paris - I'm more used to croissants. ;)

Big meal or something small?

Small, please. I tend to eat several tiny meals in one day.

Movie or TV show?

Movie! (AUDREY TAUTOU!!!!!!!!!)

Favorite thing to do outside?

Go exploring. Search for clues and/or a mystery to be solved. Play in the snow (if applicable). But most of all: go sightseeing! I do like to travel after all. ;)

Favorite meal?

Laura's absolute favorite meal is pizza with black olives - like Cali said as well - and I like that a lot. As for it being my favorite, I don't know, though. I like a bit of everything. Pizza, sushi, pasta, salad...yeah, it really depends on my mood.

Place to read a good book?

Curled up on my bed with a favorite UglyDoll - or nestled among the pillows on Laura's window-seat.

Favorite vegetable?

Green beans. Broccoli.

Where do you want to live when you graduate?

Europe - whether that's France or somewhere else like England, Scotland, Italy, it doesn't matter.

What time of day do you like best?

Night - I'm a night owl! I like to stay up late reading or surfing the web. Or IMing friends in a chatroom. Or blogging. ;)

What is your favorite flower?

Irises and violets are pretty. So are poppies - like the fields of poppies in Italy!

I think I like roses best, though. Perhaps it's because of this particular scene (in one of my favorite movies)?

Do you like writing?

Well, I do have this blog, so I must like writing at least a little bit!

What is your favorite month?

August - my birthday month!

Do you like adventure?

OUI!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you collect anything? If so, what do you collect?

Books - yep, I love collecting books, particularly mysteries and thrillers.

Postcards/Posters - from places I visit.

UglyDolls - I have three now, thanks to Laura just buying me a new one. Inky got me addicted to these things!

Do your grandparents live near you?

Um, no. Well, they live in France - and fairly near me when I'm actually in France - but now that I'm in the US? Of course they don't live near me.

Are you bored of this?

Maybe a little (this was long!), but I like filling out memes - and I like being tagged. Thanks, Cali!

I tag (provided they haven't filled it out already - and actually want to):

Sabine

Cate

Kirsten

-and anyone else who wants to fill this out and hasn't already been tagged!

-Sophie

La Neige dans Virginie!

Ciao amiche!

As you probably know from my earlier posts, j'adore la neige - that is, I love snow. It's probably because my school is located in Central Virginia, so we don't get it very often.

But, while I've been chillaxing with the quints in Minnesota - but of course I'd visit somewhere where snowstorms are common! - my friends back in Virginia have had a snowstorm of their own!

And how much do you LOVE this picture of me and Zipporah, Violet, Sora, Lyre Chickadee, and Lorikeet?

Et en Décembre aussi?! I don't know WHEN the last time we got snow in December was - certainly way before I moved here!

Et d'accord, it's not much for those of you who are used to snow in Massachusetts or...or...Minnesota, for crying out loud, but Anya, Nathalie, and Coconut were very excited to play in it.

Bien sûr, they were SUPPOSED to deliver Christmas presents, but...


...they got very distracted...

...but who can blame them really?!

I'm so excited for them that I almost miss them - haha! I'm just having so much fun with Zipporah et al.!

If I don't post before the 25th,

Joyeux Noël à tu et tes amis!!!

Love, Sophie

All is well - I'm safely in MN!

Okay - I can relax now!! I'm safe in Minnesota and am now chillaxing with Zipporah, Lorikeet, Lyre Chickadee, Violet, and Sora Valdez - yippee!! Je suis très, très heureuse - very happy indeed!

When I arrived, Zipporah and her sisters welcomed me with open arms, excited that I will be with them for Hanukkah, Christmas, and their birthday. :-) They immediately led me over to one of their beds and engaged me in conversation. I told them about my adventures with Jeanette and showed off the seashell I'd picked up while in Florida.

Then we started playing a Nancy Drew computer game called "Danger By Design" which is set in Paris (yay, my hometown!). A game where there is a mystery to solve that is set in France? Bien sûr I loved it!

I'll keep you updated! Right now I'm just SO RELIEVED to have gotten here safely and am so glad I didn't decide to head back to school.

-Sophie

D'accord. Ce sera vraiment intéressant.

Salut tout le monde!

Ce sera vraiment intéressant. Pourquoi? Maintenant, je suis en route à la personne suivante! La seulement problème est que la personne suivante en ligne a eu à canceller son internet, et la communication entre Laura et cette personne sera difficile maintenant.

Maintenant Laura écriront une véritable lettre à cette personne - cette personne qui je visiterai est la personne de Zipporah et les soeurs habitent avec!

Mais du moins je verrai mon amie encore! Zipporah a visité à moi il y a environ deux ans - elle est une bonne amie. :)

***

Hey everyone!

This will be really interesting. Why? Now I'm on my way to my next host! The only problem is that the next host in line had to cancel her internet and communication between Laura and my next host will be rather difficult now.

Now Laura will have to write a real letter (and not just email!). But who am I visiting? Jill! You'll know her as the caretaker of Zipporah and her sisters.

But at least I will see my friend again! Zipporah visited with me about two years ago - she is a good friend. :)

So as I leave Utah for Minnesota (and sleep in that dreaded box again!), here's a checklist of what I did during my extended stay in Salt Lake City:

* I took a trip downtown to see the beautiful gardens surrounding the Mormon temple - and I even went inside the tabernacle home to the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir

*I went to a huge outdoor pageant in south/central Utah and even got to meet some of the actors - which was really fun considering I do love theatre!

*I went to Florida in June, then AGPLA and the Utah AG meet-up (when I met Violet) in July

*Then there were the HUGE PARTIES with Jeanette's girls - because, you know, many 18" girls live with her in that house :-)

There are pictures, but Jeanette hasn't had the time to upload them - unfortunately. If I see them posted online, I'll post a few here. Unfortunately, I don't see how I'm going to post pictures of my stay with Zipporah, either - merde!! I have the worst timing ever. If only I'd have visited her sooner, but as all of you know, it's not good if we keep harping on "If only this" and "If only that." I'll just keep you as updated as I can regarding my stay in Minnesota - maybe that'll involve a trip to the Mall of America store?

Love, Sophie