A Very Punny Galentine's Day

Salut mes amies,

Can you believe it's already March?! Time flies when you're having fun. I am sorry for the lack of updates, but between bad weather and school, Hodel and I haven't had much time for adventures. I am very much looking forward to spring and warmer weather!

Anyway, did you have a good Valentine's Day? Hodel and I spent the holiday (we like to call it Galentine's Day, since neither of us has a sweetheart, haha) making cards for our best friends and sisters.

Hodel came up with some terrific puns for our valentines, although she had to explain most of them to me. Puns don't always translate well across languages. While I learned about why it rains cats and dogs in America, I taught Hodel a few French puns.

Here is one of my favorites:

C’est l’histoire de deux pommes de terre.
Une d’elles se fait écraser et l’autre s’écrie :
– Oh purée !

And its English translation:

Here is the story of two potatoes.
One of them is ran over, and the other says:
– Oh purée! [It’s a pun, meaning both “Oh my goodness!” and “Oh, mashed potatoes!”]

You can find more French jokes and puns at this website, if you're interested. 

 How do you like our Valentine's Day outfits? After making our cards, we spent the rest of the day indulging in leftover chocolate from Hanukkah and talking about cute boys. 

I'm sure you are all curious about whether or not I have a crush, but je suis désolée, I can't tell you that! What I can tell you is that I am thirteen, and most girls at that age have crushes. Haha! 

Hodel's mom asked us to take a goofy picture, but I'm afraid that this is about as goofy as it gets. Maybe we're just too pretty to look goofy? I don't know, but we decided to make the trees our valentines since we had such nice weather on Valentine's Day. 

How did you spend Valentine's Day this year? Did you make or buy your cards?

Ton amie,

Sophie 

New Years and New . . . Injuries?

Salut mes amis!

Bonne Année 2016! Can you believe that it's 2016 already? It's hard for me to remember to write a new date on my school assignments. Does that ever happen to anyone else? Once, I was so mortified because I accidentally wrote 2006 instead of 2016. Eek!

On New Year's Eve, Hodel's parents let us stay up to watch the ball drop. We poured sparkling white grape juice into fancy champagne flutes, toasting to each other's health and happiness when the clock struck midnight in the Ukraine (Hodel's home country), France, and finally in the eastern timezone of the United States. By the time the ball dropped in Times Square, we were exhausted and ready for bed! 

Hodel's parents took this photo of us celebrating the new year. Isn't my sparkly hat cute?

Since the first few days of January were relatively warm, Hodel and I decided to have some outdoor playtime. After grabbing my jacket and a pail of sidewalk chalk, we spent hours drawing an elaborate game of hopscotch on Hodel's driveway. But it wasn't just regular old hopscotch, either. We made up our own twist on the game by combining it with Simon Says and Twister.

After a while, we decided to mix things up by adding in roller skates and a ball into the rules of the game. Unfortunately, we got a little carried away. I was skating really fast, and as Hodel was struggling to catch up with me, she tripped and fell! Ouch.

I kicked off my skates and ran to get Hodel's parents, who then drove her to urgent care. The doctors told her that she had a concussion and would have to be on bed rest for the next few days. I felt really guilty and wished it was me who had tripped instead of Hodel. Hodel reassured me that it wasn't entirely my fault and that we both should have known better. And, besides, a few days playing card games and watching movies inside isn't so bad. I would also have fun playing doctor to my "patient".

When Hodel recovers, we plan to take a trip to the zoo - I can't wait! I wonder what kind of animals we'll see? Will there be red pandas? Foxes? Snakes (eek!)?

How do YOU keep yourself occupied inside when you're sick and/or injured in bed? 

Ton amie,
Sophie

Sophie: Live from Cincinnati!

Salut mes amis!

I'm sorry that it has been so long since my last update. There's really no good excuse. Lately, depression and anxiety have hit me hard, and between that and keeping up with my schoolwork, I've neglected my blog. There have been many days where I've not wanted to get dressed, let alone go out for adventures.

In early December, things started looking up. My classes were finishing for the semester, and who isn't thrilled about that? I'd also received an email from my friend Hodel, asking me if I'd like to visit. Hodel and I have been pen-pals for a long time, but we've never formally met! She was actually the last traveling guest my old school in America hosted, but I was out on travel adventures of my own at the time. So, of course, I said YES! I would be happy to visit. It didn't take me long to pack a few belongings in my bag and reserve a plane ticket. I think Juliette was a little sad that I was leaving again, especially since it meant that we wouldn't be celebrating our special Polish-French Christmas together. However, I was itching to be rid of this foggy, depressive stupor I'd been in for the past few months, so I really couldn't consider my sister's feelings at the moment. I had to take care of myself. I had to go see the world, meet new people, and have an adventure . . . because that is what Sophie does best!

My anxiety kicked in on the plane ride and wouldn't go away even as I was knocking on my friend's front door. I hadn't traveled solo since 2011, when I went on a cruise to Alaska with my friend Marsali. Four years have passed, and a lot has happened. When I got home from Alaska, I wasn't sure I wanted to travel ever again. I certainly didn't want to travel for two years without coming home in between. That was fun while it lasted, but was way too much hassle in the process. But as I heard the familiar scuffling of feet rushing to open the door, all of my anxiety turned into excitement! I was finally going to meet another long-time friend, and what could be scary about that?

The door opened, and Hodel stood before me. "Salut!" I waved excitedly. Stepping inside of the house, I immediately ran up and gave my friend a hug. If I was nervous before, I certainly wasn't now!

We sat down and talked about some of our favorite things and pastimes. We talked about Hodel's love of acting and all of our favorite shows. I'm no actress, but I love watching a good performance! Hodel also loves anthropology, dinosaurs, and most importantly, traveling! She had just gotten home from a trip to Disney World, so of course I had to ask if she'd gotten to meet Queen Elsa and Princess Anna!

Since Hodel is Jewish, I wanted to bring her a little gift for Hanukkah. Unfortunately, I arrived after Hanukkah was over, but it's the thought that counts . . . right?

I think she liked what I picked out for her. I helped her name the little duck "Fransisco", a name we found too funny not to laugh at! I also gave her two of my favorite card games: UNO and Apples to Apples. Hodel saw these and dared to ask whether I'd played Cards Against Humanity. I blushed, but admitted that I hadn't! I have, however, played Fantastic Storytelling, a new game along the lines of Cards Against Humanity. I suggest you check it out if you like that sort of thing. Mike Jeavons will thank you. It's fun, addicting, and you get to create unique laugh-out-loud stories!

Anyway, it's late . . . and already Christmas Eve! I better get to bed. Although Hodel is Jewish, her family is interfaith, meaning that they will make an extra effort to celebrate Christmas with me this year. So . . . we have a lot of plans, which I can't wait to share with you! Stay tuned!

If I don't write an entry beforehand, Joyeux Noël! Merry Christmas! What are your plans for Christmas this year? If you don't celebrate Christmas, what do you celebrate instead?

Ton amie,
Sophie