It is amazing how you wake up one day and realize how much time has passed. I have been here in France for almost 14 months now and it still seems like I just got off the plane a few hours ago. I find myself at least once a day thinking either to myself or outloud jeeze I really live here.

You know I came here to learn alot of things and was in search of even more. I have learned and found so much and yet at the same time find myself noticing that they are not the things that I "planned". I think it can be summed up in really one thing...but do not fret in true Katie fashion I will elaborated. In the time since I have been here I have learned how to breathe.

Original boy told me that would happen before I ever decided to come for sure but in the end he was right. It is not always easy heck most of the time it is very hard. And with every exhale there is some terrible mistake or dizaster. The beautiful thing though is that every inhale is so fresh and clean and pure that you just push through the glory to the next breathe. I was never sure that this was even something that I was missing in my life but now that I have this knowledge I feel as though I only just began living.

Through all this living and breathing I have learned another very important lesson. The unbelievable value of the people in my life. Whether they be past or present or in Europe or the United States. I used to say that my goal was to really touch someones life and change it for the positive in some way. But I never took the time to stop and think about all the people who have taken the time to touch my life.

One of the hard things about growing up is that you lose touch with some people before you ever realize how important they really are to you. I had some people back in the States that were so amazing I could almost cry thinking that it has been this long since I have seen and in many case spoken to them. They are buying houses, having babies, and i suspect a few are even getting married soon. They are graduating from University and starting new chapters in their lives. While I am sad that I have lost touch with some of them I still find myself so lucky to have ever found them. These people gave me strength when I thought I had none and let me go when they were not ready. In the end I know that they will be the standard by which I will "judge" people in the future.

Then there are the literaly hundreds of people that I have met since I got here. Some of them are amogst the most amazing and some of them have not neccessarily been my favourite people in the world. But in this land so far from where I grew up they have become my family of sorts. And while I make mistakes that make me unworthy of them at times and they do the same they really are amazing additions to my life. It is so hard to believe that this is the third generation of people that I have met here in France. But they also remind me that sometimes it does not take an ocean to grow apart from someone sometimes all it takes is a foolish mouth and a wall. Yet rather than regret the way life evolves I can sit back and look at the amazing things I have gotten to do and learn with them. I mean seriously in the last year i have been well too many places to list.

Wow I guess this is a pretty lofty entry but well sometimes I can be pretty lofty. It all really is so great. Mainly because these are all things I never knew I was missing in my life. And sometimes you have to sit back and go with the change because the next inhale will be even more fresh and amazing than the last.

On another note. I have tried to contact the people close in my life both here and in the states. It seems though that everyone is quite busy so I guess this will be a good way to do it...if anyone even reads this anymore. So I have some kinda big news...no I am not pregnant or getting married :) but I have decided to remain in France for another year. and both of my universities have approved. So short of having the new visa in hand it is pretty official. I have no idea how most people will react but I know that my life here in France is not over yet. And I have to wait because when it is time for me to go back I will know.

be well