O Tannenbaum

Hélène left last Friday. I knew she was going to leave, of course, but it didn't make it any easier. There are very few people I could spent 23 straight days with and still like at the end, there are even fewer that I could spent 23 straight days with and like even more at the end. I never get tired of hanging out with Hélène. I sure am going to miss that kid.

Spending extending periods of time in France over the past few years has been a lot of fun, but having dear friends on both sides of the Atlantic has left me with a sense of perpetual longing. No matter where I'm at, I feel like about half my world is missing.

We had too many adventures over the past few weeks to write about in one blog post. I'll try to put up a slide show in a few days. We didn't stop running the entire time she was here, and it was the last three weeks of the semester. I am so tired. I kind of want to just lay down and die for a few days.

For Christmas, Hélène gave me my first ever Christmas tree. It's just a little guy, and it sits on my table. I think it's one of the best Christmas presents I've ever received. I didn't know how to decorate it, so I pulled out a little olive wood creche that I bought in Bethlehem earlier this year and put it at the top of the tree. The next day, I received a package from Coco's sister's family. I went to church with them all of last year back in France. They are a family of artists, and inside was a little handmade heart they had sewn for me, along with a little loop to hang it with.

I love my little tree. It warms my heart up every time I look at it.

I hope you're all having a very merry Christmas season.