2013, you were amazing!

Yesterday, I decided to go through my 2013 photo album to review all the good things that happened this year. And boy, did it make me feel happy and proud! It made me realize how keeping memories stored somewhere is precious. Pictures, diaries, postcards, tickets… they are all here to remind us of those everyday moments and big adventures life pushes us through. When everything seems grey, it sure is a fresh breeze to realize that life is not boring at all. Life is beautiful and we need to make sure we remember that every day!

So here is a summary of the memories I would like to never ever forget:

January

• Dave and I have been together for about 3 months, we go on little excursions and start to meet each other’s families. This is first terrifying then absolutely perfect. We went to Greenock to meet Dave’s family where we got to spot a submarine!
• We reached the very south cost of Loch Lomond and experience first-hand the joys of Scottish weather, though it did not affect our excitement.
• 12 of my friends surprise me on my birthday and invite themselves for dessert at mine!
• We climbed Arthur Seat by accident by taking the wrong road to Duddingston… on a very snowy day!
• We fly to France for Dave to meet my family and friends, but also to celebrate my 25^th birthday. Dave is disappointed by the size of beers. We build a snowman.

February

• We keep exploring Glasgow: St Mungo’s Cathedrale, the Necropolis, the Museum of Transport.
• We celebrate Dave’s birthday by spending a whole Sunday at the pub, something I did not think I could ever do. But it was really fun!
• Dave’s parents invite us both to York. This is the first time I meet them! Our hotel is splendid, we loved the huge bed and the swimming pool. Outside, the weather is horrendous but we manage our way to cute little pubs and restaurants, as well as the market and the Merchants’ House.

March

• Dave and I jump on a minibus for a day-tour to the Valley of Glencoe and the Loch Ness. I am amazed by the sceneries, the fog in the glens, the various colors of the landscape and the dramatic natural lights of the Scottish sun. We did not spot Nessie.
• I meet my friend Nelly at the airport of Milan to start our fantastic 8-day road-trip in Italy. We both have a huge crush on the Northern Lakes: Como and Garda being our very favourites. Not many tourists at this time of year make our stay absolutely enchanting! Onboard of our Fiat 500, we visit Verona, Florence (my favourite), San Gimignano, Lucca, Porto Venere (the hidden cave was a delightful surprise) and the 5 Terre. We eat a lot of pizza and pasta but can’t seem to ever have enough.

April

• I meet my friend Katy in St Andrews where we enjoy the delights of a friends night out, and eat the best hangover-cure Fish&Chips of St Andrews! The train journey is relaxing.
• Dave’s mom, his brother and his girlfriend come visit us in Glasgow. We discover the Mackintosh tower and the Hunterian Museum, the latter now being one of my most favourite buildings of Glasgow.
• This is time for our excursion to the Isle of Arran! We take the train then the ferry to reach Brodick. We stay in a lovely B&B with a view on the golfcourse and the sea. Those 2 days have seen us walk a lot: to waterfalls, to the Giants’ Footsteps, to Brodick Castle, to Arran Aromatics, to the King’s Caves which were spectacular, and to the nearest town because the next bus was 2 hours later.

May

• Eloise comes to visit in Edinburgh. Half awake, she tastes the real Scottish breakfast with Dave. We go to Glasgow to enjoy the sun, do some shopping, catch up on life with a glass of prosecco and listen to live music in an authentic pub.
• My parents also come to visit us! We bring them to Arthur Seat and to my favourite brunch place in Edinburgh. Then we are off to Glasgow for 2 days where they discover the joy of ceilidh dancing, Jamie’s Italian, St Mungo’s Cathedral, the Museum of Transport and the Ship, the craft fairs and the Oran Mor!

June

• While work is very busy, I find excitement in the numerous barbecues we improvise here and there. My favourite being on Dave’s doorstep!
• Glasgow’s West End festival brings me to meet Mairi Hedderwick during a conference about travel writing and illustration. Dave and I quite enjoy discovering new cafés and markets in Glasgow. I love spending the Saturday at the Botanics on my own, absorbing the Great Gatsby and a tone of magazines.
• This is time for a return home to visit friends and family. We celebrated Didou’s birthday, and Eloise was there too! It had been so long since the 3 of us were last together. We dance like cra-zy!
• Dave moves to Edinburgh! It is the start of our adventure together. Back then, he was still sleeping on a mattress on the floor of my room but this was temporary.

July

• Audrey invites us to her Roaring 20’s party. We sing and dance like nobody’s watching. We invite Lauriane too, the new French recruit from work and I get to know her a bit more.
• My grand-father leaves this earth. I go back home for his funeral and we all take some time to remember what a great man he was and how dearly he will be missed. Dave and my friends here are also a great support, I’m so grateful they were here for me.
• Our friend Marie moves back to France. We enjoy the last days with her by going for drinks all the time and discussing the Four Toltec Agreements.

August

• Dave and I move to Marie’s flat! This is our little nest and we immediately make it ours.
• The same day, I fall from exhaustion because of the pressure of my work in this busy time of year. I stay in bed for a whole day and slowly unpack our boxes.
• Dave’s parents come to visit again and this time they have their own room in our flat! We go to the Rich Hall show, which is really funny.
• We enjoy the Fringe Festival and dinner parties with Anna and Manuel. Life is great, the season slowly comes to an end and we start to appreciate the rest of summer. Anna and I go to the Best of Burlesque show which made us laugh and cheer! Audrey makes me discover Melvin Brown and his tribute to Ray Charles that made us jump from our seats to dance.

September

• Dave and I adopt Georgia, our baby cat! She’s a wee gem. We cheer to her every move, she’s our little princess!
• I go back home to France for a bit of family time. I go visit my Grandad’s wood with my Dad and our dog, do a bit of horse-riding with Didou followed by a well-deserved tea, bring my nan for a shopping spree. All these moments are the best.
• I go back to Edinburgh for a short while before work calls me back to France. I am attending a trade-show for work and take advantage to spend the week-end with a few of my Parisian friends. I meet Marine and Morgane for a splendid night out involving running in high heels Place de la Concorde and queuing for ages for a party we couldn’t go to. The day after, I join Eloise for a delicious brunch and a stroll in the streets of Paris, multiple coffees and pancakes, and of course a lot of chat and thoughts about life. Alexa makes some time for me in her busy schedule to introduce me to her favourite burger bar. Marine and I stroll the streets of the Turkish quarter, then stop for a chat at the Canal St Martin. After work, one evening, I get to meet Alice and Marie for a pizza and a lot of catching up.
• Back in Edinburgh, Dave’s friend Charlotte is there! I’m happy to finally meet her!
• This is Audrey’s turn to leave Edinburgh for her next destination: Australia with her boyfriend. We have a big goodbye party, and a lovely Spanish dinner before it’s time to say goodbye. I’ve sure missed her since!

October

• Nelly visits us in Edinburgh! It’s great to have her here and we make the most of her stay: a bit of Glasgow, a bit of Edinburgh, a great night out, an excursion to Rosslyn Chapel!
• Work sends me to Paris again. I’m staying at Marine’s this time which is much better than the hotel. We meet Alice and Marie for a crepe from Britanny in the Montparnasse quarter.
• Back to Edinburgh, I find my wee brother Benoit just arrived from Bordeaux. First night in Scotland rhymes with first pinte of lager! It’s been a lot of chilling and a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia.
• Halloween’s here! Dave and I carve our pumpkins and I do roasted pumpkin seeds. Yummy!
• Helene and I go to the Usher Hall to see Paloma Faith and the Guy Barker’s Orchestra. A real precious time on the top seats of the opera house. It was beautiful and Paloma’s voice is so unique.

November

• I finally go to see the Lion King at the Edinburgh Playhouse! I had been waiting for so long. I wasn’t disappointed a bit, it was all perfect!
• Time for us to leave Scotland to visit Dave’s parents down South. We are welcome as kings and it is good to be plunged in the family spirit again. I meet his nan and his second brother. We visit Cambridge and go punting! I find myself a lovely Jane Austen style hat in a craft fair. Autumn is perfect for Cambridge. It hits me: I can’t play pool! We enjoy a walk in the woods to find pine cones for Christmas decorations.
• Work sends me to Ireland to visit hotels. First Dublin, then Belfast. I get to enter the Titanic Experience, which is very detailed and full of interactive features!
• Work has decided I shouldn’t stay home for long! This time, I’m off to a lovely relaxed fam-trip to the Highlands. I discover some jewels of Scottish culture: Dunkeld Cathedral, the Hermitage and its waterfalls and the salmon leeps, Glenfiddich distillery, Aviemore.
• Back in Edinburgh, Anna, Lauriane and I run to a vintage fair where we all find a wee treasure or two to bring home.
• We got to see Scotland play rugby against Australia at Murrayfield Stadium, whooop!

December or a month of Christmas celebrations

• Dave and I host our first Christmas dinner at home. We built our Christmas tree and I try myself to home-made Christmas decorations. We were 10 in total and it seems everybody left merry and happy. Success!
• My work’s Christmas Party was really great. Santa had come in the office a few days before to leave us all some lovely presents. It was great to help organize everything and I got to speak to some of my colleagues in a more relaxed environment than usual, which was refreshing!
• The day after, my father calls me to say it is my cousin’s turn to leave this earth. It was a real chock but I could not financially afford to go back to France for the funeral. It left me in a weird state for a very long time.
• This was also the month our department lunch at work. Getting to talk to my managers about interfaith weddings and multicultural couples was the highlight of the day.
• A few colleagues and I got invited to the Christmas Party of the George Hotel. Lots of fun again, fountains of vino (so it seemed) and a strange combination of songs made it all a great experience! This definitely helped me keep going despite the unhappy events.
• And this was finally time to go home. First night in France and my parents, my brother and I got invited to the VIP stand of my hometown’s basket-ball team’s match against Dijon. They won! That was a very exciting game and I let all the pressure from the last couple of weeks escape when the timer marked the end of the game and the CSP’s victory!
• Christmas festivities at home were perfect, although shadows were hiding in everyone’s eyes. Much needed time with the family was greatly appreciated. It was good to hug everyone and get to spend a few days in their company. I got to visit Didou in her sweet new flat, to take a stroll through the hills of our beautiful region and enjoy some home-made doughnuts on our return from the chilly outdoors.
• Finally, last but not least, I got to spend a perfect New Year’s Eve with my friends Helene and Cameron and meet Dave just on time for the midnight fireworks!

I couldn’t be more grateful for the year that has just ended. So many things have happened. There has been down times, but life needs to go on and always finds a way to be beautiful again. I’m lucky I get to see my family quite often, and share good and bad times with Dave and my best friends on earth.

Here’s to 2014 and all the surprises it will bring!