A little update

So a lot has happened since I last had the chance and the energy to write. Anyway I've been out with the chaps a few times this past week. I've gotten to know them a bit better and see more of who they are. I've really appreciated the little walks. There have been a lot of revelations about family life and discipline. I've met the challenge of getting them up and ready in time for school. Getting them to clean up after themselves and putting them to bed in time. 

Hannah has been here quite a few times and helped me out and we've gotten more of an idea about how things would work in the future. I would say we won't have any big problems in that department. I think it's been really healthy for us to get an insight into having the whole thing about having children and taking care of them together.

T and O are out with the dog

O on her way to the farm to
look at the animals

I'd say I've settled in a lot more this past week. Things are getting easier and I'm getting a grip on what I'm doing, both inside and outside of the family. Saturday turned out to be a very difficult day for me for some reason. I suppose it was finally weekend and I got to get away for a bit and I hadn't really got to rest. Rest is still something I don't seem to get enough of. I still haven't found a way to recharge properly. After I drop off O at school I'm free to do what I want. Most of that time I spend at home since I don't really know what else to do. I usually listen to a sermon on my computer and then read the Bible for a bit and pray for strength. I can tell it makes a big difference but I still need to get out more. I'd like to go into Paris more but I don't feel like I really have the time.

After arriving in Paris we went to our favourite coffee place and sat down. Anytime we go into Paris we start off by going there. It doesn't look like much but they have the best coffee we have found so far. The crêpes are also very good. 

All the museums were free this weekend so we finished our meal and went to a nearby modern arts museum. I really didn't like it, not at all. I found some of the "artwork" to be very disturbing and a lot of it just wasn't nice. One of the things they displayed was a woman carving words in her legs with a knife. In the end I just wanted to get out of there and do something else.

  Later on we went to Le Louvre and looked at the Mona Lisa. I think the painting was a bit too small and you didn't get to go close enough to actually appreciate it. Hannah and I both thought that there was a lot of other pieces of art that were a lot more impressive. I really should have taken more pictures but I suppose we'll go back some other time when they have free entry and check out all the other things. A friend of mine gave some tip as to what we could go and see. We went a bit late and only stayed for a short while. Not nearly long enough to look at all the art. 

We went to the latin quarter to eat after having looked at all the art. Before deciding what do to and where to go next we saw how the dark clouds closed in on us quickly. Soon it started to drizzle and then the rain came pouring down. Luckily I had my jacked. Hannah didn't have one so I gave her mine. We ate and then decided to go home. We went home early since we needed to get up early the following day.

At 07:20 the alarm went off and we had to get up and get ready. We had breakfast and I got to drink coffee out of a bowl again. We caught the bus to the station and hoped we'd get there in time for the train. Sadly the red light was what kept us from catching the train we wanted. It was of little consequence since there was another train coming in a few minutes, one of the things that are really good with the public transportation around here. 

We arrived at the church and prayed with the others before the meeting started. I didn't really understand much of the prayers but I sat there patiently waiting for the meeting to start. I thought I heard my name every now and then so I guess they were praying for Hannah and me. 

The meeting started and I sat there trying to follow what was going on. It didn't take me long to decide to just stop trying to understand and I checked out the Bible passages and got an idea of what was going on. I was asked by the pastors if I was willing to play the guitar on some of the meetings. I said I could do it and now it seems I'm starting now next Sunday. 

We got really hungry so after the meeting we went back to the Latin Quarter and got some food. On the picture to the left you can see a happy Hannah eating. It was quite expensive and the portions were quite small. Hannah suggested that we could get a dessert after to fill our stomachs. We both thought it would be best to get it from somewhere else so we went back to our coffee place. Soon they won't even have to ask what we want. Because of the weather all the customers were inside in the little room so it was quite cramped. It didn't matter though because we had a really great time anyway. On the picture to the right Hannah is trying to hide from my camera. I think she got shy when I'm always taking pictures of her. 

Today we wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower. Hannah had never gone all the way to the top so I decided that we had to go all the way up. We had to queue for quite a while so we realised we wouldn't have time to go to Hillsong. I had wanted to go but I thought going to the top of the Eiffel Tower was more important this time. 

Waiting to go up

We took the elevator and it took ages before we could get to the top. First you take and elevator to the second floor where you have to wait for the next elevator that will take you to the top. There were a lot more people than I had anticipated. The elevators were so full you really got squashed. In front of us was this other couple and Hannah thought it felt like we were stalking them since we were following them all the time. When we got to the top of the tower we didn't need to follow them anymore and we forgot all about them. There were a lot of people at the top which I didn't like. It made what I had in mind a lot bit more difficult.

The view was very nice and you could see all of Paris. Hannah showed me where all the different things were. We had planned on going to this street where everything is really expensive and look. I keep forgetting the name of the street. She also showed me where Notre Damme was among other things.

 It was quite windy at the top on one side so it got quite cold after a while. Hannah wanted to leave but I wasn't ready to leave yet. I stalled for a bit and asked about the different things she was showing me. I was waiting for people to move away a bit so I'd have the space I needed.

I felt that it was time. Everything was going according to plan. I told Hannah how I felt and what I wanted. I could see the anticipation in her eyes when I started telling her all these things. I got the ring out of my pocket and went down on one knee and asked her to marry me.

I knew this was her dream. I just knew that I had to do it at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Just being close to it wouldn't do.

The 21st of September Hannah said yes. I am a happy man.

When we get back to Finland at christmas we're probably going to try to have some kind of an engagement party. I think we'll have one in Österbotten and one down south. I'll get back to you about the specifics.