...and we are in France!

Bonjour! 
I am writing this to you from Toulouse, France!  I tried to let everyone know we made it safe and sound, but also wanted to keep (as best I can) a daily journal while we are here and it's technically already the second day we've been here so I better get going!

Arrival-Day One

So our journey started on Friday, August 17th in Wichita, Kansas.  We got checked in with no problems and after a quick TSA check of one of our bags (my shampoo and conditioner which are liter sizes) we were on our way! Our first flight left ICT a little after 11:30 am to Minneapolis.  Our first flight went really well--it was short and smooth which is the perfect flight combo!  It was the first time either of us landed in Minneapolis and their airport was pretty nice--looked like they were renovating some of it but they rest was nice!  We ended up spending more time there than we thought because our flight got delayed to Amsterdam.  The plane we were originally going to be on wasn't due to arrive at the airport until 5 pm which was way past our departure time so they found another plane at the Minneapolis airport.  The only problem was that the plane they found needed some maintenance.  It took them a little while to get the problem fixed and we ended up leaving late which had us a little concerned because we didn't have a very long lay-over in Amsterdam and we knew we needed to go through customs there.  The flight itself was very good (super long though), but pretty good.  We each had our own little TV's built into the chair in front of us and I watched three different movies (Cam watched two and read some magazines!) The only complaint I had was that there were some small children in the same row as us and a few chairs down and it seemed like everytime I fell somewhat asleep they started screaming.  So neither Cam nor I got very much sleep on that flight but we did nap a little and eat some awesome airplane food ;).  We arrived in Amsterdam with only about 45 minutes before we were supposed to be boarding our last flight which made us pretty nervous.  We rushed through the airport trying to find our way--everything was in a different language ;) so we finally found where we go through customs and spent a few extra minutes there because we forgot to pull all the elecrtonics out of every carry on bag we had so both our bags had to be rescreened.  By the time we got our passports stamped we were hauling across the airport to find out gate and made it with just enough time for each of us to use the restroom and then it was time to board!  Our last flight from Amsterdam to Toulouse was about an hour and a half long and it went pretty smooth as well.  When we got to the airport in Toulouse, one of Cam's coworkers from Wichita was there to meet us--Rob and his wife are here doing the same thing that we will be doing--they got the first three month session so they kind of know the ins and outs!  The only hiccup we had with our long day of travels was that our luggage was no where to be found.  It took us a few times to find the luggage center but we finally did and she took down our information and said that since our flight was late our luggage did not make our Amsterdam to Toulouse flight.  We were very excited to hear though that it would arrive on the next flight from Amsterdam which was later that afternoon.  After dealing with the luggage issue we had to wait in line for a very long time for our rental car but we finally got it and we were on our way to the hotel.  We are staying at an extended stay hotel which in located in the center of Toulouse.  We got checked into our room and left pretty quickly to go grab something to eat.  Rob and Sara took us to one of their favorites places they have found and we got our grub on!  After that we came back to the hotel where we took a little nap because Cam and I could barely keep our eyes open!  After our nap we decided to go to the store with Rob and Sara because basically everything is closed here on Sundays so we at least wanted to grab some breakfast food.  The grocery store was interesting because it reminded me of when I lived in Germany--the prices are very reasonable but they have a lot of fresh products and products that don't have very many preservatives so people here don't stock up if you will--they go to the grocery store more often.  It was also interesting because you have to pay for each bag you use (like the Dillon's plastic sacks we have at home) so Cam and I spent the thirty cents to get a bag and carried the rest of the stuff in our arms! We are very lucky to have someone here to help us figure all of these small things out!  By the time we returned from the grocery store we decided to stay in for the rest of the night and it was a good decision because we went to bed about 5:15 pm and slept all the way through until just a few hours ago!  So technically it is already our second day here!

Second Day
So that brings us up to right now--my computer says it's 5:13 am Kansas time which is still crazy to think about because it's 12:13 pm here!  By the time some of you read this we will be sleeping tonight (hopefully! Cam has to go to work tomorrow!)...we don't have much on the agenda for the day--Rob and Sara are going to take us to either Subway or a Panini shop for lunch then we are going to explore a little bit this afternoon!  We also asked to switch rooms because we have two twin beds upstairs and were hoping for one large bed. So we checked on that just a few minutes ago and they said tomorrow morning so I guess I'm taking care of that while Cam's at work!  Oh boy! Sara is super awesome and said I am more than welcome to tag along with her this week to try and get my feet on the ground--Cam and Rob will be sticking together at work :) So I plan on sticking close to her as I figure things out (bigger grocery trip, post office, etc.).  So far the weather has been good--yesterday was the most wind that Rob and Sara had seen since they have been here and we informed them that we like to bring the wind with us where we go ;) We miss everyone and are still feeling a little overwhelmed by everything but we have been assured by Sara and Rob that that was how they felt when they first arrived and they said here in a few weeks things will be better so we are looking forward to these next few weeks as we try to acclimate!  I will be trying to update daily--I have been emailing everyone with specific stories, but will be posting our everyday adventures on here so everyone can read them!  :)  The only other thing on our immediate to do list is to try and get wifi hooked up so we can start skyping and Facetiming you guys! As soon as that's up and operational you all will be wishing we hadn't set it up because I will be skyping/Facetiming like crazy!  :)  We miss you guys and love you all lots!  Time to head downstairs to meet up for lunch! If I get time to post tonight I will try, but no promises!

J