We left the pets at home in the hands of two friends and Kisa soon got "petnapped". That is, our pet sitter decided that she was too cute and too lonely to stay in our apartment so she took her in the morning to her own apartment and then brought her back at night so that Lux wouldn't be lonely. While it's adorable and I thank Séverine with all my heart, I grieve for what my dog's monstrous fluff surely did to her area rugs. She will find furballs in obscure corners of her apartment for months to come.
We had some good food, trying to stay mostly home cooked this time around for the sake of our stomachs. I preemptively upped my dose of medication for my ulcerative colitis which worked pretty well. We bought a lot of new clothes since it's way cheaper in the US and all our winter clothes are 2 sizes too large for us now. I got to meet my friend's baby for the first time and got to see friends I didn't get to see in summer.
Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, Jeremy and I got married! Surprise! It was a very small ceremony with just our parents, Jeremy' siblings, my aunt and uncle who I lived with for the formative years of my teens, and Jeremy's uncle who married us. Here's how it happened:
FADE IN:
PREFECTURE, BESANCON FRANCE - MORNING
It's a rainy morning in Besançon when two young women enter the prefecture to renew a visa.
STEFANIE, an American woman in her mid-twenties with beautiful Slavic-meets-Italian features, wipes the rain off her face while silently mourning her forgotten umbrella.
ANNE-SOPHIE, a French woman of stereotypical proportions sent to help translate for Stefanie, finds out who they need to speak to.
THE CUBICLE
A PREFECTURE WORKER, a petite woman with Dutch features, sits behind a desk.
Stefanie and Anne-Sophie do what needs to be done to renew her "long-term visitor" visa, the only visa she can currently apply for as she is not a student, married, or European. As the paperwork is getting finished, Stefanie nonchalantly asks a question.
STEFANIE
How easy is it to change my visa if I get married?
While Anne-Sophie translates to the prefecture worker, Stefanie ponders.
STEFANIE (thought)
Everyone had told me it'll be pretty difficult, but I may as well find out how difficult. If Jeremy and I get married, I can get a different visa that will allow me to work!
Anne-Sophie finishes speaking with the prefecture worker.
ANNE-SOPHIE
You are going to the US in a couple weeks, yes? If you get married then we can hold the paperwork, give you a temporary traveling pass as a long-term visitor, and then when you get back we will submit it as a titre de sejour and then you can work.
STEFANIE
That's it?!
ANNE-SOPHIE
Yes, that is it.
Stefanie calls Jeremy.
STEFANIE
Jeremy, if we get married in the US while we're there, I can get my new visa no problem and can work!
JEREMY (over phone)
Sweet! Let's do it!
FADE OUT:
FIN.
Beautiful, I know, I should write a Broadway screenplay. Ignore the horrible spacing, this website doesn't let me format well. Anyway, seeing as it was a last minute thing we obviously couldn't plan (or afford, for that matter) your typical wedding. Please don't be upset you weren't invited seeing as no one was invited. Upon our permanent return to the US we plan to have a celebration.
While I feel like I missed a huge milestone in my life and envy all the bride-to-be's on my facebook page picking out their dresses and venue hunting, deep down I know the way I did it was the right way for me. I don't handle stress very well and we all know planning a wedding is just buckets of stress, not to mention buckets of money. According to www.costofwedding.com the average wedding in the US costs $26,444 and in south Jersey, where the cheapest caterer I could find while using 3 different wedding sites was $80/head, it increases to $33,598. Who can afford to get married the conventional way these days? I would personally ask, but money is a touchy subject to most plus I don't want to sound like a bitter hag.
No, this way was so simple and stress free. We woke up, milled around in our pjs until past noon, spent less than an hour getting ready, then got married for $28. Who can beat that? So anyone reading who knows us, sorry we didn't tell you. It was last minute and more importantly we knew if we told people, they would feel obligated to gift us money and we didn't want that. Don't gift us money, it cost $28. Our plan is to have a ceremony when we permanently move back to the US so if you're one who feels obligated to gift money, do it then when we're paying open bar for your drunk ass.