I just realize I have been in outer space.
It became a new DECADE 20 days ago and I barely even noticed.
I guess that's what living in Europe will do to a girl.
Things I learned from 2009: ( 5 now, 5 later)
*Authors note: I often take inspiration from songs, and find that muscians can say things exactly the way I would, but better.
10. When is comes to making a decision, we often make up our mind immediately, but saying it out loud makes it real. We then own it.
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing, are the same.
- The Fray
09. John and I used to ask what the REAL question is.
The REAL story is that there is no REAL story, when it comes to REAL life.
The answers we find are never what we had in mind, but we make it up as we go along.
-Nine Days
08. Sometimes all we need is a change of scenery for a change in attitude.
If you could use some exotic booze, there's a bar in far Bombay.
-Michael Buble
07. A good group of girl friends is key to life. There's nothing like them, no one can replace them and they make life worth living. Huge shout outs to the girls...I couldn't do it without you.
Girls just wanna have fun.
-Cindy Lauper
06. It takes work to be happy. It takes effort to feel good. It takes exercise to be thin. It takes determination to say no to bear claws & bacon sandwiches and it takes patience to love your friends.
You better WORK.
-Madonna
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Cold, Cold Rain
In January, I struggle.
My whole life I have been able to work through the temporary seasonal affective disorder because I was living in California, a place where the winter weather is usually mild...the rainy days last less than a week, and temperature rarely drops below 50.
The last two years, I have been able to escape the sadness especially well, due to my employment at a place that brings general joy and happiness to coffee drinkers around the globe.
I always knew that whatever the weather, I could walk into work and make it better with something hot.
Not to mention my first year in Chico when me and Steven would skip class if it was raining and have lunch at the Brewery, then hot chocolates, the rain made us so down!
Last winter, in my 100 year old brick house made into a studio, my space heater kept me warm like a personal fireplace.
I find creative ways to keep happy and warm.
This year, I am out of ideas.
I know what you're thinking. She's in France for heaven's sake, what more happiness can she need?
Well, when its been cloudy and wet for weeks, constantly is around 35 degrees, everything is made from grey-beige stone, the leaves have been long gone from the trees, and your mother has just left, things can get kind of tough.
Don't get me wrong, France any time of year is special and amazing and worth every minute of time spent enjoying the culture...but today I miss California.
My whole life I have been able to work through the temporary seasonal affective disorder because I was living in California, a place where the winter weather is usually mild...the rainy days last less than a week, and temperature rarely drops below 50.
The last two years, I have been able to escape the sadness especially well, due to my employment at a place that brings general joy and happiness to coffee drinkers around the globe.
I always knew that whatever the weather, I could walk into work and make it better with something hot.
Not to mention my first year in Chico when me and Steven would skip class if it was raining and have lunch at the Brewery, then hot chocolates, the rain made us so down!
Last winter, in my 100 year old brick house made into a studio, my space heater kept me warm like a personal fireplace.
I find creative ways to keep happy and warm.
This year, I am out of ideas.
I know what you're thinking. She's in France for heaven's sake, what more happiness can she need?
Well, when its been cloudy and wet for weeks, constantly is around 35 degrees, everything is made from grey-beige stone, the leaves have been long gone from the trees, and your mother has just left, things can get kind of tough.
Don't get me wrong, France any time of year is special and amazing and worth every minute of time spent enjoying the culture...but today I miss California.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Paris, J'taime
How very Da Vinci Code of me to be standing here under the Louvre
Mother rides the metro!
Mum and I at Notre Dame
Overlooking the fabulous Seine
In the middle of the hike up to the Sacre Coeur
Out on the town
Self -taken Eiffel Tower photo. The once straight tower appears to be leaning..
At the beginning of every train journey, one must always validate their train ticket.Mumsy and I have arrived home from our trip to Paris, and she is leaving tomorrow...I can hardly believe it! These two weeks have just flown by, I don't know how I'll let her go!
Paris was a rousing success! We left early Friday morning on the high speed TGV train and arrived in Paris just before 1pm to flurries of snow and 30 degree weather, much to mothers dismay.
Our hotel was a quaint (is there any other kind in Paris?) little gem near La Republique and was just what we needed to sleep and do a little relaxing at night....it had a large window overlooking darling Frenchie apartments with curly wire balconies charatersitic to Paris and to France.
New Year's day (Friday) we trekked to the Eiffel tower, as it was one of the few attractions open on a national holiday.
Once we arrived at the park where the monument is, we were shocked and appaled at the lines! There were TONS of people! After a few quick photos, we jumped on the metro and headed to the Latin Quarter for a hot chocolate from Starbucks!
Saturday was jam-packed with metro rides, traipsing all over, and a little reuinion with Sarah and her friend, Alex.
We met up with the dynamic duo at a resraurant in the Latin Quarter that Sarah and I have deemed "our place" because it has a wonderful 3 course frenchie lunch for 10 euro....
It was so wonderful to see her after almost 2 weeks of being apart! We had to much to talk about, and Alex and mother could hardly get a word in with her and I talking a million miles a minute about all the important things that had happened over Christmas break.
Before lunch, we went to the Sacre Coeur but when it began to snow, we said, okay that's enough..to Starbucks, then? We did manage to find some gifties that my Aunt had requested and some nice churchie music for mother. I do love a cathedrale gift shop.
After our lunch date, we headed to The Bon Marche in search of brassieres. I have been needing some new ones since my stint with Weight Watchers, and what better place than the first department store (and only on the left bank of Paris) to purchase some! It was a total success, I got two lovely new undergraments.
A hop, skip and a jump on the metro later, we were at "les grand magasins" which is a collection of the largest departments stores in Paris (except of course for The Bon Marche), The Galleries Lafayette and Printemps.
It was a lovely day of shopping!
Sunday was a crazy day.
Our train wasn't even leaving Paris until after 9pm, so we had the whole day ahead of us!
We headed to the Louvre to go to the gift shop and look at the books. It was, however, free Sunday at the grand museam, so all of Paris was there. The lines were so long it was unreal.
We did manage to find some nice gifties for Matt and my mother's husband (better known as my father), so that was a major step in the right direction.
It was a cold, cloudy day, but mother and I decided to walk the Seine to Notre Dame and my favorite English bookstore, Shakespeare & Co.
There was a mass going on inside the famous cathedrale, which was cool and something I'd never seen before, even though that was 3rd trip to Notre Dame.
After a quick Refresh Mint tea at Starbucks, we climbed on the metro to retrive our bags from the hotel (they were kind enough to store them for the day), we were off to the train station to meet our TGV to Aix..where we arrived just after midnight to the pouring January rain.
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