En Route...

It will be a little quiet around here for a short while as my family packs up to move and settle into Paris. At the moment, we're like very busy worker bees, rounding up all the necessary paperwork and sorting through what to bring with us (every object requires a decision to pack it / store it / donate it / or throw it away). As I type this, I'm sitting between boxes swimming in copies of passports, health and bank and utility and school records!

But I'm keeping my eye on the prize, ...when I finally peek out from under the papers and parcels, the view should be vastly different.

See you soon friends... I'll be sharing my trip on Instagram if you'd like to take a peek... à très bientôt!

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Quote: the Promise...

The most glorious moments in your life are not the so-called days of success, 

but rather those days when out of dejection and despair 

you feel rise in you a challenge to life, 

and the promise of future accomplishments. 

― Gustave Flaubert

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January's Galette des Rois

To celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th (and as another excuse to socialize), the French share in la Galette des Rois or King's cake. Children especially love this flaky pastry puff with almond paste filling for the fève hidden inside because whoever is served the slice with the porcelain token becomes king or queen for the day and gets to choose their mate! This year, my littlest boy became king, his prize was etched with the letters TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, France's high-speed train)... his older brother was the chosen mate, an odd but joyful couple :)

The cake is available most of January, but it sells out fast. At my local French bakery, we were lucky enough to swipe the very last one (thanks to our neighbor, Marie-Claude, whose zumba class was right next door). The galette was gobbled up so quickly, I almost missed getting a shot of the last tiny slice!

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Visualizing an apartment in Paris...

I've been trying to imagine what our future apartment in Paris will look like. Fingers crossed we'll be able to snatch up something similar to a classic Haussmann style number with charming features and ornamentation like an iron balcony, chevron patterned parquet floors, creamy cornice moulding, piercing light... and a view... you know, something simple and low key like that ;) 

I took these photos from a friend's apartment last November, he lives in the 10th arrondissement. I swoon over his place whenever we visit. My family even stayed there a couple of years ago...it may have set my expectations a bit high, we'll see...

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Paris + A Letter to My Boys

My Dear Boys,

You know how we've always talked about possibly living in France one day, how nice it would be to experience life in Papa's homeland? ….well, it's about to happen. We're officially moving to Paris this February!

I can hardly believe it myself. I've been in a dual state of joy and gratitude ever since the opportunity arose and the dream became realized, and now we hold in our hands what was once upon a time a vague far away vision.

But amid all this excitement, I am deeply aware of the challenges that lay ahead - assimilation to a new school and new environment, embracing quirky cultural differences and of course the longing that comes with missing our friends and family stateside. Even the little place we’ve called home here in the US, as it becomes more and more empty, we will surely miss. It is where you both grew up, where the littlest of you lived three of your first and only years. 

It seems you're still too young to worry about all the changes to come (thank goodness),... for now it's easier for you than for me. Ultimately home is our family of four. As long as we are together we are home, wherever we live in the world.

So let's go boldly into this new adventure, hearts aflutter. And remind ourselves to forever guard that place in our heart that believes that dreams really do come true, to "focus on the powerful, euphoric, magical, synchronistic, beautiful parts of life... [because] the Universe will keep giving them to you."

I love you both, pour toujours et à jamais (for ever + ever) - 

Maman 

p.s. oops, almost forgot to thank you for allowing me and Papa to give away so many of your toys and books to help us lighten our load.

... and dear readers, I hope you will join us in the coming weeks as we prepare for our big move to Paris. I plan to share with you all the magic of the City of Light through an intimate perspective you will hopefully find new and engaging.

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Happy New Year | Bonne Année + Bonne Santé

"I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.” ― Neil Gaiman

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