Whew, what happened to December?! Gui and I spent the first couple of weeks of December planning and organizing our Stateside trip and the last two weeks were all about travel, family, and friends. The last month of 2010 just flew by, n'est-ce pas?

Christmas was really lovely. It was so great to see three of my nephews so happy and excited to open their gifts, and even more ecstatic to play with every one. They are all growing up so quickly, so it's always a cherished moment to see them so stoked for Christmas and family time. My sister, her husband and my mom cooked up a delicious and beautiful meal of salmon, prime rib and all the fixins that will definitely go down in the books as one of the best yet. It's always a given that we'll eat well during the holidays with family, and this Christmas was no exception. Overall, our Christmas was just fantastic, but the days following weren't without their drama (that I wish was as easy to forget as it was to materialize). So, Gui and I changed our plans at the last minute and decided to spend New Year's Eve in Austin, despite knowing that most of our friends would be out of town or already have something planned for the occasion.

I don't know if it's because we're getting older, or if it's because it's getting old, but we've been keeping things simple when it comes to celebrating, which is why we were so happy to accept a dear friend's invitation to a family & friends house party to ring in 2011. We got to catch up with some of our friends who stayed in town for the holidays and even with a few who were in town just for new year's eve. It always makes me happy to be back in the city where I grew up - to see how it's changed and prospered since I've been gone and to reflect on the lifetime of memories I have made there. The weather was, as usual, beyond perfect and we tried to squeeze in as much outdoor time and as many meals of Tex-Mex and other Austin favorites as we could.

In the end, I was glad that we amended our plans and passed through Austin. It was a treat to spend more time than was originally planned with my mom, step-dad and little brother. And, I was really happy that I got to see my other brother, my dad and one of my adorable nephews that I would not have otherwise had the chance to see before too long.

I'm looking forward to what will become of 2011, and although I do so with a slightly heavy heart, I'm mostly hopeful and optimistic. At the beginning of this year, I am as happy as I've ever been - I have the most amazing husband who I absolutely adore, every one in my family is healthy and I have built beautiful friendships with so many people all over the world that I am thankful for everyday. But, there is still much to sort out, including some very big plans for early this year and some healing for a wound left wide open. Still, I'm excited for the adventures that lie ahead and for all the hope and inspiration that a new year brings.

Well, as usual, the Thanksgiving weekend was a whirlwind of indulgence. At the very last minute, I decided to cash-in a few of my vacation days and take Thursday and Friday off to prepare a mini feast at our place with a few close friends. We had already made plans to celebrate with a large group of friends on Saturday, but I couldn’t deny my urge to keep up the tradition of cooking a warm meal of all of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes on the same day my family back in Texas would be doing the same. So I did.

I managed to scavenge all of the ingredients I needed for green bean casserole and grandma’s cornbread stuffing, plus some cranberries for cranberry sauce and a perfectly-sized turkey for the 6 guests that joined us at our table that evening. I also whipped up some mashed-potatoes, corn and a little turkey gravy to go along with other sides, and I had the foresight to bake up another batch of oatmeal raisin cookies to supplement my botched first attempt at a pear tart (next time I’ll make my crust in advance).

All in all, a wonderful dinner was served among friends. We busted out the good wine and toasted a bit of champagne to all that we’re thankful for in our lives. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the little things that are missing in our homes, wardrobes and wallets that we rarely stop and reflect on all the wonderful people that we see everyday. To me, Thanksgiving is a day made just for that – remembering to be thankful for the people we share our lives with. I was glad to be able to do that twice this year, which merely reinforces the fact that I’m one lucky girl with lots of friends - near and far.

And, now we’re gearing up for Christmas. It makes me so happy knowing that in just three short weeks, I’ll be snuggling up and lounging around with 3 of my 4 nephews! Hasn’t this year just FLOWN by?! It’s kind of crazy how quickly summer became fall and fall became winter, and once again Paris streets are lit with festive Christmas lights and decorated sapins noël. Just yesterday I saw a full-on Disney Christmas show from my office window with Mickey and Minnie singing and dancing to holiday music in front of the fancy hotel across the street.

And, in case you missed it, it’s become a veritable winter wonderland in these parts. Although we’ve avoided the piles of snow other cities up north have experienced, we’ve had our fair share of frozen flurries and snowy white rooftops. Despite the frozen temps, I’ve been rather prepared for winter this year – looking forward to it, even. I think it has a little something to do with the whole “urge to settle down” thing I mentioned recently; I guess lately I'm just a little more content with going with the flow of things. (Let's hope that lasts!)

We overdosed on tryptophan all weekend.

I can't seem to get out of this "nesting" mode (no, I'm not pregnant). Everyday this week has kind of felt like Groundhog Day - the movie, not the holiday. Paris weather is so predictable in November: rain and gloom and not much else. All I want to do is be at home, near a warm oven or lit fireplace, knitting, reading, cooking, eating and just hanging out with family.




Last week, we had a lovely family lunch at my father-in-law's house. Gathered around a table of roasted lamb and beau-pere's famously divine gratin, we celebrated November birthdays and toasted to being together for another delicious meal. For me, it marked the beginning of holiday family feasting, something I look forward to more than anything during the last couple of months of the year. Since then, I've caught the cooking-and-baking bug, and from beef pho to today's oatmeal cookies, my poor oven has been working overtime with no end in sight! Just thinking about our upcoming Thanksgiving dinner and pre-Christmas get-togethers has my brain flooded with recipes and my eyes and taste buds on sensory overload.

I've managed to get a bit of knitting and reading done in between all of my culinary attempts, but besides trips to the market to stock-up, I haven't really left the house. It helps that Thursday, and by default, Friday were holidays, but once a new, full week begins tomorrow, I'll have to go back to my regularly scheduled outings (i.e. work), which really puts a hamper on my cooking plans. C'est la vie!

How did three months turn into three years? Have I really been in Paris for that long? It’s funny how what started as a three-month visit just kind of quickly became living here indefinitely. And, man, is it amazing how much has happened in three years! I’ve gotten married, landed a good job, learned French, and I’m starting to finally recover from what felt like perpetual homesickness.

I’m not really sure if it’s a good thing or not, but those constant lingering urges to return to my homeland, to be with my kinfolk and back on the range have finally abated. Don’t get me wrong, I still miss my country (and family and food), but not with an overbearing intensity that brings me down so low that I can’t relish in the happiness of my current home. I imagine that much of my change of heart has to do with how I've really started to adapt to a new culture and new language. I feel like I can finally say that I’ve learned French. I’m not fluent by any means, but I live comfortably now in a language I avoided listening to just three years ago. I spend my day having conversations in French with my colleagues; I don’t need to bring a script with me every time I run an errand; and overall, I feel more confident in expressing myself.

On top of that, I've come to just accept France for what it is. It was hard at first for me to balance out the good and the bad, but I feel like I've approached a point where all the negative things about living here can be trumped just enough by the positive. People are generally rude, but they also generally dress well. Black beans and pinto beans cost an arm and a leg, but wine is cheap as dirt. It's super cold in the winter, but the city is drop-dead gorgeous in the fall. And so on and so forth.

Also, I think a lot of these new feelings about my life here are a product of my slight anxiety towards my approaching 30^th birthday. It being about half a year away now, I’m starting to get the urge to settle down, create some permanence and stability in my life. Besides Gui, there really is nothing keeping me here or pulling me there, and it’s not like he’s any clearer on the subject of where we should land. While he's looking around for a new gig, I’m still waiting for some confirmation on how things are going to proceed with my job. We’re both itching to get into an apartment with more space and ideally, we’d like to buy our next abode or at least be a bit closer to ownership. While I'd love to announce that we have a plan, for the moment, nothing's in the works for a big move either here or there. I do, however, feel some big changes coming on, and I think these next few months into the new year will provide a lot of insight about how our next three years will pan out. Stay tuned.

Fall is here, everyone! It's so fall right now that it's practically winter! The light is changing, the leaves are browning, and all I can think about cooking these days are soups and stews and chicken pot pie. I'm finally getting back my knitting mojo, too, and I've already knocked out a quick scarf to celebrate the cooler season. Right now, I'm working on a lovely red shawlette that I can't wait to throw around my neck for a little extra color on those inevitable grey days. I'm pretty lucky to have an amazing set of tricopines* that keep me inspired and give me a reason to self-indulge in my favorite craft at least once a week. Our tricothé knitting nights happen every Wednesday, but Aimee's been testing out Saturday morning breakfast knitting at her tea house, and it seems to be a big hit so far. Believe it or not, I'm loving having a reason to start my weekend off bright and early - there's something so comforting about waking up on a crisp fall day to sit around and knit with a big cup of tea and a handful of friends. I tried out the new tricot matin for the first time this past weekend, and it couldn't have been a more lovely experience. The Saturday morning light was so gorgeous that I couldn't help but pull out my phone to snap a few photos on my way to the tea house. We spent the morning catching up with each other, sipping on hot drinks and fondling the most beautiful yarn in Paris. Saturday morning heaven.





And, as if the day wasn't already amazing, I had a date with another group of girlfriends at the Hôtel de Crillon for afternoon tea. Yes, I'm talking about that hotel - the one that's all kinds of fancy schmancy with rooms starting at more than 500€ a night (or so I hear). I've been dying to have a fancy tea with friends ever since I arrived in Paris, and my friend Ebonie generously organized the whole outing.

We all arrived in our finest teatime attire for what proved to be a so very lovely experience. We couldn't have been better accommodated, even after a couple of us (which may or may not have included me) arrived a few minutes later than everyone else and needed to add two chairs, which very obviously blocked an important walkway. Every single person was so nice and charming and totally friendly, that even if we hadn't been served the mountainous plates of food we were served, it would have still been a great experience.

Included in our teatime menu was a silver théière full of our choice of tea, a plate with generous sized tea sandwiches (smoked salmon on poppy seed bread, bloc of foie gras on soft brioche and chicken breast on fresh baguette), and of course, a plate full of sweet cakes and breads and cookies, with one fancy gâteau each. Everything was seriously delicious, and it was more than obvious that butter was not in short supply in the Crillon baker's kitchen. We spent more than two hours around the coffee-sized table pretending to be part of a Jane Austen novel and relishing in the grandeur of the moment.








Just as we were leaving the hotel, we spotted Carine Roitfeld, editor-in-chief of French Vogue standing outside looking all fashionable and Parisienne - which for me was the icing on an already sweet day. Tea and knitting in the morning, afternoon tea at a fancy hotel, then I was off to a house party with friends. Just another day of life à la française! It really is too bad everyday can't be Saturday.

*tricopines = tricot copines, or knitting friends

We had such a fun and sunny weekend that we barely managed to capture any respectable pictures. 'Guess that's what happens when you're having too much fun. But, here's a little recap of what we were up to along with the few pictures that we did sneak in.
Gui and I had some folks over on Friday night to share a magnum of Moët Impérial that's been chilling in the fridge for months now. We hadn't had a "special" occasion to merit drinking it before (do we really need one?), but we decided it was high time we cracked it open, so we invited some friends over to help us drink the 1.5 liters of champagne goodness. There was food, laughter and general debauchery, and really, what more can be asked for a Friday evening?

How about receiving a lovely goody package from home? My sister mailed me a box of stuff I'd ordered online and had delivered to her house, and when I got home Friday evening, it was waiting there for me to open it up. It felt like my birthday! Besides finally getting the three pairs of shoes and purse that I'd ordered months ago, my sister threw in a cute Texas t-shirt and some candy corn. But the best surprise was finding some handwritten love notes from my nephews in the box. Can they BE any sweeter?!

On Saturday, the sun came out in full force so Gui and I grabbed some lunch out and did a little window shopping before heading out to a family soirée. We caught up with the cousins, did a little dancing and enjoyed another round of champagne. It was a nice evening complete with red wigs and entertaining slide shows. You know, just another run-of-the-mill French family gathering.

We were blessed with another gorgeous day on Sunday, so I roamed the Champs Elysées with a friend in search of the perfect jeans. Coincidentally (ahem), I stumbled upon the newly opened H&M flagship and a huge sale at Gap in between having a caramel macchiato and warm cinnamon roll at Starbucks. Needless to say, I took a few treasures home with me from my little excursion on the Champs, and so ended the beautiful weekend!


I never feel like weekends are long enough, but this one seemed to be an exception. I think the Friday night shindig and the full days of sun helped, but I felt really revived and refreshed come Sunday evening. Which really does wonders for early Monday mornings. I know it's a lot to ask, but I'm really hoping these blue-skied days hold out - my weekdays could really use more beautiful weekends.