Au Revoir, September 9th

In the two plus years that Michael and I have been a couple, we’ve traveled a bunch. He’s accompanied me on work trips to California, Arizona, and Florida, and together we have vacationed Upstate, Down the Shore, and Out East. We’ve always made the most of our travel and maximized the experience at each destination. It helps that we have similar sleeping patterns, enjoy a lot of the same cuisine, share a curiosity for culture, photography, and art, and a passion for food and shopping.

One of the items on my bucket list has always been to “live” in Paris. I use the air quotes (just picture me doing that in real life) because I never really wanted to move there permanently, but I wanted to stay long enough to feel like I wasn’t rushing through the trip panicking that I only had two days left and hadn’t yet gotten to four urgent landmarks, six museums, and no less than twelve restaurants that were inked on my must see/visit/try/sample list.

I’ve dreamt about sitting leisurely at a cafe sipping extraordinary hot chocolate and writing for hours with no worry about the ticking clock. I’ve imagined strolling the streets discovering different neighborhoods and feeling almost like a local. And being there with the love of my life would be just so romantic!

So I’m over the proverbial macaron to tell you that Michael and I have rented an awesome flat in Paris for a whole entire month! You may not know that Michael actually lived in Paris for fifteen years so he’s completely fluent and knows the city very well, which makes him the ultimate travel hunk with an accent! And c’mon, my high school French only goes so far with customary pleasantries and a request for the check.

So we are going to Paris!!! And the pre-game is proving to be almost as delicious as the trip promises to be. The lists have begun for packing, sightseeing, restaurants, cafes, and excursions... however suggestions are still welcome!

I’ve started my massive packing script with items I know are hard to find there plus a collection of European chargers, an umbrella, and good kitchen knives in case the ones in the apartment can’t easily slice through a crusty baguette. Plus it’s a workcation, so I need office supplies, a whole pack of post-its and my calendar.

The goal is to sightsee and enjoy Paris by day, and then by 3pm local time head back to the flat to work a 9-5 regular day by Eastern Standard Time. Sounds like a plan to me! Plus I have some PTO stored up that I plan to take there. And three vacation days are already baked into the month of November so we get to capitalize on those days as well. Woohoo!!!

Basically it’s my dream come true and I’m more excited than I could ever express. I plan to write as much as possible from The City of Light so get ready for some great pics, delicious foodie finds, and posts about all things en Francais.

So move over Emily… Jen and Michael will be joining you tout de suite!