Reading Update - go read this now!

Setting -   Paris and the coast of France, WWII
Characters -   a Nazi soldier, a blind teenage girl, an eccentric cast of townspeople and military personnel alike
Point of view -   primarily the soldier and the girl, flashback and 'present' day
Conflict -   besides the actual war and occupation, the questions at the heart of the book are really 'what are we willing to do for what and in whom we believe?' and  'at what point does it become impossible to lie to yourself any longer?' and 'how much of our reality is based on what we see vs what we choose to believe we see?'

Seriously, go get it now. You won't regret reading this book that somehow paints a quiet dignity amid the backdrop of war  for its characters who are so different from each other yet who really want the same ultimate thing we all want - to live a life that is enough.

What I miss about the USA

Since my 40 day trip here in Paris is coming to a close and it's the Fourth of July, I thought I'd share with you a few very tangible things I miss about the USA. No, I don't mean my family or fella or friends or pups. I don't even mean things like freedom and patriotism and the American Dream. My list is much more down to earth and simplistic. These are the things I've missed the most.

Oh, how I miss thee -

Ice - cubed, crushed, for free whenever I want it without any strange looks from anyone when I ask for more, in my freezer waiting for my every whim

Air conditioning - air so cold that I need a sweater, blowing forcefully through the vents of my home and car, sending little goosebumps across my skin, making my throat ache the next morning bc the air was so cold all night

Fountain cokes - with the right amount of carbonation and sugar, missing the strange whang that I taste here, burning the back of my throat at that first greedy swallow

Space - personal space standing in line or at a shop, living space at home for all my things, backyard space to enjoy nature without anyone else around, sleeping space in my nice big bed at home on the ground

Mexican food - oh, the chips and salsa, the cheese dip, the fajitas, the guacamole, how I long for thy spicy goodness

Hair color - oh, the frost on the fields is showing after 5 weeks away; I need to work thy raven magic and cover those silver strands ASAP

Internet - unlimited, 4G, it's why I sold my soul to AT&T, wherefore art thou internet free?

Lol - in just about a week, I'll be home and enjoying all of these things. For today, I'm headed out to have a picnic with my Parisian friend, Caroline. Isn't that such a 4th of Juky thing to do? Happy birthday, America!

Top 10 Things to do in Paris when it's 100 degrees

As you might have heard from my whining on Facebook or Instagram, the weather this week in Paris has been quite warm, record-setting in fact. Temps on Wednesday reached 104 in the city, and every day from this past Tuesday until next Wednesday are forecast at 90 or above. Paris just doesn't get heat waves like this very often, certainly not before August and not for several days in a row.

While I live normally in a place that is unbearable hot from June-September and have temps above 90 most of the summer, we handle it in a most civilized manner: we stay indoors with extremely powerful ac unless we're interacting with a body of water somehow. We also serve lots of drinks with ice, glorious ice in both cubed and crushed form. Wait, sorry, I had a bit of an out of body experience there thinking about ice. Well, it doesn't work like that in Paris since most places to not have ac. In fact, my apartment doesn't have ac. And Parisians also seem to have something against ice. What's a Siuthern girl to do to survive this heat?

While this is only day 3 of the week long heat wave, here are the things that are working for me thus far.

1.  Get a fan for your living space. My landlord came by on Monday and installed a fabulous ceiling fan; I'm never turning it off.

2.  Keep windows and blinds shut anytime the temp outside is warmer than your temp inside. When it stops outside, open up windows to cool off your stuffy interior. Leave windows open overnight if safe to do so. Close them again early the next day before outside temps increase.

3.  Wear clothing that is light colored and of natural fiber, otherwise your body will have trouble cooling itself by sweating. Avoid anything tight or dark. Wear your hair up off your neck and away from your. Face. Wear extra deodorant; for everyone's sake, please do this. (I also add some under the boobs, just a tip.) also, if you experience deodorant failure, please don't stand in front of me on the metro with your arm stretched super tall so that I am in direct line of fire from your pit. Stand in the back and hold on to the railing on the side of you, 'kay?

4.  Drink, drink, drink. And not wine or cocktails. (I know; life is cruel.)  Drink water or juice even if you don't feel thirsty. If you get a soft drink (like me), drink that much water with it too. It was so hot yesterday, that I only peed once in like 10 hours even though I drank a lot.  I felt sort of sick and just 'off,' so I knew the heat was getting to me. After drinking quite a bit more & getting in out of the heat, I started feeling better.

5.  Go to the grocery store. I hopped into Monoprix looking for a snack and a drink and almost swooned in joy as I walked yo the freezer section. Did you hear that? Oh, that's just a heavenly chorus of angels singing. It took all of the willpower I had not to skip through the aisles, fling myself into the dairy section, and roll deliriously amidst the refrigerated goods. I spent at least half an hour looking at stuff I had no intention of buying bc it felt so good to be there. Alleluia, amen.


6.  Find yourself a shady spot in a garden and stay there. On Tuesday, it was 97 in the city. I hung out in Jardin les Plantes on a bench and sketched and people-watched for a couple of hours. I found that if I didn't move and if I occasionally fanned myself when the breeze stopped, the only sweaty parts of me were my back and the back of my knees. I could live with that.

7.  Avoid riding the metro during rush hour. Self-explanatory, don't you think?

8.  Go to the movies or the mall and spend the hottest part of the day there, apparently 3-8 pm here. Wednesday, I went to Les Halles and saw Jurassic World. It was only 4 euro; I bought a fountain coke, and it had 6 pieces of ice in it! That's huge, people! Granted, the carbonation was 'off' somehow, but I'll take it. The theater was air conditioned and a comfortable 78 degrees I'd guess. (At home, it'd be 68, but it was much better than 100+ outside.)

9.  Indulge in cold and high water foods - Popsicles, ice cream, slushes (not that I've seen any in Paris, but a girl can dream), fruit, salads, gazpacho, etc. Dang, I'd kill somebody for a cherry slush right now!  Notice the cold club sandwich + salad + water in the pic below.

10. Buy a handheld fan and use it whenever the air is still or you begin to sweat. I'm like Scarlett O'Hara fanning myself on the metro, and I am not ashamed. Old girl is hot!

And a bonus - take a lukewarm shower as soon as you get home for the night. Don't forget to shampoo your hair! This cools me off, cleans me up, and is often enough to help me fall asleep.

Paris, I love you, but this week you've been almost too hot to handle!

10 Things I Love About Europe

Since I shared with you the 10 things I hate about Europe a few days ago, I thought it only fair to give you the love list too. Here goes...

1. Public transportation rocks. It's wonderful to swipe your metro pass for local trains, rer trains, and buses. No gas stations, no parking, just semi-mindless shuffling from one station to the next. In Paris, with its amazing public transport, I haven't missed having a car at all.

2.  Eating outdoors is de rigeur here. Food just tastes better outside with a bit of wind blowing through your hair. The wine is crisper; the colors are brighter; al fresco dining just suits me. In fact, it feels odd to ever eat indoors. I don't know if I'll be able to continue this back home in the sweltering, muggy heat of the South, but I'd like to try.

3. Manners matter. Well, they might not matter to tourists so much, but for the French, manners are indeed of the utmost importance. I appreciate that and find myself paying more attention to my own manners.

4.  There's no need for a gym; walking and stair climbing provide you with all the cardio you need. As for strength training, schlepping across the city with bags of purchased items is as effective as any machines I've ever used.

5. No one cares what you're doing; everyone is busy living his own life. The anonymity of a big city is probably most appealing to me because of this. I don't run into people I know. I don't have to worry if someone sees I'm wearing a dark bra under a light shirt bc I haven't done laundry. No one cares if I have a bottle of wine at dinner or if I order dessert only. People mind their own business, and I approve of that.

6. Downtime, doing nothing, is encouraged. People take naps in the park on their lunch breaks; people sit for hours reading or drinking at cafes or in parks; meals with friends last 2-3 hours; parents shuttle children leisurely through the streets at the end of the day. All of this happens without apology. While rush hour on the metro can get harried, Parisians don't seem bound by the clock or rushing constantly the way I envision most big city occupants live. Shops and offices open late and stay open later.

7.  People have less, but what they do have is high quality. Purses, shoes, clothes, jewelry - the French may have fewer things (less space to store, after all), but they make impeccable choices of quality. It makes me wonder how my life would change if I adopted that attitude - certainly worth thinking about at least.

8. Dessert is expected. In the U.S., I only order dessert on special occasions and usually feel guilty about it. Here, many prix fixe or formule menus include dessert. Well, in that case, I'll have crime brûlée or tiramisu or glacé or...

9. Natural is in fashion. Natural hair, natural makeup, natural fibers/cloth, natural colors, simple jewelry. I think the key to French style is looking effortlessly pulled together because you really haven't worked that hard at it. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule - perfume and shoes don't seem to be au naturele at all.

10. There are literally flowers everywhere - planted in parks, hanging in window boxes, arranged around fountains and monuments, set in planters in doorways, decorating the baskets of bicycles, resting in hands or bags on the commute home. The French seem to be partial to red flowers -
geraniums, poppies, and roses especially. I want to surround myself with more flowers at home because I know I'll miss that about Europe.

And a bonus - I love that Europeans are just a bit grittier, more raw, more realistic about life than we are in the U.S. Sure, there's some graffiti and some trash, but that's just part of living in a city that houses 3 million residents full-time + 7 million daily commuters + hordes of tourists. Yes, it gets loud with the music and throngs of people and bars, but I think they just see those things as evidence of life being lived. Europeans don't seem to feel the need to gloss over the dark parts of life; they take the grit with the beauty and don't question it. I admire that because I think beauty can indeed be found among the rawest parts of our world. But, hey, what do I know? I'm just an American who is living out her dream of several weeks in Paris.

Au revoir!

Paris Trip To Do List - Getting it all done

I've made significant strides this week in finalizing things for my Paris trip. Here's what I've managed to do, day by day.

Monday - Researched and purchased a VPN or virtual private network in order to be able to access all of my USA based sites/accounts without restriction. (Places like banks, Netflix, email, etc. are sometimes unresponsive to an international IP address. A VPN hides your location, and makes it appear as if you are still operating from an American IP address.) I'll only purchase two months of service at roughly $12 each month. I think it's well worth the money to insure that I can access all the sites that I need/want to while I'm abroad. If you're interested in something similar, I ended up going with this VPN.

Tuesday - Researched and purchased a travel insurance plan. After looking at several plans via Insure My Trip, I chose the Global Underwriters Diplomat International. Total cost was $67.08, and it covers trip interruption, terrorism, dental and medical coverage, accident insurance, 24 hour assistance, and repatriation of my mortal remains. When I combine that with the coverage that my regular health insurance covers internationally, I feel like I'm in pretty good shape. Of course, I hope I never need to use any of it, but I think it's always good to be safe rather than sorry.

Wednesday - Stopped by Walgreens to get a passport photo made - not for my passport, but for my Navigo Decouverte metro card that I plan to purchase upon landing at CDG in Paris.

Thursday - Researched and reserved train tickets, hotel room, and tour excursion for a side trip to Normandy. I've never been there, and this seems to be the perfect opportunity to explore that area. As a history teacher, I think it's important that I visit some of the sites I discuss with my students, and WWII is a favorite era of mine to study/teach. I hadn't originally planned to take any major side trips, but I feel like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I want to eke every bit of enjoyment and potential out of that I can.

Friday - Print out and begin penciling in my daily/weekly plans for Paris. I don't want to be locked into a calendar, but I'm afraid I'll miss out on some things I really want to do if I don't begin to formulate some sort of more specific plan.

Saturday - Work through the French practice worksheets that I found online and printed. See how much French I'm actually remembering from all of the DuoLingo practice I've been doing.

My departure date is just a little over two weeks away! Aaaccckkk! There's still so much left to do!

Travel Thursdays - Packing for Paris

OMG - I'm leaving for Paris in 38 days and haven't started packing!  While this would not concern most people, it has me freaking out just a little bit. I need to get started...  Here's a tentative list of what I have planned.

Large hard-sided suitcase (The fella is letting me borrow his ginormous suitcase again. Thanks, hon!)

12 dresses                                    Leggings (black and gray)
1 pair of jeans                              Slate sport Mary Jane shoes
1 jacket                                        Metallic wedge sandals
3 skirts                                         Black multi-strap flat sandals
8 blouses                                      4 bras (black, nude, strapless, comfy)
2 cardigans (gray + white)           6 panties
Nightgown                                   2 pairs socks
4 scarves                                      Tank tops (black, white, gray)
Toiletry bag                                 Jewelry bag
Foldable shopping bag                Wine glass/corkscrew kit
Water bottle                                 Small fan
Hair straightener                          (What are the chances all of this will be less than 50 pounds?!?)

Carry-on bag (I really want to buy a weekender style tote from Vera Bradley for this.)

2 dresses                                                                                Medicine + contacts + rx sunglasses
iPad + charger + keyboard + case                                         Makeup
Pareo (use as a blanket or scarf if needed)                            Mini toiletry set
dSLR camera + portrait lens? + zoom lens?+ charger          Neck pillow
Converter set + adapters set                                                  Instax camera + film
Scrapbook kit                                                                        Stitching kit
Sketching kit                                                                         Journaling kit
Umbrella

Cross-body purse (This is the one that I had monogrammed for my trip to Mexico.)

Wallet                                                Headphones
Neck wallet for security                    Passport
Point and shoot camera                     Glasses
Sunglasses                                         Odd items - lipstick, gum,

Any ideas? Any thoughts? Things to add? Things to delete? Things to pare down a bit?  I considered bringing a swimsuit, but idk when I'd wear it. I also considered bringing fewer items, but I like to have options in what I can wear.

Travel Thursdays are back! - Paris Planning Timeline

Two months from today, I will land in Paris at roughly 10 a.m. local time, and my six week solo travel adventure will begin.  I'm beyond excited! So much so, in fact, that I've forced myself to be a little more Type A than I'd like, and I've made a series of lists, basically a timeline of things I need to accomplish before I leave. Today, I'm sharing that timeline with you. While you might not be visiting Paris, I think it may offer some useful tips for anyone who is planning a major trip of some kind.

Since I have two months left, I thought it made sense to organize my 'to-do' list by month.

Accomplished in March:   (Of course, I'm posting retroactively, so you can see how much I have already accomplished. I need rewards and incentives like that, you know.)

1.  Ordered & received my road id bracelet in case I meet with some sort of unfortunate accident

2.  Ordered & received my Capital One Venture card that has no foreign transaction fees

3.  Reserved apartment for final two weeks of my stay (I'd originally only reserved the first month)

4.  Purchased Heidi Swapp memory planner and several supplies for travel scrapbooking on the go

5.  Read books from my Paris list - both fiction and guidebooks (5 finished so far!)

6.  Ordered monogrammed cross body travel purse (It's ready to be picked up right now!)

7.  Buy comfy shoes for trip and begin wearing on a daily rotation to make sure they are back/foot friendly

8.  Finish cleaning/organizing the guest room for Kel and Jake, so that they have a comfortable space of their own in my house during their stay

9.  Plan Paris budget

10. Make plans for the week my friend, Tonia, will join me in Paris :)

April's To Do List:

1. Practice my French daily with DuoLingo (I've been bad about skipping some days)

2. Travel to Mexico for spring break (Ok, that's not really a to-do list for Paris, but it is happening)

3.Stock up on supplies for my house while I'm away - dog treats, dog food, vegetarian meals/snacks for Kelsey, paper goods, etc. (Since Kel and her boyfriend are housesitting/petsitting for me while I'm gone, I need to make sure the house is fairly well-stocked for them. If I buy a few things each week, I don't think it will add too much to my expenses.)

4. Purchase trip insurance and potentially a medical insurance rider; need to talk with my health insurance plan to see my level of international coverage (I dread this so much!)

5. Complete urban sketching class I already purchased on Craftsy. Decide if I'm willing to actually try urban sketching on trip or if I should just give up on it. I'm always intimidated to learn new things that don't come easily for me, but I want to work on this about myself.

6. Practice visits with my dogs, Kelsey's dogs, and our next door neighbor who is going to check in on the pups/house while Kel and Jake are at work each day. I want her to feel comfortable coming in on her own and the dogs to feel comfortable seeing her without any of us there. Practice, practice, practice.

7. Begin wearing the outfits I think I'll take to Paris to make sure that they are comfortable, well-fitting, and appropriate for my trip. As I wear them, launder and set aside to begin the packing process. I've warned my friends that I'll constantly be asking, "Should I take this to Paris? What about this?" Haha!

8. Write and schedule several blog posts during my trip so that I'm not pressured to blog daily from Paris. I will be blogging on my trip, of course, but I will want some "off" days too. Plus, if I do decide to blog daily while I"m gone, these others will go "in the can" for when I'm back in the USA and jetlagged.

9.  Begin drinking water with meals instead of soft drinks. I'm trying to acclimate myself to that difference in European culture, so I don't stand out like a sore thumb or blow all of my cash on Cokes.

10. Continue making lists in my Paris notebook of attractions, restaurants, shopping, and activities by neighborhood in Paris. This will allow me to focus on specific areas of the city as I visit them and not miss out on what others have suggested/recommended.


May's To Do List:

1.  Schedule bill payments for June and July; most are already set up, but some that fluctuate (like electricity) will need to be estimated and scheduled. Transfer money to account I will be using for ATM withdrawals in Paris.

2. Make a doctor's appointment to obtain hard copies of prescriptions I might need while away and refills on ones I take already

3.Stop newspaper delivery unless Kel tells me they'd still like to get it each day

4.Order $100 in Euros from my bank, so that I will land with enough cash for transportation

5. Iron and pack items for trip - plan on 1 checked bag, 1 carryon, and 1 personal item

6. Notify bank and credit card companies of my travel plans to avoid my accounts being potentially frozen due to international activity

7. Notify the American Embassy in Paris of the dates of my trip (recommended for extended stays)

8. Investigate and potentially purchase a VPN to allow me to use the internet abroad without account location restrictions

9. Schedule vet visits for pups and leave instructions regarding illnesses/accidents while I'm out of the country

10. Make lists for Kelsey regarding household needs, to do items, check in procedures, emergency procedures, and my insurance policies/will (I do this every time I leave the country because I wouldn't want her to feel unprepared in case something terrible happened. Better safe than sorry!)

11. Research more info about a French SIM card and borrow old iPhone from my boy bestie.

12. Contact Jerry (who owns the apartment I'm renting) and make specific plans about arrival day; obtain actual address and print out to hand to my taxi driver upon departure from the airport.


While I have to say that I don't love this part of the planning process, I do see that it's necessary since so much has to be done. I need to get busy! Stay tuned for more info on Thursday of each week about my upcoming travel plans. Maybe you'll even have some great suggestions for me?!

My Reading List Update

What's on your reading list this year? Have you set any reading goals? I'm trying to do a better job of reading with purpose and intention, so I thought I'd give y'all a quick update of my reading progress from the first quarter of 2015. As you can see, my theme right now is Paris for obvious reasons. Once that trip is finished, I'm not sure what I'll focus on next. It sure has been fun to try to immerse myself in some books with French settings or characters though.

Finished reading in 2015:

1. Prince Lestat: The Vampire Chronicles #11 by Anne Rice
2. Paris in Love by Eloisa James
3. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
4. Lonely Planet-Paris
5. Frommer's Paris 2012
6. Frommer's Paris Day-by-Day

In progress reading:

1. Sketching School published by Reader's Digest
2. Still Life Sketching Bible by Hazel Harrison
3. Paris My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light by Amy Thomas

Tried to read and abandoned for now:

1. Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
2. The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

Want to read in April:

1. Paris by Edward Rutherford
2. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
3. A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott
4. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
5. Life after Life by Kate Atkinson

If you're on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I'm listed there as my real name because I'm not very original. Haha! What are you reading right now? Do you love it? If so, please tell me all about it. :)

Confession is good for the soul, right?

Confession is supposed to be good for the soul, I hear. While I'm not a fan of the face-to-face confession that my fellow Catholics and I are supposed to engage in regularly, I do agree that confession is designed to lighten one's emotional load. Perhaps it's the Lenten season that has inspired me to confess some of the truths of Lowderland right now. Whatever the case, here goes...

1)  Interacting with people who have zero personality exhausts me. I'd rather dislike someone than deal with a person who has no personality at all. I mean, have an opinion or a response or an experience or something that gives you some flavor. Grr - so frustrating!

2)  Just tell me what I have to do; there's nothing to be gained by talking about it first. While I appreciate the opportunity to voice my opinion, that's really only worth my time and energy when you're willing to act on my opinion (that is right, of course). If you have no plans to incorporate my suggestions/responses, then drop the charade. Just tell me what I have to do, and I'll do it. Skip the pretense of letting my voice be heard.

3) A lack of air conditioning in a concrete box with 30+ teenagers is the embodiment of the seventh ring of hell. (I used to say eighth, but that's not really accurate in terms of Dante.) And as a continuation of that point, perhaps some better planning would have been in order for my school district. Even though March isn't generally that warm here, replacing the entire a/c system in a concrete building that has no windows and 1500+ students/personnel would've better been accomplished over the holiday break or in the dead of winter. My room temp has hovered between 81.5 and 86.5 degrees for the past two weeks, greatly increasing my propensity toward grouchiness and student propensity toward laziness. It's been a rough couple of weeks 'round here...

4) I've been taking a lot of naps. That's right. Judge me if you want, but there's not much better than curling up with Lowder-dog on the chaise lounge after a long day at school and drifting off for an hour or so. What a simple and healthy way to spend a late afternoon!

5) When I make a healthy, adult dinner, I'm inordinately proud of myself. On Wednesday, I cooked blackened salmon, asparagus, and scalloped potatoes with French break for dinner with the fella. It was healthy and satisfying and made me feel like I'd earned my 'grown-up card.' That's a win in my book!

6) I'm not sure how I feel about embracing my curly hair while I visit Mexico and Paris. It could be cute, or I could end up looking like Gilda Radner's Rosanna character on SNL. For reals.

7) Since I can't sit still comfortably for more than 30 minutes at a time, I'm obsessing about how I'll manage the 8 hour flight to Paris. (Mainly worried about my back and my hip, says the old lady.) Guess I'll have to get up and parade a bit while stretching. I'm sure the person sitting next to me will really appreciate it...oh my word.

8) I can tell I'm really, super tired and frazzled when I consider turning down fun invitations because I'd rather stay home in my pajamas and not talk to anyone. This girl right here is def ready for spring break!

9:) One of my personal pet peeves is people who try to sell me things in social situations. I know what you sell already. If I want it, I'll ask you. Quit hawking your goods to me at parties and on email and on social media. Worse yet? Don't limit your interactions with me to moments when you think you've solved my 'problem' with whatever you're selling. I'm your friend or coworker, not your
customer. Grrr!

10) The giant bag of Reese's peanut butter eggs that they sell at Sam's Club? I think it's much smaller than it used to be. Has anyone else noticed? My bag didn't last nearly as long as it did in years past. ;)

Packing for Mexico

Next Saturday, I'll be leaving for my first trip to Isla Mujares, Mexico. While I've been to Cancun once before, this particular island will be a new experience. Lucky for me, the bestie I'm traveling with is a pro when it comes to Isla Mujares, so I expect I'll be in great hands. I'm not planning anything or in charge of anything other than packing my suitcase. :)

As such, I thought I might share with y'all what I'm packing for a week in the Caribbean. Because I don't want to pay the baggage fees, I'm making do with a carryon and a large purse. It is a tropical island, so the standards of dress are pretty loose and informal. I think that plays to my advantage in having to stick with a carryon bag in this instance.

Wearing on the plane: 
(comfort is key - the sweater will be good in case the Caribbean nights are chilly and will help me transition from home to island life, lol)

Short sundress
White cardigan
Black Clark's sandals

Packing in the carryon: 
(notice that I'll have a couple of extra dresses for the week in case I get sweaty or spill something on myself; since they roll up to almost nothing, I think I'll have room for them)

2 maxi sundresses
4 short sundresses
2 'party' dresses
Metallic wedge sandals (if space permits)
3 tankini swimsuits (1 to wear, 1 to dry, and 1 to spare)
Nike beach flipflops
2 coverups (pullover tunic style that could double as a dress in a pinch)
2 beach towels (I like to lay on one and dry off with one)
Lingerie (1 bra, 3 panties, pair of socks, nightgown)
     *I can't stand sandy feet in the hotel room, so that's why I'm bringing the socks.
Hat (either a ballcap or a floppy beach hat for when my face has gotten too much sun)
Chargers and adapters for camera, iPad, point and shoot camera, and iPhone
Extras in a large plastic zip bag - hair clips, scarf, (this bag will do double duty in case I still have wet items on the way home)

Packing in the large purse:  
(this will do double duty as my beach bag while on the island)

Small crossbody bag that will actually be my purse while I'm there (tiny wallet, passport, sunglasses, cell phone, headphones, lipstick)
iPad in its case + keyboard
DSLR camera + memory card case
Point and shoot camera
Tiny toiletry bag (toothbrush, toothpaste, perfume, foundation, curl cream, starter sunscreen,  eye drops)
Medicine + contacts
RX sunglasses + RX glasses
2 paperback books for the beach (I can always buy more if I get on a reading jag while I'm there)
Journal + pen

To buy once I get there:

Toiletry items mainly - sunscreen, deodorant, soap, shampoo, and lotion

Leaving at home:

Hairdryer and straightener - I'll be living with naturally curly hair and trying to embrace it.
Extra jewelry - the silver earrings, bracelet, and necklace that I'll wear there on the plane will be all I have with me.

Winter Break in Review

By the numbers, here's how I spent my 16 lovely days of winter break...you know, in case any of y'all were wondering.

1 book read
1 emergency letter of recommendation written & sent
1 dental visit before the year ended
1 gel manicure applied
1 visit downtown to pay property taxes
1 final Star Wars movie viewed
1 hair color application
2 pairs of glasses purchased before the year ended
2 podcasts taped
2 shopping trips with my daughter
2 shopping trips without her
3 tv series watched in their entirety - Mozart in the Jungle, Elizabeth, and Ascension 
3 days spent entirely in my pjs at home
3 grocery store trips
3 family dinners hosted
3 holiday parties attended
3 trips to Nashville
4 convos with out of town friends/family
4 bottles of wine shared with friends/family
5 meals shared with friends
7 date nights with the fella
8 boxes of contacts purchased before the year ended
8 student essays commented on and scored
10 December Daily pages made and shared
13 instagram photos shared
34 episodes of Californication viewed
countless hours spent listening to the John Mayer, classic Christmas, and Kanye West channels on      Pandora Radio
countless hours spent researching all things Parisian and practicing my French
countless hours spent sleeping late, daydreaming, and napping
countless texts and emails and social media updates

If you had time off for the holiday season, how did you spend it?  I hope you spent at least part of it just relaxing and recharging.  My to do list will always exist; sometimes it's important just to let yourself be in the moment with absolutely nothing you have to accomplish. That's definitely something I can say I managed to do over this break.

To do list

I've enjoyed this first week of Christmas break; oh, how I've enjoyed it. Staying up until 2 or 3 a.m. and sleeping in until 10 or so, watching lots of Netflix and Hulu and HBOgo, attending parties and such -- all of these things have been great. But the siren song of real life and responsibilities and goals has begun to wail in the corner of my consciousness. In recognition of that siren's song, here is my to-do list before I go back to school on the 5th.  I've learned that a to-do list means nothing without a good understanding of the time frame it'll take me to complete each goal, so I'm including those estimates here.

1.  Finish taking down decorations and store in the bonus room. (I have a good start to this at least - I predict 2 hours will finish it.)

2.  Finish my December Daily album. (I'm on day 11 now, so I'll need to work on it quite a bit more. Let's plan on 4 more sessions of 2 hours each just to be on the safe side.) (Update 1/3 - I'm on day 16 now. I 'might' be able to finish tomorrow afternoon; it's possible at least.)

3.  Organize closet and clean large guest room. Right now, it's a bit out of control where I rearranged all of my closets. When I got tired and didn't know where to put something, I put it in that room. As a result, the bed is covered in clothes a la 14 year old girls everywhere. Not a problem unless I have a guest who doesn't want to sleep in the tiny guest room, oh, and unless I want to live like an actual grown-up. (I estimate 2 hours and a bottle of wine will be needed to do this.) (Update 1/3 - I've started, but it's a much larger task than I anticipated.)

4. Clean/organize my desk space in my studio. I'm doing that tonight, actually. (It's probably a 2 hour job.) It's just gotten out of control from all of the various projects I've started and abandoned the past six weeks. Creativity is messy, you know.  Are you sensing a theme here?

5. Grade the 50 hero essays I've been avoiding for two months. (Realistically, this will take me at least 2 sessions of 3-4 hours each. At least I should be able to multi-task and watch/listen to tv at the same time.) I am the world's worst procrastinator and have totally done this to myself. That doesn't make it any easier though. Oh, how I dread this... (Update 1/3 - I've graded 8 of them. Unfortunately, this means my first couple of days back to school will be quite stressful.)

6.  Return items to Ross and Macy's. (Let's allot an hour for this task.) (Update 1/3 - not happening this week - I'll try again next weekend.)

7.  Set my goals and make plans for the coming year including choosing my One Little Word. For more on OLW, see what Ali Edwards has to say about the topic; it's her brainchild. (I predict this task will take 2 hours.)

8.  Sign up for an online class in something I want to try creatively - maybe urban sketching or hand lettering or something like that. (An hour should do it to register for this item.)

9.  Finish the rough draft of my novel. I'm at 47,000 words, but I think the final product will be around 60,000 words. (If I'm really on my game, I could probably finish that in 3 sessions of 2-3 hours each.) (Update 1/3 - unrealistic goal - I'm reassessing for the end of January.)

10.  Take/do a yoga class on Roku. I found a channel that has yoga options, and I'd like to try one. (A half hour should do it for that.) (Update 1/3 - still planning to do this tomorrow before heading back to work on Monday.)

As you can tell, I've got a lot on my to-do list to accomplish in the next 8 days. I might not accomplish everything, but it's good to aim high, right? If you have time off this week, what's on your list to do?

The 'ing List

The currently list for December 2014...

Listening to Uptown Funk, Don't, I'm Not the Only One, and Lips Are Movin'. Yes, I'm unashamedly a fan of pop music, so judge me if you will.

Reserving hotel and flights for my trip to Paris next summer. I just finalized the apartment I'm renting through Airbnb. If you're interested in using their service to either rent lodging for yourself or to list your lodging, please consider using me as a referral www.airbnb.com/c/tlowder1?s=8. (They have an incentive program for people who use their service.) I'm still working on flight arrangements and trying to decide if I'll stay for a month or six weeks.

Here's a pic of the sweet little studio I have reserved. It's a ground floor studio space with private bathroom and kitchen in a bustling neighborhood in Paris; I don't think it will be very touristy, so it should give me a rather authentic experience. I'm super excited about it, especially since there's room enough for some of my friends to come visit and stay with me if they'd like.

Shopping for just a handful of gifts to finish up my Christmas list. I need two "nice" Santa gifts (as opposed to dirty Santa), some goodies for the pups, and one more thing for the fella. I'm feeling pretty good about having it 90% finished. I should finish those things this weekend and be able to avoid the mall the week of Christmas.

Planning to wrap presents when I get home from work today. I dread it, but it must be done.

Figuring out an insurance nightmare involving the payroll department at my job and my fsa from 2013. I despise working with insurance companies; have I mentioned that?

Watching The Borgias right now. I'm on season 3 and am already dreading the end of the series. It's very well-done. so I'd recommend it as long as a bit of violence, sex, and language don't bother you terribly.  Even as a Catholic, I find the fictionalized tale of this infamous pope to be fantastic.

Thanking my lucky stars that I have two and a half weeks of no work coming up - time to recharge and renew and relax. Maybe I'll even get crafty. :)

Wearing lots of dresses and boots. Y'all prob already know that I prefer to wear dresses, and that's true even in the wintertime. Wearing boots with them means I don't usually have to bother with tights. (shudder!) Here are some dresses I love for your perusal...

I have several wrap dresses and absolutely love them. They're a great option for girls who tend to be curvy like me. The print on this one is fabulous.

Sheath dresses are a perennial favorite of mine too. I like this one with the unexpected color scarf. I have several print sheath dresses (wearing one now in fact), so I need to experiment with some different scarves to layer with them.

 How cute is this combination! I love the simple sheath dress with the oxford layered underneath and the statement necklace on top. I have these things, so I need to experiment with this too. Wouldn't something like this be perfect for early spring?

Cleaning out my little guest room that is currently filled with Christmas gifts and my large guest room that is currently filled with tons of clothes and shoes and stuff I generally don't know where else to put. With any luck, the little guest room will be finis tonight, so I'll only have the large guest room to work on over Christmas break. (And no, I won't be sharing pics of my mess with you...)

Trying to motivate myself to eat better and get some exercise. I've been a slug for much too long. I'm not going to deny myself here at the holidays, but I could get off my a** and move the old bod a little bit.

What are the -ing statuses of your life? Bye chickies!

This week's to-do list

Ever feel like your to-do list keeps growing? I mean, I'm at the point right now that my to-do list has become so large that I've stopped writing it down. Of course, the result is that absolutely nothing is getting done in my life. Except fun. I'm really good at getting fun done. And relaxing. If I could just fill my list with things like shower, eat, read, rest, watch tv, hang with friends, etc., I'd be able to check off every blasted item. Alas, there's much more to be done as you well know.

In the spirit of my to-do list, I thought I'd publicly 'out' my most pressing items to accomplish. That way, maybe I'll feel so guilty that I'll actually get them done. Sneaky, no? Here ya go, these are the 5 things I really want to accomplish in my personal life before next week...

1.  Change out closets for fall/winter season (yes, that's plural - don't judge, people)
2.  Clean out my car (it's not filled with stuff or anything; it's just dirty inside and out)
3.  Organize laundry room (hey, at least it's almost all clean laundry and not dirty)
4.  Drop off items at Goodwill (stacks of things in trunk and guest room, unrelated to closet #1)
5.  Clean out refrigerator (there's some scary stuff in there since I was on vacay for a week)

This reminds me of a bit that George Carlin used to do about 'stuff.' He'd say we buy boxes (stuff) so we have a place to store our stuff and then need bigger houses for our stuff in boxes and it goes on and on.  Note to self: maybe I need less stuff in order to manage it more effectively. Now, that's radical thinking...I'm not ready.

Notice I didn't put anything fun on my list. I have no trouble with the fun stuff; it's the mundane chores that apparently are tripping me up in life. Wonder which lovely item I'll tackle first...