I must have flowers, always, and always

When I came to Paris for the first time in 2000, I fell in love with the city. Between the croissants at breakfast, the trip to Versailles and all the flower shops we passed I was in heaven. Before the end of the trip, my mom bought me a bouquet of roses. One rose safely made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean. I still have that dried Parisian rose in NY with a little note written by my 10 year old self that reads: "Mommy bought me roses in Paris." Upon my return to NY I couldn't get Paris out of my head. I loved Paris so much, I told my parents, "when I grow up I want to move to Paris and be an artist." As soon as I came to the realization that my artistic skills were not going to get me anywhere, I dropped the artist idea and with it Paris. Little did I know that I would actually fulfill my dream of "growing up and moving to Paris."

My handwritten note and French Rose

A lot has changed in Paris over the years, but a lot as stayed the same. The architecture is absolutely beautiful and even with globalization the Parisian feel is still very much there, with specialty food stores, crêperies and cafes at every corner. When I was here in 2000, we went to the same cafe every morning for breakfast and by the end of the week the waiters knew exactly what I would order. It was before my coffee drinking days but I loved the foam on my parent's cappuccinos so the cafe started making me a cup of steamed milk/foam every morning! Today, my boulangerie is beginning to recognize me as a local. I can say this with confidence as the other day when I asked for a baguette they gave me one fresh out of the oven rather than one that was a few hours old, which is a HUGE deal. I'm pretty sure the majority of the things that captivated me then still do today, with the addition of coffee, wine, cheese and champagne. However, the thing that stands out the most from my first trip and still always catch my attention today are the beautiful flowers!

My favorite, I want them

Flower shops are located all over Paris. Unlike the states, flower shops are not few and far between, and you do not order your flowers online or buy them at your local grocery store. Here, you have flower shops in every neighborhood. Each arrangement is more beautiful than the next making it quite difficult to choose a favorite. The best part is, I can gaze at the flowers almost everyday. With any stroll I am almost guaranteed to stumble upon flower shop and their beautiful arrangements, as the florists set up a selection of their arrangements outside their shops every morning.

Floral Arrangement

A popular arrangement seems to be a petit bouquet. It usually consists of a handful of flowers arranged in a small silver bucket. They are so simple and beautiful.

Four different petite bouquets

The flowers are always in pristine condition and the colors are so vibrant they pop. On a rainy and grey winter day, they always have the ability to brighten the moment. I can't pass a flower shop and not slow down, even if just for a moment. It's amazing how something so simple, can be so beautiful.

Beautiful roses

Title quote: Claude Monet

There's no place like home for the Holidays

After my successful OFII appointment on December 23, I was able to go home for the Holidays. The time leading up to the appointment was a tad stressful as I couldn't go back to the states until my passport was stamped. On December 23 at 7:45 (45 minutes prior to my appointment which was the first time slot) I arrived at OFII. I was the second to arrive and was so glad that I arrived early, as we approached the 830 opening the line snaked around the block! While waiting, I met another American in the same position as me, but her flight was that day! At exactly 830 they let us in and the appointment began. One hour and one painless and successful doctor's appointment later I was all set to go!

On the morning of Christmas Eve I got up early and headed to CDG airport for my flight home. The weather channel and air lines were all predicting delays and cancellations from European airports due to bad weather. The rain and wind were picking up right before my flight, but luckily my flight was early enough that we were only delayed 30 minutes! I landed safely in NY a little before 2pm.

Curled up by the fireplace

After driving home and picking up some coffee I quickly got ready for Christmas Eve dinner with my dad's family. I thought I would be exhausted, but I surprisingly wasn't due to the festive Christmas mood. After dinner, Santa joined us for our gift exchange. Since some of my cousins have kids, Santa was a little tamer than usual this year. The kids are at the age where Santa is quite terrifying so there were a few tears and freak outs, but overall it was a success. When gifts and dessert were over, my parents, brother, sister-in-law and I headed back home and I crashed around 10!

Christmas day I was up at 4:30 due to jet lag and felt like a child waiting for it to be an appropriate time to go downstairs. James and Teresa were coming over on the earlier side to open gifts, so luckily I didn't have to wait that long. :) We all enjoyed breakfast together and then sat around the fire handing out gifts. In the afternoon we spent Christmas Day with Teresa's family at her parents' house.

The rest of my time home flew by! However, I was lucky enough to be able to see my home and college friends and spend time with my family. I also spent some quality time bonding with Baloo! He is such a good puppy and James and Teresa have done a great job with him. He is the cutest little thing and such a love bug.

What a cutie

I arrived back in Paris on Sunday and was able to meet up with my cousin Katie and her husband Amit who were in town for a few days! We met up for drinks on Sunday and then again on New Years Eve! New Years Eve we met on the lock bridge behind Notre Dame, so that they could place their lock on the bridge. After, we headed to Bastille for a lovely dinner and to ring in the New Year. The night was filled with good food, fine wine and amazing company! It was so good spending time with them here in my new home and be able to share a little part of my life in Paris with them.

Lock on the bridge

One of the appetizers we ordered was Foie Gras, which I have never had and thought that I never would have. If someone told me I would try it, I would never in a million years believe them. However, as they say, "When in Rome," right!? So, I decided to go for it. I was then handed a piece of toast with some Foie Gras and fig jelly and there was no turning back. I nervously ate it, and guess what? It wasn't bad! It actually didn't have a real distinct taste but maybe the toast and fig helped mute it. I'm not saying that I would order it the next time it's on the menu, but I won't rule out trying it again.

2013 has been an amazing year. I got my masters in Switzerland and moved to France. I have met lifelong friends throughout my journey who have helped me get to where I am today. Most importantly, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish everything without my family's support and cannot thank them enough. Here's to another amazing year! Now, after the holidays, it's back to work, learning French and exploring this beautiful city!

Lock bridge behind Notre Dame