Getting Here

Most people that learn I am living in Paris for a year immediately say, "You are so lucky!" I am blessed.  No denying that.  But four years ago I felt more cursed than blessed.  We had just found out that my husband had stage 4 cancer.  He was just 52, and I was 46.  Our sons were in high school.  Our rug was not swept out from us, it was yanked -- hard.  Six months later he succumbed to the disease and we began the painful process of reshaping our lives without him.

A year later I started dating a Francophile. I had always loved images of France and dreamed of going there one day.  While we were dating Charlie took his 16th trip to France and I lived it through our FaceTime chats.  He proposed several months later and, no surprise, we honeymooned in Paris for three weeks.  That was my first taste; my appetizer.  

I wanted to see more of the country, the food, the fashion, the flea markets, the art, the ......  everything!   

Thankfully, I married a man that had the same idea.  He had lived in Paris previously for a year, and desperately wanted to again.  While we were dating he was living in Seattle, teaching classes on traveling to France, writing about France, and showing his photos of France at local bookstores -- in hopes of converting other Francophiles until he could see Her again.  

In June my youngest son graduated from high school, after being an exchange student in Grasse, France for a year.  And by then our plans were in place.  We decided we would have a different version of empty nest syndrome.  We would fly the coop!  

So on 14 September, 2014 we arrived in France.  We spent the first two weeks traveling around the countryside and settled in Paris one week ago.  Our home for the next 52 weeks.  

I created this blog to share some of my favorite things each week.  I welcome your comments and feedback and hope that France will move up on your bucket list.

Au revoir,

Mary