Paris: "You look dead."

Goodness, it's nice to be back in my routine! This past month has been a whirlwind... a mix of family, friends, exhaustion, too much food and wine, too little cash-flow and budgeting, and a whole lot of learning and gratitude for all of the moments I'll never forget with those dear to me.

Here's a recap: Mid-December, my sister, Lindsey, came to stay with me for a nine days. Once she left, I took a train to Hampshire and London to celebrate Christmas with my close friend, Kim, and her family. After returning to Paris, I worked a week full-time with all three boys (Lord, please give me at least one daughter someday), then celebrated the New Year at the base of Le Tour Eiffel with my friend, Stephanie. And to top it all off, one of my best friends, Kathryn, visited me for a week.

Some of my favorite memories:
-Lighting candles in le Cathédrale de Notre Dame with both Lindsey and Kathryn.
-Discovering that my sister and I saying "I love you more than I hate you" to each other fits us perfectly.
-Preparing Christmas Day meal with Kim; it reminded me so much of being home in the kitchen with ma mère (my mom)!
-Developing an English appreciation for toasted crumpets with Marmite and butter.
-Running through Le Marais in the pouring rain with Kathryn to have un goût (a taste) of Jacques Génin's made-to-order millefeuille.
-Receiving several heartfelt letters that Kathryn brought me from my thoughtful and loving friends back in the States.

And lastly, quotes by those I know will never give up on me:

"If you never get married, we want you to have a comfortable standard of living. Just something to think about." -Mom

"You look tired. There is blue all there." *points to my under eye circles* -Dimitri, age 8

"What if you become a lesbian in Paris?" -Kathryn

"Wow, you look dead." -Elvire, my host mom.

These are my favorite pictures from this past month. If you'd like to see more, request to follow my Instagram account, @laurenwindham.