(yes, ask … without expectations)

Driving home from golf last week, my husband asked: “Do you need me to get anything on the way home?”

“No,” I said, then wistfully added, “Wait, yes! A ticket to Paris.” 🤣

“What?”

i said a ticket to paris

You asked, and that’s what I want.”

“Well, why don’t we plan to go to Paris next year for our 10-year anniversary?”

🫨 “Really?” I figured I’d go alone because I was absolutely done asking anyone (except our daughter-in-law) to go with me. There are many places I’d like to visit, some I have dreamed of since I was a young girl. Dreams of if someday. Actually, of quizás algún día. Yes, I can go, get myself anywhere around the world, have done it before, but

paris is different

I don’t care to go alone but could and would. When I traveled before, it was for work-stretched-to-pleasure trips. I’d go a day or two ahead of scheduled work, save the company money by not flying on a weekend, and stay a day or two after. Either or. Sometimes both. Never had the opportunity to work in France; other colleagues did.

Now, savvier and with more je ne sais quoi 😉 than in my early 30s, it will be magnificent—all of my travel was magnificent, but this may be special. Think it’s the (can’t bring myself to say it, so I won’t) experience I have gained living this everything-under-the-sun life.

planning to go to paris

preferably in mid-March 2024, though if later in the year is better, then later it’ll be.❣️ So essited! Oh! During the phone convo, my husband talked about French bread, and I commented on croissants. He said: “Croissants are French?” I thought, dude! you don’t even deserve to go to Paris! But said nothing. Was he pulling my leg? 🤨

so i get to

a) brush up on my French,   b) figure out whether to carefully choose a few articles of clothing or bring none and shop there,   c) do a little reconnaître, non? There are tons of books and sites with What To Do, but I want to make my own itinerary, thank you very much. I hadn’t told anyone except the lady at the Chanel counter.

don’t laugh!

She was thrilled for me! She told me recently (I think my husband was with me that day, which is rare) about her trip to Paris and to Chanel on 31 Rue Cambon because she is a Chanel saleswoman — or whatever they’re called; I doubt it’s mademoiselles, but what do I know?

Yesterday, I mentioned how cool it would be to go to the Chanel store on 31 Rue Cambon, and he said:

“We’re not going to the Chanel store!”

“Correct, we are not.

You will go to a boulangerie and eat bread, maybe get acquainted with croissants, while I go see the house that Mademoiselle built.”

and that’s that

🤯There is an Emojipedia! Wanted to double-check the 🫨 emoji and not make a faux pas (French not intended! =). Pardon so many emos — just trying to visually convey my emotions.