Sledding!!

Maggie, Jenna and I went sledding on the most perfect snowy day.

Listen to Happy Christmas from Daniel Radcliffe

Christmas Holiday

Here are a few photos from a family outing. I love these people.

More to come soon...

-M

Things I've learned about travel:

1. Bad idea to bring Les Mis as your reading book. Duh.

2. 8 hour layovers are kind of terrible

3. Travel makes me emotional. Too emotional for anyone to ever see. Or receive telephone calls from.

4. First class is the only way to fly {more on that later}. Seriously.

5. I hate the actual travel part, I only like the arriving part.

6. Handi-wipes. I can't handle germs. Germs germs germs. Ughhh

7. Stand-by is full of stress. Stress. Full.

8. Chocolate. It's the answer to all of life's problems. Always.

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

My Christmas shopping is done, my bags are packed {sort of}, I've checked in for my flight online, and now all I have to do is fly home!

Wow wow wow! I can't believe it's here already. I am more than excited to see my family and friends. I've missed them, but I admit that I am quite sad to leave Paris. For those of you who've seen Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone {that better be all of you}, I feel like Harry when he is getting on the train leaving Hogwarts.

Hermione: Feels strange to be going home, doesn't it?

Harry: I'm not going home. Not really.

I definitely feel like France is my home. I can't wait to be with my family, but I will be very happy to come back to France. Je l'adore!

I had the most lovely last-day-in-France-until-I-come-back-in-the-new-year day today. The sun was shining and I couldn't help but feel utterly happy. I went shopping down the Champs Élysées {yeah. That's just my life right now. So cool.}, ate a gauffre {waffle} at the Christmas market, had my first macaroons {unimpressed} and hung out at Tuileries for a bit and soaked up the winter sun. It was perfection.

Today was a shopping day dedicated for my father {aka the most difficult person in the world to shop for}. I spent most of my time in the men's section and as a result I met a new friend! I was looking at some shirts and this guy came up to me and asked me about mixing colors and patterns. Um. He obviously couldn't see my outfit under my winter coat, otherwise I'm sure he wouldn't have asked. Anyway we started talking and he invited me to go to a café with him but I was still shopping so I think we'll meet up in the new year. It's fun to meet new people/friends. Plus, it's nice to have human interaction with people other than 8 year old French children and Mischka. While we were talking he found out that I was from Utah and the usual "oh there are a lot of Mormons there, right?" quickly followed. He said he'd met some missionaries in Canada and they were very kind to him and just happy. Isn't that great?

Well reader, I'm off to America in less than 24 hours. I'm quite excited. I just hope I make my flights. Also, here are some more pictures of me...eating.

-M

CHOCOLATE at the Christmas Market. Oh I love it.

I hope you appreciate that I mixed it up a little this time. Note the open mouthed smile.

SUN!

Macaroons from Angelina's. Disappointed.

I can hear you!

I love MC.

She's wonderfully helpful and sweet and I'm grateful for her. But, it's getting a touch old to hear her conversations about me. Obviously she doesn't realize how much French I understand.

Ughhhh.

New Favorite

Snow?

It snowed the other day and it was like the end of the world here. Traffic for hours, people left their cars in the street and went into cafés, endless, endless honking, and news programs of this debilitating snow storm.

Yeah. This is was a major issue for everyone. One of my teachers told me I might as well stay inside because the roads were so terrible and it just wasn't worth it.

Thank you Utah, for preparing me.

-M

Je Suis en Amour!

Christmas! Christmas! CHRISTMAS!!

Today I decided to go a-touristing in Paris to see some of the Christmas delights. I went past Hôtel de Ville where they set up a skating rink and then I headed to Notre Dame which has a large tree in front of it and met a new friend! It was a perfect Parisian day.

Hôtel de Ville and the skating rink. You can't tell in this picture, but the building had sparkling lights all over it. Magic.

Christmas tree in front of Notre Dame. It was quite lovely.

Such an awkward tourist pose

After many attempts to take a photo of myself in front of Notre Dame {with no luck}, a kind Parisian man offered to take one for me. The above picture is the result. We started talking and he asked me to coffee. I quickly ran through possible plots to get me into an alleyway to kill me, but I decided I was fine and I agreed to some hot chocolate. We found a cozy little cafe just around the corner and I had a lovely cup of chocolate chaud. Our conversation was half-French, half-English which was really interesting and quite entertaining. I'm realizing that there are some ideas that you just can't express in English, and that French is the only way to get a certain point across. It is the most beautiful language to me and I love speaking it more and more each day. After finishing at the café we headed back towards Hôtel de Ville where he headed off to class and I went shopping. He invited me to attend his class with him but I passed {Solar energy? Yikes}. I think I am going to join him another time though. How cool to attend a college class in French? Okay, I take French classes at BYU, but to be with French students in a French University is pretty exciting to me.

Oh reader, I'm in love with Paris. In fact, I'm somewhat sad to leave for home in a few days. I know I am coming back, but it is still difficult to go. France is home and my heart is here. I wish I could more eloquently express the beauty and wonder of Paris, but I hope you can get see just a touch of how utterly perfect it is through my blog. Walking down cobblestone side-streets and smelling crepes or waffles being made on little street carts, sitting in a café with a radiator at your back watching the world pass by or seeing the Eiffel Tower in the distance is something one must experience. My heart feels such happiness here and I just don't know how I'll be able to leave in 7 months.

Also, I had some man in the metro tell me I was very beautiful, and I found out one of my students has a crush on me. Hello, why would't I love it here?

-M

Bon Appetit!

This blog should just be about food because every post I tell you what I eat.

A while ago I posted about chocolate bread being my new favorite thing about France {croissant with chocolate in it}. Yesterday I had some chocolate bread just out of the oven. I just. I can't even tell you.

This is chocolate bread. AHH!

Last time I was in Paris with Jenna we discovered hotdog baguettes. Yeah. I had forgotten about them until a few days ago. This face was the result of this rediscovery.

Emily, who was here on study abroad, left for the U.S. on Saturday. I will definitely miss that girl. This was from her last night in Paris.

Bon voyage mon amie!

Although Paris is absolutely beautiful, especially now with Christmas decorations and such, I get to go to the most wonderful place in 10 days! Oh how I've missed my mountains! And my family. And not having to use public transportation.

See you soon Utah!

-M

Merry Christmas to Me!

I went Christmas shopping today and bought this,

for myself.

It's beautiful and I adore it. I was supposed to be shopping for my loved ones but after this purchase I hope they'll settle for looking at this sac à main as their present.

Merry Christmas family!