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6.1.18. My last day in Paris. I spent the morning going for a run and then catching up on emails over a steak frites for 7 hours. After packing up, I met S and A for another burger drenched in special sauce at Le Castiglione. We walked over to the Ritz for a cocktail afterwards and ran into R and her family. Walking back to the hotel a $25 cocktail (yikes), I remembered the moment in 2011 when I was sitting in a church in Paris and thought I got a divine sign that I would move here. I still wonder if that will ever come true. Plenty of years to find out.

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5.31.18. We had a secret meeting in the morning with our DMI partners, then the last remaining souls took a long walk around Paris. We had reservations at Le Perchoir but found out it was closed, so we spilled over to Cicciolina next door. We eased our way through courses of apps, pizzas, pastas, cigs, and wine. We talked politics and small business and everything non-work. I'll remember the site of the guys, sitting back in wicker chairs with red wine in hand, laughing and chatting with the Paris streets behind them and P running around like a crazy lady.  

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5.30.18. X hosted us at my first 3 Star Michelin restaurant: Ledoyen. The people present were so incredibly impressive, not to mention ridiculously fun. It made me feel so lucky to be a part of my team.

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5.29.18. After being excluded from the opening remarks and happy hour, we peeled off and had dinner at Hotel Costes. The people watching was epic. There were three women sitting next to us with more plastic in their faces than should be legal. One had a bow on the top of her head and a chocker, and one looked like a visitor from Mars who hadn't had nourishment during the entire 10 year trip to Earth. Then when I was in the bathroom, a woman walked in wearing a bikini, a dress made of netting over the bikini, lips plumped until they were barely recognizable, and a Louis V purse with a black chihuahua in it. She walked into a stall as if nothing was out of the ordinary. I LOVE THIS PLACE.

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5.28.18. The first day of my first international meetings. We did store visits, listened to a great presentation from the DMI, and finished the evening with a fantastic dinner at Balagan. I really don't know how some of my teammates have the energy they do to keep going for hours of drinks and laughs and adventures, and still get up early for meetings. It's inspiring!

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5.27.18. What a happy Parisian reunion! We had two friends who met in Paris, two who met in Seattle, two who met in New York, and together the three of us had brunch at Le Barlu in the 19th. I met I's new little one and heard all about Parisian life from A. 

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5.26.18. After another lovely morning alone in Paris, I was joined by one of my besties for a 10 hour shopping and bistro pub crawl. We probably walked 5 miles, did a lot of damage on the credit cards, had several snacks and more than several wines, and finished the evening en terrace near the Place Vendome. Life is great.

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5.25.18. YES. Day 1 of my solo weekend in Paris. I arrived on the redeye and "checked into" my tiny studio Airbnb apartment in Le Marais. It is on the 6th floor of a tiny apartment building with big French windows overlooking a winding street and a centuries-old wall marking the edge of the city. I unpacked, showered, and set out for a walk down to this cafe. The last time I ate here was with the business school crew and N's father and stepmother. We were on a layover between DC and Amman, Jordan. We spent the afternoon with them, wandering the streets of Paris, eating cheese and drinking wine, and enjoying each other. I may make stopping at this little cafe a tradition for any future trip to this city. The wine and food is mediocre (Paris standards), but the memories are worth it. After a day of walking, eating, and relaxing, I fell sleep to the view of a thunderstorm rolling over the city and torrential downpours. The best summer night sounds.

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5.24.18. I took the day off to pack for my upcoming trip to Paris and Venice. I had lunch with an entrepreneur who owns her own shoe company, and she shared this book that I devoured in the first few hours of receiving. It opened my eyes to the entrepreneurial opportunities that I can take without leaving my job. Actually, the book goes into all the ways these opportunities would enhance my ability to do my current job! What a great recommendation.

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5.23.18. A was in town for work and had one of our first sans-kids dinner in a long time. We split a few dishes at the Waverly Inn ("Waverly Inn - worst food in city" - Donald Trump). She'd never been before and was jealous that M, mom, and I ate there a few months back. It's nights like this that remind me of how much I love NYC.

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5.22.18. That feeling you have when you remember it's Taco Tuesday at Tacombi.

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5.21.18. This trash can panda was waiting for me when I drove my car back to M&M's garage in Jersey City. He was quite bold, clearly wanted nothing more than to relax, and was debatably rabid. Go Jersey!

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5.20.18. Bedtime is such a sweet and fun time with these two. L has become obsessed with books, and she's finally not terrified of me. She falls asleep with 2-3 books in her bed so she can read by herself after everyone leaves. J is getting so curious and now knows more about volcanos and the state capitals than I do. Not that I knew a lot to begin with, but he definitely got his memory from A the fact queen. He knows Mt Fuji is an active volcano in Japan, that Krakatoa is in Indonesia, that Alaska has lots of volcanos, and that Cacky lived near Rainier for several years ("Cacky, WHY would you live next to a volcano??"). I can't wait to meet their little brother (Bernardo!). How can he be better than these two?

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5.19.18. I did a day trip to the Eastern Shore to honor Bernadette's dad. She gave a gorgeous eulogy, personal and funny. I loved getting to know her dad a little bit better. On the way home, I took a pit stop at his favorite fast food joint - DQ! 

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5.18.18. We surprised some of our best customers with a gorgeous meal at Daniel on the upper east side. It was a welcome break from the office to spend an afternoon talking to people about why they love our brand and how we can serve them better. Restaurant #27: Daniel.

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5.17.18. N and her little one, just enjoying a New York summer night and our first weekly Happy Hour in which, as predicted, we were the only ones attending. Restaurant #26: Quarter.

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5.16.18. In another part of the country, in a place so familiar to me and with people so familiar to me from a different place, a few of my favorite people have brunch. 

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5.15.18. Back in NYC, the storm clouds be rollin' in.

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5.14.18. Being at Camp with my niece and nephew has made me so aware of all my family's generations, existing like transparent layers over shared spaces, living the same moments of discovery as so many people before did and after us will. It's helped to remind me of the tether that still ties me to Virginia and my childhood and my people and our community that I often forget about living on my own in New York City. It also makes me wonder when I'll want to come back to these places for good, knowing the happiness they bring me and how, at J's age, they were all I knew and they were enough. Restaurant #25: Amber Sushi (a girls night out with R and M)

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5.13.18. We spent the night at Camp, played games in the creek, taught J how to make paint out of crushed rocks, walked to the graveyard (didn't make it), and had a who-can-wear-the-craziest-hat challenge. This kid makes me so happy.

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5.12.18. On the way down to Camp, we took L and J to the Apple Store so they could have their first cinnamon apple donut. The biggest difference between when we visited as kids and when J & L visited is the existence of Instagram filters.

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5.11.18. As soon as the bag came out, Jenny decided it was time to go. She doesn't even know that she's about to have the time of her life at Camp!