Odds and ends from my stay in Paris. An ancient road. In and out of Versailles. Ghost towns. Medieval caves. A prime example of one of the many French cats whose paths I crossed, and — of course — wine. The photo of the baguette comes from an interview with a couple who’d turned their wine shop into a restaurant at night. I’m super excited to share more with you soon.

Delphine of Paradis Express treated us to a real French dinner at her home with all the fixings — including snails! — that was as magical as it sounds, and with her we explored gardens, caves, and ghost towns across the countryside. I also had a chance to meet another blogger I greatly admire — Haleigh of Making Magique, whom you can glimpse above as we poured over her fabulous book collection. She was kind enough to invite us into her beautiful home, which radiates her larger than life, exuberant personality throughout — such that I’m having trouble narrowing down those images in a reasonable fashion.

My biggest joys from the trip really come together near the end — through meeting Delphine and Haleigh, as well as a few other beautiful and warm-spirited French ladies. It was absolutely rejuvenating to be around such strong women; enthusiastic about life; mature, but also fearless, and free-spirited. It made me realize how much I have missed having humans like that in my life these past months while traveling, and how important it is to keep that kind of positive influence around you as much as possible. Life can be so empty without love, without people that encourage you, inspire you, even when just having a casual conversation over coffee or on a walk. I really want to spend this year seeking out those people.

I’ve always felt like January is this free pass — even though New Years is supposed to come with all these resolutions, in reality, we’re throwing a party and celebrating the fact that we even got through the past year. There’s no need to do anything different right away. Haven’t we gone through enough, getting to December 31st?  No need for pressure yet. As January ends, though, and the promise of spring becomes more solid, the new year also becomes more tangible. However, we still have a few days yet to just hibernate, and reflect.