Mes GRANDES Nouvelles: Fleur de St. Louis is going to France!

Here I am in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris this past summer, the day of my engagement to Tony.  ♥ Paris had my heart well before that trip, and now it is a city that means more to me than I ever imagined it could. 

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Just before the arrival of 2018, I posted 12 Dreams for Doing in the new year. Among them: making it back not only to Paris but to other parts of France, and trying a little solo travel. Today I am beyond thrilled to share mes GRANDES nouvelles, my big news, with you! As of a few weeks ago, these dreams have become my reality and I will be spending the 2018-2019 school year teaching English to primary students in the Académie de Amiens (a school district north of Paris). For me, the opportunity to join my passion for teaching with my passion for the French language and culture is truly a dream come true. 

Spending an extended period truly immersing myself in France has always been my dream, but the journey to arrive at this point began about three years ago when I started paying attention to my inner voice, honoring that my passion for all things French was more than a hobby on the side. It became important to me that I find ways to integrate my passion into my every days and I became very intentional about making that happen. Getting back into my studies of the French language at the Alliance Française de St. Louis was a start, followed by the creation of this blog and the decision to finish my degree en français.

I believe that if you follow your dreams, doors will open. It was because I chose to commence with these endeavors that I learned about TAPIF, a Teaching Assistant Program in France. This program would allow me to spend 7 months teaching English while living in France. My first thought: this sounds amazing, but could I really do this? And then I couldn't stop thinking about it. 

I casually mentioned it to Tony, and his immediate response was that this would be an incredible opportunity that he knew I would really enjoy. From that moment, he has been my biggest supporter and source of encouragement. To know that I get to marry someone who believes in my dreams as much as I do has made my heart so incredibly full. While this is something I am very much doing for myself, it is also an experience we are thrilled about as a couple. Tony will be visiting me in France several times (we already have one of his tickets!). We are so grateful for this opportunity to continue to travel the world together. He knows that when it is time to take a big leap towards his dreams, I will be right there by his side. We will be taking this year to chase dreams and travel, followed by our wedding in 2019. I can only imagine what the future holds for us.☺

I don't say bon voyage until September, and there are many preparations that will occur in the meantime. I will be sharing my journey to France and in France here on the blog if you are interested in following along! There is much more to come!

Warmest of wishes from me to you 

as I celebrate this next chapter of my journey,

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Le Bien Être: Finding Joy in the Present Moment

"Vous n'avez pas besoin d'attendre [un changement] pour ressentir dès maintenant une certaine couleur, une certaine version de ces émotions que vous recherchez."

- Clotilde Dusoulier 

I heard this quote yesterday on Change Ma Vie, an excellent podcast en français hosted by Clotilde Dusoulier. My translation:  You don't need to wait for a change to feel a certain color, a certain version of the emotions that you are looking for. I am currently waiting on something in my life. The anticipation is a beautiful thing, an exciting feeling. Yet in anticipating, I also find myself projecting forward often, thinking about how wonderful things will be when what I await finally arrives. I envision myself overwhelmed with feelings of excitement and contentment, overflowing with inspiration, rejuvenated and full of new energy. 

Clotilde's words reminded me that I don't have to wait for what "will be". "Will be" are words that describe the future, but I am right here, right now, in this present moment. It is possible to feel excitement, contentment, inspiration, rejuvenation, and energy NOW. They may not manifest exactly as I imagine them in my vision of the future, but they can exist today in their own color, their own version. 

As I sit here on this Friday evening, heading into a three day weekend that's kicking off with some quality girlfriend time, I feel content. I feel excited. Clotilde's podcast inspired me and that inspiration gave me a renewed sense of energy, a desire to get these thoughts down so that they might inspire you, too. I believe that if we pause to notice the joys in our every days (because sometimes for me noticing the not so joyful things seems to come more naturally...), we can see that in a way, we already have that which we seek. It may not look how we have pictured it in our minds eye, and we may need to reframe our thinking, but I bet you, in some form, it is there. 

None of this to say stop dreaming or anticipating. Not at all, and Clotilde does a beautiful job of making that clear as well. For me, it was just a lovely reminder that all we really have is the present moment, so why wait to cultivate a life you love living using what you have, where you are? 

You can listen to this episode of Change Ma Vie here. Not only is it an excellent way to integrate the French language into your daily life, the inspiration provided might very well change votre vie.

Warm wishes for a beautiful weekend from me to you,

Ça fait longtemps. It's been a while.

It's been nearly two weeks since my fingers have danced across these keys, and it is oh so nice to be back. I felt very prepared going into 2018. I had my word of the year picked out (more on this in a bit). I had my 12 dreams for doing decided. It's not that I've lost sight of those things, but more that I have been slower to settle into this new year than I originally envisioned. I don't know about you, but I fall into the category of people who hit January 1st and are ready to take the world by storm! This made it very difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that at the start of the year, I needed something very different. 

At first I couldn't put my finger on it, and I honestly felt a little bummed that I didn't feel the momentum that I wanted to feel. The more I sat with it and listened to the world around me, the more I realized that what I felt was completely normal. 

I was reading Modern Mrs. Darcy's 10 Things I Learned in 2017 post, and Anne put what I was going through into words better than I could myself: "I cannot function without a margin." The second half of 2017 was incredibly productive for me: I started teaching a new grade level, I started taking classes towards my degree en français, I got back into my art and tinkered with opening an Etsy store, I started this blog. I also had some amazing life changes - I got engaged!!! A lot of incredible things were going on. A lot. On the outside it may have looked like I was the girl who could do everything. Just as Anne discovered about herself, "it wasn't my favorite way to operate. I felt like a poorly calibrated machine, where the gears are jammed together too tightly for anything to actually move. It works, technically, but it's a grind." 

And this grind caused me to lose sight of the magic of it all. As Rebecca of Every Day Parisian recently wrote, "I am looking forward to finding the magic that was lost, once again." I put the Etsy shop on vacation, I chose to take one course instead of two, I stepped back from the blog for a moment, and I took time to enjoy my engagement. What felt like a loss of momentum was really a much needed reset. 

I turned 27 last Friday. I can't explain why, but the start of my 27th year seemed to mark a shift in my energy. Things feel less "jammed." I can think and see more clearly, and the start of this chapter feels most auspicious. I know there will be difficulties as I continue to journey through the various seasons of life, but I have become increasingly mindful of my need for space, that margin that Anne described. If I can make some very conscious decisions to avoid that grind, I believe I can find the balance I need to continue to cultivate my most contented life. 

On the note of creating space, I started this year with a one word theme, an idea inspired by Gretchen Rubin's Happier podcast. My word is the ultimate embodiment of space: F R E E .

The word itself evokes a feeling of spaciousness for me. Say it aloud. It just floats on indefinitely, creating a sense of openness. For me, F R E E represents many things:

*free of clutter (physical and mental)
*free of a jam packed schedule 
*free of anxiety and worry
*free to follow what calls to me/open to any opportunities that may arrive

I'm stepping into 27 restored, and I am giddy with excitement as I consider all of the wonderful possibilities. My growing vision for the blog is still taking shape, but I'm excited for the things I have in mind! 

How has your 2018 been so far? If you've picked a word of the year, I would love to know what word you chose in the comments below! 

It's so good to "see" you. 
Warm wishes from me to you,

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Le Bien Être: Noticing What Brings You Joy

Today on the blog I launch a new series: Le Bien Être. This will be a collection of posts surrounding all things wellness (and often times there will be a little French flair, bien sûr!).

I recently enjoyed an episode of the Simple Sophisticate podcast featuring francophile author Jamie Cat Callan and her latest book, Parisian Charm School. Though I have not read any of Jamie's books, I am familiar with her first book, Bonjour Happiness. After hearing Jamie's interview, I look forward diving in! 

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As I listened, I was particularly struck by Shannon and Jamie's conversation about happiness. They discussed the American idea that happiness is something to be pursued, a context that makes happiness seem just out of reach, something we must chase. Jamie explained that the French use another expression: chercher le bonheur. This means to seek happiness, suggesting that happiness already exists as long as you take the opportunities to notice it. I am always so fascinated by how these nuances in language can completely shift the way one sees the world. These are such similar concepts, yet expressed in different ways that demonstrate quite different mindsets. 

In the episode, Jamie shared some beautiful advice. She explained that we must release guilt when it comes to enjoying what we love, what makes us truly happy. Often we can have the sense that there is something "more important" we should be attending to, but Jamie reminds us that the things which bring us joy are not trivial, and we should pay close attention to these things. She talked about noticing activities and visual images in our every days that cause "a thrum in our hearts". I decided to spend this week taking extra notice of that which makes my heart thrum. Here are a few of my discoveries: 

*Clean, bright spaces
I am so inspired by Rebecca of Every Day Parisian's apartment. Click here for images. I have a hope of being free of clutter in 2018 (more to come on this in a future post) and spaces like these have me inspired to breathe new life into our space. 

*Reading my favorite blogs 
You can find a list of my favorite blogs here. This week I discovered Mode and the City and am loving the opportunity to read about things I am passionate about en français.

*Coffee shop time to read, write, and think

*Getting lost in a wonderful fiction story. Currently reading:

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*Surrounding myself with the French language 

I just started a 7-day free trial of the French bouquet through Sling. I watched a cooking show and already felt my vocabulary expanding!

*Le Yoga

After far too long away from the mat, I'm starting to get back into a regular yoga routine. The mental and physical benefits leave me feeling more equipped to bring my best to each day. 

What brings you true joy and makes your heart thrum? Try taking a week to pay these things a little extra attention, and then remember that nothing that brings you happiness is too trivial. Making space for these things in our every days is an important part of living lives we truly love. 

I would love to know about what makes your heart thrum in the comments below! 

Tomorrow I will be preparing for a trip to Chicago with Tony. This is an early celebration of mon anniversaire (January 19) and the weekend we have planned is packed with French flair. I will definitely share more here on the blog. :)

Have a wonderful rest of your week noticing that which brings you joy.

Warm wishes from me to you,