This Will Be A Problem.

I'll be a five-minute walk to A l'Etoile d'Or. With these just waiting for me. A very good problem, indeed.

Source.

And So It Begins...

The official countdown is on! Thirty days to go.

During the countdown, I thought it would be fun to share some of the unusual sites I plan on visiting while in Paris. These are really off-the-beaten-path places that I'm really excited to see, places that tourists don't normally go.

One of the first buildings I want to see is Le Grande Arche. Part of La Defense in the Western Suburbs of Paris, Le Grande Arche is so big, Notre Dame can fit inside, it also creates its own atmosphere.

You can read more about Le Grande Arche here.

Support

The closer this journey comes, the more support I find.

And I'm simply amazed.

In the past two days, I've had emails flying back and forth from Paris to Cleveland, Cleveland to Paris, welcoming me to the City of Light, from people I've never met, people I may never meet, strangers more than happy to help.

I couldn't do this without this network of friends.

So thank you, Jim, Valerie, David, Denise, Michael, Gregg, Xian, Marlin, Melissa, Christopher, Jeff, Dallas, Jen, Beth, Lecia, Stephanie, Brit-Brit, Robin, Ben, Susan, Kurt, Will, Michael, Brian, Michael S., Doug, Nancy, Carol, Joe, Mary, Keith, Robin, Dennis, Bill, MaryLou, Danielle, Scott, Tim, Terry, Nikki, Dave, Ashley, Ali, Scott, Adam, Amy, Lawrence, Michelle, Holly, Michael, Terri, Tara, Mo, Bill, Randy and so many others who have supported this craziness from the beginning.

I couldn't do it without you.

Thank you.

Doubts

Since deciding to take this journey, I've occasionally had my doubts about this decision. On the surface, it is a fairly crazy thing to do.

Take a month off work, sans pay, go to a country where I really don't speak the language, I don't know anyone, and haven't been there for 20 years. What am I thinking? But the Metro is easy, I remember. And the food is a world unto itself. And, hey, this will be fun!

But today, I was overwhelmed with doubts. Some were the same I've had for months, the "what if's" of this adventure...what if I get bored (not very likely), what if I run out of money (as long as I stay away from Chanel and Dior and Louis Vuitton, I'll be okay), what the heck am I going to do at night (I'm pretty sure I'll find something to do). What if? What if?

Today was different. Today I had the big doubts. WTF am I doing? Is this really the right thing to do? I even considered postponing or cancelling altogether.

And then, the postman appeared at my door. At my door. Not at the mailbox. He didn't drop and run. He rang the bell and handed me an envelope, saying it was for "Miss Lisa" (ha! love that!). The photo is what was in the envelope.

I'm still going!

Bonne Année, 2010!

First lesson of 2010, how to navigate luggage across many, many steps!

The Journey Begins

In three months and 16 days, the journey of my life begins!

Through all the researching in finding the apartment, the plans, preparations, the saving, there is still much to do! I've made lists of lists of things that must be done...from what to pack (I've created a Paris closet!), equipment to take (laptop, camera, phone, don't forget the flat iron), how to get that equipment to work (convertor/adaptor, adaptor/convertor, both, it' still on the list), preparing the house, and of course, the boys.

It's Sherlock and Watson that are creating the most anxiety for me. Although they will be in very good hands, I know I will worry about them constantly.

This is my apartment in Paris. This is where I will be home for Spring 2010!