The Sweetness Of Life in Paris...: Bonne Année!!!

2011 has been one hell of a year for me!

For many of my friends and family, it hasn't been a good one...and I myself have had ups and downs, but overall...I will be sad to see 2011 leave. 2011 was a huge stepping stone for me as a young woman, I have discovered that I can do anything...as long as I put my mind to it. I have always heard that from my parents, but it just went in one ear and out the other. I have discovered that it is okay for me to by alone sometimes...not to always have to be surrounded by people every second of every day. I have discovered I can speak French, and it comes as naturally as English. I have discovered that I can live without many things that I "thought" were necessities. My KitchenAid Stand Mixer, my cozy bathrobe, electric toothbrush, 5 different pillows on my bed at one time, and frozen Eggo Multi-Grain waffles in the morning are all things I've somehow successfully learned to live without.

I can move to a country where I don't know a single soul, and come out triumphant with some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I can successfully cook using kilos and grams instead of cups and tablespoons. I learned to take awesome photos on my high-tech camera. And by golly, I can fix a broken pipe under my sink. Not to mention be the best au pair in the entire world.

I am looking forward to 2012 and what it will bring into my life. What I can share with you all as my days in France slowly come to and end....or do they? I'm still unsure what I will do come August, whether I will have found a job in the United States or France (or elsewhere)? What people I will meet, the new places I will go (still...feeding my wanderlust of course), and the fabulous things I will see. I have seen parts of the world I would have never had the opportunity to see if I hadn't taken the chance and I wouldn't change a single second.

So, bring it on 2012, bring me everything you've got because I'm ready!!!!!

A few highlights of 2011...