Currently: June 2022

I missed my currently update in May. I had it all written in my mind, but sitting down to write it just didn’t happen. May was busy with end of the year ceremonies, a whirlwind work trip to Houston, a visit from my brother in law over Memorial Day weekend, and ended with me holed up in a hotel for a few days trying to prepare my presentation for next year. It was a good month, albeit a fast one.

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Travel Planning:

I’m headed to Paris for my weeklong pastry class in exactly a week! I will be revisiting some of my favorite Paris restaurants and making all the French pastries. (We’re also trying a new boutique hotel!)

I’m hoping that Hotel Dress Code in Paris is amazing. It’s a great location and an AMAZING price. We always to try have a couple of hotel options everywhere we stay, so when it makes sense, we like to try new places. I’m always a little bit nervous (I’m a creature of habit), but I’m hoping for the best! I’m also hoping that everyone is just as kind and as welcoming as they were last time I took a pastry class! I need to brush up on my French! (First day of school jitters are real no matter how old you are!)

After pastry school, we will slow down and spend a few days on the Alsace wine route, too. We will be staying at a winery hotel in a new village, so I’ll be updating my post on where to stay in Alsace, too.

I am very excited about all of this. I am hoping to put an out of office on my email for the first time in my career.

Journey of Doing - Click here for a non-sponsored review of one girl's experience taking a full day pastry basics class at the Ritz Escoffier at the famous Ritz Paris! — *Just a reminder of what I made last time I took a pastry class in Paris!*

Journey of Doing - Ritz Paris Marble Cake — *This iconic marble cake is just one of the things I’m going to learn how to make next week!*

Journey of Doing - wine tasting in Colmar — *Also from our trip to Colmar at Christmas… and we’ll probably be making another stop at this winery while we are in the area!*

Journey of Doing - Christmas in Colmar — *Sharing photos of Christmas in Colmar because I just edited them this week… and as a sneak peek to the Alsace, though we aren’t staying in Colmar this time!*

Eating:

I’ve been getting back into fasting this month. It’s been so hot lately that I just don’t want to eat most days. I made my pasta Bolognese a couple times at the start of the month, and it was a nice and easy meal that actually wasn’t too heavy. Yesterday, I had lunch with a friend and we headed over to Snappy Salads. It was really refreshing and made me wonder why I’m not prepping more salads for the week at home. That might be my MO this week. (If you need inspiration , I had a spinach salad with carrots, apples, strawberries, grapes, black olives, and chicken – tossed in balsamic vinegar. The olives provided a little bit of salt, and it was surprisingly very tasty.)

Journey of Doing - Giovanni Pulze Venezia Angel

Loving:

All the art in our house! After buying our first Giovanni Pulze painting in March (after 7 long years of waiting for it!), Tom loved it so much that we purchased two more for the living room. They have really added to the space and made it feel more complete. The detail is just stunning and it feels as if you could walk into the paintings.

I was a line leader for graduation at one of our schools earlier this month! One, it is REALLY nice to see in-person graduations again. I was very emotional when I saw how proud of our students our families were. Two, it was such a privilege to be on the floor with students. In 11 years, this is the first time I have been invited to do that. There is such an energy that comes with spending that time with students right before they embark upon their next steps. It was a long day, and it was a hot day, but being a part of that moment was truly extra special. I’ll spare you the regalia photos. It was over 100 degrees that day and we were in a tunnel with 476 students. It was hot. Full stop.

Journey of Doing - Currently - June 2022 — *After graduation, still 100 degrees, with one of the best teachers ever… who is leaving us to go home to CA. Trying not to think about that today though.*

Moving:

I went to pilates twice last week, and I attended a stretch class at the recommendation of the instructor. Pilates was challenging but not impossible. I’m really proud of myself to be quite honest. I had a couple of moments on our last trip where I realized how much flexibility I’ve lost in my hip. It made me very nervous, and I’ve wanted to work on that. I’ve also been dealing with a lot more pain without a plan on how to deal with it. One thing I read suggested that you should mix up what you’re doing, just to give your brain a change of pace… so pilates it is! (It’s also just been far too hot to walk this month.) I’m going to try and go to pilates 2-3 times this week before we go to Paris as well. When we get back, I’ll re-evaluate my game plan.

Wearing:

Hill House nap dresses around the house all the time. (Save 20% on your Hill House Home order!!) Personally, I love the Ellie. I am wearing everything I bought last summer, but if I was purchasing an update, I’d buy the Elizabeth for summer. Beyond that, I bought these really amazing chambray shorts during the winter sales, and I love them. I bought the last pair, and I’m hoping that I can find another pair on a secondhand site. (They very nearly saved me when my luggage was lost on my Houston trip because they looked chic enough to be relatively professional.)

I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to take to Paris for pastry school. I definitely need to find some good shoes for standing all day. I spent a day in April trying to find a pair of low profile sneakers, which ended up being largely futile. Maybe I’ll try again this weekend.