What happens when your plans change?

A couple have friends have commented to me recently that they've been missing this blog.

I admitted to them that I do, too.

But here's the truth: a few things have happened over the past year that have speedbumped me, in a way. And I've been bashful about bringing it here.

Last spring, I moved to Paris for three months with an idea to come back to States refreshed and reinvigorated about living in New York City. I hoped that a set of guidelines I created--dubbed "The Paris Plan"--would put me on the right path toward appreciating my own city again.

That plan didn't pan out as I'd hoped.

Instead, those 15 rules of mine--which included a 9th about "not forgetting the men"--managed to send me back to Paris again. And again. Also again. And will do again this summer. Because I played by my rules, and didn't ignore the guy thing, I met one. A French one, in fact. And now I am finding myself in Paris part-time.

It's weird and awesome. I am smiling a lot. And I don't want to go into the details, since it's a private/personal thing. (I knooooow. But you get it.) Yet I also don't want to avoid writing here, because if you follow me elsewhere--on Instagram, for instance--it's clear, but probably confusing, that I am not in New York all the time.

So I had to say something. Moving forward, I want to say even more--specifically about the challenges and opportunities I am finding shuttling between two countries. I've learned so much about myself and how to conduct my freelance business in the last year. I've become a better traveler. I am paring down the things I own to make space for flexibility. I beginning to learn French. I am learning to cook in a foreign kitchen. I'm just--learning. Open to things. Realizing there's more. In a great place. Or places, that is.

My goal is to be here on a more regular basis and to share a bit of what's up. So you start dropping by a bit more often, too, okay? And let me know if you're ever in NYC or Paris. We can grab a bite or a beverage--I've now got a few decent coffee shops and restaurants we can scope out in the City of Light, and I'll always know where to go in the City That Never Sleeps. Plus, if there's cocktails involved, maybe I'll even give you the dish on my dude. ;)

Hello, and now I'm living in Paris.

A few days ago, I moved to Paris. It's a temporary move -- just three months long -- but I have grand plans for my time here. I can't quite go into the "whys" just yet, but it has to do with writing projects and exploring the city and finding ways to make things happen. I'm sharing an apartment with Nichole Robertson of Obvious State and I am currently caught in a whirlwind of map-reading, idea-creating, language-interpreting, and butter-spreading.

Nothing could be better. Nothing at all.

I'll have lots of things to tell you about soon, but I wanted to share a few photos I took on my first walk around the neighborhood without Nichole as my guide. Truthfully, I got a little lost. But I'm finding that getting lost might be the best way to figure out where I really am.

Kerouac on the Menu Board

A quote by Jack Kerouac and my motto for the week.

And P.S. for you grammar nerds, I didn't have a comma to place after "bless," so let's pretend he used a serial comma in this one. Deal?

P.S.S. Why didn't my dang letter collection come with more than three commas? That's insanity.

Monday on the Menu Board

The menu board stayed quiet this Monday, as I've been traveling and finding a little inspiration elsewhere. (Such as in the middle of a "morning bun" at San Francisco's Tartine Bakery.) More to come. Hope it was a sugar-rush kind of Monday on your end!