Pourquoi Pas?

Why not dress up to be different today darlings?

Channel your inner Gaga and go crazy releasing your wild child?

Besides rules are meant to be broken right?

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How will you dare to be different?

Travel Confession #15

I love the beauty of a traveling romance, whether it is a fleeting memory stored with a spark in your heart or a long term love that no amount of miles can separate, they give life zest and butterflies, and something to write to your diary about.

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Meeting people on the road is already exciting enough so when you add a little flame into the equation its easy to feel like you are starring in your own Chic Flic. You get to see the side of a city you never considered, and that place will forever be touched with your fond memories of foot popping kisses and moonlit walks hand in hand.

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Of course then when the trip is over you are left with your those memories that play likes reels on repeat constantly in your brain. They are the reason you are left smiling in the middle of a board meeting while you are daydreaming, or the reason you didn't notice the light turn from red to green. No one else may understand, but you were bitten by the travel romance bug and now no airplane will ever feel the same...

Are your airplanes shooting stars mes cheries?

Recapturing Fulfillment

Yesterday was a moving day for me. After a year of being in France, I have missed being in an environment where I could feel something more than skin deep. A community where I can feel included to believe in the one thing that I believe in most of all without having to defend myself for it. Even more than that, I have missed the feeling that my spirit is alive and full and about to burst with untainted joy and peace. It is really something hard to put into words; one of those things you only understand if you have taken the time to explore your spiritual level and nurture your soul.

Faith is a funny thing; it is something we all have, yet it is a word that can make people nervous. You have faith in opportunity that the perfect job will come along, faith in your man to take care of your heart, and faith in yourself to overcome all things that may alter your plans, but to have faith in a higher being; that is iffy. Why? Personally for me, having faith in God was never the problem, because no matter what problems have befallen me, He has cleaned them up and pulled me through. Now you most certainly can chalk that up to dumb luck or fate and I wouldn't blame you for it, why not? Except inside my soul, deep down in my gut I have this feeling; this undeniable truth that I cannot avoid.

Just like being in love is hard to pin down in words. You can have a range of emotions, and rant on and on about how that person makes you feel like you can fly, but love itself is pretty ineffable. That is what faith is to me, something crucial, necessary to my existence, but hard to always eloquently express. But regardless of how intangible it is, it will always be like my wind, impossible to have proof by sight but I can see its effects on everything around me and can feel its assured presence on my skin.

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Try a cup of faith today mes cheries.

Fashionspiration: Hollywood's Rebel

James Dean by fashiondiva304 featuring True Religion jeans

Top Jens White by Soaked in Luxury, 20 EUR
Moto asymmetric leather jacket, $298
True Religion Jeans Johnny Super T Blue, 389 EUR
Folded leather boots, $384
La Mer Collections Silver Round Watch in Gold Sparkle, $88
ASOS Premium Pearl Detail Leather Fingerless Gloves, $42
Ray-Ban Original Aviator Sunglasses | Official Ray-Ban Site, $109
James Dean
James Dean Hollywood Walk of Fame Star
james dean 2
james dean1

Pourquoi Pas?

Why not fall in love in a foreign country mes cheries?

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Book your ticket and move to another land, explore the monuments,

taste the cuisine, and find yourself a handsome prince.

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Stroll hand in hand together and throw caution to the wind.

Fall in love and never look back.

Allow yourself to open up and live the life of your dreams.

I may have been fortunate enough to have this experience recently and I am still on Cloud 9 from my blessing from France. That's the thing about life, out of nowhere it surprises you with the last thing you were expecting. Suddenly your world is upside down and Technicolor and you cannot imagine how you lived in such black & white before. These are the moments I live for.

Have you ever had a fairytale love

you could pin on a map?

Au Revoir France

Well I have made it, and I can't believe it has been a year. Living abroad has been the craziest roller coaster of emotions and experiences I have ever packed into one time period. I have stretched my soul past boundaries of comfort and learned to be an ever present outsider.

Living only in your home country, you take for granted the ability to express yourself and feel intelligent. You don't even realize the comfort you have that no matter where in your country you travel you have an immediate sense of community; an eternal sense of camaraderie. As you throw yourself into a different nation you suddenly don't get the jokes, you don't understand the culture's mentality, and in my case can barely speak the language. But let me tell you how rewarding it feels to complete a personal goal of this magnitude. I can speak French and its incredible and it still makes me smile thinking about it. I love being able to carry on conversations with strangers and switch between English and French with no thought. This year has been without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever done, but I am stronger now that I have reached the other side.

France is a special place. I have loved it and hated it here, and pushed myself to be a more open minded, courageous person. The ability to travel at the drop of a hat is a dream come true and I have seen 6 new countries this year because of it. Trying to understand a culture that feels so alien to me has been very hard. I have expanded my palette to an array of new cuisine, some indescribably good, and some that still ties my stomach in knots. I will miss the smell of fresh bread from the millions of bakeries that rest in every town. And although I hate to admit it, I will kind of miss the laid back feeling of this nation. My internal clock is very New York, so its nice to live in a culture where being late is normal and it forces you to slow down and enjoy life.

Today I am flying home and there is a torn, bittersweet feeling lying at the pit of my stomach. I have missed my family, friends, food, and wonderful nation, but France has left an imprint on my soul. But, I know this will not be the last time I cross these borders and that makes me hopeful for the future.

Farewell France and thank you for the memories.

Grazie Firenze

Introducing Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance and officially my favorite city on my Italian vacation. Enjoy your own tour of Firenze and let yourself dream a little at your office desk today darlings.

Famous for Brunelleschi's Duomo and it definitely doesn't leave you in want of anything. The city centers around it and is easily accessible to anything on foot. The Duomo is interesting to climb, when you reach the stairs for of the actual dome you quickly learn that it is a dome inside a dome and the stairs you mount lie in the center of the drum! This is easily the most awkward monument staircase I've climbed. You feel like you are climbing straight up a wall because its so steep, but totally worth the climb. If you ever visit Florence, don't leave unless you climb the Duomo!

Florence is known for its influence on the Renaissance, and this spirit is still very much alive in the city. Beautiful sculptures and inspirational artwork are all around the city. From sidewalk art to Michaelangelo's David your eyes never have a break from beauty.

Florence is known for its leather and gold. You get a great selection of these goods in the open air market leading up to the town center, but if you want the good stuff you go to the actual manufacturer store. Your purchase will be certified and warrantied. I only got a small trinket, but its such a cute coin purse that I was still excited. And every leather purchase includes a free gold gilding of your initials!

Whether you are walking the streets, people watching on church steps, or chatting with fellow patrons at a local pizzeria you will just love the contagious zest that Florence has in abundance. Italy was a fantastic trip that I truly did not want to end, but as vacations tend to do that, I know I will be inevitably be returning because this land is magnetic.

Do you have Firenze Fever mes cheries?