reoccurring dreams.

do you ever have reoccurring dreams?

not the scary kinds

(as a kid I had dreams about tornadoes

ALL.the.time

one even chased me through a gymnasium)

some themes i seem to dream about on a reoccurring basis:

gymnastics, which i did as a kid for about 7 years.

flying. usually way too close to telephone wires, and on scarily short runways.

and most recently: palau.

the dream is always different.

i know that i'm in palau

but it never looks the same

i'm swimming

scuba diving

admiring fish

last night, i was buying post cards 

from an overcrowded tourist shop

for people at home

why do you suppose we dream about the same things

over and over?

are we trying to get back to something?

reveling in some warm worn memories?

do you ever have reoccurring dreams?

about...?

happy monday!

a+

alli

things i'm excited about.

well, since yesterday's post was about 

things i'll miss in france

i only thought it appropriate

(and positive)

to share a few things i'm excited for

outside of france

watermelon. 

seed spitting contests.

this booger.

driving!

mountains. hiking. picnics. 

baseball games! french don't understand the wonderfulness.

this lovely girl's wedding in two weeks!!

hammock naps :)

and i'll also mention 

target

to-go coffee

forever 21

plane rides

my bed!

and of course the fam. 

you thought i was going to forget. 

:p

what are you excited about?

a+

alli

ca me manquera.

photo

what do you miss the most when you leave a place you love?

what are the details, the sensations that stick out most?

les odeurs

baguettes and patisseries out of the oven in the morning

streets laced with the smell of thick, creamy butter

lilacs as they bloom in the spring, lining streets and driveways

fresh peaches arranged in crates at the morning market

waiting to be sprinkled with sugar, arranged in a tarte

les couleurs

yellow mustard flowers and colza in the spring

vineyards in the fall, grape leaves rusted orange and red

sun peeking through indigo stained glass windows

shutters painted vert, jaune, violet

gleaming proudly, arranged in a row

les bruits

toddlers bubbling french phrases

boots echoing on a cobblestoned street

the sncf ring tone, a ticket composted, the metro ring

ambulances, car horns, and the

first-Wednesday-of-the-month

fire station horn that rings eerily in each city

les saveurs

the crunchy croute of a baguette, the inside soft as a cloud

Chablis, Bordeaux, Gaillac, Muscadet, Cote du Rhone

foie gras, escargots, tartiflette, fondu, crepes, croque monsieur

camembert, brie de meaux, roquefort, epoisses, st marcellin

les sensations

letting my mind wander across the french countryside

witnessed from a train window

navigating city streets by bike

groceries and fresh cut flowers in the wooden basket

exploring french cities and villages,

each wrapped neatly around an immense but graceful cathedral

with ten days left in france

I can’t thinking about everything I’m going to miss

the obvious, the not so obvious

the tangible, the intangible

the small details, the immense differences

everything that has made

living in france

a wonderful experience

a challenge

two years passed quicker than I ever imagined

what do you miss when you leave a place?

a +

alli

life list: see dave matthews band in concert

i was supposed to see dave matthews in concert

last summer

photo

but they cancelled the day of :(

i've been listening to them on my morning runs the past couple days

and have a renewed desire 

to see them play

photo

this is one of my favorite dmb songs

looks like they're playing at usana ampitheatre in august

i would love to see it played live!

who have you seen in concert?

who would you like to see?

a+

alli

le weekend.

a french wedding

with a beautiful bride

cathédral d'albi

down south by toulouse

gaillac wine tasting

spent my birthday walking through sand

on the highest sand dune in europe

la dune du pyla

birthday feast. 

cucumber/tomato salad

artichokes

steak

cheese. wine. bread.

keeping warm. and getting a sunburn.

on a bike ride through the region, we saw tons of these guys.

la region des landes

is known for their pines.

this dude dropped a log to the side of his truck

airshow this weekend

at la ferté alais

one of the cutest toddlers i've ever met.

romane

the champs elysees.

look a little different?

it was covered with crops, trees, and bushes

veggies, fruits, and animals

promoting french agriculture

to prove that sens is actually beautiful

when it is sunny.

this 'le weekend' post 

is actually a culmination of 

3 or 4 weekends 

since i've been skipping around like crazy

trying to soak up the last of my time in france

13 days till the states!

a+

alli

bikes.

this year was big for me

i became a biker

save a couple snowy days in january

and a couple rainy ones in april

and that time i got hit by a car...

i rode my bike each day i went to work

in fact, most days i rode it to and from work

in the morning and afternoon

stopping at home for a little lunch

i don't particularly consider myself

a morning person

but i was my closest this year

a brisk ride in the morning

under trees with rust colored leaves in the fall

and fuzzy branches in the spring-

certainly does wake you up

and this is (was) my beauty!

he never officially had a name

but i'd like to think it was pierre

typically french

plus it was a 'peugot' brand

he was a little worse for wear by the end of the year

but he did get somewhat of a facelift

in the form of a new back wheel

did i tell you about that time i got hit by a car?

that was a fun thursday afternoon

but really, everyone came out ok

Now that I spent most of the year as a bike commuter

i find myself a complete convert.

it got to the point

where i didn't particularly want to go anywhere

if it wasn't somewhere i could go by bike.

a kind of opposite laziness.

we'll see if Montreal is bike friendly next year

or if i'm brave enough

to get on a bike 

when it's -5984 degrees C.

Any of you bikers? 

Send me a picture of your bike!

a+

Alli

(i'm doing a bad thing by not posting the links to these pictures- i've lost them!

if you've seen them before, feel free to send the link in the comments)

warmer days.

Coucou!

Anyone else yearning for summer?  

Heck, I’d settle for spring, 

I feel like we’ve fast forwarded to autumn over here in France.  

It’s May 13^th and I’m wearing a wool sweater…. 

and slightly regretting the fact 

that I’ve already packed my pea coat.

I thought I would be reading a book in a park, 

having picnics and going on runs.  

Instead, I find myself taking refuge from the rain in cafes, 

and putting on three layers just to take a walk outside.  

Oh well.  

Maybe June will be scorching…

So I’m thinking warm thoughts, 

in the hope of something 

besides 40s and rain 

coming our way for the next couple of weeks.  

I want to leave France with warm memories! 

Here’s a random handful of photos from my Picasa,

in hopes of warmer days soon!

Nice, France

Giverny, France

Summer barbeque at the Rays

Sunset in Michigan

Canoe ride

  trampoline!

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Jellyfish Lake, Palau

Palau

Coca.  Looking way too serious.

What pictures do you have that remind you of warm times?

life list: be published in national geographic.

although one of my biggest goals

as a writer

is to write and publish a novel

another one on the list

is to be published in national geographic

angola

paris

rajasthan, india

the pictures are nearly the best part of the magazine

so vivid

even the most travel-bug resistant person

can be inspired to get up and explore

some day

i'm going to write down some of my travel stories

and get published

even if it means 

traveling to every corner of the world 

to find a story

make friends with different cultures

taste the local grub

admire tiled mosque walls

walk along ancient cathedral floors

i'm just that dedicated

;)

What's on your life list?


photos via National Geographic