Bonjour Paris!!!

2011 has been a pretty awesome year for me in terms of being able to cross things off my bucket list.

In February, my friend Abbie and I went down to Seaside, Oregon for a much needed weekend getaway.  We stayed in a gorgeous old inn that was built in 1892.  Each room had a unique theme, and the lobby and main floor were filled with antique furniture.  Plus they had freshly baked chocolate chip cookies each afternoon!  It was right on the beach and absolutely perfect for curling up in and escaping the real world.   Item #12 on the Bucket List? “Stay in a fabulous hotel.”

#14 on my list was “buy a fabulous bed,” which I did this spring.  I LOVE it.  And so happy to be sleeping in a huge, comfy, queen sized bed after spending 4 years in college with a twin and another 6 years moving all over the country with a twin bed my parents bought me when I moved into my first “real” apartment.

The BIG check mark came in May when I flew down to San Francisco for the weekend to see Hugh Jackman in Concert!  #18, “Watch Hugh Jackman perform live” has been on my list since about 2006.  I had 3rd row tickets and they were worth EVERY penny.  The weirdest part of the whole experience though was standing by the stage door entrance just like the real groupies and actually touching his arm for maybe 1/2 a second before I got scared his security guard would break my hand.

But the next item to come off my list–in less than 3 months, thank you very much, is one that’s been on there since I was about 9 years old and saw Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant walking along the Seine and eating ice cream in Charade.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, your faithful blogger is going to PARIS for Thanksgiving!  But shhh. I still haven’t told my mother yet! 🙂

My friends Abbie and Kris are coming with me, which is exciting because I usually travel alone, and now I get to share the experience with two fabulous women.  Our hotel is on the left bank with a view of Notre Dame.  And we get to spend a full week enjoying and exploring the city of lights.

Of course, one of the things I’m most excited about is getting to photograph this beautiful city that I’ve seen in movies and read about in books all my life.  So, in the words of Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astair, and Kay Thompson… BONJOUR PARIS!!!