Thursday, July 14, 2011

Saying Goodbye To Paris

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 Wow.  I can't believe I felt okay saying goodbye to Paris today, but it was kind of my idea.  G and I were going over schedules and budget and realized that while Paris was totally within our budget, if anything went wrong with the timing, it would be bad.  And honestly, this little girl could turn out to be a breeze to travel with, or at 6 months she could turn out to be a nightmare to travel with (teething, etc).  


The reality is we've both been to Paris before, just separately.  So, while we're not saying no, we're saying not this next year.  Instead we're planning to spend a week at the beach, and some time up in Vermont next Christmas during their festivities. (along with a weekend or so in Vermont this fall to see the foliage and pick up some yummy maple syrup!)  And are considering choosing to visit some family in Seattle (um, tulips and Canada!) next spring instead. 

It felt okay, the putting it off.  We're choosing to focus on our family and adventures closer to home.  We're choosing to recreate Europe in our home, from simple french pressed coffee to homemade madeleines and strolls in parks and museums.  We're choosing to focus on finding romance in a place other than the city of lights with an infant.  So it didn't really feel like we were giving much up.

Have you ever changed your plans when it came to a huge vacation?  Or do you maybe do something in your home that is a good reminder of your favorite place?

5 comments:

  1. You could always let us babysit...that's what grandparents do...you know!

    Love, Maman :)

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  2. Maman, I remember a story of you and Daddy not being able to leave me for a weekend and having to go home after a night at the lake. I'm pretty sure leaving our little girl with you for a week while we went to another country is so not going to happen!

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  3. yes...but you were only 8 weeks old. By next summer she will be 6 months old. Who knows, you both might be ready for a "little break" and to just have some alone time. Maybe not Paris, but maybe you Daddy and I could come out and stay at the house, take care of the baby and dogs, so that you two could have a weekend away, but not too far? Just a thought!

    Love you, Maman

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  4. I wanted to go to Paris this year to celebrate my 40th. The coordination became a little complicated, and my husband was getting a little anxious about my "compromising" to have a more Bohemian experience. Instead, we're taking a Med. cruise to Italy and Greece. We've been saving for this trip, and we're doing it as economically as we can.

    I realized that if I were going by myself, I'd be just fine eating cheese and ham out of the farmer's market for my dining. But I have a husband who can only do that for a day. And since I value spending time with him more than a specific location, I opted for Italy instead.

    Instead of Paris, have you thought about going to Montreal instead? We are planning a visit next year to make up for not going to Paris this year.

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  5. Paris will be there whenever you're ready for it. It waited 11 years for us between our visits.

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