Today our flight leaves for Paris and I’M SO EXCITED. Thanksgiving with family in Houston was great, but I’m really looking forward to some French bread, wine, saucisson, fromage, and café au lait. The idea of Christmas and NYE in Paris seems really romantic, although I’m not sure how romantic it can be with my mom and kids in tow.
Okay, there might be some haters out there thinking, why does Emily get to take a year off from work to roam any continent that strikes her fancy? Who does she think she is going to Paris for six weeks on a whim? The thing is, for me, Paris is not a whim, it’s a dream. Ever since Tom and I first visited in 2005, it’s been my heart’s desire to live there for a year. Kind of like the movie Revolutionary Road, except without the tragic death part. When I decided to take a sabbatical, my first choice was to spend it in Paris. For a variety of reasons, Vietnam ended up being the more practical and economical choice. Then we got there and I realized that practical and economical isn’t always the best choice. Even though the cost of living in Vietnam is dirt cheap, as the rich Americans we were expected to shoulder a lot of other expenses, which was totally fair and reasonable. But it got me thinking, if I’m going to be broke by the end of my sabbatical, why not spend it where I really want to be?
Tom has to attend a conference in Las Vegas in mid-January, so six weeks in Paris was a compromise. After all is said and done, I know I’m a very lucky girl.
Life's Too Short 