a parisian jaunt

whoa boy.  not sure how this happened, but it has been seven months since my last jaunt post.  seven months!  i’ve missed writing so much, and after renewing my website for the next three years (we’re somewhat committed now), i felt like i may as well get my money’s worth out of it and write a few more posts.  let’s be honest, it’s my happy place.

as it turns out, some big things have been going on behind the scenes.  for starters, i’m expecting a baby boy in one month.  one month!  big news and the prep for said baby has taken up a significant amount of my free time (turns out you have to be prepared for another human to enter your life).  this is our first, so if any of you out there have any tips, they are all welcome.

quick shot in leuven, belgium after climbing the stairs to the library’s bell tower.

you’d think that would mean our travels would come to halt, but au contraire, mes amies.  in the time since i last wrote in march, my husband and i took a road trip across the american south, including arkansas, mississippi, alabama, georgia, south carolina, north carolina, and tennessee.  it was fantastic and i can’t wait to share my favorite spots with you.

one of many stops for the breath-taking views along the blue ridge parkway.

then in july, we boarded a flight and headed to europe for one of the best vacations i’ve ever taken!  we visited friends in belgium, braved the unbelievably cold (and wet!) weather of amsterdam (one of my favorite cities now), partied at an amazing german wedding in stuttgart, and had an incredibly perfect week in paris.  i was not ready to come home to reality, but alas it happened.  such an unforgettable trip with so many new sites – much, much more to come on that.

the most delightful bar at the hotel du nord brasserie in paris.

finally, i’ve been traveling a lot for both work and family events – short trips to houston, san antonio, phoenix, tulsa, washington dc, and glen rose have made the summer a true delight.  fact: being pregnant does not mean travel ends (in fact, you actually get to skip a lot of lines during peak tourist season).  i’m finished with travel for the next few months, but excited to see what this new adventure in the form of an alien-like newborn has in store for me.  stay tuned for posts from the past seven months and hopefully some posts of the adventures of getting out and exploring with baby.

a piece of the berlin wall at the newseum in washington, dc.

cheers!