The Beginning
Bonjour & Hi,
This blog/idea has been in the making for a while; but give me two+ glasses of red wine, a computer, a late night, and poof - here we are.
There are many trails that led to this blog. But first and foremost is the inevitability of living in a chateau in France with my family. It will happen. The timing is fluctuating and fickle.
Since I have known for years that a château life will eventually be mine, it can be easy to get lost in the agony of not living that life currently. I have fallen into that despair many times, but don't generally want to spend my days moping around. In 2023 during an Office of Accountability Meeting (which I'm sure I'll talk about many times here), I pulled out my not-used-enough Fleurot Floral Tarot Deck and drew my annual card to set my course for the new year. I pulled the Violet aka The Hermit. I gasped - and not in a good way. It was a sickening feeling. A year of solitude, introspection, meditation, soul-searching, and inner guidance - with a toddler? Oh no. But when I zeroed in on the thoughts that continuously cluttered my mind, I realized it was the best card to capture this year and this season of life. Here are my initial thoughts from my journal:
look more internally when questions or decisions arise
listen to my body, emotions, and feelings
prioritize myself / hold boundaries
DREAM - visualize, build, prepare, foster, daydream, research, learn
Looking back on this year so far (it is currently August 13, 2023), I feel an abnormal sense of pride and contentment in knowing I have continued to uphold these priorities. Beginning this blog is a way to put my thoughts, ideas, and meanderings into a form that isn't scattered amongst multiple physical journals. And it is a way to pair images with my thoughts as I have a plethora from my travels to France over the last 10 years that spark immense amounts of joy and reverie.
First morning of the 2019 Cooking in the Cuisine experience at Chateau de Gudanes
My intentions for this space are to beautifully encapsulate my passion for France, châteaux (and hopefully my future life living in a chateau), upholstery, and restoration. I hope to share a personal and introspective journey through my experiences, dreams, research, planning, learning, and reflections. My goal is for it to be inviting and have a timeless quality that could resonate well with those who, like me, love to daydream about la vie française.
