Day 0 Romance in France

May 21, 2011

Dear Family,
Well, we are off! It was a hectic morning but we are finally settled in our seats and on our way to Paris. It was hard to leave this morning. Despite the incessant yelling from opposite corners of the house this morning as the kids got ready for school "Momma! Momma!" I find it very difficult to leave. I was in tears as I told the nanny we were leaving. Let's just chalk it up to extra emotionality with the poor sleep last night. Why is it that it's hardest to sleep when you have the least time to devote to it?

The kids are with Brittany for the week and it is hard imagine a better situation for them. They all adore her and I am sure they will have a great time! There are not many people I could leave the kids with where they would not be sad that I am leaving but rather excited that "Brittany is coming!"
Our flight left SeaTac at 3:50 and it is just 9 1/2 hours on the direct flight to Paris. The Hot Chocolate, the French pastries at the side walk Cafe's, the walks with sunshine and a light breeze, and really no responsibilities other than talking to my spouse and having fun. I don't want it for long but it sounds like a heavenly breather! I have been practicing my French on the plane, "Je voudrais bien un chocolate chaud!"
I spent much of my time in the airport madly rushing to finish a few last phone calls and emails for work, and texting madly. How am I ever going to survive for 10 days without emails, and texts, and phone calls? Do you think there is actually a physical dependence that develops? Or, is there a withdrawal syndrome? : ) Is there anything really wrong with wanted to check email to stay connected with the people I care about? There is if it interferes with me connecting with the person I care about right here and enjoying this adventure. I won't check my email, I won't check my email...

So, what does one do on a 9 1/2 hour flight? Well, sleep is good if you can manage it. Books, audiobooks, podcasts, are all great. Ryan says it is not a vacation if I am reading parenting books. That is my favorite genre right now. I have read more parenting books than any other genre by at least twelve to one the last year. Can parenting be a hobby? My current read is "Spiritual Solutions to Everyday Parenting Challenges". I did manage to do something seemingly irresponsible though, I chose to listen to my favorite U2 Album over listening to another "Love and Logic" lecture. There may be hope for me after all to be able to relax and enjoy this vacation.

One funny story ( funny to me anyways ). I was dreaming that I was in a lunch meeting, Tony Yen came in and scooped a bit of ice-cream onto my plate on which he had written something very profound. I though what a great picture that would make for my blog, to picture that advice, written on ice-cream. I was just standing up to take a picture when my iPhone slipped down, I woke up, and that particularly profound piece of advice was lost forever.

One last word to the wise, you know those plastic eye covers that you can get at the airport to help you sleep better? Do not use these if you have particularly sensitive skin. I think it is because they do not breathe well, perhaps there is an element of the plastic that I am allergic too. I woke up and found that my eyes were incredibly itchy and that the area around my eyes is burning. Hopefully, I am not going to have a raccoon eye rash this week. So what if I do though, we are not going to be with anyone I know except Ryan and he already likes me anyway. I should have thought of that before I put myself through the diet of last week. : )

That's all for now I guess. More on Paris soon.

Sincerely yours, Michelle