It's getting closer

Hey everyone!  I just wanted to write a quick update and say hello, although there is not a heck of a lot to report from yesterday.  Yesterday was a great day in Paris, but then again, so was today and so was yesterday.  I have really been enjoying my time abroad and enjoying being on vacation as well.  I think most of you have been able to pick up on that by now though, haven't you?

We relaxed for a little bit after the boat cruise and then went out to meet one of Jess's family friends who is living in Paris.  He took us around and showed us a great spot for dinner in a really cool neighborhood filled with lots of different bars and restauraunts.  It was definitely a hip, trendy area, and I can imagine if I were a local or if I were in my study abroad days, it is a neighborhood I would definitely frequent a lot!

We ate at a restaurant called "Let p'tites indecises" which translates to "the little indecisions" which I just loved in a name.  I feel like it could make a really great blog title, no? :)  Anyways, I definitely have stressed over  what to order on a menu or two in my life and stressed over many a "little indecisions" so I thought the name of the restaurant was cute, as well as the decor, and the food was just outstanding.  I had some steak and frites that came with a small cheesey creamy sauce that was like a little pocket of heaven on my plate.

We were sitting near the street and what made the atmosphere really cool was the fact that the bar right across from our restaurant had a massive gathering to watch the soccer match that was going on.  The Paris team was playing and the fans were going crazy!  I love watching sports, cheering for things, and seeing people be passionate about their sports teams.  I've learned a lot about the local soccer teams throughout my European travels, from the Barcelona game that was going on while I was there again Man City, to the Galatasaray game in Turkey, to the Bayern Munich game we caught the other night, to now the Paris game.  Lots of soccer love all throughout Europe... the U.S. is definitely behind the ball in that one!

We stayed out a little later than we probably should have considering that we are running a marathon in a few days but were able to check out a few of the local bars and try some of the local specialty drinks...

This morning we slept in and then woke up trying to figure out another "no walking" day in the city.  However, when you are in a major city it is a pretty difficult thing to do!  After some intense planning and consulting of the metro schedules, we mapped out a day with as minimal walking as possible.

We started with a breakfast picnic by the Eiffel Tower, then went to go the Musee d'Orsay and saw some incredible paintings by Monet, Cezanne, and Van Gogh, and followed by an incredible lunch of crepes.  The museum was pretty great and I actually really love Van Gogh and Monet paintings.  They are incredible to see up close and personal and I am glad that we got ONE museum under our belts while we are in Paris.  I am truly not really a museum person, which makes me feel terrible and uncultured to say, but it is true.  However Musee d'Orsay was great and I am glad we were able to do it!

The highlight was really the crepes for lunch though.  We found a place that you could get a savory crepe, a sweet crepe, and a drink for lunch at a reasonable price.  I opted for a "bowl of apple juice" (what the menu said...) and a crepe with bacon, cheese and mushrooms.  Followed by a chocolate crepe.  They were AMAZING.

Today was marked by a little bit of stress for me as at some point yesterday my bank decided to shut off my credit card, but after quite a bit of time on the phone, we were finally able to work around it and I have access to money again -- halleluah!  The delicious crepes were exactly what I needed at exactly the right time and the delicious hot chocolate that we stopped for afterwards didn't hurt either.

However, despite the past two days of trying to not have a lot of walking in... by the late afternoon I was feeling exhausted.  We returned to our apartment where I faceplanted on the bed and didn't move for about an hour and a half.  I needed that little recharge and I got up again having made a few promises to myself about how the next few days need to go.

The marathon is getting REAL.  Tomorrow we are going to the race expo to get our bibs and I am so looking forward to that and exploring the expo.  I want to spend the next few days really taking care of myself, even if that means just sitting by myself for some of the time.  I NEED to cut back on my sugar and alcohol intake and get better rest.

Before we started this whole trip, I went back and forth about whether or not I should sign up for the Paris Marathon and build a vacation around a giant life experience like that.  Many people recommended I shouldn't do it.  Many suggested that I do the race at the beginning of the vacation and then indulge afterwards.  However, I made the choice to do the race at the end of the week of vacation for reasons that made the most sense for me and my job.  And then the opportunity to travel for work beforehand came up, which I wouldn't change in the slightest.  Yet, I'm down to the wire and panic is starting to set in.

I have had an incredible few weeks and have been working so hard for this.  I'm struggling to find the right balance of taking care of my feet and enjoying vacation.  Of eating right and of eating like one does when they are on vacation in the land of baguettes and croissants.  I do not want to sit in my apartment for the next few days but I also do NOT want to wake up on Sunday morning with aching feet or "barking dogs" so to say.  My feet look like crap.  Because I am trying to be real, I will share this photo of my nasty destroyed toes that are now complete with a bruise on my right hand side where I got slammed by a stiletto heel on the subway.  OUCH.  I could have punched her...

It's just a few days away and all the hard work is boiling down to THIS.  I'm scared and I'm nervous and I'm so excited.  Stay tuned to see what happens!