So naturally, the first question I asked after hitting “purchase” on airlines tickets to France was “so we can plan a trip to the champagne houses, right?” Thankfully, my non-champagne fan of a husband responded with an immediate “of course.” We quickly looped our cousins, Will and Ashley who are stationed in Germany, in and began planning a weekend in champagne country, to coincide with Easter.

While the champagne region in France is quite large, La Route Du Champagne is nestled between the towns of Reims and Épernay, to the northeast of Paris. Since we would be coming from Paris, we booked a trip on the TGV train from Paris East to Reims. The ticket was roughly €15 each way, per person and is an easy 45 minute ride. The TGV app was a breeze for both booking our tickets as well as presenting them onboard the train.

After arriving in Reims, we took a short walk over to our hotel, Hotel Mecure. It was inexpensive, comfortable and central enough to be able to walk about town. They also had a parking garage, as Will and Ashley drove in from Germany to meet us.

I’d read it’s easy to do Reims/Épernay as a day trip and while that’s certainly true, if you’re planning to see any of the town or multiple houses, I’d certainly recommend doing at least a one night stay.

We wanted to be able to see a mix of big houses as well as some of the smaller ones. On our first day, we walked along the water to Veuve Clicquot, our “big house” stop on the trip. Ashley was able to get us in for a tour a day or so in advance. For €50, we received a full tour of the caves as well as two “tasting glasses” of champagne.

I was thrilled to see on all of our outings that unlike wine tastings champagne “tasting” means a full glass that must be completed before you move on to the next.

Through the cave tour, we experienced the process of making champagne, as well as heard the story of Madame Clicquot Ponsardin. “Veuve” translates to “widow” in French. To imagine a widow, taking over her late husband’s family business, at the age of 27, in the year 1805 is nearly unfathomable, and to experience the brand Veuve Clucquot has blossomed into today is just remarkable. Nineteenth century girl power, let me tell ya. You go girl.

The next day, we opted to explore by car, taking in the full Route du Champagne between Reims and Épernay. The drive is about an hour from end to end, but we made a full day out of stopping between the tiny, countryside towns.

Before heading out, we checked with the local tourism office. They offer day tours of the region, which include a stop at one of the houses for a tasting. Luckily, the woman in the tour office pointed out a few of her favorite houses, as well as the one the group would be visiting that day. As it turned out, this was really the only way to get into a smaller house without previous arrangements.

After a few calls, the family at René Fresne invited us to join the tour group later in the day, free of charge. We had the pleasure of joining the tour with Hervé, the head of the family’s house. After tasting three very full and very tasty glasses of champagne with no bus on which to depart, we were able to stick around and spend time with Hervé who told us more about his family’s history, his business and his life in France. It was the most special little treat.

After leaving René Fresne, we made our way towards Verzy, where I had talked a big game about some crazy trees I read about in the Atlas Obsucra. It was a fun little hike, but I expected a bit more out of these guys.

We continued on to the Perching Bar, also in Verzy. The Perching Bar is a champagne bar nestled in the woods and up a few rope bridges. Admission was around €15 each, but again, this included a glass of champagne. The views up top were incredible and the bar had heat plus really fun swings.

We ended the evening with dinner and a walk around the town of Épernay. This is the home of some of the bigger houses you’ve likely heard of, a la Moët & Chandon and Dom Perignon. Most required reservations well in advance and were a bit pricer.

Back in Reims, we ended the weekend with Easter mass at La Notre-Dame de Reims. The cathedral began construction in 1211 and until the mid-1800s served as the site to crown France’s kings. While beautiful, cathedrals built in 1211 don’t come with heat, so it was quite a chilly little morning. While we didn’t understand a word, thank goodness for Catholic tradition. We at least knew exactly where to be and what to do. It was a great way to celebrate my favorite season of the liturgical year. Something tells me Jesus would have been more than OK with an Easter weekend spend surrounded by family, celebrating each other with bubbly at every turn.

In early 2015, I was rerouted home from a business trip to Barcelona via the Charles de Gaulle Airport. As we flew into Paris, I couldn’t stop gawking over the spacious countryside dotted with stone houses. I didn’t make it outside of the airport on that trip, but dreamed of getting out and onto those tiny, winding roads.

Flash forward to November of 2016 when an American Airlines fare sale sent flight prices to Europe into the triple digits. Read: under $400 round trip. Late that evening, P pulled up Google maps, I pulled up Google flights and we pulled the trigger on turning an expensive Euro dream into an affordable reality.

As this flight price fluke starts to look more like a trend here to stay, a few friends and family members have reached out for our French do’s and don’ts.

First on the list: do go to France.

From the moment we stepped out of the metro station, I was smitten with Paris. The rooftops, the church bells, the cafes. If you told me I was forced to sit outside of that metro station for the next ten days and not move, I would have done so and been perfectly content.

Alas, we didn’t sit still outside of a metro station for ten days. We moved. A lot. By foot (racking up an average of 10 miles a day), by train (thanks TGV) and even by car (check driving around the Arc de Triomphe off the bucket list).

Our itinerary:

• Day one: arrive in the A.M. and stay in a hotel for night one
• Day two: take the TGV to Reims (champagne country) to visit family
• Days three – five: champagne and churches
• Days five – ten: Paris + a day trip to Normandy (Bayeux and Honfleur)

I’m focusing this post on the bulk of our trip, Paris. Stay tuned for details of our other adventures.

Where we stayed:

A friend who lives in Paris recommended we aim for one of the first five arrondissements. Think of Paris’s neighborhoods like a snail, they start in the middle and the numbers get bigger as the wind their way out. One through five are going to put you closest to the action, though I read great things about others and we certainly made our way around while exploring.

We opted for a hotel on our first night as we knew checking in early might be tricky with an Airbnb. I read good things about city lockers, but we opted not to deal with it. We landed on a boutique hotel in Saint Germain and LOVED it. While the rooms were small, I couldn’t recommend this place enough. I also had my heart set on at least one room with a cute Parisian balcony and this place fit the bill.

Options in Reims were limited and if I were to do it again, I might even choose to stay in Epernay (town on the other side of La Route du Champagne). We opted for the Hotel Mecure. It was inexpensive, comfortable and we literally only slept there.

Back in Paris, we rented an Airbnb in Le Marais. I asked our friend Christian, resident Parisian, to help with this decision as we wanted to find a place close to a metro, in a lively neighborhood, but on a quiet street that would put us closer to locals. This place fit all three and owner Florian was incredibly helpful throughout the booking process.

Where we ate:

Disclosure: we are not foodies. That might be a crime when heading to Paris, but we’re just not into fancy or expensive when it comes to what we eat. While Paris prices were certainly steeper than we were used to, we were still able to find delicious food for affordable prices. We averaged €5-10 for breakfasts, €15-30 for lunches and €40-60 for dinners. Paris isn’t cheap folks.

A few of our favorites:

Berthillion

The most delicious sorbet. There are a few locations that sell their product, but the original is on Rue Saint-Louis en I’lle. There will be a line for take away, it moves fast. You can choose to get a table indoors instead.

La Bricola

Tiny little Italian on the northern side of Le Marais. The streets were quiet, the pizzas and salads delicious.

L’As du Falafel

A tourist destination. There are several Falafel places on this street, but this one is the most famous. They mention Lenny Kravitz on their sign for goodness sake, but they earned the remarks in my book. We avoided the line here and snagged a table inside. The fries. SO. GOOD.

Gustave Claps

I stumbled upon this sandwich shop on Yelp and we stopped in on our way up to Montmarte. I can’t remember the last time I had a chicken sandwich this delicious. My only regret is not spending more time in this neighborhood, on this street in particular. It was filled with what looked like plenty of delicious South American and Japanese restaurants.

Les Piétons

A Spanish tapas restaurant that came highly recommended from a friend. P remarked that this was the dining experience he expected to have in Europe. Loud, lively, fun. The tapas and sangria did not disappoint, the free shots that came along with closing out our bill were a welcome surprise. Side note: free shots happened more than once on this trip. Once after lunch. We declined. Maybe this is a thing in France? Maybe we looked like stressed Americans? Someone chime in.

Every bakery, creperie, chocolate shop

I read and saved about 10,000 bakeries in Paris. We went to none of them. I simply couldn’t resist just walking in to nearly every single one we passed on our way to get to something on my list. They’re on every street. They’re all delicious. Don’t let anyone tell you any different.

What we did:

First up: a lot of wandering. Second: a lot of stops at bakeries (see comment above). Here were some of the other highlights of activities we paid for.

The Catacombs

Worth it. Splurge for the online ticket. The site is in French, but Google Translate, duh. The ticket will save you three hours of waiting and comes with an audio tour. We purchased tickets one day in advance and looked up a print and copy shop in our neighborhood to print them. I geeked out over this place far more than I probably should have and the history to go along with it is just fascinating.

Louvre

Just like we aren’t food people, we aren’t art people, but when you’re in Paris, the Louvre feels like a must. Thanks to Airbnb’s new experiences, we were able to check it out, learn a little and have an amazing time.

If you’re going to Paris, make booking Cedric’s tour the first thing you do. He’s a classically trained art guy (I’m sure there’s a technical term for that) who is also a standup comedian. Hands down best tour we did in Paris.

Discover Walks

While the tour is free, they suggest you tip. And of course you should! We took the Notre Dame tour and really enjoyed it. Understanding the symbolism of the architecture and the neighborhood was a joy and Eric was a great guide. They do tours all over the city and are a great introduction to the neighborhoods.

Bonus if you’re interested in going inside of Notre Dame: the line looks long. It’s not long. Even if it’s to the end of the square, you’re in the church in about ten minutes. We waited about three.

Seine + Vielb bikes

This barely belongs in a paid category. We spent a whopping €5 on this. There are Vielb bike stations all over the city, we just happened to pick one along the Seine to stay away from street traffic a rush hour. We biked until we stumbled upon the Seine pop-up bars where we checked in our bikes for happy hour. Best afternoon of the entire trip.

Luxembourg

We came here on more than one occasion. If it wasn’t freezing most of our trip (by southern standards) I would have loved to linger longer. I was especially enamored by the tiny house that the ducks live inside of on the pond. All ducks should have their own houses. Way to go, France.

Pere Lechasie Cemetery

You’ll know this one as where Jim Morrison is buried. Do check that out, but then check out some more. The mausoleums are stunning and the trees throughout are breathtaking. They carry maps at the gate if you’re interested in finding more famous people inside.

Sacre Coeur Basilica

This gets pretty touristy, but luckily it wasn’t too packed on the day we visited. Plus the views of the city are pretty incredible.

A few other spots we didn’t make it to but were on our list:

– Galeries Lafayette: rooftop bar hidden with the mall.
– Minzon: I’m still upset we weren’t able to try the famous cauliflower.
– Sewer Tour: this sounds strange, but we heard it’s really fun. Closed Thursday and Friday.
– Saint Chapelle: I was over lines and tourists. So many lines.
– Merci: described to me as Anthropologie in France. Probably a good thing we didn’t make it.

Next up: more on this adventure, including champagne and World War II history. Stay tuned.

A few minutes later, a kind woman named Janice handed me a voter card. Maybe it was the endorphins kicking in, but there was something profoundly special to be had by standing in a voting booth at 7:15 am.

Let’s recount. I ran here. No one stopped me on the street. I never feared for my safety jogging in the dark. I arrived at the polling place. No one hassled me. I was handed a voter card. No one tried to keep me from expressing my opinion. And then I clicked a button on a screen for the candidate of my choice. No one forced my hand. And you know what, I got to choose a WOMAN as President of the United States of America.

No matter which side of the aisle you sit on, let’s not forget how incredible important every step of that routine was. You were given the freedom to make your own decision. Your choice wasn’t dictated to you by your race, your gender, your religion or someone else’s opinion. Your choice was in fact, yours.

November 9th was a little tougher to swallow. I’m sad. I’m angered. I’m tired. As the sun set yesterday, I forced myself to pull those Nikes back out of the closet and lace up, because, hey, endorphins.

This morning, my outlook is a little different than it was 48 hours ago. Maybe I’m reaching a new state of grief Here’s the conclusion: no man or woman in the White House is going to dictate how I spend today, tomorrow, or next week and nor should they any of us.

The best way to move forward is to choose to move forward. For me, that means I’ll choose to love, including those with whom I disagree or don’t understand. I’ll choose to listen, including to ideas I find troublesome. I’ll choose to talk and read and learn and act. I’ll choose to lift up the little girl with a dream and tell her she’s valued, she’s equal, she matters and she can do whatever the heck she wants to do. I’ll keep choosing.

We have work to do. It’s going to take time to put this one behind us. But guess what, we all get play a part in that work. We get to choose how to move forward. For millions of people around the world, choosing isn’t a reality. Let’s not forget that. This isn’t Donald’s work. Or Hillary’s work. It’s all of ours. Let’s put on our big girl pants and choose to make the world a better place. Together.

But the day you arrived, that changed.

It was a different kind of Christmas morning to wake up and have your aunt share the news: you were big siblings and a baby sister was coming home. We had never been prouder, Erik and I.

As you began to walk, talk, run and pull bows out of your hair, it became clear that we were destined to be opposites. I coveted dresses, you despised them. I kept shy, you stole the show. For years, our relationship was grounded more often in yelling than rainbows and hugs.

We heard it over, over and over again: someday she’ll be your best friend.

I can report that bit is true, moms never make mistakes. Here we are, not tiptoeing, but sauntering through our twenties, side by side. I had an inkling we would reach this point, but no amount of family stories can prepare you for what I’ve encountered.

You are my opposite in nearly every way, and I thank God every day for that. In some way, with seven less years on this Earth, you’ve taught us all more than a thing or two and for that, thank you.

Thank you for reminding me to never accept anything but the best. Be that friends, former boyfriends, or a great pair of shoes. Never lose your incredibly high standards, the rest of the world could stand to meet them.

Thank you for showing me that confidence is the best thing a girl can wear. You astonish us all with your ability to command a room, hold your head high and stand your ground, no matter who or what you are up against.

Thank you for constantly pulling me back down to earth and stressing the importance of a good day spent in bed, wearing leggings instead of pants and reminding me that yes, it can wait, Sweet Home Alabama is on T.V.

As you celebrate your 21st birthday, my wish for you is to never cease your ability to make us all to be a little braver, more rambunctious and more compassionate in every moment we encounter. Cheers to endless taco date nights, champagne toasts, movie nights and crossing our fingers that no soul encounters our judgmental gif conversations.

7,671 days after day one, I’m just as proud to wear that big sister title, if only I still had a t-shirt to go with it. Happy Birthday.

While I’m certain I was one of the very few on campus who took advantage of prepared dining hall meals past my twenty-first birthday, the food wasn’t the only perk. There was the omni-present offer of lunch dates, the late night cereal runs and of course, the staff.

Last month, I stumbled upon a blog post from Yik Yak with a familiar face who I hadn’t thought of in quite some time: Miss Sandra. You can read the Yak’s story for yourself, but if you aren’t familiar, Miss Sandra works the checkin counter at Snelling, UGA’s most centrally located and 24-hour dining hall.

Miss Sandra sees thousands of students every week and she’s been loving on them for years. While the hugs are fantastic, I never considered that she actually remembered each one she dole out.

Today, P and I celebrate our second married Valentine’s Day and in 2016 we’ll celebrate a decade since we started dating. After a lengthy breakup our sophomore year, Miss Sandra was the first to notice when we passed the card swipe station in Snelling together.

A different kind of smile spread across her face and her greeting was new, “oooh ya’ll are dating again aren’t you?” She didn’t just recognize us, she remembered us, together.

I’d like to think we could walk in today and she’d still remember us, though it wouldn’t matter if she didn’t. Miss Sandra hasn’t just mastered kind, she’s mastered what it means to invest in being kind. And according to Yik Yak, she’s still at Snelling, investing in each student who walks through her door in the same way, almost a decade later.

P and I shortly after our first Valentine’s Day in 2007

As the hours passed and the guilt rose, I got up the courage to head to the closet and pick out as many layers as possible, determined to keep my word to myself to lace up for five miles.

At the back of my closet, I stumbled upon the Better Sweater. A few winters ago, I saved up to buy this cozy little vest. While its name should ring full of blissful adventures, over the years it has become my last ditch resort for keeping warm on a chilly morning run. I zipped it up, put my hands in its fuzzy pockets and found a single stick of chapstick.

As a kid, I would hide little trinkets in the pockets of my winter coats. Barbie shoes, a dollar, a 25¢ ring, it didn’t matter the value, but more the reminder. It was as if some brilliant figure from the past had sent treasures into the future to say “I don’t care how miserable it is out there, look at these awesome things we used to have!” Those Barbie shoes had been gone a year, so naturally this was a sign of something good to come. The treasures were my way of reminding myself that it wasn’t going to be all doom and gloom for the next four months.

In this scenario chapstick is grown up treasure, until it isn’t. Chapstick means I probably I went for a run, my nose tried to fall off and I couldn’t feel my face for three days. This is what we have to look forward to, Better Sweater, Chapstick and I, no noses and sore faces.

I begrudgingly laced up my shoes, zipped up the Better Sweater, took one last deep breath and zipped out the door.

I’m home now, five miles faster, and while my nose did try to fall off, the Chapstick was a true treasure. It’s a reminder that when you get your butt out the door, the miles aren’t nearly as bad as you make them out to be. As an extra perk, Chapstick does soothe red lips and sore noses miraculously fast, and I don’t know how it does it.

Next time your brain tries to trick you into thinking treasures are for suckers, remember someone in your past put them there for a reason. Oh and Spring, you can come any time now.

On holiday lights

Fun fact: The Twelve Days of Christmas begins on Christmas day, meaning I insisted we soak up the holiday through Wednesday. January 6th, known as Three Kings Day or The Epiphany, celebrates the day the three wise men reached Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The meaning behind this part of the season is something I fall more in love with every year and gives us an equally opportunistic chance to listen to N’Sync and pause to consider the joy that comes with the kings’ journey.

Tuesday night we made it out to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens for the holiday light exhibit and it did not disappoint. Bonus points: it wasn’t crowded, it was actually cold enough for s’mores and the Christmas music was still blaring. My holiday heart can rest happy until Advent 2016.

On baby bulldogs

This week I had two opportunities to get back in touch with my UGA roots. First, I enrolled in Grady’s student mentorship program late last fall and met with my mentee for the first time this week. If only she could take me to class on Monday, it would have been perfect. Next up, UGA’s Give a Dog a Bone campaign kicked off this week, with my stack of cards and envelopes arriving Thursday. The campaign asks alumni to write cards of congratulations to incoming freshman (class of 2020) and is still seeking volunteers if you’re interested. It’s also a fun excuse for me to practice envelope calligraphy.

On sparkly things

I put my new Peal Ex Powdered Pigments from Paper Ink and Arts to work this week after receiving a set from P for Christmas. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to write in plain, black sumi ink again. So far, the rose gold is just to-die for. Since the inks are powder based, I can mix as much as desired for each sitting. I can’t wait to experiment with mixing a little into some of my other colored inks as well.

If you’re new to Friday Favorites, this is a series where I catalogue random happenings from Monday to Friday that bring joy to what can feel like the boring part of the week. Weekends shouldn’t get all of the life credit you guys. You can catch other posts from the series here.

Words? I love words. If you were to dig into my computer history, you would likely find the Thesaurus to be my most commonly used app after Keynote. I spend my working days choosing the perfect word. Choosing one for myself should be easy. The only problem with this grand not-a-resolution-but-kinda idea being that while I love words, choosing a single one has never been my strong suite.

Then this morning while listening to this track on Spotify one popped into my head.

Dare.

Maybe it was the slightly dark lyrics or the ‘I could run a marathon’ beat that forced the word dare into my head, but almost immediately it felt right. When I headed to the Thesaurus and the first entry was “be brave enough”, it was settled.

Growing up, dares were something to be feared. A dare was likely something you weren’t supposed to do. A dare was going against the plan. But what if I could think about dares differently?

Instead of a year of firsts, 2015 was the year of, “OK life, let’s do this”. It was a year where I was thankful to find focus in work, in fitness and in marriage. It wasn’t a year of puppies and rainbows, but 2015 brought me some of my most challenging, rewarding and beautifully simple days. And while every article we read about our twenties screams for us to go out and find independence, 2015 taught me to embrace never doing life alone. 2015 brought me fierce partnerships through friends, coworkers and my ultimate truth or dare partner: my husband.

In 2016, I’m daring to leave what’s comfortable, to embrace the risks, and to be brave enough to finish the next 362 days having shared a better version of myself with those important people.

Daring to trust that it is all part of the plan

Daring to show grace, not competition

Daring to trust my gut

Daring to eat the cupcake and not feel guilty about it

Daring to listen before speaking

Daring to run the hilly route instead of taking the flat one

Daring to take my time

Daring to be imperfect

Daring to choose where to eat the first time P asks

OK, so maybe that last one is a bit ambitious. 2016, here we go. I double dog dare ya.

2015 by the numbers

6 states traveled

3 new countries visited

26 blog posts written

77 Classpass classes taken

1 new job

3 public speaking gigs

492 miles run

1 year of marriage celebrated

2015, you challenged us, made us laugh, left us terrified at times, gave us plenty of reasons to smile and readied us for everything 2016 will bring. Thanks for being an all around lovely 365 days for the books.

Headphones started as a means for talking on the phone to pass the time, progressed to Nike’s Spotify playlists, and for the past few months, have settled on podcasting.

Call it a funk, or a cure to one, but having someone feed stories into my headphones almost makes running feel like the by-product.

It wasn’t until this afternoon, two miles into a run, when the first episode of Serial Season Two came to an abrupt end and I was reminded of this terrible truth:

One story. Told week by week.

I jumped on the Serial bandwagon late. This translates to: I had the luxury of listening to every episode at my heart’s content. Unless someone hold my patience hostage, reality suggests that waiting for a full season of stories is not likely.

In the event that you also find yourself in the same Sarah Koenig, week by week void, here are a few of my other favorites to help you fill the time.

Invisibilia

“The invisible forces that control human behavior, ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions.”

This series had me rushing out the door and adding miles just to race to the next episode. If you’re not quite sold, start with episode three, “How to Become Batman.” You’ll be brainstorming DIY superhuman skill tests before the 59 minutes are up.

The Lively Show

“Add a little extra intention to your everyday.”

Jess sucked me in with her exclusive on Young House Love earlier this year. Her topics are simple, yet leave you feeling like you can conquer the world.

The EntreLeadership Podcast 

“Grow yourself, your team and your profits.”

Don’t let the business-y focus of this one scare you. These guys know how to tell great stories and they dig into the personal histories of some of business’ best known leaders in a truly valuable way. Episode #115 with Walt Disney World Resort’s former Executive Vice President of Operations Lee Cockerell is a personal favorite.

What have I missed? Any other favorites out there? Preferably anything that plays into binge listening, my sneakers thank you in advance.