And I will wait until I’m in Paris to find the perfect pair of ballet shoes, boots, and pretty french blouses!

Stay tuned for a useful packing video before I leave.  As a well seasoned traveller I have learnt many tips and tricks over the years!

My boyfriend managed to grab a couple of quick clips on his camera at the market.

Like me tasting at the amazing hot jelly stand (we bought some Death Valley spicy jelly).

And some wonderfully enthusiastic street musicians…

I don’t love shopping but I do love beautiful things.

Seattle was full of amazing deals, great designer duds and some amazing discounts.  

As much as I love all of the above I had to keep reminding myself that I am leaving for France soon.  This means I can’t overload my suitcase and that I also need to watch my wallet.

I held back on buying a beautiful leather jacket (not practical enough), luxury handbags I may never be able to afford and some incredible dresses.

But I did manage to pick up some things that I know will come in handy and feel good about my spending over the weekend.

Our hotel even provided some great complimentary products from bliss, a company that started out of a spa in New York.  The shampoo and conditioner are fresh and the body butter melts into your skin.

We went to Nordstrom’s Rack and while I didn’t buy any clothes I took advantage of the great deals on toiletries.  I grabbed some Neutrogena make-up remover wipes, which are great for taking my make-up at the end of the night.  I also grabbed some Neutrogena blotting papers for these sweaty summer days, and am loving how they take away my shine while leaving my make-up intact.  I even found my favourite perfume, Apparation, which is impossible to find in Canada and three times the price in France.

To my surprise they even had my favourite hair products by Kerastase.  Their stuff is expensive but this hair mask for delicate hair turns my dry hair to silk and the price was lower than usual.

And for my poor feet that have been tortured by hours in heels…new flats!  These are leather, incredibly comfortable and will be great for Paris.  I never thought I would love Jessica Simpson’s shoe line, but I’m up for anything that makes my feet feel great.

I’m very happy with all of my purchases because I know they’ll all be used and were things I needed anything.  A leather jacket would have been nice, but sometimes it’s good to be sensible!

Sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery to fall back in love with life.

This summer I have found that nothing balances out long hours of work better than weekend escapes with someone I love.  This weekend my boyfriend and I took off to Seattle for his birthday and had an incredible time.

I have always gone to Seattle with my family and it was nice to go with my love and show him all of my favourite spots.  He is a great travel companion and we spent most of our time wandering, eating and enjoying casual drinks.

I have been in a bit of a food rut, living off of trail mix and quick fixes, and it was really nice to sit down and eat some proper meals.  We enjoyed some incredible French food at La Campagne and the Belle Epicurean, along with some delicious Mexican bites at Mama’s Mexican Kitchen and a little Mexican joint up on a patio with seemingly bottomless lime margaritas and tortilla chips.

As always I was blown away by the tastes and sounds of Pike’s Place Market and bought some incredible raspberry balsamic vinegar and Death Valley spicy jelly!

I’m so grateful for this getaway and the time with my boyfriend.  As I leave to France in a few weeks these moments are more precious than ever.

Here’s a sneak peak at some of the highlights of my trip, stay tuned for some videos and reviews of a couple of goodies I purchased!

Pike’s Place Market, such a delicious place to wander through.

This is what happens after taking on Nordstrom’s Rack!

The W Hotel where we stayed

Ham and cheese pastry (his) and pecan brioche bun (mine) from the Belle Epicurean.  Absolutely perfect.

Some like it hot.  Enjoying Mama’s Mexican Kitchen, a favourite Seattle spot.

Happy hour!  Many margaritas and tortilla chips were consumed on this trip!

Finding the good stuff at Nordstrom, where I practiced serious restraint over a leather jacket.

From my favourite brunch spot in Mount Vernon.  Amen.

I kept losing track of my steps in ballet class yesterday.

The teacher stopped and said, “Even if you don’t know the steps, do them with conviction.  Hold your body properly, keep your posture, look ahead and you will still look like a dancer.”

As soon as she said this I held my gaze forward, moved my arms and feet gracefully and stopped worrying.  I looked in the mirror, and for  a second, I saw a dancer.

Later in the day we played games at the beach.  My boyfriend and I teamed up against two more experienced players at a game I’d never played.  I remembered what my teacher said and played with certainty.  We won.

Today at work I gave my two weeks notice.  Because I trust my instincts I have decided to leave my job and fly to France early.  

I will be flying down South mid-August to get ready for my Parisian adventure.  I could have worked longer and saved more money but my heart wont let me spend any more time doing something that makes me so unhappy.  I need time to light my creative fire and do the things that excite me.

I didn’t think I would be holding another one way plane ticket so soon, but here I am.  

I’m nervous but already feeling more like myself. And I’m ready to do it all while holding my posture, looking ahead and moving like a dancer.

We had our garage sale today.

We are slowly emptying the house of furniture and everything that makes it a home.

As I sold my clothes and watched small personal items disappear into the hands of others, the reality of it all set it.

My parents are moving to France.  And wait…so am I.

I am leaving once again, with a suitcase and an open mind.  I am going with a rough plan of the projects I want to take on and a few euros in my pocket.  

I am leaving my love with the hope that he can visit me in the fall and that the distance wont hurt us.

I am excited and scared.  This all needs to happen but the uncertainty of my future makes me nervous.

It’s been so long that I’ve been without a steady plan, and I’m still trying to digest the idea that it might be good not to have a plan for once.

                                                                              adieu

There are so many things I would love to change about this video from my pool-side hair to the music edits, but I thought I would share it anyways.  

I’m still getting a feel for my camera and need to get some better editing equipment so I can properly fade music.

Still, I had fun putting this video together, and if any of you are new to the barbecue this season you may want to give it a watch!

Important Update: Keep your barbeque lid open while turning on your gas!  

I move towards the table in my short skirt, overly aware of its length and of my legs in heels.

I smile, make a joke about our martini special and take orders from two young men.  As I get their drinks and try to keep myself together I fail to see a new customer sitting in my section.

My manager takes his order before I can get there.  Apparently he waited too long before I saw him and needed his lunch in a hurry.

Normally I find it easy to keep up with the flow, bounce from table to table and keep my head up.  Today I am off, dragging my feet, trying to figure out why my body feels so off.

After two days off sick I’m still finding my balance.  I think I went too many days straight without stopping, spent all my free time doing, doing, doing, until I overdid myself.

I balance a tray of drinks and bill folders on a counter in the kitchen and the tray slips onto the floor.  Glasses smash.  My eyes water.  I have to keep myself together.  But I feel emotionally astray and feel I shouldn’t be in the restaurant today.  A young serving assistant comes and helps cleans up my mess.  I move back to the dining room and finish my tables.  I’m cut early, my manager, who can tell I’m not feeling well enough to do my job, tells me I don’t have to come in in the evening.

I walk into the summer air feeling lighter.  I just need a break.  Some time to get my feet back on the ground and a relaxed smile on my face.  I have the weekend to get back into my groove and find wherever I left myself.

Life is good but it is changing quickly.  The house is sold.  I now have a family of nomads, and my only permanent residence is in the countryside in France.  This is a good thing, but it’s something I have to wrap my head around.

Time is moving fast and soon I’ll be taking off for my own adventure with no final destination point in mind.  This makes me excited, nervous, vulnerable.  My body craves travel and at the same time it will miss the arms of the young man who listens to my every worry and makes my life more beautiful.  Time and space will challenge us, but we both know that I need to leave and challenge myself.

I need to spend my days walking foreign cities for a while.  I need to work on my writing. I need to inspire myself to write, cook and creat new things.  

At this very moment, I need to take a deep breath and appreciate where I am right now.

I have started a separate food blog to track my daily meals.

I had fun doing my you are what you eat challenge for a week and want to continue it further.

My eating has been a little off track lately, and to get most of my meals and break my bad habit of eating during the night, I want to share some of my delicious bites.

I want to keep this separate from this site since I’m sure not everyone cares what I ate for breakfast.  If you don’t, I really can’t blame you.  But for those of you who are as passionate about their morning oatmeal to their late night bites of chocolate as I am, you’re welcome to join me.

You can find me over at Gillian Eats most days, and I will do my best to capture my bits and bites of the day.  I’m a busy gal but I’ll do what I can.

I’m excited to take on this project as I will be moving to Paris at the end of August for a month of two and think things will only go uphill from there.  Talk about pastry food porn to come.

In the meanwhile I’m staying busy and thinking of some videos to get going on when I have a little free time.  I am working hard to put away the Euros for all those croissants I’ll be buying.

I’m off to make dinner now…stay tuned for the food blogging to start tomorrow!

“Don’t be so tense.  Don’t try and make your body so strong.”

She holds onto my body, positions me correctly in her strict manner and smiles.  I fix my posture, keep my eyes looking forward and continue to point my toes like the rest of the girls.  

This is intro to ballet, and the first thing we need to know is how to keep our posture perfectly aligned and our eyes looking forward.

I watch myself in the mirror as I move my hand gracefully from bras bas to second position.  I feel tall, elegant, graceful.  I imagine myself dancing to Swan Lake and jumping into the arms of Rudolf Nureyev.  Suddenly I realize I’ve completely lost track of what I’m doing and that my feet aren’t moving in the same direction as the rest of the girls.

Ballet requires focus, discipline and practice.  This makes even an introduction class nerve wracking, and the girl aiding the demonstrations looks so focused that I’m worried she may burst into tears if she makes a mistake.

Overall my first ballet class yesterday was successful.  By the end I couldn’t help but laugh while attempting pirouettes across the floor, completely out of sync with the girl beside me.  While I have a serious side to me, I can usually see the humor in most of my faults.

After ballet I met up with my parents, got my hair cleaned up by my hairdresser, and ran back to the apartment to get spruced up for a jazz concert.  After a quick make-up touch up, a cute outfit and a glass of Chardonnay I was ready to go.

At the concert I was seduced by the voice of Nikki Yanofsky, a 15-year-old jazz singer who would make Frank Sinatra swoon.  At her young age she is a legend in the making. She sang Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday with ease, and hit every note so perfectly I think I heard Louis Armstrong snapping his fingers in his grave.

My boyfriend and I left right before the last song, dancing down the stairs and stopping for an old school turn and kiss before heading out into the warm summer air.  

We ended the evening in Lolita’s, a cozy Mexican restaurant, where our taste buds sang a song of their own over drinks, seafood ceviche served on tostadas with guacamole and warm chicken and spicy halibut tacos served with rice and black beans.

Back at work today the sky poured a cold summer rain and tables called for my attention.  I did what I had to do, all the while holding ballet posture and singing jazz songs in my head…“Because it don’t mean a thing, if you ain’t got that swing, doop wop, doo wop, doo wop…”