French Tax Office: Less Scary than the French Police Department

Good evening...or afternoon depending on where you are...

As the title implies, I spent a little time today in the French tax office. It was my second trip there, both for the purposes of getting help with French tax forms, and both times I was pleasantly surprised that the people helping me were in fact very helpful and...here's the biggest surprise:  NICE! Being a foreigner here means endless trips to the préfecture--the French police department, and I will say that they generally live up (or down as the case may be) to their reputations for being...let's just say surly.

So among the many things I'm grateful for today:

1)  getting the latest tax form completed and filed with the greatest of ease and (this time) on time!
2)  a great lunch with my friend Philippe. He recently cut his own hair. I wish I could show you a picture. :)
3)  that my Mom was born today (several years ago today, of course)
4)  that my Mom seems to be having a great birthday
5)  that the travel nightmare seems to be improving for those poor souls stuck in airports and various other places that aren't "home"

Time for you to share...thanks for being here!

Eleven Hours

Hi friends!

I hope you are enjoying a little down-time between Christmas and New Years. I am lucky enough to be in the kind of business that allows for exactly that; generally the last thing on people's minds this time of year is hanging around the office for training!

My down-time included some sleep catch up...I slept for 11 hours last night! I think I was up for something like 32 hours straight, but one good, long night's sleep, and I am right back on Paris time.

So on my list of things I'm grateful for today:

1)  a bit of a break from work...but not too much
2)  catching up on my sleep and getting back into my sleep pattern...fast!
3)  my bed. Ok, so it's not technically mine--came with the apartment, but I am accustomed to it, and boy was I snug as a bug in it last night!
4)  New channels which include, get this, BBC and FOX News. France JUST went HD!
5)  that this year I think I got my Mom something for her birthday that she both likes and will use! :)

Tomorrow...Mom's birthday! SOOOO thankful that she was born!

Now, tell me, tell me, tell me what you're grateful for today!

Trains, planes, and automobiles

Hello friends!

First, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and got to spend time with people that you love. I know I did, and I am so grateful. Snow seems to be the word of the week followed closely by the words delays, cancellations, and a few expletives that I will leave to your imagination. Changes to our plans are not always welcome, and I know that I handled my delayed arrival last Tuesday with a lot less grace than I should have. That said, I am thankful for:

1)  my parents who were patient with me when I had lost all patience with American Airlines
2)  same parents who came to the airport to pick me up...twice.
3)  being able to spend Christmas with my parents and spend a couple of days in pajamas doing nothing with them too!
4)  the serendipitous scheduling event that led me to book my return flight through Miami and not through New York. I can't remember why I did it, but I am so glad that I did.
5)  my soft, sweet, warm kitties who were so happy to see me that one of them drooled and the other one follows me wherever I go. Ok, they both follow me wherever I go...and I love it.

So much to be grateful for! And you?...

Merry Christmas!

Hi friends, and Merry Christmas!

I hope you have all had a wonderful day! I have eaten entirely too much, but it has been a great day. Family, friends...and watching the weather to see if the snow is going to cause problems with my return trip. Oh la la...I can only hope and pray that it doesn't.

I will be so thankful if the snow stays away, and I'm already thankful for:

1)  getting to see so many family members today including my TALL nephews!
2)  the delicious rum cake that my Mom made. SO good.
3)  Christmas movies - the classics and the new ones
4)  the blanket that my Mom made that I found today and that I am taking back with me to Paris
5)  hanging out with my parents after a busy and beautiful Christmas day

How was your Christmas?

Friendship

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!

I've spent the last 36 hours seeing friends and doing my last minute Christmas shopping, and now I'm back at my parents' house getting ready to settle in and enjoy a Christmas movie. What a fun few days it has been!

Today I'm thankful for:

1)  seeing friends I hadn't seen in a year...and in some cases two years!
2)  laughing about crazy old times
3)  being finished with Christmas shopping
4)  rum cake...mmmmm...
5)  Christmas with my family

And you?

The other side of the ocean

Oh la la...I missed you yesterday! I was traveling from Paris to my parents' home in North Carolina, and my 12 hour trip took 21 hours. Apparently the dyslexic pranksters were in charge of my day. I did think of you throughout the day yesterday: "Haven't posted today" "When am I going to post?" etc. The answer is "today." So, for today I am so terribly grateful for:

1) having FINALLY and, most importantly, safely made it here!
2) those hugs from my parents that I was waiting for
3) a good night's sleep
4) that although I was so tired that I thought I might throw up, I never actually did
5) the breakfast that I anticipate my Dad making for me today...mmmmm :)

As number 4 illustrates, gratitude isn't always glamorous. But it's always good! Thanks to you all for being here too. Reading your comments always, always, always brightens my day!

So what glamorous or unglamorous things do you have to be grateful for today? Do tell!

Let the packing begin!

Hi! Well, today was last day I had to wrap up the Paris side of my to-do list before I head to the US for Christmas with my family. Did I get it all done? Yes, I did! So tomorrow will be a travel day, then I'll work on the US side of the to-do list and hope to get all of my last minute Christmas shopping done in time! Again, I have so much to be thankful for....like...

1) finding a new place to print AND remembering to print my itinerary!
2) the feeling of relief at finishing all of the work I had to do before I could take a break
3) that my friend who just had surgery is recovering nicely
4) that we had beautiful snow again this morning, but that it is NOT supposed to snow tomorrow--the day that I fly to the US!
5) that I get to SEE and HUG my beautiful, wonderful parents TOMORROW!!!!!

You know the drill...your turn!

Lists and the joy of marking things off of them!

Hello!

I hope you all had (or are having) a wonderful Sunday! I am still in my jammies and have spent the entire day being productive. It feels GREAT to mark things off of a list, doesn't it? Today I am grateful for:

1) my very productive day which leads me to...
2) my shorter, more manageable "to do" list
3) one more day to get it all done before I head to the states for Christmas!
4) my friend Philippe. I really and truly do not know what I'd do without him. BUT, I am not just thankful for him because he helps me with all things French administration. He is also a sweetheart of a guy.
5) this blog and the joy it brings me every day


Oh! And 6) I figured out how to get pictures onto my computer, so here is a picture of a street in the 17th arrondissement of Paris at Christmas. It looks like it was raining, but it was actually snowing to beat the band. I apparently didn't have my camera set on "snow." I'll work on figuring that out next...that and how to make the pictures bigger. But wouldya look at that beautiful sky?





















And you...what are you grateful for today?

Yes, it's snowing again!

Hi gratituders! Yep, it snowed again today. It was beautiful too, and guess what...I even had my camera! I got a few pictures of Christmas lights, but I'll have to post them later when I figure out how to upload them onto my new netbook. Ok, so today I am grateful for:

1) A compliment from a Frenchman on my French
2) A serious dent made in Christmas shopping...and none too soon!
3) That I remembered to take my camera today
4) comfortable shoes
5) my friend Sterling and my former neighbors who take such good care of Belle!!! Mille mercis!!!
6) bonus one...babies laughing. There is no sweeter sound.

And you? What do you find yourself thankful for this Saturday?

Thankful for the weekend!

Hi friends!

It's Friday...the weekend is here at long last! We had the most gorgeous mini-blizzard today. It lasted for less than an hour, but while it was happening the flakes were ENORMOUS, falling fast, sticking, and giving all of the Christmas lights hanging over our beautiful cobblestone streets an even more glorious sparkle. If only I had had my camera with me! ;)

So, today I am particularly thankful for:

1) The spectacle of snow falling, Christmas lights, and other Christmas decorations in Montmartre...simply magical.
2) My perfect timing that found me walking home during this beautiful event.
3) I get to sleep in tomorrow!
4) Two weeks where all of the work I have to do can be done in my jammies on the sofa with a cup of hot mint tea.
5) Mmmm...hot mint tea.

And now, c'est a vous...it's your turn!

Day 4, thankful for more!

Hi! It's raining in Paris (instead of the snow they promised), but as BJ Thomas once said, "I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining." Plus, this is no place for complainers, so getting right along with the program, today I am grateful for:

1) A little Christmas shopping finally accomplished
2) Sweet happy kitties greeting me at the door of my warm, dry apartment
3) A delicious glass of champagne in celebration of a great new contract. Yay!
4) All of the people who have joined me here in gratitude sharing! I LOVE reading YOUR lists!
5) That I get to see my family and friends in less than a week!

Ok, your turn...let's hear it!

Day three...more to say merci for!

Hi gratitude partners! Or sharers of gratitude? Do you prefer gratitudents? Haha...I'm definitely open to suggestions!

Looong day. Worked way into the evening tonight, but I am thankful to have the work! What else am I thankful for? Here goes...

1) Aforementioned WORK
2) To have a warm, safe, love-filled home to return to at the end of the day
3) That the 14 minute wait at the bus stop in the freezing cold didn't last 15 minutes!
4) Friends who make me laugh!
5) The Mentalist (ok, really thankful for Simon Baker...we don't always have to be proud of what we're thankful for, you know. ;)

Et toi? Tell me how filled with blessings your day was!

Day 2! Thanks for joining me!

Wow. Just wow. I put this blog up last night and went to bed, and today when I logged on for the first time, I was tickled PINK to have found four people joining me here already! Thanks so much, friends! So I'm going to be succinct and just say thank you again and let you know how much I enjoyed reading your gratitude posts.

So today, December 14, 2010 I am thankful for:

1) Four people who jumped through the gratitude portal with me!
2) A cold but brisk and beautiful day
3) A fantastically fun lunch with Zabie at the beautiful Chartier
4) Homemade cookies from my neighbor
5) A new client with work starting immediately!

And you...what are you thankful for on this beautiful Tuesday?

Here are my 5 things for today. Now it's your turn...

I'm a big believer in the importance of gratitude, of being thankful for all of the great things in my life. And I have so many great things be thankful for. But like many other mere humans, sometimes I get suckered into feeling sorry for myself and focusing on what I don't have. So, like many other's, I've decided that every day I'm going to write down five things I'm grateful for.

This is a decision I've made before, and for a while I've dutifully written down my five (sometimes twenty!) things. And then...well, my commitment has waned and my writing down of things has...well, stopped.

But this time things are going to be different. Why? This time I am going to write them down HERE for all the world (or maybe just me) to see. And this time I'm inviting YOU to do the same. Here's a place where we can all come together to notice our blessings and to enjoy each others'. And when one of us is having a bad day and having a hard time coming up with a little gratitude, we can come here and either get ideas (oh yeah, I've got THAT going for me too) or at least see that there are some good things going on in our little gratitude community.

That's what I hope to create here...a little community of gratitude. Where we share our blessings and in doing so multiply them. I'm no technological expert, so I'm not sure exactly how this is going to work, but right now I'm thinking the comments section will get us started. We'll see where else this project takes us. So bookmark me, and come back every day to share your five things too. I think this is going to be good!

My five things that I am grateful for today, December 13, 2009
1. Starting with the best: my wonderful parents
2. My sweet, warm, furry kitty children.
3. That I live in such a beautiful, amazing city that is spectacularly beautiful right now.
4. That I will see my family and friends in the US in a week!
5. That I found a beautiful new walk to and from work.

Simple, right? Five things. Every day. So what are your five things for today?