Disneyland Paris

What better way to spend a day in Paris then to go to Disneyland! Okay, not really my first choice, but a friend wanted to go. (I still have to explain this friend, but now I must rest a bit before going to a New Year's party.)

So here's a few pics to tide you over:

Paris!

I'm in Paris! A couple months ago, I got an email from Delta about their fare sales, and I wrote to my girlfriend Irish Parisienne who lives here. When she said she would be around for New Year's, I booked the trip.

Irish Parisienne and I met through our blogs, and we estimate we've been reading and commenting on each other's dating odysseys for 3-4 years. When I met her in person back in April (my first ever trip to the City of Lights), we instantly clicked and solidified our friendship. Since then, she's been encouraging me to come back, and as I find New Year's Eve depressing on my own, I decided this was a good occasion.

Today, being my first day here, was a bit rough from the jet lag. Although I got a few hours sleep on the plane, it always catches up to me my first day here. I'm renting a lovely little studio apartment from a friend of IP's, and the comfy bed and shuttered windows were ideal for an afternoon nap.

Every meal I've eaten in Paris has been delicious, and today was no exception. For lunch, I had a quiche lorraine, and dinner was exquisite: pumpkin soup with a creamy blue cheese for starters, and beef tenderloin cooked to medium perfection with baby potatoes and a scrumptious wine reduction gravy. And French wine, of course!

Now it's off to bed for me. I'm too tired to tell you the rest of the story, but there's more... :-)

A Lovely Holiday

Christmas definitely snuck up on me this year, but I finally managed to finish all my shopping and get my gifts wrapped just in time. (Although my cards went out just two days before Christmas, so most people are just now getting them! Those of you in England should get them by next week, I hope.)

Here are a few pictures to cherish the memories:

This one the kids called "the sandwich." Nana decided to join in on the fun.

A three-generation hug:

Decorations, Texas style:

Colin as one of the wise men and Anna in the background as Mary in the church pageant:

Nana taking advantage of the mistletoe:

A brisk walk to burn off some of the Christmas calories:

Disconnected

Despite my last post title, it's difficult for me to believe that Christmas is just days away. Maybe it's because this year my December has mostly been spent on the road, on planes and in airports. I just have a sense of disconnectedness...

My parents arrive tomorrow, and we get out of work early. Maybe that will make it feel more like Christmas!

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

My sister Steph hosts a beautiful Christmas tea every year, and it's a wonderful occasion to dress up and enjoy some champagne while catching up with family and friends. This year was bittersweet as Steph and her family have moved to California as of last week, but before she left Houston, she put on a fantastic fete with amazing food, a string quartet, a harp, and beautiful decorations. Here are some pictures from the day.

Abandoned, but only temporarily

No, I haven't given up on the blog. I just haven't had time or energy to write. I've been working an insane amount -- work/life balance what? -- and since I don't write about work and haven't been doing much else or had time to do much else...the blog suffered.

Beginning with the second week of November and on through December, I've travelled every week except the week of Thanksgiving and now this coming week, the week of Christmas. While business travel sounds interesting to those who enjoy travel and don't do it for work, it is actually quite draining and you see very little of the places you visit. I generally end up working more hours on the road, since I don't have my recorded shows or family or friends to catch up with in the evenings, and lately, I've had to work until the wee hours just to keep up with the overwhelming workload.

Where've I been? Chicago three or four times, Boston twice, NYC twice (forgive me, jman, I didn't have time to catch a drink), Indianapolis and Houston once each. I've reestablished my priority status on at least one airline carrier, and I've also racked up my loyalty programs with hotels and rental cars. And I'm exhausted.

Meanwhile, as readers of my sister's blog will know, my longtime companion -- my 17-year-old cat Sabrina -- broke her leg Thanksgiving night. I'm still not sure exactly how it happened, but I think she was startled and bumped into her water bowl and then slipped on the tile. The result was a break in her femur, which required surgery. It was extremely stressful for her, and pretty darn stressful for me, too. The worst was having to leave her for two weeks after her surgery. Thank God for my sister Dr. Jenn and her caring staff. We kept her in a kennel at the clinic, even though the clinic doesn't do boarding anymore, and that helped to keep her calm and still and allow the bone to begin to heal. For the last week, she's been recuperating at home with a petsitter visiting daily. And she's starting to use the leg a bit and is happily purring beside me as I write.

So again, I apologize to my loyal readers and thank you for coming back! I do enjoy blogging and enjoy having a life for that matter, doing more than just work. I know we can never go back, but I want to have more balance like I did a few months ago, so I'm taking steps to make that happen.