Le Petit Chic

One More Week!

Oh my holy heck, it kind of just hit me that we leave for Europe in exactly one week!  This time next Wednesday, I'll probably be sweating through my shirt as I count down the hours until we leave and worry about the impending 9 hour flight to Frankfurt.  Have I ever mentioned that I'm a travel lover who hates to fly?  Well, I am.  I never used to be scared of flying, but the older I get, the more I become aware of all that could possibly go wrong.  Every peculiar sound or slight bump sends me into a white knuckle panic, as I gasp to Jon, "Oh my god, oh my god!"  Thank goodness for the free alcohol on international flights, as I will surely need something to calm my nerves!

In the past few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about what I'm going to wear for our trip to give myself plenty of time to find and/or buy whatever it is that I decide to pack.  I've also done some googling to determine exactly what I should and shouldn't wear so that I don't blatantly look like an American tourist.  Sure, once I open my mouth or pull out my big camera, my secret will be spilled, but I really want to just blend in with the locals since I'll be doing a lot of my daytime touring independently.  The verdict?  Skirts.  Lots and lots of skirts.  Especially in France.  I don't mind this at all because a) skirts are super easy to pack and b) I love wearing skirts.  I really like the Ruffle Skirt from Gap, because it's the type of skirt that looks better when it's a little wrinkled, which is just perfect since it will be living in a suitcase for almost 2 weeks. 

I also figure that I can pack several of those skirts (I already own a few similar ones) and plan to re-wear them.  I'll just pack a lot of different shirts and tank tops to mix and match with them.  The weather for both Germany and France looks beautiful, low to mid 70's, so I don't think I'll need to pack many warm clothes.  Of course I'll pack some jeans and a few long sleeved items, but I think I'll be able to successfully pack light, which is really my main objective.  I looked up our hotels online today and I'm fairly certain that each room will have a hairdryer.  The hotel in Nice has one for sure and our hotel in Koblenz just opened last month so I think it's safe to say that it will have modern amenities.

Whew!  So much to think about!  I'll probably post my final packing list, and maybe pictures, once it is done.  Not sure if you all will find it interesting, but I love to see what other people deem as "necessary objects" for their getaways.  It can tell you a lot about a person! 

P.S.  Here's a view from our hotel in Nice:

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How gorgeous is that?!

Exposaroonie Challenge - Bad Habits

The Exposaroonie Challenge this week was to photograph your bad habit.  Initially, I thought this one would be easy.  But when I really got down to thinking about what my bad habits are, it was surprisingly hard to come up with any!  Sure, I don't floss every day and I do enjoy the occasional breakfast at McDonald's, but those things aren't that bad!  For the most part, I exercise regularly, eat healthy and have good hygiene. 

So then I thought a little harder.  Ah-ha!!  My bad habit is so obvious that I'm shocked I didn't think of it earlier. 

Go ahead, take a guess:

Give up? 

My bad habit is SALT!!  Whereas most women tend to be sweetaholics, I adore salt.  Take a gander through my snack drawer at work (yes, I have a whole drawer of snacks!) and you'll find mixed nuts and pretzels and pita chips and Kool-Aid singles. Okay, so the Kool-Aid singles aren't salty, but oh man, do they bring me back to my childhood!  I don't go crazy pouring salt on my food, but that's usually because the food I choose is salty to begin with.  Give me a soft pretzel over a scoop of ice cream any day.

To take this picture, I poured some salt on our granite countertops, very close to the backsplash. Since our granite is Uba-Tuba, it is very dark (almost black) and has great reflective qualities.  You'll be happy to learn that I've stopped using auto settings on my camera (actually, I stopped about a month ago) and I've been venturing into the scary world of manual.  I can't really tell you what the settings were, because I tend to just fool around with them until I get a shot that I like, but nonetheless, it was manual!  And I even made my arms and shoulders hurt from the weird position I was in to get this shot.  (I tend to take about 50 shots of the same thing!)  Hooray!

A Paradox

Should one continue to drink the ginger tea that is supposed to aid in stomach discomfort if the smell of said ginger tea makes you want to vomit because it makes you think of sushi, because really, raw fish is the last thing one wants to think about when feeling ill?

And also, while I'm at it, a letter to God:

Dear God,

     I know you prepared me at an early age to deal with stomach issues (i.e.: the whole gallstones and subsequent gallbladder removal at age six), but is it really necessary to make me feel sick enough to make me throw up at least once a week for no apparent reason?  Perhaps, when my time comes, I'll be blessed with a morning sickness-free pregnancy to make up for all of the nausea I've suffered throughout my life. 

Love, Katie

And to nip any assumptions in the bud:

To my loving parents (since you've been hinting about grandkids ALOT lately):

     No, I am not pregnant.  My stomach is just too sensitive for it's own good.  Don't worry though, after Jonathan, you two and Jonathan's parents will be the first to know!

Love, Katie

And for good measure:

Dear Red Cross,

     Could this have anything to do with the pint of blood I donated yesterday?  Or maybe with the extra large needle that is made for the veins of 200 pound men, not petite women, that was used on my poor arm?

Sincerely, Katie D.