I got an internship ! ღ 94

Hey y'all !

I have some great news to share on the blog today !

Remember my 101 in 1001 list ?  Well, I do ! One of my goals was to find two internships for my masters. I did the first one in Dublin from March to August and I have another six months to do in 2015. There are not a lot of long time internships in France and I was really worried I would not find one or would have to move far from home. Moreover, my dream job would be to create trips and most of the time only big companies do it and most of them are based in big cities. As I already said, I do not really feel comfortable in the city and it is so expensive ! I had another opportunity in Ireland but Guillaume is really attached to his family (so am I) and he was quite reluctant to follow me there.

In August, when I came back to France, I was a little tensed. I did not really know what to do, where to look. Accept the internship in Ireland ? Try elsewhere ? Was I ready to move to the other side of France ? What if Guillaume found a job in our region ? I had so many questions and no answers ... Because in our case, as students or young graduated, you cannot foresee the future and make plans in advance. So I felt really stressed about it.

I decided to start applying to big travel companies, those in the big cities. As it was a bit early, I did not get any answer. I took my time, thought about it and in September, I kept sending emails here and there, without any expectations. But only a few minutes after applying, I received a positive answer: an agency wanted to meet me ! And it was in our area: only an hour from my parents and a few kilometers from Guillaume's ! The agency is actually located near the city Guillaume and I met, when we were studying English ... I was so excited and I could not believe it ! It was too good to be true ! When I told Guillaume, he was washing the dishes (yeap, I remember this detail) and he was so happy ! We immediately started to make plans, to imagine how great it would be to stay close to our families and friends. We knew that nothing was sure, that is was only a possibility. But it was just so good to believe for a minute that we wont have to be separated again ... 

I had the interview a couple of days ago, and it did not start very well. For a few minutes, I told myself that this offer was WAY too good to be true ! That I had been silly to believe that it could actually happen. Truth is, the director forgot we were supposed to meet that morning ! Luckily, she lived nearby and came an hour later. She did not ask me about my skills or whatever, but about what I wanted to do during my internship ! I mean: what kind of boss do that ? She told me directly that the minute she read my application, she wanted me in her company. She also talked about a big project she has for the agency and which will be my main mission during my six months there. I am super excited !

I seriously never thought I would have the chance to work in our region. I know that I will miss Ireland, and despite the fact that I love this country and want to live there for years, I am absolutely ok with this decision. I am happy to be close to Granny, my parents, friends and Guillaume. And I have to admit that I would be delighted to get a job after this internship and finally settle down for a while !

Oh Christmas Tree ! ღ 66

Sometimes, I almost forgot that two months ago, I started a list of 101 goals to do in 1001 days. I think I still have time to do all these things, but time flies and so do months ! I have to say, I am terrible at monthly goals ... I start the month full of good intentions and new motivations and ... I forgot them and oh ! It's already over ! This is probably one of the things I should work on next year ! Stop procrastinating !

So this year, Guillaume and I will be celebrating Christmas in our home for the very first time. I started to look at the trees in November and bought some ornaments quite early. We argued a lot about the tree: should it be real or artificial ? Should it be green or white ? Will the decorations be blue, gold, silver, red or white ? Finally, I got reasonable and picked a fake tree (cheapest if we use it for a few years and it doesn't leave pine needles all over the house). We have also decided to have a traditional tree with gold and red ornaments. It's a small tree, as we live in an apartment and have very little space, but we love it :)

On Monday, December 2nd, we spent the afternoon shopping. We bought our tree and fairy lights in Casa, some tinsels and a star. I have to say that I have discovered a new side of Guillaume that day. I was so surprised he cared so much about our tree ! He was really cautious about the colors and he insisted on buying a red tinsel (which was a great idea !). He was super excited about decorating it ! I really had a great time doing this and it was a special moment between us :)

Having a tree during this time of the year cheers me up. It makes me realize that Christmas is coming and that I should keep studying hard so I could enjoy my family when exams are over. This week, I kept remembering all the good moments I had as a child. There is definitely something in the air that makes me happy. Like a whisper to say that everything is possible. Christmas is magical ! I really can't wait to start the celebrations at the end of next week ! 

We can now say that we started our own collection of Christmas decorations and ornaments ! One more goal to cross off ! Have a nice week end y'all !

      

Happy Thanksgiving ! ღ 12

Happy Thanksgiving y'all !

Life has been crazy lately. Too many essays to write and give back, exams to prepare and sit ... Well, wait ! I actually had no life last week ! I have been under pressure everyday, even during my sleep ! So I was absolutely wrecked yesterday and Thank's God, it's Saturday and I can finally relax ! The past three days were terrible. I failed one my exams and the two I sat on Wednesday were a disaster. I have also received a negative answer for an internship. Back to the start. For a few days, I was miserable. I didn't feel like studying, I cried for hours and woke up with big red eyes the next morning. 

Finally, on Thursday evening, magic happened ! We had our friends coming for Thanksgiving, so Guillaume and I cooked, decorated a little our home and listened to Christmas song. This was nothing, but it really cheered me up ! Our dinner was a success, a simple moment we shared with people we care about. It was no big deal, pretty modest actually. I guess it was nothing like in America, but we just shared a good time and I kept thinking of how grateful I was.

I am thankful for ... having so many good and inspiring people in my life. There was a time I felt lonely and betrayed. A time I didn't trust anyone but myself. Now I can say that I am not a popular gal, but I have very kind friends who have been there for three years, ten years. The number is not important, but the quality matters. I am grateful to have them in my life.

I am thankful for ... having spent two more years with Granny. Two years ago, in November, I have almost lost her forever. This period of the year makes me sad, because these are terrible memories. I keep seeing her in her hospital room, unable to speak and move. It was a shock. But meanwhile, I am so blessed that she is still with us, that she fought and is healthy. That day, in November 10th 2011, our lives have changed, but it could have been worse. I love you Granny !

I am thankful for ... having such a lovely, crazy and amazing family. First, I have Guillaume, who is an awesome boyfriend, who keeps cheering me up and making me laugh. He brings me so much love and happiness ... I would never be the same without him ! Then, I have my parents, my brother and Benji. They are so supportive and so helpful, I wonder how I would do if they were not there for me ! There are also my aunts and uncles, who have welcomed me in their home for months, who are helping me finding an internship and teaching me that life can be tough but is definitely worth it. And I also have my lovely cousin Zoe, who emails me from time to time and makes me laugh. She is the little sister I never had and I miss her a lot !

I am thankful for ... all the experiences I had this year. I have been lucky. Sometimes, I think I am cursed, because I keep struggling with my studies and complaining over and over again. And then I remember that I got my degree in June, that I have spent four months in the country of my dreams, partying and spending time with my lovely family. I remember that I have met new people, that I had incredible adventures abroad. Cursed or not, I also got into the Master's degree I was dreaming of. It did not turned as good as it seemed, but yet, I got in. I wish 2014 will be as good :)

I hope you had a fantastic time with your friends and family ! Have a nice week end !

After all this time, I'm still into you ღ 46

Everyday, I keep telling myself "I should write a new post", but everyday is the same. Busy, busy, busy. Going to class, cooking, cleaning our home, worring about class, studying, spending my evenings with Guillaume ... I really feel like updating my blog more often, but I am always running out of time. Promise, I will catch up !

Today is a special day, so I definitely had to write something here. We are October 22nd 2013 and three years ago, I started to date my amazing boyfriend, Guillaume (and I am not writing this because he's sitting next to me at the moment - and obviously reading this as well). So here is a highlight of our story ...

I met Guillaume on my first year of college, in September 2010. He was studying English as well in second year. One evening, I threw a party at my place, and among many unknown guests was Guillaume. When he walked in, he asked who's place it was and we started to talk. We went to several different bars that night, but the thing is, I don't really remember it. All I know is that Guillaume and I were inseparable, chatting about our lives and college experience. The next morning, something had changed. I couldn't stop thinking about him, how nice he was and I saw on his person my prince charming.

Well, things were not that easy. Some people tried to keep us apart, telling lies about our past and our feelings (I think we have always met that kind of damaging "friends") so it took us a few weeks to officially start to date. I really thought that he did not like me ... But on that evening on the 22nd of October 2010, he finally kissed me and said "I thought it was never gonna happen". I went to bed at 5 that morning but felt happy, grateful and confident. Being around him was appeasing and blissful. And I still feel the same way about him. 

These last three years were full of adventures. First, it had been full of love, but also full of travels, laughter and happiness. Guillaume made some of my dreams come true, like going to Disneyland, visiting Ireland together, going to London but more important, he made me respect and love myself. He has always been really supportive about my studies, my jobs, my diets, my insecurities. He is always there for me and I will never thank him enough for this. He makes me become a better person and that is one of the thousand reasons I love him.

I am his, he is mine. For ever and always.

101 in 1001

This is it ! After an entire week of reflexion, I have finally finished my 101 things to do in 1001 days. This idea came from Victoria's blog and originally from Design Darling. I use to make lists all the time. On Sunday afternoon, I start thinking of what I will have to do during the week. Sometimes it is really exciting, sometimes it is more compulsory. But writing this 101 in 1001 list was a real challenge ! I am only 21 (and still surprised by this number !) and so many things can change in 1001 days, so many things are vague and most of the time, I feel unsecure about the future (especially these days while struggling with my studies). So we can say that this is the list of what a college girl in her twenties must accomplish ! Here we go !!! :)

Start Date: Saturday, October 5th 2013

End Date: Saturday, July 2nd 2016

Personal 
1. Find my first real job
2. Write a novel
3. Learn to love myself
4. Be more confident
5. Find faith
6. Get involved in a charity
7. Do a professional photo shoot
8. Spend a week-end with no technology
9. Keep a journal of possibilities and dreams
10. Write myself a letter once a month   1/33
11. Achieve all these goals

Fun & Entertainment
12. Celebrate Thanksgiving for the first time  (see here)
13. Attend Oxygen festival, Dublin
14. See a band I've liked for a long time performing
15. See a rugby game
16. Try 10 new restaurants in our area
17. Watch the Lord of the Ring movies
18. Sing in a pub
19. Have a Disney movies marathon
20. Get up to watch the sunrise

Beauty and Health
21. Let my hair grow
22. Drink 8 glass of water a day for a month
23. Eat five fruits and veggies a day for a week
24. Work out everyday for a week
25. Achieve my target weight
26. Learn 5 new hairstyles
27. Find the perfect lipstick color
28. Go to bed before 11pm for a week

Blog
29. Write 101 goals
30. Inspire someone to write this list
31. Re-design my blog
32. Meet a friend blogger
33. Have 5 blog sponsors
34. Post everyday on the blog for a week
35. Contribute to someone else's blog
36. Leave comments on 5 blog everyday for two weeks
37. Have five friends reading my blog
38. Hit 50 followers on my blog

Travel
39. Visit New York City
40. Move to a foreign country
41. Visit the Châteaux de la Loire
42. Spend a romantic week-end in Paris
43. Go geocatching
44. Visit 5 new cities 1/5 (Belfast)

Friends & Family
45. Adopt a pet

46. Celebrate our third anniversary (see here)
47. Get Engaged
48. Buy our first house

49. Send out Christmas Cards
50. Send ten handwritten notes
51. Throw a surprise party for a friend
52. Be my cousin's sponsor
53. Go on a trip with my friends
54. Compliment someone everyday for a week
55. Tell one friend per week that I am thinking about them
56. Take family pictures every year
57. Reconnect with a childhood friend
58. Buy my parents' a big gift
59. Hang out with my brother for a whole day
60. Take my Granny to the casino
61. Call or Email my family every week
62. Spend a whole week-end at Granny's
63. Go on a day trip with my cousin
64. Support a friend on something important to him/her

Do & Make
65. Own a Christmas Cookie's Yankee Candle
66. Start a collection of Christmas decorations  (see here)
67. Make homemade bread
68. Make homemade ice cream
69. Learn to sew a button
70. Do five DIY projects
71. Have breakfast in bed
72. Take a wine testing class
73. Buy fresh flowers once a month  1/33
74. Plant something and have it grow
75. Try a new recipe each month  3/33
76. Ask for a new passport
77. Acquire a new cookbook every year
78. Put back a rim on my car's wheel
79. Take a baking class
80. Learn how to make pastries
81. Try two recipes from the Bible of Pastry each month  0/33
82. Buy a frame and put a picture of Guillaume and I inside
83. Buy a hard drive and save all my files and pictures
84. Go to a farmer market every month   4/33
85. Go on a day spa with my boyfriend

Organise
86. Turn my Granny's and family recipes into a book
87. Get rid of my old class books
88. Write my favorite recipes on a book
89. Donate my old clothes and shoes
90. Print out our trips pictures and organize it in a book

Education
91. Graduate from college
92. Learn how to play the piano
93. Read 20 new books   6/20
94. Find my two internships  2/2
95. Learn a few German sentences

Investments
96. Own a pair of Repetto flats
97. Find the perfect little black dress
98. Spend an entire month not eating out
99. Find a good financial plan
100. Save a minimum of 30€ each month  1/33
101. Put 5€ into savings for every goal accomplished  30/505