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Pregnant in Paris & learning to live better

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Bonjour!

Happy Halloween! I’m heading off to a picnic in a graveyard to celebrate the day, I’m so excited.

Last week was Adventure Week in Live More Weigh Less Mastery, where all the women explored different ways to fully experience fun, adventure and romance. During Live More Weigh Less Mastery last spring, I went on a week-long road and got pregnant by surprise, so I knew I had to go big this year!

So Jonathan and I spent a wonderful week in Paris exploring neighborhoods, looking at art and eating croissants.

paris1b

Usually I feel a little blue coming back from such a magical week, but this time I made a conscious effort to bring the Parisian lifestyle back to San Francisco.  You see, people are obsessed with Paris for a reason.  There’s something calm, exciting, sensual, alluring, fancy and mysterious about Parisian life.  Everyone takes something different away from their experience, but these are the details I’ve chosen to actively create in my life at home, so I always feel that je ne sais quoi!

Have long dinners.  Jonathan and I spent at least 3 hours at dinner every night, sometimes longer.  We’d start with an aperitif, order 3 courses and talk all night.  We realized that we rarely take this time at home, whether we’re at our dining room table or our favorite restaurant and we’re now committed to lingering longer.  It helps with our digestion, our enjoyment and our relationship.

Make out in public.  Jonathan used to stop me in the middle of the street and kiss me, and I would get embarrassed. I pushed him away one too many times so he stopped.  Luckily, this amazing habit started up again in Paris where you feel like you have endless permission to have serious P.D.A., and I realized – what’s so wrong with showing how in love we are?  Nothing.

paris 3b

Less phone.  An amazing thing we noticed is that you rarely see Parisians on their phones!  They aren’t checking their facebook updates, frantically texting or playing angry birds.  They are engaged in conversation, taking in their surroundings or engrossed in their thoughts.  Since being home I’m trying not to pull out my phone every time I have a free second or if the person I’m dining with went to the bathroom.  I’m just sitting, taking it in and enjoying the space.  What I’ve noticed is that I am much more calm, centered and happy.

paris 4

Eat croissants.  Oh how I love croissants!!  And for some reason these delicious, flaky packages of joy had completely fallen out of my diet.  I had a croissant everyday in Paris that I enjoyed slowly, orgasmically and without guilt.  Did you know that paying attention to your food and taking great pleasure in it raises your metabolism?  There’s no need to cut out something so amazing just because it has a ton of butter in it, so it’s back in my life and we couldn’t be happier.

Get dressed up.  Though I always pull myself together in San Francisco, I am usually pretty casual.  In Paris I wore a dress most days and here I’m wearing lace, leather AND my grandmother’s Hermes scarf.  It’s so worth pulling all of your favorite things together.  Since being back I’ve been trying to wear a fabulous, dressy outfit when I leave the house and I certainly have an extra spring in my step.

Pic 6 (1)

Be a tourist.  When we were standing on top of the Eiffel Tower enjoying the fabulous view of the city, I realized that there are monuments, museums and incredible views right in San Francisco that I never take time to see!  People come from all over the world to SF for a reason and I’m going to start hitting up the hot spots.

Doing all of these things in just past few days since I’ve been back has completely changed the tone of my life.  Before I went away my life was feeling cramped, fast and overwhelming.  Now, with the effort I’m putting in, it feels slower, spacious and more nurturing, like I never left vacation.

In the comments below I want to know, what do you want to do to make your life feel more like you’re on vacation? Do you have any tips for the rest of us?

Can’t wait to hear from you.

Love,

Sarah


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