wrap it up.

i was told i have to "wrap my blog up".... so here tis...

i am now getting settled in seattle in my new apartment. i love the place and feel very at home here. i can walk to pike place within minutes!

i loved my stay in france, my visits to spain and portugal. i miss chelsea. i miss good coffee and baguettes, croissants. i miss the beaches of these three countries, all beautiful and different from the other's. i miss looking for shells.
i wish i had some final words for my travels... huge understandings of self and the world. i'll get back to you on that.

i am happy to be home.
thanks for the support, mon amies et mon famille.
je t'aime.

and scene

i am wearing a dress that when wet is probably see through, i have a long walk home and it looks like the heat showers are going to start any minute. this is not a metaphor.

its been hot here in clermont-ferrand the last few days. 80s to 90s, my body loves this, but the muggy feel in the air is a different animal. the air chokes me as i walk, sending gas and cigarette fumes into my throat and lungs. i crave water, the ocean, a river. i drink so much water lately, i dont even have to remind myself, im thirsty all the time.

chelsea and remys place feels cooler than out here on the streets, due to the small river in their backyard. there are two black swans that live in it with their two baby swans. chelsea and i watch them from the windows.

yesterday remy and chelsea planted their garden. i helped for a few hours then let them be, to decide on placement. my body aches today from gardening and yoga. walking to the internet cafe today felt like it took days. its a long walk, furthur lengthened by my slow pace today. i am reliant on communication these days but want so badly to just see you in person. i miss the conveniences i know and love. i miss water. the water in nice was amazing, i wish i were there again and could dunk my head in it, get rid of the pollution riding on my face.

when john-james and i were in the south of france, we decided we should probably go check out cannes, since the film festival was happening. so we took a train on our last day to cannes and were greatly disappointed. unless you are a somebody or know a somebody, its pretty boring. defeated and tired, we got on a train back to nice. along the way, we could see the clear blue water to our right. i am so thirsty and hot and tired, i started to complain about how i wished we could have spent the day swimming instead. what a waste. we could get off, we decided, but i stubbornly could not change gears in my head long enough to decide that, yes, why not. at the next stop he said, well i dont know about you but im getting off to go swimming. i beamed and we got off the train. we bought a huge bottled water and walked down to the water. people were packing up for the day, it was at least 5 by then. we soon realized that this stretch of beach, as far as we could see, was filled with beach restaurants, no open beaches to be found. so finally we settled on one, turned out to be the lost undesirable one we could have chosen. we couldnt sit in the comfortable lounge chairs since those were only for the afternoons so we sat in two white plastic chairs, bought a drink each so we could stay and changed into our suits. we laughed at the ridiculous nature of this situation, everyone packing up, us sitting in these uncomfortable chairs. when we were changed we both ran like children to the waters edge, only to find trash, lots of trash floating in the water, and realized why the guy had looked at us so strangely when we insisted we wanted to swim. so we laughed and went home.

photos anyone?

here are john-james photos of our trip, they are fantastic. i would post mine but cannot because chelsea's computer finally decided to die and the cyber cafe wont't let me download photos.

for j's photos, you need to click on each album on the left; for example: nice 1, nice 2, etc.

http://s649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/johnjameslangdon/

i am back in clermont for the final leg of my journey. i return home the end of this month and cannot wait to be in the puget sound, see the northwest in summer and see all the people i love and miss.

worst time to blog.

blogging seems inappropriate at this hour, but seeing as i don't have much else to do...
its 4:48 am, a painful hour, still dark out. my stomach aches and i feel sick. theres no one awake in the hostel, save maybe a security person milling about. its too early to be awake. i'll tempted to sleep, hence why i blog. john-james took off on a plane from nice-paris, to get his connecting flight home. le sad.

i return to clermont-ferrand today. i'm happy to have this time with chels, as i know it will be a bit of time before we see each other again. ah life.

the deep homesickness has set in. i have too many amazing people in my life, being gone for any amount of time is painful, however equally rewarding it may be. i keep trying to decipher meaning behind my time over here. i know i have learned some about myself, learned what i like and do not, seen some beautiful places, learned who to travel with.........but........
yeah.

i am listening to quite possibly the worst music i have heard in my entire life. this hostel has a huge main room, which is currently pumping an awful tv channel's music, left on from hours ago. french music leaves something to be desired. english music played over here is the worst stuff we pump out. impressive really.

paris et nice

the south of france is everything that i thought it could be, plus a load of beauty right on top of that. we arrived this morning, took the night train from paris. john-james and i booked cots to sleep on, in order to make the night train more bearable, which was a fantastic idea as i slept the entire way. there were six beds in the small space, occupied by four european middle aged men, j, and myself. the ridiculously small amount of space in the compartment cracked me up... reminded me of the cruise dad, michelle, the kids, and i went on years ago... our shared family bedroom was so small, we continually hit our heads on bunks and wooden beams jetting out. we awarded points based on hit and pain. i believe chad won, drawing blood. atomatic win.

today we walked around nice and explored some. i can't quite describe how beautiful it is, but i'll say i have never in my life seen water as clear and blue as this. it doesn't quite feel like france here, not the france i know, its tropical, full of palms, terra cota roof tops and people who don't seem to be in a hurry to do anything. i love both paris and nice, but they seem to be in different states of mind. here its beach and sun and lounging. down by the water you see all kinds: tourists from numerous homelands, french women so tanned their skin looks like leather, young women fishing while their children play nearby. everyone is happy.

paris was perfect. it rained or was cloudy the entire time, the clouds lifted the last day we were there, which was pretty hilarious. we went to the andy warhol exhibit which i really enjoyed. i wore a mustache for the occasion. pictures to follow. i can't upload here at the hostel. our apartment in paris was perfection and i wish i could have just brought it home with me. sadly i could not. it had exposed beams, mauk wood tile (looked like pental, dad & michelle), simple modern cabinetry.

currently we're at the best hostel in france (it was voted that err something...). its quite the step down but the location, price, people and feel, cannot be beat. i would strongly recommend it, if anyone ever needs a good hostel in nice.

i am excited to go out tomorrow and explore the nearby towns. there are beautiful beaches we hope to go to, the beaches right here in nice are rocky.. .and when they say rocky they mean it. HUGE ROCKS. also, the cannes film festival is happening, so that might be worth checking out....
so much to do, such little time....

overall: i am having a wonderful time. i love it here.

i will upload photos the beginning of next week when i return to chelsea's.
xoxoxoxoxo.

chapter 3

tomorrow morning i take an early morning train up to paris and meet john-james at the station. (!!!!!) we'll stay in paris for about five days than take a train down to nice for the remainder of his time here.
i'm pretty stoked.

love to the homeland.
i'll be happy to come home at the end of the month, i miss the puget sound, summer in the northwest (nothing better, the blue scholars hit the nail on the head right there), my family and mon amies.
xo.

lets go to the woods!

chels, remy and i spent our may day in the french woods behind royat, the town bordering clermont-ferrand. the woods felt like a fairytale, as if a centaur or unicorn suddently would appear on the trail. the woods here are simple and pretty. our forests at home are daunting and huge. they just feel different, its difficult to explain. the three of us discussed the differences between french woods and forests in the states, while walking along the woods' path, searching for flowers.


photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/ashleyraelanning/FlowerHunt#

clermont-ferrand

clermont-ferrand is fabulous. its so green and lush. i may have said this already. don't remember.
we moved chels and remy into their new apartment on monday. its lovely and french. i have a bed! i am thrilled about this. also, there is hot water and water pressure. life is good. currently chelsea is reading, in french, instructions on how to plant certain herbs, to remy. they are intensely discussing this. i don't understand the lingo. they have a gorgeous garden space in the back where they will plant these herbs and other things.
my hosts are wonderful and inviting to me. i helped decorate yesterday, hung up photos using metal hangers, string and such. i loved the project. pictures to come.
for now, here are some photos of us around town, in parks, in rain showers, in the apartment, loving...
i cannot believe chels and i have been friends for six years, we can't believe it. time flies and things sure do change. i have some amazing friends though and for that i am grateful.

photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ashleyraelanning/ClermontFerrand#

chelsea et moi.

i arrived to clermont-ferrand on wednesday. it is absolutely beautiful here. i love the city, lush and green with many parks and pretty places. i can see why chelsea loves this city. remy and chels are wonderful to me. last night we came to remy's parent's for dinner, which was delicious and hilarious. i am realizing my french is ok when i'm just asking questions or saying statements, but when i am at a dinner table with a french family, i hardly understand a word. its painful. remy's mother just speaks to me like i understand, which is so endearing. i smile a lot but no, i don't really understand.
chels can't get a job for awhile, due to visa issues... SO this means she can spend loads of time with me, which selfishly, i love.
note: i have not been able to upload photos for a bit... so i decided to attach a photo of chels and i, taken sophomore year, so a good...5 years ago? crazy. little youngins.
we move remy and chels into their new place on monday. its a quaint little french apartment with beautiful flower wall paper and bright shutters. they have a shared yard space, where they plan on having picnics, BBQing, planting herbs and veggies in. behind their fence is a river that runs through town. there are brick bridges spreading over the water, with little castles built on top. in the river, black swans swim about. the swans here a huge.

i am so happy.

today we experience carnival, with loads of artisits and performers roaming about, i presume... i really don't know what to expect. not one bit. i am eager to see what all the fuss is about though.

i feel nostalgic.

my time in perpignan is winding down. i set off to clermont-ferrand tomorrow morning and arrive in the afternoon. for some reason the train takes 8 hours, even though it should only take a few, due to the train's route. so, i'll get my fill of much needed me time on the train. i bought enough snacks to feed a small army, am borrowing a book from ashley (i went through the two i brought, than 3 others here, already), and have plenty of writing paper. the interesting part is, i don't have a watch, so i will have no idea what time is it or how much time i have left the entire ride up. not too concerned, when its says clermont, i'll get off and know i am home. temporary home. i'll be with chelsea and remy for 2 weeks than will be traveling up to paris to meet mon amour. so happy for all that is to come....

today i was mistaken for a french woman. twice. so exciting.

love to home.

don't worry, i made it.....

here are some random tidbits about spain and portgual, in my experience. i'm exhausted and have been up for too many hours now, so bear with me...

"don't go on the grass". it seems like everywhere in europe, sitting, walking, or doing anything on the grass is forbidden. as our buses raced down highways and i gazed out the windows looking at fields of farm lands throughout spain and portugal, all i wanted to do was yell for the bus to stop, and make a run for it. i'd run all over those hills and grassy miles, i yearn to run. and then, once i am exhausted again, i will lay down in the dew and take a little nap. mmmm. nap.

so we were in granada, spain and these old ladies came up to us with rosemary in their hands and reached for our palms. i was interested even though i assumed there was a scam involved, ashley let the lady take her hand, karen and kili ran away. i was told, based on my palm's story, that i will be lucky in love, have two children and have a long life. i thought this was lovely. then she wanted money as soon as she shoved rosemary into my palm, i scrounged up some for ash and i, which was awkward and still unsatisfactory for this lady... so we basically ran away. we then found out that we all got the same fortune.
i still was pleased with mine though. i don't care if it was a scam. plus the rosemary was delicious smelling.

in granada we visited the Alhambra, a fortress/castle/palace with acres and acres of gardens and walls and flowers surrounding its buildings. it was was favorite part of our trip, so beautiful and vivid. i took a loooot of photos, some of which are attached in this post, check them out. words cannot describe and photos cannot capture the great detail in these buildings and the beauty of the gardens. amazing.
also, i saved a little girl from going over a landing here. my heart hurt afterwards, but i'm sure her mother was sicker than i. i am glad i have quick reflexes from watching the boys.

in lisbon, portugal we went to a restaurant for dinner which was recommended by ashley's europe on a shoestring book. sadly, the restaurant apparently decided to have a little makeover with a lift and was NOT the restaurant it used to be/the guide book was claiming it to be. we went there expecting a very inexpensive meal and were fooled. we had a lovely meal though, over looking a sweeping view of the city. there was live fado music; this man's voice was so good i wanted to eat it with a spoon. at first we were really upset that we had been fooled and were already seated. ashley started to cry, it was a mess. than... the owner of the restaurant took pity and sent over a free bottle of wine. nice.

faro, portugal was beautiful and peaceful. i saw a child who looked exactly like me. it was strange. this boy had my same face. he was about 2 years old.

our accomodations along the way, although cheap or free the entire time, were exhausting. they made two weeks feel a lot longer than that, as i reflect back. our hostel in granada, spain was the absolute worst. it looked like the shining, check out photos, those of you who know what i am talking about. made for some good laughs.

malaga and granada, spain were lush.

check out my photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/ashleyraelanning/SpainPortugal#

porto, libson, faro...

well well well,
i am currently in faro, portugal and oh so happy to be here. our first week of traveling has been wonderful but sometimes exhausting.
we took the train from perpignan, france down to girona, spain and flew out of there to porto, portgual. we spent a few days in porto staying with a sweedish women we found through couch surfing, jonna. jonna was a great host and had two whole bedrooms for us! we loved porto... the river running through town was possibly the most beautiful scene i have ever laid eyes on. we saw hilarious dogs, got kicked off the metro several times by the policia ( i cried and he said, in perfect english "why does your face look like that?"), looked at beautiful people.
from then we took a train to lisbon. our group is not a big fan of lisbon. this is due mainly to circumstance and not so much the city itself which is beautiful. we stayed at this hilarious hippy commune type situation, camped in a tent in the back. we met people from norway, portugal, sweeden, france and the u.s. i opted not to shower because the place was so filty, and opted to stay in the tent even when a bed was made available, in fear that the inside of the house probably had flees. i stand by this. the place really lost its charm for me when i got food poisoning and had to stay on the emergency bed in the hallway so i could be only a few feet from the bathroom at all times. i was pretty sick and sleep deprived when we had to travel to faro yesterday....
let me tell you, train and food poisoning... worst ever.
so we got here and i slept the day away, managed to eat a thing of jello the girls bought me, which was the best. i actually hate jello. today we went to the beach. i love faro. its beautiful here and the beach is amazing. iºm collecting shells and such... have yet to decide what to do with them. this morning i still felt like my stomach and back had been tenderized by 1000 fists. now its only a few punches worth of pain. iºm a waif, mom! hahahahahah.........

so it goes.
love you all.
happy easter!!!

sun yoself.

wowza. ok, whew, so we're off to portugal and spain today! we're leaving this afternoon via bus than plane and flying into porto, portugal. we will then continue down the coast of portugal and over to the coast of spain for the next two weeks. we'll be back by the 19th. if you need to reach me, email me, but do not be alarmed if i am less than hasty getting back.

travel companions: ashley, karen, kili, et moi.

yesterday we went to the beach not far from here, it was beautiful and warm. kili and i lounged in the sun and tanned our bodies. kili swam in the mediterranean sea and gasped from the cold; i declined the sea's offer to host me but will visit it later...in spain and portugal when it is deliciously warm. (love).

so that is that.
here are my recent photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/ashleyraelanning/Beach#

hope you're all doing well at home. odds are, i miss you a lot.
be well, be safe, be happy. i'll do the same.
xoxo.

hahahahahaHA

so today i was walking home with ashley and kili from town, and i was carrying this delicious baguette which smelled heavenly. we were just chatting and walking along, commenting on the french and france in general, when my baguette pealed itself out of its wrapper and fell right into several huge piles of dog poo.

so it goes.

ANYWAYS, the pigeons will be delighted. there are so many pigeons here. i kicked one today. don't judge me. it was necessary, those things will sit on you if there is food to be had. i've wanted to punt a pigeon for some time now.

thats all.

lyrics & words going through my head.

"when the road looks rough ahead and you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed, you just remember what your old friend said, you got a friend in me."

"Here I give you my phone number
When you worry call me
I make you happy."

"This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath"

"we tralfamadorians read them all at once, not one after the other. there isn't any particular relationship between all the messages, except that the author has chosen them carefully, so that, when seen all at once, they produce an image of life that is beautiful and surprising and deep. there is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. what we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time."

beziers to barcelona

where to start, where to start...
the end of last week we all took a trip into beziers, approx. 45 minutes north from here, to see friends there. we had a great time, stayed indoors most of the time due to sever winds. the south of france is a windy windy place. i took some of my favorite photos of the country side...see attached photos to appreciate the pure french beauty.

this weekend we ventured over to barcelona, spain. i love it there and am stoked to be going back in about to week on our portugal and spain jaunt. the weather was beautiful on friday but turned to rain on saturday and into wind on sunday. it was a little sad. i tried not to obsess.

friday we arrived via train and checked into our hostel. it was a fantastic hostel, great location, safe, clean, comfortable beds, and free breakfast. (worse coffee i've ever had. ever. it was instant. ew. i'm a snob. note: spain and france have the best espresso. ever.) after we got settled we went out walking, went to plaza de reial and had tapas for lunch. delicious. we then went shopping for a bit, walked around and explored. the street performers were pretty hilarious and terrifying. the english girls, kili and i then ventured to gaudi park which was amazing. the top part was closed so we failed to see the best view of barcelona which was disappointing. the park was beautiful though... i loved the tiles that deocrated the benching surrounding it. after the park we met up with the rest of our group and had dinner at this really great place in the plaza which was actually quite reasonable. i had duck. it was the best. do i feel bad about eating duck? ...just until it hits my pallet.
saturday we had a hostel breakfast...haha, punny, then went to el boqueria, an outdoor, amazing market. i took some rad pictures... which don't really do the place justice. greg, ash, kili and i had smoothies that were the best. i had coconut and strawberry. we then met everyone for lunch at this funky place with murals on the walls. all the murals were of lions, some of which were tearing apart naked men. it was odd. the americans then went off to the gaudi cathedral, sagrada familia, beautiful and impressive. we had a picnic dinner in our hostel for dindin.
sunday we walked to the beach. it was chilly out and windy, but the beach was amazing regardless. greg, kili and i put out feet in the sand. i wandered around and picked up stones and shells, watched the surfers. this day i had ice cream and it was the best. in the afternoon we caught a train home, satisfied and exhausted. we had crepes at alice's here in perpignan, then walked greg to the train station. we're all pretty sad that greg went home.

i am feeling a little homesick, if that is the correct wording, but having a good time.
here are my photos: enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/ashleyraelanning/BeziersToBarcelona#

et un photo.

photos of perps. & peeps.

attached is a link to photos of perpignan. perps is a windy city, so being glam flies right out the window along with everything else. most of these photos are from today when greg, kili and i went out to explore the town. we came across some beautiful places. i have an infactuation with doors, inherited from my mother; i have a great apprecation for unusual (to my standards) architecture and colors, inherited from my father. perpignan often reminds me of southern california, which greg and i decided really wasn't that strange since the influence heritage makes since: spain influencing mexico which influences southern california. spain is close to here. also, the palm trees and sun around here are so SoCal.

listening to: across the universe soundtrack. "all you need is love..."
only had one espresso today. impressive.
so thankful for my great walking shoes, my feet are pleased but we walk all over.
just want to eat. all the time. its so good!
i miss my home(s). realized i'm not homeless, just "houseless".

photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ashleyraelanning/WindsOfPerpignan#

david sedaris.

"There are, I have noticed, two basic types of French spoken by Americans vacationing in Paris: the Hard King and the Easy Kind. ... The second, less complicated form of French amounts to screaming English at the top of your lungs, much the same way you'd shout at a deaf person or the dog you thought you could train to stay off the sofa."
-me talk pretty one day

story time.

let me tell you about perpignan, from my perspective of course: (side note, i am listening to old death cab for cutie... so good!)

we walk everywhere. its a good thing we do because i eat a copious amount of cheese, bread, meats, and other unhealthy and delicious foods. chocolate too. we went grocery shopping the other day and bought lots of vegetables, fruits, meats, and cheeses. ashley picked out groceries for all the amazing meals she will serve us. she's a great cook and has a deep love for the activity. last night she made us all chicken pot pie and chocolate cheesecake! (i know, right?!?!) lucky us.

the "us" i refer to is the group of: ashley, kili, greg, who came yesterday via train-he is from bellingham as well, and the three english girls who teach like ashley: alice, emma, and karen. all of us and a few more will be traveling to barcelona via train this weekend. i am so so excited to get a taste for spain, which will wet my pallet for our two week jaunt to come in a few weeks. beginning of april, five of us are traveling in portugal and spain for two weeks! (eeeeeeeeeeee.)

ok back to present, the food here is just too much to handle. we're planning and making most meals at home, but the few times i have gone out have basically blown my mind. i french know how to eat. of course, i'm impressed with daily baguettes and cheese.

also, i love their espresso. and its cheap! guzzle guzzle guzzle...

walking around in our group, we're a funny mix of english and american. the english girls speak french, so i ask them and ashley questions constantly and communicate on my own whenever possible. i am stubbornly independent. i'm also learning a lot of fabulous english words which i find endearing, hilarious and wonderful. i started them writing down and the girls laughed at me. understandable.

perpignan is beautiful. it has been sunny and near 70 F. since i've been here. my skin is pleasently surprized by the sunshine. perps. feels ordinary and wonderful in its commonality. the people are nonpretentious and easy to speak with, when i've had the opportunity. the streets hold absolutely no pretention, they're covered in dog poo and dirt and pee and crud. i think i've gulped in a few glasses of polution. the french like their cars apparently.

love to home.

moi.

photo comment...

copy and paste the link.... for photos.
ok?
ok.
d'accord.
bien.
tu es magnifique.

perpignan

je suis dans perpignan! (i am in perpignan!)

kili and i got to perp. this morning, early, after much ado, as they say. the night train proved to be anything but relaxing, we hardly slept. we have hardly slept since arriving in france actually. ashley is making us stay up tonight and restart the sleep schedule.
the night train was boring, long, sort of comfortable, but luckily (despite what i was told) it did feel safe. kili and i were up by 3 a.m. so we saw the sunrise as we came into perpignan. it was gorgeous; something i tried in vain to capture on film. no luck. the pyrenees (mountains) appear as the train nears perpignan, they are beautiful.

here are my photos thus far, click on link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ashleyraelanning/ParisJeTAime#

xo.

au revoir, paris.

our time here ends, for now, in a few short hours. kili and i take the night train down to perpignan this evening, where ashley will meet us. i am excited to see her and settle into her place for a couple weeks. i think i can speak for both kili and myself when i say, sleeping at someone's house will be lovely after being in the hostel. this hostel is lovely, but sharing a room can be... interesting? weird? annoying? great? yes.
i would recommend the young and happy hostel to anyone who wants to stay in the latin quarter. its cheap and clean and safe.
i would also recommend the scandanavian airlines, well...at least for the bulk flying from continent to continent. our first leg of the journey was great, very comfortable, good food (i quite enjoy airline cuisine thankyouverymuch), overall quite nice. the second leg, from coppenhaggen to paris was rough but only because it was a smaller plane. and you had to pay for water.... strange, but culturally notsostrangeatall. ha.

today we went to cimetiere du pere-lachaise, the cemetary perhaps best known for housing the bones of jim morrison and oscar wilde. kili and i kissed oscar wildes grave, with our red lips, as is customary. showing appreciation. made me think of 'paris je t'aime, which i love, but it always makes me feel so silly for comparing a real life experience to one i saw in film. oiy. the cemetary was beautiful and overwhelming in its immencity.

in true parisian custom, kili and i have embraced long picnic luches and long meals, like we have all the time in the world. we are relieved for these breaks when we allow ourselves to have them, for we have been all over this city in just two days, are still exhausted, have blisters, and noodle legs.

i am sending you all positive love thoughts.

quick!

lets see...
where to begin...

yesterday kili and i had the most amazing and most tiring day. we are still a little ''jet-lagged'' but decided to make the day of it since our time in paris is so short. we walked all over latin quarter, to the pantheon, to luxenbourge gardens. then bought some lunch fixings, bagette, cheese and fruit, and walked to notre dame then to the seine river. at the river we sat and ate lunch. it was really warm out and i got some color on my white white skin. that was truely my happy place, there in the sun. after that we walked alllll the way to the eifel tower, which is a long walk! :) it was really fun though. and gorgeous out. we bought postcards on the way! then we walked home.
my internet time is expiring....

xoxo

ah paris

i am so happy. and so tired. and so happy.

i only have a few things to say:
snails? delicious.
duck? delicious.

kili and i had some loooooooong travels, but once we got here, were settled and had some food in us, we both became the happiest little travelers to ever walk these streets. we had dinner at this little quaint french restaurant near our hostel. we had the most amazing meal, we kept exclaiming that it was the best meal we had EVER had. i think this is only a slight exaggeration.... if one at all. we met the most amazing people at the restaurant who helped us initially with our escargot, and became dear friends of ours by the end of the meal. it was two older french men who wanted to tell us different places to go and things we need to see. whoever says french people are rude have not met the right people. they are wonderful.

already i feel slightly better about my french. i am trying and getting good responses. whenever i fail, they jump in with english and seem to think my attempts are endearing. :)

now we are going to settle in for bed and sleep, its going to be glorious.
i miss people already. but i am so happy to be here :).

planes, trains and auto(buses).

i am delightfully unstable. stability is overrated anyways. hives have become a close companion of mine, always there to heat up my body and make we writhe in pain and itchiness.

my poor mama has had to hear me complain, cry and moan about basically anything i can come up with to complain, cry and moan about. i think i've exhausted my resources and vow to be perfectly serene and composed from now on. maybe starting tomorrow. or the next day. ok, at a date to be determined in the no-so-distant future.

bien.

also, i would like to give a little "shout out" to my bellingham girls and say:

i have the most amazing friends!! i admire you all very much. and miss each of you already. for my travel girls, i am very impressed that you have embarked (or currently are embarking) on adventures which are completely terrifying and intimidating. i feel like i have a security blanket in this adventure because of kili, ashley and chels, not to mention that the place i am visiting is plush in comparison to some of your travels. i'm just really impressed with my friends. way-to-be. its intimidating to go somewhere new, no matter what the circumstance. you are all wonderful examples of courageousness.

also you're all the prettiest. and funniest.

also, if anyone would like to email me, DO IT!

ashleyraelanning@gmail.com

i love email.

be well, be safe, be happy, send me nice vibes...

i take off tomorrow evening.

xo.

remind me to breathe.

driving to olympia today i saw a gorgeous bald eagle soaring over the highway. we live in such a beautiful place. i tried to control my breathing as the overwhelming gut ache began to take control over my body. i need meditation and quiet. i need to sit still for a second and not have a thousand thoughts flying through my mind. i need to study. i need to be at peace. i need to not be so needy. ashley rae lanning.
leaving in 4 days, for 2 1/2 months.
determined to feel confident in the french language.
looking forward to eating cheese.
skinny love.
ill stomach pain that has become habitual.
my heart is pinched.
my head feels light and full, all at once.

i'm so happy that i can't stop crying.

i love this picture: the ashley's of book/cool club. i will miss my fabulous bookclub so so so much. you kids are the coolest; we schooled those books.

currently lounging in avellino, i feel strange knowing i leave bellingham momentarily and leave for france in under a week. i am thrilled but exhausted. i have said some goodbyes which pull my heart apart. i have so many wonderful people in my life; sure makes for difficult goodbyes , however temporary they are.

"James Joyce was born in February, as was Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo, which goes to show that writers are poor at beginnings, although worse at knowing when to stop". -Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins

packed up to ship out.

bonjour! hello friends, family, those i adore~

i am a bundle of excitement and nervous energy. in two weeks from today's date, i will be in france. i have recently realized that when an idea strikes, one must jump towards it with full force. a few wise souls brought to my attention that we each have the ability to strive towards what we desire, its no one's fault but our own if we choose to be apathetic in regards to our lives. i haven't had to make many decisions about my life, thus far. i want to be forced out of my comfort zone, feel the tramatic results of not knowing, i want to feel settled in not being settled. life is a constant learning process, if we ever stop considering the world around us and forcing ourselves to branch out, we are left comatose and incomplete beings. (in my oh-so-humble opinion).

i feel ill in my stomach when i think of how much i am going to miss everyone here. chelsea once expressed that, although she loves to travel and explore, the more people she meets and grows to love, the more people she longs for no matter where she finds herself. this is the problem with space, time and love. "absense makes the heart grow fonder".. "or forgettful"... robbin hood quote for you there. couldn't resist. i am very lucky to be able to embark on my travels though, and will eat up every moment of it. plus, really, time goes by very quickly, as i am starting to realize. adults have said this to me my entire life and i have waved it away; now i think i may become one who tries to impart this knowledge on younger generations, probably to no avail. its valuable to remember that we don't know everything, yeah? also, am i an adult now? hmmm.

more tangents coming early march, only released to select audiences....