My birthday trip to Paris feels like it was so long ago. A different lifetime...and an entirely different season of my life. For you longtime readers, you know that Paris is so much more than a city to me. Rather it is a refuge, a solace, a source of inspiration and healing...and my home. I never was able to fulfill my college dream of moving to Paris. I always hung that dream on hopes of the future, and it seems that life has continued on without them.
But this isn't a melancholy post about the City of Light; rather it's a celebration of making this last trip happen despite all the odds: as much as I have traveled to Paris, this was my first real trip alone. I was going to celebrate my Golden Birthday while simultaneously leaving a life that I knew behind. I left with my head in a fog, but comforted in knowing that I had everything figured out (I didn't). As much as I let myself down in life - making rash decisions, dropping the ball on communication, being sure of everything one minute, only to question everything the next, Paris has never let me down.
The city of Paris is akin to the lover that you are obsessed with; one you constantly strive to claim ownership of - only to discover that it's very inability to be possessed is what makes up its charm. Rain, heat, cobblestone streets of grime, and wind that makes it impossible for a great hair day; I take it all. Paris will always be my home...And I am oh so happy to belong.
Blazer-Cape: Audrey // Jeans: Big Star // Heels: Target // Purse: vintage, purchased in Paris // Sunglasses: Dolce + Gabbana // Earrings: ?? // Blouse: F21
Photography: Jennifer Wang