I was reminded again that good, beautiful, dream-come true moments do not come to be realized without perseverance, maneuvering around obstacles and support. 

The funny thing about traveling to France, while it is something I long to do soon after I return from any one of my few trips to the great Gallic country, I also have moments of longing for something from home while I am traveling. In my case, it has always been my dogs, but on this most recent trip which has already been a dream-come true in so many ways, it has been Bend - my life in Bend. Never before I have had a yearning quite like I do now no matter how spectacular the trip which I have come to recognize as a very good thing. A good thing because it speaks to a discovering of cultivating a life I love living each and everyday. And this is something we call cal do for ourselves. 

Will it be easy? Not necessarily. Will it take time? It usually does. But with careful self-examination, courageous exploration and determined patience as we navigate through the questions and answers, we come to find a beautiful place in this world to call home. So that when we do go on travels to distant or near lands, no matter how much they may surpass our expectations, we can return, incorporate what we can that we loved and admired and curate a life that is unique and truly simply luxuriously right where we feel at peace.

It has been over a week of traveling in France, first Paris and now Provence, and the travels continue on after this magical past week with Patricia and Walter Wells and learning how to cook with Provençal ingredients, attention to thoughtful entertaining and the ability to apply timeless skills to whatever we may be making. I have shared oodles of pictures on my Instagram account (primarily in my IG Stories which are accessible via the IG app or on your desktop so long as you are logged in to your IG account - simply click on my round avatar - blue circle and white 'SL' initials) from each day of class, and I want to thank everyone who has followed along, as well as the many who have said hello. 

While my itinerary will be shared as I venture along and not before, I look forward to continuing to share what captures my curiosity, makes me smile and teasing my tastebuds. Be sure to tune in Monday to the latest episode of the podcast and look for a few new posts here and there throughout the week just as I shared this week (all new posts are below). ​​​​​Until next week, I'll see you on the blog. 

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