The Bold Soul: A Writer's Life in Paris

Has it really been 7 years?

Why yes, I guess it has! Seven happy years ago today, Georges and I were on this very beach in Saint Raphael -- right about where those children are digging a hole and making a castle in this photo that I just took -- when he surprised me by dropping a melon, then dropping down on one knee and asking me a Very Important Question. There was never any doubt what the answer would be. And every day, I'm still so glad he asked me. This will always be our "Melon Beach". Happy 7th Engaged-iversary, mon coeur. Read more →

Happy Love Day

So what are your plans for Valentine's Day? Photo credit: Lisa Taylor Huff, all rights reserved. Georges and I have been lazing around the house for most of the day, and tonight we'll go up to Montmartre to have dinner at La Mascotte, where we had dinner on our first marathon date in 2007. I haven't been there in quite a while, and they've done a whole big renovation since I was last there, so I'm eager to see how it all looks. I'm sure a platter of fruits de mer will be on our menu though; it's one of their specialties, and one of our favorites. Tell us all in the comments what you'll be doing to celebrate love today! Happy Valentine's Day to all! Read more →

The Wepler

In which I make my triumphant and very happy return to "public life" in Paris. Read more →

How to make a man cry (well, almost)

And no, I didn't have to hurt him. Read more →

And then I burst into tears

The other day, Georges and I received the most unexpected and beautiful gift from his sister "V", the sister who lives in Saint Raphael in the south. She has been learning watercolor techniques and considers herself a beginner, but we've been very impressed with both her charcoal sketches and with her first watercolor attempts. She often emails or texts us photos of whatever she's been working on, and are we taking so much pleasure in her talent and in her enjoyment of her new creative pursuit. This woman IS an artist! So when a big brown envelope arrived in the mail this week, addressed to both of us, I waited until Georges got home from work before opening it. I knew it probably contained a drawing or a watercolor, but I expected it to be part of a project she's working on with Georges -- illustrating a book of short stories he's been working on (yes, I'm married to a writer!) We opened the envelope and at first I thought it was simply a lovely beach scene. But then Georges very excitedly pointed out to me what it REALLY was: This is my amazing sister-in-law's painting of the moment Georges... Read more →

Love, larger than life!

Georges just told the entire city of Paris that he loves me... on this giant neon billboard! This billboard was placed on top of the Hôtel de Monnaie, between the Pont des Arts and Pont Neuf, and you could submit your name to be posted on the billboard for 15 seconds. Georges "cheated" a little to send me a message instead of using his name or mine, by hyphenating his name with the word for love (which is also the masculine version of Amy in French)... and apparently it worked! At about 10:46pm (we had advance warning it was coming), there it was! I am such a lucky girl. Lisa aime Georges, aussi. Read more →

Love is the answer

Today is Georges' birthday, and it's a biggie. I'm not telling the number. It's not a number most of us would be very happy about, but it doesn't bother me at all that he's this age. (Ask me how I'll feel when *I* get there, and I'll probably have another answer, one involving a string of bad, bad words.) I don't think of us as having an age difference. Easy to say that, of course, when you're the younger of the two. He and I actually celebrated his birthday as part of our London Getaway, but of course being down here on vacation in Saint Raphael with his sister and his son, he gets to have another birthday celebration today, and a third one on Friday when his son arrives. When we get back to Paris later in the month, we'll do another dinner with the older kids (his daughter's birthday was yesterday). I think we're both at an age where aging is the thing you try not to think about. It hits us all in the end and there is very little we can do about it, so why dwell on it? Here's what makes aging easier, if not... Read more →

Six going on Seven

Six years ago today, this wonderful, amazing, meant-to-be miracle happened: To my most wonderful husband, Georges: You make every day special, even the ordinary days. Because of you, I have a reason to smile and feel happy every single day. I never thought I would ever have that with anyone, but now I do... WE do. You make me feel beautiful, every day. You look at me, and I see my best self reflected in your eyes. What a gift that is! I look at you, and I see kindness, humor, intelligence and most of all, love. I am so blessed to have you in my life, and that I get to be in yours. As we enter our seventh year (going on 8, since we actually met on that miraculous, crazy first date), we are still learning about each other. As with all relationships, changing circumstances around us - the good and the not-so-good - reveal different facets of our personalities: how we cope, how we thrive, where we need to support and be supported. I'm really proud of how, no matter what, we make our love the center of it all, and we lean on that love even... Read more →

Sunday in the Monceau with Georges

First perfect pique-nique Sunday of the year, and just in time to celebrate my birthday tomorrow. A third of Paris must be here (the other two-thirds divided between the Champ de Mars, Invalides and the Buttes Chaumont, all parks where you can actually sit on the lawns). Read more →

I adore you. Don't change a thing

Five days after my marathon 26-hour first date with my darling Georges, I found myself walking down the Rue de Mont Cenis in Montmartre. It was the weekend of the annual Fête du Vendange or Wine Harvest Festival, and that Saturday was the big parade. I was on my way to meet him at the Mairie/Jules Joffrin, where I would be introduced to Le Garçon for the first time, as we planned watch the parade together. I had my head in the clouds, I was so excited to see Georges again, and a little nervous about the prospect of meeting one of the children (I would end up meeting all three before the day was out, but thankfully I didn't know that when I set out that afternoon, or I might have stayed home, cowering under the covers!) And then, as I got nearer to our meeting point, I just happened to look down at the sidewalk... and saw THIS. I knew right then and there, it was a good omen. Oh, how right I was. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Happy Valentine's Day, le coeur de mon coeur. Thank you for making every... Read more →