Pictures From My Honeymoon in France

Another detour from belly dancing this month to share some pictures from my honeymoon in France. I've done my fair share of traveling, and have loved everywhere I've gone. But France really captured my heart and I think I might have to say that it's my new favorite destination. After you take a look at the pictures, I don't think I'll  have to explain why.

 

Chateau Chenonceau in the Loire Valley

 

The French Alps as seen from the top of the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix

 

Rodin's Thinker at the Rodin Museum in Paris

 

The flying buttresses of Chartres Cathedral

Marie Antoinette's French Hamlet within the grounds of the Petite Trianon in Versailles



 

 

The rooftop of Chateau Chambord in the Loire Valley

Dining at the famous Le Train Bleu in Paris

View of Paris and the Eiffel Tower as seen from the Pompidou Center

Beynac as seen from our canoe in the Dordogne region

Chateau de Castlenaud in the Dordogne region

The Mediterranean and the Promenade des Anglais in Nice as seen from Castle Hill

The Abbaye de Fontenay in Burgundy

 

Reims Cathedral in the Champagne region

 

The Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct, in Provence

 

The view from Chateau de Beynac in the Dordogne





 

The French Hamlet inside the grounds of the Petite Trianon in Versailles

Fountains in the gardens of Versailles

 

Mont Saint-Michel



 

Chateau Azay-le-Rideau in the Loire Valley



The famous windmill of the Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris

 

A gargoyle on the rooftop of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris



 

Sacre-Coeur cathedral in Montmartre in Paris



The beautiful stained glass windows of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris

Ignite

As promised, we are onto part two of the annual goal review and setting process. The last post reviewed my ups and downs of 2012, and now, with last year released, we are moving full-steam ahead into 2013. 

Each year I always set a one-word or short phrase theme for the year. Last year's theme was Thirty and Thriving.  After much debating, pondering, and rolling words around in my head, my theme for 2013 is, drumrolll....IGNITE! After defining my top three goals for the year, I noticed that they were all things that have been on my shiny dream radar for some time now.  I've decided that now is the time to grab those dreams out of fuzzy realm of someday and turn them into realities.  It's time to start the motors, gather the energy, and light the fires of taking action. Thus ignite seemed like the best word to pull them all this action together. This is the word that really describes exactly how I wanted to approach these tasks at hand; how I want to feel this year as I embark on these adventures.  

Which leads me to my actual goals for the year.  There's some smaller items swimming around as well, but I want to highlight just my top big three goals for 2013.

1. Get married to the love of my life. In Paris.
After what will be six and half years together, we are finally tying the knot. And in the city of love nonetheless.  Which will be followed by a two-week honeymoon in France.We have our plane tickets booked, the time off of work, and shortly will begin working out all the details. Do I want that fire element present in my marriage? You better believe it.

2. Write my book already.
Since I was a child I've always known that I have a book in me.  And since I was a child I've been waiting for the right time to materialize to sit down and write it.  Well, we all know the time will never materialize, so this is going to be the year I make time.  I know what I want to write about and I've blocked out a minimum of one-hour per week to put pen to paper.  Get ready for some blazing pages as the creative process starts churning.

3. Compete in the Belly Dancer USA competition in Cayonville, Oregon in June.
Some igniting needed for this one? Oh yes, you better be on fire in a competition! I've mapped out my preparation timeline, have my next private lesson on the calendar, and have coerced my fiance into doing the drive with me (although, I haven't yet made full disclosure of the fact that it's a six hour drive down there, but we'll get to that one later....).

So those are my three main focuses for the year. It's going to take energy, spark, and dedication. There's going to be some hard work involved and hours clocked. But it's going to be big, it's going to be juicy, and it's going to be rewarding at a deep, soul-quenching level when it's all said and done.

And you? Now that you've survived the holidays and the Mayan Apocalypse, have you outlined your 2013 goals?  If not, I strongly encourage you to give yourself the gift of time and space to do some searching and brainstorming so you can really manifest your desires in this new year.