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Paris in December? Isn’t Paris a spring and summer destination? Well yes it is, but I can now tell you that it is a great winter vacation as well. And even though we were in Paris for Le Web, a tech conference, many tourists visit Paris in December. While it wasn’t as crowded as it was during our summer visit, I was not alone during my visits to museums, churches and other Paris sites. Many Germans, Italians, Japanese and French people were on holiday in Paris (I didn’t see many Americans). Despite the cold, rainy weather that Paris has this time of year, it’s a beautiful place to visit in December because the entire city is decorated for Christmas.

Big department store, tiny boutiques, restaurants, cafés, churches, squares and entire streets–they are all decorated for Christmas! I was giddy with joy every time I stepped outside our apartment door because I love Christmas decorations. Best of all were the Christmas huts selling gifts, sweets, food and my husband’s favorite of all, vin chaud (hot wine). The Champs-Elysées had the most huts to stroll–blocks and blocks. Christmas music was playing over the loud speakers, traditional songs we know, but in French. We strolled down the Champs during the day and came back at night to see the lights. There were also Christmas huts elsewhere in the city; the metro stop near our apartment was very festive as was the area surrounding Sacre Coeur.

Galeries Lafayette has a “rock and roll Christmas” theme this year. The holiday windows are best seen in this video that I shot with my iPhone. It’s quite an event to come view the windows; it was packed with both adults and children.

Photos:

On a street in Montmartre

A Christmas hut outside of Sacre Coeur selling vin chaud.

Vin chaud (hot wine)

St.-Germain-des-Prés, the oldest church in Paris.

Square Léopold-Archille

Printemps, window display of Karl Lagerfeld

Printemps, lights outside

Pierre Hermé

Notre Dame

Meringues sold in Christmas huts on Champs-Elysées

Inside the store Merci

Outside the store Merci

Ladurée

Galeries Lafayette, window display

Galeries Lafayette, Christmas tree inside the store

Galeries Lafayette, lights outside

Ferris Wheel in Jardin des Tuileries

Fabric store in Montmartre

Champs-Elysées at night

Champs-Elysées Christmas hut nativity scene

Champs-Elysées Christmas huts at night

Champs-Elysées Christmas huts

Café de Flore

Dancing Santa bear in Montmartre

Abessess Metro station in Montmartre

Joyeux Noël!

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I spent most of my time in Paris outside and bundled up against the cold weather, so hardly anyone saw what I wore, but here are the few times that I took off my coat:

I enjoyed a coat-free afternoon in the museum, Centre Pompidou. This shirt is so soft and comfortable, but has a bit of glam because of the glittery thread. Splendid is one of my favorite brands.

an afternoon at Centre Pompidou, Paris

shirt – Splendid, Bloomingdale’s

jeans – Joe’s, Bloomingdale’s

boots – Ugg, Zappos

bag – Marc by Marc Jacobs, Bloomingdale’s

In the next two photos, I am dressed for the evening; I accompanied my husband to his business parties. I joked with him that he brought me along to be his trophy wife. I’m wearing my “rock star pants”–as my husband calls them. They are very shiny and very tight; I can’t overeat wearing these pants! I love this shirt–it made me break my “no skulls” rule.

private party at Bound Bar, Paris

shirt – Vintage Havana, Bloomingdale’s

pants – AllSaints

boots – Boutique 9, Bloomingdale’s

I have on the same rocker pants and boots in the next photo. You can’t tell in the photo, but the shirt is sheer and has a ruffle on one side. It’s really pretty as a shirt with a black bra underneath, but here I’m wearing it like a jacket because I thought I would be too cold in the tank alone. The boots are pretty comfortable for such a high heel, allowing me to stand and talk for a long time during the party.

drinks and dinner at Café Etienne Marcel, Paris

tank – Ella Moss, Nordstrom

shirt – AllSaints

necklace – Swarovski, Nordstrom

I bought this bracelet from Galeries Lafayette that very day in Paris. The designer was there and had a special display set up of her work. She had really unique pieces and her work is just my style. I will definitely check out her website for more jewelry to buy!

bracelet – Pascale Monvoisin

(Sorry for the crummy lighting in these photographs; our apartment in Paris was so dim!)

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I’m linking up with What I Wore Wednesday , Real Momma, Real Style and Monday Mingle.

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Our summer family vacation to London and Paris was a dream come true. I enjoyed Paris so much during that visit, that I jumped at the chance to accompany my husband on a business trip. While I enjoyed 2 days and every evenings with my husband, he was in Paris for a conference, Le Web. Most days I entertained myself by exploring and touring alone. I took the metro to museums and sites, meandered along small streets, looked in tiny boutiques and tried to speak French. It was indeed a luxury to wander museums and churches at my leisure and see Paris at my own pace.

Here are some highlights of the days I spent alone:

Musée de l’Orangerie. It’s most famous for Claude Monet’s Les Nymphéas, but the entire museum is lovely. It’s a manageable size and offers a nice selection of modern art masters. I really enjoyed this museum and highly recommend a visit. (Photographs were prohibited.)

Jardin des Tuileries. Although the flowers and trees were not in bloom, it’s still wonderful and a quiet respite from the city. Even walking through the garden in the rain was enchanting.

Galeries Lafayette. This department store is gorgeous–and overwhelming. I had never seen a shoe selection this big; I was dizzy. I drank hot chocolate at the in-store Angelina and had macarons from one of the two Pierre Hermé boutiques. The art gallery has a great exhibit on display and there are several champagne bars. Santa Claus welcomes visitors in the enormous toy department and the whole store is gaily decorated for Christmas.

Palais Royal. Paris has so many grand buildings and this is one of them. There is a garden, contemporary art columns by Daniel Bruen and high-end boutiques.

Café de Flore. This famous café on the Left Bank is very expensive, but a great spot to grab a cup of tea and people watch. I had a nice conversation with an older French gentlemen sitting next to me.

Shakespeare and Company. Near Notre Dame, this English bookstore is fantastic. It sells both new and used books; I could have stayed there for hours browsing and reading in one of cozy corners.

Centre Pompidou. I really liked this museum of contemporary art. I didn’t see all of it–it’s enormous–but I saw the permanent collections and the Edvard Munch exhibit. That was a treat because I love his work. There’s also a viewing platform with fantastic panoramic views of the city.

Sainte-Chapelle. We missed seeing this church during our last visit to Paris, so I made a point of visiting this chapel built by King Louis IX to house his collection of Passion Relics. The stained glass literally took my breath away.

Pierre Hermé. This chocolatier is all the rage in Paris and not just for chocolate; the macarons are supposed to rival Ladurée. Well, I just had to taste for myself! It is good, incredible even, but for my money, the best macarons are still at Ladurée.

Église Saint-Sulpice. Walking out of Pierre Hermé I saw a huge fountain and a beautiful impressive building. Curious, I had to go see what it was. It was Église Saint-Sulpice, the second largest church in Paris (it’s slightly smaller than Notre Dame). It was the 4th church I had entered that day; I also saw Sainte-Chapelle, Notre Dame and St-Germain-desPrés, the oldest church in Paris).

There was so much to see and do and I barley made a dent, but that’s just a great reason to return!

Photos:

Jardin des Tuileries

Sainte-Chapelle

Galeries Lafayette

Galeries Lafayette, art gallery

Galeries Lafayette, ceiling

Café de Flore

Shakespeare and Company

Palais-Royal

Jardin du Palais-Royal

Centre Pompidou

Centre Pompidou, Henri Matisee, Figure décorative sur fond ornemental

Centre Pompidou, Andy Warhol, Ten Lizes

Centre Pompidou, panoramic view

Église Saint-Sulpice

Église Saint-Sulpice, nativity scene

Pierre Hermé macaron

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Bonjour from Paris!

I am in Paris with my husband for the week. I was so excited to return to Paris, but I was nervous about visiting in the winter; I had heard that Paris can be bitterly cold in December. I do not like cold weather, so I wanted to dress warmly, but I also wanted to be fashionable. I think I did a pretty good job! I have been nice and warm walking around cold and rainy Paris, but I feel chic as well.

coat – Soia & Kyo

boots – Gentle Souls, Nordstrom

purse – Liebeskind, Bloomingdale’s

hat – local boutique

sunglasses – Tom Ford, Overstock.com

On the street, on the metro, I study how Parisians tie their scarves. It’s an art. Here’s one way: I call it the “double-wrap tie.”

scarf- AllSaints

Yesterday I was outside most of the day with my coat zipped up, but I was glad that I had nice clothes underneath because we decided to go to an impromptu dinner at Buddha Bar.

shirt – Red Haute, Bloomingdale’s

jeans – Hudson, Bloomingdale’s

I had to show a close-up of these jeans because you can’t see the silver in the photo above. I love these jeans; they are both casual and dressy and actually very comfortable.

Today it wasn’t very cold outside, so I wore a wool coat instead of my down coat. I bought this coat at the last minute, literally the day I left for Paris, and I’m so glad I did; it’s perfect for 45-50 degree weather.

coat – Andrew Marc, Bloomingdale’s

scarf – local boutique

purse – Marc by Marc Jacobs, Bloomingdale’s

jeans – Joe’s, Nordstrom

boots – Ugg, Zappos.com

What you don’t see: silk long-johns and wool socks from REI. I am warm and able to enjoy Paris; it’s beautiful any time of the year!

I’m linking up with What I Wore Wednesday and Real Momma, Real Style and Monday Mingle.

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My husband, James Andrews, wrote this on his blog, JamesAndrews.tv, on our wedding anniversary. I hope it blesses you and those in your life.

Our Wedding Day

November 27, 2011

Today my wife Sherrelle and I are celebrating 18 years of marriage. Whoa! Where did the time go!! I know without a shadow of a doubt that marrying her was the single most important decision I have made in my life. Have we had problems you ask? Absolutely, our marriage has endured its share of ups and downs. Has it made us stronger? YES. I can say that at 18 years today we are a solid unit and work in total unison. Didn’t say total agreement, I said “unison.” I know that my approach and look at things is totally different at times than my wife’s. It is operating in this difference and respecting each other’s unique perspective that help us make wise family decisions. One thing that we are completely on the same page about is the fact that without a spiritual relationship our marriage means nothing. We give Jesus Christ the glory, honor and praise for guiding us daily. This “relationship” is more than just attending church but it’s about a filter in which we view life’s challenges on a daily basis–and there are SO MANY daily challenges to filter.

As an entrepreneur my wife is an “investor” in my company by providing the backbone support for the family. There is ABSOLUTELY no way that I would be able to run a successful business, manage employees and maintain two offices if Sherrelle wasn’t operating as COO of the Andrews Family. That trust I have in her managing the details which include but are in no way limited to: Paying the bills, planning vacations, managing the school calendar, researching things for us to do on weekends, and so on, and so on, and on. My wife’s ability to organize all the other functions of my life allow me to focus on running the company and simply having the room to create visions and for that she is a huge investor in my company. I cherish the role she plays and really travel when I have to and when in town do my best to support her role. Lastly, my wife is my emotional cheerleader and confidant. It is here where I need and depend on her so much. The way I look at life, business, friends, family can be so out of wack that without my wife giving me a proper grounding and sometimes additional viewpoint I would completely make several “bonehead decisions.” I confer with Sherrelle on so many decisions and trust her intution. I know and respect a “woman’s intuition” and my wife has the best “Spidey Sense” in the business.

Some of you reading this may not be married yet and considering marriage one day. Maybe you have been married in the past, it ended badly and you are tainted by the whole experience. Perhaps you are in a marriage and are trying to figure out how to get out. Whatever your situation I have this to say to you: Marriage is A MARATHON, NOT A RACE. In plain speak it means that you have to CHOOSE to be married not expect some “oooeey goooey” feeling to take over your body on a daily basis. Our media obsessed culture has many of us totally confused on what real love looks like and most importantly what it takes to survive. So many men I know have a “jacked up” view of sex because of a lust filled culture and pornography. Lastly couples in general lack the commitment to sustainable marriages because of the popular “He/She is not making ME HAPPY” mentality that permeates the way we view marriage. By true confession I’m not a marriage counselor or trained therapist. However (and unfortunately) at 18 years of marriage I’m a member of this rare fraternity of people who make it past 7-10 years of marriage.Here are a few tips that might help you on your journey of marriage:

Fellas Take The Sword: This means at times (like 90%) you need to “fall on the sword” in an arugment for the sake of your marriage. I promise you this will save you a lot of heartache, time and pain. BE the peacemaker by being the bigger adult. Yes EVEN when she’s dead wrong.
Eat Dinner At Home As A Family: I noticed that our marriage and relationship as a family changed for the better when we actually committed to a consistent family dinner time at the table. It may last 30 minutes but it is the best time to connect with your wife and family
Shut It Down: Try and turn off electronics and just soak up your wife. I am still working on this in true confession which tells you how long it actually takes. The fact that I work in Social Media and my wife is a blogger doesn’t help. Try it I promise it works
Find A Shared Passion: My wife and I have recently realized we share a passion for health/fitness. Sherrelle has done a Clean Program Cleanse with me for 21 days and I most recently took up Kettlebells at her suggestion and we work out in the morning together
Snuggle Up: Every time you come to bed you don’t have to hit a “home run.” Practice the art of some good ol’ Spoonin which in the end leads to even bigger fireworks.
Care About Things She Cares About: Guess what, life is not just about YOU. Get into her life and be bummed or be happy about the things that move her emotionally. Women are driven by the details of the day. Be authentically involved in her daily details
Wise Counsel: You need to keep a few men around you that have some wisdom and have been married several years. If your mentor’s advice to you is “Go get you a chick on the side” RUN IMMEDIATELY and find a new mentor, he’s not your guy homie!

There are so many tips that I could share but I just wanted to get this blog post off my chest. I hope that you find some of what I’m sharing helpful. As we celebrated our marriage today I felt so blessed and humbled that we have made it this far. DIVORCE IS NOT AN OPTION for us and we truly practice that. I would be nothing if I couldn’t at least help a few marriages make it. It’s really tough out there and I want nothing else but to see marriages survive. Again without God I would not even be able to write this post and celebrate this marriage. My best to you. Let me know what tips you have.

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