Monday Morning Thoughts

It's Monday morning, and I am in one of the best moods! Mostly because it's a 4 day week, and Christmas is this Saturday!!! I attempted to finish my Christmas shopping this past weekend, but it was all in vain. 

We went to the Mall, and Michael tried to make things better by saying that dealing with the crazy crowd was part of the "Christmas Spirit." Aww how cute, but Honey, let's face it - we are the losers who decided to wait the last minute, and we are just facing the consequences! 

We had a pretty low key weekend, and it felt good to relax. Sunday, I cleaned up our apt because I am having my girl friends over for dinner tonight for a little pre-Christmas dinner; and we watched the Falcons game. Yes, they won! Yes, they are 12-2. And YES, they are in the playoffs! I am so excited, and really really really hope they make it to the Superbowl - but I am not getting my hopes up just yet. 

Oh Matt Ryan...how I love you! via

Needless to say, I am not done, and I still have a few things to get. Luckily, I don't need to go back to the mall for these, so I am not as worried. I just hope I will be done before Christmas Eve! 

I finally got the chance to upload some of my pictures from France. It turns out I took a lot more family pictures, than I did of Paris - I'm sorry!!! But for those of you who are still interested, here are a few :) 

 My cousin Yoran, and his daughter Mahau

My cousin Ellie - yes, she is going to break hearts!

 

Michael and I at Atlanta Station in Atlanta

Did I mention that I got to see my favorite singer, Raphael, while in Paris?! (I'm sure I did before I left - if not, shame on me!) Every time I go to France, I check to see if he is going to be in Paris at the same time - and the last couple of years, I always missed him by a week or so. 

This year, he came out with a new album in September, so I knew he had to be touring when I'd be in France. What do you know, for the first time EVER - he was playing in Paris while I was there! My cousin bought be a ticket as soon as I found out, and I got to go see him. I have to say it was one of the coolest things I've done in the last couple of years. 

I know, it's a concert - not THAT big of a deal, right? Well, it was for me - because I have a huge fan of Raphael for 6 years now, and I had never seen him play live. I stood there, about 10 feet from the stage, and felt like a little girl when he came on stage. I watched him play for two amazing hours, singing a mix of his new album and some older favorites. He sang my favorite song (I mentioned in one of my Music Tuesdays here), which of course left me speechless. Is it corny for me to admit that I even had tears in my eyes!? 

It was probably the highlight of my trip, and one of the most memorable moments of my life. I'm sure for those of you who are music lovers out there, you understand what I am talking about. His music, his lyrics, and some of his songs just mean so much to me; that finally seeing him live just made it all real. 

I hope you all have a GREAT Monday - the countdown to Christmas has officially begun!!!