Yeah, I don’t have a good excuse as to why I didn’t blog yesterday. No national holiday (in the US, at least), no sick day. The only explanation I can offer was that I was busy being utterly swept up in Paris’ beautiful way of life, and that I’m not even a little bit sorry about it!

This past week has been nuts, in the best way possible! I’ve been in Rome and Chianti, Italy, Aix-en-Provence + Marseille + Paris, France, and this afternoon, I’m flying to Edinburgh, Scotland. It’s been AMAZING! I’ve shot way too many rolls of film already, and I’m not done yet. I don’t even want to think about how high my bill from my lab is going to be.

Here’s a preview from yesterday’s ballerina session with Sophie! This girl, oh my gosh. I just LOVE photographing her! I can’t wait for you guys to see the entire session!

As always, lessons learned/events that transpired over the past week:

• I’ve consumed more bread in the past week in France than I had in the past two months in the US, and I’m totally ok with it. On my way to an anniversary shoot this morning I swung by the patisserie and snagged a pain au chocolate fresh from the oven. MARRY ME, France.
• Know what’s super un-fun? Getting locked in AND out in an apartment building. I was leaving Aix-en-Provence early Saturday morning to catch my train to Paris, and as instructed, left the apartment keys inside the flat (I did an AirBnb). Well, that’s all good and well, except the front door of the apartment building was deadbolted from the inside and required a key to exit. So I spent an hour and a half locked into the building, but out of the flat itself, and had to cobble together all the French I know to communicate with the police and locksmith. Neither were of any help, and in the end it was a local shopkeeper who pushed the door in and let me out! Miraculously, the door wasn’t broken, and I BOLTED to the train station. That’s an adventure I’ll tell my kids about fo sho.
• I think ^that^ is the longest bullet point ever on any Monday Mash-Up.
• The Louvre: so beautiful. So, so beautiful. I’d resisted going during past Paris trips because I knew it was an all-day sort of thing, but it was totally worth it this time!
• People got straight up CRAZY at the Mona Lisa. I’ve never been that irritated with other tourists before- all common sense and decency goes out the window for a painting that is, in my opinion, not the prettiest in the world, you know?
• If you ever go to Italy, drink 3 cappuccinos a day. For some reason, they’re way more amazing in Italy than in the US!

Ok, this has gone on way too long. Must save something for the recap posts, yes? Yes! So here are two more previews: first, from Zach & Lindsay’s Anniversary Experience session in Chianti!

And second, from this morning’s Anniversary Experience session with Eric & Richelle in St. Germain-des-Pres in Paris!

AH! So much goodness coming to the blog over the next few weeks, I can hardly wait! Au revoir, sweet friends!