Happy New Year!

As I look back on how few posts I did in 2008, I fear I have become a little bored with my blog. I do not know what it is exactly. It seems that lately, I just do not have the time, nor do I feel inspired to write as much here as I used to. There are probably many reasons for this, and I could drone on and on about those reasons, but I think the crux of it is that I have become focused on many other things. I also think I am busier than usual , I have a slight case of the winter blahs, and It seems more of my energy is being used for higher priorities that have nothing to do with blogging this year. In a time like this with the bad economy and so many people suffering, and so much going on in the world, writing a blog and reading blogs about things as trivial as lip gloss and a good cup of coffee can be a welcome distraction from all the bad news. I want to thank everyone who has followed my blog, and I want to thank everyone who has made me laugh, entertained me , and educated me through their blogs. Blogging has afforded me travel opportunity and friendships--and that is a beautiful thing. Don't get me wrong, I do plan on blogging in 2009 as I have many adventures planned, and I have loads of beauty items to give away. Stay tuned.

In honor of the cusp of a new year, I wanted to list my goals and wishes for 2009.

I have had the same resolution for the past few years: to stay far away from crazy people who bring drama to my life. That has worked very well for me, so I see no reason to change it. Other than that, I usually do not make resolutions, instead I make goals. Here are a few:

I want to honor my good health by running more and eating more fruits and vegetables.

I want to drink more water and less Diet Pepsi.

In this vein, I want to consciously be thankful for my good health every day, as so many people I know and love have suffered illnesses and health scares lately.

I want to breathe deeper, be more patient and less judgemental (unless you are a crazy drama monger--in which case I will judge you all day long).

I want to physically be around the people I love more this year. I am so lucky and thankful to have wonderful family members and friends that I love.

I want to eliminate all unnecessary drama and chaos and clutter from my life and my house.

I want to take moments throughout my day to stop and really be present.

I want the world to get better, be more united, and stop fighting. I know that one sounds slightly Pollyanna in the current state of things, but I really do want the world to get better, and I have high hopes.

I want to be aware of the energy around me and how I am contributing to that energy.

I want to laugh more (lots more) and worry less (much less).
I want to feel more free, love more free, and be kinder (again, unless you are a drama-monger in which case I will not be kind to you).

I want to see the world and be more open minded. I not only want to be more open minded in reference to travel and new cultures, I want to be more open minded to many many things (again, except for drama mongers).

I want to do more things that make me happy with abandon and gusto.

And last but most certainly not least, I wish these sweet sneaks came in my size:
How hot are those kicks? Ernie and Burt and Grover! I totally want them.

Thank you to all of you for making my 2008 great.

Here is wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year Full of Love and Laughter!

(shoe photo from a Finish Line catalog and Dear Finish Line: Please make these in a size 8 ladies. Thanks in advance)

A Parisian Thanksgiving

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. I cannot say I am enjoying it, because I generally find the holidays to be stressful and slightly overwhelming-- however I have made a few decisions this year in an effort to try to alleviate some of the usual stress. I am mailing VERY few presents this year. I do not have one single family member in the state where I live, so that means I usually have to mail almost everthing. Not this year. Praise Jesus, everyone in my family has everything they need. This year I sent packages to the Troops serving our country from afar. It was much less stressful and I know it will be much more appreciated than any Barnes & Noble gift certificate I could have sent my cousins --who already have EVERYTHING.
My husband and I decided not to exchange gifts this year and instead spend money on travel. We always say that, then we always end up giving each other gifts anyway, but this year we mean it.

This year a gift to each other was a trip for Thanksgiving. We went to Paris, where they do not celebrate Thanksgiving, but I am a very lucky girl to know great people all over the globe and my friend, Jennifer (she is American) who lives there, invited us to a wonderful Parisian Thanksgiving party. Here is a photo of Jen and me and a charming Frenchman -who totally embraced Thanksgiving--even if just for one night. This has paid off for him in dividends-his good attitude and smoldering French looks have landed him on my friend Karen's FOXY LIST....and that my friends, is better than any turkey and dressing! Our Parisian Thanksgiving had all the trimmings, and it was delicious. Jennifer was the hostess and I think my husband and I were the only Americans besides her. She had everyone go around the table and say what they were thankful for. The French people were a little hesitant and Jennifer said to my husband and I in a hush hush voice that the French do not really embrace how to be thankful......instead they focus on what to complain about. Hilarious. She said it in jest, as we all know, French people are lovely.

The city was all decked out for the Holiday Season and it was beautiful. I had never been to Paris during the holidays, so it was a treat. We stayed by Place Vendome and the street had chandeliers hanging over it. Gorgeous!This is a photo of Printemps all decked out for the holidays.

The photo below is the beautiful Place des Vosges in the Marais. We had beautiful weather that day, and we walked around and had a delicious lunch at CHEZ JANOU , where they DO NOT have a menu in English and they will scoff and roll their eyes at you if you ask. We of course did not ask, but we heard from other people that the staff reacts that way so no way....we did not ask...nope not us.

This is a strange thumb statue by the La Defense in downtown Paris. There was a very quaint holiday bazaar going on by the La Defense also. Vendors were selling all sorts of French holiday trinkets and delicious food and hot wine! My husband titled this photo "Keeping the little woman under my thumb". He's funny....that's why I stay married to him. Ahem.This is a photo from downtown overlooking the tops of the holiday bazaar tents and in the distance you can see the Arc de Triomphe. You can also see the Eiffel Tower from here. I loved it.

We have tons of photos, but I will leave you with this photo from the very cool Pompideu area by Les Halles. I will post more later on Guerlain and Serge Lutens and all the street food along the Champs Elysees. Until then.........Au revoir.

(all photos taken by and property of MonkeyPosh LLC)

And-- Thanks to Jennifer for a lovely Thanksgiving!!!!

2nd Half of Fave Movie Alphabet Post--

So here is my second installment of my favorite movie post by order of alphabet.

I am only about 3 weeks late on this, but I have been traveling in and out of the country, fruitlessly trying to get ready for the holiday season, and battling a horrible sinus infection.

Before I get started on my movie picks, I must give a shout out to a hot and funny lady:

She looks GREAT in Vanity Fair this month. I admire her for her comedic writing skills and her no fear attitude. Go Tina!

As for the movies, I think I left off at M last time......so .......

N-- Neverending Story - I remember seeing this movie as a little girl with my Uncle and my cousins C and J. It was so strange and enthralling. I loved the Luckdragon and Atreau. It brings back a lot of happy childhood memories.

O--Out of Africa, Ordinary People, An Officer And a Gentleman-- Out of Africa is just beautiful. Streep and Redford in Africa--what is not to love? No special reason for Ordinary People except I just loved it. An Officer and a Gentleman is somewhat cheesy, but noteworthy . I loved Debra Winger in the 70's and 80's, and Richard Gere was hot back in the day before he got kinda strange.

P- Perfume--Any of you who know me at all, know that I am an obsessed fragrance collector. I have literally traveled the globe getting those ever elusive fragrances. Suskind outdid himself on the book, and the movie totally hypnotizes me. I LOVE IT!
We were actually in Frankfurt, Germany for one of the European premieres of the movie and it was very exciting.

Q--The Queen--I think Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen were fabulous in this movie. Totally believable. I look forward to seeing Michael in Frost/Nixon.

R--Rainman, Reality Bites, and Rear Window-- Whatever. I know Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise Crazy, but oh how I loved him back in the day. Plus, Dustin Hoffman was BRILLIANT. Part of Rainman was filmed in a small town in Oklahoma by a church where I sometimes attended, and the excitement when they filmed there was palpable. I will always have a special place in my heart for Rainman. Reality Bites was like a coming of age film for me. I love the soundtrack and Ethan Hawke --YUMMY! I know he now looks like a burnout who needs a shower, but I would still have dinner with him. Rear Window is a fave from my childhood. I loved Alfred Hitchcock when I was young.

S--*so many of my faves start with S so I will not give any details, I will just list them* The Sound of Music, Selena (I know shut up), Shawshenk Redemption, Steel Magnolias, Silence of the Lambs, Something for Joey,..ETC. I could literally list about 10 more but I won't bore you.

T-- To Kill A Mockingbird and Terms Of Endearment- Gregory Peck enough said, and Terms of Endearment ALWAYS makes me cry. Marriage issues, health issues, Mom issues, so many issues. Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger were both brilliant.

U-*Let me say that movies starting with U are very hard to come by, so please do not judge me too harshly for what I am about to write* URBAN COWBOY- that's right, I said it. I rarely watch movies anymore, so most of the movies I pick as favorites are from my youth, and please know when I was a youth I lived in Oklahoma where a movie like Urban Cowboy was cool. When I was in primary school, my teacher, Mrs. Mosley was going to let our class watch a movie on a fancy new high tech gadget called a VCR. We got to vote on what movie we wanted to watch. Everyone wrote a movie down and put it into a bucket then Mrs. Mosley counted the votes. The votes were as follows: 17 for E.T., 3 for Back To the Future, and 1 for Urban Cowboy. I'll let you guess my vote. Mrs. Mosley laughed and laughed and laughed. Bitch.

V- La Vita e Belle --Known in the U.S. as Life is Beautiful, but I was stretching for a movie that starts with V. It is a lovely movie.

W-Waiting to Exhale--*edited to add What's Eating Gilbert Grape-I love a movie about strong women.... strong and hateful women. It was back before Whitney got on the pipe, and she was so gorgeous and talented. Also, I love Angela Basset. I adore What's Eating Gilbert Grape. It is so dysfunctional, and so entertaining. I think Leonardo is genius. Johnny Depp and Juliet Lewis are freaks, and the woman that plays his mother is so honest in her portrayal. Easily one of my all time faves!

X--I got nothing. I could put X-Men but honestly I have never seen it. I do not watch superhero movies. I still have not even seen the latest Batman movie.

Y--Yentl--It is Barbara as a man. She sings, she frolics, she's awesome.

Z- Zoolander-- A far cry from a favorite, but I have seen it and it starts with Z and Ben Stiller is hot and funny--so there you go.

Finished. I guess I need to watch more movies, but as I said before, it seems I NEVER have 2 hours to just sit and watch a movie. I appreciate Pat tagging me and I am sorry it took me so long to finish this post. I was in Paris for Thanksgiving and I will post on that later in the week.

Have a great day.

**oh and I was kidding about Mrs. Mosley being a bitch. She was a good teacher.