TGIF

HAPPY FRIDAY! So excited its the weekend & today was GREAT! It started out a little slow- I overslept! I rolled over & was in disbelief when I saw that it was 9:40! Aahhhh I hustled as quick as I could, given that I had to wait for my little friend from Taiwan to finish primping in the bathroom. Got to work & checked some e-mails then had to go show my passport to Cecil from HR. After I did that, I started researching cool places to go for my VACATION! (I'm loving this whole idea about interns getting vacations!) I was thinking Cinque Terre or Sardinia or Capri. Around 1-ish, Sarah & I left for lunch. She is American/French/Swiss and so wonderful! We couldnt decide on a place to eat & I suggested we flip a coin. We sat outside at a little cafe for a true french lunch and decided to go there instead of the whole-foods type place for a healthier lunch! I pretty much told her how bored I am at work and how I feel COMPLETELY out of the loop on things & she agreed. She has only worked at Lancel for 2 and a 1/2 months & said she felt the same way. She said that we needed to fix this problem because there was definitely a lot of work to be done! Were going to talk to the HR lady soon! That made me feel SO much better!! Sarah saw profiterols on the menu & was like "do you want to split them with me?" YES! and I am so glad I did- they were heavenly!

When we got back to work, I went up to the 7th floor to see where Sarah's desk is & it turns out that she sits next to Kamilla and Pauline! They told me I need to take some breaks & come see them & I will definitely be doing that next week! Phew-now it wont be awkward walking up there! I got back to the 6th floor, the rest of the Style Department was still at lunch, so I talked to Alexandra about my upcoming vacation until they all got back. Right then, Eric was like "I have a job for you!" FINALLY...WORK!!! I had to make these faux color swatches that were going to be applied to the purse design so the Illustrator file looks more real. It's pretty tricky using photoshop in french & I tried changing the settings to english, but no such luck. I had to have Eric walk me through everything because I couldn't completely understand what exactly he wanted done or how they usually do this procedure. I had to scan the velour christal fabric from Sophie then apply that to a document since the rivets were unable to be recreated to exact specifications. I learned a lot & it was fun!

I e-mailed Mr. Nunamaker from Clemson about my evaluation form because most people doing internships were finishing up & I still have 2 more months! I filled it out as if this was a midterm appraisal, but still need to write the 2 page response!

Everybody was buzzing about their vacations. Guy is going to Barcelona, Eric is going to Bali, Thongsavanh is going to southern France, Cecilia is going to Italy & Pauline is going to the west coast of France. There is literally not going to be ANYONE at work next week! I had just gotten a text from Trevor about coming to London next weekend & Alexandra came up to me & was like "Leonello said it is OK if you take a week off!" YESS!!! I immediately texted Trevor & was like, "hope you're not busy in 2 weeks! Pick somewhere warm & lets go on vacation!" He suggested Granada, Spain which is located on the southern tip of Spain right by the Mediterranean Sea. YES PLEASE! We still need to work out travel details, but HELLO SPAIN! HERE I COME! Then, Ceci (the Italian girl) asked me what my plans were for the weekend & I told her that I didn't have anything set in stone. She told me her & her boyfriend were going to climb trees at this place/park thing outside of Paris & she invited me. At first I was confused, then she did a sliding/swinging motion & I was like "OMG ARE YOU GOING ZIP WIRING!?" and she nodded her head & I told her I was in...so I'm going zip wiring tomorrow morning! We have to wear pants, so I'm hoping its not too hot!!! I'm already charging my camera & can hardly wait to take pictures!!!

Work was winding down & everybody was leaving & Sarah came up to my desk & told me there was someone I had to meet. Heloise is the assistant for the Quality Manager & she was SWAMPED with work! Next week, I get to help her make hotel/transportation reservations, contact the companies in China & Taiwan & Vietnam to let them know when Lancel rep's are coming to their site and also enter invoices into a database to make sure the company isn't overbudgeting! I couldn't behappier that there is work for me to do!

I left & was feeling footloose & fancy free. I found a GREAT black dress at H&M, then ventured back down the #4 line to Sevres-Babylone to grab some picnic food at le grand epecerie. The sky was blue & the birds were chirping, so I had my book & baguette and headed over a peaceful picnic in the park! Today could not have been any more perfect. I'm just worried that I'm going to be so excited about going to Spain that I wont be able to sit still at work next week!!!!

American Food in Paris

I was so miserably bored at work that I was CLIMBING the walls! I woke up & was instantly tired...not a good sign! At 12:30ish, I headed off to lunch & went to my favorite salade place...and even got a dessert this time! The weather was gorgeous, so I decided to stroll down towards Denfert Rochoreau to walk through some of the stores since I still had 30 minutes left on my lunch break. I didn't find anything :( shucks! When I got back to work, I was determined to do something for the next 4 and 1/2 hours. I had JUST e-mailed my mom telling her how bored I was & explained that the Pepsi career website was impossible to figure out. After 30 minutes of toying around with different tabs and registering from only one window and clicking into another area of the homepage I FIGURED IT OUT! I couldnt officially apply for the Pepsi job (there is this crazy formal process) until I had the job # from Lisa & once I got to the career website, it said there were only 48 job openings & job #24159 wasnt one of them. Once I figured everything out, I felt this sudden urge of excitement! The sky was perriwinkle blue, I had officially applied to the job & it was almost time to leave! Since it was so nice, I decided to take the bus to Sevres-Babylone, which is the Bon Marche metro stop. For some reason, I thought my favorite H&M was down one of the roads & after searching for it, I got lost! (Although, with the metro, you cant ever realllyyyy get lost) I wandered down beautiful streets I hadn't ever walked down and saw pretty balconies with flowers & some really neat interior design stores. Everyone was out enjoying the sunshine and drinking coffee. I ended up making a huge circle and ended up on the other side of the Bon Marche & since i LOVE le Grand Epecerie, but have only walked through it to get a panini for lunch, I decided to go check it out...besides, I needed some groceries anyways. I cant even begin to describe this place. Hands down the nicest grocery store with the most amazing assortment of food that you can imagine. I saw a sign that said "Etats Unis" (which is french for United States) & thought I needed to check out the American food. There was peanut butter (french people HATE peanut butter), marshmallows, popcorn, cake mix, kettle chips & peanut butter M&M's! I hqd the urge to buy something, so I settled for the SUPER healthy (sike) chips & M&M's! It was like a little taste of home :) I also got raspberries, a baguette & the most delicious banana yogurt. Since the sun doesnt set until VERY late here, I walked down Boulevard Raspail and found a nice little chair in le Jardin de Luxembourg and had a picnic! It was literally perfect! There were old people walking around, people reading & hanging out with friends and the occasional runner.

After finishing up, I walked to the Rennes metro stop & headed home and the second I got to my room, Alicia & Mom were calling me on skype! perfect timing! it was SO great to see their faces & hear their voices! they were still in Charleston and at Ashley's office so they could pick up wireless! I get to see their pretty faces in 2 months! Its hard to believe that my trip is already 1/3 over! Since the fashion industry is slow in the summer and REALLY slow in early August, I get either a week or 2 weeks off for vacation! Interns on vacation? I could get used to this! I'm thinking of going to either Venice, Sardinia or (if the country still isn't in shambles) the Greek Isles!!! So excited!! Im crossing my fingers that I get 2 weeks off :)

Monday Funday

After not going to sleep until almost 2, I was EXHAUSTED when I woke up. I got up early so I could go to work early because the Creative Director was going to be in the office today & we were going to have a meeting at 10. I drank some coffee & thought it would keep me awake, but sitting in a 2 and a 1/2 hr meeting in TOTAL FRENCH with the sun glaring in my eyes, it literally took all the strength I could muster to stay awake. I didn't have anything to work on, so I was thrilled once my lunch break rolled around. I went to Le Grand Epecerie near Le Bon Marche to get my favorite panine italienne! yum! It was nice to sit in a park & just chill...the weather was perfect, not to hot or too cold! I walked through Zara because Soldes is almost over & I wanted to get some shopping in before its over! I did literally NOTHING the rest of the day! I did not feel well once 6:30 finally came and was about to take a tiny nap before meeting up with Michael & Bryson when I noticed a tiny Asian boy in the apartment. Patricia had told me that morning that a new student was loving in today, but it had slipped my mind. I was really hoping it would be another American, but I guess that was just wishful thinking. He is TINY & his name is Ken...well, his English name atleast! He is from Taiwan, in college & majoring in French. He kinda looks like a midget because he' s super short & has a HUGE head & monster glasses. Atleast he speaks English! I told the boys to meet me at the Palais Royale metro stop so I could show them the Louvre, but we cam out of the metro at different exits. I came out at Rue do Rivoli & when we were on the phone, I thought they said they were in the Apple store. The only Apple store I know of is near Opèra, so I started walking that way & to make a long story short, they weren't there, but at the Apple store in the Carousel du Louvre & even after we tried to meet up at the Pyramides inside the Louvre, we were STILL separated because the Carousel was closed & they had to exit to a totally different area. At last, we found eachother! We asked a guy with a camera to take a picture of us because we figured he would be a good photographer...and he was! Too bad the kids behind us were splashing water at eachother/being extremely annoying! The sky was realllly dark & you could tell that a storm was coming! We walked through Tuileries, Place de la Concorde & up the Champs Elysées then we got hungry! After passing a Lamborghini & other SWEET cars, we found a cute little italian restaurant down one of the streets off Champs Elysées & decided to go there. None of us wanted to choose the restaurant, so we were all like "yep! this looks great!" We all got marguerite pizza (that was SO yummy) & a coffee that was stttrrrrooonnngg! We walked up the street to the Arc de Triomphe & I showed them the Lancel store! I wanted to show them Notre Dame, so we took what we thought was a metro tunnel (it actually was an RER tunnel) & I felt like we had walked all the way to China by the time we got to the #1 metro line! We got off Chatelet & walked in a circle and dashed to the Sortie after we saw stairs. We passed part of Paris Plages, the Concierge & this other castle-like thing on the river before seeing the church. Notre Dame is so pretty when it is lit up at night & it was nice because there weren't 600 tourists everywhere. We found this Chinese girl to take our picture & she was your quintessential chinese person...she said "onetwothree cheeeeeeeeeeeese" when she was snapping pictures, but actually got some really good shots! We hung around there for a little bit longer, took cool pictures, then were heading back to the Saint Michel metro stop when it started to sprinkle. We saw this wall painting down an alley & Michael said there was one exactly like it in New York, so we had to stop & take pictures! I wasnt sure if the boys were leaving tomorrow night or not, so I told them bye incase I didnt get to see them before they head off to Amsterdam. I was getting to bed late yet again & was dreading waking up in just 5ish short hours! ahhhh. Im going to have to get like 5 coffees in the AM!

Michael & Bryson come to PARIS

Michael, Bryson & I used to sit in GC classes & talk about going to Europe this summer. I got here July 1st & I knew they were flying into Madrid on the 11th. I kept telling them, "yall have to come to Paris!" They just had skype on their phones, so I couldnt call them thennnnn one day, I got home from work & Bryson said they would be in the City of Lights on Sunday! I WAS SO EXCITED! Ofcourse they hadn't booked a hostel for Paris & the a new student was moving into the spare room at my apartment that day! They called me when they got to the city & I was watching the Tour de France & they were wandering around in search for a hostel. I told them to come meet up with me, but the airlines lost Michael's bag AGAIN (that's ths 3rd time his bags have gotten lost in 2 weeks!) so they needed to find somewhere to stay so he could call the airline & give them an address to deliver the suitcase. FINALLY they found a hotel called Hotel Aria in the 15th district. I hopped on the metro to go see them & got off about 4 stops too late & walked foreverrr in search of 181 rue de Vaugiard. I finally got there & the hotel is literally located across the street from the Pasteur metro stop...just my luck. I texted Michael to give me their room number & next thing I know, I hear "BOSTICCC!" You know that feeling where you hear something, but you don't see anything? Yep, that was me. I kept looking around looking for Michael's head to be hanging out of the window from their balcony & after a few seconds of searching THERE HE WAS! I hopped in the elevator (an elevator in Paris? Nice!) & went up to room 423! SO PUMPED THEY WERE HERE! Michael had to yell at the airline lady so he could give her the address since he wasnt going to be able to be reached by phone the next day. I could tell it was a very VERY frustrating conversation. In honor of all of us being together in Europe atlast, we were all soooo hungyr & I thought "what better place to celebrate/have a truly Parisian dinner than Entrecote?" So we hopped on the metro to Entrecote by Saint Germaine de Près like Mr Tim told me! OFCOURSE I got turned around & it took us like 15 minutes to finally find the restaurant (I had to stop & ask 2 guys & felt like a retard because the restaurant was right down the alley), but it was totally worth the time spent being lost. We waited for like 5 minutes, then got seated at a table outside. A man was out there playing the guitar, the weather was perfect & the company was great! Our waitress came up & didnt even ask what we wanted, she just said "how do you want your steak cooked?" If you go to Entrecote, there are other things on the menu, but this restaurant is known around the world for their steak frites & especially their special sauce. The steaks were OUT OF THIS WORLD & the boys loved it! It was towards the end of the night & our waitress came & brought us extra steak & frites without charging us! YUM! We were off to the Eiffel Tower to watch it sparkle at 11:10 to complete our Parisian night. No trip to the Eiffel Tower is truly complete without a crepe & the boys had never had one, so I took them to the first crepe stand I ever went to, which was right across the street from the Eiffel Tower. We got the girl making crepes to take a picture of all of us because right when we ordered one, the tower started to sparkle! Michael & Bryson couldnt get over how HUGE the eiffel tower is. We sat in the Champ de Mars for a bit, asked a nice British lady to take a picture of us, then called it a night because they were tired & I had work the next morning!!

Tour de France

After spending a lazy day Saturday in the city, I could not wait for Sunday! TOUR DE FRANCE WAS COMING TO THE CHAMPS ELYSEES!! I've had the opportunity to be in Paris for some of the coolest things in the world...literally! World Cup finals, Haute Couture Fashion Week the filming of Gossip Girl, Bastille Day & now the Tour de France!

I got up and went to the 1:30 service at American Church in Paris & the message was about the Prodigal Son & how Jesus REALLY was the Prodigal Son because He had everything, but went away from his father and came down to Earth and ended up without anything. They served coffee (there was even milk & sugar so I was thrilled) & biscuits in the meeting area after the service & I met lots of people from the congregation. I met this old french man & besides the fact that he smelt like a sewer & was totally pro-Obama, he told me that Americans were liars. If I hadn't been in a church, I would have wanted to punch him. He told me that he didn't believe that I would be back at church next week because I am an American & Americans never keep their word. I wanted to ask him why he was at the AMERICAN church in Paris! ppsshh!
After a near smack down, Lisa & I headed over towards Champs-Elysées to see the big race! Apparently, this was the shortest & easiest leg of the race & there was a route mapped out & the bikers had to ride 8 laps before the winner was announced. There were more people out & about in the streets than Bastille Day! There were sponsor cars everywhere with big figurines on top, loud music & little kiosks spotted along the famous street selling memorbilia, food, jerseys; etc. It was definitely a sight to be seen! I saw lots of spanish flags, french flags & even an American flag in there too! Lisa found a legit spot that was about 2 rows back from the road...right in the action! There were these 3 OBNOXIOUS kids standing infront of us & besides the fact that they were stepping all over us, they kept fighting & I literally wanted to scream "LADY TAKE YOUR KIDS HOME!" FINALLY after waiting like 30 minutes we noticed lots of motorcycles drive by. Then sponsor cars. Then repair cars with tons of bikes on the roof incase something happened to a riders bike. Then came the cheering! The sea of bikers hurdled past on the other side of the blockade, which split the road in half. There were more bikers than I would have imagined! They just kept coming & coming & coming! I was snapping pictures left & right! They circled around the Arc de Triomphe & then fllllleeeeewwww right infront of us. It literally felt like a wind tunnel.
When they made it around for lap 2, there was a biker who was WAAYYY ahead of all the others. The clear winner...wrong. As they began each new lap, there was a new biker in the lead! After lap 5, there were about 10 riders who had really broke out from the crowd. After that, we decided that we had seen enough because seeing bikers ride past you is only exciting for so long. Michael & Bryson had landed & gotten to Paris & I couldnt wait to go see them! I honestly don't even know (or care for that matter) who won the Tour de France. I wanted to go to the podium, but there were masses of people & that would have been impossible. It was really funny to see wannabe Tour de France guys biking around the city in their spandex onesies & helmets. Better luck next year...or NOT!

My ghetto French go-phone didn' t save Michael's number, so I headed home to put it in my phone & google hostels for them since they didnt have anywhere to stay & were currently wandering around the city...

All in all, I'd say its pretty cool to be able to say that you've seen the Tour de France in person! What a fun day!!

Pont des Arts

Work seemed to fly by & even though I drank 5 coffees (I heard everyone in the creative team whispering not-so-quietly about that) all of a sudden I was like "WHOA everyone is leaving!" there was literally NOTHING (surprise surprise) to do at work, so I just emailed friends & family! I was wearing a LBD & heels, so I ran home to change & grab my camera before heading over to Pasteur. I was so tempted to take a little cat nap, but once I fall asleep, I'm out for hours & hours! I threw on comfortable clothes & Patricia thought I was going to play sports! HA!

I met the boys at their hotel & we hung out there for a little bit & the boys were making their housing arrangements for Amsterdam! They booked their train & were heading out the next day! Bryson's friend Sunshine has been in Paris for 3 months, so we hopped on the metro & met her at the Louvre Rivoli stop then walked over to the Pont des Arts (Bridge of the Art), which is one of the only pedestrian bridges in Paris. It is the same bridge that was made famous in the final season of Sex & the City where Big tells Carrie that he loves her! It looks like a boardwalk because its constructed of wooden planks. It is nestled inbetween the Institue of France & the Louvre with a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower...talk about prime time location! The sun was setting & Sunshine brought a sheet so we didnt have to sit on the dirty ground. There were a bunch of other people our age on the bridge sitting in their little koombaya circles & just having a ball. We had stopped & gotten a crepe on the way & ofcourse I ordered my FAVORITE, nutella & coconut!

We were going over travel plans & how awesome it was to be exactly where we were at that exact moment. I never really though of myself as "accomplished," but I was thinking back & thought 1. I graduated from a Division 1 school in 4 years 2. I have worked for Charleston Magazine & done work for Coca Cola 3. I have been to Europe twice, working or taking classes both times and 4. there is a possibility that I might be an employee for Pepsi. We were talking about how no matter what you do or where you go, no body can take your experiences away from you. Michael & I said that we were TOTALLY coming back to this bridge later in life & we were trying to think of a way to remember the EXACT spot where we were sitting & it was like Peter Pan..."in between the second and third light on the bridge facing the Eiffel tower." Spectacular night! It was getting late & we had to head home, so we walked over to Chatelet & went our separate ways. We gave eachother a GREAT BIG group hug because the next time i'll see them is October 16th at the Clemson game! Theyre going to tell me all the fun places to go in Amsterdam & Italy! If i get some time off, I may catch a ride with them on their venture from Amsterdam to Italy! It would be like the best road trip ever! So, my American friends are gone & life will get back into some kind of routine now...well, atleast for a week then JESSICA CRAWFORD comes!!!! So excited! Netherlands, here I come!!

Bastille Day

this is going to be short!

July 14th in France is the equivalent to the 4th of July in America. Since I missed the 4th this year (and last year too!), I was so excited for this holiday to come and not just because we got off work! I met a girl Lisa at the American Church in Paris and we woke up & braced the crowds to make it to the Military Parade down Champs Elysses. It wasn't as crowded as I suspected, but something I'm definitely glad I didn't miss! The coolest part was the flyover with the plane that had blue, white & red streaks behind the plane! The day started out beatutifully & just as the parade started, it began to rain. let me rephrase that, it MONSOONED! Ofcourse I had no umberella or rain jacket, but I decided to tough it out! My hair & clothes would dry. How many times are you in Paris for Bastille Day? After the parade was over, we ventured over to Pomme de Pain & I found a HUGE hazelnut coffee! It was amazing!

Later that evening, there were supposed to be fireworks & I thought for sure they were going to be canceled because of the weather. Low and behold the weather cleared up & the sky was the prettiest color blue! A group of us met at Ecole Militaire near Champs de Mars to steak out our territory so we would have a good view of the fireworks. We found a good spot & had the most wonderful little picnic! As the time went on, more and more and more and more people showed up until it was PACKED! At 11:20, when the fireworks started, I had my camera ready to document everything! The fireworks went along with the theme of the songs & I dont know if it was just because I was watching fireworks in front of the Eiffel Tower, but they were INCREDIBLE!!! (It definitely made up for having not seen any in 2 years!) I stood there in awe at the sight before my eyes. Breath taking!

Lancel

[this is all getting posted out of order...sorry!]



I first have to start off by thanking the wonderfully fabulous Mrs. Marty for getting this internship for me! Without her, I wouldn't be back here living this fantasty life!

Lancel is a french luxury company that specializes in purses, luggage, etc. www.lancel.com I am "une stagiere" (french for intern) in the Style Department. My first day, Ellen took me around the office and my jaw dropped to the floor when i saw the view. The office is on the 6th & 7th floor above la Fondation Cartier & you can see an aerial view of Paris! From the moment I stepped out of the glass elevator, which is strangely similar to Willy Wonka's, I felt like I had just walked onto the set of The Devil Wears Prada. Everyone was dressed to a tee in true Parisian fashion, there were Lancel ads and posters on the wall displaying the "BB" bag and everything just looked super modern and chic. The building in completely glass, so every time you look around, you're looking at another spectacular view of Paris. Before I started to work, I was introduced to Alexandra and she showed me around then took me to Heaven, I mean the Lancel Show Room, where all the buyers come to place their order. I swear I saw a gold halo around the door when she opened it! It had all the Lancel collections & my jaw nearly dropped to the floor. I tried SO hard to keep my cool, but inside I was freaking out. There were purses, clutches, evening bags, wallets, luggage and the new BB line on display & everything was beautiful!

When I got back up to the 6th floor, I met Guy (who is a dead ringer for Nigel from The Devil Wears Prada) & Thonsgananh, both who are on the Style team. The other 4 members of the team were in China on business. My task for the first week was to research luggage & flower trends in fashion on www.wgcn.com! Did I mention that it was also Haute Couture Fashion Week & Gossip Girl was being filmed in Paris as well? Amazing. Everyone was so nice & there are about 8 interns on the right side of the 6th floor. I was introduced to Marine, who introduced me to everyone else! She is so nice! One major difference I noticed from interning in France instead of America is that everyone is really quiet when they work. Hm. We'll see if I can be quiet!

At work, I speak as much french as I can & everyone helps me if I dont know how to say something. I spoke more french in 3 days than I did the entire 5 weeks I was here last year! This is going to help me become truly fluent! Hours are from 9:30-6:30, which is a LONG day for this girl! Thankfully, there is a coffee machine at work and for 30 centimes, I can get a teeny tiny wake-me-up coffee. Literally, the cups are the size of Dixie cups. Alex said there is a cafe that has BIG coffee and I believe she called it "American sized." I NEED TO FIND THAT CAFE ASAP OR IM GOING TO FALL ASLEEP!

In all, this internship is a dream come true. I couldnt think of a job or work environment that was more perfect (SO CHIC!) I didn't go to Fashion School like some of the other people, so I'm learning new things every day!

blogging shmogging

OK, so I'm new to this whole "blogging world" & I literally just spent the past HOUR AND A HALF trying to figure this darn thing out! (It also doesn't help that everything is in French!) Since my last post a lot has happened! Besides feeling like THE LUCKIEST girl in the world because I look up from my desk and see the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur, there is a chance that I might possibly be employed when I get back to the US of A! Here's the story-

The night before I left for Paris, I received an e-mail from someone at Pepsi who had seen my resume on Clemson's website & decided to contact me for a job opening in the Graphics Commercialization department in NEW YORK. It involves working on the printing capabilities and graphics for labels and cans of the Pepsi brand in America & across the globe! Ofcourse I forgot to call the lady before I left the country, but e-mailed her IMMEDIATELY once I got settled in Paris. She sent me a job description and she wanted to speak via phone as soon as possible. I let her know that I'm not going to be back in America until October & that must not be a problem because we had the conversation/informational phone call anyways! I was so nervous at work all day & made sure to look up Pepsi information (their brands, some history, recent industry news...you catch my drift) and even looked at how they were doing in the stock market. It was such a blessing just to be contacted by a company of this caliper and besides being unemployed & needing a job, HOW COOL WOULD IT BE TO WORK FOR PEPSI?! (Even though I do prefer Coke, ssh!) There were some situational questions on the website, so I bounced ideas off Mom, Ashley & Lindsay so wouldn't mumble through that part! I said prayers all day, read some inspirational bible verses and ofcourse, watched some motivational clips from Remember the Titans! That movie gets me jacked up every time!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. "Philippians 4:6-7

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." 1 Peter 5:7

My daily devotional from the Purpose Driven Connection was about having a job that really shows the passion in your HEART instead of working to make lots of money. I'm trusting that God is opening up a door for me and since He already knows the plans for me, I'm going to continue to pray/believe that He will reveal them to me & I will make the right decisions that affect that. The night I was supposed to have the interview was rainy & after sitting on hold for about 10 minutes, I hung up because I was afraid my little french Go-Phone would run out of minutes. To make a long story short, the call had to be postponed until Thursday & I woke up, the sun was shining & I felt such ease about everything that day! The conversation ended up going great! Mrs. Frazier is a GC Clemson alum, her first job was in Kansas City just like mine & she is friends with the man from my last internship who hired me! (God works in mysterious ways!)

So right now, I have to OFFICIALLY apply for the job online, wait for HR to intercept it and then have a formal interview with the head of the Graphics Commercialization department! Keep your fingers crossed & your prayers coming! Ill keep yall posted!

As for life at Lancel, it's kind of slow this week. The BB bag has alreeady made it's debut & according to everyone at work, the summer is a slooooow time in the fashion industry. So slow, in fact, that I get a week long vacation in August! Leonello Borghi is the Creative Director for Lancel and he's the big boss I have to answer to. His resume is quite impressive- Creative Director for Prada, Armani, Ralph Lauren & now Lancel. He's been out of the office for 3 weeks & will be back Monday morning. Everyone RAVES about him, so I feel so lucky to get to work with such a talented man! I will show him my designs for the new Lancel monogrammed purse and then we will begin working on the new luggage line.

The last stage of the Tour de France will be in Paris on the Champs Elysses this Sunday, so I'll be on site to take lots of pictures...and to see who wins! LIFE IS GOOD! I'm beginning to love this Parisian life! I see the most beautiful things just walking down the street and sometimes have to pinch myself and see if this is a dream! Ofcourse, I miss my family & friends SO MUCH & wish I could be in Charleston with my family now, but this is the experience of a lifetime and I just want to live it to the fullest!

aurevoir. bisou!