Good Days Galore!

Hello everyone!

So I got some really good news this week! I was accepted into the PhD program at the University of California at Davis--my top choice!! I am so, so, sooo happy! Haha some of you have been witness to how nervous and stressed I was about this.  Whenever the subject would come up I would feel sick to my stomach and my blood pressure would skyrocket.  Shows how well I deal with stress.... ;)
Anyway, this whole week in general has been really good.  On Monday I received a book in the mail that I ordered from Amazon.fr.  It was just one of those that amazon recommends to you based on your previous purchases, and I got it because it was only 3 euros (including shipping/handling).  So I got it on a whim, but I am loving it--I am trying to put off finishing it because I don't want it to be over! Then, I had a really good workout Monday night. For a long time I have been wanting to add running to my workouts, but because of a bad experience involving trying to go for a run the morning after my senior party in high school, I have been hesitant to commit to running.  Anyway, I started to integrate the treadmills into my workout three weeks ago, and I was surprised at how much I have been enjoying it! On Monday night I managed to run about 7 miles at a fairly good clip, then went to a boxing class.  The 25 minute walk home was dreadful because I was so hungry and tired, but it felt pretty good overall. Then I got an e-mail from UC Davis saying that they were in the process of making a decision on my application, and I could view the application after 8am Pacific time (5pm my time!--yikes!) on FRIDAY.  Cue in the stomachaches, naseau, etc. I was already dreading all the anticipation of awaiting that decision...

I had high hopes for Tuesday, since 3 of my 6 classes were canceled (yeah, yeah, I know...I work too hard).  My second favorite step class is on Tuesday night from 7:15-8:15, and it was one of the best classes I have ever been to! The instructor had us doing some outrageous moves that involved dropping it low, then shimmying up rather ridiculously.  We were all cracking up the entire time--it was really fun!  When I got back to my apartment, I checked my e-mail and saw the word "congratulations" in the subject line of an e-mail from Davis and just freaked out like I have never freaked out before.  My roommates can attest to this....jumping, screaming, maybe even a tear or two, hugs, etc.  I was (and still am), so, so, soo happy!

The week before, I had found some cheap train tickets to Paris, and I had thought that this week would be really hard because of my anxiety about hearing back from Davis, so I went ahead and booked them for Wednesday.  So coincidentally, I was able to celebrate the news by going to Paris!! I had nothing planned for the visit and I was going by myself, so I decided I was just going to do whatever it was I felt like doing that day to celebrate.  

 I knew it was going to be a perfect day when a hot French businessman sat next to me on the train to Paris. But he spent the majority of his time on his cell phone, so unfortunately my friends I am still single. ;) I went to the Louvre in the morning because it was pouring outside. Since I am an "educator" in France, I was given a free pass to all the national museums and monuments in France....so I didn't feel THAT bad about only staying there for an hour and a half.... :) A highlight of this part of the day was seeing a guy wearing a "I <3 MILFS" sweatshirt inside the Louvre.  Hmmm...wonder where he might have been from?...

Next I walked around in search of the apartment that my family is renting for a week in May.  I wanted to check out the neighborhood to make sure it wasn't off the railroad tracks or above a brothel or anything.  It was actually in a really neat bustling neighborhood with lots of unique shops and tons of patisseries and fruit stands. Then, since this was a day of celebration, I went to the Latin Quarters to eat at my second-favorite kebab restaurant in the world (my favorite is in Florence, and I will be enjoying that in less than a month!).  It was freaking delicious and worth every one of its hundreds of calories.

A kebab from my second-favorite kebab place in the world

 Then I wandered over to Shakespeare and Company, a famous English bookstore across from the Notre Dome.  I think this is my favorite place in Paris.  I ended up spending 2 1/2 hours there.  The downstairs part of the bookstore is filled to the brim with new and used books for sale. Upstairs is like a library, there are thousands of books that aren't for sale and a few reading rooms and nooks.  Since it was drizzling a bit outside, I cuddled up in a corner and read for over 2 hours before glancing at my watch and realizing I needed to get a move on.  It was probably the best part of my day though...I miss going to bookstores.

A little corner in the upstairs part of Shakespeare and Company

The bookstore was pretty empty since there aren't many tourists this time of year.  But an awkward moment did pass when this self-conscious rigid-looking German guy started playing the piano (not very well) and kept awkwardly glancing at me to see my reaction. 
Finally, I went to Montmartre, an area of Paris that includes the Sacré Coeur and the Moulin Rouge.  There are a bunch of vintage and eclectic shops in this area that I wanted to check out.  I went into one of the vintage shops, and there was an American girl working at the store...so it was nice to be able to speak English (made me a bit home-sick!). 
Anyway, it was a wonderful day and a perfect way to celebrate the good news!  Today was also a really good day--I did another 7 miles on the treadmill and then went to a hip-hop dance class in which I probably looked ridiculous but eh, whatever. 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! Thank you for all of your support and well-wishes, it means a lot! Miss you all very much! :)