Paris

I have been away on a last minute trip to Paris for work. It was quite nice. I didn't get to do too much because I was working, but I managed to get out of the hotel and walk around a bit. The best part was that our hotel was right near the Laduree on Champs D'Elysees. I have never eaten so many wonderful macaroons. I went there every day and ordered a small box. The line was very long on Valentine's Day, but I still braved it and managed to order in French and convince them that I was fluent in French - until the credit card machine stopped working. Credit card machines were not covered in my high school French class or my college French classes, so I had to admit that I spoke English much better than my French. It wasn't a problem and all was taken care of. My favorite flavor? Cassis violette. Yum!



Since I was away for Valentine's Day, B had to cancel the reservations he'd made at Comme Ca. I have been dying to go there, so he rescheduled for the Monday after my return, which was Presidents' Day and B had the day off. So we went and had a lovely lunch. I ordered the Steak Frites, which I really liked. I don't know if I would have liked the fries on their own, not enough salt for me, but they were perfect in the steak juice. B ordered the Cheeseburger and it was divine. I made him give me one quarter of it. I will definitely be back. Besides the food being fantastic, the decor is quite nice too. I am going to keep it in mind when I have a kitchen to decorate some day.
Speaking of a kitchen and some day, after lunch B and I went driving a bit. We checked out Montrose, which I suppose is part of Glendale. It was cute, but quite far away. Then we went to Eagle Rock, which is quickly becoming my favorite neighborhood. We have seen a number of houses that we would be happy living in and the blocks above Colorado have peaked B's interest greatly. Would I feel isolated out there? It's not that far, really, but it feels like another world. Oh, but how would I love a yard and available street parking and quiet! Hmm.

First Open House

I decided to drive by one of the houses that I'd seen for sale on the MLS the other day and it turned out that they were having an open house. I wasn't sure if I could go in, or if it was just for realtors, so I parked in front of the house next door and staked out the joint for a while. Eventually I decided it was safe for me to go in.
The house was adorable. It is a California bungalow in the craftsman style, but it had been very lovingly renovated and is in great shape. I loved it. It has beautiful hard wood floors, lots of windows, a great kitchen and an enormous back yard. It even has a hot tub and an outdoor shower - which I couldn't care less about, but to B that is heavenly. It is only two bedrooms, but it has two full bathrooms, which is a bonus. We'd be giving up space, we have much more in our apartment, but we'd have a yard! Would you rather have a dining room or a yard? I do like to entertain, but most of my friends have moved away and we always do holidays at my sister's since she has a nice house already. Plus, with the huge lot, you could add on to the house, or you could build up and add a second story.
I know we won't be buying this house. B is still just entertaining the idea that we can actually afford to buy a house, but it was nice to walk into a house that is in our presumed price range and think, "Wow, this is lovely, I could totally live here."