Joie de Vivre!

A 30 minute bus ride outside of Nice there is a wonderful town called Vence in the rolling hills of the South of France. This is where the remaining part of my French family lives. I took the bus to Vence with my mom and met up with my cousin, aunt, and uncle from the states. This was the soul purpose of my trip to France, to spend time with family and visit my great, great Aunt Jany who's house sits high in the hills in Vence overlooking the surrounding cities. The town is breathtaking, a nod to simpler times, with cobblestone streets, rose gardens, and a town square with a farmer's market.

We spent the day with Jany and had a wonderful lunch with a group spanning four generations of our family. Jany is 88 and a force to be reckon with. She is amazing, still feisty, witty, and elegant all at the same time. She doesn't show any sign of slowing down, still so full of life or as my mom says "joie de vivre". It was really inspiring to spend time with her and to have a piece of family that is normally so far away.

PS-I think "joie de vivre" will be my next tattoo, written in a delicate script. A reminder that life is what you make it and the happiest people are those who live for what they love.