“Monsieur and Madame, your car is here.” My heart sinks it is fifteen minutes early and I just don’t want to leave. “Are you ready?” , my husband asks. “No” I reply sadly. I soak in the last seconds of our charming hotel lobby. The Hotel Thoumieux did not disappoint in any way. “I’ll help get the bags down. Take a minute.” I take a last photo of the lobby with its’ perfect leopard print accents and I reluctantly head down the stairs to the car. We ride silently to Charles De Gaulle as I continue to breathe in Paris. Right before we arrive, I get organized. I have a big job to do, filing my VAT paperwork.
“Does this really work?” my husband asks. “Yes, just wait. You will see a lot of credits on our credit card.” As I wait my turn I watch a couple rifling through their luggage madly to present their proof of purchases. My heart beat hastens. I know I organized everything with the purchases at the top, but it still makes me nervous. I go up to the window and hand over my documents. “Where are you traveling to?” “Los Angeles”. My twelve forms are stamped and now I must place each in an envelope and mail them. I am moving at a fast speed, all efficiency. My husband snaps a photo. We can now check in and we are on our way home. I am distracted by my mental calculations of my refunds for a few moments and forget how sad I am to leave.
It has been three years since our last trip to Paris and I think about it all the time. Facebook has been serving up daily memories. I don’t have our next trip planned, yet. In the meantime, I continue to enjoy these fun travel based t-shirts from J. Crew. I styled this one with denim, a cashmere cardigan and my new favorite shoes.
Happy Shopping!
XO,
JAE
the navy leopard 