everyone has a certain level of self confidence - and there are situations where you feel less confident and those when you feel like you could take on the world. having 20 of your peers stare at you for 45 minutes .. looking at every line in your face, wrinkle, blemish .. and then painting it on a canvas .. is certainly one of the former. but today in art class, i decided, what the heck, im gonna do it. and i sat, completely still for 45 minutes .. and let my class paint me. now these kids are just like me .. and by no means professionals .. but some of them turned out pretty dang good. and honestly .. that is the hardest thing in the world to do. sit still .. completely still . no itching, scratching, wetting your rapidly drying out lips or blinking too much, relaxing your face. it is SO HARD. seriously .. my face muscles were sore .. my eyes were completely out of whack and my body actually hurt. but i am really glad i did it!!also .. one of my goals that i wanted to accomplish while i was here .. was not miss any opportunities to see france. europe has SO much to offer and literally i am overwhelmed by all of the options and places i can go .. but i really want to get to the know the country i am living in .. so this weekend.. my friends sarah and i and maybe some other girls are going to go to another small town in france and explore the countryside, culture, vineyards and wineries and get to see another side of france! And even choosing which town to go to in france is overwhelming. there are literally SO many options .. there's beautiful castles and cathedrals in the Loire Valley .. some of the most beautiful lavender fields right here in Provence. . endless wineries in Bordeaux .. history and culture in Normandy and then the lure and beauty of the Côte D'azur. , the options are endless. But unfortunately the money is not and train tickets are limited and restrictive .. but seriously no matter where we choose.. we are bound to have a great time!