Lately, I’ve had this overwhelming feeling of wondering what’s next. Some may think that’s a silly thing to ask once you already have you’re so called “dream job,” but I have a sneaky suspicion that other freelancers ask themselves that very same question all the time. The thing is, entrepreneurs often crave more. They reach a certain goal, cross it off their check list, and immediately set the next one. While there is nothing wrong with this, we need to remember to relax a just little bit. Now, I’m definitely guilty of the more mentality – like this commercial. At 24 years old, I’m already wondering ( and maybe worrying ) where I’ll be at 35. Or 40.

While I’ve realized that having high dreams and the passion to reach them are both great things, I’ve also come to learn that the path in which you get there is also important. So instead of worrying about fiften years from now – or even just two, enjoy the now and be present. Be aware of the steps you need to take in order to move forward, but don’t forget to look around, too. You may notice + develop a new creative path that you never thought you’d explore in your lifetime. Who knows! That’s what’s so great about being your own boss. YOU have the power to define your days.

Now that our trip to France is all official, semi-panic has set in that we only have a little over a MONTH to plan everything. Once our accommodations were set and out of the way, my mind drifted immediately to my closet & what I should bring with. I definitely don’t consider myself a fashion expert, so I started making a list of the basics one would need for travel. I took a peek at my closet and pulled out things that I thought work work, which is visualized above. I either own or have something similar to all of these items. Although I don’t necessarily feel like I know what I’m doing when it comes to Paris fashion, I plan on keeping it simple and learning more while there. What do you guys think??

How cool + fresh is this color palette?? Believe it or not, greens / blues don’t come up a lot for me with client projects. I’ve worked with many palettes under the sun, but can’t quite remember something as soothing as this. With that said, I couldn’t be more excited to give this particular client ( who you will find out about later ) a modern brand refresh. I’ll be back in a few months with this guy to hopefully share some more!

The lovely owner of Parc Boutique in Minneapolis, Thao, emailed me earlier this week with a sneak peak of their new lookbook : fleur. I was instantly ( and seriously ) impressed, being a fan of plants and all. Swoon. I KNEW I had to share it with you guys today!! It features “exotic prints, sweet florals, and effortless basics.” You know, spring staples. Photographer Wing Ta of Canary Grey is the one behind the lens and they shot everything at Spruce Flowers & Home, which is where all the beautiful plants come into play. I could get lost in that sort of place. You can see the entire lookbook right here and on their website. My favorite piece, hands down, is this Baggu Backpack ( pictured below ) that I definitely have my eye on. It would be perfect for our Europe trip, right?! Thanks for curating such beautiful things, Parc.

So it’s official — Michael and I are going to France next month. Yikes! I don’t know if you guys remember, but we had plans to go to Europe, then changed our minds and seriously considered Hawaii instead due to several reasons. And as months passed, I kept asking myself ( everyday ) why we weren’t going to Europe. Although I made every excuse in the book ( money, work, etc. ), I knew in my gut that now is the time to go. Michael will be graduating grad school in May, which gives us a short + flexible amount of time before his new life in the real world that we felt should be taken advantage of. After all, my job has the luxury of being flexible! PLUS, we don’t have anything tying us down right now. It’s kind of perfect and now that everything has been settled, I don’t know why I was so wishy washy at first.

With that said, we’ve scaled down our original Europe plans ( which definitely eased my travel nerves ) and decided to stick to France this time around. We’re planning on six nights in Paris and three in Nice. The only thing we’re sure on as of right now is staying in Monmartre and roaming for a few days. I remember learning about it back in highschool ( I took FIVE years of French ) and it kind of stuck with me. If you have been to Paris or Nice, we would absolutely love to hear about your recommendations — especially neighborhoods to stay in or places to eat. We plan on doing a few touristy things, of course, but are true wanderers when it comes to traveling. Lots of walking, eating, and taking it all in. Oh and ps … I’ve never been to Europe, so there’s that. I can’t WAIT.