It is officially 2026 and we have ended the previous year in one of those full circle moments that I love so much. Until John pointed it out, though, I had no idea that it was happening. Back in 2010, when I came to visit my friend Josh, he took me to my first Parisian restaurant called les philosophes. When John and I started our honeymoon this past June, it was the first one I took him to as we started our time in France, and tonight, quite unexpectedly, it was where we ended our year. I am all about full circle moments, and it seems the universe, once again, had its plans for me - and us. Dinner was - of course - beyond delicious. The wine, the bread (two baskets!), the steak and the dessert all added up to a spectacular night. We had stuck to our original plan of just walking around our favorite arrondissements to find a place to eat and with a very quiet neighborhood in front of us, we turned a corner and there was les philosophes. There was a short line and there was no question we would wait. Armed with our bottle of wine in our bag to be consumed at midnight, we were seated at a great table. At first, there was a straight couple next to us who clearly - at least the man - wanted his partner all to himself. He made a small fuss to be seated in the back and John and I had the space to ourselves for quite some time. The waiters here take such pride in their work. It was fun to see our waiter from this past summer as well. We sat and reflected on our time in Paris - which still has a few days left - and once again, when John left to descend the stairs to the toilettes, I was alone with my thoughts.

So many memories in this restaurant and this neighborhood. How did I get here? When did fate decide to take me on this path? Did I ever have a choice in which road I took? How did Paris become the city for me and now us? That first trip here on business in 1995 has led me to the second half of our honeymoon in 2025.

It was close to 11 as we finished and, armed with our wine, we made our way to one of the bridges overlooking the seine. For awhile, it was strangely quiet around us and then as it approached midnight there was a small crowd behind us. People counted down the seconds, the fireworks went off in the distance above the Arc de Triomphe, and then it was 2026. I hugged my husband, (I will admit, it also helped that he's always 100 degrees so he warmed me up) and we looked out over the river. I may have said some words out loud, so many of my friends can rest easy and stop asking me. We walked back to our hotel, turned on the French TV and watched a bit of the celebration and then without any trouble, fell asleep in a city that holds so much meaning for us. Boston, San Francisco, Los Angles, New York, Palm Springs, San Antonio, Paris. All of them hold such special moments my life. Tonight, holding my husband's hand (although warmly covered in gloves), I have finally found where I belong - it's only taken me 30 years. And that seems like a great full circle number, n'est-ce pas?