France Chapter 2

Spring somehow turned into a blur.

The last few months have felt like a full-speed sprint between work, travel, family visits, moving apartments, and trying to keep life moving forward in between. 

Right after the last update in March, Hailey’s Aunt and brother came to visit us in Paris! They came for the US spring break and did a lot of the typical Paris things with Hailey and the kids. It was nice to have them come and experience our new life abroad. One crazy standout was the first day they arrived we went to the market to grab some fresh produce and meat for dinner. As i was paying for the mushrooms, veggies, and potatoes a street brawl took place! What a sight to see… which ended in one man being arrested. We had to persuade her family that this is not typical of Paris!

The last day of their trip happened to be the same day we all flew to Houston as well. As we set out for a three week trip to the US, there was a lot of excitement amongst the family. The focus for me was work with two conferences in Houston, including one particularly intense event that consumed basically every ounce of energy and focus for the week. Long days, countless conversations, dinners, meetings, you get the idea. It was a whirlwind of energy and emotion! Hailey and the kids were able to spend a lot of time in Boerne which was a nice reprieve. We were all able to spend time at the Ranch as well for Easter which was a nice break from the chaos of conferences. 

Then, almost immediately after, Hailey’’s parents arrived in France.

Thankfully, the timing worked out perfectly.

We got to show them our version of life here: Paris parks, cafés, morning routines, neighborhood walks, playgrounds, bakeries, and eventually the coast. They experienced both the energy of the city and the calmer side of France in Ouisterham, our favorite place here. We then took a week long trip to the alps which was amazing. It is tied as a top experience with our Italy trip. 

First we took the train to Geneva where we connected via bus to Chamanoix. A vibrant mountain town at the base of Mont Blanc. As we arrived we all took a deep breath of mountain air and had to pinch ourselves to make sure it was reality. The back drop of the mountains was surreal to say the least. For the next few days we hiked, explored the city, played in snow! Climbed and ate like kings and queens. We then took the Mont Blanc tunnel to Courmayuer, which was another mountain town but this time in Italy. 

Courmayuer was equally as awesome, although a bit more sleepy between the ski and summer seasons. That said it did not disappoint. The hiking in Val Ferret was epic, a 20 minute bus and we were in a valley surrounded by mountains and a nice river. We spent two days in the valley hiking back and forth and playing in the snow. These words, and pictures cannot do the experience justice. We also ate killer meals of foccocia and dinners of fresh roasted chicken at the AirBnB. It was “epic” on all accounts. 

Finally we took the bus to Annecy to round out the trip. A much different vibe but equally cool, it was a good transition from the mountain serenity to the hustle and bustle of the city. These “postcard” towns in europe are abundant and each of them is worth a quick trip! 

It’s hard to describe just how beautiful these places are until you experience it. Massive mountains, winding roads, tiny towns, lakes that almost don’t look real, and somehow still snow on the peaks while people sat outside eating lunch in the sun below.

Then it was time to return… and face our new reality because in the middle of all of this… we moved apartments.

Honestly, I still don’t fully know how we pulled that off.

Packing, cleaning, logistics, paperwork, coordinating movers, changing neighborhoods was absolute chaos for a few weeks there. But now that we’re on the other side of it, it feels completely worth it.

Our new place is smaller (we’re now around 1000 square feet…), but it fits us better. And the balcony absolutely changes everything. We’ve already spent countless evenings outside, and the neighborhood itself feels much more “us.” Parks nearby, quieter streets, easier routines, better energy. 

So now we will work on settling into our new apartment, a new chapter, a new environment. And we will continue to take advantage of being in Europe as we’re starting to get comfortable taking more weekend trips and being more spontaneous. 

France, and Europe in general, is beginning to feel less like an opportunity for experiences we never would have had otherwise, and push us out of our comfort zone to do new things. Like our recent trip to  Saint-Malo for a long weekend. This trip was another reminder of how much variety exists within just a few hours of Paris. Walled city, ocean air, seafood, beaches, tides, crepes, a completely different atmosphere from the mountains, but still memorable.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, I’ve also been spending a lot of time experimenting with AI, agents, workflows, and creative tools. It feels like we’re at the beginning of a pretty major shift in how people work and create, and honestly, it’s been energizing to explore. Some of it is practical, some of it is curiosity, and some of it is probably just me enjoying building things again.

Now we’re heading into summer.

We have a handful of weekend trips planned, more exploring around France, and then a longer stretch back in the US later this year… Wisconsin, Colorado, Texas, a mix of family, work, mountains, and probably a little chaos in a good way. (including the major heat wave that has decided to descend upon Paris between when i wrote this and actually posted!!)