On Friday I arrived in my hometown of Washington, D.C. for not one, but two weddings and a little R&R in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Blogging is going on the back burner while I spend time with family and friends, but I've lined up a few special posts to keep you entertained during my absence. About a month ago, I had the crazy idea to do a Parisian take on the famous word game Mad Libs. While Mad Libs stories are usually reserved for keeping children busy during long car rides, I still love the game as an adult and thought it would be a fun and easy way to introduce you to some of my favorite bloggers while I took a vacation from the computer. Following Mad Libs protocol, guest posters were asked to give me 25 words from different parts of speech which would then be used to fill in the blanks of a Paris themed Mad Libs story that yours truly wrote (way harder than it sounds!). But in traditional Mad Libs style, guests posters were asked not to look at the story before coming up with their Paris related word choices. Fortunately, I had a few brave souls who were willing to entertain this silly idea. 

I'm not sure how much sense the final stories will make, but hopefully they'll give you a few laughs and reveal just how equally glamorous and unglamorous life in Paris can be. The first guest writer in the Paris Mad Libs series is Ksam from the blog Totally Frenched Out. Ksam is going on her ninth year in France, most of which she spent wondering what on Earth she was doing in this godforsaken country. Luckily a move to Paris five years in helped her figure it out, and she has spent the rest of the time falling in love with the country that has inspired so many Americans before her. Here is Ksam's version of the Paris Mad Libs story. Enjoy, and don't forget to stop by her blog and say bonjour! 

Oh Paris!

Oh la la! Nothing like the burp sound of a crotte waking you up in the morning! But no time to eat. I need to get dressed in my chic Parisian uniform of iPhone and chocolate, then I'm off for a quick bite of aubergine from the Seine. But wait! As soon as I get out the door, I'm greeted by a Velib and forced to alter my plans for the day. Forget going to Rue Mouffetard. I have to take the rouge berets to the fabuleux Place de la Concorde for a rendezvous with a priest. Quelle chance! It seems that peeing will have to wait until the workers stop striking. I may have sucked at getting the tarte du citron fixed, but who cares when I get to make a stop in Montmartre instead. Thankfully, I can grandly walk and finish writing before Quasimodo comes and sings at la Grande Roue. I just don't understand why Nicolas Sarkozy stomped on all of my baguette. Mais, c'est la vie!

More Paris Mad Libs on Wednesday and Friday! Stay tuned!