If you are someone who is trying to live their best life, reach their full potential if only you could figure out which one of your many strengths to tap into, all the while love and appreciate simplicity, but a welcoming home and well-stocked kitchen are a must, oh and don't forget the style quotient: if you are someone who loves to dress well, but could do without the fuss and confusion with the trends, let's just say it, if you could dress like the French women that appear effortlessly chic, yep, life would be complete, then this blog is for you.
Living simply luxuriously is for you if you are seeking a life of quality over quantity in every arena of your life, and if by chance you are a Francophile, just as I am, you are going to be in for a very special treat, as much of my inspiration comes from my time traveling and studying in France. But don't worry, you don't have to be enamored by France to live simply luxuriously. If you simply want to live a life that eliminates what is unnecessary and elevates what is a priority all the while doing it on an everyday income, you have found your home. Welcome to The Simply Luxurious Life. The Simply Luxurious Life came into fruition in 2009 when I realized the life I enjoy living – a life full of luxuries, but at the same time very simplistic so as not to detract from the beauty — was something I wanted to explore more fully due to the immense contentment it brought into my life. In fact, I needed to explore it more fully because while many people didn’t understand how I could live well on the everyday income I had (teaching for 20 years in public schools, retiring in 2021), I had a curiosity for the world, especially the French culture, that wasn’t entirely being satiated by working in the classroom. And this is an example of our lives speaking to us.
Thankfully I listened, and I decided to share my passions, approaches and ideas as a way to help others find their passion in life by clearing out the clutter (figurative and literal) and bringing in the luxurious necessities that can enliven and inspire each day no matter what one’s income, age, location or relationship status.
But what exactly does a simply luxurious life look like, you may be wondering? Well, the good news is there is not one “way” to live the simply luxurious life. However, there are core principles that when tended to will enable you to reach your full potential and live the life of your dreams. Have a look at the video above to see what I’m talking about.
Living simply luxuriously is for you if you are seeking a life of quality over quantity in every arena of your life, and if by chance you are a Francophile, just as I am, you are going to be in for a very special treat, as much of my inspiration comes from my time traveling and studying in France. But don't worry, you don't have to be enamored by France to live simply luxuriously. If you simply want to live a life that eliminates what is unnecessary and elevates what is a priority all the while doing it on an everyday income, you have found your home. Welcome to The Simply Luxurious Life. The Simply Luxurious Life came into fruition in 2009 when I realized the life I enjoy living – a life full of luxuries, but at the same time very simplistic so as not to detract from the beauty — was something I wanted to explore more fully due to the immense contentment it brought into my life. In fact, I needed to explore it more fully because while many people didn’t understand how I could live well on the everyday income I had (teaching for 20 years in public schools, retiring in 2021), I had a curiosity for the world, especially the French culture, that wasn’t entirely being satiated by working in the classroom. And this is an example of our lives speaking to us.
Thankfully I listened, and I decided to share my passions, approaches and ideas as a way to help others find their passion in life by clearing out the clutter (figurative and literal) and bringing in the luxurious necessities that can enliven and inspire each day no matter what one’s income, age, location or relationship status.
But what exactly does a simply luxurious life look like, you may be wondering? Well, the good news is there is not one “way” to live the simply luxurious life. However, there are core principles that when tended to will enable you to reach your full potential and live the life of your dreams. Have a look at the video above to see what I’m talking about.
Where it All Began
I had the good fortune of growing up in a dream of a small country town at the base of what many call the mini-Swiss Alps in Wallowa County, Oregon. And while this beautiful, yet simple way of living certainly played a role in my appreciation for living well without excess, it has innately always been an interest of mine to ask questions and see life as a treasure hunt as I sought to reach my full potential.Much more of how I came to love and appreciate simplicity are in the introduction and first chapter of my first book Choosing The Simply Luxurious Life: A Modern Woman’s Guide. And I will let you know in advance, my life and much of my inspiration has indirectly or directly come from the dogs in my life. My two current companions Oscar and Norman, an English Cocker Spaniel and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel respectively, are seen in the photos on this page. But the book, which sold 10,000 copies in its first year of publication purely by word-of-mouth and genuine interest from readers of TSLL blog, lays the groundwork in great detail and in a very easy-to-follow manner that will reveal to you how you too can create an amazing simply luxurious life of your very own.
Studying Abroad in Angers, France
While attending Western Oregon University and then University of Oregon for graduate school, I had the fortunate opportunity to study abroad in Angers, France, which whetted my appetite for all things French and has instilled in me a passion for curating a more refined, stylish, simple, and pleasure-filled way of living that I regularly try to incorporate wherever I may be living. Since my first experience, I have returned a handful of times. You can take a look at my trips here, here, here, and here. (And for all of my posts inspired by my fascination with the French culture, click here.) I have also continued to humble myself by continually trying to improve my French language skills. Take a look at what I learned so far in my French classes in these two posts: here and here.A Discovery Found While Driving on the Left Side of the Road
As is often the case with travel, so long as we remain open to what the universe would like to reveal to us, we discover awesome insights about ourselves and instructions about the direction of our life moving forward. It was a spontaneous trip to Devon, England, during the week of Thanksgiving 2017, staying in a hilltop cottage with a beckoning soaking tub overlooking the Bristol Channel where I recognized my unconsciously long-led affinity for the British countryside and culture. From the oft-common rainy days that I deeply savor, the predilection to enjoy a cup of tea for comfort and conversation, and the opportunity to stroll on the terra firma of the country I had studied so much about in undergrad as I attained my literature and history major and minor, I found a sanctuary unexpected (and I must not neglect to mention the deep affection for dogs in Britain spoke to me quite immediately as well). In fact, I was so inspired that I taped the pilot episode of my vodcast The Simply Luxurious Kitchen while staying in my vacation rental. Read more about my many aha moments in Devon here.
On one of Bend, Oregon’s many trails,