Bookclub--June Edition

We didn't get together during May because Collette and Amy had both had surgeries, Michelle was in Paris and we were all crazy busy with the end of the school year.

Collette had this delightful bowl of cherries to keep us occupied while we waited for everyone to arrive.

We all brought our dinner (Kneaders for me and Michelle this time).

Michelle gave us these darling gift bags she bought at a flea market in Paris full of goodies.

 Inside the bags were a notebook, a magnet, a huge Roche truffle and a roll of Washi tape. 

Since we were also celebrating Jana's birthday (which was back in May) she had requested something CHOCOLATE for dessert. Michelle made a very rich, brownie pudding dessert with whipped cream which was scrumptious.

 Collette showed us the book of Women's Conference talks she's in, very exciting!

 We gave Jana a $100 gift card for IKEA.

I've totally slacked on making us take self-portraits so we did one this time, but sadly it was at the end of the night (11:30pm) so we were all weary.

Creative Friday--I'm Free Edition!

It was just too perfect that my first day of summer vacation was a Creative Friday, especially since Michelle and family would be leaving the next day for vacation (it always seems like they're gone for half the summer).

It was National Donut Day so I drove out of the way to get some Krispy Kremes for us (sadly it doesn't take much to entice me to add donuts to the mix). I also picked up Cafe Rio for our lunch and had to make 3 stops for beverages because the first ones I got turned out not to be carbonated (what the?!), then the replacement beverage turned out to be diet Coke instead of Regular! Landon mocked me by saying, "So let me get this straight, you never used to drink the stuff and now it's a crushing blow if you don't have it?!" Sadly this is correct.

Eva was very happy to show Whitney the look-alike hat she recently acquired.

The girls spent some time drawing at the table with us, they take their art very seriously.

I ended up putting the final stack of photos from our bookclub trip to Paris (5 years ago!) in an album. I have no idea why I never finished doing that.

Oh happy stack of photos. We all look younger...wah!

I ended up not really feeling the Creative Friday Mojo, which was especially disappointing since I was so happy to be there and to be done with work. I guess I was tired. I ended up flipping through some gardening books and organizing Eva's markers into a rainbow formation. It was just good to hang out with Michelle before she left town.

On this Day Last Year...

I was en route to Paris. I've been feeling the anniversary of this trip creeping up on me for a couple weeks now and must say that it is a bit painful for me.

Once again, I yearn for the powers of teleportation!

Comment Window Tidbit: I think having a trip like this to anticipate or remember fondly is such a gift. But as it gets farther away from me, I definitely feel pangs of intense nostalgia and longing.

Comment Window Tidbit: Really, 2 comments on my late-night, Paris nostalgia post...that hurts.

Year in Review--Best Trip

I was fortunate enough to take 3 great trips this year--first 20 days in Illinois and Michigan and then 11 days in Paris. They were all wonderful trips with experiences all their own, but come on, Paris is Paris, and Paris with Michelle was too good for words.

**What was your best trip this year?
It would have been insulting not to choose Paris right?**

Long Journey Home

Even though the really picturesque part of my Paris trip is over, I still have to document my return home. You see, whenever I fly somewhere I feel like it is so much more than just getting from point A to point B, and it often involves life-sucking energy withdrawls, strange smells (depending on who I'm seated by) and the Jimmy leg, so it's no wonder that the super power I dream of most is teleportation.


I'm really not keen on getting up super early in the morning, but my flight was at 9:25am and Michelle said they're notoriously slow at the airport so I shouldn't risk leaving any later than 6:30am. Aye carumba! Michelle had ordered my taxi the night before and the driver was right on time, but he didn't seem very happy about it. He didn't say one word to me the entire drive! (My taxi driver 11 days earlier had pointed out all kinds of things along the drive and warned me of pick pockets.)

I didn't feel the need to chat either, but the lack of talking amplified the strangeness of the situation. Here I was in a foreign country relying on a complete (and unfriendly) stranger to take me to the airport, I really don't want to think about all the things that could have gone wrong there.

What made the drive even weirder was that I kept hearing an odd noise. It seemed to occur at regular intervals though so I couldn't figure out what it was. I finally decided it sounded like snoring and began to wonder if he had a baby in the front seat of the car (which I sitting directly behind). I was intrigued.

As we pulled up to the terminal, I saved us from getting hit by a woman backing out of a parking spot (the driver had been looking at the terminal) by letting out a yelp, which he did NOT thank me for doing. I think I deserved some sort of discount for that, but hey he didn't abduct or murder me so I let it go. The ride this time was 4 euros more expensive because he had started the meter as soon as he pulled up at the apartment; I guess that's good incentive to get there early eh? I barely had enough cash to pay him, which meant he didn't get a tip...oops.

Upon getting out of the car I peeked into the front seat expecting to see a car seat and was surprised to see a little black dog (sort of Boxer looking) asleep on the front seat!


The airport was pretty empty at that hour and they had lots of helpful people directing clueless travelers where to go, so I checked in within 10 minutes of arriving at the airport...not too shabby.

Things were moving quickly through security as well so I was all set and in the terminal by 7:30am. It was nice not to have to worry about anything. I was able to get a couple croissants for breakfast and read my book for awhile.


I had forgotten to mail my postcards while leaving the apartment, and had seen a poste drop-off box in the airport, but it turns out there aren't any mail drops after going through security! So I had this big stack of postcards and had paid .85 for each stamp on them and really wanted to mail them. I thought about asking one of the terminal's store employees to help me out, but didn't think that seemed like a very French thing to do. It turns out I'm not French! I went into one of the stores (a liquor store with no customers) and asked the woman working there if there was a poste box nearby (even though I knew there wasn't) then she actually volunteered to mail my postcards for me! That's not a very French thing to do either, but she said she does it all the time. I was delighted, and must say that other than my taxi driver every French person I dealt with was pretty nice.


Isn't this terminal cool looking? It was very clean and modern in there. It was missing bathrooms though (what the?) so I had to wander around for awhile before finding one for my last on-land visit (I never go when I fly).


My plane boarded on time and I got to the seat first, which was nice because I was able to get all situated without bothering my twin (I mean seat neighbor). I scored with my seat neighbor, he was a nonsmelly, nonchatty, man in his 50's of normal size so there was no oozing into my seat or leg bumping going on between us. He was friendly without telling me about it.

I was able to sleep for a lot of the flight (though it was that choppy, in and out of consciousness kind of sleep) but that made the time go faster. I was awake for lunch and to see Land of the Lost which is a dumb movie, but still made me laugh. ("Chaka, did you say Chorizo tacos? Don't even mess with me because I am super hungry.")


I felt a little twinge of patriotism when the woman who stamped my passport at Customs said, "Welcome Home."

I wheeled my bags out to the curb and waited for my mom, who it turns out was down the way waiting for me and had left a message on my cell phone, but I hadn't brought my cell phone with me. I sat and read for 10 minutes then decided to walk down further just in case she was parked further down and she was. Oh well.


We stopped at JCW's for a late lunch (I was starving) and I must say that a burger has never tasted better in my life!


I walked in the door and was greeted by Landon and Whitney and Madison and Taylor (it was a Monday and they come over after school on Mondays). Whitney had gone all out on her Welcome Home signs and cracked me up with the details on them.

Randy and I figure this one was just an excuse to draw animals.

Randy had even gotten me a fresh bag of pebble ice!

It was good, yet strange to be home after such a great trip. I ended up unpacking and doing laundry right away because I needed to make myself stay awake until night time. Luckily I felt really good and made it until 9:00pm that night. I went to bed early like that for the rest of the week and never experienced any of that terrible jet lag like I had last time I came home from Paris.

**Did you make it through this post?
Do you think traveling is an ordeal?
What food would you miss most?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Never fear, I replenished my B vitamins today and am in good form. I have been struck by a great desire to shop (don't tell Randy) and don't know where that came from. I can't put up much of a fight when the money's not there, but still.

A Different Kind of Holy

Michelle tried to give me an out so that I wouldn't have to go to church in Paris again, but that was just craziness, especially since Max was giving his first talk in church.

The stairs in the apartment building.

I'm so bummed out that our self-portrait in the Metro is blurry, but I'd left my camera on manual focus and we were hurrying to get on that train.


I really like this picture (notice Max holding his talk in the window's reflection).

The view during our power walk down the street to church.

One of the cafes we passed.

These are the big blue doors they have to go through to get to the church parking lot. How's that for style?


I went to Relief Society with Michelle and hardly understood anything. My ears heard, French, French, French, Love, French, French, French, Mother, French, French, French, Frere Monson, French, French, French, Father.

I was very thankful for the hymns chosen that day, Because I Have Been Given Much (one of my great favorites), Press Forward Saints and We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet, even though I struggled pronouncing the French translations I still felt the Spirit while I was singing.

I understood even less during Gospel Doctrine, and ended up reading the Conference issue of the Ensign I'd brought with me and managed to read 3 talks before dozing.

Pretty much the only thing I understood during church that day was Max's talk. He did a great job, especially considering the Bishop had to translate on the fly for him after each paragraph. That meant Max had to stand up there twice as long.

I finally got a picture of Lucas' face!

Eva entertained herself by hopping on the stones of the parking lot. (Even the parking lot has character.)

The view of the other side of the big, blue doors.

One of the scenes on the way back to the Metro.

The Hôtel de Ville is right next to their Metro stop.

Eva didn't want to ride in the stroller on the way home and looked so cute holding onto the pole in the train.

We read and napped after church and relaxed for awhile before heading out in the late afternoon to the Jardin du Luxembourg for my last Paris outing and Sunday-friendly activity.

This was the beautiful view from the bus stop.

A man at the bus stop.

Two cute old ladies at the bus stop,
so bundled up though it wasn't cold at all.


We passed this cafe on our way after getting off the bus.

Do I even need to say how beautiful the Jardin du Luxembourg was? Oh my goodness, it was such a perfect day.


There were tons of people there enjoying the park and this girl seemed to have the right idea.

You're speechless right?

Michelle and Eva (in their cute scarves) fed the ducks and the fish.

{photo by Michelle}

After walking around enjoying everything, I sat down to write a bunch of my postcards.

Of course we had to have a self-portrait there.

This is where I was sitting.

I love it that they have boat rentals there.

Michelle took this picture of me and I'm including it because I feel like it captures the radiance of Jardin du Luxembourg and my happiness at being there.

Wow.

I love the outdoor cafes in the parks, this one had just closed.

I love this shot of Eva standing next to The Medici Fountain.

We had just sat down to enjoy the sunset when an annoying whistle blowing started. It was at a distance but got closer and turned out to be a man/officer? announcing that the park was closing. What the?

One last look back as we left the park.

We had some bus issues getting back home and did a lot of walking before finally conceding defeat and taking the Metro back to the apartment.

The rest of the evening was spent packing my suitcase and reading while Michelle made dinner (which I failed to take a picture of), then Michelle, Marc and I watched a couple episodes of The Closer (which is what we did every night of the trip, I'm officially hooked) before going to bed around 1:00am.

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: I've been out of my B-Complex vitamins for 2 days and have gotten a headache 2 days in a row...coincidence? I think not!