New Rue

July 3, 2010
Here I am once again awake at 2:00 am Paris time...darn I thought I was going to make it through the night.

This morning I awoke to Michael waking me up because he thought I was in a comma - it was 10:00 am. I had finally fallen to sleep around the time Welc and the boys were getting up. Hopefully this will change soon. It has been so warm here that sleeping is hard because there is no air conditioning.

Welc had left us with an European cell phone which Michael had accidentally turned off and once turned on needed a security code to work...so there we were without any communication with Welc.

We cleaned the house we were staying in and embarked on the journey of hauling 8 huge roller bags, a computer bag, and another heavy tote to find a taxi to our next house. We had to walk almost a half mile in the hot sticky weather weaving in and out of passerby's. Quite the spectacle we were. Finally we arrive at a main street to catch a taxi. There were no taxis that were not in use that wizzed by. After about 40 minutes of flagging down taxis we were frustrated but alas one finally stopped. The boys piled into one large taxi and somehow we managed to squish 4 suitcases the computer bag and the tote with them. Horns were honking and traffic was piling up so I put 50 euros in Erics hand in hopes that would be enough money and I told him the address and off they went. It was so fast that I was quite rattled and worried. Here we are, I thought, "if they get to the wrong place or if I get to the wrong place, no phone, no internet connection, no place to stay, and not knowing where the others were, how would we ever find each other?" Their taxi pulled away and I must say tears filled my eyes. I was frightened...so the best thing I figured is to get working and I stood by the side of that street waiting...and waiting...and waiting for a taxi that was not in use. I whispered a prayer for help and comfort. Tears were flowing down my face and I took a deep breath to get control of my fears. After about 20 minutes of my arm out every time a taxi drove by I finally scored an empty one.

The taxi ride took about 20 minutes with all the traffic. My body finally relaxed when we pulled up at our new address and Eric was waiting outside for me. Thank you Heavenly Father.

Our new place that we are staying in is everything you would think of an Parisian home to be...well for a wealthy European. At least four different libraries - floor to ceiling books. All over the home are relics from foreign places. Everything you touch could be a conversation piece. The owner showed us through the home and then was off to southern France. He and his daughter are film directors, his wife is a published author, and his son is an artist. The home is filled with art (several of which we needed to take down and turn over promptly after he left). This place is located in a trendy/artsy area of Paris by the Bastille.

We hooked up internet and got a message off to dad and he sent us the security code to the phone. Dad let us know that we had left our camera back at the old house and we were going to the barge where the owner lived to pick up the phone. We had to laugh that if he looked at the pictures in the camera I had taken a picture of the bathroom door in his home that had this big window in it to see inside the bathroom. How odd is that?

When we arrived at the location there were many barges. We had to open a gate and cross several barges to get to "Cathere". Then the dilemma of no front door. Do I just hop on the barge and walk down the stairs into the belly of the barge? I started calling his name he heard me and at last our camera was in hand and we were on our way.

Napoleon's Tomb

July 1, 2010
It is 3:00 am and I cannot sleep here in Paris. My time clock is all kookoo so here I sit in a dark room with just the computer screen illuminated to keep me company.

Yesterday I woke up to Eric handing me a pastry - yummy. He brought me a type of croissant with chocolate in the middle. He was smiling ear to ear, excited to be in Paris. I was going to sleep some more but after I had consumed the pastry I was covered in flakes of itchy pastry that had crumbled off.

Eric was a wee bit sad because the cute girl at the bakery was not working so we had to stop there again for lunch and both Michael and Eric got a yummy pizza. They were so funny trying to flirt with the sweet girl who cannot speak English. Today they figured out how to ask her name...perhaps when we visit in the morning for pastries they will work up the courage.Around noon we were on our way to catch the Metro to Napoleon's tomb which is buried in the Sait-Louis des Invalides church and dome. I didn't realize how little I knew about Napoleon. It was fun googling Napoleon to find out basic facts. Also, there is a fabulous exhibit of Armory beginning with Medieval times and moving through D-day and 1945. It is amazing the change of warfare from arrowheads to bomber planes. We chuckled at several suits of armor that had ears, eyes and facial features molded on the head pieces. They were almost cartoonish. There was one that was an intricately carved chicken or duck head. It even had nostril holes on the beak. Imagine that - an intimidating man in a suit of armor with the head of a chicken.

Jet lag had set in as we were finishing up the museum. I was worried that if I sat down I would fall asleep on the bench and the thought of trying to make it all the way home was almost too much to bear. My body felt very heavy and just wanted to lie down. Eric took the Metro back to the house while Michael wanted to cross the Seins river to see if we could see the Arc de Triumph. We made it across the river and I told Michael that I just couldn't go any farther. The heat mixed with the fatigue was wearing me out. We braved up and bought bottled water from a man standing selling them for 1 euro each. We were so happy to have water. We were hoping it was cold but no such luck.

We made it back to the house. I was thrilled to see Eric's shoes and socks on the floor when we opened the front door. He had no money on him and I had worried that he might have taken the wrong train or something. Michael never made it past the couch that is 3 feet in the doorway. He fell on the couch and didn't move for 4 hours until I woke the boys up to come to the grocery store so we could buy food for dinner.

We ended up buying what I think was flank steak, pasta and green beans. I cooked dinner at 9:30 pm so we had a late dinner and once again went to bed around midnight.

I must close this computer and TRY to get some sleep or I am going to drag around again today. So, off I go to stare at a dark room until the sun comes up

Napoleon's Tomb

July 1, 2010

World Cup

June 30, 2010
We went to see the Eiffel Tower last night....Fabulous. We took the underground Metro to get there. The World Cup soccer game had just finished and EVERYONE here are fans. The game finished while we were underground and as we were getting off the subway riot police and dogs were EVERYWHERE getting ready to control the crowds. A group of boys/men were chanting "Spainya, Spainya" (Spain won) and shaking the subway as they got on. People in Portugal shirts were crying....holy cow it was exciting and SCARY. I am amazed at how committed these people are to soccer. As we were exiting the subway huge crowds of people were pushed up against the bars of the subway because the riot police were monitoring how many people could get on the subway at a time. crazy. They had this huge screen outside the grounds of the Eiffel Tower where thousands of people gathered to watch the World Cup....so when it was over there were people chanting and taunting Portugal fans who lost.

The Eiffel Tower is breathtaking at night. They have it "backlit" all night but 10 minutes of every hour at night these incredible twinkling lights illuminate the edifice. Magnificent to behold.

We were all hungry so we stopped and ordered omlets and the boys just had to try the escargot. It is not the escargot but the pastries that call me from every window...hope I make it home in the same clothes I came in...don't know if I will fit.

Arrived in Paris

June 30, 2010
We arrived in Paris and the taxi dropped us off at our location. What an enchanting cobblestone street. We loaded our gear in big carts and we were off to our place which was the last one on the left. It had balconies and a patio that we ate dinner on. Very quiet and private.

2009

Who can imagine what can actually happen in one year? The struggles and the triumphs are all part of this life. How we deal with each of these is the key.
I am so grateful for an incredible husband and children who have shown me this year what eternal families are all about.
Some moments in life are too sacred to share and I am grateful for friends that have been there just to sit and cry with me. Tears of heartbreak and tears of sheer joy... ah, family and friends - I am blessed.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ has opened up to me in a new light this year and I have journaled my thoughts and feelings so as not to forget what I have learned.
And now as I look forward to 2010 I am excited to move forward knowing the bounteous blessings that have been given to me.

Someone stole my costume!

When I was at the airport the other day I was stopped in my tracks...there was a picture of a woman in Carson's halloween outfit!