PARIS day un

(OCTOBER 1st-10th)
(jairus and i kept a journal and at the end of each day while i was assessing the blisters on my feet and he was eating skittles on his "yoga mat bed on the floor", we would read each of the highlights we journaled from the day and watch the videos he had recorded on his iphone while laughing and revelling in how clever we were... of course when i showed the videos to chris he barely broke a smile and didn't think we were half as funny as we did... now i'm feeling insecure in posting those videos here so i'll have to think it over... )

(on each post i will include the journaling i wrote down as explained above from our trip... which probably won't make a lot of sense... so what's new right?  if you're just dying to know what the eiffel i'm talking about, leave me a comment and i'll try and recollect that memory from my dusty mind and explain it.)

(also, some of the pictures might be out of order but capture the trip nonetheless.)

(enjoy)

(okay really, let's get on with the show, enough of the parentheses sara, for reals.)

***

wally's- i smell like usher- you smell like stinky circus. le freak c'est chic. blankets. no sleep delirium. tade just peed on the floor text. bonjour! salut! how do you wake up lady gaga? you "poker" face. when will we get to the airport? take a good look at all the pick up trucks. i feel like mary poppins. flying j shaka's. do you believe in life after love. don't go chasing waterfalls. tanya works at denny's. whats more annoying- driving into the mediun, or having a stuffed up nose? hurry hurry walk a little faster. would you like someone to escort you out so you can finish drinking that? sbarro pizza. gatorade & mango tango naked. raw almonds. yogurt pretzels. jerky carnivore. stings cousin. let's take the stairs. croque monsieur. saint severin. burger et frites. tickets please- you cheated. merci. nelly furtado. don't stand so close to me. let's truck. diana. oh gosh! happy birthday. is that necessary? seine river. escusez moi. parlez vous anglais? ou es le discotheque? sil vous plait. returnay this hat-ay. vintage postcards. mac. sephora. concergerie. t-shirts. eiffel keychains. moms hat. oui. st. michel. bow tie. take me to wagg. oh, i don't feel good about that. i'm an englishman in new york. i'm an idahoan in paris. crepe nutella with bananas. shiz. so many beautiful people. creepathon 2012. blair witch project. eyeliner. men in corners. crowded streets. arm dislocation. wagg. entering the catacombs for free. 70's and 80's music. fog machine. michael jackson. tanya and lorraine. jimmy crack corn. flash dance. rock with you all night. classy, clean, and cute. sibling dances. are you ready? ya i'm ready. blisters. getting lost. drunkards dancing. #75. weird smells. fruit rollups. cherry sours. baby wipes. bon soir. butterflies. fresh breeze. olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

waiting for our shuttle

celebratory chocolates

our apartment door... love the red!

room with a view

hallway in our building

"tower of terror"... our rad 'ol elevator

can you see it?

fountain on our road... st. michel

people watching

french version of a boy band

loved her style

raarrr

cool chics

concergerie

courtyard for women's prison where marie antoinette stayed

prelude to paris

okay lets just begin at the beginning.

it all started in fourth grade, maybe even before then, when i began my love for claude monet. i had a poster of the bridge over a pool of water lilies painting hanging in my bedroom...

then there was a cultivation of style and fashion nursed by the visits to my grandmothers house where i would dream over her issues of Town and Country magazines.  one would never guess just by looking at me (in my present homely state) that i have a fancy for fashion, but deep down i am an aspiring clothes designer and home styler... much similiar to the inner dreams you might have of wanting to join the circus or make out with... uhhh... that one guy from that one movie...
moving on,
i've always loved art, even more than fashion, and not all artists i follow are french, but i still looked up to their talents... not in a political way obviously, but in a beret and accordian kind of way... uhhh...
so in seventh grade i took french from "boris" with amanda and lisa... remember that girls? we giggled at his awkwardly tight pants, and sang aux champs elysee... we even ate at a french restaurant where we proceded to wrap up some escargot in a napkin and throw it down the hallway back at school.  so super mature were we.  french lessons continued on through college where i learned to conjugate a little more and where my art history and humanities classes touched my soul. i previewed some beautiful and also disturbing french foreign films in my youth that i think increased my naive age by twenty years.  i can't quite put my finger on what it was about france that spoke to me, it was just a connection... i even convinced myself i would serve a french speaking mission to south africa (africa being another love) but instead met my husband chris who foiled all my plans (cue creepy mime with painted tear on cheek).
***
so here i am now living in idaho falls with my hot hubs and five kids... living the american dream while trying to kick up my stiletto heels every now and then with a gourmet caramel apple or brigette bardot song. 
***
then one day, the man (papa bear) who halted all my plans to spread the gospel au francais made my dreams come true... i was talking on the phone with my brother jairus who shares half my brain but is attached to different committments such as making people look beautiful with hair and makeup in jackson hole... he suddenly announced that he had bought a ticket to paris and was going to soak it all in for two weeks.  i was so elated for him, but leaked out some of my disappointment that i couldn't share in his adventure knowing full well that my time and season would come later when kids had grown.  suddenly that dashing husband of mine (are your eyes rolling yet?) headed towards the computer and proclaimed that "sara you have to go with him... you just must do this together... you both talk all the time about going to paris... let's make it work."  so right then and there we booked my flight, i called back jairus, we squealed, i cried, and then i tried to makeout with... uhhh... that one guy that shares that one bed... and the rest is history.
***
long story short (too late), i spent a week with my brother in paris while my husband hung back and held down the fortress (around my heart... are you gagging yet?).  could you just die?!! i mean really!! i am like a fairytale story come true like that hung chung guy or pickle girl from american idol.  it was pretty dang awesome... and someday i will go back with my lover, because lets face it, museums and fashion stalking were made for me and jairus, but watching romantic french people necking while you sip chocolat chaud with your brother is just awwwwkwaaaard (cue mime stuck in a box).

tade, tade, tade...

people know, that tade gets both my adoration,
and my extreme frustration (smiley face).
the blog neglect is mostly because we are so busy...
but the other piece of the distracting puzzle is
this very naughty boy...
and i mean that in the most enduring way (smiley face).
lets add to his criminal record shall we...
smeared nailpolish in addy's bedroom (3x now)
dropped a log in ollies bedroom (3x yes again)
dumped out a bowl of cheerios (lost count)
dumped out a mammoth box of goldfish crackers (2x)
hieroglyphic'ed the wall (my word creation)
dismantled the perfect piles of laundry (will i learn?)
wet a couple pairs of batman undies
and guess what his favorite phrase is right now?
"freakin' idiot."
yeah you read that right.
"caillou is a freakin' idiot"
"that chair is a freakin' idiot"
"corndogs are freakin' idiots"
i promise it's not in my vocab...
we are a household where
not even the word "hate" or "fart" is allowed...
thank you so very much napoleon dynamite.
he is obsessed.
***
i know what you're thinking...
"lady! watch your three year old!"
i promise you these things magically happen in seconds
all it takes is a romantic glance out the window
to daydream upon the dew on the fields
and before you know it
your couch is on fire
and your dog is painted green.
***
some kids just have certain points in their lives
when they need extra special care...
i remember the first year of his life
he was a perfect angel baby
we even took him traveling with us to europe...
then at his second birthday his head started spinning 'round
and the rest is history.
***
but he is precious and wonderful and tugs at our hearts
his cuddles are the best
he is talented at drawing and singing
and with people other than his mother
he is quite behaved.
so maybe the problem lies in me?
huh, i'll have to ponder on that one.
***
in september tade turned three
and it has been the most exciting three years of our lives!
the leprechaun is tricky,
but oh so golden!

landon's september

still so tenderhearted

(that's your pet caterpillar on your shoulder)

you are getting taller and cuter by the day.

september was a special month for you,

with a visit from nana, pa and your cousin will,

we ushered in your birthday with

trinkets and treats

(specially selected by your bro ollie).

then it was off for some adventure

to a big kids playground.

a great accomplishment was rewarded when a week later

you earned your arrow of light in scouts!

so proud of all your hard work, your big heart,

and your desire to always do good.

we love you landon!!

reagan's baby blessing sept 5

Day One...aug 30

convention aug 12-14