PARIS postlude

early morning rise and shine. jair leaving to biarritz to go surfing. sara going home. junk show hauling bags down the street to the taxi. airport dudes saying my french is good- the five words i know- they probably tell everyone that. overpriced airport food. down to my last euros. good hair day wasted on travel. so so anxious to get back to being a mom. long flight and drive home with my thoughts. read the book five love languages of children. au revoir paris... bonjour ma famille en idaho. so grateful to renew and recharge my soul in such a beautiful place. so grateful for my brother who let me intrude on his vacation so we could bond- he is so full of life and talent and love. so grateful to be married to a man who is amazing enough to push me out the door and recognize that i needed it. a dream fulfilled. and more to come.
(image- bahmoi)

PARIS day huit

sleep in. weird voice- throw you down the stairs. flea market day. maybe not. ghetto trippin' creepy yo. hair street. we are in another world. asking for directions. where's the money belt when i need it. police says no no no, be careful, don't do it, sist and desist, retreat. the spirit told us to get out fast. back to the odeon. cafe le conti le suckay. little does he know i'm writing him up in the new york times. rue de seine. art street. perfect yellow apple. paul for lunch- huge cheese bread pretzel roll thingy, citron tart. mini mart for cheese. walk the seine. i find antique hardware, postcards and tin. jairus finds le perfecte black leather vintage briefcase. hot day. sunnytime at luxembourg. magazines and treats and evian. army green chairs to sit in. watching people. beautiful children everywhere remind me of my kids. they would love this park. curly fries. ivania gazelle and stilettos with a gomer. sun worshipping. j rocking to a trance of music. awkward people in the middle of the walkway celebrating pda. lots of feet going on around here. perfect relaxing last day in paris. oh and got a picture of prince germaine. kevin kline decides to sit. bohm bohm bohm bohm bohm bohm. paaawwwlll. nannies for one child. you're killin' me smalls. nip slip. thank you for being a friend. waking up in the morning feeling like pdiddy. nevermore crows. where's the halloween? restaurant chinois part deux. cocalight, house seafood soup, egg rolls, assortment of dumplings, complimentary saki shots yet again- non merci. one last trip to the monoprix for maman jam, nutella, and candy for the kiddos. packing time. fur jacket and leg warmer diva boots go out with the trash to make room for everything. dream of kissing george clooney- it's time to get back to my husband!

paul bakery... the most beautiful bakery in the world next to normandy in slc

 don't you just want to dive into those tarts?

 these are my carb drugs of choice

 about to partake of a lemon tart... in the sunlight... along the seine... on my last day

 wait for it...

 that's my "holy hellena that is so good" face

 cute jairus with his pegged pants and french vintage briefcase

 oh paris, we will meet again soon

 he's sad to see us go

 delicious fuschia velvet wedding outfits

 the bride

 last day in the garden

 geraniums

watching one of our hilarious iphone videos in his nip slip tanktop

 petit bateau's

 we passed this homeless man everyday and named him "prince germain"

PARIS day sept

morning jog in luxembourg gardens. jairus' obsession with the all too excited redneck at the ballet picture. striped socks. band of brothers running. interpretive song translating. nigerian orphans. breakfast at home. chillin' on the c-train, then kicked off, then finding a new one. cuz the candyman can. annoying eiffel tower sellers along the sidewalk. crowd anxiety at the eiffel tower. tall and beautiful. bright and sunny day. bronze color. many countries represented. highland alpine. guidos. it's called the patch- look it up. nooooo in creepy voice. eiffel tower salesman pimp. arc de triomphe. heading back with trumpeter on board. st. dauphine toy store. lunch- pizza, salad, chocolat mousse. searching for ribbon store. lighting a candle in the chapel. postcards. scarves. drinks at jade. finally hooking up to wireless. seeing a ruby helmet. home again, home again. chinese food for din- best soup a la maison. chicken kabobs and noodles. almond cake. complimentary saki shots- no thanks. kyping chopsticks. slushies and treasure on other roads. le pharmacie nail files and rose soap. le sophie giraffe. gq with sting on the cover. dolling up to go dancing. wagg part deux. get the party started at the carwash. little bo peeps sister. 70's music. oh how we love that fog machine. older people awkwardness. sober people do it better. busy nightlife. tired marykate and ashley. smoke-a-thon outside. seriously my feet? only one day left. quel dommage.

and there she is folks... the eiffel tower

 the mammoth underbelly

 this is what happens when i take my own pictures,

but can you tell i'm pretty jazzed to be here!

 we made it

 shopanga is outta control

 sister ashley hand over the camera!

 nevermore.

 the dudes

 arc de triomphe

 pizza with the french mob

 for grandpa bob

 the entrance to our discotheque

PARIS day six

people survivin' people. day of no swearing. technique got a baby. cafe de flore on rue st. germain. quiche du jour avec salade. melted chocolat drink from heaven. brioche. jair- croque monsieur et deux cafes. people watching. i love karl. u2 magnificent. lionel ritchie all night long. dojida dojida dojida ding dong. great boots. satchels. bikes and baskets. beautiful gorgeous warm day! kings of convenience you in me. socialites. l.a. leather man. curly hair man. beautiful asian models. french do it better. papa papa papa-razzi. oh i can't even handle this. blondes. brasserie. paradise circus. men in suits. housewives of paris. small boy in lederhosen. paul smith swirly stripes. lighting store. h&m. walking down the streets to music. jairus finds his perfect coat. mac for audry. flower shoppe of my dreams. saint chapelle for a bach and vivaldi concert. disgruntled program giver outer. electric goosebumps. moved to tears. violin, viola, cello, bass, harpsichord. amazing sound. spiritual. hamburger at quicktrim. still can't connect with wifi. internet cafe facebook. homemade gouda croque madames and salad. dried out macaroons. sugar overload. bottomless skittles. only one word each.

cafe de flore- i think this is what i would eat for my last meal on earth

 quiche come to mama

 he's thinking... what did i get myself into... sara est loco-ay

 never has chocolate tasted so amazing as this here chocolate did

 could look at buildings like this all day

 lots of bikers of the peddling variety

 sweets sweets everywhere

 whoever said wicker wasn't chic

 the perfectest blue

 looksie

 strut

 pullin' together we can work it out...

PARIS day cinq

are you le joking? breathe through your mouth. use your core. night terror. what to wear. saint chapelle. to die for stained glass. fleur de lis and castle designs. windy stone staircase. stunning stunning stunning. le carousel. shopping. louvre mall lunch at le cafe. biscuits with caramel and chocolat. trois fromage sandwich. caprise salad. jairus coffee, me diet coke. french painters. awe inspiring. landscapes, portraits, wars, sculptures, mothers and babies, lots of chestusess hanging out. day of stairs. spotting the tents. how do we get out there. stalking at the fence. little bo peep. louis vuitton show. marc jacobs spotting. dommage. d'accord. waiting/waiting. models. shishi people. blonde children- beautiful father- neglectful mother. fantastic clothes. much ado about nothing. marc is short and sweaty. jairus is tall and bummed. walking to the tuileries and champs elysee in the rain and feet are dying. cool tshirts. hunting for a watch. supreme monoprix. inserts and bandaids. sandwich and salad. eating in the cafe with the crazy pigeons. beggars. back to the louvre take two. the winged victory. mona lisa. italian painters. can't go on no longer. metro busting at the seams. smells. guess i won't be having children- you didn't want children anyways. cutest babies everywhere in sweaters in strollers. taking our shoes off, uneasy footing. internet cafe. 180 emails. facebook. dude playing role playing games. jairus this is not ricks college. treats. running to monoprix for creme brulee ice cream. bonne maman tartelettes. chilly. being regular and the rank mint spray. grandma marys herb chicken potato chips. you don't drink it all day just every night.

saint chapelle windows

 the entire chapel was a masterpiece

 surrounded by color

 even the floor was fantastic

 wish i had a wall like this in one of my boys rooms

 whimsy

 oh no it's gonna get him... love cliche pictures

 presenting little bo beep... at least that's our name for her

 more fashion week eye candy

 oh wait... who could this be at the louis vuitton show?

 i told marc to just use my extra metro ticket but he felt underdressed and we were holding up gordon and trudy so we went our separate ways...

 just call me paparazzi

 old and new

 in the tuileries

 one of my favorite statues... winged victory

 been there... done that... mona to the straight up lisa... word.