I'm off to Syracuse, New York to spend a weekend with these crazy cats. I served for a year with them in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, and we all loved each other so much we've made it a tradition to get back together for annual shenanigans. We counted my wedding at the 4th reunion, and I've shared photos from reunion one and two (reunion three is missing in my photo archives somewhere). It's so great to be able to share being "ruined for life" with truly amazing people. More photos and stories to come next week!
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Happy birthday to my little (ok, younger) brother Mike! You've got a great sense of humor, and I've met few people who have your gift for stringing together outrageous phrases and insults. You're way smarter than you give yourself credit for, and you're going to do a great job doing my taxes...forever. It's been so cool to watch you grow up from the little kid with the huge glasses and love of ninja nurtles to the huge guy with smaller glasses and a love of ninja turtles. You've got dad's gift for compromising mixed with mom's ability to stand up for yourself. You've become so thoughtful and considerate. I love when I get random phone calls from you, and I love how you can make me laugh. You've really honed that craft over the years. I'm so proud of the man you're becoming, and I hope we keep growing closer as we both enter that crazy adult period of our lives. Hope you have a great day! I look forward to celebrating by closing Wolski's with you sometime soon!
This weekend I checked two more things off my 29 goals list. That makes five goals accomplished! I'm on a roll! Kind of. First goal: repotting plants that were desperate for more spacious homes. Paul gave me this plant when I first moved to Chicago. I think I may have started crying when I got it, because I was so relieved to have something so comforting when everything around me felt a little chaotic! Now the plant is relieved to have larger digs after four years in its original home. Paul and I also took friends of ours to the Safe House this weekend. It has a semi-hidden entrance down a dark alley and requires a password to enter. If you don't know the password, you have to do something goofy to be allowed in. The walls inside are covered with spy-themed pictures and objects. We had such a fun time exploring and checking out all the details in the bar; there aren't a lot of places to play and explore as an adult. You've got to make the most of the opportunities when they come.
Brought back just a few souveniers with me from Europe. Here's some of my favorites (clockwise from top): a warm fuzzy hat (you can just see the fuzz), a hot dress, owl printed scarf, special edition Call the Midwife book, sassy green shoes, tea from the pump room, J'Adore perfume, a fancy red scarf, and a yellow and orange necklace and earring set. I am styling and profiling! I also bought a lot of chocolate (already eaten) and some beautiful artwork to hang around our apartment. I have plans for a gallery wall of pictures from all the places Paul and I have visited together. I also bought a few (dozen) painting postcards from the art museums we visited. I'm usually not a big shopper, but I have a hard time controlling myself when it comes to artwork. I have some displayed in our living room so I can always be inspired!
Follow these links for posts about the rest of our Europe adventure: Bath Part 1 ... Bath Part 2 ... Bath Abbey London Part 1 ... London Part 2 Paris 1 ... Eiffel Tower ... Paris Part 2 (historic walking tour) ... Paris Part 3 ... Versailles ... Paris Part 4 ... Iceland Witnessing puppy window naps ... enjoying a great weather weekend ... surprise visits from friends ... trips to Costco ... impromptu barbeques ... being entrusted with managing my department until my supersvisor returns next week (woot!) ... connections with church friends ... making our apartment our own ... framing photos and new art ... seeing Pedro and Diego snuggle ... CSA dinners ... having a nice conversation with my dad on father's day ... getting excited for summer adventures ... croissants for breakfast ... good morning kisses ... professional growth ... reassurrance from friends about future plans and hearing the words "I will be over the moon for you" - can't beat that kind of support ...
Happy Father's Day to the man who taught me to kick a soccer ball before I could walk, sang The Rapper's Delight with me at my wedding, chased a bird from our house into the snow Christmas morning in his shorts, makes the meanest shrimp scampi on the block, and can't sit through a movie unless it's titled "1001 goals."
Laughter seems to follow you wherever you go, whether it's because you're telling a story or a joke, or have just been being accident prone. You're unfailingly generous and would give the shirt off your back to someone if they needed it. You never fail to remind me of how talented you think I am, and I am so grateful that I know that you're proud of me. Love you so much Dad. We've reached the end of our Europe adventure. On our way back to the states, Paul and I planned an extended layover in Iceland. During the eight hours we had between plane trips, we visited the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa just outside of Reykjavik. This was the 9th best decision of our marriage. Iceland is unlike any other place I've been before. The Iceland we saw was black volcanic rock, moss covered, and populated only with low flying birds and a few daffodils. Truly incredible, mystical, and magical. According to Icelandic Airlines, over 50% of the people in Iceland believe in elves. After visiting, I could see how the unbelievable could become believable here. When we arrived at the Blue Lagoon it was about 45 degrees outside and the wind and rain were blowing miserably in our faces. I (being the naive American I am) asked one of the staff members if any parts of the spa were inside. They answered "yes, the restaurant and the lockers." Right.... See that man in the yellow wind breaker suit? That's what staff people were wearing outside in the weather. But we knew we only had one shot at this and jumped in anyway (frigidly sped walked to the water is a better description of what actually happened). We stayed in the hottest parts of the water and enjoyed some sparkling wine. We had a great time and didn't notice the cold much after that. The Blue was an amazing way to end a truly amazing vacation. From what I could tell at the touristy locations we visited, Icelanders are very interesting. See above. These were similar to houses we saw on our busride. And this is an advertising slogan. Interesting right? After such a jam packed ten days, we were ready to rest our heads on these in flight pillows, complete with Icelandic lullabies to lull us to sleep.
Thanks for sharing our adventure with us! Back to regular posts on Monday. Follow these links for posts about the rest of our Europe adventure: Bath Part 1 ... Bath Part 2 ... Bath Abbey London Part 1 ... London Part 2 Paris 1 ... Eiffel Tower ... Paris Part 2 (historic walking tour) ... Paris Part 3 ... Versailles ... Paris Part 4 ... And we've come to the last photo essay of our trip to Paris. Photos featuring: our hotel, our last breakfast (cookies), Victor Hugo's house, fruit porn, the Bastille, Montmartre, Sacre-Coeur, and best of all: the cafe from Amelie!!! Thanks for sharing our journey! Follow these links for posts about the rest of our Europe adventure:
Bath Part 1 ... Bath Part 2 ... Bath Abbey London Part 1 ... London Part 2 Paris 1 ... Eiffel Tower ... Paris Part 2 (historic walking tour) ... Paris Part 3 ... Versailles ... Paris Part 4 ... Iceland While in Paris we took the RER-C line to its last stop: Versailles, palace of kings, city of nobility. The thirty minute train ride and the hours of walking were well worth the beautiful sites we took in. After shuffling through the palace, we had lunch at a cafe, walked along the canal, and hiked to Marie Antoinette's domain - the Trianons and the Hamlet. Aside from the Hall of Mirrors, I preferred the Marie Antoinette section to the main palace. The space was so peaceful, and it was easy to see how somehow could retreat so far into this space that they would completely forget all the issues of the outside world. P.S. Did you know that Marie never actually said "let them eat cake?"
Here are a few of my favorite things from Paris: the Louvre and the beautiful triangle sculpture (I'm a fan though I know others aren't)... seeing Paul drink cups with his name on them... fun photo ops... making my way through the crowd to see one of the most famous paintings in the world (it lived up to its hype)... dinner at Bofinger's... the amazingly simple and delicious picnic breakfasts we had every morning... the fresh fruit... visiting my idea of heaven on earth: the Musee d'Orsay... seeing a whole museum of Rodin sculptures... spending time on a park bench in the Rodin sculpture garden... walking to the top of the Arc de Triomphe ... (My favorite part of this monument were the naked soldiers who didn't wear pants but did decide to wear helmets and boots. Priorities.) eating McDonalds for the first time in months (maybe years) on the Champs Elysee... RICK STEVES' guide book! Yes I'm obsessed ... seeing pre-colonial Phillipine art at the Quai-Branley. This was a great surprise of the trip, and it was a great way to celebrate Paul's heritage. Thanks Paris!
You may be getting overwhelmed with the Paris photos, but I promise they're almost finished. It's been such a joy to share all of them here! |