Louie Louie

Not only was the Louvre closed, (break my heart)...

But Louie closed RIGHT as we walked up. It was 8pm. But didn't they know I had 75 Euros to spend???? (I mean I could have at least bought some tissue paper?? Right???)

There were still people in the store. There were guards at the door letting the lucky ones out, making sure no one else came in.

Look at the size of that store! Amazing!

I've heard that somewhere in Paris there is a LV factory outlet.

One day I will find it.

Love The One You're With

Well fortunately for me this time Benji and I got to travel together. I would say most days that Benji has the best job on the planet. In a few days we will pack again and head to the beach for our summer camp with the youth.

Now, for a moment, I would like for you to put yourselves in my shoes. Try to imagine what it would be like to spend a week in a foreign country with these guys....



This one deserves a caption: Here they are on the side of the fortress ruins. Very high up. On top of the mountain. Having a 'bromance' moment. Lord help me, I had to look away. I just knew one of 'em was gonna get pushed off the side....thankful no one did.



Yes. I had the privilege of being group together with Benji and the boys he felt would benefit the most by being by his side the entire trip. I like to call them the rowdy group. I survived, but just barely. The experience brought back many memories of my own high school years dealing with adolescent boys on the brink of manhood. I would say that not much has changed. Boys are still the same at that age.

Thank God they made it back to the states all in one piece.

A Mighty Fortress

The same day we went to the Monastery we also visited a fortress. It was quite a hike, but it was so worth it once we finally reached the top!

A View From Here

View we woke up to every morning. With the fresh, cool mountain air blowing through our windows.

Coke: A Proper View

One of the many news stands that we visited numerous times throughout the week in Serbia.

Anyone who travels internationally understands the wonderful universal taste and availability of Coke.

It is everywhere. And it taste the same.

And that is a good thing when you are days away from anything familiar.

Zica

Zica was the name of the amazing 800 year old monastery we visited while in Serbia. One of the highlights of my life. I love ancient art and Zica did not disappoint. We weren't allowed to take pictures once inside but we got some beautiful ones of the outside and of the grounds.

Serbia

Serbia???? Isn't it like really cold there????

No. That is SIBERIA. But thanks for playing.

Okay now that we've cleared that up...Serbia is the former Yugoslavia, that should help most of you. Here's the link to Wikipedia if you are really interested in the history.




Above is the Flag and the location of Serbia. Basically between Italy and Russia.

It's about the size of South Carolina.

The town we were in was Krajevo. It was gorgeous. I was definitely not expecting such a beautiful town. It is a mountain town (the Balkans Mountain region)With a large river running through. Local legend is the cold mountain winds called promia can cause health problems. So no one keeps there windows open, or rides with their car windows down.

Another legend is that if a woman sits on the cold ground without something under her, her ovaries will freeze. We were told numerous times by locals(while we were painting in the city) to sit on something.

They also did not drink beverages with ice because it would cause tonsillitis.

I loved loved loved all these idiosyncrasies about this town. I wish we had local folklore!

Dream: Realized

I've loved Paris since I was a little girl. Even though we were only there for a short time it was all I imagined. I can't wait to go back, since the Louvre was closed by the time we got there. I was devastated until I realized this just meant we'd have to go back. :)

On Task

Okay I've gotten some of my routine back and some of my energy. I have gotten so old! I'm good at least for three years until I'll have the need to jet set again.

I used to get the travel bug every year. I think I'm done travelling for awhile....at least with a group of 20 18 year olds.

Serbia was AMAZING. Paris was everything I DREAMED.

It was so fun seeing the Hepners. Their blog is linked in my roll to the right. Please keep up with them and keep them in your prayers. They are an incredible couple with four adorable kids.

We focused on service projects during the week. We went with the intention of helping the Hepners in what ever way they needed.

The first day we visited the Gypsy village. They build their houses at the landfill. Out of landfill trash. Whatever they can find they use. They are scavengers in the most literal sense of the word.

We have no pictures of the experience because honestly we were all a little shell shocked and a little scared. We took them 200 loaves of bread, with intentions of sharing about the Bread Of Life.

A situation escalated and one of the Gypsy's began to threaten our group, so we had to leave quickly.

It was a very eye opening experience to say the least. I've seen a lot of poverty but this was the worst.....

Our New Obsession

Emery had a bug bite that required calamine lotion. I put her first band aid over it so she wouldn't itch the lotion off.

Big mistake.

The band aid obsession has begun.

They are adorable though. I wish they still had the Hello Kitty stores like they did when we were growing up. I LOVED going there and getting those dollar grab bags. I still remember the distinct smell of the store.

A Non Issue

One thing that was obviously clear to me while I was away.... Emery had NO issues with me being gone! I think this picture adequately sums up the time she had while Benji and I were away.

Some Issues

I know I'm slack. I swear I will post about our travels soon. I had some neck and back issues once I got home. Probably from all the flights and running with luggage. And jet lag of course. Any way...

Then there was the laundry issue. The no food anywhere in the house issue. And the I have not seen my kid in two weeks issue.

And now there is the it's my birthday weekend and I'm too busy celebrating issue. Ha!

So hopefully at the start of next week everything will be back to routine.

Whatever that means around here.

Home!

We are home from Serbia and Paris. Whew!!!!

It was a whirlwind trip. We basically hit the ground running and did not stop until last night when we crashed into our own bed at 11pm.

I have so much I want to share. So many pictures and tales of our travels.

I'll leave you with a preview. I will be sharing a ton over the next few weeks.

20 Things

I've been inspired by other bloggers to share a few of my favorite things.

"20 things I can't live without!" (Which of course is an exaggeration, haha) so maybe I'll call it, "20 things I really really like at the moment" :)

1. My Boo

She is my entertainment, my job, my constant companion, my giggle partner...my everything. We've only been together for two years (and nine months of being in the oven) but I couldn't imagine my life with out her.

2. Reality T.V. Have you seen those real housewives? Those biggest losers? The Hills??? Any show on Bravo! All of it. I can't get enough.

3. Coffee
Everyone knows this. I bleed coffee.

4. Internet I mean don't all our friends live in the computer? AND NOW... Now since we have Skype, that just adds a whole new level of love....

5. Good sheets You never know how important good sheets are until you sleep on bad ones. I am always searching for the perfect sheets and will spend any amount to get the perfect set.

6. Sparkling Water
Trying to kick a Diet Coke habit is as impossible as kicking a crack habit. Sparkling water with lemon helps though.

7. Downtowns Moving back to Greenville was a dream come true for us. We love downtown areas and Greenville has one of the BEST in the country.

8. Summertime I'm a summer girl at heart. I feel better, look better, eat better, sleep better in the Summer.

9. RedBox I feel sorry for Blockbuster since the introduction of Redbox. But not sorry enough to go back.

10. Books Everyone knows this too. I did commit to myself that I would not buy books anymore and use the library instead. I've stuck to that for the most part. (Costco, which almost made this list makes my book buying addiction raise it's ugly head occasionally though).

11. Kombucha Learn more about it here! 'Hint' it's a health food thing.

12. Dogs


Vance has been my side kick for eight years. He is now Emery's closest friend. It doesn't get any better than a dog.

13. Garden One of my favorite parts of summer! Growing my own veggies.

14. Bath time For Emery and for me! I love to hear Emery laughing when Benji bathes her. I love to have alone time, and it seems to be only found when I'm in the bathtub.

15. YMCA Technically not alone time since I workout with a friend, but my time at the Y makes me stronger, and it has become one of my favorite things to do for myself, for my health.

16. Blogs My favorite of the moment is La Dolce Vita(you can find it in my blog roll)What did we do before blogs existed?

17. Keen's

half tennis shoe, half sandal. perfect really.

18. Tank Tops Have you seen me lately? If you have chances are I had on one of these. It's a habit I formed when I was pregnant with Emery. Old Navy makes the best, they are cheap and long enough for me.

19. Jeans Hello, does this need an explanation?

20. Strawberries Finally, numero 20...possibly the most perfect fruit ever.

Take A Chance

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the one's who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

Courage

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela