Texas

PARIS.

Ever since I met my husband, he has always expressed  desire to take me to Paris.  It was never anything that was on my personal bucket list.  He suddenly decided at Christmas that we were actually going to go within a few months.

As for me, I decided to let his dream become a reality and after all…if a man is dying to take me to Paris who am I to snuff out his dream?  It seems like we could just hop on a plane with little planning since we do not have sucklings (as my brother calls them) but actually it’s a hassle when you have jobs, business, pets coming out of your ears and a home you don’t want to worry about when gone.  My brother come to babysit the girls when we’re gone and house sit as well.  (Be ware and don’t show up unannounced when we’re gone because he’s like me in that he will shoot and ask questions afterward.) As it should be. But back to the joy of travel…

Paris was not what I’d expected.  The French were kind. The art was amazing and the Palace at Versailles was sad to me.  Every indulgence was magnificent in it’s beauty, yet disturbing at the same time because of where the money came from origianlly to fund it. Just sayin.  My heart is for the people of France, yes…even the ones who lived hundreds of years ago and were suppressed by a greedy governmental system with a hand in the pockets of the people who work.  Oh wait…that sounds familiar.

Of course the Eiffel Tower is the beautiful symbol of Paris and France.  The romantic, cultural city and country.  While I was very glad to go and share time with my husband while he showed me around…I realized in many ways they are just like America. Tittering on the edge of financial health and worrying and wondering what the future hold for the globe.

LOVE.

He took me to Paris.  He wanted a romantic time.  I was that girl for once. I was the girl who never had a Valentine or a boyfriend.  It was as if there was no one else on the planet except us.  I had decided before we left that this was a once in a lifetime trip, so I’d wanted to be that couple in front of the Eiffel Tower, all dressed up and living the life.  It sounds stupid, but as a person who dabbles in photography…I just had to get him all dressed up and ready for a mini Paris photo shoot.  I figure pictures are the best souvenir.

The really funny part, is that we chose a day in which the wind was crazy and the air was bitter cold so truthfully, we could barely hold our eyes open due to the wind and icy cold tear drops flying out of our eyes. This is sort of why he has squinty, tight looking, Kenny Rogers type of eyes but that we got a halfway decent photo in at all is a miracle.

The red dress I was planning on wearing, was see thru red lace and it was so insanely cold and windy, I threw on a black feather dress that I’ve used for clients before in photo shoots, so the whole thing went pretty sadly. It’s so funny though, because in this photo, it seems as if all is perfect.  My canon camera fell in the mud, because the wind knocked down the tripod, and I was just ready to go home with no great Eiffel Tower photo of us together…but a nice woman who was picnicking alone in the park decided to help us out and snap a photo or two.

The best thing about this photo is that he dealt with me on this terribly cold, and windy day and tried to help me get the shot I wanted.  Is the picture perfect? Nope.  We were too close to the Eiffel Tower.  I’d wanted to be further away so that the entire thing would be off in the distant background.  I didn’t want to be a whiny bitch because he had the taxi drop us off too close. I had the man put on a suit and tie and unless he’s getting married or buried he acts as if a tie is a straight jacket. Since he wore one for me, I figured I’d better shut up and hope he doesn’t begin to rip it off like the incredible hulk. We had to walk another quarter of a block in the wind just to get further away. My new red satin shoes got messed up in the mud as I ran to catch the camera that was falling to the ground.  But we made a memory to last a lifetime and we have something to laugh about forever.

PRADA RED

The red dress I’d had created for Paris…didn’t end up in a glammy Paris blog session.  We did, however use it immediately upon returning to U.S. soil.  This is his favorite picture that he took and he’s very proud of his blog shoot.

You must understand my situation.  You know how you can have a very impatient puppy that has the desire to please you, however…he’s just a hyper puppy so he can only control his rambunctiousness to a certain degree?  Well, that’s who takes my blog photos.  He’s a super hyper, well meaning, happy, athletic, high energy type. He’s the hare to my tortoise. So, since he did so well and enjoyed himself on the Prada Red blog session… he keeps asking when we can do more.  That’s great! Finding time is rough. He was not jazzed about the red dress until he figured out that it was basically transparent. Well, and that it matched my new Paris Prada bag perfectly.  And my red shoes.  We went on to Sunday brunch afterward and I was the reddest woman in the room.   I am glad he accepts me.

BOATING

Paris has amazing dinner boats.  This was a last minute Paris boat ride in the cold and rain.  It was our first night there.  It was surreal.  All you have to do is Google Paris photos and you can see tons of shots…many much better than mine.  The shots I share are just ones that mean something to me…and they take me back.

THE ARTISTS AT MONTMARTRE

There were a few things on my bucket list once I realized that we were really going to Paris.  One of them was to get an original artwork from Paris.  As we looked around at the different art that the street artists were offering… my husband decides he wants me to sit for a portrait artist.  I am terribly shy.  Ugh.  I wasn’t emotionally prepared.  He’s very demanding, so the next thing I know, he’s discussing price with an artist and there I am. Alone. Sitting.  For two hours.  My husband leaves me to go have lunch and do more sightseeing in Montmartre.  I was sitting trying to not let my lazy eye droop, because I wasn’t really wanting it documented in my art.  I was trying to smile, yet not over smile.

I have to say…this village was my favorite part of the trip.  It is an adorable village located at the base of the Sacre Coeur Basilica, shown below.

About the artwork above? Well, Ken thinks it’s beautiful and that it looks just like me.  It’s framed and it’s in a corner of our living room. I say, she is beautiful and I only wish I looked like her.  It seems the artist forgot to add wrinkles and lines.  Either way, I got my Paris art and the memory is priceless.

CHURCH

Sacre Coeur Basilica is a Paris landmark.  It’s a church dedicated to Jesus Christ.  It’s an amazing sight from an architectural perspective.  All of that, and it just feels like a good place to go have a conversation with God.  While I am not Catholic, from a historical perspective…the building was amazing to see and experience.  Must you be in a beautiful, luxurious place for God to hear and Jesus to come? No.  Jesus can come to you when you’re in your modest garden in East Texas tending to your flowers. I support my church but I don’t believe it has to be decorated with fine art and gold to be sacred to God. But gosh this place sure was beautiful and majestic and I’m glad I got to experience it with Ken.

-SDS

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