Easy Days. Harder Days.

Today I was mowing the yard (I can't say grass because I'm pretty sure the grass to weeds ratio falls in favor of the weeds) and got to thinking about our 2004 AT Thru-hike.  It's been 11 years since we spent 5 months hiking 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine and it is still such a rich part of our marriage.  We frequently laugh about crazy moments trekking through rural America - the people, animals, food consumption, body functions, etc.  And we still find ourselves sharing our stories with people fairly regularly.  Not because we want to brag about our accomplishment but because it is our foundation. It only marks 3.7% of our marriage (I think I did that math correct but somebody smarter, feel free to correct me) but it's had one of the most lasting impacts.

We began our journey a month after "I Do".  Yes, we had a glorious honeymoon in Hawaii for almost 2 weeks but then returned to pack and tie up loose ends related to the real world.  After a wonderful farewell weekend with friends and family at a lodge, we headed North.

We weren't the first couple to hike as newlyweds and we won't be the last but people seemed amazed that we would want to spend our first married year doing something so physically challenging.  The most common phrase we heard on our hike was, "If you can get through this together, then you can get through anything together."  We never really understood the sentiment.  Those were easy days.  

We Woke Up.  Ate.  Walked.  Ate.  Walked.  Ate.  Walked.  Ate.  Ate.  Ate.  Slept.

What's so difficult about that?  We had no bills.  No debt.  No cell phones.  No yards (of the weed or grass variety) to mow.  No house to clean.  No bosses expecting us to be in meetings.  No worries.

It was a time of sweet conversations, constant physical achievements, daily time in God's Word, daily prayer time as a couple, loads of encouragement and some pretty amazing views.  Aside from potty breaks, we were side by side pretty much the entire 5 months.  Joined at the hip.  It really was beautiful.  Maybe you find that odd but Jacob and I truly, I mean truly, loved being together.  We still do.  If we could be together all day, we would, and we'd enjoy it.  We never get tired of one another.

We are no longer living in the "easy days" era of marriage.  We still have very good and blessed days but they are certainly more draining.  These harder days include three little (as in size, not magnitude) gifts that I can't imagine life without.  These days also include

bills, dirty dishes and laundry, work meetings, church meetings, phone calls, spilled milk, schedules, worrying whether dessert is going to my hips, etc.

But these days are important.  While the easy days taught me about enjoying life and love, the harder days are teaching me patience, grace, balance, discipline and soooo much more.  These harder days strengthen me as a person and strengthen our marriage and I am so thankful for them.   If we can get through these parenting days together, I know we can get through anything together.

There will come a day when my kids will be grown (sniff), our house will be paid for, there will be less plates to serve (meaning less dishes to wash) and we no longer have to "clock in" to receive a paycheck.  We will return to the easy days where we wake up, eat, walk and sleep but I know deep down we will miss these harder days. 

*disclaimer:  None of this was meant to be a complaint about this stage in life.  Our life is good.  Our marriage is good.  Our kids are good.  When I refer to "harder days" I just mean life is more complex these days.  I realize nothing about my life is truly hard.

Paris in Spring - Versailles

My last day in Paris was not actually spent in Paris but just outside in Versailles.  I had heard this was a "must see."  While the house was a little extravagant for my liking, I adored the gardens.  I did appreciate the history that comes with the house but somebody should have told King Louis that he could lay off some of the decorations and they'd still know he was king.  Since I grew up going to the Biltmore Estate fairly frequently, I had thought this would be like "the Biltmore of France."  Let's just say King Louis made the Vanderbilts look simple and casual.

When I arrived, the line was really long for the house so I went straight to the gardens - which was smart because I had them all to myself, sort of.  There was an exhibit going on that had classical music playing in each section and that was pretty cool.

 Orangerie.

 Bosquet de la Salle de Bal (Ballroom Grove).

 My only disappointment with the gardens was that the fountains were not turned on.  Apparently they are only turned on during the weekend.  It would have been amazing to see them all spouting.

 Bassin du Miroir (Mirror Fountain). This was the only fountain turned on and it was dancing to the music.

 Jardin du Roi (King's Garden).

 Bassin du Char d'Apollon (Fountain of Apollo's Chariot).

 Bosquet de la Colonnade (Colonnade Grove).

 Bosque de l'Encelade (Encelade Grove).

 Bosquet des Bains d'Apollon (Grove of Apollo's Bath).

 Bosquet des Trois Fontaines (Three Fountains Grove).

 One of the three fountains.  Don't you feel like Ariel should bust up singing, "look at this stuff, isn't it neat, wouldn't you think my collection's complete" from this place??

 Bassin de Neptune (Neptune Fountain).  Who doesn't love a narwhal?

 This picture isn't very good but I wanted to show how every.single.inch had decoration on it.

 Bust of King Louis XIV by Bernini.

 Hall of Mirrors.

 This was the king's bed.

 This isn't a very good picture either but I found it comical.  It's the dining room and the table is where the royal family ate.  The chairs were for people to watch them eat.  Based on the size of the room a lot of people could watch.  Do you think they ever had to tell their kids to "sit down and eat your vegetables" while the masses looked on?

 When I got back into Paris via train, I took a quick trip up to the top of Arc de Triomphe for some final views of the whole city.

That tall building on the right was our hotel.  Less than a 10 minute walk away.

Well, that concludes my Paris in Spring series for you.  It was such a fun trip and I'm already itching for another international adventure.  Anybody want to send me somewhere??  

Hello My Name Is

 It's been a while since I posted a finished Quiet Book page.  You can see the first few here and here.  I've actually had this one done for a while but was trying to finish up two others before posting about it.  The other two are 85% finished but they require materials that I keep forgetting to pick up at the store.  They involve a mailbox and a camera and are super cute.  But about this page...

I wanted something easy to teach Sage her name.  Lucky for her (and me since I had to cut out the letters) she has a short, easy name.  I have seen several pages with names but I came up with the design for this one.  I wanted it to look like a chalkboard so I found a fat quarter that fit that look.  I then did basic embroidery to look like the writing was done in chalk.  I just free-handed all of that but if you are stumbling across this page and need help, let me know and I can create a pattern for you to trace - just leave a comment with your email.

For the name I used a basic font in Word and printed out her name.  I cut out two pieces of felt for each letter (1 is too thin for detachable pieces).  They are stitched together (sorry you can't tell) with a rough stitch and have a piece of white velcro on the back.  You can buy pre-cut felt letters at Hancocks or Joanns but I'm trying to use what I have and would have been left with a pack of letters that I have no use for had I bought some.

I stitched the pieces of black velcro (sorry you can't tell this either) on in the places that the letters need attached.  So far, she seems to be doing well with attaching them.  We'll get to spelling later.

I finished the back off with a fun school fabric and then added the grommets.

I still need to get the cover made because the first one I started I was unhappy with so I haven't started again.  The pages are so colorful that I'm struggling with what color to do the cover so it's not an overload.  I'll get to it eventually.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little page and I'll hurry back with the others.  I've been pinning a million that I want to tackle and with lots of summer travel, she will need some car entertainment too!

School Boxes

Every once in a while I complete an organization project and feel like I need to pat myself on the back.  I'm not the most organized chick in the world which is funny because some things I can be really particular about.  I still haven't quite figured myself out.  Anyway, I pinned this project a few years ago and knew that it was something I had to tackle.

The plastic bins can get a little expensive so I finally just got the ones from Office Depot that were on clearance for $10.  I had planned on getting them at Joann's but I was already out and didn't have my coupon.  They sell the Sterilite brand which are $20 a piece but frequently put them 40% off or you can use your coupon - so check there if you aren't in a hurry.  The bins I bought can be used with letter or legal size folders.  I decided to go with legal size.  This might be overkill but every once in a while a larger drawing comes home so it might be worth it.

If you don't want to make your own labels then click on the inspiration link and she gives you freebies.  I didn't want to buy any new labels so I just used whatever size I had and printed them from Avery.com.  I really love using their online design & print software - it's way more user friendly than trying to do it in Word.  I just pulled a template that looked like paper and typed a title for the tab and then made a larger label for the school/teacher info.  Probably not as cute but I got it done super quick.

I then added some school pictures from k-2 for this sweet girl - stuck on with washi tape and started filling the folders.  One other thing that I decided to do was add some extra folders in the back for the following:

• church:  dedication, baptism, etc.
• sports: recitals, certificates, etc.
• birthdays: invitations, special cards, unique decorations, etc.
• medical: our doctor gives us a sheet at every appointment with stats so we have quite a few of these, shot records, etc.
• other special:  first tooth, first haircut, ear piercing certificate, etc.

Feels good to get this tackled.  I will keep them in a hall closet where I can get to them pretty easy.  I will say that we have set expectations pretty low at our house for what we keep.  We keep very few art projects unless it is a first (first time they color, write their name, draw a picture), includes hand, feet or thumbprints or if it took extra creativity like writing a story or drawing a picture.  If my child glued a cotton ball on a plate then it's not going in the box.  I still need to go through the various drawers and closets in the house to find the last 7 years of papers that need filed but at least as I stumble upon them then they have a place to go.

This project cost about $100 ($75 for boxes/folders/labels, $10 for washi tape, $15 for the vinyl lettering) but I would say it was worth it for something that should last many years and should limit on desk drawer clutter.  

Paris in Spring - Mona Lisa & Models

Monday was my day set aside for visiting the Louvre.  I didn't plan anything else since I knew it could easily take all day.  I rode the train there to save time but wanted to walk back so I could hit another museum if time permitted.  I bought my Paris Museum Pass from our hotel concierge so when I got to the Louvre I didn't have to wait in line (worth every penny!).  Also - a little tip while I have your attention - make sure you check out the open days of your museums you plan to visit while in Paris (or any destination).  A lot of museums have a day they are closed so you need to plan accordingly.  Since they are open on weekends, a bunch of them are closed on either Monday or Tuesday.

 I made it to the Louvre and bypassed the long line.  I picked up a map and then started my journey.  The OCD in me wanted to walk through each exhibit in an organized manner so that I could see everything.  After 2 hours of barely scratching the surface of the museum I began feeling a little overwhelmed.  Also, none of the exhibits had English translations so I couldn't tell what I was looking at.  Yes, I realize I was in France but a lot of places do cater to other languages.  I wish I would have known to spend the 5 euros on the Nintendo DS audio guide where you could type in the exhibit number and it would talk to you.  Lesson learned.  After my mini panic attack I realized I was going to need to speed things up and just see the pieces that were highlighted in my brochure.

 I found this little baby bassinet so adorable.  I wonder if the new royal baby has something like it.

 The recently renovated Winged Victory of Samothrace.

 I finally saw Mona and I was sort of like, "meh - she's cute and small."  While this picture doesn't show it, the people crowding her were CRAZY.  You would have thought they were getting Leonardo da Vinci's autograph from the grave.  I really just wanted to see the painting and didn't care much about getting a picture but I couldn't even get to it because of all the selfie taking that was going on.  At 5'2" I was getting pushed and prodded and my mini panic attack was about to turn for the worse.  I decided to step away and call it a day.  BTW - some people have said they weren't allowed taking pictures in the Louvre.  I believe this ban has been lifted because there were photographers everywhere and the guards didn't seem to care.  I don't use a flash in museums and cathedrals (reason for my grainy pics) but I don't really see a problem with snapping a pic here and there unless it's specifically prohibited.

 Cupid and Psyche

 Hello pretty, armless lady. Venus de Milo.

 Fresh air again.  When I decided I was done and wanted to leave I kept getting lost.  I would follow the "Sortie" signs and then end up back where I started.  I thought I'd never see daylight again.

 Walking away from Musee du Louvre through Jardin des Tuileries.

 l'Obelisque straight from the Luxor Temple in Egypt.

 Grand Palais.

 After the Louvre I had enough time to visit Cite de l'Architecture which is a museum dedicated to the architecture of the region.  It is located at Trocadero across from the Eiffel Tower.  I loved all of the models and casts of famous buildings.

 These are actually casts of sculptures throughout the region.

 The upper floors were dedicated to modern and contemporary architecture.

 There was even a full scale replica of an apartment from Le Corbusier's Cite' radieuse in Marseille.  Apparently it was created by high school students throughout the region.  I'm not dissing on my high school education but I don't remember doing anything that cool.

 If I lived in Paris, I think I would spend way too much money on flowers.

I enjoyed a little cheese, bread and diet Coke in the hotel room while I waited for Jacob to take me out for sushi.