A word on gifts

In this season of giving, I have been blessed with the opportunity to ponder what it means to receive. My own pride and egocentric nature has always made receiving a very hard thing. It took me a while to let Jaren even pay for me on dates when we were dating.

I recently received a very unexpected and overwhelming gift. The kind that you say - "Ummm... no......... I don't think so...."

To which God responded with a "humbling session." Apparently He wanted me to understand something even more important. To gratefully accept a gift in humility is an act of love. Think of the times when you work really hard for something or someone, and then that act is received with "Ummm.. no... I don't think so...." Let's just say that doesn't make the giver feel appreciated, or even allow them to feel their blessings of service.

Which got me thinking about the gifts I've been given in my life. First and foremost, the gift of the Atonement. What good is this gift, if my own pride will not let me receive it? And that is exactly what my pride does... it convinces me that I can do things on my own - or if I just tried harder - or if I could only be better - then I could do it! Ha! What a great and terrible lie! The fact is, that I will never be good enough on my own... and that if I don't allow myself to receive the gift(s) that I've been given - I will ultimately be miserable.

There are still miracles in this world. There are still angels that do the Lords work, and give gifts that cannot ever be repaid. There is still good in this world. This is the lesson I needed most this Christmas.

Jaren has a new blog

So Jaren has a new blog.... and he wants you to read it. It's all about his metamorphosis into an Army Helicopter Pilot. It can be found at : http://thedream-jaren.blogspot.com/

Christmas Carol

There is something you should know. I love Charles Dicken's book The Christmas Carol. I love the play even more! It was a family Christmas tradition to go see Hale Center Theatre's version for multiple years, and then sadly - it suddenly faded away.

When I married my husband, I got a wealth of blessings in his friendships. One of whom is Eric. Eric has known Jaren for his entire life - you should ask Jaren about the story - it's quite Halmark movie-ish. Anyhow, Eric is a Thespian (love that word) - and has been an Actor at Hale Center Theatre for... well... forever. For the past two years Eric has played the role of Jacob Marley (you remember- Scrooge's dead as a door nail business partner). Last year, Jaren and I got sick the night of our tickets - and we didn't get to see it. This year - Joy of Joys - we weren't sick and got to go!

Eric was amazing. Clarissa - his wife, was also in the play and was amazing as well.

I won't get into all of their parts they had to play - but suffice it to say - it's incredible that they can remember so many lines, songs, directions, etc.

The play last night really got me thinking - why do I love this so much? I've seen it well over a dozen times in my life, and still - I can not wait to see it each year.

Last night as the chorus group was singing Silent Night, I was moved by the Spirit. The proclamation of Christ as our Savior accompanied by a story of repentance, humility, and re-birth... this is Christmas for me! It's a beautiful and touching reminder of what the Savior is, and has done for me.

Jaren has been saying a lot lately that he wants to make this Christmas what it was like when he was a kid. He wanted that Christmas feeling that was inescapable as a child. As I watched Scrooge jump around after he realized that all was not lost - and that there was still time to change... I was taken back to my living room as a child - listening to my Dad and Mom read me Luke 2. The Christmas Spirit wet my eyes, and my heart was full.

I also want to say that for those that know Clarissa and her family's story - the play was even more touching. To see her play the role of a sister that loses tiny Tim - and to watch the role once played by her father of Mr. Cratchet... I was humbled. She continues to find hope in this world, and it was ... well I'm not sure what the word is that I'm looking for here. Hmmm... I think I'm still going with "humbling." My heart again mourned for her family and their loss, and prayed for continued peace for them.

In the end - I am so grateful for friends that share their talents with us, and for the blessing it was to feel so close to my Savior.

See you in 6 years party

In case your just joining us - Jaren and I are leaving for Alabama.

Quite soon actually. Jaren leaves Dec 29th... so that doesn't leave much time for party planning.

Now - I am asking for your forgiveness. I do realize that we are asking you to attend yet another party in the Holiday season.

The party will be held Saturday December 20th. It's an open house from 5 pm - 10 pm at Jaren's parents' house (I'm not putting that address online - if you want it - email me). For those of you that already have a something scheduled that night - well I made my party long enough to give you time to come to both!

One benefit of having it near Christmas is the hope that some of my dear out-of-towner friends will be in town for other, more family-like, reasons. I have no qualms about taking advantage of this timing.

Who knows... maybe I'll be passing out I heart Alabama t-shirts.

Or maybe this one...

Don't lie - you know you want one.

Failure

Need a self esteem crash? I thought so. Come on ... watch it!







Now I'm not the only person that feels like a complete waste of flesh.

Hunter Green

Do you guys remember when Hunter Green (or sometimes called Forrest Green) hit big in Utah? I do. 8th grade. I had an entire outfit of Forrest green clothes. Pants, shirt, vest (!!!), and even a huge bow to go with it.

Boys may not remember it as well - because they were too busy wearing their Catch and Release shirts, or their No Fear shirts.

A friend of mine said something about her Hunter Green ski gloves, and I was instantly transported into a wave of nostalgia.

Go ahead, I know your dying to share your favorite nostalgic memory in your comment - Forrest Green related or not.

Halloween

There is one holiday that truly reigns supreme in the workplace. Christmas? Valentines Day?
No!
It's Halloween!! It is the one day at DCFS that our office really gets into things, and just decides to have fun. It takes a little bit of planning (all client contact should really be limited to phone calls and emails) - and definitely no court. But if you can get your schedule right - who doesn't like to go to work as a rotting corpse from Alabama (yes - a joke referencing the loss of my career "life" as I head to Alabama)

I owe a big thanks to Kirk for coming to work and doing my makeup. Man, I'm hot!

My love for Halloween has grown as I've been a supervisor. Its such a great excuse for team bonding. And let's face it, in my line of work - my workers need to take a little break from the stress and heartache of daily crisis. Here is a dessert my worker, Beth (a new addition to my team), made for our potluck! Read the headstones... they are hilarious!

Each year we have a contest to see who has the best team office space decorations. This year we made our little annex into a graveyard! I really do need a before an after shot. It's hard to tell how truly amazing this transformation was. It's hard to see from this picture, but the orange lights are actually a tree. There are gravestones and leaves all over the room.

This is a coffin that Jaren and my father helped me make. It was super creepy. A little weird to transport around I might add. You should see the looks you get on the road when you have a coffin in your car.

Ruben (right) was our undertaker. The rest of the girls were dead cowgirls (like me). Unfortunately my camera died right before the team photo. Boo Hiss!

Benefits Package

I have a deal to propose. A contract, if you will. I understand that it may be difficult for most of you to want to keep in close contact while we live in the glorious state of Alabama. Visiting Alabama??!!! I understand.

But this is what I want you to consider. I want you to think about the return investment... it may just sway you to think twice about saying "so long" to good ol' Jaren and Brenna.

Here's what I'm prepared to offer: After Alabama, there is a good chance that we could go somewhere wonderful. Say - Italy? Germany? Japan? Hawaii? These are all of our top choices. If you don't completely botch our friendship in the next two years when it is easy want to forget that you even know someone in Alabama - you may come and stay with us in our "fun place!"

What a great idea!

Now lets get down to business. Jaren has his orders. He is to report to Alabama on December 29th, 2008. He is reporting to Warrant Officer Training (they call it WAFT) - and then he has SERE's school (POW training). I will be remaining here in Utah for at least another month - trying my best to secure all decent friendships before heading off into my own personal combat zone.

Military Wife

Ladies and Gentleman, I have an announcement to make! Jaren was officially accepted yesterday into the Warrant Officer Program. Tomorrow he will be sworn into the Army (again), and we will be awaiting orders.

Translation= We now are for sure moving to Alabama. We just don't know when, until he gets his orders. Orders can say we are moving anywhere from in two weeks to 6 months... so who knows. We are hoping to get orders on Wednesday. That may optimistic - hopefully not. If I'm honest - I'm growing a little weary of waiting.

It's a little strange that my life is taking this turn. I mean, technically I've been a military wife for the past four years now - but... in reality - I haven't felt like a "Military Wife." Now that we'll be moving on base, and living there for the next 6 years - I will have to get used to that title. Hooaa! ??

There is a sense of pride in my husband and in serving our country - but let's be honest - I'm also terrified of the idea. Waiting to get into the military has been so much "out of controlness" that I am a nervous for 6 years of "YOUR SOUL IS MINE."

I pray for adventures overseas - after our two year stint in good ol' Alabama. That seems fair. Do two years in hell - and you'll get something kinda nice.

Who knows, maybe in two years you won't be able to get the cowboy boots off me, the accent will be so thick you'll think I was born there, and my anthem will be "Sweet Home Alabama."

Only time will tell.

Maybe I should make this official by adding a logo. Yes that feels cheesy - perfect!

Proud Wife

I want the world to know that I am a proud wife today. Jaren had his local board for the warrant officer program yesterday. We have been anxiously waiting since (forever?) he got out of flight school for this day. This is the first board (of two) that will review Jaren's file and determine whether or not they feel he is qualified to be a helicopter for the United States Army.

I keep telling you he's perfect, and yesterday he proved it! 100%. He "maxed" his board! In other words they think he's as good as it gets.

Now what? Oh... well I'm getting good at this = we wait. We wait for them to send his paperwork off to the national board, and then for those people to determine (what we already know) that he is MORE than qualified to be a warrant officer and gain entrance into the helicopter program. This process could take as short as 11 days (12 if you count yesterday), and could go until the end of the month - resulting in us finding out at the beginning of November.

What does this mean? It means that as soon as November Jaren could be journeying into his dream.

And as early as November - we could FINALLY be moving to Alabama. Now lest you think that the above mentioned "FINALLY" is excitement - you should know that it's just been a very long, long, (dare I say long), long process. I am ready to move forward, even if it is to that "special" place called Alabama. I am; however, very excited for Jaren to be able to be flying again, living out his dreams, and to see the sadness of waiting (and not flying) leave his countenance. There is nothing in this world that makes me more happy than to see my husband happy.

I'm so proud of you Jaren!

Brenna version 3.0

I LOVE my job! Each and every day I get to work with some of the most amazing people I've ever known. People that come in to work each day and give their all. People that do work that most people can't even talk about - think about - or even acknowledge exits. People that will NEVER be paid what they are worth and never be truly valued by society. When I became a supervisor at DCFS, I wondered if I would be able to come close to being like some of the amazing supervisors that I've had. I wondered if I could help them cope in a job that demands so much. I wondered if I could inspire excellence, or even just make them feel cared for. I still hope and pray for all of these things...

What I do know - is that they have helped ME cope. They have inspired excellence in my life, and they definitely make me feel cared for. My office knew that I would be at a conference all day on my birthday - and so the day before my birthday - they gave me this!

Left to right: Debbie, Rachel, Ruben, (me), Ben, and Beth = My amazing team! It's hard to see, but they covered my office in black balloons, gave me a sash and tiara to wear - declaring to all the world that I was 30! (note the over the hill banner in the background. 30 is the new 40? They even brought in two cakes!
They made me feel like I truly was "Brenna: Queen of the 30's!" (that's what my sash says)
On a side note: Debbie was even able to take out some of her rage on my husband. She's not exactly "pleased" with the fact that Jaren will be taking me away to Alabama some time soon - and she'll be losing me as her supervisor. Please note that she's about to kill him with a plastic butter knife! Love it!

On top of all of this - they even got me a $50.00 gift certificate to REI (they know me well) and took me out to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.

I have to admit that I was so touched (and humbled) that they would do all of this for me. It gave me hope that I just might be helping them after all. And yes... of course I cried.

It's good to be Brenna, and 30!

Love

Love is God's answer. It is the way by which we heal. It has radically changed my perspective, my purpose, and my very being. And when things don't work out the way that you plan - well... it's good to remember that you are loved, and that you are carried in the arms of a loving Father in Heaven.

I am grateful for all of the support that has been shown to Jaren and I. We are moving forward in faith.

I truly feel that my friends and family have given me the strength to wake up another morning, and to go outside, and to find hope and happiness in darker times. I am grateful for each prayer, phone call, email, flower, cookie, or visit. I am grateful for those that could talk for me when I just couldn't make another call. I am grateful to those that weren't hurt by me not calling... and still showed compassion and love.

I don't claim to understand this life, but I do know that those eleven weeks were a gift. More than anything, I am grateful that Jaren could help me to understand this. And yes, one more time - I feel humbled to have such an amazing person as my soul mate.

Triathlons and my life

You know, there are things in this world that make no sense to me - and there are things that make the world seem to make sense... even if just for a brief moment.

I hear the following all of the time: "You have to be crazy to want to swim, and then bike, and then run." or "Who is stupid enough to do that?"

Well triathlons are a part of my life, and I hope that they always will be. I love them. They bring joy into my heart and soul - and they help me to explore the wonderful gift of my body! They help me to have a good self image, and remind me that deep down - I love being tough (even if it hurts a lot!)

Here's a pic of Lena being tough! (There's nothing tougher than Duct tape.)

So doing another relay was just another way for me to love doing this sport with my best buds. Lena and Em are such a part of my life - and a triathlon with them is just a blessing! Who cares if I don't actually get to swim in that triathlon! I got to go and watch them push themselves, and have a great day.

It was also a blast to watch Jaren, Donny, and Russ - the three non-trainers that they are - still finish in good form! If Donny would ever train - I swear to you - he'd have to thank me someday in his sponsorships!

Here are some classic pics from Spudman this year. Lena got my favorite pose from last year - and put her own spin on it. I like the purse!

You have to have a standby pose when you're wearing a wetsuit! The money shot.
Our boys... gotta love em.
He sweeps me off my feet, and makes everything wonderful! Love you Jaren!

Team Sprinkles

Go big or go home. That's my motto in life. If your gonna do something - do it right. When I hurt my knee this year it was a bit hard for me to come to terms with the fact that my racing season was over. So when the opportunity came around for me to change my Olympic distance race at the Echo tri to a Relay - I knew it would be awesome. You see, it feels a bit funny to do a relay of a distance that you do all the time on your own. So I had to spice it up a bit - and brought out all the ribbons and bows (literally). I even kept my bows in for the swim. They are just under my cap - making it all skeewampus. Gotta love swimming in lakes when the sun just comes up!
This girl was not prepared for my powerful exit out of the water. Just cuz I'm wearing bows - doesn't mean I won't kill you.
Laura "Big Gun's" - seriously - check out her arms. I love how her shirt matches her bows.
Jenny's just out for another stroll. Good thing there were no nuns around to make her cry this time. Also the only picture I have of her without her eating a shot block - who eats on a relay run?
My partners in crime were Jenny and Laura. They were not quite prepared for the girl fest that was Team Sprinkles. But when you have to wake up at 4:00 am to get somewhere - I say put your hair up in pigtail buns. It's always a timeless look.

Our relay took second, and for a while there - it was out of two teams! Ha! But then, lo and behold - there was a third team that we were able to destroy with our cuteness.

All in all, it was a fun race. No pressure - tons of cheering - and lots of bows. Might just have to do this again sometime.

Reel them in Jaren!

Wasatch Back this year.... well I guess for me it was easier. Sort of. Physically - Yup. Mentally - I would put it as harder. Sitting in the van driving... wowsers. If I could have ripped off my knee and just run with a peg leg I would have.

I did get the pleasure of pacing Jenny, Chan, King, and my husband every once in a while. I also got to be the water delivery mechanism.


And I was the team morale booster. As you can see!!

I will say that it was really cool to support Jaren, and just have this race be about him. He did a great job, and I'm truly amazed at what he can put his body through without training. Honestly, it's crazy. But I'm even more humbled by his positive attitude. There he was - dying on the road (so to speak), and yet he was laughing it up, and pretending to reel in his next kill.

Van 2 was awesome. Eric Beins broke out with some Dr. Phil that honestly puts the Crocodile hunter in check. Eric was also King of the Ragnar this year. He never stopped running, and he looked like a machine - kind of like terminator - only his one eye that was staring at us was when he bent over and showed us the "Red Eye" or "pink moonbeam" as he called it.

Chan was hilarious. She is one ball of determination. I thought she was going to kill us all after mile 1 on her first run. She didn't look like she really loved the idea of finishing the race - but she just kept going, and going, and going. Through tears, through pain, and through a 200 pound woman in sweats!

Eric King and Greg performed well. They spoke little. Eric found the true meaning of pain on the Pre-Ragnar. His quote of "words don't even describe this..." shall be remembered. As well as creating a tradition to have the team cripple (this year it was me) pace him up the run.

Jenny - oh Jenny. She cried at a fake Nun for goodness sake. She was so tired, and a wee bit emotional in the morning (took over for me) - and when she saw a fake nun - she started bawling. When we asked if she knew it was a fake nun, she said yes. And she kept crying. Then when we asked why she was crying she said, "Cuz she serves the Lord." Which has to be one of the cutest (and most confusing) statements I've ever heard during a race.

Then just today, I read Lena's blog, and was curious at how I would fare in an animal attack. Apparently I am built for it. Which I find interesting, I can take every attack and survive except for a Gorilla? How does this relate to Wasatch Back you ask?

I find it funny that I can supposedly take all these attacks - and yet it's my knee that ends up killing me every time. So maybe, the human attacks ratio isn't quite accurate. Because I seem to be killing myself. Great. Knee suicide.

In the end I was grateful to be a part of the race, even though I wasn't officially able to run it this year. I will say that it was a privilege and honor to see so many people pushing themselves physically and mentally. It's a hard race - and those that are able to run it - hopefully they appreciate the gift that is. As for Jaren - maybe someday he'll actually train for a race.

Nah, that's probably crazy talk!

Vikingman Triathlon - aka - Adjusting my attitude

My 29 years on this earth have taught me a lot. I have created thought processes and habits that are difficult to undo. I have expectations that are hard to unravel. I have demands that can be impossible to meet - even for me.

Bottom line = I'm hard on myself.

It was about mile 28 on the bike yesterday that I finally got that long awaited tailwind. I had battled 24 miles of a headwind, 3 or 4 of a crosswind, and finally... finally... that tailwind! It was a beautiful moment. I had hope. Life was great. Oh, and that 20 mph wind wasn't keeping me cold anymore. Working with the wind is like stepping into a warm room. Ahhh, I do have toes!!! I just can't feel them all the way yet.

Anyhow, it was about this point when I was dethawing, that I heard the dreaded pop in my knee. My IT band did this last year - and it was a tear. "NO!!!" The pain didn't immediately come, so I thought it might have just been my joint, and that I'd be fine. Well the pain did come... it just took a while for my body to register it from all the other pains that I was experiencing. When I realized that I was really in for it, I had a decision to make. I will tell you that it was one of the hardest in my lifetime. (I know it's lame to have this be counted among one of my hardest decisions - but that's how crazy I am about not quitting). I decided that my mind alone could not be trusted, and that I needed to ask help from Heavenly Father in what I should do. I knew that if the decision was mine - I'd repeat Spudman, and not quit (even if it meant driving my knee straight into the ground). I didn't want to be stupid, and I made Jaren a promise this year that I wouldn't hurt myself. So I had to pray. As soon as I asked, I got the most overwhelming answer that I was done. However, it was NOT a relief. I knew that I was not to be trusted with this answer, so I prayed for the courage that I would need to be able to quit.

You see, I know that I am prideful, and that is why I will kill myself to finish a race. Pride. Ego. Stupidity.

I had to bike until mile 35 with one leg. Thank goodness that we practiced one legged drills a lot in cycle camp! When I pulled off at the stop, I was so tempted to just ask for some Tylenol, and keep going - but I asked Heavenly Father for help again, and I said it, "call my husband please."

The tears came, as a dream was lost. My pride fell, and the rest of the day would be spent questioning my decision. Was I a quitter? Could I have pushed through the pain? Did I just not train enough? Was my body built for this? The self doubt was the worst part. As soon as I made the decision I wished that I hadn't. I wished that I could get back on that bike and grind my knee into the ground trying.

I went to bed that night hoping that rest would provide clarity in the morning.

I woke up, and wasn't able to go to church - too much pain. Physical and emotional. Back to sleep.

When I woke up again, my knee was feeling surprisingly good. That led to a bit more self doubt - saying "see you could have finished!" That was countered by some sense of reason in my head (most likely the Spirit), that said, "Silly, it feels better because you didn't finish!" Which when I thought about it - gave me hope. I have one last half ironman option this year - August 9th - the Utah Half. I'm already signed up for it. It could be that Heavenly Father told me to stop - so that I could do the necessary rehab to make in on August 9th. Maybe. Or maybe my body won't heal the way it needs to, and I'm just done for the year.

Either way, I know that I need to work on my attitude. I am always telling my clients at work, my friends and family, and all of my training buddies to be gentle with themselves. I'm more forgiving and gentle with everything and everyone else. Why can't I just be nice to me? What is the deal?

So in an effort to keep my promise to Summer (to find my sprinkles of the race) and to not be a negative Nancy, here are some of the great things I'm proud of:

#1- According to the results I was the fourth female out of the water. :) Jaren was counting, and well... he was right! I was kicking butt at this point!

#2 - I made my goal of getting to the tailwind. The headwind was brutal, and lots of people quit just because it was so dang cold (they were probably the only sane people there!).

#3 - I passed some guys on really really really nice tri bikes... ya know... like Cervelos. Yes! And I passed them only going 11- 12 miles an hour! Ha! That tell you how bad the wind was?

#4 - Even though the water (and air) was freezing, and the conditions were terrible, my mindset was totally improved from St. George. I was in a great mood in the water, and I was having fun swimming vertically. (Wind created waves in a river! And of course it was a headwind!)

#5 - I can walk today! .... sorta.

# 6 - I supported my friend Jenny through the rest of her race, and watched her achieve one of my biggest dreams. I could have easily just sat in the car and waited it out - but she needed someone to cheer her on. And so I hobbled my little butt to the finish line to scream my guts out for her!

The last one is the most important. That is this - I put an answer from the Lord above my ego. And although, the thoughts in my brain wont stop calling me a quitter and a loser - I know that stopping was harder for me than finishing would have been. I can take the physical pain so much easier than that.

Now, if I can just get control of my thoughts - and tell them to shut up (because I know they are stupid thoughts) ... I'll be just fine!

Half Squishy-man tomorrow

So... instead of calling it a Half Ironman, I'm going to call it a half squishy-man. That doesn't seem so scary does it?

My friend Summer - a beacon for all thoughts encouraging and positive - gave me a game to play during my event. She challenged me to think of the highlights of my race as "sprinkles on top". Whether it's the fact that the guy next to me has snot dangling from his shoulder (unsuccessful release of the "farmer blow"), or not stepping in a pile of dog poop (to come back around that loop and see the foot print in it!), or just being out their in the sun having a good time. Whatever hilarious things I see, I'm looking for them. In the meantime I'm gonna be working in 15 minutes sections....hopefully that's easier to handle. It's also the time that I will be eating or drinking something. And you all know how much I like to eat!

At any rate - look for a hilarious post coming soon on my travels to Burley Idaho.

France - Part 3: Paris

Ahhh Paris!!! Romantic, beautiful, and old. Really old. Your constantly reminded in France how young our little US of A is. Most of the buildings here are older than our cute lil' country. Jaren and I drove from Normandy in our rental car, with my parents following suite. Hilarious if you ask me, to be leading your parents around... but apparently I'm better at this! Actually Jaren and I did make a great team. I was the navigator - he was the driver. We tried to switch it for a day in Milly La Foret, and I stalled the car a million times. I just got out of the seat, and never complained about him slamming on the break again. Anyhow, our drive into Paris was nuts. We drove through a bus lane, mused at all of the crazy motorcycles cutting us off - and just tried to go with the flow. We stayed in our hotel called Hotel de Bourdonnais. This is the view from our room.

Our first day we went to the Eiffel tower, and spent 3 hours in lines up and down it. It was fun to see my mother face seeing it for the first time. She just started crying, and kissing my dad. I think that it will be one of my favorite memories forever.

Day 2 was our trip to the Louvre. It was amazing. I'd been there before, but I honestly couldn't get over how much your mind forgets. I was just trying to soak it all in, and again - watch my mother's face. It meant so much to me to see her see the Louvre. I was surprised by my father (and husband's) reactions to the museum. They loved it. Dad surprised Mom with how much of the art he recognized and knew.

After the Louvre was our trip to Notre Dame. Jaren and I walked down by the river to get a good view of the Seine.

Notre Dame was beautiful, and Mass was in session. That's definitely the way to see a cathedral - when the choir is singing, and the incense is burning. Candles being lit as prayers to God. The stain glass detailing scenes from a time when Joan of Arc was being named named a saint instead of a heretic.

Day 3 was a trip to the catacombs. The underground grave for millions. I loved it the last time I saw it, and really couldn't wait to take Jaren there. His Gothic days seemed to beckon my senses that this would be something he would appreciate. I love this picture of me. I look like a ghost wandering through the graves.

Jaren and Dad are obviously Zombies.... "Brains!!!!"

After the catacombs we took a boat ride on the Bateaux Mouche. The scenic advantage from the river is unbelievable. I even snapped this very GQ shot of Jaren. :) He's going to kill me for posting it... but I think I married quite the hunk!

Day 4 was our trip to Versailles. It was so beautiful. Lots of gold. It makes all of the other castles, cathedrals, and chateaus look a little dull. It also makes you realize why the French revolution happened. The royalty living in this, while their people starved.

On one of our nights Jaren, Dad, and I went around town to see it all at night. We went to Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart Cathedral) to watch the city (it's on a hill) turn from dusk to night. Beautiful. This cathedral was also having mass when we entered! What luck. This is the Louvre at night... and they thought the pyramid was a scar on Paris!
This is one of my favorite pictures Jaren took. Time lapse of L'arc De Triomphe!


All in all, Paris was a dream. I can't thank my parents enough for giving Jaren and I the plane tickets. My four years of French paid off for sure! I am such a blessed girl to have had so many opportunities to travel. Being able to do it with my family was amazing. I know that someday when my parents are gone - that these pictures will be worth more to me than any purse, jewelry, or gift I've ever been given. These memories of watching my Mother live her dream, my Father getting over his anger of the French (haha), and my husband saying "Je ne mange kuh les insectes" (I only eat insects) will forever be treasured.