Paris...as promised.

Months ago I promised to post pictures from our trip {back in April} and, of course, I still have not. So, today--the day that I'm desperately missing it--is the day!

Let me start by giving a little bit of background....

{Beautiful, right?}

{This was our first night in Paris. We were eating at a cafe across from the Eiffel Tower. Here we were able to see Dad and Mom work their missionary magic.}

Scott parents are currently serving in the Paris, France mission. When they left for France in November 2009, we knew that we wanted to go and visit during their time there. But, we really didn't know when. About 3 weeks after they left, we found out that we were pregnant. We went back and forth trying to determine whether we should wait until after the baby was born so that we could take him/her {but then have to worry about carting an infant all over Paris} or if we should take the trip with me being 6 months pregnant. We decided on fitting the trip in before baby.

{Inside the Louvre next to the Law Code of the Hammurabi...we made a detour to find this since it is on my 'list of things to see before I die'}

Suddenly, our planning was kicked into high gear. Scott convinced me to purchase the Rick Steves' Paris guidebook along with his guidebook on all of France. Scott spent hours looking for the best deals on flights, museum passes, and hotels. He pre-ordered tickets to the Eiffel Tower and even laid out a jam-packed itinerary that his man crush {Rick Steves} would be thoroughly impressed with. Now, notice that Scott did all of these things. Yep. That's right. I was not very much help. What can I say, the throwing up 10 times a day really didn't put me in an 'I want to plan a trip' mood. Quite honestly it wasn't until a couple of weeks before that I started to get really excited and started to provide some input.

{One of the many times Scott read to us from Rick Steves...}

And of course, because I started to get excited...the unexpected happened. Complications with my pregnancy took me into the doctor and they started to monitor me for signs of pre-term labor. After a few ultrasound checks my doctor didn't say no to the trip, but she also didn't say yes. She recommended that a couple of days before we were to leave I come in and get the final 'okay'. So, we scheduled the appointment and kept planning.

{Walking to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We counted about 330 stairs to the top. It wasn't until we came back down that we saw the 'Not for pregnant women' sign. Oops.}

The day before the doctor's appointment we got more unexpected news. A volcano had erupted in Iceland and all of the flights in and out of Paris {and most of Europe} had been grounded. Awesome. We were glued to the online news websites which posted any and all updates. And we did a whole lot of praying.

{Me and my pregnant self. Scott was making fun of me for eating almost this entire baguette as we walked down the street. I don't care if I looked like a pig...it was delicious.}

The next day at the doctor's appointment, we got more bad news. My doctor did an ultrasound and said, "I don't think it is a good idea to travel." Of course, I started to cry. {But not because I wasn't going to France.} At that point I was so worried about something happening to my little boy that I didn't know quite how to handle it. After talking to us and thinking for a couple of minutes Dr. Cox asked to be excused to call a specialist and ask his opinion. She provided the specialist with all of my information, measurements, etc, and then came back in the room with a smile on her face and "Good news!" The specialist told her that although those things were cause for concern, he did not think that anything would happen in the next couple of weeks whether I went to France or not. So, we got the green light!

{One of the Sunday afternoons that we were there we went for a drive through the countryside. The top picture is of a church and this second picture is of an old chateau. A special thanks to my wonderful father-in-law who frantically searched for this chateau before we lost light just so we could get some pictures.}

Now, the last obstacle was the volcano. {Just a small one don't you think?} We continued to watch the news and slowly they started to let a few flights through, then closed again, then a few flights, then closed again. The suspense was killing us. The night before we left they hadn't canceled our flight so we continued to make preparations. It was now or never! We loaded up the car, and both went to work the next morning {yes, we both worked a half day on the day we left because we were taking so much time off for the trip...}.

{The dome above Napoleon's tomb...isn't it ironic how France wanted Napoleon back once he was dead? I'm just sayin'.}

It wasn't until we were pulling away from the gate that we both looked and each other with excitement and said, "WE'RE GOING TO FRANCE!" We had been so worried. And yet, we were off--on the first flight to France from Salt Lake in a week.

{Sacre Coeur}

{In front of a cafe where Picasso used to eat.}

{No, we didn't go in. In fact, we got out of that part of town as quickly as possible.}

The flight was long {11.5 hours --direct} but the excitement and movies on Scott’s iPhone helped keep us occupied. It was difficult being pregnant to sit for that long…especially in such tight quarters…so I frequently got up to move around and use the bathroom. Blood clots are always a concern for pregnant women on airplanes so I made certain that about once every hour or so I was up and moving.

Charles de Gaulle was a madhouse. Because flights had been grounded for so long they had us land about 2 miles away from the airport and then shuttled us. It was the first time I’ve taken the stairs down to the tarmac from an airplane. It would have felt movie star-ish if I hadn’t have had a Frenchman much too close for my liking practically pushing up against me from behind. My pregnant self almost smacked him. And then I realized that I was in his country, not mine.

{This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. If Scott would let me frame it and put it in our house, I would. (Don't ask me where I would put it...) This beggar was holding these two puppies who were sitting almost completely upright. All three of them were sound asleep. There are no beggars this cute in Salt Lake.}

{Some of the stained glass in Sainte Chapelle. A-maz-ing.}

After using what turned out to be the nicest bathroom in France, we went down to find our luggage and meet up with Scott’s dad. I’ll never forget turning the corner and seeing Dad’s camera flashing as he greeted us. It was a few minutes of hugs and excitement and then we were off to their apartment to see Mom.

{Notre Dame--We all went inside and did an audio tour of Notre Dame but only Scott & his dad went all the way to the top to take this bottom shot. Okay, maybe that's not the only reason. While they were hiking up all those stairs, Mom & I sat on a bench in the shade and talked. It was a nice break from all of the running around that we did and I don't think I'll ever forget that time we were able to spend together in such a beautiful place.}

When we arrived to their place it was MUCH different than I had expected. In talking to Mom & Dad on the phone, they had made it seem much smaller than it actually is and had also made it sound like a typical missionary apartment. But, it was absolutely beautiful. Mom had put her stylized touch on it and, from the moment we arrived, we felt right at home.

{Scott & his parents in front of a restaurant that their mission president (a family friend on my side) recommended. I love this picture.}

Mom & Dad set us up in their room {which was much too kind of them since that left them to sleep on their air mattress in the living room} and we took a nap for a couple of hours before heading downtown to watch the sunset atop the Eiffel tower.

{Yes, we are tourists!}

{The Hall of Mirrors}

{It was so nice to have someone else there who loves to take pictures as much as I do.}

{Versailles! Definitely one of my favorite (if not my favorite) parts of the trip. Every detail is breathtaking. We toured the palace, ate lunch in the gardens and walked...yes, walked...to the Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, and the Pavillon de la Lanterne. I had no idea how many fountains King Louis had here. And, although it cost the French people a ridiculous amount to built...not to mention the maintenance costs...it is really quite amazing. I've decided that I would love to wakeboard on the Grand Canal. Another thing I learned while here...French people treat pregnant women like they are handicapped. Pregnant women get to cut to the front of lines and use handicapped accessible restrooms...it's part of the culture! Oh, and one more thing. My awesome mother-in-law is truly a walking encyclopedia. She made our time here SO much more interesting because she has read so much about it and was able to share all of her fun facts. I've decided they need to come on all trips with us from here on out.}

The next two weeks were filled with much more than I could have ever imagined. We were able to see so many wonderful things and spend some much needed quality time with two of the most amazing people we know. We visited sites all over the city and then traveled northward to Honfleur, Mont St. Michel and Normandy for a few days. It was simply amazing. Mom’s cooking was also a delicious highlight. Our time there was not nearly long enough.

{Mont St. Michel-Scott wanted to go here and it was such an interesting site. Definitely worth the time we spent scaling the steep, winding, cobblestone roads. We stayed at a small B&B (pictured above) a few miles away and then spent the morning and afternoon here. It was so interesting to learn about life at a monastery. The architecture was phenomenal.}

Before we knew it, Mom & Dad were dropping us off at the airport. It was hard for us to say goodbye knowing that we would not see them again for another year—especially since baby B was making his arrival in only a couple of months. But, we had to. {And ever since then we’ve been desperately searching for a way to go back!}

{This was taken at a cathedral in Normandy. This particular cathedral is as large as Notre Dame. Normandy is a larger town, but it is amazing to drive through the countryside and see that even smaller towns each have huge churches.}

The flight home was not nearly as exciting. {Although, I’ll admit that I was very much looking forward to American toilets…and bathrooms with soap…and toilet paper…} Thoughts of returning to work loomed in our minds and all I could think about was the fact that I didn’t eat nearly as many macaroons as I should have. Dang. Our trip was over.

{Pointe du Hoc}

{Of the 5 pictures Scott took on the trip, this was one of them....and isn't it gorgeous? This is a view of Omaha beach. We stayed at a hotel about 100 yards from where this photograph was taken. It was amazing to watch how quickly the tides came in and out here. While in Normandy we took a day-long D-day tour. At first I didn't like the idea but it turned out to be really neat to see all of the different beaches and to hear the story of what happened on each beach. It is overwhelming to think of how many soldiers lost their lives here.}

I have to say that my favorite line from Scott as we were standing in the customs line upon our return was, “[imagine Scott’s grumpy face] Now what do we have to look forward to?” [Insert my look of complete shock and bewilderment] “Gosh, I don’t know, Scott. How about the fact that we are HAVING A BABY in a couple of months?!” Ah, I love my husband.

{These were taken in Honfleur. We were there only for a half day and it was insanely crowded due in part to it being a Saturday. We had a 'nice' little exchange in the parking lot when we arrived and were afraid that the tires on the car would be slashed by the time we got back. It was so incredibly beautiful and if I knew how to paint, I would have painted the scene here. Honfleur was where we purchased Jeff de Bruges chocolates, macaroons and scented homemade soap.}

France—we miss you. We miss your beautiful yellow fields. We miss your cathedrals. We miss your macaroons and breads. We miss your architecture, your side streets and all those tiny cars. And most of all, we miss Mom & Dad. {Good thing we’ll be seeing them much sooner than we will be able to go back to France.}