Versailles. Versailles! What a beautifully ornate place. Graham always lets me make all the plans, and he is my little tag-along pal. We caught a train leaving the heart of Paris to the visit the Palace of Versailles on the outskirts of the capital. This, for all of my readers who may not know much French Monarchy info, was home to royals like Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. This was a large sprawling landscape consisting of the Palace, the gardens, the Grand Trianon, the Petite Trianon, and, within the Palace, the Hall of Mirrors!

     We have been through so many mansions, cathedrals and monuments now; it's fun to compare and contrast throughout them. Yet again Europe showed that they have an affinity for painted ceilings. There was so much gold leaf paint throughout the Palace, adding that touch of elegance. The chandeliers and mirrors created an aurora around the Hall of Mirrors allowed for another perfect moment in France  Funfact: it took us about 30 minutes to get a photo as good as the one above. It was crawling with tourists and it was practically impossible to get everything in the landscape in one photograph.

    The sheer amount of distance in the Palace's grounds is overwhelming! I knew it would be grand but I didn't really have an understanding of how spread out it would be. As soon as we finished touring the inside we were ready to explore the remaining parts. Of course, like every day we were in France, around 2pm the rain would fall. We were prepared with our raincoats, but I was pretty disappointed that we couldn't view the grounds, with the mystical melodies chiming in from a performance on the grounds trickling in, as detailed as I wanted to. (And I was wearing new flats that rubbed my skin off my foot, so I was walking like an imbecile for the bits we could see.) We trudged onward, buying a trolley ticket to take us to each of the sprawling locations. 

    WOW wish I had the same gardeners the Palace has (Lonnie & Annette- if you're reading this, you also wish you had them). Everything was so well groomed. The intricacy! The ornateness! The showstopping glory of the greenery and water! We were privy to see a great number of fountains, flowers, and lakes. Doesn't water always seem to make a place even more heavenly? Everywhere was bright with colored trees and bushes; walking by provided a sweet scent. There were many paths between all of the aforementioned places. We would pick a beaten road and stroll along, just following it into the gardens. 

    The Petite Trianon was my most favorite; we had a really cool experience there, too. While walking in the gardens it began to rain again (it was very on and off). We ran for shelter under a very large tree that was on the banks of a lake, and on the other side of the lake were vintage cottages and a large windmill. We were hanging out and enjoying the day- for it wasn't a heavy downpour and we were staying rather dry- just repeating "France, can you believe we're here? France!" When we saw a gorgeous swan. He swam right next to the bank, where Graham would reach out to touch him whilst I recorded. The swan, the love of my life, the lake, the windmill, the cottages, France- all in one spot. Picturesque.

    That experience was the epitome of France- beautiful and awe inspiring. We left no food untouched or large monument unseen. It was a grand old time. I am determined to revisit to this kind, historic country again one day!

Paris Pt. II

    We scaled the best parts of Paris and- like you already knew- we did not skimp on the food. When I say the French can cook, I mean it! Everything from cold sandwiches stuffed with boiled eggs to scalding French Onion soup, and every bit of fromage (cheese) in between was finger licking good. The most incredible meal, to me, was a roast chicken drowned in a salty gravy that was bursting with flavor. The side of fries was paired with a weird upscale ketchup that consisted of a pureed tomato with balsamic vinegar? Graham was all about the cold sandwiches and soups. The French desserts that we put under our belts included: eclairs, nutella crepes, panna cotta, creme brulee, flaky pastries and homemade ice cream. What I wouldn't give for a large spread of everything to be sitting in my presence just  now. Except the hot chocolate that we tried at a local pub- that tasted like rubber. ;)

    The Lourve! This was an incredibly huge and somewhat overwhelming museum we visited. My favorite piece was the sculpture of a veiled woman; I can't get over the amount of talent that must have taken to make her so captivating. While touring we saw some sculptures by Michelangelo, incredibly vivid works of art from Egypt (always Graham's fav) and, of course, the Mona Lisa. It was very small, when in comparison to some of the grand works decorating the halls. As the crowd of about 100 people inched closer to the roped off portrait, an Asian lady kept elbowing me to get out of the way! Not once or twice, mind you, and I almost lost my cool, you'll notice that I'm giving her the evil eye in the picture Graham took while it was happening. Beyond that, we experienced so much kindness from the French- very generous people. And yes, I did go back to get a better picture of myself with the portrait.

    Notre Dame was next on the list. Just knowing we were going there made me burst into song (and maybe that incited a little bit of wincing from my boy, who knows). We even passed a souvenir shop named Quasimodo's Trinkets, or something in that vein. The outside was truly delightful, exactly what one would have imagined, though on the smaller side as we have now seen double digits of Cathedrals. There was a thin drizzle so we carried the umbrella around, posing and the like. The stained glass windows were beautiful in the high arched ceilings. We did not end up going up to the bell tower, but instead enjoyed the intricate designs and melody floating throughout it.

    On our last morning in France we decided to go on a bike tour to fully see every bit of the city. This was the best move of the trip! Every afternoon, beginning at 2 pm, rain would heavily fall on and off until we would return to our room for the night. Our tour began early in the morning giving us ample time to enjoy the city with each of the beautiful monuments! It felt so real- as if we could have been true French people enjoying a happy morning, gliding by on cobble stoned streets. To top it off, we learned all the historical facts that we should have picked up from our river cruise. Yes, it was the best time, a breezy ride throughout Paris.

    My favorite pictures of us in France are these two overexposed photos of us with the a carousel & the Eiffel Tower. Just having a goofy old time! That's how it really was for us, the romance & dreaminess was just oozing out of every building, it was shown as we jilted past accordion players and as listened to the heavily accented English words tossed at us. If you're out late, like us, starting at 10 o'clock the Tower lights up on the hour for 5 minutes, where it twinkles and shines with a thrilling beacon of light swirling overhead. Every night we would hang around, eagerly searching for the most ideal spot. Night one we watched from the Seine River, night two we were in park benches very near the belly of it, and for the third night we watched it twice from the Trocadero stop near the Parliament (which was a good piece away). The Eiffel Tower just seemed to cement the fact that Paris was as charming and poetic as everyone chalks it up to be. 

    Paris, you're very dear to my heart- I have the greatest wish to return one day! 

Paris Pt. I

    PARIS! I was here in France feeling as if I was having an outer-body experience. Can it be? Little me in Paris (must be said with a French accent, as to make a rhyme). Oui, oui!

    We arrived by train the morning after we arrived in Europe. We were raring to go do anything! We spent some time on the Metro, which truly was very simple and easy to navigate, found our delightful AirBnB that we had reserved and we were off! The day was cloudy with possible showers expected in the evening, but we were in Paris so who cared?! The first thing we were dying to see was the Eiffel Tower, okay, first and last thing we saw every single day was the Tower :)

    I had underestimated its' size, it was so glorious and gorgeous, the areas surrounding it were so whimsical with the greenery. Don't miss the chance to ride up to the Summit. What's fascinating is that the Parisians are so adamant about their city staying in the same vintage, romantic city that it is- they won't allow skyscrapers and more modern architecture to be put up (at least not without the ability to complain so much they remove it later). Alas, they didn't get the memo beforehand to the builder of the one lone skyscraper in the city, and afterwards it was too hard to remove, so it was really weird to see it sticking out like a sore thumb. Okay, so you get the picture: wonderful city, fantastic buildings everywhere, view from the Eiffel Tower was picturesque. 

    After milling around at the top for as long as possible, we came down to just keep on staring at it! Seriously, we were so transfixed. We grabbed a yummy supper that included Duck Confit, homemade fries (French fries in France... though they aren't French) and warm Camembert cheese with bread. Since the weather was holding out we decided to cash in our river cruise tickets to float along the Siene in the dark. Everything was swell, G and I were in Paris, front and center on the top of the deck on a huge ship about about to give us the details on everything. Did I say that we were in Paris? My dream city? And then the downpour began, a heavy flow and a wideset- anyways. It was bad enough that we had to get on the lower deck. Of course everyone was chattering so we didn't get to have a real tour, but instead just enjoyed the architecture as we rode past it. It took us 3 days to get our shoes to dry out. 

    And after the cruise ended, in conjuction with the rain, of course, we walked towards home. As we crossed the bridge, I looked over at the river and for about 10 seconds I saw the most breath-taking treat of the dazzlement of the sparking Eiffel Tower, twinkling into the night. 

Worst Blogger Ever, Coming In Hot

This blog gives off vibes that tells that it has been neglected. Of course, it wasn't purposeful and I wish that I didn't feel the overwhelming urge to go back to document it. But, I do, because maybe it's important. This is a bit of a recap of some of the bigger things that have been happening in our lives.

-    Our final Disney trip as Annual Passholders. Sigh. As soon we finish up I always immediately want to renew, but this was our second full year with them and I think we need a change. Not to mention we barely have any free time as it is! So another year bites the dust and I already miss the snacks at Epcot. We will absolutely be back, c'mon yall know we are WDW lovers, but who knows when.

-     I was blessed to be able to experience General Conference in Salt Lake City for the April 2016 session! As a little girl I dreamed of my time in SLC, the only real destination I had to see, joyous with the though of hearing the organ and MoTab accompaniment. My Mama, sister Listi, Aunt Tracey and I spent one week out and about the area, too. We had such an amazing time in this marvelous place! We were able to ride snowmobiles on top of a mountain, which caused us to laugh until we cried & could barely walk for all of the layers of clothes we had on. We made the briefest of pit stops in Wyoming, check out the overalls. And lastly, we saw, hallelujah, the Prophet who was physically in much better condition than before, as well as other General Authorities. It was our last huzzah to commemorate Listi as a Sister Missionary.

-    We celebrated 3 years of marriage! Wait, for real? I scratched my head all day on April 13th trying to figure out how it has happened. Sometimes it seems like we just got married and walked into our apartment for the first time, but nope, 3 years happened somewhere in between. The weekend after the actual date Graham planned a fun little scavenger hunt to some of our favorite places! It was really Sweet (Pete's was one of our stops ;). We rounded out the night with a swanky dinner at Matthew's in San Marco- you'll spy ahi tuna with caviar in the last photo. Thanks Graham, 3 years wed and I still love you to pieces!

-    I was in a wedding! Miranda, one of my longest and most beloved friends, tied the knot last month and invited me to be her Matron of Honor. I happily accepted :) There was a gorgeous ceremony and reception on the beach in St. Augustine. It was truly a joy to be apart of it. There were also some very sentimental pieces in honor of our 3rd best friend Nicole, who passed in 2014. This one day was jam packed with so much nerves, love and celebrating, it was wonderful- congrats again Jeremy and Miranda! (Also, these pictures were all taken with my phone, one day I hope to add a professional picture or two,)

 -    If you've kept up with us on social media, you'll know that we recently got back from a big vacation in England and France. We love Europe, even with stress up to our eyeballs we enjoy it so much that we already are trying to figure out if we can go again next year to a new place to invite more stress! But it really is fun to just get away with just the 2 of us working hard to have a great time on the other side of the world. There is many photos and memories I hope to share in the next post, be on the look out! In the meantime you'll see a picture of us waiting to board a train into France from England where we very nearly missed our train by not understanding that we should have arrived 1 hour prior to go through security and 2 sets of Customs. Instead we showed up 30 minutes early, squandered 15 of that to find the right departure places only to find out about the necessary hou. The sheer grace of God was shown on us and allowed our train to be late enough to ensure that  we didn't have to go through the drama and anxiety of buying new tickets, re-evaluating plans and wasting time. These are faces of relief and happiness.

YEAR THREE

    Another year has passed us by! There are times when it seems like we have just walked out of the Orlando Temple with grins that stretched across our whole faces. But in actuality we've experienced so much during married life. People said to watch out for that first year, but our biggest moments of trial didn't appear until later.
    But it's still been so good, so so good. The difficult bits can be deflected when you're bound to a quipster. I still can't get over how much more fun life is with Graham by my side. He is my eternal beacon of hope, determination and goofiness. He really does make me feel like I can get through anything and I need that. 3 married years. Are we even newlyweds anymore? ;) Thanks for everything you do for our family, G! It certainly doesn't go unnoticed and unappreciated. I admire you in so many ways and feel proud to be your companion. You've been my greatest asset in dealing with the hard times and helping me realize the good, there truly is so much of it. You are my best friend in all the world, simply a gem. Compliments abound because I think you deserve them; I love you forever & a day. Happy 3rd anniversary.
 



                          

Sister Listi Mizell's Homecoming

          

   When Listi initially told me about her desire to go on a mission to describe myself as 'floored' wouldn't quite give the correct description. As a little girl I used to tell anyone who would listen that I couldn't wait to be a LDS Missionary, and especially hoped to get a call to Salt Lake City. I can't think of a single time I heard Listi express that. But that's how the Spirit works- we are all called in unique and important ways, individual to us, even if it comes as a surprise.  

    Anyways, so she announced it, we prepped for a letter opening and anxiously awaited to see how it would unfold. The Arizona Tucson Mission, English speaking, leaving in 8 weeks. Everyone kicked it into high gear to soak in as much of her as possible. Then when our time was spent, Mama and I flew with her to the Missionary Training Center. As we soaring across the skies heading home without her I said, "Can you believe that we are actually leaving her on the other side of the country by herself?" Mama snapped back, "Hush, I can't think about it right now."

    Suddenly Monday was a treasured day as we'd look forward to emails and pictures from her. We'd get the privilege of following along with her new friends' conversion stories, we'd gasp and giggle when she old us about crazy situations she put herself in (falling off her bike or skinning a squirrel, for starters). From the outside looking in, I could see so much growth in her as a young adult. Her testimony shined through. Once, a family member told me that they were enjoying the world that they had never seen through my eyes- I was kind of taken aback. After all, how can you do that without seeing it for yourself? But through Listi's Missionary journey it finally clicked. I realized that as I told everyone I knew that I was living vicariously through my sweet sister, she was fulfilling a dream for the both of us. (My life is a series of 'it comes full-circle.')

    After her final phone call home, Christmas 2015, February 17th came about faster than I thought it would. 18 months had truly ran on by without our realizing. Her hair had grew back, her knowledge of the Gospel had increased tenfold and emotions were everywhere. She wanted to be home, but she also didn't. I understand that to a degree; she told me, "I finally got put on the path to my divine potential." As someone who loves her, my heart could have burst with sheer pride. 

    But that specific chapter of hers, though as incredible as it was, had to come to an end; she had to come home. Of course, she was happy about coming home too! She knew she had a small legion of loved ones waiting to greet her. She packed everything of hers up, for the final time, and caught a plane heading for Georgia. While she was en route everyone was a little panicky- not out of fear of an accident but nervous beyond belief! We arrived at the airport over 2 hours early, just in case ;) There was so many of us, and almost everyone held a homemade sign, that people began to ask what the big deal was- We've spent an incredibly long and hard 18 months with minimal contact from a 20 year old; we missed holidays, her birthday and the simple daily things in her life. She did a fantastic thing, but we want to see her! Right now!

    When she came out of that terminal it was so significant- she was a Returned Missionary. She had preached the Gospel in a car, on a bike, on foot, in homes, outside, in the blazing hot sun and with the slightest touch of snow. She shared bedrooms with girls she had never before met, in cities she had never visited, in the best of times and worst of times. She sacrificed weddings, births, special events, going to school, going on dates and all in between. She battled homesickness, depression, ADHD and came out victorious. She used the hardest 18 months of her life to better the lives of other people. It's impossible for me to reiterate what an example she set for me by taking on this difficult task and doing a bang up job. 

    Her homecoming was a glorious day for out family. Not a single person could contain their excitement. Our first Sister Missionary was already back home to us! We all united, yet again, for someone we admire. And boy oh boy do we love her!

Late February 2016

   I have had the most busy past 3 weeks- the only time I can remember feeling more frantic for time was the month prior to my wedding! I'm going to try to hit up some highlights but I'll be back for more thorough reports later.

-I bought a new car! This vehicle is seriously the light of my life right now. Through a few series of blessed occurrences we came across this incredible deal from, of all places, Craigslist! Extra big shoutout to my husband for finding it, my BFF Miranda for making a 3 hour round- trip last minute test drive session and my parents for their endless answers to my uber frequent calls (truly up to 15 times a day). Car buying is not for the faint of heart, but boy oh boy and I happy we did it! This Toyota RAV4 has me feeling like I own the world.

-I started back to work as a Substitute. It has been a fun change from the usual! No longer do I watch my little niece during the week so I had more free time and an urge to make some money. The biggest problem was that with Young Women, doctor's appointments, our planned trips and general errand running I needed some flexibility. This was the most obvious and convenient solution- particularly considering my 3 years of prior experience. Figuring out how this county's school system works versus back home has been quite the challenge but almost entirely positive.

-My sister came off her mission! I am going to post many pictures, videos and sappy words later- I'm having trouble with the video making and I dread purchasing a new program so it's stalled. We had a joyous reunion, one I won't be forgetting. For now, suffice it too say, I'm grateful she is back in Georgia.