the good of P A R I S

It was an eye-opening trip. I think it will always be known as the trip that didn't quite go as planned out in my mind. There were some stressful moments, but also looking back at a week in Paris, some things that I really liked.

These are the things I want to remember.

1. Free Water- specifically long baths and lots of showers. With a hotel room over $500 a night most nights, I guess it wasn't completely free, but you understand what I'm saying. The boys were all encouraged to take long, hot showers and baths as many times a day as they wanted. With our expensive water in Germany, it was nice to let up a little.
We'll be reconciling our water bill/useage in the next couple weeks, so I'll know exactly how expensive it has been.  Again, I've been told to be afraid: very afraid.
2. Housekeeping. I hope they didn't think for a minute that I'd have the {do not disturb} sign on the door. What mom doesn't take advantage of a housekeeper when they can get one? She may as well have kept the {please clean} side out and hanging for the duration of our stay.
And yes, I let them know {in sign language, of course} I needed clean sheets- every day.

3. Lots and lots of bread- yummy bread. Our favorites were the croissants- enjoyed by all of us every day at breakfast. Light and fluffy. Combined with a delicious raspberry and peach fruit spread, I didn't need anything else.
Ty and I also discovered the crepes- so French, don't you think? Thankfully, they were brought out the last day of our trip, I might have gained a full ten pounds just from crepes alone had they been offered earlier. Delicious.

4. Swimming and The Pool. Outdoor pools in 100 degrees are of course my favorite. An indoor hotel pool is a nice second choice. It wasn't huge or super deep and we had to occasionally share it with the French grandpa in spandex shorts, but it was a pool.

Perfect for draining energy from four active boys, we enjoyed it just about every day. Justin and Ty discovered the steam and relaxation rooms as well after hitting the work-out room.

5. Beautiful buildings and monuments with lots and lots of history. While it wasn't the most romantic city to me, I did appreciate the beauty and history surrounding us as we walked through downtown Paris.

Notre Dame, The Eiffel Tower- it is pretty cool to say we've been there, walked around {and up to the top} and taken in the beauty of them both along with many other massive structures along the way.

6. Down Time which was much needed and long overdue. I even snuck in a couple naps. Not as many as Justin {every afternoon}, but as one who rarely naps catching a couple felt good.

7. Glass-bottled Evian water. I know I'm super silly. For some reason, water just tastes so much better when drinking it out of glass instead of plasic. I just love it.
Not specific to Paris, but it was nice to have a new glass on the nightstand each day.

8. Theirry- a new French friend. Jim's Paris connection is a man by the name of Theirry. After weeks of working together, they became fast friends and enjoyed getting to know each other. It helps that his English is very good. He was a great resource for understanding the French and Paris.

One super late night, Jim returned to the hotel from work with a wrapped-up package for me from Theirry. I was shocked to open it and find a beautiful bottle of French perfume. Unexpected gifts are always the best! I hadn't even smelled it and was so grateful for the gesture- so sincere.

He's invited us back to Paris {many, many times} and asked Jim to stay at his house with our family. A genuine guy- we might have to take him up on his gracious offer.
9. My hard-working husband. The pride I felt as the wife of a husband working so hard and doing such a great job was enormous.

I am always impressed and so in love with Jim's work ethic- it's super attractive to me. I can only hope our boys learn to work as hard as their dad does- they have an amazing example. This assignment definitely displayed what he's made of.

It was a super long three solid weeks especially for Jim, but he did an amazing job keeping it together to get through the air show.

While the crews and most everyone else showed up between 8:00 and 10:00 each morning, Jim was at the airport between 6:30 and 7:00 daily. Days were long and several nights he wasn't back to the hotel until after 10:00 or 11:00.

Even on the one afternoon he had off that we went downtown as a family, his cell phone didn't stop ringing. It definitely wasn't a Paris vacation for him.

He's been in an office for several years, but planes are what he knows and where he excels. It was rough not being around each other very much, but I understood the reason he was there and very proud of the job he accomplished.

10. Time with my boys. Whether they'll admit it or not, I love that my boys love each other. While the little guys have always gotten along better than the big boys, the dynamics between the four are normally exciting with tender moments from time to time. If I don't blink, I get lucky enough to catch these sweet times.

Being away as a family forces us to be together with fewer distractions. My friend says she calls it FFT {forced family time}, I have to agree. They're still smiling and we had lots of laughs. I am realizing our time is limited before the big boys head off to college. I'm trying to treasure the time we have before they start to leave the nest.

In the end, I like to think we're closer as a family. Thanks, Paris.