Il Dolce far Niete

One of our favorite places in Paris is Luxembourg Gardens.  The first time we went there, we walked around the big lake where the children sail the boats, sat in some chairs, and thought the whole place wonderful.

A few years later, we rented an apartment one block from Luxembourg, and as we entered the closest gate, we didn't recognize anything we saw.  We literally spent the entire day wandering around, and never even found the original lake we remembered.  We were awed not only by the sheer size of the park, but the many, many, intimate settings you could find to sit and relax, and feel like the park was there just for you.  

There's a huge children's area, along with basketball and tennis courts, and pony rides,

a puppet theater, 

  


food areas, 

huge green spaces, 

(stay off the grass, s'il vous plait)

 an art museum, numerous statues,

even a pavilion for concerts, 

 other lakes and fountains, unbelievable trees and vegetation, fruit trees, and even an area full of tiny, adorable bee hives, occupied by french bees! 

 I could go on and on.  We ended up going to the garden every single day for the entire week.  The weather was perfect that year, and we fell in love with 

il dolce far niete

 (Italian for 'the sweetness of doing nothing'). 

 I have never done anything like that on a vacation.

 It was heavenly.

A favorite of Scott's, was sitting by the Boules Court, and watching the men play boules. They take it very seriously.  If you've ever seen Samantha Brown on the travel channel when she goes to Paris, on one episode, she plays boules with some really cute, elderly men...I hope you've seen the episode, it will make this clip a lot better if you have...

We spent a lot of time watching them...free entertainment... and I could tell, Scott was imagining himself doing exactly this, in this exact spot, in his old age.  I had to video on the side, and talk super softly, because they were really serious about the whole thing.

Here's another clip.  I won't point out the obviously hilarious double meaning in this clip... I think you'll get it all by yourself...it was accidental... I PROMISE!  But later that evening, I showed it to Scott, and as we listened to it, we went into hysterical fits of laughter.  
Hope you get a laugh too!

~Teri

Speaking French

As you all know... when you go to Paris, it is imperative that you go there with a working knowledge of at least 5 phrases in French.  Before our first trip, I bought the CD's and practiced in my car.  I knew how to say the basics, tell the weather (incase anyone asked) and could count to 100.  Yes, I had French in the palm of my hand.

The reality hit me like a ton of bricks once I stepped onto French soil.  I felt like a fake... anytime I opened my mouth, I knew they knew that I wasn't one of "them"... still, somehow, whenever I tried, I got a smile.  

I've heard the French are rude my entire life.  I did not find this to be true at all.  As long as I played by the rules and spoke French, things were fabulous.  I expected Scott to feel the same way, and jump right in and try... but there is one huge, colossal difference between he and I.  I am perfectly willing to jump in with both feet and make a fool of myself, if needed.  Scott does not in any way feel the need or desire to jump into ANYTHING, until he's sure he will not embarrass himself.  So... I did ALL the talking on that first trip...all the ordering... all the question asking... everything.  I was annoyed at first, but adjusted quickly.  Necessity was my motivation.

I had also heard that French people will not talk to you, or answer you on the street.  I read they are actually shy, not rude, and most of them are just as uncomfortable speaking English, as we are French... and bonus, we usually massacre the pronunciation, so most times, they honestly don't know what we are trying to say.

Once (well, one time of many) we were hopelessly lost... I got up my nerve, and walked right up to a frenchman on the street.  I said (in French) with my best Texas accent... "So sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where Rue Cler is?"  I knew I was saying it correctly... I practiced it in my mind over and over before I said it.  The reaction?  He stared at me... blankly!  I was not to be deterred... I repeated the question THREE times!  Finally, a light seemed to go off in his head, he smiled ever so slightly, and pointed to the street sign on the side of the building.  WE WERE STANDING ON RUE CLER!!!  

It was so worth it... we saw this man walking up and down the street, greeting every single shop keeper.  I couldn't help it... I walked right up to him, and asked if I could take a picture with him.  

He began telling us his life story, in French, and even pulled papers out of his pocket, showing when he arrived in France from Italy, 50 years ago.  When he finally took a breath, he realized we didn't understand.  He said, "No French??? No Italian???"  When I shook my head he said, "Hello....goodbye."  Cute!

Now for the greatest thing that happened on trip one.  By day two we were both hopelessly in love with Paris, and by day 8, we were the two saddest people you've ever seen, loading up in the taxi to head to the airport.  Scott had watched me all week, muddle through.  He finally decided to give French a go.  The taxi pulled up to CDG, and the driver unloaded our bags.  Scott paid the fare, and as the driver was getting back in his car, Scott said rather loudly, while waving, "Bonjour, bonjour!"  The driver gave him a blank stare, and half waved back.  I held my laughter... until we got inside.  I looked at Scott and said, "Bonjour means hello... au revoir means goodbye."  Scott looked a little deflated... and then we had a good laugh together.

Such great memories...

~Teri

Invalides

Napoleon I is buried in SIX coffins.  Really, it's true... and whenever I hear that statement, I crack up...

On our first trip to Paris, we went totally blind.  No guide, no help, no group tour, nothing.  It was the biggest blessing to tour Paris this way... it's the only way in my opinion, as long as you have tons of patience.  We were constantly lost, tired, and hungry.  How our marriage survived and thrived during that first trip remains a mystery.

So one day we ventured out, and for the very first time during that trip, we went exactly right to the spot we needed... no back tracking... no deer-in-the-headlights look... we walked right up to the Rodin museum.  See how proud I look???

This photo was taken about 30 seconds before I read the sign... CLOSED on Mondays!  I thought I would cry.  We slowly walked away, and came upon this magnificent building.

I said to Scott, "Hey... I've seen this building in the book...I think we are supposed to see this, I think it's important."  (That's how clueless we were).  We crossed the street, and realized it was Invalides... I quickly scanned the guidebook, and explained to Scott that it's a war museum, and where Napoleon is "buried"... (well... sort of).  Inside we were not disappointed.  It is a beautiful building full of war memorabilia... Scott's favorite.  

 I read in the guidebook that Napoleon is entombed in six coffins.  As we wandered the museum, I looked around, confused.  Everything was in French, of course, and for the life of me, I couldn't grasp the six coffin concept.  I saw lots of coffins...his brother, other military leaders, etc.  In the center of the building, is one huge beautiful casket...

All I could think was... 

"This must be where his head is.  It's the biggest, most elaborate one... but I wonder where the other five caskets are??? What is the reason... did they put the legs in one, the arms in one, the torso..."  

I thought the whole thing a little macabre!  Finally, I mentioned this to Scott, and well... he stared at me a moment, and started laughing.  I hate not to be in on the joke, but instinctively, I started laughing too, a nervous laughter. He said, and I quote, "The coffins are inside one another you idiot." This was said with love and care of course.

 Here's the explanation, that I guess should have been obvious:

The first coffin is tin, the second mahogany, the third and fourth lead, the fifth ebony, and the sixth porphyry. Porphyry simply means stone.  (answers.com)

We still laugh about this!  I wonder... has anyone else thought what I thought???

~Teri

 

Very Unscientific Drawing

Good Morning!

It's time for the giveaway drawing. 

Here is my very unscientific hopper for the names:

Here is the winner...

Incase you can't read that... it's Cathi!

You must, must, must click over to her blog, Everyday Adventures of a Curious Gal.  She loves to travel, and has fabulous pictures and great posts.  She has a second blog, Everyday Matinees for Seniors that is tied to a non-profit organization she started in memory of her father.  Read her profile...she is an amazing gal, and truly gives of herself.

I actually prayed before I drew a name, that the person that most needed a "happy" surprise, be chosen... so Cathi... I am sending you an email requesting your address. As soon as I get it, I will send the package your way.

Thanks for all who entered.  Next post... back to Paris!

~Teri

Giveaway Day!

 Giveaway!

Here are the details...

Just for fun!

Good Luck... Your chances of winning are really, really, good!

~Teri

Hello 2011

It's a New Year... hummmmm...usually I am SO into January.  It's almost as good as September with the feeling of a fresh start.  Sometimes I wonder when I don't have any more kids in the house, if September will have the same feel... I tend to think so... old habits die hard.

This is the first beginning to a new year, that I don't feel the love of moving forward.  You see, Scott's cancer has spread.  Not hugely, but even a tiny bit is too much in my estimation.  Luckily, we didn't find out until Dec. 27, so Christmas was wonderful.  I will admit though, that a big, dark cloud feels like it's hanging on the horizon.  I WILL get past this feeling I know... but I feel compelled to be honest here, and not tell you what I think you want to hear... but to tell you the truth.  This is hard.

Now...moving on.

Scott has asked me to start blogging again.  He says he misses Paris so much, and would I please get back to it.  So here's a short video.  It's our very last night in Paris this past September.  We had walked through the COLD and RAIN to our favorite place, and it was CLOSED.  We were devastated.  We had saved it for our last night.  We walked back towards the apartment, and ducked into this tiny restaurant that we have eaten at before.  Not the best food in the world, but passable, and cheap!  I just love the atmosphere.

You know when you are doing something, and at that moment, you realize you will never forget it?  This is one of those moments.  We were having such a great time laughing at nothing, even though the return to the U.S. was hanging heavily over our heads.  We didn't get in until after 11pm.  It was a great night.

So signing off today with some giggles.  Hope you giggled too!  OH... and Happy New Year!

Teri
 P.S. Please don't feel like you have to comment or respond to my news on Scott.  You have ALL shown your kindness and thoughtfulness in numerous comments.  I hate to think anyone is sitting there trying to think of what to say. I understand... and I know each and every one of you is sending thoughts our way.

Merry Christmas

To all my fabulous, wonderful, blog friends...

Have a wonderful, merry, heartfelt Christmas, and a wonderful start to the New Year.

On behalf of Scott, he would like to say Thank You for all the incredible comments, prayers, and thoughts that have been sent his way. They mean a lot.

Check you next year!

~Teri

Almost forgot... wanted to send a few snowy pictures a friend of ours took while in Paris 2 weeks ago.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

This week Scott and I had to go to Orlando for two days of tests.  We thought about driving back and forth, but the first appt was at 6:45am, so instead of driving and hour and a half, my thought was "HOTEL"... so we booked a room near the medical center for two nights, and decided to turn it into a mini-vacation.

Orlando... sometimes I don't give that town any credit other than a town built around Disney.  We rarely drive past the Disney exits... we enter that magical area... and as they so cleverly designed it, we never have to leave.  The memories of my kids growing up going there year after year, many times a year (season pass) have made life all the richer.

So... now we were venturing into Orlando, the city. Our hotel, of course, was near another theme park... Sea World.  All the hotels are so themed, so we were treated to a 1950's style hotel with aquas and yellows and polka dots.  It was really cute.  Big flatscreen TV's were everywhere, with very calming videos of sea creatures swimming slowly by.  Here is the pool area... told you everything in this town is themed...

The first night, as we parked in the lot, we were treated to the Sea World nightly fireworks show just over the fence.

I did some research before we left, and did I have a surprise for Scott.  The first night we drove to Winter Park (a suburb) and went to a restaurant called The Paris Bistro on Park Avenue.... need I say more?  It was FABULOUS.  I ordered Bistro Salad and Cunard Aux Peches (although I chose the cherry sauce), and Scott ordered Onion Soup and Lapin Aux Pruneaux.  Both dishes were fantastic.  I was too embarrassed to take a picture of our food like I do in Paris, but I have to say, the meal was as good as anything we've had there.  Here are a few shots I took from outside the restaurant...

You walked along here to the restaurant entrance.

If you look closely, you can see the red velvet banquets, and the gold and red toile wall paper... tres chic!  If you are ever in Orlando... be sure to give this place a try. It is in the middle of a very upscale shopping area.

Speaking of shopping... it's not my favorite thing to do, especially malls... but the following day, it was so blasted cold (seriously...it was 25 degrees that morning) that we decided to try out Mall of Millenia after his appt that morning. 

 As far as malls go, this one is TOPS.  It's really open and airy and beautiful... pristine bathrooms and public areas, and the most whimsical Christmas decorations I've ever seen.  Scott allowed me to shop for my Christmas presents from him, so that did make it a little tolerable.  Yes, there was a Louis Vuitton store, and I swear that man would have sprung for one, but I had set a budget for Christmas, which was light years from the price of that purse, but it was absolutely gorgeous in person and so sleek to the hand!

Even though Scott would have bought it, I am the sensible one, and instead chose this little number...

 The Cuisinart Griddler. As you can see, it can be a panini press, a half grill/half griddle, or full grill/full griddle... and bonus, the heating plates go in the dishwasher!

We leisurely walked the mall, stopped for coffee and walked again.  For dinner we went to Brio Tuscan Grille... we weren't expecting much for a mall restaurant, but we were blown away by the food.  Again, a meal we will remember.  I had crab and shrimp cakes, and Scott had grilled salmon over angel hair pasta.  YUM.

So we had a wonderful few days of eating and shopping.  A time that could have been depressing and ugly, was actually a lot of fun. Hope you've enjoyed this impromptu tour of Orlando.

To coin a phrase... when Life Gives you Lemons...

Oh, that Blue Box!

Hope this finds everyone having a wonderful Christmas season.... I know I am!  I felt the need this year to keep it simple, plan ahead, and get it all done early.  As of today, I am totally finished shopping, wrapping, and decorating.  I've never been this organized, and I have to say, it has really made this time of year more fun.  Almost all the gifts I bought are in a particular theme, which has made it so creative.  I have not agonized this year over the "perfect gift" but instead, bought what I liked, with the person in mind, and moved on from there.  Simple, easy, stress free.

Now speaking of gifts... I told you all a few posts ago, that I would share my Tiffany moment with you... so here we go...

Back in the summer, I went to the beach with a group of girls that I hang with. We all frequent the same beach, about an hour from where we all live, where a friend has a beach house she rents out.  This particular week, we all had kids and husbands in tow.  Fun, but... well... we all decided to plan a girl's weekend for the end of October... no kids, no husbands.

About two weeks before the weekend, is when we found out that Scott's cancer was back. At this point, I considered canceling, but decided just to show up if I could.  As I shared before, this was really hard news to take.  This is the time which I was Googling every minute of everyday, spending time on the phone, and in the library.  I had massive headaches everyday as well.  Scott knew this was stressing me out, but that's just life sometimes.  He insisted I go to the beach, and not Google or read anything about cancer while I was there.  I went, planning to come home after two days.  I felt bad leaving him.

Well... once I was at the beach, it was SO relaxing, and beautiful, and fun.  On the third day, I knew I should head home, but as sunset was imminent, and I was sitting in my beach chair with sand between my toes, sans headache, I called Scott from my cell, and told him I was staying until Sunday... was that okay???? "Sure" he said, but deep down, I knew he wanted me HOME.

An hour or so later, I got a text from my oldest daughter, that said, "Why is there a blue Tiffany bag hanging from the light in the breakfast room?"  

WHAT???????  I read this text to my friends, and we had no idea what to make of it.  I didn't dare mention it to Scott, because if there really was a bag there, he would kill my daughter for telling me!

I stewed about this all evening and night and into the next day.  I felt TERRIBLE that I didn't go home as planned, especially since there was obviously a gift waiting for me.

So Sunday afternoon, I walked in to a perfectly clean house, lunch ready and waiting, and a Tiffany bag hanging right over the table.  I "acted" surprised... and let me tell you, I'm a terrible actor.  

The bag was empty!!!  Well... it had a card inside with a clue to the blue box... like a scavenger hunt.  From that box, was another clue, to another blue box.  I know he really wanted to show me how much he appreciated all the support.  SO sweet!

Later, I of course had to admit that I knew about the bag.  He said, "I know... I told Meagan to text you that, just so you'd worry about it all night!"  Can you even believe that????   I knew he wanted me home :).

Inside the first box was a sterling silver band, that had I Love You printed all the way around.  The second box had the matching bracelet.  I wear them both every, single day.  Simple, elegant, perfect!

***************************************

One of my goals during this whole ordeal, has been to de-stress Scott's life as much as possible.  Last night was perfect.  He came home to cajun bean soup in the crock pot, an open bottle of red wine, (Dr. orders...did I mention Scott loves his new Dr ;), candles lit, and music playing... it was wonderful. 

Take time this season to be intentional...if you don't, the season will pass you by, and you'll wonder where the magic went.  In our family, we are all getting together on Thursday nights throughout the holidays, and having game night.  I have also planned a Christmas Tea for my daughters, granddaughter, and mom.  I am even going to decorate cookies, something I usually decide is too much trouble, and too messy.  This year, I feel free to do this, because I am not stressed. 

Now finish up your shopping, keep it simple, and enjoy... 

Teri's orders!

The Best Things In Life Are Free!

Hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving...

Indulge me for a moment please...

just a few :)

 The newest grandchild... Luke, 5 months old, with Poppy.

Leila came over to cook with Gigi... I wonder where her apron came from????

 Concentration!

 This photo explains so much...

Oh no... like father, like daughter! 

 Cute smiles!

Here is most of the gang playing Bananagrams...we give Leila a few tiles, and as soon as she gets them in a perfect line...well, she wins!

Hope you had an awesome time of food and family this Thanksgiving!

~Teri

Update

So... I'm finally ready to give you all an update on our lives.  It's so weird how life can change so quickly.  I'm breaking my 2 min. post rule... you've been warned.

I decided when I started this blog it was just to talk about Paris, and to hopefully be uplifting and inspiring in whatever way comes out.  I also decided I would stay away from the big two... R and P (religion and politics).  I promise I won't get into politics... there's enough of that on TV already... and I won't get into religion.  Religion is just a preference... as in "what religion are you?"  But what I cannot even begin to get away from is telling you how God has worked in our lives thus far... with this very unexpected turn of events.  Talk about inspiring!!!!!!

Scott was diagnosed over 2 years ago with prostate cancer... did the treatment... done deal... glad that's over. 

 But here we sit, with a reoccurrence.  Hold on there missy... this is not the special club I wanted an invitation to.  I wanted to be in the "I beat cancer and never heard another peep from it again" club! But that was not to be. 

So we decided to go the second opinion route, after all, the first treatment certainly didn't cure him.  We had a long phone consultation with a new doctor Monday night, after he reviewed all of Scott's records, biopsies, tests, labs, etc.  The news was not good. In his exact words... 

"This is Scott's last ditch effort.  We need to throw everything we've got at this." 

 Oh, and how about this one, 

"I feel certain this cancer has spread in microscopic amounts."

HOW'S THAT???? What do you even do with that?  He wasn't alarming in his presentation, just honest.  Well... you can only imagine the conversation we had that night!  It was more than upsetting.  I went to bed in a fog and woke up in a fog.  I couldn't pray at all, and hadn't been able to in a couple weeks really.  There were just no words, and I felt like my Heavenly Father was a million miles away.  Feelings can be quite deceiving!  It wasn't that I thought He really abandoned me, my faith told me that would never happen, but it FELT like I couldn't communicate like I always had.  I wasn't angry or mad... just confused and sad beyond anything I had ever experienced.

For the past few weeks, I have been the absolute Google queen.  Ask me anything about P. cancer... I got my PhD by way of computer (and yes, I only stuck to reputable sites). Some people told me to stop, but for some reason, I couldn't.  I also checked out books from the library.  I was a walking talking encyclopedia of information.  I guess it was my way of coping.

This is the binder I made for all the paperwork...there's another, thicker one for bills and insurance stuff...every cancer patient needs a secretary. My children will laugh at this because I never allowed 'that word' to be said in my house... times change :)

So Tuesday was spent setting up new appointments, verifying insurance, blah, blah, blah. I was mentally exhausted. I woke up Wednesday, still in the fog, and decided to just stop all the research until we see the new Dr. in person. 

 But... there was still more to know... there was mention of a couple drugs Scott might have to go on... must Google side effects... then I'll stop.  "Something" told me to also write down any questions I might have.  If they are down on paper, I wouldn't forget them, and I can sorta quit thinking about them.  So I spent one more hour at the computer.  I wrote down all I found about the drugs and side-effects, wrote down my questions, and closed the notebook.  This would all have to wait until December.  

THEN... miracle... the phone rang.  It was the nurse practitioner at the new office... "Hi Mrs. _______ do you have any questions about anything???"  I had to LAUGH.  Little did she know!  I opened my notebook, and fired away.  By the time we were finished, I felt the weight of the world was off my shoulders.  Seriously... it was amazing.  Can't even describe the timing... how God comes through when you are at such a low point to say, 

"I'm HERE, and I HEAR you."

I called Scott, shared all the concerns we had along with answers, and of course we had to meet for lunch to celebrate.  The cancer was still there, but the road map was set.  We felt so much better.

But there's more... last night Scott went out to get the mail, and there was a package from a complete stranger (sent via a great new friend I have that is going through cancer as we speak).  It was the sweetest thing ever!!! 

 I haven't even had time to write her a note, but I wanted to share what she sent Scott and I...

I just looked up her blog... she's a blogger of course!  Please go by and visit her @

ruthiesgift.blogspot.com

I will be sitting in bed with my Scott's iPad tonight, reading every word.

So... there's my long update.  I have a few blogposts in waiting, and will send them along once or twice a week.  I miss reading your blogs... I'm sure they are much more fun than what I've been reading.  I will get back to commenting soon!

~Teri

P.S. I did not go into specifics about what treatments Scott did or did not do.  Everyone is an individual, and unique.  I never want to influence anyone in what they, or someone they know, should or should not do.  If anyone wants to ask any specific questions, my email is always open!

Paris...Where Did You Go?

Paris seems a millions miles away.  We were just there 5 weeks ago, but it seems like it was five years ago.  I looked at a few of our videos today, and decided to share one quick one with you.  

Paris is a romantic city, and I wanted to leave our mark there during this trip, because for many reasons, I think it might be awhile before we return.  I had read there are 2 bridges that "lovers" put a lock on, as a symbol of their love, and a symbol that they will return to Paris someday.  I hid the lock in my luggage, and explained this to Scott when we got there.  He went along with it... but I could tell his heart wasn't in it... until we got to the bridge.  

I think he enjoyed doing it. You should have seen us picking out the perfect spot. As you can see, many people don't know about the locks, and they tie whatever they have on hand on the bridge. I'm not sure how long the locks stay before they are cut off, but we did it!

No news on Scott yet.  Waiting on more tests, and now a second opinion.  All is as it's always been... no symptoms, just an invisible enemy wreaking havoc in our lives.

I will share my thoughts and feelings with you whenever I figure out what they are :). 

Have a blessed day! 

~Teri