15 years and counting!

Matt and I recently celebrated our 15 year anniversary.

15 years ago, the man of my dreams brought me here and married me for time and all eternity.  Now, 5 kids later and several life experiences later, I wouldn't have it any other way!  Our life isn't perfect, by any means,  whose is?  But it IS very VERY Good!!

We took the kids to Paris, France last year, but traveling with kids we have learned that you never get to see all that you want to see.  We decided to go back, just the two of us, for our anniversary!

It was so MUCH Fun!!!

 So, I had checked to forecast before we left, and it was supposed to be sunny both days we would be in France...we get there and are welcomed by a constant drizzle.  Being unprepared (you would think I would learn...) I did not pack umbrellas.  Luckily our hotel let us use one, which we then preceded to leave in the restaurant after we ate dinner.  Luckily the hotel was very understanding and didn't charge us for it!

 One of the places we wanted to see was the Musee de l'Armee

This is where Napoleon's tomb is located...right smack under that gold gilded dome.

 Napoleon's tomb...

 What the dome looks like from the inside.

It is reported that there is 26 pounds of gold leaf decorating the dome.

A very majestic resting place, if I don't say so myself.

 Next, right across from the Army museum, is the Musee Rodin.

I always wanted to go here to see the "Thinker".

We tried to get a shot of him with the dome of the Army museum behind him...you can kind of see him, but he blends into the trees so well.  

We need a better camera!

Me thinking with the Thinker.

 We thought this was funny, but randome.  Here is a Urban gas stop.  The pump is right next to the road, pull up and fill up, then be on your way, without turning into a gas stations.  We saw these all over in Rome as well, I guess they are popular here in Europe?

 Next was the Sacre-Coeur

This is a cool pilgrimage church.  There are rows and rows of steps leading up to this church.  No pictures were allowed inside, but it was still pretty.  Not the prettiest or grandest I have seen, but still very beautiful.

 We topped off the night with a river Cruise down the Sein River, and then a night walk to our fancy restaurant  which was past the Eifel Tower.

 We didn't take pictures of the river cruise or the restaurant  our camera isn't at it's best in low light...but we do have lots of goofy pics of Matt and I on his iphone!

We always wanted to eat a fancy french dinner in a France, so that is how we capped off our anniversary!  our Reservastion was for 9pm, and it was worth the wait!  When ordering in france you pay for several courses, our menu was 36 euro a piece which is a deal in France!  We ate at Le Florimond, which is a favorite of locals, so we thought it must be good.  We were not disappointed!  We had wonderful appetizers, beautiful main dishes, and gourmet desserts.

It. Was. Fabulous!

 We walked off dinner by taking Rick Steve's Champs-Elysees night walk that ended at the Arc de Triomphe.  

It was a magical day!

 Here is a picture of me in front of our cute hotel.  I LOVED it.  It was so typical of Paris, you see these wierd corner buildings everywhere, and it was fun to stay in one.  The staff was wonderful, and the room was perfect.  It was near the Trocadero, across the river from the Eiffel Tower, so it had a wonderful view of the tower from our room.  My pictures didn't turn out well though...low light!

 I always wanted to go to Monet's home in Giverny, which is about 45 minutes outside of Paris.

We decided to go for it!  It was amazing!  His paintings are just there, haphazard around the house, you could touch them if you wanted.  His home is bright, colorful, and full of happiness. 

 His Gardens are world famous and live up to there reputation.

They were amazing!  I would love to have something like them one day.

Last of all we saw the famous lilly pond.  It was perfect, and you could imagine yourself rowing around the pond on an Idyllic Saturday afternoon.

It was a memorable 15 anniversary trip!