time flies

...when you're busy! Each month we say "I think it's going to slow down this month" but somehow we find activities to fill the days and before we know it, it's a new month. I'm definitely not complaining. Since I've been ignoring this space lately, here's a few favorites from past few months...

One night we found ourselves at the river sipping wine and watching the lights turn on. The end of August and beginning of September brought six different people living in our apartment. Two of our best friends made in Paris were moving back to the U.S. and they were found homeless for a couple weeks so we offered our extra room. While they made a couple last minute trips around France, some family visited and as they walked out of the apartment, a friend of mine from high school walked in.

The night before our friends left, we had a long picnic at Champ de Mars. So long that the tower turned black after the last twinkle at 1:00am. I secretly snapped a picture of Katie and Derek soaking up their last few moments of their Parisian life and remembering the past three they spent here. It was a pretty sad morning when we had to say goodbye. Unfortunately only a few weeks later, we had to say goodbye to another couple that we spent equally as much time with. One by one, they are dropping like flies! That's one thing that's kind of hard. You make great friends that help you get through the tough days (because they do appear out of nowhere sometimes) and then one of you leaves before the other and you hope you can keep in touch. They are such an important piece of your life.

One very nice Saturday morning, we decided to grab a seasonal very fancy croissant from the famous Pierre Hermé and enjoy it on the lawn behind Invalides.

I spent a day wandering le promenade plantée, an elevated path and park, with friends. After we walked to one of the cafes along the river and enjoyed a bottle (or two) of wine. We decided we deserved it after our long walk.

Unfortunately some pollution came rolling through the city in late September. It wasn't quite as bad as last spring but it heavily coated my roses. Mark spent a lot of the month traveling for work so at the end of September, I decided it was my turn. I took a trip to Dallas to visit my brother and celebrate his birthday before heading to Chicago for a friend's wedding before taking a short trip to Indianapolis to visit Mark's sister before extending my trip for a week to hang out with Mark and his friends in Michigan. There were a lot of stops.

I somehow survived a week with the guys and witnessed a Michigan win. We acted like we were in college and snuck into the student section where some freshman asked what class we were in and none of us could even come up with a realistic answer. After finding out we weren't students, they said "Oh, so you're old, like 23?" Ummm... yes. On Monday morning, we parted ways; Mark jetted to Houston for the next few weeks and I returned to Paris to empty my suitcase.

I met friends on Saturday for a completely cloudless sky picnic at of course, Champ de Mars. I think it was our last picnic day because the clouds and wind rolled in on Monday and it hasn't been too sunny or warm since. I hope I can keep up the French picnicking habit when I move wherever I move!