Happy SUMMER and An Afternoon with T-Bone Part Two

Hiiiiiiiii, y'all! Happy summmmmer! Beyond stoked my favorite month is official here. Wasn't yesterday gorgeous? I spend my summer solstice getting my butt kicked at the gym (such a great class), shopping for bridal shower paraphernalia, doing laundry, upgrading my Mac and practicing BODYPUMP on the dock. I couldn't let the beautiful weather go to waste!

I wasn't able to get my act together last week to get finish up my next T-Bone post so I'm sharing it today. I've been going over every Tueaday to hang out with him and help him around the house. We always go to lunch and there are always shenanigans. Last week's fun included a chainsaw, woohoo!

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Me: I'm here to help you clear the creek path, look I even brought gardening gloves.

woohoo!

T-Bone: Okay, let me Oil up the chain saw.

Me: Are you sure? I think I can get them with the clippers, they look kind of puny.

T-Bone: Well okay, go get the loppers first. We will see how strong you actually are. 

T-Bone: Now cut at the base...down lower... I said the base, you're too high. 

[I couldn't get any lower, trust me].

T-Bone: Watch out, that's poison ivy, shew! You were almost in the thick of it. Lucky I'm here to point it out.

Me: What's that plant over there?

T-Bone: I don't know, but I hate it.

T-Bone: Get down low, no, you won't be able to do that, let me get the saw. {I made it work despite his protesting because NO THANK YOU CHAIN SAW}.

T-Bone: Oh look, don't you know everything?

Me: No I just wanted to show you my muscles.

T-Bone: Okay, let's go to the front yard. Time to chop down a tree so bring the chainsaw. Don't forget to grab the extra electrical cord. [wide eyed emoji face here]. 

T-Bone: Now get right to the bottom of the tree but don't let it touch the grass. No, lower, no don't let it touch the grass. Cut straight now. Straight!

We proceed to cut down TWO trees and then trim them to firewood size. How you ask? Oh you know, 90 year old Grandpa held the tree and pointed out where I should cut. Y'all I was sweating bullets concentrating so hard.

After the chain saw adventure he took me to lunch and one of his favorite restaurants. More fun ensued.

Me: What is good here?

T-Bone: I always get the same thing, spinach salad because I need the greens. Today I think I'll have a beer with lunch since you're doing all the work.

T-Bone to the waiter: Bring me a glass of your cheapest beer, I don't care what kind.

T-Bone after he drinks it: Yup, that's cheap but it works!

We spent most of lunch chatting about his past and him asking me about my stocks and giving me advice on what to buy/sell. T-Bone may forget some things but his mind is laser sharp when it comes it comes to his stocks. 

When lunch was over we headed back to his place and I swept his front/back porch, racked up the extra grass left from the lawn mower and then did a lil bit of straightening here and there. He didn't have much else to do so then I hung out a bit longer and then headed home. Every week has been an experience and I'm looking forward to the adventure today. Fingers crossed no more chain saws!

Family Fun Wedding Weekend

Hello and happy Monday, friends. I hope everyone had a good weekend and spoiled their father's rotten [bighugtothosewhosnolongerarewithus]. My father was spoiled but he had to share the weekend with a  family weeding, which of course he didn't mind. His side of the family all congregated in Lexington, KY to watch our cousin [his nephew] get married. It was a fun filled weekend and I was so ecstatic to be reunited with my sweet sisters and parents. I know it's only been a month but I've missed having them close something fierce.

Everyone arrived on Friday night and we BBQed at my aunt and uncles house while everyone was at the rehearsal and dinner. The wedding was at their home [which is a small horse farm] and we were there to keep watch on the setup so hooligans wouldn't come around and do something foolish. It was nice to catch up with grandparents and other aunts and uncles then it was time to head to the hotel and off to bed. 

Saturday morning I was up early with Sportyspice and we hit the gym before breakfast with the family. Mama B and Daddy headed to get Babyspice after they ate so we hit the pool for a lil tanning time before the wedding. Soon enough the entire clan was outside and our chill pool time turned into family knockout basketball games. It was quite completive and hilarious with laughs and trash talking all around. Soon it was time to break for lunch though and start getting ready for the wedding. There was a fun Chickfila adventure with Sportyspice and then more cousin and sissy catch up time. All the girl cousins decided to get ready together and its as great talking to our one cousin who is THISCLOSE to making the Olympic Rugby team, so exciting. 

We all headed out to the house together and it was SUCH a gorgeous Kentucky day. The sky was so blue and there was a delightful breeze which kept us from sweating…too much. It was very warm during the ceremony but it was so lovely no on really minded all the sweat, haha. 

Lots of cheers were heard when they were announced as husband and wife and then it was on to family picture time before cocktail hour. You know we had to get some fun sister pictures, right?

Grandma with the grandkids

Missing our one cousin in Spain.

We clean up nice, huh?

New favorite picture!

Reunited and it feels so good!

The wedding had a lovely shabby chic hipster vibe and I LOVED the blushing bride signature drink. 

The biggest hit of the night was the photo booth. I've NEVER been to a photo booth this good nor have I ever enjoyed one as much. I seriously have a whole stack of different pictures with different family members and it was so much fun. 

In between the photo booth fun we all broke it down on the dance floor and danced our lil hearts out. Yes, even Le Husband :)! As usual, the Brady sisters were a hit and we started quite a few different dances which was a blast. 

Too soon we were sending off the happy couple with sparklers as they began their new life together. 

The family closed down the party and sadly it was up bright and early for family brunch the next morning. Everyone was a bit tired however we were all laughing about the fun the night before and all the shenanigans. There were a few people who spent the night on the back porch, haha. 

When brunch was over it was time for people to start heading back which meant it was time to say goodbye to my family again. I have to admit, it was so weird watching them drive off for home without me. There may have been a tear or two when it happened. I had so much fun with my sissys and can't wait to see them in just three weeks for Sportyspice's bridal shower. 

Miss them already

Le Husband and I headed home later that afternoon and it was a quick three hour drive to Knoxville. Once home we helped get dinner ready for the grandfathers and then spent time catching up with the fam. There are a few interviews in place this week so if you can say a prayer or two that would be wonderful. Hope y'all have a wonderful Monday! 

Friday Family Day!

Yay, yay, yay! Today I get to see my faaaaaaaaily! Weeeeeeeweeeee!

Can you tell I'm a little bit excited?! We are all meeting up in Lexington for my cousin's wedding this weekend and it's gonna be so great to see my Brady Bunch. #lovemyfamily #itsbeensolong #noforreal

As you're reading this I'm either packing or on the drive so there won't be too much blog reading on my end. Promise to get all caught up over the weekend though. No really, scouts honor. I hope everyone has a good weekend and stays safe!

Before I leave I have to give my dad and all the dads out there a shout out! Wishing you a great weekend! I'm so grateful for my Daddy and thank the Lord he chose me to be his first born! Daddy, you're the greatest on earth. #alwaysyourlilgirl

Paris Truly Is the Most Magical City {Picture Overload}

Our first full day in Paris started off in Versailles and our breakfast was not very good. We settled on a pub just outside of the gates of Versailles and we paid for the localization, it was by far the priciest lunch we will eat this trip. The waiter had to info us that beef carpaccio was raw beef, and we took a slight offense before realizing that he has probably dealt with countless Americans who order it having no idea what they are getting.

We hopped on the regional train with one transfer and a short walk to our hotel, 45 minutes was our assumption. Panic mode set in as our transfer train station is currently under renovation. We spoke to a train employee who directed us to go back 2 stops to take 2 transfers. This did not work out as directed as the train we hopped on continued in the wrong direction. We rode it to the next stop, got off and by deductive reasoning, and honestly some dumb luck we walked in the correct direction to the next metro stop. 

We finally made it the hotel and were able to check in an hour early and got some time off our feet and some time with the TRX before our night tour. 

We saw Paris first from the Seine River then from a bus and finally from the top of the Eiffel Tower. The Siene River cruise was a good start to the evening. Despite the temperature being in the 50s with lots of wind, again, we spent a majority of the cruise on the top deck to take in all the views and see Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, etc.

After assuming the tour was going to be in all English and finding out through experience that 4 languages were being rotated we were a little hesitant about the bus tour. Turned out they had us covered with headphones and a select your language menu. Who knew the oldest monument in Paris is a 3300 year old obelisk and was a gift from Egypt?!?

The Eiffel Tower, iconic, intimidating and somehow always showing off her good side. First, it is HUGE. So much bigger than than the one Gru stole from Vegas. We had a moment when all the street sellers sprinted off and the senses went off a little. We both started looking for anything out of the ordinary but we didn’t see anything to weird so we continued on and didn’t think about it again. We decided to go to the top before we entered and it was a good choice. Although the wind was driving like crazy and the temperature was in the rest by the time, roughly 22:00 local, the decision was rewarded with some wow views and an experience of a lifetime.

Once we were done with the tower it was time to head home in a uber and rest of for the next day. Sadly, the morning was cold and dreary and not really ideal for sight seeing but since it was our last day in Paris, we got after it. 

The plan was to walk to breakfast (a few blocks since everything around our hotel is closed on Sundays) then explore the city. We enjoyed our leisurely breakfast and decided to give the bike share a try when we walked past. It took a bit of figuring out but we finally managed to pick our bikes and head off… Just in time for the big rainstorm. We tried to brave it for a few blocks then realized pressing on was futile so we locked up our blocks and took cover in a little cafe. Our second espresso of the day was delicious and we were able to dry off for the most part so we headed back to the hotel.

A quick change (and added layer) later it was Operation See All Of Paris take two. The clouds held on for most of the day but we were able to see the sun a few times. 

Our first landmark to see was the Statue of Liberty and we passed the beautiful Eiffel tower on the way.

Biking around Paris is nothing like DC. Drivers here give you more space and there are also bigger lanes to share with buses. Note: biking on cobblestone roads for an extended period of time is not fun. Find the side walk option if possible.

After a few missed turns and some people watching we finally made it to the statue. And I laughed out loud because I had NO IDEA it was so tiny. It made me think of Gru in Despicable Me justifying the one from Las Vegas, just funny!

Once we snapped the token picture it was off to Notre Dame. Well kind of. Le Husband decided he wanted to see the Arc de Triumph so we detoured up a few streets. The detour lead us past the new LOCK area since the bridge locks were taken down.

The Arc de Triumph is incredibly majestic and it felt quite poignant seeing it in person after all of our time in Normandy. Everything came full circle in history you might say.

We kept biking and came through the huge center circle of town. It looks intimidating but the traffic flows extremely well, much better than in DC. It was here we had to take cover under a bridge because it started raining again. We hung out for ten minutes and then thankfully the rain stopped for the rest of the day.

On our way to the Louve we passed a demonstration about the Albanian genocide, with what looked like and Albanian ambassador speaking (he had on very distinguished clothing and a sash). I was completely flabbergasted at what appeared to be a lack of security. There were a few police officers around but I could have walked right up to the stage as there was no barrier. It was quite strange in a city where soldiers carrying   M-16s are everywhere.

Anyway, we finally made it to the Louve and tried to take the touch the top of the triangle picture.

The final destination of the day was Notre Dame and we just missed the free organ concert. We were able to hear the bells toll a few times and they rang so clear. The structure is massive and breathtaking  and it is incredible it made it through so many revolutions, wars and fires. 

The line to get in was only five minutes so we were able to sneak inside for a quick peek at the gorgeous ceilings and windows. Service was going on so we didn’t stay too long. I felt a sense of peace inside, just an amazing house of worship.
Once we left Notre Dame we biked another mile or so and then locked up the bikes for a final time. It was so fun biking around the city and it let us witness a lot  more than if we had just walked. 

We stopped for an early dinner on the way home and it was the perfect way to end our long day. 

What we ate: Today was our first French breakfast and it was quite delicious. We had an extra espresso this morning when we ducked out of the rain and dinner was so so divine!

Even with the rain, this city is unbelievably amazing. I loved every moment and hope everyone gets to experience the beauty once in their lifetime. Next week I'll start recapping ITALY!!!