Je t'aime

I don't know where to begin this post, but Paris turned out to be quite the life changing trip. This man here, my best friend, was up to some serious behind the scenes planning to make it a memorable and special weekend.

It started off with casually enjoying ourselves as we strolled around Paris. Having both been before, we didn't feel pressured to run from site to site so instead we had (seemingly) no set agenda for the whole weekend except that we wanted to enjoy ourselves before Neil started business school today.

We spent some time at Notre Dame and hiked up to the top and to the bell tower. It's really so beautiful and the views are fantastic. Did I mention it was 65-70 degrees and sunny all weekend? We were spoiled.

Next we walked over to the Louvre (without actually going in on this trip) and over to Jardin Tuileries. 

Are you still reading? I'm sorry for the longer than usual post but I wanted to share our special trip with you all. The Vespa eye-candy was out of control. I was surprised not to see more vintage Vespas but I was loving the French scooter style. They are fearless drivers, I tell you...weaving in and out of traffic and in crowds of people.

After lunch we parked ourselves on a bench on the river Seine. It was such a nice day out that we were just savoring it. Neil said we should take a picture to remember the moment, and with no one in sight to take it, we snapped a classic 'hold the camera out and hope for the best.'

Then, to my surprise Neil got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! It was a perfect moment, just the two of us. It's a moment I've been looking forward to and I must say that it was completely worth the wait. I feel blessed beyond belief to have found such a wonderful and caring man that is also my best friend. He took the French term fiancé to a whole new level, doing this in France. But honestly, it could have been anywhere in the world and it would have been just as special and important of a moment for us. Afterward, we spent the evening on a champagne tasting river boat cruise and went up to the Eiffel Tower and out to dinner. All I can say is that it was a very happy evening indeed. I couldn't stop looking at my beautiful vintage ring and we were just over the moon. We now have a special place in our hearts for Paris.

It was very a memorable night to celebrate such a life changing day. We can't wait to share in all that is to come with our family and friends. The weekend continued to be memorable. We shared ideas about the future and enjoyed Paris in October.

It just so happened to be the Montmartre Wine Harvest Festival that weekend. There were a lot of yummy food vendors.  Vibrant crowds make for great people watching and Paris did not disappoint. There were even fireworks that night!

It was the most memorable weekend to date. I'm so incredibly happy to think this is just the beginning of life with Neil. I think it's amazing to be able to start it all off with seven great years behind us to keep building on.

J'adore Paris.