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.

Oxford Delights

The weather has been pretty rainy and cold lately. But Saturday turned out to be a really nice day. We attended an afternoon event at the business school and met a lot of new people. Then we spent the afternoon outdoors, enjoying a seemingly rare sunny fall day in Oxford. That night we attended another event at Merton where we met a lot of new people there, as well. It was a day full of meeting new people and getting more immersed into Oxford life.

 I just love all of the ivy here- and now that it's fall it's really pretty.

 More beautiful fall ivy

 Merton gardens

 We happened upon the induction of the new college Warden in front of the Merton chapel

I think it might be time to finally read Lord of the Rings, especially with JRR Tolkien having been a Mertonian.

Happy Birthday, Anne

A very happy birthday to my sweet sister, Anne. Hope it's the best year yet. Thank you for taking care of The Laser and Lucy while they wait for their passports. We all appreciate it. Love, J, N, L and L

Helmet Chic

It's fashion week in Milan this week, and well I was struck by a few images I came across.

Images via A Cup of Jo

Only Italian women (and maybe French women) could make a helmet look tres chic. Never in a million years would I look this fashionable in protective gear. Milan must be the city with the most motorbikes per capita so I guess it's just part of the culture to make a statement with your helmet.

Image via The Sartorialist

Um, hello. A bright yellow skirt and a helmet to match. Do you think they buy helmets like accessories to match outfits? And driving in wedge heels to boot.

Image via The Sartorialist

More lovely yellow in New York.

Unfortunately, I think I will be channeling more from Harry and Lloyd than their Italian counterparts. "I get 70 miles per gallon on this hog"

Misc.

Thought maybe you didn't see enough cows in the last post? Haha. These are my favorite, though. Oreo cows.

I have tried to grow some herbs and other little plants, and I just can't get my light and water ratios quite right. I did not inherit my mother's green thumb. But I've kept an orchid alive and thriving for weeks now. I'm so proud.

And this last one is for laughs. My new helmet for scooter classes...

Sunday bike ride

Here are some pictures from our afternoon bike ride today.

Lots of cows and a peacock just hanging out on the roof of a gastropub. Normal day in England.

Small cars only

The roads here are pretty tight. Parking spaces are even tighter. Here are a few pictures of some 2 way traffic roads.

I give Neil credit for being able to handle these small roads. Not sure I could do it and trust that I wouldn't hit a brick wall or maybe worse. Plus he has to deal with some of my back seat driving. I have driven, but I leave the longer trips to Neil. So you can imagine my extreme excitement when last weekend the Smith's surprised me with a vintage 1964 Italian Vespa. The absolute perfect set of wheels to handle the Oxford roads... not to mention an amazing antique that I will love riding. I'm so very excited about this. A few little changes and repairs are being made. I just love it!

Swamp Bugs

Mom, I know you may be worried that I might be losing touch with my southern roots, picking up British slang, and saying 'cheers mate' instead of 'bye y'all.' Or maybe that I've stopped drinking CC's in favor of tea. But you can rest assured that I'm still holding tight to a lot of southern traditions. With college football back on you can bet we will be cooking some red beans and rice. Neil and I are staying up late tonight to watch the Tigers and Tar Heels battle it out (but really it will be a one sided battle, right? Let's hope). 8pm kick off, means 1am our time. Real fans, huh?

You will also be very happy to know that I've been nourishing myself with some good ol' crawfish. That's right, they have crawfish here. They may be from the Thames, called crayfish, and served cold in a mayonnaise type salad on a po'boy brown roll...but they are pretty darn good. I might just have to break out the trinity and show some English friends how to really cook them swamp bugs- Étouffée! Or better yet, if I can find them live in bulk next season, we may be rolling out the paper and having ourselves a good old fashion cajun crawfish boil.

Okay, we're off to watch some football and enojy some American traditions across the pond. A very happy birthday to Neil's dad, Jim. Hope you're having a great weekend!