Oui Love Paris!

 

I was extremely nervous to go to Paris. People told me horror stories of rude French people and I was petrified about not knowing the language. I worked on my French for three months solid before I went in fear of causing an international incident! Well lo and behold Paris is full of the pleasant people, excellent service and every time I tried to speak my ridiculous French, I was greeted back in English (except for the last day...apparently my Bonjours had improved to the point where people responded back in French...and then I made a face like the ground just shook and they went back to English). 

Our first stop was the Louvre. I loved it! I know the Louvre is so large and so consuming that you either love it or hate it. I'm sad to say that I do not have a good grasp on art history and have not spent a lot of time in art museums. Knowing I was no aficionado, I was really surprised by how moved I was by the experience. I felt things! I was in awe! I even teared up occasionally. Brandon hung in there with me and seemed to enjoy it. 

 

This was one of my favorites. The picture doesn't do it justice. It just pierced my mom heart. If you could just see  how she looking at her child. I think I prefer paintings to photography because they typically convey emotion more authentically. You can't ask a model to look lovingly on their child and have it look as convincing as a painting does. It's also less awkward to stare at a painting than a photograph. It's easier to be immersed without self consciousness.   

 

In the Louvre, they had a whole section dedicated to the apartments of Napoleon I and Napoleon III. I've known about the French Revolution and how destructive it was to French artifacts and history, but to see their crown jewels (above) compared to the entire museum display of London's made me sad. Granted, I've been to Versailles and after seeing that luxurious monstrosity I would have wanted to riot, ransack and melt down all of their booty too. 

 

I cannot say enough about how many stairs there are in Europe. And I cannot say enough about how grateful I was for them...because I ate a lot of really tasty French food and this is the only way that I was able to fit in a single seat on the flight home. 

 

This was the Palace de Vendome which was right outside our first hotel. We stayed in a great spot. We were able to walk to just about anything we wanted to see and had some great restaurants nearby. 

 

Our first full day in Paris we did a historic walking tour and I loved it. We started here, at the very center of all of France. It's called Point 0 and it's right in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral. On our walk we saw street performers, bought art in the street, went to the Deportation Memorial, and saw some of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. 

 

While I loved Notre Dame, it was no Westminster Abbey. In Westminster Abbey I lit a candle and added our family to their prayer roll. At Notre Dame I would have had to pay 5 euro for the same. Pfft! 

 

The inside of Notre Dame, which was SO beautiful. 

 

And of course, being the good Mormons we are, we stayed for Mass. It was challenging. I didn't know when to sit, stand and kneel and it was in French, but I can still say I've been to Mass at Notre Dame which is something!

 

This was taken inside San Chapelle which is famous for it's stain glass windows. It has depictions of over a 1,000 scenes from the bible and is breath taking. 

 

The Supreme Court of France. Their lawyers wear black robs and ruffled collars. I am going to try to bring that back. We look so scruffy next to them. It was really a neat thing to see. 

 

We popped into a museum that was a former castle which was turned into the prison where they held prisoners before they were executed during the French Revolution. This is a letter from Robespierre who himself was held in this prison and eventually executed. They had a display with a name listed for every person who was sent to the guillotine along with their crime....one included just being the sister of a royal.   

 

We had a great dinner right by the Eiffel. I had all the good stuff- foie gras, escargot. Brandon tried the foie gras but when I told him it was force fed fatty goose liver, he turned as green as hericot vert! We didn't actually go to the top, we stayed at the bottom and had a lack luster crepe, sat by the Seine, watched the dazzling light show and had a wonderful time. 

 

Mr. Paris himself. Right after we took this picture we found a rat who was running around in the gardens nearby. It was kind of a nice sight. Paris and rats like peanut butter and jelly. 

 

You can't really tell, but this is right by the river. I love that there are so many places you can walk right to the water. What I do not love? Paris is rather stinky. I sat by some stinky people and boy! can you smell when you're in the metro.

 

Who got a free suite upgrade? 

 

Of course we had to do Versailles. The chateau, the gardens, the summer homes...all 1,045 miles of it.  It was beautiful! At the end of the day, we paid 7 euro and took the tram back to the chateau. It was funny because pretty much everyone on the tram was overweight and American. Being European is a lot of work!

 

We decided to rent a row bot and row on the canal. It should have been romantic except A.) I was constantly concerned we were taking on water. B.) We had a bit of a language barrier with the boat rental guy. He was telling Brandon in French to put his oar in the correct place and Brandon looked at him, panicked and answered, "Como Estas?" 

 

I had to see my man Napoleon's tomb. It was inside the army museum and was super interesting. We spent a long time on their WWII section. Learning about WWII while being in a city that experienced it first hand made the experience much richer. I learned a lot and it made me proud to be an American. 

 

Rodin museum. We went inside, saw all his sculptures and I left swearing that Abby could never date or marry an artist. It was so disturbing. I knew his more popular pieces like The Kiss and The Thinker...but I didn't know what a creepy deepy he was. I'm pretty sure he had a problem with women and I therefore have a problem with him.

 

We had to walk the Champs! And see the Arc. It wasn't my favorite thing to do. It felt a lot like Caesar's Palace here in Vegas. 

 

Who got ANOTHER suite upgrade at their second hotel? Two spoiled Leavitts, that's who!

 

This marks the square where they chopped off all the heads. I don't know why an Egyptian obelisk was chosen, but I didn't ask any questions....for fear they'd chop off my head. We ate great, lived large, but ultimately our heart is with.... 

 

Home and Abigail! She loved her souvenirs. Our hotel was write by thee Opera house which is the one depicted in Phantom of the Opera. Since she wants to be Christine for Halloween, we bought her this mask and fan and told her it came from there (shh, it's really from the British Museum). 

I can't believe they let us in the country!

 

So the Leavitts did Europe! (Well Brandon and I did. We left one angry Abigail with grandparents back home.) We decided to hit London (my dream city) and Paris (Brandon's dream city) for our first big overseas adventure together. We were really concerned about jet lag, and we really should have been. We had an overnight flight and thought we'd sleep on the plane and wake up ready to go, but they kept coming by trying to give us duty free catalogs and muffin tops. But even the perky flight attendants could not crush my enthusiasm. When we flew over England I was euphoric and when we landed we were too jazzed to remember we were tired. We took the tube straight to our hotel in South Kensington and then headed straight to Westminster Abbey, which is the sight I really wanted to see.  

 

Westminster Abbey did not disappoint. Having read about 100 books on London history, especially Tudor times, I was just star struck by this place. I really wanted to have a chance to hear the Westminster boy choir sing (which they do every evening), but we could never time it right. We did, however, hear an organ concert and stayed for church. I was so surprised by how few church attendees there were (30 maybe?). I mean, it's Westminster Abbey and we're having church in the exact location every monarch has been crowned and married since the 11th century!  The sermon was actually really good...except...we were in terror the entire time. Before the sermon started I noticed there looked like there was melted chocolate chip ice cream on the floor in front of me. I'm thinking about the jerks who dropped it...when all of a sudden SPLAT! Brandon's program flies out of his hand on to the ground because it was hit by a dive-bombing, 30-story high pigeon poopie. I then realized that was not melted ice cream. I looked right in between our chairs and saw another pigeon pooper. I then panicked. We were right. in. the. line. of. fire. And there was no escape! Because the super somber priest and processional were headed up the cloister. Fortunately, we made it out unscathed. 

 

London does an awesome job of preserving their history. I was rubbing everything, repeatedly thinking "I just touched a 700 year old..."

 

Our first sight-seeing stop on the tube kicked us out at the foot of Big Ben. We came out right as it struck noon. Magical! 

 

This was right by our hotel. I didn't really know my London neighborhoods well when I booked it, but I'd say I did OK! (It was much nicer than our neighborhood in Vegas.) On our street we had really tasty restaurants and even one day had a little farmer's market. I tried brown sauce, loved it! Brandon had a full English breakfast, regretted it! 

 

You know we had to take one of these shots. This is at the horse guards on Whitehall. It smelled like..well...horse poo. But it was seriously cool.

 

We, along with every other tourist in London, watched the changing of the guards. I guess you have to see it once in your life, but I daresay once is plenty. Considering the pressing crowds and the anticlimactic change of the guards, I think time is better spent elsewhere. 

 

This is the business end of all of those horses. The park nearby, St. James' Park, is just lovely. We had 4 days of sunshine and barely any crowds. I could move there tomorrow, but everyone keeps telling me I saw London at it's best. Boy did I ever!

 

On Sunday we went to Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park. I loved Hyde Park. Squirrels, roller bladders, people with comfortable chairs they charge you 5 pounds (about 9 dollars) to sit in.  But Speaker's Corner was amazing. I love how comfortably the British disagree with each other. In America, you'd be concerned who was packing a gun or when the riot and looting would ensue. This character was an American and an embarrassment. His pants read "Jesus is Lord." He set himself up to blow his candy apple red plastic trumpet and preach the gospel to the Godless Europeans. Oh, how they heckled him! It was awesome. He was quite rude and deserved it.

 

We went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. London has fabulous museums. This particular one had a history of fashion that was really interesting. This is Brandon in some replica medieval duds. They were heavy and scratchy. And if you notice his rump, it is not in reality triangular. That is his man purse underneath that he carried around. Hey, it's European! The museum has this fabulous fountain the kids play in and this great cafeteria. I want to bring Abby back!  

 

We did a walking tour of Whitehall. We saw #10 Downing Street and their government buildings. 

 

10 days together and Brandon and I only had one fight and it was over this man. We were behind him, and his hair, in line. Now this hair is probably the nastiest I have ever seen. And at the bottom was this obvious brown clump. To me, it looked like he had weaved in a rock to make his hair stay flat. To Brandon, it looked like a rotten clump of hair poo. We have had a heated debate which has yet to be resolved. 

 

The Tower of London was just fantastic. I expected big things and it over delivered! The tour was awesome, the crown jewels dazzling, and everything was so well explained.

 

The sole man responsible to guard the crown jewels. It's a big upgrade considering in the 1600s they were kept in a box under the stairs. It's a lonely job. 

 

Brandon applying for the job of being guard of the crown jewels. He wasn't accepted.  He was disqualified on grounds that he smiles when getting his picture taken. 

 

I am obviously trying to figure out how I could get this Flemish cannon to look good in the dining room.

 

This was a riot! They had this random reenactment of the crown jewel theft of 1667. This man was our hero and he included us (the tourists) in his plans to catch the thief and woo the woman he loves. It was hilarious! I think my favorite moments are when he asked me not to faint in jealousy as he has already given his heart to another  and when the thief tried to include Brandon in his wicked plot since his hair indicated that he was of a most unsavory character. I keep telling him it's a mistake to grow it out! He looks like a 17th century jewel thief.

 

Henry the 8th over compensating. 'Nuff said. 

 

This is taken from the bathroom in the original white tower inside of the tower of London. You would lift up a piece of wood which was covering a hole that dropped down 4 stories, plop yourself down, and let your business fall to the moat below. Sounds gross, but if this was my view, I might grow accustomed.

 

The home built for Anne Bolyen. The King had it built as a wedding present and she had her head chopped off before it was ever completed. 

 

I did not do my hair or makeup this trip since there were a 1,000,000 more important things to do. That's my disclaimer :) And even though I looked that rough, they still let us into Kensington Palace for high tea (or in our case, hot chocolate). We were starving, had been walking all day, and had skipped lunch. The dainty tea made us giggle. I think you need to come full to enjoy the experience. 

 

The British National Museum. You could spend you entire trip to London in here. AND they have a bucket of ice for your drinks in their cafeteria. Unheard of! I love this place.

 

The streets were clean, the traffic was light, the city is quiet. 

 

This was our hotel room. Brandon said it drove him crazy but I didn't think it was overly small.

Other unpictured notables: The hotel room had a groovy blue light option which made us feel like we were "up in the club." We tried every British convenience store chocolate bar and they were all gross to us. We went and saw a movie and on our walk home, a real English Fox popped out of a garden and walked beside us. The Chunnel makes your ears hurt, even though they said it wouldn't. British TV is really interesting. Everyone was super polite, this is my favorite city!

Adjei's last night in town

 

These videos are of Elder Adjei and Elder Livai at our house home in August. They were regulars at the Leavitts for the last few months. Elder Adjei is from Ghana and Elder Livai is from Hawaii. Elder Adjei was getting ready to be released from his mission, but due to his visa status, he wouldn't be able to go home and see his parents.  He would have to go straight to BYU. It has been 5 years since he has seen his family. We were lucky enough to be able to help figure out a way to get Adjei home to Ghana for Christmas. Easily the most fun thing I've done all summer! They wrote a little song to say thanks and performed it for us. I'm not sure which video it is, but it's the "Home" song. I think it's hilarious that a pair of broken lady's sunglasses gave Livai the courage he needed to perform.

A few things (or 888) I've missed...

 

The worst thing about summer ending and full time school starting was saying "goodbye" to our friends that we won't see as regularly. These two have been playing EVERY week since they were two but go to separate schools. Lucky for them, their mothers are as dedicated to their play dates as they are and are squeezing them in every chance we can!

 

The closing events for the Leavitt 2012 Summer Fun Committee were epic. We hosted a murder mystery at our house and it was awesome! The costumes, as you can see, were stellar and everyone really got into it. I was a Mexican man who owned the bar and served out mystery shots of prune juice and grapefruit/lemon juice. I am pretty sure this needs to be an annual occurrence. We were still dickering over the murder weeks later. 

 

In case you needed a closer look at that sweet 'stache. 

 

We had our annual primary idol and it may have been our best one yet. We do this each year to make sure our kids know the songs that will be in the program. On the left is Shaniqua Smiles (me), Wanda Words (Brityn) and Vinnie Volume (michele). It's a super fun Sunday and I love being in Primary. There is no where else I want to be!

 

Abby had her first day of school and she is rocking it! She loves school and is happy to go each day.

Other unpictured August notables: I broke the washing machine by washing rubber-backed bath mats. Who knew they could fall apart into confetti pieces and gum up the works? I had my first PTO meeting. Who is an old lady? Me! The 2012 Summer Fun Committee also had a their first annual Summer Fun Run. I won for fastest female and best use of spandex. It was a great time! We had a great ward swim party at Whitney Ranch rec center. It was a great month! 

A few (or 999) things I have missed- Part 2

Continuing on from my previous post...

 

Abby singing with her kindergarten class at graduation.

I decided this summer that I would start to teach Abby piano lessons. While she has actually shown quite the aptitude, her mom has shown quite the poor time management skills. We're coming along, slowly but surely. This is her rendition of Old McDonald, dedicated to her Grandma Patsy.

 

I love the 4th of July in Washington State. We've been there the last few years and it is wonderful. We went to the City of Pasco parade. It's one of those small town parades where at least 30% of the population is actually in the parade. It had a whole section dedicated to John Deere tractors. It was awesome! I love their firework show. It's, honestly, better than any firework show I've seen in Vegas and the music is GREAT. It starts super late since Washington is far north enough that it's light to about 10pm in the summers. My sister, Donna, totally humored me while I entertained myself during our wait time by pointing out all of the ill fitting clothing that was going on in her small town. This picture is from my favorite party of the fireworks. I don't know if they meant to make a 'W' with the fireworks, but it filled me with Washington State pride. Home means Washington to me. 

 

While in Washington, we took a rode trip to Seattle. We spent some time at the pier and went to the Seattle Seaquarium. There were the BEST tide pools (which Abby fully explored), river otters (my favorite animal) and a lively seal named Commander that kept Abigail and I entertained for at least half an hour. 

 

We also were lucky enough to head to the Pacific Science Center. They had the traveling King Tut exhibit while we were there. I went through an Egyptology phase in 6th grade that never fully fizzled out and this was a real treat. And even though the mummy gave Abby nightmares, she hung in there as long as I did. She is a fun kid to take to museums.  

 

Inside the Science Center was a butterfly garden. It was awesome- well except for that punk teenager who accidentally stepped on one of the butterflies and then kind of ran away in shame.  Am I still mad? I guess I am!

 

Abby told me, long before she ever knew we were going to a butterfly garden that it was "the dream of my life" to have a butterfly land on her finger. Stick with me Abs, we're making your dreams come true! (as long as your dreams are reasonably priced)

 

WHY do I live in Las Vegas?!?! We went to his great store full of fresh produce, local ice cream, and awesome local food products. I have no idea how we ended up in this dessert...

 

The Tracy family road tripped with us. We had a great time. Tiffanie and Abby were two peas in a noisy, noisy pod.

 

While we were there, my family had an awesome 6th birthday for Abigail (her birthday was only  few weeks later). She got loaded up with Brave toys and these two cuties. Grandma Patsy and Grandpa Don sent her home with stuffed grandparents so they could always be with Abigail even though they are far away. As you can see, they were a hit. My mother requested I dress the stuffed Grandma in a more stylish dress so that it would reflect upon her better...sorry mom, I haven't gotten there yet!

 

We went to the Shakespearean festival with our pals the Smiths. We had front row tickets to Les Miserables and it was awesome. We got spit on my Jean Val Jean and were super close to all the revolutionaries in their tight pants. This is a clandestine picture of us sharing a tart at intermission. We were breaking two rules: no cameras, no tarts. As you can see from Max's cheeks, he's breaking the rules with abandon. We had a great time and lots of laughs. 

 

Abby's actual birthday was very special. She woke up to find her parents gifts to her (a new globe and leopard print shoes). She was pretty disappointed in the globe, but it's become a favorite of hers. We've been planning all the trips around the world we'll take together someday.

 

Even though we opted not to have a party, Abby was treated so well by her friends and family this year. Her friends surprised her with a special play date at the Rio beach pool where they all brought gifts and cupcakes.  Also, knowing Abby's love of Phantom of the Opera, Brityn dropped by in the morning to deliver a singing birthday telegram. She rewrote the words to Think of Me, and in her AWESOME voice, serenaded the birthday girl.

 

Abigail asked if she could go see Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian instead of having a birthday party. So we got all gussied up, hit a french restaurant (she had mac and cheese), and went to Phantom. It was an incredible evening and Abby is an incredible 6 year old. Abby at 6: She writes me love notes everyday. She is a super picky eater. She always gives her best effort. She has a beautiful singing voice and isn't shy about singing for others. Her dream is to play Christine in Phantom of the Opera. She loves to read, draw, and play with her friends. She hates when we walk to school. She loves having long hair and doesn't complain too badly about the tangles because of her dedication to long hair. She is ALL girl and loves rainbows, unicorns, and fashion. We love you Abigail!

Other July unpictured notables: While in Washington I was able to take walks with my mom in the rain. Good memories for me. We went on a ferry ride in Seattle that was just a thrill for me. While in Washington, I ate an entire jar of Nutella and that was probably the highlight of my summer! The Leavitt 2012 Summer Fun Committee had their kick-off event of bowling. It was wild and crazy fun!

A few (or 1,000) things I've missed- Part 1

 

A lot has been happened to this little Leavitt family and I have been both a neglectful blogger and picture taker. It's tragic, because we had a banner summer. One that would fill people who read this with those, "oh, their lives are so much more exciting than mine" feelings. I was really looking forward to that, since it would be my first time. Usually, I am the recipient of those feelings as I read my friend's blogs. 

One important piece of information to start with- Brandon got a new job. And it's not just any job, it's his dream job. He was hired by a national family law firm, Cordell & Cordell to open their first office in Las Vegas. Above is a picture he took of himself during his training trip to St. Louis (which is the head quarters of Cordell & Cordell). It's been 7 months and they've already hired an assistant and are currently hiring another attorney. He's done a great job and we're super excited for him. I, also, have started a new job, but I did not take any pictures of myself to share with you.

 

Brandon waged war on the pigeons which live on our roof and who regularly tap dance us awake. As a bit of background, Brandon has hated pigeons with a fire than can only compare to his distaste of standing in line. So in an attempt to save his sanity, he outfitted himself with roof spikes and ire and headed outside. This passion is the only possible impetuous I can imagine that would send him up a 20 foot ladder in the summer in Las Vegas. The end of  the story? The ladder fell. He was stuck on the roof. And I wasn't strong enough to put it back in place. We had to call our neighbors. He won't be happy to find this story here.

 

We had a garage sale to support our cub scouts at my home. It was a lot of fun and the boys did great! This is a video I wanted to include. It's a shot of my cubbies taking a much needed "Just Dance Kids" break.

 

I know how gross this picture is. Isn't it funny that we barely take pictures, but of Abby's busted chin we had about 20? She walked into the piano and earned herself a trip to urgent care and 3 stitches. I was so proud of her. She took a shot in the chin and being sewed up without a whimper. They asked her not to cry because they didn't want her to move. She laid there completely still until it was over and the doctor walked out of the room. She then looked at me and asked, "Can I cry now?" She's a tough one that kid!

 

She graduated kindergarten! This is a shot of her standing in line ready to perform at their graduation. She's pointing at her pal Abbie T. and behind them is her giant classmate Boston. We had a great kindergarten year! We loved her teacher, Mr. Rosensteel, and she had lots of friends in her class. I was lucky enough to be one of her room moms and got to party with these kids regularly. 

 

This is her class in kindergarten. She had a crush on that blond cutie in the back row, furthest to the left. (His name is Luke.) She announced that she is planning to be a lawyer when she grows up. This is a surprise to me, considering I thought she was largely leaning towards time on Broadway before she pursues her hip hop dancing ambitions. I was so proud she got the citizenship award! She's a great kid. It's just nice to see it acknowledged with paper certificates.

 

We had a great Father's day! This was my contribution to the big Leavitt family dinner. I made an ice cream bar and made a homemade topping that was each dad's favorite. I then drew a really awesome portrait of each dad in front of their topping. (I have art skills like Napoleon Dynamite.)   I called it "Daddy Queen" (instead of dairy queen) and added christmas lights. It was a lot of fun!

 

This was a very common scene for us this summer. We did a lot of pool parties, Popsicle eating, play dates, etc. This, however, is the only picture I took of this fun all summer long. This was at Sienna Houston's last day of school party. It was great fun!

 

Abby's room and the toy room used to be the same room until I realized, about 11 months into this arrangement, that her room would therefore never, ever, ever be clean. And it didn't  matter how much I bribed or bantered, there was no way she could keep that room clean on her own. So, we moved her! I've got to take a better picture of her new room, but it turned out really cute- and clean!

Other unpictured notables in June? I got a cortisone injection in my knee which, while improving my knee, has yet to return me to my illustrious career of coming in last at 5ks and half marathons. We made our annual trip to Lake Mead to play on the "beach" and feed the carp.