"How can one live in Paris?  It's hell.  I prefer my flowers and this hill that surrounds the Seine to all your noises and nocturnal lights"
~Claude Monet

We visited Giverny yesterday.  Monet's home and garden were peaceful and enchanting and the inspiration of over 500 of the world's most treasured paintings.    

I can't wait to share my photographs with you tomorrow.  It was a small dream to walk his inspiring garden. 

It's the weekend and The Johnson's are going to "hit the road" again.  We only have a handful of weekends left in France and we are going to make the most of them.

I will forever have the best memories of our "road trips".  I love our little car which is littered with sand, magnetic hangman and checkers and bits of this and that. 

I love piling into the car, Dan plugging in his ipod, the kids tucked in the backseat with their stuffed animals and off we go on the open road, music blaring. 

Within an hour someone has to use the bathroom, if there isn't one close by, we pull off the side of the road.  We are now use to the little children on the side of the road; pants down, little boys spraying the road and Mom's cradling their little girls; hands tucked under their knees, so the little darlings don't soil themselves.  The Johnson children need a bit of privacy and head towards a tree or the grassy areas along the road. 

Within another hour, everyone is hungry and we choose from one of many gas stations.  The gas stations are large and clean and all have fresh sandwiches.  Many have cute little backpacks with child sized lunches and a toy to grab; Max and Sophies personal favorite.  They also have coffee machines with AMAZING coffee.  They are used often and very fresh.  If you missed a souvenir at the town you visited, you can surely find it at the gas station, which always sell products from the region you are in or coming from. 

Have a great weekend, give your family a hug and enjoy them!  I'll let you know where the road takes us....... 

One of the things I will miss about Paris are it's parks. 

Small parks tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life act as quiet sanctuaries for us.  We have enjoyed countless picnics at numerous parks throughout the city. 

The larger parks are a feast for the eyes with their Spring and Summer plantings. 

The parks are geared toward children.  Most have merry-go-rounds, stellar playgrounds, ponds, pony rides and even animals to admire (from afar).  Perfect for children.......

The french love their parks.  When the weather is nice, you will be lucky to find a patch of grass to sit on during lunch.  They arrive in clusters and sit and enjoy their lunch and the weather.   Weather is fickle in Paris and it must be enjoyed when it is pleasant. 

Children from local schools play on the playgrounds at recess as well as enjoy physical education classes with their teachers.

The weekends are filled with families enjoying each other, couples breaking bread, and others sunbathing. 

These three girls were a joy to watch.  They carried a blanket and tupperware in a straw bag containing their lunch.

God has quietly pressed upon my heart to share this beautiful message with ya'll from Wintley Phipps.   My prayer is that someone reading this will find peace and hope in these words........

"It is in the quiet of your suffering
that your noblest dreams are born and
God's greatest gifts are given in compensation
for what you've been through"
~Wintley Phipps

Have a great day and grab hold of the Truth!

America has the 4th of July and the French have Bastille Day.

On July 14, 1789 an outraged group of Parisians stormed the bastille, a fortress and prison in france, where prisoners of influence were held in hopes of capturing ammunition.  Thus, marking the beginning of the french revolution, the end of the monarchy and the beginning of the modern republic.

The party began last night; fireworks were heard all over the city beginning at 11pm.  The streets were loud, even in our neighborhood.  There is a military parade in the morning down the Champs-Elysees as well. 

The fog has finally cleared to see,
The beautiful life You've given me

I know that I've been
Given more than beyond measure,
I come alive when,
I see beyond my fears,
I know that I've been given more than earthly treasure,
I come alive when
I've broken down and given You control

Everything that I have
Has been given so unselfishly
And shown that even when I don't deserve
You ALWAYS show the fullness of your love

~J. Camp

When we left for the coast on Saturday morning, we heard that the third house we were trying to lease fell through once again.  We threw our hands in the air and tried to enjoy the beach (along with everyone else in France).

We came home to hear good news that we do indeed have a home to lease until we can get back into our home in January!  Wooooo Hoooo!!!!  One big check mark off our long list.

Thanks for all your support and emails.  You have no idea how much every comment and email means to me.  Your words and thoughtfulness give me hope.  

I am convinced that we will come out of this experience all the stronger as long as we continue to look up and not around at all the chaos!  God is good and His love endures forever!!!

What is it about the beach that makes everything feel better?

We spent the entire day at La Havre on a rocky beach flying kites, discovering sea creatures and looking for heart shaped rocks.     

We are driving 10 minutes to Deauville to spend the day on the sand relaxing and then heading home to Paris tonight with everyone else.

We are experiencing another "heat wave" in Paris.  We found a hotel on the coast and are going to enjoy the beach with the kids.  

Have a great weekend!

**This photo was taken in Nice, France, last year.  Those large stones were hard on our feet.  The entire beach was covered with them.

I don't have a lot of time to mope when there is so much to do.  Sorry to say that I somehow squeeze it in.  Still tired and struggling but I can see signs of my funk lifting. 

We are taking inventory of the apartment and meeting with moving
companies for our air and boat shipment, canceling utilities and cell phones, speaking with our relocation company who is taking care of notifying our landlord and the government that we are leaving the country, meeting with accountants to finalize paperwork for our french and US taxes next year, arranging the final walk-through with our landlord, telephoning and meeting with our bank to cancel our accounts, completing insurance claim forms from more Dr. visits from our family, changing our payroll to be deposited into our US account beginning in August, in constant contact with our realtor who is working overtime trying to find us a home with a six month lease (so far we have had two houses agree to a lease and then back out), checking out furniture rental companies for our imaginary home (we are not going to get our furniture out of storage until Jan when we move into the home we own), checking out appliance company to rent washer/dryer and refrigerator, looking into corporate housing as a last resort, in contact with the childrens school who are trying to work with us and around the state laws for applicants and residency, looking into two automobiles to purchase, reserving hotels for the last night in Paris (we are not allowed in apartment after final walk through), booking hotel in Southlake for the day we arrive, setting up rental cars when we arrive until we can purchase our own cars.......and the list goes on.

I look forward to the evenings where it cools off a bit and I can try to rest my mind.

**Images  from our bedrooms looking at apartments behind us.