Monday, April 21, 2014

Giverny (and the most perfect weekend ever)


Without a doubt the best weekend of my life.  I'll keep this one short.  After having the (perfect) ring in my possession for over a month now, it was burning a hole in my pocket.  I didn't have a grand master plan of when or where, but Friday marked the end of Riki's teaching days in France, so to celebrate I thought we would head to Paris for the weekend.  I was scouring for perfect places in Paris when Riki mentioned we should stop by Giverny (aka Monet's gardens) on the way to Paris.  Done deal!  

"Everything I have earned has gone into these gardens."  - Claude Monet

The place was stunning.  I could not believe the color spectrum...my eyes were melting.  Monet personally chose this place and spent the last half of his life painting and living in the gorgeous gardens.  If Giverny was a good enough place for Monet to die, it was good enough for me to pop the question.  She said yes, but I'll let the pictures do the talking.  Warning: color overload.  Hit play and enjoy. 



























This is not Photoshop.  Just dragged the shutter for a bit.


Monet's house.




After the "proposal" we realized that I had not actually asked the question, and she has not actually said yes.  We remedied that, but it was pretty funny.  Riki actually held her cool throughout the entire process, but when I asked a stranger to take our picture together, she completely lost it.  I loved it.





Side note:  I am so grateful for these pictures.  We got so lucky.  I asked a random couple walking by if they could take our picture, and the girl immediately volunteered.  "I got it, I'm the artistic one," she said.  As Riki burst into tears, then laughter, (have you seen the PBA commercial?) this girl captured the whole thing.  Most people would have probably been scared off, or at the very least have taken a bunch of pictures that were out of focus.  She captured it perfectly, and I wish I could thank her for that.



"So......what do we do now?"






That's one good looking ice cream cone.



This is not Disney land.







We would spend the rest of the weekend in Paris, completing the most perfect weekend ever.








Yes, this was really happening.


This is a real place, and it's called Parc des Buttes Chaumont.  We could've spent all day there.


Seriously, this is a real place.














Any birders out there no what kind of crazy bird this is?










Great looking cup of espresso. 






I just don't know if it gets more beautiful than Paris in the spring.  We kept having to remind ourselves that this is real life.  We completely realize how insanely lucky we are for this experience and we are truly grateful, but at the same time we are planning to take full advantage of it!  

To our all NOLA family and friends, we'll be back at the end of the summer and the celebrations will begin!  Needless to say, we are very excited about the future.  Until then...Au revoir!




11 comments:

  1. dude - AMAZING PICTURES!!! CONGRATS :)
    - Marissa B

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  2. Well now I am crying!!! That's so beautiful. Much love to the two of you!!

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  3. Yes!!!! I am bawling crying over here in Nola. So happy for you two!

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  4. Thanks everyone!!! We cannot wait to get home to celebrate with everyone....thanks so much for all the kind messages, they mean everything to us.

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  5. I'm so happy for y'all brother, also i love your pictures, please keep it up so i never have to do anything else at work. take me to Paris instead of Riki next time...

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  6. Congrats to you and your beautiful bride-to-be, Jamey!!! Your photographs are beyond gorgeous... I had chills by the end! You have truly found your calling. I will be in Paris the week of August 1 with my fiance and his family. Your photos got me all the more excited for our trip (didn't think that was possible). Will you still be there then? Would love to see you! Wishing you both the best!

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    1. Thanks so much Ashlee! I really appreciate it. That's awesome you're coming to Paris. By far the most beautiful city I've ever been to...all the cliches are true. Unfortunately we will be coming home in July, but August will no doubt be beautiful. What are you going for?

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    2. Just a fun trip with his family - we are going to Rome as well! Any recommendations for restaurants, bars, etc that we absolutely must experience? I've never been!

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  7. Congrats! I am totally crying at my desk right now. Great pics!

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