Chad Writes Stuff

Last day in Paris. Fun fun fun. Woke up at 6:30 to go to Muse de Orsey. Saw Rodin, Monet, Manet, Renoir and other magnificent artists. We ate at a little cafe and had the Croque Monsieur...which is my favorite sandwich. At 3:30 we met Lisa and Danielle at the Notre dame for a walk in the Latin Quarter. Stopped at the Village Ransard. Had some espresso, cappuccino and some beer. Lisa tried a hefewizen brand that was very tasty. Fatima had a beer and she normally never drinks. It was a great way to end our trip in Paris. Our waiter was super friendly and fun. The Sun crept out every so often and warmed the mild breeze that was blowing through the Rue de Carmes. Paris has taught me to slow down once again. We as Americans don't take enough time to enjoy what we have. We eat too fast, drive even faster and smell the flowers even less. We don't taste our food and dont really enjoy the company that we keep that well. Paris has been a great learning experience. The peopl...

Today was great. Started off rough, but ended very nice. We had and argument but ended up going our own separate ways (from lisa and danielle). It was about to get ugly, but we decided to split up and that god we did. Fatima and I went all over Paris and did our own thing which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We went up near Montmartre and walked around some side shops. I found this awesome pen for journaling and writing. I think it is a nice fountain pen. I love ink pens, especilly the nice ones. This one does not drip run or smudge. It reminds me of the pen my father bought for me. It was an ink pen, which i loved, however, it died. I gave my father a rollerball pen from cross which he used right up the the very end. I gave it to my uncle brad and he plans to pass it on to one of the boys. when he dies. Back to my story. Fatima and i ended up walking down by the Champs de Elysses. We walked from the Arch to the obelisque. We took picturs and then walked back....

Versailles was great. It is amazing to me to think it was all man made. 1000's of people built it and worked on it until it was complete. The gardens were so grand and the grounds were so well maintained after all these years. I thought heavily about my father yesterday. I imagined him on one of his weekend trips,coming over to Paris, taking the train to Versailles and taking mad photos with the AE-1 camera that he gave to me. I guess now that I have to pass this on to my offspring and hope they have the same respect and pass it down the line. I guess I am missing Dad more than i gave credit. I had a dream that he gave up on life just as I had/have done and that he and my mom divorced. He was trying to justify why he quit trying at the agency and what he was going to do about rent for the past two months. Sean and Becky got involved and began asking my mom about prenuptual agreements and how to get dad off the lease before anymore serious damage was done. I dreamt that he...

Beautiful day today. No clouds outside. We woke up at 7:00 instead of 6:00 but I am glad to be experiencing this. Yesterday we had a fun filled adventure. We went to the Eiffel tower, had lunch and went to Napoleons tomb. This city is an amazing array of hard work and detail. The Eiffel tower was very intriguing and tall. Apparently, it was built by the same person who built the statue of Liberty. We are going to try and squeeze in Versailles, Muse de Orsey and Montmartre. Lisa and Danielle went Saturday so they won't be joining us. I am having a cup of coffee at the moment and thinking about how simple life is right now. I have no worries at this moment and money travels far now. Reality at home is not the same. Upon return, I will have a very large truck note due and still no job. Put it off as long as you can. Worry about the future in the future, live your life now. Be here now... Until next time...

We landed in Paris yesterday and had a hard time getting to the TRV. Eventually we figured it out. The plane ride was uneventful. We flew in the new boeing 777 on United. I have to say, I wasn't overly impressed. Seats were nice, but nothing in my opinion to Delta's 767 400. We arrived at the hostel at 6pm. The girls showered and then we went to the Champs de Elysses. We ate some great food at deli. It stayed light out until 10:30 at night wierd. We ended up going to bed at 11.00. We also went to the Arch de Triomphe. Very beautiful and very large. Danielle and Lisa were excited about being in Paris. I am excited too. I always think it is great to learn about new things and new places in life. People, so far, are very friendly. Smile and they smile back, laugh, and you have made a new friend... Until next time.