Can I just swim in a big vat of apple cider? I'm in love with this organic brand of cider I bought from Whole Foods.  Too bad it was $6 and won't be getting it again :(

Black Friday

Deal of the century:  Beach, sun, and seashells.   Earlier in the day, Mike and I went out to Michael's and bought a few frames that were on sale.  We then ventured to the mall but we couldn't find a parking spot (%$#!). I looked at him and said screw this.  It's beautiful outside - a good day to relax at Lover's Key State Park.

After I collected a giant bag full of awesome seashells (I'm going to make some ornaments with them), we took a complimentary shuttle over to Ft. Myers beach to check out the sand castle competition going on.  It was very impressive.  I can't even imagine baking in the hot sun for days sculpting these things with just sand.  I don't know how they don't collapse!  Mike has a theory that the sculptors mix some glue into the sand to make it stick...who knows.   Get ready to be photo bombed!

The last one was my favorite.  Obviously, there were tons of sculptures, but I didn't really feel like snapping away the whole time we were there.  And, apparently, this wasn't even a big competition.  There is supposed to be an international competition at some point in the year that's supposed to have even more competitors.  Definitely looking forward to that one!

Thanksgiving

I spent hours and hours in the kitchen slaving away preparing a Thanksgiving meal for Mike and I.
Haha.  False.
We picked up our prepared stuffing and mashed potatoes from Whole Foods around 10:30 this morning.  Oh yeah.  We also got some of this.

I know.  I know.  Eating turkey gravy goes against being a vegetarian.  I hate myself for it.  But...But.  The vegan mushroom gravy that we bought last year tasted like soup and ruined my dinner.  And, I'm sorry, I need to gravy up my mashed potatoes and stuffing.  So, I went for it.  And I don't regret it.  It was delish.  And I can't wait to eat it again tomorrow.  

The rest of our vegetarian spread consisted of cauliflower smothered in cream sauce (home made), cranberry sauce, biscuits, and green beans.  Not the healthiest of meals.  I'd say we each consumed a quarter of a stick of butter.  I guess we'll be doing lots of biking tomorrow.

Not too shabby.  I also whipped up a home made pumpkin pie last night.  Honestly, pumpkin pie is the easiest pie in the world to make.  And one of the most delicious.  I kind of wish that I had made an apple pie too, or a lemon meringue pie.  That's one of the dishes I was most forward to eating up north. Grandma was actually going to make me a pie!  Oh well.  I guess one pie is enough for two people...Happy Thanksgiving all!

It's been a while...

And life has been...eventful.... painful.

Most of you reading this are already aware that our shore house was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy.  It has been extremely difficult being so far away from home watching news reports, seeing footage and pictures, and listening to my parents sob about what was lost and has to be repaired.  It's heart breaking.

What's also heartbreaking is that Mike and I had to cancel our trip home for Thanksgiving this year as my parents had planned to have the holiday at the shore.  Since only a shell remains at the moment, we obviously can not go up there and were forced to cancel our flights (there are other factors that lead us not to rent a car for 5 days and drive it 2 1/2 hours to another home, but that's another story).

What a nightmare it has been trying to speak with a Spirit Airlines representative about our situation.  To save myself some time, I am copying the email I sent to Spirit in regards to our flight:

Dear --------, Prior to Hurricane Sandy, I had booked a trip into the Atlantic City airport from Fort Myers to visit my family for the Thanksgiving Holiday. However, the effects of Hurricane Sandy left my family's home devastated and uninhabitable. The home was submerged in three feet of water and all of its contents were disposed of. Since my home has been gutted, I will have nowhere to visit during Thanksgiving. This past week, I called Spirit Airlines to inquire about their cancellations fees expecting that there would be some type of compensation for those who were affected by the hurricane. After speaking with two representatives including a manager of the outsourced call center, I was told, "I'm sorry but Spirit's policy will not change for you." I am utterly distraught as it is being that my family's home is destroyed, and now Spirit Airlines, an airline that I have been a customer of for several years, will not do anything substantial for those of us who had plans to fly into what is now a "disaster area." I even asked to change the dates of the flights so it would be more manageable to rent a car and take it somewhere, but whomever I spoke with insisted that I would have to pay a cancellation fee, cancel my existing reservation, and then rebuy the tickets. What Spirit Airlines expects their passengers to do at this time, in my opinion, is unjust. After we spend the $115 per customer cancellation fee, we will be left with a credit to put towards our next flight. Well, our next flight would be into Atlantic City and I cannot predict when the Jersey Shore or my home will be restored. Let me make it clear that I am not asking for a 100% refund on our flight. What I am asking, however, is to speak with a representative from the United States who understands the injustice of this situation and willing to provide some type of reasonable financial compensation for a loyal customer. I hope to hear a response from you. I am more than willing to speak on the phone, however, am uncomfortable providing a contact number until I receive a response. Here is our confirmation number: ------- Thank you for your time, Michelle Conveniently (and over a week later), a representative from Spirit Airlines contacted me less than an hour after we cancelled our flight.  This was the email I received: Dear------- Thank you for your correspondence with Spirit Airlines regarding your reservation on Confirmation Code ------. We welcome the opportunity to address your concerns and understand the importance of having accurate information. We are ever mindful of the, unfortunate, circumstances and conditions you and your family are facing as a result of Hurricane Sandy and the Nor'Easter. We hope that every day is an improvement and your family is safe, secure, and warm at this time. Spirit Airlines did implement our Weather Buster Policy and made modifications to it as we monitored the weather conditions in the Northeast. We regret any difficulty you experienced when contacting our Reservations Center, but it is important to stress that our agents do have a protocol to follow. We are empathetic and understand your disappointment and frustration that our policy does not cover the dates you were scheduled to travel, Nov. 20-25, 2012. This is to acknowledge that you were, appropriately, advised and agreed to cancel your reservation via our web site, www.spirit.com, subject to the service and spoilage fees which were deducted. Thus, a Future Travel Credit, in the amount of $57.20 has been issued; its expiration date is Jan. 18, 2013. Please review the following link for details regarding the guidelines with which the Future Travel Credit must be utilized. http://customersupport.spirit.com/entries/21381958-how-do-i-use-a-future-travel-voucher-or-future-travel-credit While we are sorry that we cannot be of further assistance to you, we hope you understand that it is adhering to our policies that enable Spirit Airlines to provide ultra-low fares. Wishing you and yours all the best and hope every day is an improvement! Kindest regards, Susan Corporate Customer Relations Coordinator Spirit Airlines Great.  So we lost $180 EACH and now have $57 to put towards our next flight.  The kicker- Mike bought the tickets with his card, so only he gets the credit.   And the only place we would fly to on Spirit Airlines is Atlantic City....the place where our home was destroyed.  Nice job, Spirit.  May you and all of your employees  rot in a pile of pig shit and get food poisoning from your turkey eating this week.

By the way, this is where I wound up Saturday night with four other couples that I work with.  This was only my second time dining at Hooters.  It was Mike's first.  I gave him permission to look at other girls' racks for the night.  But thankfully he wasn't interested since half of the girls that waitressed there were the same age as his students.

I don't understand why men justify going to Hooters by exclaiming how much they love their wings.   Since I'm a vegetarian, I couldn't taste any.  They smelled good though...really good, actually.  But anything slobbered in buffalo sauce smells good to me.  So men, listen up.  Just tell the truth.  You like hooters because of the hooters.  You like going there and having young girls serve you in their tight  orange shorts and low cut, here are my breasts, tank tops.  You like the way they smile at you, cater to you, and bend over for you for extra tips.  I would respect a man's choice to go to Hooters so much more if he just came clean about it instead of saying, "I go there for the wings!"  "I go there for their breasts!" is much more believable.  

Imagine yourself in front of 16 five year olds.  Now imagine teaching them how to write during the second month of school.  Now imagine your boss standing in the back of your classroom typing and typing and typing pages of notes on your performance.  Teacher evaluations.  Are they necessary?  Of course.  Are they nerve racking?  Completely.

But, I am happy to report that my lesson kicked some major bootay today and I was rewarded with extremely positive and encouraging feed back by my assistant principal.  After all of the trials and tribulations teachers face on a daily basis, it is so motivational to hear your superior comment on how well you are progressing in your profession.  I'm on top of the world this lovely Tuesday evening!

Yesterday was an amazingly awesome day.  The temperature down in southwest florida is slowly dropping, and by slowly I mean one degree every 10 days.  I'll take it though!  It was 69* and dry when we woke up (the norm is 75 and humid)!  We knew we had to do something outdoorsy so we packed a lunch, some water, threw our bikes on the car, and drove up to Lover's Key State Park (about a 20 minute drive).  We love this park because of its beautiful trails and calm, pristine beaches.  Plus, there is almost never a crowd.  As we were taking off our bikes from the bike rack I spotted a bald eagle.  It was the first bald eagle I had ever seen!  It was beautiful soaring and flipping in the air.  We hopped on our bikes and headed over to a trail that we've hiked before and where we were hopping to spot some manatees.  Unfortunately, we didn't see any but we did see lots of butterflies and enjoyed the cool breeze and shade during our journey.  The one downfall to our bike ride was the fact that my bike is really a beach bike.  It's not meant to ride in the dirt or grass.  Needless to say, I had some difficulty keeping up with Mike and his Mongoose mountain bike that had gears and the correct tires for trail.  It was fun nonetheless.

After our bike ride we got on the tram that escorts you to a beach about a half a mile away from the entrance to the park.  The color of the water yesterday was exactly how I hoped it would be.  Sometimes the water can look like NJ water, but most times it looks like the caribbean.  Yesterday was one of those days!  I was so hot after our bike ride that I immediately went towards the water to start cooling myself off.  I stopped, though, after noticing the huge schools of fish swimming around.  That's still something I just can't get used to.  So instead of immersing my whole body in the water, I just splashed some on me to cool off.  When Mike joined me I pointed out all of the fish swimming around and jokingly said, "I bet a shark is going to show up to eat them!"  Wouldn't you know less than 5 minutes after I said that I spotted a dark shadow swimming around in the shallow part of the water .  I jumped out of the water real quick and started following the shadow down the beach until it got close enough for us to determine that it was, in fact, a shark!  It was about 2-3 feet...not huge, but big enough to bite you if he felt like it.  After seeing that, we didn't go back in :(  But, we did lounge in the shade/sun for about an hour which was the most relaxing thing I've done all week.

There are so many times when I think to myself, man I am lonely.  I think about moving back north to where my friends and family are.  I think about moving back to a state that will fairly compensate teachers for their hard work and dedication to their profession. And then days like yesterday happen.  Days when I inhale clean air, notice the vibrant colors of my surroundings, feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, the cool breeze through my hair, and remember why I love Florida.  There's nothing that can quite lift your spirits like nature.

I read an entire book today.  Cover to cover.  It's called the Dogs of Babel.  I don't know whether to be proud of myself or ashamed that I had the time to veg all day with a book on my lap.

Can someone please remind me that I get paid too much as a teacher?  Sometimes I forget how overpaid I am because I work extra hours during the week and throughout the weekend.  With those gobs and gobs of extra money I earn I purchase extravagant items like a laminator.  Yeah.  How cool is it that I have a laminator in my kitchen!  Shhh.  Don't tell anyone though.  The last thing I need is for America to see that teachers live the good life like me.

<------ Guilty of axing questions

Random mail

Ummm.  This was sent to me because...?

Seitan tacos topped with avocado, tomato, and cheese. Quick, easy, yummy Friday night dinner.

face

There is a face in my curtain. Can you see it?

Slightly obsessed with my new Anthropologie bedspread and shams. Thank goodness for the sale rack.

My toes look like fingers...like the fingers on a baby's hand or something.

Other than I think my feet look pretty sweet after my pedicure.

ll cool j detains burglar

I bet that guy feels like a real dumb ass now.  

Oprah's Next Chapter

I am so utterly disgusted with Oprah right now.  Normally, I have absolutely no gripes with the infamous TV mogul.  I happen to like her very much.  However, after watching Oprah's Next Chapter with Gabby Douglas, I am very upset with her interview.  Rather than spending her time honing in on the blood, sweat, and tears that went into winning an Olympic Gold medal, she spent basically whatever time was left after the 20 minutes worth of commercial breaks (it was a 30 minute episode) talking about....HER HAIR CONTROVERSY.  Honestly, I am offended.  The war against Gabby and her hair was horrible, yes.  But rather than spending their time on the negative media coverage Gabby endured after the Olympics, I wish Oprah had shed light on all of the positive things that happened to her.  Celebrate the girl!  Don't waste her time talking about hair, again.

Rant done.  

So, I got crafty

As the summer was winding down and the ants in my pants got ultra jittery, I spent some time crafting. One of the projects I worked on required me to actually use some tools.  EEEeekk!  I haven't really used tools since shop class in 7th grade when I made a napkin holder.  For some reason, though, I had this desire to create something from scratch (and wasn't available to buy in a store, unfortunately) and I wanted to do it myself (most of it).
After rearranging my Kindergarten classroom, I realized I had no shelf to hold a big book when reading to my kiddos.  I added a dry erase magnetic white board to my story time carpet and remembered a bookshelf that attached to the whiteboard from a classroom that I previously worked in. My easel had no shelf whatsoever.  After searching online for this shelf that has no name, I found that I couldn't purchase this thing without buying a $250 easel.  Well, I thought, screw that.  I'll make it myself.

This is what I am talking about.

So, with my 'can do' attitude that I adopted for the day, I took my boyfriend over to Home Depot to pick up some pieces of wood, dowels, and magnetic strips.  I selected some light colored wood and  dowel and started sawing away in the store.  Well, OK, I didn't do the sawing.  I have to admit, this was the only part of the project I did not complete myself.  Since I sliced off a pretty big chunk of skin on a glass cup a few years ago, I am deathly afraid of anything that is sharp.  Thankfully, Mike was there to do the cutting for me.

At home, I began sanding down my cut wood and dowels so I, or my students, would not get splinters.  The next thing I needed to do was to drill two holes into the wood so I could place the dowels in.  Womp womp.  We didn't have a drill.  Thankfully, one of our friends allowed us to go into his home and use his.  I was very excited, and a little nervous, to use such an apparatus.  I didn't know how hard to pull the trigger or how hard to push the bit into the wood without breaking it.  Mind you, I was performing this task and asking all of these questions about drilling holes into wood, and how hard to push it, with two boys in their 20s.   You can imagine the perverted jokes that were flying through the garage during this time.

After drilling, I stuck the dowels in the holes, super glued the magnetic strips (and my fingers) to the back, and WALAH!  Bookshelf created!

So far, no problems to report with my new shelf.  Now we'll just have to see if it lasts the year!

I was hungry...

...for something sweet tonight.  I was searching for my granola cereal to satisfy my craving but couldn't find it in my cabinet.  I looked on the counters, in the cabinets again...and then I had a thought.  Slowly, and in denial that I could have actually had such a gynormous brain fart, I opened the refrigerator.  Low and behold was my granola right next to my brita filter.  Oh.  My.  So thankful I can sleep in tomorrow.

Hi Ho Hi HO

Day 3 of a the new school year...

....And this is what I look like....already.

Kids are fantastic.  Even though I feel/look like this, getting told "I love you" by 15 kindergarten kiddos makes it worth it.  (Most of the time.)  (I wonder how long it will take a student to stop giving me compliments and start calling me names...like a poisonous frog.)

I  don't normally post things like this; however, I just can't help myself right now.
"If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," Akin continued. He did not provide an explanation for what constituted "legitimate rape."
What is that "thing" that "shuts down" exactly?  Too scary that people who are morons actually have a job....let alone a job that could potentially control my rights as a female.

This is for real...

The Dollar Store now sells chicken flavored crackers! Man, I can't believe I've been missing out on these. And, no, I wasn't in the dog food aisle.

Oh. Crap.

So upset that I missed one of the most amazing competitions of the Olympic games.

Why wasn't this aired during prime time with Bob Costas?  Damn you, NBC.  

if you want more of that, get it here.

White Peach Sangria

My, oh my.  This day has been full of frustration and anxiety as we are trying to tie up some loose ends while our summer "vacation" comes to a close.  Not to mention trying to mentally, physically, and financially prepare ourselves for the new school year to come!
But, instead of ranting and raving like the lunatic I can be about things I cannot change, I will write about......SANGRIA.
My friend had mentioned that she made a peach white wine sangria for a party  that soon became the hit of the night.  So, in honor of the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games, I decided to toast the athletes with my own version of said sangria.
I am horrible at writing down recipes because I am very much the type of person who doesn't usually cook or bake new meals using measurements; rather I prepare and alter my dishes based on taste.  I will share the ingredients of my concoction, though, I cannot provide you with an accurate measurement of each.  My apologies.

Ingredients
2 bottles of Trader Joe's 3 Buck Chuck Pinot Grigio
Peach Schnapps to taste ( around a cup)
Sugar to taste ( about 2 tablespoons)
1 white nectarine, 1 orange, 1 apple
Frozen pureed mangoes

I started off my drink by combining one bottle of wine with a half a cup of Schnapps.  Then I added my sugar and fruit.  Well, one bottle of wine does not fill a pitcher and I soon realized that I needed more.  So, I sent my boyfriend out to pick up an extra bottle, dumped that in, and added some more Schnapps to taste.  Whewwww it was way too...hmmmm...what word can I use...alcohol-y?  I read a lot of recipes online that recommended adding some type of juice to the sangria but I didn't want the added sugar.  After sampling it, I quickly realized I was in need of that sugar.  The problem was I had no juice and had already sent Mike out an emergency run!  Frantically, I looked in my freezer and spotted some frozen mangoes and thought to myself, peach and mango - yes please!  I threw in a decent amount of mangoes and water into my Vita Mix and blended them until I had a nice liquid.  I poured that into my sangria and WOW.  It made a tremendous difference in a very, very good way!

It seems as though my audience also enjoyed my sangria (both men) as they gulped down two glasses each.  It was a bigger hit than the opening ceremony, that's for sure.
I enjoyed a glass last night and it tasted even better than the first night since it has had time so soak.  Yum!  I think another glass is in order today!

Yummy Sandwich

After squatting in our family's homes for over three weeks, I could not wait to return to my own home, specifically to reunite with beloved kitchen.  There is nothing like having a refrigerator full of fresh produce that accommodates my own personal taste, or having cabinets that overflow with my favorite dried and canned foods that have been absent from my diet for way too long.  It has taken several trips to three different groceries to get us back in business, although I foresee another trip in my near future.
I was most eager to get back into the swing of cooking because of an IMPECCABLE sandwich I consumed while dining at my favorite vegetarian hang on LBI called Livin' On The Veg.  I wanted to recreate their version of one of their specials, Tofu Tulum.  I am proud to say it was a success!  I have not come up with my own name for it yet, though I think Get In My Belly would be a pretty good one.
Here is Livin' On The Veg's version

Here is my version

Ingredients:

Dijon mustard

Avocado

Tofu

Cucumber

Grated carrots

Tomoto

Sprouts

Veganaise

Shlop all of these ingredients onto whole grain bread and WHA-LA.  

How convenient.  

A gift from both mom and dad before leaving NJ - Crispin from daddio and mason jars that my mom picked up (for 25 cents a piece at a yard sale!!) for our home.  This drink was much needed after learning that our water tank in our apartment was shot and had started leaking while we were away.

That was a long hiatus...

I know.  I have not been doing a good job keeping up with my blog.  My life has been compact with traveling in the past few weeks:  Florida to Paris, Paris to Florida, Florida to New Jersey, New Jersey to Long Island, Long Island to New Jersey....and then back down to Florida on Sunday.

I won't bore you or myself with what I've been up to during my summer "vacation" through written words about visiting various friends and family.  Instead, you can view these pictures.

 Seashells after the storm in the gulf

We drove from Florida to Delaware without

hitting any traffic.  We get to NJ and was greeted

by a monstrosity of a delay.

 Vegan buffalo cesar wrap from Livin' on the Veg on LBI.

 LBI.

 Favorite breakfast spot on Long Island.

Blueberry stuffed french toast, coconut pineapple pancakes,

and a "side" of hashbrowns.

 The massive bag that got stuck to the pipes

under my car.

 Me and my new hat.  

Drinking wine out of a tiki straw with mom.

Onto today's news...

My mom and I decided to get a pedicure.  Upon arriving at the salon, I noticed that there were no female employees.  Instead, three men were sitting at their stations listening to their iPods or playing on their iPhones.  Sweet.  I turned to my mom and said, "Are we really going to do this?"

Now, maybe I was being unfair.  Anyone should be allowed to perform a job no matter their age, sex, or race.  Right?

We proceeded with our pedicures.  I hopped up on my chair and sank my tootsies into lukewarm water and sat looking down on my pedicurist (I am not quite sure if that is an actual word.  If it isn't, well, then, I just made it up.).  He was probably in his late twenties or early thirties while my mother's was in his forties or fifties.  Her pedicurist babbled about one thing or another a few times throughout the session while mine remained silent.

My pedicure started the normal way a pedicure does - removal of toenail polish followed by a good scrub with a pumice stone.  At first rub my foot jolted in the air and almost involuntarily kicked the guy in the face.  Fortunately, contact between my foot and his face did not happen thanks to his quick reflexes.  He then proceeded to scour about three layers of skin off of my feet with caution.  Pay back?

While this was going on, my mom was dealing with her own issues.  After her pedicurist removed her polish, he came back with something that reminded me of this scene from Dumb and Dumber:

"What are you doing with that?!" mom yelped.  It turns out, the apparatus was not some type of chain saw for her toenails but rather something to take the dead skin off of her feet...scary times.

After my feet were nice and raw, the man cleansed my legs with an exfoliating scrub and proceeded to lather up them up with some lotion for the massage portion of my pedicure.  And now the reason why it's extremely uncomfortable for a man to give you a pedi - during this point of a pedicure you are supposed to relax and enjoy having your muscles soothed and loosened.  Sometimes, it feels so nice that one can't help but release a big sigh or even a little moan of pleasure.  When it's a woman rubbing my feet and calves, it's no big deal.   HOWEVER, with a man at my feet with a probable view up my shorts, the last thing I want to do is make any noise that could remotely be associated with pleasure.  Na ah.  I sat in my chair reading about the Nazi war criminal who was just arrested in Hungary on my iPhone to avoid any sign on my face that might read 'oh this feels good.'  Am I being ridiculous here?  Or am I speaking with some validity?

An hour and $23 later my toes don't even look that good.  There is polish all over my feet! I think it goes without saying that the next time I go into a nail salon and see a bunch of men playing on their gadgets, I am walking out.  Call me sexist if you want.  No man besides my boyfriend is touching my toes again!

It looks like I will be trying to restore my body for some time after the poor (but delicious) eating choices I made while in France.  My skin is so dry from dehydrating myself on a daily basis for 6 days, and my stomach is still as hard as a rock.

Today's smoothie includes:
little bit of water
2 handfuls of organic spinach
1/2 of a frozen banana
frozen pineapple
frozen mango
very small handful of organic blueberries (saving them for tomorrow!)

If you have a Vita mix, adding greens into your smoothie is an excellent way for you to consume more nutrients as the blades chop leafy greens into a very fine liquid consistency (this helps your body to absorb more of what the leafy greens have to offer rather than chewing through a salad).  You can barely even taste the greens in your smoothie.  If you are using a regular blender, well, I have no idea how adding greens would come out!  I'm not sure if a normal blender would chop the greens into the same consistency, but it's worth a try!

Au revoir Paris

I'm back.  And all I can say is, WOW.  What a week!  The time flew and I still can't believe that we were just in Paris.
While I did miss my croissant with OJ and tea / or crepe for breakfast, it felt very good to put some healthy food back into my body - oatmeal mush with ground flax, granola, and blueberries.  Bye bye carbs and buttery goodness :(
Our experience abroad was nothing short of amazing.  We saw as much as we could in the 6 days we were there, and were also fortunate enough to have time to leave the city for a day and visit Giverny which is where Monet lived and painted.  That part of our trip was by far my favorite.  We took a train to a town called Vernon, rented some bikes, and then cycled through the beautiful countryside for about a half an hour to Giverny.  Completely breathtaking.
We ran into very few snags on our trip.  Everything went smoothly with our flight and our apartment.  We didn't get robbed.  Hooray!  (We only had a few people come up and try and con us, but we both knew better and continued walking.)  We (meaning mostly Mike) did our best we could with our limited knowledge of French; and while a few people chuckled at our attempts, mostly everyone else was very kind to speak to us in English (or what English they knew).   Bon jour, merci, and  je ne comprends pas (I don't understand) were my most commonly used phrases.
I have to say - we ran our butts of while on vacation.  I didn't realize how HUMUNGOUS Paris is and how much there really is to see.  We spent every day walking and walking and walking.  We really exhausted ourselves to the point where we could barely move our bodies by the last day.  We tried to accept the fact that we could not possibly experience everything that Paris could offer, but we kept going anyway.  I would have enjoyed more nights drinking wine on our terrace, but how could we when there were so many beautiful places to see?
Leaving Paris was sad, but I have to be honest and admit that it was nice to come home to people speaking a familiar language.  It's a little scary visiting a country where you can't read or understand people - especially in restaurants (jk!).
Our last night in Paris ended with a trip up the Eiffel Tower and then a few hours later a viewing of the tower lit up and sparkling at 11:00 pm (it still wasn't completely dark but it was beautiful!).  A great way to conclude a great week :)