City Smiths Country Smiths; Fourth of July

as much as i love the city, i seriously love the beautiful rural arkansas country.

when i was younger, i remember wanting to be a farmer's wife. (that was a few years after i told the teacher i wanted to be the first lady when i grew up-- teacher unhappily told me i couldn't pick that. i had some lofty, varied, and romanticized ideas)

the county life is and has always been very appealing to me... the slower pace, the huge sky, the big fields, the cattle and crops, the feeling that you've gone back in time. it's so great... until i can't find the exact soy milk that jane lauren drinks at the charleston, arkansas walmart.  how quickly i forget (and then quickly remember) about biggish city conveniences.

we started the holiday out in little rock with a parade.

mid day, we headed to charleston to visit isaac's brother, jordan.

greenhurst nursing center is the neatest place. i so look forward to our times here. 

the change of pace charges my batteries. 

yes, this small town setting is good for the soul.
and next year, i'll be sure to pack enough of the silk soy milk.

Anniversary Trip: Nice

Nice was very nice. 

Isaac says it was his favorite of the three cities. Such a hard choice to pic a fave, so I'm not going to. i do think i'd most like to return here to see more of the surrounding coastal cities. we drove through cannes and antibes, and i wish we could have explored more.  but then, i'd love to have seen more of london too...

The train ride from Paris to Nice was a bit over 5 hours, I think. So scenic. Beautiful old farm houses, lots of cattle. even the lavender fields were in bloom. Reminded me of the movie French Kiss. I'm such a romantic.

The place we stayed was highly recommended by ellison at Poe Travel. I can't describe how beautiful it was. The entry, the terrace, the room, even the closet in our room was stunning. The pool won though. Loved the white umbrellas and pretty cushioned chairs. lovely little crisp details everywhere.

ended the trip on a relaxing note

We had a taxi take us along the coast up to Monte Carlo in the little country of Monaco. We ate dinner there and walked to the casino. WoW. They were much dressier and fancier and classier than Vegas (or tunica, ha). So many fancy cars all around the streets. They wouldn't let us take pictures inside but we tried. We enjoyed watching the big players at the tables and met some fun people from Canada and New Zealand.  

The last evening, we walked for about two miles along the gorgeous rock path that winds up and down the coast;  Chemin des Douaniers, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France.

The little beaches and rock pools along the way had so much character. Locals were lounging on little rock platforms. Seriously amazing views.

we ate dinner at paloma beach AT SUNSET which was amazing

we had walked there, but decided to get our hotel to pick us up in their car back to the hotel. it was getting dark and we were tired. Ubers worked well in london and paris but they were very hit or miss in the Nice area. 

if we'd had another day or two we would like to have checked out a few more spots people had/have told us about, and would have tried to spend some time on a sailboat.There is never enough time to do everything!! But very very grateful we got to relax here and soak up so many unforgettable moments.

the trip gave me lots of uninterrupted time with my best friend and also time to reflect on our little section of the world back in little rock.  i would truly pick to live in our small-big city over and over again. with my people, of course. 

anniversary trip; paris

we took the chunnel from london to paris. easy ride.

our first stop was to cafe de flore, which was within walking distance from our hotel at relais christine.   yummy quiche and their version of a grilled cheese?

laughing at isaac's jotted notes with 'sleep in' at the top of each day.

we did sleep in almost every day. a luxury that is important to us on trips. even in disney we slept in. rule breakers, us smiths.

we spent the afternoon exploring Luxembourg gardens

for dinner, monsieur blue. very hip place with beautiful view of the eiffel tower. i had the best white fish of the trip with a curry sauce to die for.

we went to montmartre the next day. i loved the little square with artists painting. i brought home a few drawings and one little bitty oil painting. 

a cruise on the seine river before dinner at frenchie

this was a big highlight for me. i love a boat ride. 

i didn't get any pics at frenchie bc the lighting was so dim. i found my favorite white wine there. 

the next day we had breakfast at le bristol. wowsers. that place is gorgeous.

went to the louvre and then to dinner at yamtcha. which was the best meal i've ever had in my life. no exaggeration. i've been wanting to go here for over a year. they were featured on chef table ; france. a great documentary series to watch if you love interesting food. 

 a fabulous way to end our stay in paris