DISNEY PARIS & TRIP WRAP UP

It feels like yesterday and years ago that we were at Disneyland Paris, and either way, this is the time that I have to write about it, so here we are.  This whole trip (see Belgium here and Paris here) took us by surprise, but when we realized we would be so near, John insisted we spend a little time at Disneyland Paris.  He knew how much I would enjoy visiting an international Disney park, so we made the choice to peel off from the Heads on our last day.

It was cold and raining as we headed for the park, but we didn't let that dampen our spirits.  We got checked into our hotel on Disney property (Disney's Newport Bay Club, which feels a lot like the Beach Club at DisneyWorld) and walked to the park just in time to catch the Christmas parade.

It never fails, I cry at every Disney parade.  I've written about my love for Disney, and even though I can't explain it fully, there is something about the joy that resonates deep inside of me.  I found Disneyland Paris to be a beautiful park.  There are some walk-through attractions that are unusual and really well done.

The castle is so beautiful, and I loved the level of detail found throughout.

We did a few attractions and tried to focus on things that are unique to these parks.  The afternoon turned unexpectedly lovely as we explored.

Before it got too dark, we headed out to Walt Disney Studios Park and past Disneyland Hotel that sits between the entrances.  If it had been a little less $$$, we would have stayed there, but even I have my limits.

We wrapped up our night back at Disneyland with fireworks and hot chocolate in the hub before heading back to our hotel for the night.

Overall, we really enjoyed our time there.  Since we are accustomed to visiting DisneyWorld, there are some things that are not as great - like the lack of Mickey-shaped food, the smoking everywhere (hello, Europe), the technology is behind, and it is not quite as pristine.  But - I loved having a taste of international Disney magic, and it was such a treat to experience some holiday fun there.  I'm SO thankful that John insisted we do this.  (I'm still pinching myself that we made it to DisneyWorld, Disneyland AND Disneyland Paris in one calendar year.  I know that is insane.)

We got up pretty early the next morning to catch our train to the airport and head back to Arkansas just in time to turn around and do Thanksgiving a few days after this.  It was a whirlwind FOR SURE.

To sum up our trip - Belgium is better than I ever dreamed, and I would visit it again in a heart beat.  I also would love to get back to the romance that Paris is, and I realized there is also much more to France than just Paris that we would love to see.  Someday, we'd love to see some of the Tour De France there and visit the mountains.

Other tidbits:
- I did manage to wear a bit of leopard every day this trip, which provided a fun challenge for me.
- It is a million times easier to do trans-Atlantic travel without the kids.
- My jet lag was little to none due to taking Tylenol PM to get on track with wherever I was supposed to be.

After all that this fall brought, this trip was a welcome reprieve and felt like a real chance to celebrate not having cancer right now.  It was a reminder that there are always highs and lows in life, and I'm so thankful to have had this time with John in the midst of everything.

OPERATION DON'T DIE OF CANCER

I don't live my life as a fearful person.  In fact, I am usually busy looking forward to the next fun thing, and I certainly don't imagine out worst case scenarios very often.  However, I have always had a niggling fear that I will contract cancer and die from it at a relatively young age.  I do understand that you cannot just pick up cancer.  But it feels both targeted and random, and unfortunately for me, it has loomed large in my family.

All of my grandparents ended up with cancer.  Two of them died 20 years before I was born, both in 1961.  I never knew my mom's dad or my dad's mom because of cancer.  The surviving grandparents did live much longer lives, but cancer came for both of them in the end.  I have an aunt that has survived breast cancer, and looming the largest of all is my precious father who died 16 years ago of pancreatic cancer.  With family history like this, I have always assumed on some level, whether consciously or subconsciously, that cancer might be a battle I had to fight at some point.

I do not let this fear control my life, but when examined, I have realized that certain actions do come from this place.  I have a compulsive need to do some of the same traditions as a family every year, and I almost always have the thought, "Well, at least if one of us dies, we will have gotten to do _____ one last time."  This compulsion is well documented through family photos, especially pictures that include all six of us.  I say to myself, "At least we were able to get one last photo of what it feels like now."

It's as if I am living a BEFORE life and constantly dreading the AFTER life that may or may not ever come to fruition through cancer or some other tragedy that may befall our family.

In September, I was at my yearly OB appointment and asked what kind of cancer screening I should be doing based on family history.  I ended up doing genetic testing to see if I have any mutations linked to cancer.  My packet came back with a large red positive sign, though it did not feel like positive news.  I have a mutation in my PALB2 gene.

Basically, it means that my body is less able than average bodies to stop a tumor growing.  It is not one of the most common breast cancer genes (BRCA or BRCA2), but it works with that 2nd gene as a Partner And Lengthener.  Hence the PAL name, though I don't think this is a pal to me, since it makes me more likely than the general population to get breast or pancreatic cancer.

Upon hearing this news, I was not exactly surprised.  It felt like I always knew there was something in my coding that came with my family.  However, it is different to have the information in black and white and red.  It's different to begin making genetic counseling appointments and start screening processes.  It's different to have to make regular trips to the local cancer center, which I have done for the past several months.

I met with the genetic counselor who knowledgeably and graciously walked me through the ramifications of the findings.  I started meeting with a nurse practitioner who coordinates my different screenings.  I had my first mammogram, and they found different things in each breast.  I had two different kinds of biopsies.  I had an MRI.  My body reacted badly to the biopsies, and I developed extensive bruising and a hematoma.  It was a busy fall.

I am so thankful to say that I do not have cancer right now.  There wasn't anything that would have led me to all of this without the genetic testing, and I was honestly shocked when the mammogram found things on both sides.  It was a wild ride, and I do not take for granted getting an "All-Clear" at this point.

The whole experience was pretty traumatic, because just walking into our local cancer center, CARTI, as a patient instead of a guest ended up being triggering for me.  Even though my dad was treated in an entirely different state, it brought everything flooding back.  It is forever marking to have an immediate family member with cancer, especially if it ends in death.

I found myself wanting to guard all of this information about myself, which I am perfectly at liberty to do, I understand.  However, I normally live so open, and I realized that the main reason I didn't want to share is that I didn't want to hear what anyone (outside of my family and close friends) had to say.  I still carry around some baggage from having a sick dad and all of the dumb things that very well-intentioned people had to say about it.

I was also reminded of the spiritual battle this is for me, because I am thankful to God that I don't have cancer right now.  But, I would find a way to be thankful to God even if I did have cancer, because there are blessings in that as well.  I wish my Dad had never died, but I don't blame God for that.  It's a good reminder that I don't subscribe to a prosperity gospel where trusting in the Lord means that only good things happen.  God promises that in this world we will have trouble, and in my family, that has meant a lot of cancer.  Whether it means that for me or not is yet to be seen, but I know that God is good either way.

It really has been a journey over the last few months, and I am so thankful to be sitting at this place where I know I currently don't have cancer and with the mechanisms in place to hopefully catch it early should it ever develop.  I'm also thankful to be armed with this knowledge, and if any of my family history rings bells for you - I encourage you to get tested!  My insurance has covered almost everything, and from what I understand, the prices have come down dramatically in the past few years anyway.

I will also say that my friends and family, and especially my husband, have been really wonderful through this whole thing.  They have helped me process and cry and laugh through everything, and they have supported me with prayer and texts and gifts.  Always know that I accept gifts.  It was an excellent reminder that no matter what happens, obviously, God's got my back, but one of the best ways I get to see it are the people he has surrounded me with.  I am forever grateful.

RAINBOW CHRISTMAS COOKIE BOX

Well, I've baked and eaten more than my fair share of cookies this week.  I was hoping to get this blog post out sooner so you could have even more cookie inspiration before Christmas, but alas, this is just how things go.  There are only so many hours in the day, and I kept adding recipes. 😆



After attending Christmas Camp Create back in November, I've wanted to rainbow all the things.  This is always a little true (see all the book rainbows in my living room), but definitely after visiting the most colorful house ever.  Which brings me to Christmas cookies.  Here is a selection of recipes that could help you make your own rainbow box, if you are up to the challenge.  As a bonus, you can sub out anything for something else, if it works better for you!

I book ended the rainbow with chocolate, because that seemed a good plan.  I made Hot Cocoa Sandwich cookies shaped like trees and added piping and dragees to dress them up a bit.  I will say that in the future, I would not use straight marshmallow cream as a center and would instead use a marshmallow frosting with a bit more stability.  These turned out to be pretty messy.  But they taste good!



The red are Red Velvet Thumbprint cookies - another recipe from the Food Network Holiday cookie magazine that I had a blast flipping through.  I added a fancy sprinkle mix to the top, again, because I like a little bling on everything.



I used this Candied Orange Recipe, and I will add that I dehydrated them for about an hour to dry them out, and in retrospect, I would have done even longer to crisp them up a bit more.  I also did dip some in dark chocolate and sprinkled sea salt, and those were unexpectedly tasty.



Last year, I loved these Poppyseed Linzer cookies so much that I made them again.  This time in the shape of stars and using the Lemon Curd recipe noted instead of the orange glaze from 2018.  I feel like they are super Christmasy, and the lemon adds a nice pop of yellow.



In keeping with an apparent citrus theme, the green cookies are Lime Spritz cookies.  It gave me a chance to use the cookie press that I've had for years and rarely pull out.  I sprinkled them with sugar to give them a little more sparkle.



I made meringues again this year as well.  They are becoming a cookie box standby for me, because they are so light and versatile.  They can be made any color or shape your heart desires, and you can add whatever sprinkles to dress them up.



The blue snowflakes are my very favorite, Classic Sugar Cookies.  Here is a blogpost from 2013 where I give all my recipes and basic tricks, and even in six years, I haven't changed any of those basics!  I still use two different kinds of frosting, because I feel like it makes for softer cookies.



I decided that I should try making truffles and landed on these Champagne Chocolate Truffles.  When I ordered edible gold leaf from Amazon, I imagined it coming in sheets the size of origami paper.  Imagine my shock when each one is about an inch square. 🤣  Now I know.  I also added sea salt to the top of these, because I feel like sea salt and chocolate are BFFs and deserve to be together.

Happy Holiday Baking!  For even more inspiration, here are some of the past Christmas Cookie Roundup Blog Posts I've done.

{2013} {2014} {2018}

PARIS: HIGHS & LOWS

ICYMI, here's part one of our European vacation: Belgium Highs & Lows.  Next up - Paris!

Off the bat, I have to say that a massive high is that we missed all the striking workers and travel chaos by just a few weeks.  I am so grateful that we were able to get around without disruption, and I hope that the issues can be resolved swiftly for everyone involved!

We loved the City of Lights - it turned out to be just as magical as everyone always says it is.  There are also a billion things to do, and I became a little paralyzed in the planning stages due to "amazing option fatigue."  That is totally a thing, especially for this Enneagram 7 that does not want to miss out on any fun thing.  However, we managed to narrow it down and also resign ourselves to the fact that we would only get a small sampling of all Paris has to offer.

Low:  If you read the Belgium post, you know that we actually missed our scheduled train to Paris.  This meant that we were standing in a tiny passageway next to the Water Closet for the entirety of our journey.  We were a bit frazzled by the time we landed in a dark and slightly rainy Paris.



High:  We checked into the lovely Hotel Brighton and spoke to the concierge who was able to make us dinner reservations right around the corner, as well as reserve us tickets on a Seine River cruise that night.  Though we were tired, it was a great way to see the city sights, and we were able to sit inside.  Also, when we walked back to our hotel, we ran across gorgeous Christmas lights.

High:  Versailles.  It is everything and then some.  We got up early and Ubered there to be able to beat the crowds, and so we had it almost to ourselves for a tiny bit before the hoards of tourist buses descended upon it.  It is so lavish and over the top.

(We saw so many tourists take pictures just like this.)


High: We had brunch at a Creperie across the street from Versailles, and it was SO. Good, and it was a relaxing time for all involved.

(John wanted to do a series of these - just me and Court taking pictures everywhere we were.  It was all so lovely.)

High:  We headed back to Paris and went to Saint Chapelle, which I really wanted to see.  As a side note, another high was booking tickets online and walking past all the lines.  I love any chance to legally skip a line, and this was a good place to do that.  Plus, it truly is stunning.

Low:  Missing Notre Dame.  We walked past it, but I am sure we did not even get a small sense of what it actually entails.

High:  Just being straight up tourists and seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.

Low:  We were pretty worn out by this point in the packed day and weren't able to fully take in the Louvre.  It is so much even if you go in fresh, but if you go in already having seen a lot, it feels very overwhelming.  And it is packed packed packed with people.  But, it was still worth going and seeing.

High:  We got to meet up with an old friend who lives and does mission work in Paris, and it was so great to see her!

High:  Cute food stuff everywhere.  I could just about always eat my way through a new city, but Paris really does take beautiful food and general cuteness to another level.

Low:  As we were on our way to our last dinner together, our taxi driver dropped us off at the wrong address, and we didn't know any better.  When we got out, we were greeted by men with guns who told us to move along.  After dinner, still not knowing better, we walked past this place and got too close and again were addressed by security.  Later we realized it was the American Embassy, and they were on high alert because of potential protests the next morning.  Nothing like men with guns in a strange place to get your blood going.

High:  Our final dinner with the Heads was truly amazing.  You know it is going to be good when they prepare Lobster Salad table side for you.  The whole experience was delightful.

High:  John got to run the Champs Elysees, which he was stoked about, even in the midst.



Low:  Too little time.  I really could spend weeks in Paris, strolling through the tree-lined streets and discovering quaint cafes and cozy markets.  We had the opposite experience, which I am also thankful for, and it gives me a a lot of reasons to want to go back!

High:  Getting to travel with great friends.  These were our 3rd and 4th countries to visit with Adam and Court, and I am so thankful to have such wonderful travel companions.  We have so much compatibility, and we all know what to expect, and it just works.  And is a ton of fun and life-giving.  We were sad to part ways in Paris!

I'll write one more post with our time in Disneyland Paris and wrapping up the trip.  Two weeks later is better than never!