Paris...

I left my brother and my niece in Cambridge and headed off to Paris, with tears in my eyes~
Heading into the unknown~ Alone and uncertain. That time was difficult for me, harder than I had expected it would be. I wandered to the train station with my rolling suitcase in hand and fear in my heart.
I took the train from London to Paris~
The first night was hard~ I walked around to try and get familiar with where I was staying. I went out to eat and ordered something not so tasty because I could not read the menu and no one there spoke English~
I headed in early and wrote in my journal,and read my book.
It is already lonely in a new city by yourself, but speaking a different language made me feel even more isolated that first night. The rest of the trip I was able to meet a lot of people that spoke English so that helped! :)
The next day I headed out to see my moms favorite museum, Musee d'Orsay ~ It was incredible.
Then I headed to the Eiffel Tower and when I came up out of the metro~ I saw it...
My Iron angel~
From that moment on, I knew I was exactly where I needed to be!

Happy 70th Birthday Mom!

Today my beautiful mother should have turned 70 years old. I would have called her today and wished her a Happy Birthday, she would have taken us all out to dinner and treated us because that is what she loved to do. It was her birthday tradition~ Over the coming weekend my mom, sister and I would have met for lunch at one of her favorite restaurants and had massages. We would have told stories and laughed a lot and maybe even cried a little. It is so hard for me knowing that we will no longer be able to do these things.
What we will do instead is get together for dinner to celebrate her life. We will celebrate her birthday because she would want us to be together. She would want us to be happy and remember her. She would want us to continue to celebrate her life and our own. We will silently miss her tomorrow like we do every single day.


Today and always we celebrate you mom. And the incredible and amazing person that you have always been. We will celebrate how lucky we have been in this lifetime to be your children and grandchildren. We will celebrate how lucky we are to have you as our mother.
I love you and miss you as much today as the first moment you left.

This day and always....
I love you mom!
~Tiff

Ensign Peak, Utah...Sunset July 18th 2011

My friend Nicole and I hiked up Ensign Peak last night to take some photos of the sunset and our amazing city~ Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot!

Hot numbers....

Hot numbers coffee shop in Cambridge became one of my favorite places to be during my week in England~ I went there every morning for coffee but more importantly, time with my journal~ it was a place that meant so much to me by weeks end.

I shed tears there with strangers sitting at the same table, never speaking a word, my head buried in my pages to try and hide the tears.

I was vulnerable there with emotions that I had kept hidden for too long. I couldn't help it. I was comforted by the words I needed to write. Facing things I hadn't yet faced about my life and the changes that had come.

I wrote in detail about a scarf and bike helmet hanging on the coat rack...
I listened to Jazz music...
I watched the rain fall through the windows...
I loved every minute spent here, simply not enough...
I only took a few photos but I love how they portray...
Hot Numbers...




This is my farewell post to England...
Next stop ~ Paris, France!

I had a dream...

I had a dream about my mom last night~
I ran up to her and held her so tight. I hugged her as hard as I could, I was crying and I kept telling her how much I love her and miss her ~
When I dream of her they are almost always like that...I just don't want to let her go.
If I had just one wish ~ I would want to give her one more giant hug and tell her just how very much I love her and how special she is to me and how very, very much she is missed....

My last few days in England...

We went in to London the last two days of my stay in England before I headed off to Paris~ The first night we saw Wicked...Loved it!
The next day we went back to wander around. We went to a cathedral and to The Tate museum~
I loved the cool taxis in London,
they look like old fashioned cars.
Here are a few photos from London!

Ely Cathedral, England

My niece and I took a train to Ely from Cambridge~
Here are some pictures from the Ely Cathedral...

Run Dirty Girl Run! Pink Ladies style!

Last Thanksgiving my friend Heather and I signed up for a race July 2nd 2011, she ended up having a family trip that weekend so my friend Becky took her place.
We had such a blast! What a fun race! This was my first mud/obstacle course race and I LOVED it! It was all women and the money raised goes to gynecological cancer research.
Becky went to the thrift store the day before the race and found us the most amazing outfits ~
Our team name was The Pink Ladies!
Andy and Becky turned the jackets into Pink Lady originals with puffy paint and steady hands!

Lessons I've learned...
~Don't take yourself too seriously!
~You are never too old to be silly!
~I look like Elton John with pigtails in those giant glasses!
~Working out with friends is so much better!
~Life is too short so enjoy every minute!


Here are some photos from the day!








After...