You’ve Got a Friend

Today was a great day! We went to church and had a nice time. There were a lot of visitors this week, so we met some new people. It’s always interesting to hear where people are from, where the are visiting while they are here, etc.
We went with our new friends, the Sauers, down to the Rue de Rivoli to see the Tour de France cyclists ride through Paris. I had fun talking with Lisa, while Dillon and Hayley hung out with her 18 year old son, Eric. It was nice for the kids to have a friend to wander around with while we were waiting.
We got there around 1:45, and the parade started around 2:15 or so. We had a fantastic viewing spot this time. There was a HUGE parade of funny cars. They were all the sponsors and supporters of the race. Since they played fun music and resembled floats a bit, it was like a real parade back home.
We were told the racers would be there at 3, then at 3:50, then at 4:15. Around 4:30, they showed up. It was really exciting!!! We all screamed and cheered. It was totally worth the wait. It was a lot fun to be down there with all the others cheering them on.
We watched them go around 3 times, then had to head out at 5:00 because we had a dinner appointment at 5:30. We were totally nervous about getting out since several of the Metro stops were closed, but we didn’t have too much trouble.
Our friends Elaine and Richard Shurtleff had invited us for dinner. They live out in the 18th district. It was cool to see there apartment. It was the size of a house inside. They had invited another family in our ward over as well, along with the missionaries. They had a HUGE table set up that fit all of us. It was a bonafide Sunday meal with friends. The other family, Doug and Jenn had 3 cute little boys. It was fun to be around kids, other English speakers, and just relax. We had and AMAZING meal! The Shurtleffs are pros at this! We had appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, and dessert. It was so nice to have such a delicious home-cooked meal. We were all officially full!
It really was a lovely evening. We talked, watched a couple of short church films, and mostly just relaxed. It was just how a Sunday evening should be. :) We are so grateful for all of the new friends that made it such a great day.

Waiting for the action to begin on the Rue de Rivoli. (Eric and Lisa Sauer on the left)


Some of the funny cars on parade.

Tour de France passing through

 Dinner with the Shurtleffs and friends

Waiting at the Metro