May 29th-May 31st, 2023: Going to Roland Garros was a lifetime bucket list item. I had been looking forward to going to a Grand Slam for years and moving to Amsterdam, I knew that the French was in reach. Expectations were sky high and it over-delivered. Definitely a life-time experience. Going with both my parents and good friend Colby Dalton made it even better. We got Sinner's night match on Monday night and then afterwards hacked the ticket system and scored Tuesday day grounds passes (thanks Colby for refreshing the browser) so we were stoked. It was so cool how close we got to see the players and how hard they hit. Was easily my favourite sporting event I've ever been too. Watching a 3 hour tennis match flew by sitting that close to the action. That Tuesday we ended up watching about 10 hours of tennis. It was a blast with mom and dad and Colby, we really had such a great time. We were also blessed (and very sunburnt) with unbelievable weather. Wednesday was another grounds pass day but this time we bought a little more food beforehand so were a bit more prepared. Watched as much as we could on Wednesday until we had go meet the women and children at the station. Loved going to Roland Garros and already looking forward to going back next year. Definitely a lifetime memory.
Another highlight of the trip was exploring Paris with my parents for a couple days before the French Open started. It was a blast and a special time I'll always remember with my parents. Loved our chats, our walk along the Seine at sunset, explore pretty Paris neighbourhoods (amazingly fun and different without hauling kids around the city), testing out the best bakeries, doing the Orsay on a whim and needing an emergency chicken cesar salad in museum cafe to keep us (mostly me) from passing out.
I'll always remember this painting and this moment. Hearing my mom talk about this painting and the apostle's faces and how much it means to her, was like a testimony meeting in itself. It was our sacred moment in the Orsay that Sunday.
Love my mom :)
Our gourmet dinner that night consisted of splitting 2 cup noodles and a broccoli between the 3 of us. Such a good memory and lots of laughs.
