Happy Wednesday! 

I hope you are having a good week so far. The weather in Melbourne is typical fall weather - all over the place. Last week was cold and windy and this week is warm and high twenties. I'll take it!

My heart broke a little this morning when I woke up to the news that Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was on fire.

I am lucky to have been to Paris several times now. Tj even lived there for a year for school. That city will always have a special place in our hearts. Notre Dame has been a stop on our visits every time (although judging from my pictures we seem to go at night lol).

The first time I stood in front of this magnificent beauty was in 2009 when I went to visit Tj at Christmas when he lived there. We went to the part of the Catholic mass on Christmas Eve. This was the first time I had ever been in Europe and I was in awe. It was so big and so old - so much history! I could just imagine myself back in time. 

The next time I was in Paris was in 2012, when Tj and I planned a trip around a reunion he had with his school friends. Of course we went back to Notre Dame and once again I was in awe of it’s beauty. It’s pretty breathtaking to sit there and stare at the building, thinking of how old it is, taking in every detail and remembering it was built by hand hundreds of years ago!

Then in May 2016, Tj's parents were visiting us in London and we went to Paris for the weekend.

My most special Notre Dame visit was when we went there on Christmas Eve in 2016 with my mom and Jacob. It is a memory that I will treasure forever. We were a little nervous to attend the mass. The cathedral in particular was on high alert for a terrorist attack  that night. There were armed guards and police everywhere. They searched our bags and patted us down before we got anywhere close to Notre Dame. Then we had to line up and go through security again before we were allowed inside.

The inside is everything you imagine it to be. That night was particularly crowded, but it didn't take away from the wow factor. The music and choirs were incredible and none of us could believe we were actually there all together. I mean, it did go on a little long, lol, but my mom was so into it. Earlier in the night we had been nervous to go, and people back home kept telling us to avoid it, but being in the cathedral, with all those people just there to celebrate their beliefs, we weren't scared. 

I later learned that the firefighters contained the damage of the fire. The façade and two towers were  still intact, many significant relics were saved, and the French president (along with several French billionaires) have pledged to rebuild this monument.

Actress Debra Messing wrote on Instagram, "My heart is with Paris, France, and all who hold Notre Dame dear. It will be rebuilt, and we will love her again. Perhaps more than ever before, holding the knowledge of its fragility".  

That sums up exactly what I'm feeling.

Hopefully next time I'm in Europe I can add to my collection of Notre Dame pictures, except this time during the day and with a better camera. 

Have a great week :)