3 Ginger Snaps

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 6 months since we were in Paris – wow, that time flew by.  Sometimes I have to think hard, “did the trip really happen?” Of course it did as I see everyday the lasting impact of traveling as a family.

There were tons of experiences we had that we didn’t post on the blog. Mostly because we didn’t have time to write or the wifi was such that uploading photos wasn’t possible.

I started a post about the French Open (one of the grand slam tennis tournaments) that we attended in May while in Paris with my parents (Erica & Pat aka YaYa & Pappy). So while these images are 6 months old, the joy of the day is still in our bones. It was a true highlight for everyone (despite the crazy heat) and when you have a tour guide like Erica, it makes it all the more special.

We started out in some serious line-ups – so what do you do? Take selfies of course!

The crowds trying to enter the grounds. You could hear every language under the sun!

Arden gets a bird’s eye view.

In front of the draw board.

We were keen to follow Eugenie Bouchard, our Canadian hopeful, little did we know, it would be the most disappointing match.

I, of course, wanted to know whose job it was to hand-write all the names on the board. I’ll take that job:)

Great action shot from the grandstand seats. Watching the players work the clay surface was a thrill – lots of sliding and running – makes for fun matches!

Genie Bouchard – we wondered if there was something wrong with her as she didn’t seem to be moving well. She couldn’t make any of her shots. It was hard to watch – although being in the very front row was super cool!

We could have reached over the boards and touched the clay – but we didn’t! What the pictures don’t capture is the fact that it was a million degrees!!!

For those of you who know my family know that Erica (my mom) is a HUGE tennis fan. Her fandom is legendary (get her to tell you about the time she met Monica Selles’ mother – oh, and she met Monica Selles as well) and coming to the French Open with her kids and grandkids was pretty special. Her excitement is contagious and although the Snaps don’t play tennis, they love to watch with YaYa (my mom) and ask all kinds of questions about the rules, the players, the fans, etc. My mom knows everything about tennis. So to have tickets to the French Open was a thrill and one my mom was going to enjoy every second. So while we were there with the crowds when the gates opened at 11 AM, by 5 PM the Snaps and Pappy were done – but not Erica! We stuck it out until the last ray of light disappeared from the courts. She tried to find even a player practicing on the outer courts at 9:30 PM, but alas, it was over.

So I had to drag her out there, but not before letting her have a taste of what the view is like from the big chair (she even knows the lines people).

Mom, thanks for sharing your love of sports with your kids and grandchildren. We are grateful and you’ve created another generation of fans.