Bringing Down the White Picket Fence
A Couple's Quest to Live Globally
Paris Engagement
When you are a little girl, dreams are filled with images of prince charming, ivory dresses, baby carriages, and white picket fences. Sometimes those dreams come true and sometimes they become much more. Picture this…over a thousand feet of sparkle standing before you, twinkling hues of gold and silver, towering above men playing boules in the park and couples sipping wine whilst reclining in the grass…You’ve just indulged in pomme frites (french fries), entrecote au poive (steak), and vino in an authentic French cafe and, after a rather enjoyable evening, you are strolling with a full stomach toward the Champ de Mars to watch the boats pass by in all their splendor. It is at this moment, your boyfriend, Paul, stops you before this spectacular monument to let you know just how much he loves you. Unexpectedly, he gets down on one knee and tells you that he has a present for you (as if Paris wasn’t enough of one) and says in order to have this gift, you must promise to spend the rest of your life with him. Now this is not what you dreamed of as a little girl…its much more. He slides a beautiful diamond around your finger and asks you to marry him, and you think, just how did he get this diamond past security and onto a plane without me knowing? But those are just details and you’ll dissect those later…at this moment all that matters is that YOU just got engaged to the man who defines happiness in your eyes in one of the most romantic cities in the world.
Bringing Down the White Picket Fence 
I am just so thrilled to see Paul’s photos! I am so glad that he has continued to grow artistically and has not allowed the ho-hum of everyday life in Belmar to squash his abilities as an artist. Very few…and I do mean very few…people know this side of him! Thank you, Michelle, for encouraging this and helping it to keep it alive for him. He is a very lucky man, but I think he knows this already!