From Paris, With Love

Tonight I pulled this shot glass down from the shelf. I was drawn to it for some reason. I smiled as I remembered it was my good friend Sarah who had bought it for me. It’s authentic, all the way across the ocean from the city of Romance, Pari.

Sarah Elizabeth Aldrich Dall met her husband in Arizona, but he was visiting from England. They were immediately enamored and thus ensued a love affair. She proceeded to talk to this man from across the pond daily. They would talk for hours, and she was completely in love.

The times they were able to physically see one another were in the form of vacations. Luckily for them, Sarah was brilliant, and at a young age managed to secure lucrative employment in marketing. This job allowed her to travel to far and away places in her twenties. A gypsy at heart, traveling fed Sarah’s soul.

One year, and I have absolutely no idea of when but it was sometime in our twenties, Sarah achieved a bucket list item of traveling to Pari! The city of Romance! The city of the Louvre! She was there with her love. I have searched now and wish I could find more pictures. This one is perfect though.

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It’s a classic picture of Sarah standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. She is tall, strong, and wearing a smile a mile wide.

I remember being giddy for her when I saw it. I wasn’t jealous at all. I was genuinely happy my good friend found her way to Paris and she was only in her early twenties. I was content to watch images of Paris on the show Sex in the City, but I was so happy my friend was seeing it in real life, achieving her dreams!

She brought this shot glass for me from that same trip.

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My husband and I were acquiring a shot glass collection (before I had kids and now it’s a magnet collection) and she brought this back for me. Honestly, to this day, it remains one of my favorite pieces. Souvenirs are special because of the MEMORY. I have no memory of being in Paris, but I have EVERY memory of seeing Sarah there. Young face, wide smile, in love, embracing life. This is how I remember Sarah. It’s funny, because though she is gone, her memory is as clear as this picture taken more than a decade ago. I can still hear her voice as she told me of her adventures.

I was thankful to have this tangible glass memory, and tonight I raised it and remembered her legacy.

So cheers Sarah! This glass is for you! Your gypsy soul now has an even larger terrain to explore. May our travels cross again once more.

Love you. Thank you for loving me.