Throwback Thursday: Paris Injuries, 2002

I had a completely different picture selected for today’s Throwback Thursday… Biltmore in the fall. Very seasonal and southern, but it will have to wait until next week. My dear friend, Gail, has been having a crappy week. She has had pink eye and an ear infection, Bimmer has come down with a double-ear infection, her hubby is out of town for work and she has a crazy work week for herself. So, I know she is in need of some laughs at the moment, and this throwback is for that. She’s one of my dearest friends, and sometimes that means that I need to make her laugh.

Gail and I have known each other for 19 years, and been good friends for 14 of those 19 years… we’ve got a billion stories, jokes, adventures and sooooo many photos. It was hard to pick just one funny photo. I guess I should be more clear, it was hard to pick one funny photo that neither of us would mind being all over the internet.

So, I’m going with a trip to Europe from 2002. I’ve blogged about the trip before, a great time with old and new friends. I had a great time exploring Europe with Gail, Sara and Michelle… all friends from high school reunited for a few weeks in Europe when we were in college. We were in Paris for a few days towards the very end of the trip, and if we are honest, we were a little sick of each other. We had just finished exploring the Notre-Dame Cathedral and were gathered outside behind the cathedral after having wandered through the shops. Michelle was sitting at the foot of the fence and I went to snap a photo, when this happened:

What started the Paris injury

Gail ruined the photo by trying to be smart ass and block the photo. That’s her hand above in what would have been a cute pic of Michelle.

I got annoyed. This was back when we were shooting with film, before digital cameras became common place, and I hated to waste an image. So, I swatted her arm with the little bag I just bought from a gift shop, and I  forgot that there were some heavy things in the bag… a solid metal art piece to be exact. And when it hit her arm… it hurt and gave her a bruise, as she likes to remind me, repeatedly.

And the aftermath

I immediately said, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

Gail’s response: “Right, and OJ didn’t mean to kill Nicole.”

The day continued on and we made our way around Paris. Gail did get back at me for that though. They left me at the Eiffel Tower in a hail storm. I was with friends we had made with some cool people from Australia, but as much as Gail hasn’t let me live down the fact that I injured her in Paris, I haven’t let her live down the fact that she left me at the Eiffel Tower. Odd memories, yes. Hilarious to us, absolutely.