LifetimeOpportunity

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adventure

My Once-in-a Lifetime Opportunity by Annette Hansen PHOTOS BY Patricia Johnson

She hadn’t ventured far from her hometown of Fountain Green, Utah, but Annette Hansen had dreams of traveling to distant places. Annette was happy and content as the wife of a rancher but she lived vicariously through the stories of her dear friend, Pat Johnson. Pat was a world traveler born in France and raised in South Africa. She and her father, a high-ranking member of the French military, have dined with the country’s elite. Pat’s frequent travels to Europe were filled with adventure. Annette would listen intently as Pat described the country with intricate detail. Annette dreamed of visiting France someday but she had her job, service callings, and her husband to care for … the stars never aligned…until someday became that day. The trip of a lifetime arrived at the right time. Together, Pat would lead Annette on a journey to see, hear, feel, taste and smell the land she never thought she’d meet.

February 28, 2012

“Pat and I spoke today about what I would see on my trip. The Eiffel tower, the Palace of Versailles and the Cathedral of Notre Dame…I think of these magnificent, historic buildings with reverence…I have seen these places represented in movies for years. The elegant and the poor, the rulers and want-to-be rulers…the boulevard where the common men marched and died for freedom...It will change me forever, setting me apart as one who has seen and been inspired.”

March 9, 2012

“Well I am finally on the plane! All week long I have been planning what needed to be done here before I left. Cub Scout day camp registrations, credit cards for foreign use, pin numbers, what clothes to take…I have been anticipating this trip since last spring.”

March 10, 2012

“The plane ride was long, the food was fine, the movies were good, and my bottom was tired!!! Our hotel is on the Champs Elyse. After check-in we walked onto the sidewalk – to the left I see the Arc De Triumph one block away. We mingled with the Parisians on the large sidewalk. Had an enchanting dinner with Colonel De Medledge and his wife…three hours of wonderful food and conversation. The Colonel wanted to visit with Daniel Nevot, Pat’s father. He is the last living member of his French army regiment from WWII. Daniel with his regiment was among the French and American soldiers who marched into Paris at the Arc De Triumph to liberate Paris from the Germans. The French Army will honor him in Colmar later this week.”

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