Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

One Million Guests and Counting….

French-antique-chair-1

Whirl, twirl, spin…  either dance with the flow, curl up in a chair or sleep on the floor.

Provence is a destination, it is a a desired place to visit. It has good food, lovely landscape, history, painted shutters everywhere you look, tiled roofs, the blue sea and all those other good things that make it one of the most visited places in the world. Did I mention the wine? Or antiques?

French-antique-chair-top

We arrived home to a house full.

Ever since I have lived in France our house has had guests: Family guests, friends, friends of friends, cousins of cousins, cousins of friends, friend's friend's girlfriends and their families friends, sometimes people I met on the street, or French Husband meets at work, and now blogging friends and their friends.

It never stops, and that is okay.

Honestly it all happened because I wished for it. I like to have a house full it reminds me of my mother's house, it reminds me of my home town Willows; where I grew up knowing everyone and everyone knew me.

French-antique-chair-fabric

Did I ever tell you that on the first day I arrived in France (right
after French Husband and I  were married) we had three guests and we
lived in a studio? That in the first nine months of our married life we had 52 guests? "

Yes it is true! 52 guests and I cannot even make a decent cup of coffee!

When I said we have rarely been alone… I was not saying it lightly.

French-antique-chair-2

Since we have been home our house has been full. My mother has said we should open up a bed and breakfast. I have told her that the only thing that would change would be that we would have some paying guests and a house full guests.

I am not saying this to brag about how many friends I have, trust me most the people who come over to our home we barely know. I am saying this to say:

Are you coming to visit? I imagine tomorrow is that true?

Comments

61 responses to “One Million Guests and Counting….”

  1. Kristy

    I would love to!

    Reply
  2. Merisi

    You talk like my mother. She not only brought up 8 children, but spoiled a whole slew of relatives and friends so much that they thought of her as a destination to enjoy food and fun. She never let on that this was work too (and no dishwasher and of course she sent everybody home with dishes stacked by the dozens on her counters).
    I was just talking about a road trip through France to my daughter, over our computer screens (she’s teaching me how to use my brandnew Mac). *giggle* (No worry, we will definitely not impose on your hospitality, although I would be honored to meet you for a coffee somewhere!)

    Reply
  3. Kathie

    Corey, will you be in California next month while I’m there for book presentations (assuming I finish the second book in the next couple days, that is)? We could meet up there — seriously! Ditto for your regular readers in California. See info by clicking on my name today (hyperlink).

    Reply
  4. Laure

    Not sure of the “when”, I just know the answer is yes, I’m coming!!

    Reply
  5. Candy

    How I wish! Meeting you would be like meeting an old friend.

    Reply
  6. Lisa Z

    I’m quite new to your blog so you really don’t know me at all, but I’ll be on the next plane over!
    (I wish.)

    Reply
  7. miss*R

    I will be there in 2010 – sometime in your autumn: September/October… book me a room 😉 (that is of course if you would like us to visit!!) can French husband speak Australian?

    Reply
  8. Joanny

    Corey
    FH saw a good thing from across the dance floor — long ago in California and I believe he did not marry you because you could make a good cup of coffee- but married you because you have a heart of gold, and I believe people visit you – for the same reason. I feel like I have known you since childhood or since forever and a day, when in reality we never met and we are blog friends,
    So keep the door open for us future quest and a pot of coffee on the stove, I will bring the Tarte Tatin, and will swing by and pick up Annie and we will all have a good time.
    So glad you enjoyed your trip and are home safe with FH
    Joanny

    Reply
  9. Jeanne

    Happy is the home where love resides and good friends visit often
    I love you
    Jeanne♥

    Reply
  10. Bev

    I would love to but think it is more likely that you’ll come through here (near Washington D.C.) on your trip across the U.S. You are always welcome here!

    Reply
  11. Deb In IN

    I have been saving for long time to take my son on a High School graduation trip through the US West. BUT I AM willing to take on a third job and change the destination to France!

    Reply
  12. Penny @ Lavender Hill Studio & The Comforts of Home

    Funny you should ask! I am coming to France next March and April. We will spend 5 days in Paris, then a week in Normandy and Burgundy and a week in Provence. We are really looking forward to it. Can you tell me what the best flea market in Paris is on a Sunday….keeping in mind I know very little French 🙂
    Hugs,
    Penny

    Reply
  13. Nancy from Mass

    Don’t tempt me! I just might pack up my E/IH (english/irish husband) and 10yo son and go!

    Reply
  14. Kit

    We’d love to!
    We also love having a houseful, and our house enjoys it too, stretching to fit. But sometimes it’s nice to have a gap, a bit of breathing space in between the visitors, but we’d never turn anyone away either. I hope you come over here one day, maybe for a motorbike tour of South Africa! It would be great to have you to stay with us.

    Reply
  15. marlis

    Aaaah Corey, i would love to just hop on a plane and make the voyage to Provence, eat, rest, and visit you…
    next time i’m in the neighborhood, i’ll be sure to look you up!

    Reply
  16. Rhonda

    Thanks for the invitation and the answer is YES I would love to visit and have a coffee with you. I wish it was tomorrow.

    Reply
  17. becky up a hill

    I visited your Mom’s Willows store last week, that is probably the closest I’ll come to visiting you. My Willows family, niece and such were out of town and your Mom was not in that day. It was sweet, ‘short and sweet’..as my husband was waiting in the car ;o).

    Reply
  18. Patricia H.

    If all of us could hop on a plane right this minutes we’d do it in a heartbeat and be at your doorstep in a few hours. I think it’s fantastic that you have so many guests, that you have so many people and so much life flowing in and out of your house. It must be such a happy house to see so many people and be a part of so much life. I often wonder how we would all be if we interacted with more people. Would we be happier with more strands in our web linking us to others?

    Reply
  19. Marilyn

    Corey,
    A visit would be a dream come true, for me!
    I’m not surprised to find out that you frequently entertain. Your warmth and charm comes through with the subjects you choose to blog about, and of course, through your writing and photography. The fact that people are drawn to you, again…does not surprise me! 🙂
    Marilyn (in Dallas)

    Reply
  20. Debra P.

    Hi Corey . . .honestly, I can not think of anyone I think I would enjoy visitng more than you. I’m kind of surprised how every morning I can’t wait to read how things are with you . . .how your days of living and mothering are so much like mine. You are the superbe girlfriend’s girlfriend . . .a few days of good food, friendship, antique hunting, and the French countryside with your good company could heal all ills!
    Thanks for the daydream today!!!
    (You guys have an open invitation here . . .Balt./DC area, plus I’ve got my husband wanting to ride with FH.)

    Reply
  21. Kristin Wight

    I would love to too! AND I am coming over next week! Visiting the in-laws (belle mere) in Limoges! Unfortunately, I don’t think we will go that far south! One day perhaps….

    Reply
  22. Betty

    Yes!

    Reply
  23. Diogenes

    Corey,
    Next time I come to Paris, I’ll hop a flight to Marseille. We’d have a blast going to the brocantes together! The next day we could go antique shopping, the day after that the brocantes, Trocante and the next day too. In between we can have Dalloyau macarons, load up at Le Petit Chocalatier and wash it all down with some wine at Le Grotte! 🙂
    By the way, love the chair in this post.

    Reply
  24. Kathleen in Oregon

    My mother and grandmother are like that too. I tend to worry too much, (the food is too plain, house too messy, furniture too ragged…) but I keep trying and am getting better.
    I look forward to meeting you and your family, someday…
    p.s. That chair is beautiful.

    Reply
  25. Michelle M in KY

    Corey…
    So glad you are home safely and wrapped in friendship. Living eah day to the fullest…you do it well my friend!

    Reply
  26. le petit cabinet de curiosites

    I’m so lucky . I have you next door …

    Reply
  27. Sandra

    You and yours are truly blessed. So wonderful to be so admire, so thought of, and so loved.
    You, FH, and the rest of the clan seem to radiate warmth wherever you go. You shall always receive the same in return…and a house full of guests!
    xoxo
    Sandra (who reads daily with warm interests.. though I rarely ever comment)

    Reply
  28. martina

    Well, not right away Corey. I still have to win the Lotto and get a new passport!

    Reply
  29. Susana

    Mais bien sur! “Like moths to a flame”. You are a people magnet, Corey. As fellow blogfans have remarked, that chair is exquisite!

    Reply
  30. rebecca

    Why am I not surprised that you have a house full of people all the time? Who wouldn’t want to stay with you? ps. I make great coffee.

    Reply
  31. Stacy

    Corey, I am an artist and dream of someday traveling with my husband through Europe sketching the wonderful towns and countrysides. Reading about your journey and seeing your photos strengthened that dream. But I am not nearly as adventurous and brave as you. I am not comfortable traveling in a country where I don’t know my way and don’t speak the language. So I dream of doing my traveling in the company of people who know the area and are happy to show me around. So maybe fate will have it that someday our paths will cross in your own backyard. It’s a lovely dream.

    Reply
  32. Allison

    Corey,
    I went to Paris last year for the first time and am in love with it. So, next time I come over I would certainly LOVE to come visit you!! And Marilyn, I’m also in Dallas- maybe we’ll have to head over together 🙂
    Allison

    Reply
  33. Violet @Create Beauty

    You are a treasure! Reading your words makes me want to know you, because I like you already! ~ And I love how you love your husband and family and friends … your priorities are inspirational!!! Have a wonderful day ~ Violet

    Reply
  34. Alena Moss

    Corey, so wonderful to have lot of friends. So interesting, just this morning i was thinking that I miss people around me. Lot of lot of them. It seems that I left my friends in the old country and have hard time to make new ones.BTW, miss Europe very much.

    Reply
  35. Ladyhead (Julie Cooch’s friend)

    Hey Corey! My sister and i would love to see you next year in May if you’re around. I am going to Paris to visit friends then my sister and i are heading to Auvergne for a friend’s wedding. It would be nice to stop by Provence and have a cup of coffee with you. 🙂 XOXOXO

    Reply
  36. Marilyn

    I am the Marilyn in Oregon and I am coming at the end of September. I am so excited to see Provence, but the highlight will be meeting you and your family. I can’t wait. I will email separately to set a date. I would love to meet Annie too. What a precious treasure she is for you.

    Reply
  37. Elizabeth Ann

    Would love to visit, but alas, alack (yes, a lack of $$$!) it wouldn’t be soon…sooo PLEASE keep on blogging so I can virtually be with you..K?!

    Reply
  38. annie

    France again is far in my distant future, HOWEVER, Willows is so much closer. When to you come to the valley again? I miss seeing you. Everytime we stop at Starbucks in Willows, I think of you and your mom and Sasha the first time we met. I miss you. Oh I said that. So??????

    Reply
  39. Megan

    Perhaps I will! I’ve been aching to go back to France for some time now. First to save money though. 🙂

    Reply
  40. Rabenfrau

    Oh, how I wish I could just hop on a plane to see you for dinner! And if everyone who reads your invitation could do like that, you would have to move to a skyescraper or better into a nice castle with many rooms, a lot of servants and a gigantic dining hall…
    🙂
    Rabenfrau

    Reply
  41. Annette

    Some people embrace everyone they meet; others are more reticent. I wish I would have been like you my entire life. My mother grew up on a farm and says they seldom had visitors outside of a few family members. Hence, when I grew up, our house was rarely full of visitors. Yours is the best way. Why not broaden one’s horizons?

    Reply
  42. quiltmom( Anna)

    Corey,
    How is it that you came to live in France? Meet your beloved? I know I should remember this story but I have forgotten.
    My mother’s house for years was like yours is now.It is still like that in fits and spurts but not all the time like it once was. My parents live in a small bungalow but there were always people there. At times, I would wish for just time alone with my folks.
    I enjoyed reading and following your trip across Europe on Willow. As always, the photos were beautiful and the story wonderfully told.
    Enjoy your time at home.
    Warmest regards,
    Anna

    Reply
  43. Patti

    Would love to visit! Someday, perhaps I will. Until then you may meet my sister-in-law from New Hampshire. I introduced her to your blog because she loves to poke around small towns in France… in fact, she is there now. My wish for her is that she would come and meet you. She LOVES peeling paint, too!

    Reply
  44. Chris

    my family is a large one : both of my parents are one of eight children, and i love company (well, i love cooking for company at any rate). i’d love to be able to meet you! maybe when i come to marseille in april 2010!

    Reply
  45. Carol

    As you know, I’d love to meet you at Musee D’Orsay some day. Seeing Provence wouldn’t be so bad either.
    It’s not surprising at all that you have so many visitors even if it were just your family your guests would be numerous. That being said, I hope you are managing to get some rest.

    Reply
  46. Cath

    Ooh, me please! Sometime when flights are cheap from Scotland and money is plentiful so we can visit the brocante!
    Cath xx

    Reply
  47. Massilianana

    This is so very tempting !!! Never mind coffee , a bucket of ice cubes would be best with this heat !!!
    My grand-mother’s house was like yours and I always loved staying there . There was a great mixture of generations , people coming in , some leaving ( taking AGES to say good bye…), kids playing around , people in the kitchen , some in the boudoir ( to play piano , try on a hand-made dress,…),some in the garden picking radishes for the entrée or figs , cherries , apricots ,some in the garage meditating over a carburator , cats and dogs living a great lazy life ,noise , movement , loud voices , complaints ( when is food going to be ready ! it is already two o’clock ! are we going to eat at l’heure espagnole…again ?), laughter ,….Loved it !

    Reply
  48. Sally

    B&B = for Bloggers and Bikers? 🙂
    Please shut your eyes and cover your ears for a moment Corey.
    (Psssst – hey you guys, I think all of us should hop on a plane right now and knock on Corey’s door! whadayathink?!!)
    Okay Corey, you can start reading again. 🙂

    Reply
  49. Ulla

    YES!

    Reply
  50. Paula

    Oh if only I could visit. I’d sure love to.
    Note to self ~ buy that lottery ticket.

    Reply
  51. Mardog

    Thank you for the incredible tour. It was pure joy.

    Reply
  52. Patricia

    I wish I could be more like you and enjoy having guests all the time. We always have people visit us from France and they stay 3 weeks to 3 months! I always get tired and stressed when I have guests that long. I feel like I have to constantly entertain them. I LOVE cooking, but for that amount of time it gets stressful. My husband tells me I worry too much and do too much when we have guests – that I should not feel like I need to constantly “take care of them”. But, I can’t help it!!!! My favorite is having guests for a weekend. My niece and her fiance just came for the weekend and a week earlier a friend with her husband and son for the weekend. It was so fun to spend time with them, cook for them and do a little sight seeing – the perfect amount of time for a visitor in my opinion! How long do your guests stay? Maybe you could give some helpful tips. I have been trying to figure it out for the past 17 years!!!!

    Reply
  53. Jessica

    My huzband and I are planning a two week trip to France and maybe Italy next spring, summer, or fall 2010 (well, maybe I’m doing all the planning). What time of the year do you think would be ideal to visit your lovely country?
    I have no idea where to start with the planning. There is so much I want to do! Do you have any suggestions on where to go and what to see besides Paris? I know they would be perfect. You probably get this all the time.
    Plus I will have one year of French language training under my belt and I will be itching to try it out.
    You must be so welcoming to have so many guests at your home. You have many blessings.

    Reply
  54. Mindi

    I would love to visit. And,when your in California cant wait for you to visit me to!

    Reply
  55. Heather

    Corey, you are simply the warmest, most welcoming person. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing travels this past month (and always). I can’t tell you what a shot of good energy your daily posts bring.

    Reply
  56. Tamra

    Corey,
    You are so blessed with your family and many guest and I so appreciate that you really appreciate them.
    My husband and I (both artist) love to entertain and have been restoring a barn to make it our home and with hold ups from the ever so lovely, compassionate and commonsense county building and planning it has been 3 years since I have been able to entertain! I am at my happiest when feeding people in my home. Thank you for letting me live vicariously through your, warm house welcoming guest, remodeling, daughter dating, husband loving, Europe traveling life. Merci, mon ami!
    T

    Reply
  57. vida

    On my way!!!!!!!!!!!! Vida x

    Reply
  58. Nikki Hardin

    I’ve never been to France and am longing to see Versailles in autumn with a side trip to Aix. Oh and the Languedoc region too. Maybe. Someday.

    Reply
  59. Sara

    All I can say is I wish we had known about you in 2001 when my husband and I were there for two weeks…we would truly have appreciated a friendly face in Paris. Not that we didn’t meet plenty of friendly people, but someone who speaks Americanese, and understands our oddball ways would have been a real delight, and a safe and welcoming harbor for a day or two!

    Reply
  60. Hasmin Cannon

    Corey! I think it would be a great idea for you to open up a B&B!!! and opening your home to friends, family, and acquaintances just proves how giving you and FH are.

    Reply
  61. cj

    I’ve been to Provence and I know Willows from the 50’s! The difference is pretty dramatic but I adore the family life in Willows and I think if you have family, you have it all!

    Reply

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