It’s Not that Far…. Really?

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I found the above photo on my camera…. I do not remember taking it. So whoever did take it I would like to add…

it is that far!

It feels a lifetime a way, and it has been a mere 48 hours ago.

When at home in Willows friends and family asked the usual questions:

Do I miss the States?

I miss my family more. I miss the States, but not as much as I use to. Simply because we have made a home in France. Though with that said… When I close my eyes these days I see the golden rice fields, the open space, the silhouette of the Mendocino mountains, the long grey 162 highway heading home… and my eyes well up instantly.

Do I think I will ever move back?

For years I could not even bare to hear this question, because at that point the answer was no. But now… who knows… anything is possible.

What is the difference between French and American Education?

 That is an entire conversation on its own, in which I had many of while home. I hope to add my reflections here, but for now I will say this…. there is a mighty big difference. Though I do not know if one is better than the other as a whole, but there are parts of each that I would like to take and make in to one.

and this year they also asked:

Isn't it hard to have Chelsea and Sacha so far away from home?

Yes. Though I lean on the fact that they are following their dreams, and I am glad they can dream.

Returning home to an empty house compacts the reality…. Whenever I return after staying in the States for awhile it feels odd to be back, this year, this time it feels down right empty. Maybe that is why I ran away with French Husband on his business affair in Toulouse.

We return this evening…

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Laurie and Kiki .…. I would like both of you to create a post for Tongue in Cheek. No hurry, whenever you can do it is fine. Both of you take amazing photos, so please add them to your post too.

 

(Photo by Laurie SF)

Thank you in advance, and to all of you who gave a response…. I might be calling on you as the year unfolds to guest blog on Tongue in Cheek. In the meantime please visit each other, and see what wonders blogging has to offer…

 

 

 

 

Port Hope by J,

Catalina's magic which whe writes about in her blog.

Malta was one of my favorite places to visit, Liz lives there with her family.

Amy's music (her tapes are incredible!)

Chris's soaps (they are divine!) 

Napa valley vs France, wine and lifestyle by Tamra, The Gilded Barn,

If you want to see more about France check out Airelle's France,

 

(Photo by Kiki)

 

 

 

(Photo by Rhonda P.)

 

Rhonda, wants to swap houses with me… then write about it, or maybe create a swap of art creation, why not Rhonda, her creations are wonderful!

 

Everton Terrace, has offered three postcards,

My friend Tamara, who has a beautiful baby son, write a lovely blog called Delish

 

(Photo Laura's 52 Flea)

 

Cheryl's antique shop, Laura 52 Flea, and Tamara's tale about her husband's creation…taxidermy for the Audubon!!

All of you for that matter!! Click on each other's links either here or in the comment sections to enjoy the beauty each has to offer.

 

………

Regarding Annie, my mother, Chelsea, Sacha, French Husband posting… don't hold your breath. I have asked many times and the answer most often is, "Yeah right, no thanks." Though they rarely say no when I ask them if I can post something about them.

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Comments

25 responses to “It’s Not that Far…. Really?”

  1. awwwww, I know how it can feel THAT far, but also…how amazing is it to live in a world where you were across an ocean and in another country just 48 hours ago? That is so cool. To take photos and send them instantly, to keep up with far away friends and relatives with facebook and phone. The world is soooo much smaller now, even when it seems bigger than ever at times, its really so small. I love that.

  2. Maybe the difference in coming back is that your children did not return with you, or were not there when you arrived home. I mean they both did only leave for America this year (think that is right) and you have been over there on holiday for a while.. (seems like it) so all slightly different to previous years.. it will feel good again 🙂

  3. I am (a mere) 10 hours from home. I now live in a HOUSE in Maine, but more than ever, I realize this is not HOME. My HOME is in Pennsylvania. You give me hope that someday it will feel like home. Maybe.

  4. I can’t wait to hear your comments on the differences between French and American education. and, you are so right C, it is fun to connect with other bloggers who read TIC. Hears to the word “change” as you settle back at home in France, and I cry my eyes out on the east coast(my daughter just told me she is going out on a date for the first time)!

  5. Hi Corey, I just love when you speak about the differences between education in France and the USA!!! Teaching English in a French highschool and having my daughter who did a semester as a sophomore in an American highschool near Portland last year, I can assure you it is VERY interesting.
    BTW, I live in the Gers and only 30 minutes from Toulouse so if you happen to come back to this area in France you are very welcome for lunch, tea or dinner. So, please, let me know.:-)

  6. Oh Corey, thank you for sharing my blog! I imagine it must be for you, to live in France and have most family back in California, as well as to have your children there now as well, to be much like the usual push-pull that most things in life bring. I have come to realize through the experiences in my 38 years that this is truly the way of life. Rarely is the trajectory straight — rather one must be prepared to be bounced around quite a lot as well as feel a simultaneous pulling and a pushing. Somewhat like a ride in a washing machine!!
    🙂
    Love,
    Tamara

  7. Yes, home is too far for me, too!! Even after 18 years in the States, I still have a huge piece of my heart in Lisbon… Love reading your blog, Corey!!
    Isabel

  8. I did think as you were returning home it would be more difficult than usual because your family is all in the states. How quiet your home must feel. Take care!

  9. Your empty home, I know it well. My daughter has been out of our home for 6 years now and still I feel her absence. We live in Arizona and she is in law school up in Seattle, might as well be a world away. Home for 3 weeks at Christmas and I can’t wait. Like you, knowing they are following their dreams makes it all worth it. What more could we ask for? Looking forward to the guest posts!

  10. I’m screaming OMG OMG to the man of the house. Thank you Corey! I am going to send you one of my quilted fabric journals!
    I get similar questions and I still live in the states. Of course, I’d love to move back near my family but that is not how life is. You live where your heart is. Right now my heart is right where I am. Regardless if I like it or not. The heart rules.

  11. …stopped by for a visit ~ for my friend Rhonda! Imagine my delight when I realized that I was in France!! LOL!!!
    * First, Rhonda’s designs are absolutely B-E-A-U-T-I-O-U-S!!!!! If you don’t own any of her pretties, I sooooo encourage you to visit her Etsy shop and experience all the artisan items that she has to offer!
    Seriously, her lace bottles are absolutely to die for!!!!
    * Secondly, I also adore Laura’s 52 Flea, her blog has inspired me to want to take better pictures…She has a lovely eye and is always telling a story ~ her “voice” is evident not only in her words, but also with the attention to detail that she so naturally displays in her photos!
    I will be visiting the others that you have featured in this post as well, to experience their gifts and talents.
    In reguards to “it’s not that far”…
    I currently live in Nevada. As in ~ DRY desert!! Being from the east (Ohio) the life style is much different as I imagine it is for you in France.
    ~ and like you, I miss certain aspects of my home town, ie. my family…the change of the seasons, the cultural differences of established neighborhoods to name just a few things.
    BUT, when I do go back for a visit, It has changed for me too…it’s just not the same as when I left it.
    I attribute that to ~ I am not the same!!
    Home to me, is where you surround yourself with love and laughter, a soft place to land after a really bad day or a place you wish to run and share that oh-so-happy moment that just happened to you!!
    I quess this quote reigns true…
    Home is where your heart is!!
    Thanks for your post featuring these talented women:)
    xo, Rosemary

  12. Corey, my oldest son is in the Navy and he will soon be on a submarine somewhere under the sea. I will never know where he is when he is on a mission and there is no way of talking to him for months on end. I have finally come to a peaceful state regarding his adventurous spirit. Thank the good Lord above for His peace! I pray that empty feeling is replaced soon. 🙂 Blessings, Kimberly

  13. Corey you are one unselfish fabulous mom…it is hard to be alone but nothing makes a mom’s heart smile more than watching her kids follow their dreams. You have two wonderful children…how proud you must be!! It is far…you are in my thoughts & prayers!

  14. I have an idea: FH could complete his “Up to North Cape” blog from his motorcycle trip last summer! I’d still enjoy the rest of his journey in photos and narration.

  15. Corey take it a day at a time…or live 6 mo in France, and 6 mo here in the states. I would trade you but you would be stuck in Kansas…and believe me…that would be hard for you! I suppose it is a safe place to live, here in the heartland, but I miss the ocean in Newport Or. and I miss the beautiful flowers in Calif, the awe of Utah, and the tranquility in New Mexico.
    I really think I could have been a gypsy, (I am a Sagittarian after all) and traveled around in my motor home until I could say; Time to put down roots.
    But I didn’t learn to fly until 9 years ago. I have been flying since!!

  16. I think you should encourage Marie to write about and photograph her cats. I’d read it, happily!

  17. So you left part of your heart in San Francisco–part in Willows–and part is at home in France. I can relate since I live in the Midwest but still miss France from the few years I lived in Paris (“ma folle jeunesse”). My daughter just moved to San Francisco, so I’ll be interested to hear about Chelsea’s adventures there. You have a lot of adjusting to do, but the empty nest must have its pleasures also, pas vrai?

  18. I often find myself saying I left my soul in Paris…
    I’ve been gone 15 years now, with only one visit in-between.
    So, even the Paris I loved so much has changed, I know. As have I, reverting back over to my profound American-ness that sort of faded as I grew-up in France in my failed attempts to blend. It was family that brought me Oregon, and it is now family that keeps me – for now. Chez nous c’est nous. I didn’t grow up here though, there no roots. The roots I had in California were dug up over 20 years ago — and ended up in a flower pot of French soil, in the 7eme. Your loyalties are deeper on both sides of the pond, but I can appreciate that feeling of having two homes at the same time.

  19. Hi Corey,
    Yes the sun has been shining the last few days here in the Woodland area (south of Willows) but now the rain is coming and the leaves are really falling so you left at the right time. I know there is never a right time to leave. When I traveled weekly when my children were young the most difficult part of the trip was leaving..so many times I was almost late because I would give them an extra kiss. And NOW I am in between…they leave, they come back, they leave….so I try to close my eyes and pretend I am not attached and make my own plans to wander the world at a better pace. Let’s talk I’d like to know a good time to visit your area as I make stops and deviations along the way. A bientot.

  20. Guest bloggers seems like a very natural next step for you, Corey. Your supportive and facilitating nature just naturally wants to give others the opportunity to shine in a way that they might not have an opportunity to otherwise. I, for one, will enjoy discovering new blogs to visit and perhaps learn from.

  21. Thanks, Corey! I’m glad you’re enjoying my CDs and hope they continue to bring you peace throughout this year. Harp music is good for jet lag, I hear (listening to it, not playing it!) – Amy

  22. Lieselotte

    Dear Corey,
    I´m very glad to see you back “home”. I hope you´ll soon feel less out of place, after taking up your daily routine and going to the Brocantes…Hugs from Lieselotte

  23. Corey, to me your life seems perfect and you live such a charmed one and are blessed in so many ways, but alas, your family seems so beautiful and close and you must miss them terribly…I feel your sense of loss and the sadness in missing them so. I guess we just can’t have it all and must enjoy what it is we do have.

  24. OMG, Corey, I am only just back from a very long weekend ‘à deux’ with my beloved Hero Husban in the übercool and vibrant city of Lisbon and I haven’t even been reading through the over 350 mails but just when I was going to delete all the blogs I received (knowing that I would read through them at a later date) somehow my name popped out of the bunch…. you can’t be serious!?! Of course I am utterly flattered and totally scared – but it will have to wait a moment as my garden can’t be seen under the load of fallen leaves, the veranda plants are dry whereas everything else is drowned…. and we had the most glorious sunshine in Lisbon!!!
    Will be back later – and I am so sorry for your feelings about home because I know exactly how they feel…. I will ALWAYS be Swiss in my heart and I will always miss my family and friends, wherever I am!
    When you have lived in many countries like I did, you feel uprooted even when you’re very happy…. it just is a fact! But we have our many happy moments too, don’t we?! And love across the miles is still LOVE
    Big hugs from me and bonne nuit ma chère amie!

  25. I have the same postcard (“It’s not that far, really”) on my desk right now. My husband and I bought that from a young lady from Chicago at a craft fair in Los Angeles, California.
    Her shop is at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/rarrarpress?ref=seller_info

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