A Coin Toss: How I met my French Husband

Surprised, Corey Amaro, How I met my French Husband, Blogger
 

 

It is funny how we forget certain things.

Or think we know all that there is to know about a subject. It is funny to discover that in the multi-page book, or the patchwork quilt, or the box of puzzle pieces of our lives that there are points that we have overlooked. It is awesome when the points make themselves known, When our eyes are opened to the fine print, or when our hand touches the patchwork's rough edge, feeling velvet instead. Or when a small piece of the puzzle adds an eternity of dimension.

 

 

How I met my French Husband, Corey Amaro blogger, living in France

 

 

Years ago I asked Sacha if he knew how French Husband and I had met. He smirked, "Of course!" He went on to defend his romantic knowledge of our meeting, and I beamed while listening to our seventeen year old talk about his Papa and me. Then like a thunderbolt he said something that made me take note, "What?! Oh my God! You're right I forgot about that! How did I forget about that?"

Sacha looked at me like I was a delinquent lover, "Mom, if Daddy had flipped Tails we wouldn't be here having this conversation. How did you forget about that?"

You see when French Husband was in L.A. standing at the Pacific's edge he realized that his dream of being in Southern California was not what he had imagined. He had not met anyone, his wallet was thinning, though Skylark was full, he was desperate. Reaching into his pocket he took out a coin: "Face (Heads) I will drive North, Pile (Tails) I will continue South."

 

 

 

How I met my French Husband, Corey Amaro Photographer, Living in France

 

 

In response to Sacha I offered, "I am flaky that's why. Thank God I have you to keep me on track." Then because Sacha was feeling full of himself, smarty and cute, looking so grown up I asked him if he had read the blog post about the Twenty-Steps. He shook his head no. I read him the Twenty-Steps. When I read number Twenty, he put his hand to his mouth, "Mom your joking! You are making this up! You did not write that? Daddy didn't do that, did he?"

Afterwords he realized that this was a missing piece to what he knew of our story, he continued, "Please tell me he modeled underwear or something like that and not that he was hanging out like a penis model!"

"A penis model?" I laughed.

"Whatever," he shrugged, "Mom?"

"Ask your Daddy, it is a good story."

 

 

on the beach 2000

 

Note: For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, and for those of you who have just started: Many of you over the years have asked me to "Fess up" about how I came to meet my French Husband and what it is like living in France. I am repeating these blog post that I wrote five years ago.

Back then I wrote:

"After blogging every single day I am starting to put on my blog,

"How I Met my French Husband"

It is a new direction for me. Though I usually write about my passion for the French Brocante spiced with my personal life, I have never gone into so much detail about the reason I have spent over twenty years living in France. I will continue to talk about the brocante, my family, cooking, Annie, showing photos, and the other aspects of my life while diving into "How I Met my French Husband"– I warn you the details are not always as pleasant as the "Happy Blog" that I have been writing but it is my story and hopefully you won't mind following along.Your friendship, your comments, are appreciated."

Thank you for encouraging me to write my story. (Any tips, corrections, or thoughts are welcomed.)

 



Comments

24 responses to “A Coin Toss: How I met my French Husband”

  1. Marie-Noëlle

    I adore the whole story !!!

  2. It is the ups and downs that make life so rich. Embracing both is the only true way to live. Happy New Year Corey!

  3. Love it, please keep it coming. It is so interesting!

  4. Suzanne (Sue)

    I love reading your stories, like a romantic novel with comedy and intrigue thrown in! Thank you for sharing, Corey. Happy New Year to you and your family!

  5. Hi Corey – Happy New Year. Good luck with your new direction. Life is a rich tapestry, we don’t always like all of the colors, but they all go together for the big picture, don’t they?

  6. Love your stories! Happy New Year!

  7. I think it’s great to hear these more personal stories. I hope there are some young readers out there teetering on the brink of their own romantic stories, who can take from these earlier, and also from more current accounts, that the work that goes into maintaining a long term relationship is not always straightforward, obvious or easy, but, can be worth it in the end. Love to you and the gorgeous FH.

  8. I feel like a am reading a story that publishes a new chapter each day-the details are in a different light or recanted with different nuisances each time-and I for one love it…thank you so much for sharing it all with us!

  9. I’ve blessed the day a friend sent me your blog link. Corey, you have changed my life. I look at photography in a whole other light. Annie, your family and all of your French life is full of magic to me.
    Happy New Year to a fabulous ongoing story.

  10. Love the first picture. Well, if he had flipped tails he would have had only 2.5 hours to go until he got to the Mexican border.
    I am sorry FH did not make it to any of the hippy enclaves in LA, like Laurel Canyon, which is an old residential area wedged between steep hills above Sunset Boulevard. Joni Mitchell, The Doors, Mama Cass, David Crosby, Graham Nash and The Eagles all lived there at the same time. Also Frank Zappa, Linda Ronstadt and Cher.
    The Grammy Museum currently has an exhibit there about Laurel Canyon called “California Dreamin”:
    http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/legal-and-management/6084747/byrds-doors-parsons-zappa-sounds-of-laurel-canyon
    Unfortunately you couldn’t just Google things in the late 70s, early 80s, so travel was more of a challenge. But I know where to go next time you visit LA, lol.

  11. I am glad you are continuing with this, Corey…I seem to remember you being on the brink of sharing this awhile ago, with some first details, but it wasn’t the right time for you, I suppose.
    These foundational life experiences are a good beginning for the New Year, don’t you think? xo

  12. What I have always loved about your blog is your honesty. Thank you for sharing the good times and also the struggles you have endured. You are my link to France and sometimes I need a reality check! Otherwise, I get a little carried away with all of her charms.
    Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year!

  13. I love everything you share–the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly, and the blush-worthy!!!! Keep it coming!

  14. ❤️

  15. Keep sharing, honest and lovely one! We do appreciate your history, your stories.

  16. Wonderful story… May your beautiful adventures continue…

  17. flipping of the coin.. yes, sasha! your mother did mention it to me.. you, chelsea, me and so many others would not be embellishing your life, if your father had flipped the coin and headed south.
    fortunately for all of us.. we celebrate that decision, each moment , each year, with one another, on many continents with many friends.. 6 degrees of separation..
    for me, it’s my willow’s family, my love of france and your blog, corey..then reading you are from willows, ca. then i meet you in chico and your “french husband”. you put out a call on fb to take your son to sfo @ 4 am and i get to meet wonderful sasha..
    i’m invited to christmas in willows and i get to meet your family and beautiful sasha and your other friends. we bond more and soon i hope to be visiting you and creating more shared memories, browsing brocantes and just mischief making…
    you are extraordinary and we are so lucky to have you in our lives… your writing dances off the pages.. your images expresses so much more than simple snapshots. i am grateful for our friendship… sending tons of hugs and bises

  18. I enjoy reading whatever you write about, Corey. Can’t wait to learn more.
    Maybe someday you will share more about the monastery too?

  19. Chico Sue

    I have to believe that sharing the story of your life and love is good for all who read your blog. Every experience is unique. Thank you for sharing yours.

  20. Oh yes please – more about the monastery would be amazing, if you felt like sharing it.

  21. Barbara Snow

    I always remember what Liz Gilbert wrote at the start of her book, Eat, Pray, Love; tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth.
    Your truths are wonderful to read.

  22. Wonderful photo of you and FH at a beach.

  23. I love the new direction of your blog. Love the old one too! I shared your post about driving (FH not talking) and doing things around the house with Steve. He loved it, said you are a really good writer and thinks he has a lot in common with Yann.

  24. Love your story, keep going. It is very funny and romantic at the same time and i also love the pictures. You are such a good writer and we are all family here anyway. You can tell us anything and we will follow you.

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