My Weekend in Provence with Romy Grace and The Apricot

Before we get to today’s blog posting, I just want to say thank you for another great sale! I’m so glad you liked everything. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do something I truly love. We have already started shipping out packages so all of you will have your items very shortly. Merci beaucoup!

Alors, remember I told you about my wonderful friends in Provence?

My friends, the B family, have invited me to their house in Provence since they bought it and started renovating it years and years and years and years and years and years ago. I finally made it there for the first time last week. Everything and everyone got in the way of my trip to Provence previously.… Living in California, a little something called ALS, husbands work, other invited guests who husband “refused to vacation with”, unavailable caregivers, the weather… You name it, something was always getting in the way of my happiness with my friends in Provence. But my friends and I never gave up hope. We knew we would be together in Provence one day and it finally happened. Our excitement was palpable.

To say that I adore these friends of mine is an understatement. The wife of the couple, we call Romy Grace because she is the exact perfect embodiment and combination of Romy Schneider and Princess Grace of Monaco wrapped into one petite person. She has a heart so full of life, kindness and love that sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve to be her friend. But for some reason she just loves me and I love her too. She hugs and kisses me a lot and never lets go of my hand when we are together and I love her for that. Come to think of it, most of my friends are very huggy/kissy. Apparently ALS has caused my friends to have no boundaries. When they come to my house, they just march right into my bedroom and crawl in bed with me. Yolanda basically kisses me, right on the lips. Jenny sits so close to me that it’s like we are one person. Chris keeps his hand on my foot for our entire visit. Susan and I share the same glass of wine. Mer literally gives me the clothes off of her back. Christy and I are so close that I sometimes fall asleep when she is talking because I feel so safe and cozy. Christy is like a human lullaby. I think my friends would digest me if they could. I think they’re scared of losing me so they want to feel every part of our relationship. And I’m a lucky girl that they do.

The husband of the couple in Provence whom I call the Apricot is everything you would want in a husband but you can’t have him because my friend got there first. Handsome, witty, gentle, funny, debonair, protective, well-dressed, elegant, charming and has a perseverance quality that rivals my own. The love between the Apricot and Romy Grace is the most inspiring thing I’ve ever seen. I honestly doubt that they have ever even raised their voices at each other. They are so in love even all these years later that it’s like they met yesterday. When the Apricot walks into the room, Romy Grace lights up like a Christmas tree and vice versa. In all of the years that I have known them, I have only seen them apart once and that’s because Romy Grace was at my house sitting with me while I had my hair done. Other than that, they are glued at the hip and they wouldn’t have it any other way. I have to say in all honesty I’m pretty sure any other relationship pales in comparison to theirs. Be jealous.

So my trip to Provence was more than just going to Provence. It was more than getting to bask in the sunshine of the south of France. It was more than getting to stay at their big fat mansion. It was more than walking through the village of Provence with its charming architecture, it was more than the glorious food and loaded cocktails. It was more than being waited on hand and foot. It was more than the lavender, the sunflowers and breathing the same air as van Gogh did. No, it was about spending time with friends talking about everything and nothing, holding hands, loving each other and feeling very very lucky that after five years with ALS, I am still here enjoying precious time with my friends.

So, I thought I would share it with all of you. It was such a big weekend that I’m going to have to break the blogs up into a series, if you don’t mind. For the first Provence posting, I thought I would give us a little lay of the land. And by land, I mean their property and house. The second we drove up to the house and I saw it for the first time, I remember my friends telling me that it was over 400 years old and then I lost all consciousness after that so I thought I would just let the pictures do the talking. Even though my friends are very very private, they gave me permission to use the photos. Merci Romy Grace and Apricot.

Here we go…

 

 

 
Okay, so now that we have our bearings, stay tuned for the next series of blogs about my trip to Provence in August… The food, the cocktails, the fish, the dog, the museum, the gardens, the shopping, the adventures etc.!!!

*Something you don’t know about me? I have an unhealthy obsession with croutons. I could look at wallpaper samples for a good 10 hours a day. I hate burl wood. While Gracie, David and I had dinner last night together we discussed (in a very diplomatic fashion) the three things that we hate about each other. I’m very particular about my leopard prints. Sometimes I think I need to move to Normandy to a farm, get some sheep, prune some apple trees and wear mud boots all day. Sometimes I think I need to move to the seaside of the Mediterranean and put yellow mimosa branches into a vase all day. Some days I’m a vegetarian and then some days I want a cheeseburger. I love to read and I love to study antiquities. Mathematics are not my forte. Sometimes I’m super nice and sometimes I’m super rude. I hate when people use #Blessed. What about you guys? What do I not know about you?