one-year ago

this was happening...

beautiful sister and beautiful sister-in-law

 Sarah and my brother Tanner // zee barn where it all went down

my twin {not really, but we could be}

Tonio dancing with the bride - they were twirling so fast it blurred

cake cutting


And in less than 5 hours, this amazing couple will be here in Nice, France to hang out with me and Tonio and celebrate their first wedding anniversary (29 March) !!!

Congratulations to Sarah and Tanner !  And welcome to the French Riviera =)  We spare no expense...  haha !

Love Linz

TEN year visa !!!

After many trips to the French immigration office, 
a medical exam to make sure I don't have the black lung 
(props to those of you who giggled at the movie reference),
several mug shots taken,
photocopying in triplicate EVERYTHING,
a surprise visit by the police (read more),
standing in long lines,
and after
praying to and thanking God for each little victory...

I just received this letter in the mail !!!
 

Madame PETRIGNANI is invited to come get her "titre de séjour" that she requested...

Well, thank you very much.  I accept your invitation with great joy !  Next week, we go pick it up, and it just so happens that my brother and sister-in-law will be here, so we might just have to drag them along to celebrate with us !!!  Youpi !!! (as the French say).

Thank you God for answering our prayers for this 10-year visa.  I'm so very blessed and thankful (and HAPPY that I don't have to stand in that LONG line again !!!)

Love Linz

Coconut Macaroons

I have so much fun with this blog - it's a little bit of this and that, not much rhyme or reason, but that's where I have the freedom to write whatever I want...

So today, I give you coconut macaroons !
{different than French macaroons, just to clarify}

When Tonio and I first got married, my mom gave me this recipe book.

I wasn't sure how much I would use it, but it has been such a useful tool in cooking and baking.

Sometimes I just look inside for inspiration.  For example, yesterday I found a bag of coconut in the cupboard, so I opened the book and found this great recipe for low fat coconut macaroons.

 Here they are before and after baking.

The recipe if you'd like to give it a whirl.

And I love this book, because I can take out the pages and put them on the fridge next to the picture of little Tonio in the snow, next to the dog butts from Seb, next to the salt and pepper bunnies from Manny and Karey, next to the "Kiss the Cook" apron from Mom and Dad, under the Alaska knife from Tanner... (reminders of loved ones everywhere).

If I drank espresso, I would probably drink one with a few of these babies, but since I don't, I just eat more cookies instead =)

Wish you could come eat some with me and Tonio !  Hurry, they're almost gone ! {actually, by the time you read this, they will be gone... sorry}

Love Linz

DIY frog costume

our friend Dan had a re-house-warming party after a beautiful renovation - to make it a bit more fun, we were asked to wear a crazy hat.

so, Tonio was my "prince," and i was the princess =)

if you're looking for a very easy frog costume : green hat, cut out 2 white eyes and draw black pupils or cut them out of black construction paper, add a tongue if you'd like (draw a fly on the tongue - why not?), tape it all together... voilà !

Love Linz

atelier guitare

guitar workshop

giving away old song sheets.

sign up for song files via email.

prepared for 20.

hoping for less than 10.

8 students - perfect !
{Jean, Birte, Elodie, Yann, Cathy, Sandrine, Mariska, Pierre}
 

Pierre M. taking a break - he came to support his wife, but he ended up learning a few things too =).

it was so cool how everyone helped each other.

captive audience.  i'm so proud of each one.

explaining B and C#m... i got a lot of wide eyes and sarcastic laughs.

we'll stick with G, C, D and Em for now... or i should say Sol, Do, Ré and Mi mineur.

this guitar workshop has been long overdue, and i'm so thankful how well it went {in French AND with strange chords...haha!}.  i remember a while ago when i lived in Montana, one of the pastors encouraged us to be working ourselves out of a job, continually looking for ways to pass along what we know.


if we are all honest with ourselves, we've learned what we know from someone else, even if it was from a website or books... someone else wrote them.


i want to be like a river with waterfalls and streams branching off, not like the dead sea.  what are you doing to share what you know with others?  believe me, just because i did this workshop, i haven't paid my dues.  my whole life i want to be giving not keeping.


i hope you are inspired in some way - you can do it !  i was SO nervous yesterday, but of course, God fills in the gaps of my inadequacy.

Love Linz

ps - after the class, all i heard was, "Quand est-ce qu'on va le refaire?!"  When are we going to do it again?!  i'd say that's a good sign =)  and this morning after church, a lady asked me if she could do a sewing workshop... domino effect !  thank you Jesus - YOU deserve the glory !   

my husband

Getting married is the BEST thing EVER, not only do you always have a friend with whom to share your adventures, one committed to you for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health - pour la vie, but you also have all rights to brag about your spouse...

So that's what I'm going to do... brag about my Tonio :

Wednesday night, when I arrived in Nice late after a 6-hour train ride from Paris, these beauties were waiting for me along with a note in French saying how much he missed me.  He might be a stinker, but he's a thoughtful, romantic, loving one ;)

And this is a screen shot of a website he designed.  If I were to show you the code behind it, you might go cross-eyed like me.  A black screen with lots of tiny green writing and hundreds of parentheses and brackets.  I know I married a very intelligent man, and it is projects like this that leave me completely in awe and thankful.

It says: "Welcome to CalvaryChapel.fr - Here you will find the list of different Calvary Chapel churches in France."  It's already in the top 5 search on google, pas mal.

Voilà, I thank God for my wonderful husband.  He blesses me and so many others in ways I don't even think he's aware.  Thanks for reading the blog - we hope you enjoy it.

Love Linz

Paris : People

After a great week in Paris, it's the people that I will remember most.  It was such a sweet time reconnecting with friends and spending time with family.

1) Paris : People
2) Paris : Nature
3) Paris : Buildings
4) Paris : Animals

 Corinne and I took the train from Nice to Paris together

 leading worship with Abby Dente

 Cathy Taylor from Calvary Fellowship in Seattle

 Shannon Woodward from Calvary Chapel Marysville north of Seattle

all the ladies (photo from Becky Dente)

 me and Darlene !!!

meet Darlene Mattox... I lived with her family in Cyprus - it had been over 4 and half years since we've seen each other - happy reunion (and yes, people think we are sisters)

 café au soleil with some gals

 sunset (me, Darlene, Becca, Caryn, Jennifer)

 a Cathy-Lindsey-Shannon sandwich

 Fedosie and her little man Noéalan

 getting the tour of Ismahan's stomping grounds

 Nancy, Corinne, Ismahan and me

 her church

 visiting freshly-married Elisa =)

Harry and Elisa - married one month ago - it was so fun to meet her husband

Alban !  the first time i met Sebastien's roommate 4 years ago, I didn't speak a lick of French - now we can communicate - ha!

 too much fun in the cemetery

lunch with Nancy and Sebastien before heading back to Nice


I'm so thankful for this time with all these special people in my life!  Of course, I wished my husband could have come had fun with us.

Love Linz