BEST Surprise EVER!

I love surprises!  And I don't know why, but I always seem to figure them out.  I don't try to, in fact, I try not to.  But for some reason, I often happened to stumble upon a piece of information that links me to the intended surprise, and I get a little sad... because like I said, "I love surprises!"

I always wondered what it would be like to be surprised like you see in the movies.  It's never happened to me... not once... until September 30th, 2016.  Full back story at the end.

My friend Crystal came to visit me!!!  Never in a million years did I think we'd be going to the airport to pick up CRAAAAAAAAAASTAL!!! [I like Tonio's face.]

You can't tell, but I have tears in my eyes.  I was so happy.  I think everyone in the airport thought I was crazy.  Crystal got it on film... I can't even really remember exactly what happened, but I was the most surprised I've ever been in my entire life (and I think I was a little loud about it).

She's in our home!!!

Little Daphodil really enjoyed having "Cryssal" and "Ell-y" (Crystal and Allie) stay with us.  Allie is Crystal's mama, who was traveling with her.

A fun time at a café the next day : me, Allie, Crystal, Sebastien, Daphné, Tonio.  It was very cool for Crystal and Seb to re-unite also, since he's become a huge part of their family (Crystal's boys 11 and 13, I think, just adore both Sebastien and Tonio).

A little walk with the princess.  I love how Crystal calls Daphné "a little lady."

Allie got a picture of us getting a picture of us.  HA.

Strollin' with her girls.

A little visit to the Exotic Gardens of Eze.

This tiny person is the best caretaker of all her animals.  First thing she did, gave her pony a drink and faced pony to look out upon the French Riviera.  All of Daphné's animals and toys like her a lot. ;)

Kisses from Auntie Crystal.

Too much!

My heart is so happy that Daphné now knows one of my bestest friends in the whole wide universe!

Bouncing on the boing-y chair.

Our story goes back forever and a day it seems, with so many changes, trials, joys and sorrows in between, but our friendship just keeps growing.  I love this girl so much!

Daphné wanted you all to see her tongue. 

Can you believe that backdrop?!  Our God the Creator is absolutely stunning in His craftsmanship!

Fragonard Parfumerie.

BEACH!!!!

A photo I will cherish for ever and always.  The two of us in the Mediterranean Sea TOGETHER!!!

Heeeeeeeyyyy!!!

My loves.

Man, I miss her as I'm typing this post.  Funny thing, Crystal never lets up that Tonio, Daphné and I need to move to Encinitas, CA and be neighbors.  OK!  [True fact : As I finished typing this sentence, guess who called?  Ha!  It was Crystal!]

And here we are at the airport before saying bye.  Daphné fits as a carry-on.  Crystal almost took her to get me, then Tonio to follow... haha!

Back story of the surprise :  Some time in May or June, I was having a rough day, so Tonio wanted to cheer me up by letting me know about a surprise coming to visit in September.  I was so upset that he told me.  I was kind of a brat about it, actually.  I said, "Now it's not a surprise.  I'm going to figure out who it is."  We kind of dropped it.  I had my ideas.  Then later, he said, "It's a mom and daughter."  Again, I was sooooo upset.  Grrrrr.  "Now I know I'm going to figure it out Tonio."  Well, this totally threw any of my ideas out the window.  I thought my friend Joanna from Montana was coming or hoping but not thinking it at all possible to be Crystal.  After all, she has a husband, and 2 almost teenage boys, plus homeschooling, plus trying to find a new place to live, etc...  So there, Joanna and Crystal were completely ruled out of the equation... they don't have daughters after all.

Then, even later, Tonio let me know it was just for a weekend visit.  Ok, so I had myself convinced it was the mom and younger daughter from the family I lived with in Cyprus, Darlene and Emma.  They are close enough to do just a quick weekend trip.  Convinced, I was.  And I was excited.  I hadn't seen them in a looooong time.

So, the afternoon comes to go to the airport.  On the way out of the house, I get a letter from my friend Crystal in the mail.  I read it thankful for her and missing her, not thinking one single bit that I'm about to see her in like 20 minutes.  We get inside the airport.  Tonio says, "Oh, I hear Italian, that's a good sign.  Their plane must have landed."  Ok, so now I'm totally off.  Why would Darlene and Emma fly through Italy?  The layovers out of Cyprus are often in Germany or England.  Oh, maybe it's a missionary family I know in Italy, Maria and one of her daughters.

Walking along, looking for a familiar face of some sort, I hear my name.  I look to the left to see Crystal (and her mom Allie)!!!  Mother-Daughter.  I was beyond surprised.  I should get the video from Crystal to post here.  Until then, just imagine, 2 loud American girls reunited in the Nice Airport.  She had been keeping it a secret from me for 5 months!  She even unfriended me from Facebook and Instagram at the start of their trip, so I couldn't follow her journey and have an idea.  She and her mom went on a Footsteps of Paul trip through Turkey, Greece and Rome.  So cool.  And I was so honored to be the cherry on top of their voyage.  We truly enjoyed our time together.  Too short.  But it's always too short when you're with good friends, right?  Heaven is going to be so delightful.  All in one place.  No good byes.  No good nights.  No see you laters.

I love you Crystal.  Thanks again for coming!

Love Linz

An evening at the beach

When Tonton comes to town, we love hanging out with him!  And what better place to do that, than at the beach?!

 

Mamie and Daphné.

Bucket and sand.

Pool and shovel.

Wading and water.

Stick and "Look Mama!"

Tonton and Papa.

Best daddy and best uncle.

Sunshine and singing.

Flannel and sandals.

Kisses and giggles.

Thankful and happy.

Love Linz

Visit to Antibes

We love Tonton Robi and Tata Cricri (Kikik)!

Daphné and Rob dancing.

It's been really sweet to her relationship with Rob blossom.

They sure did cut a rug.

Last pool dunk of the season.  It was chilly.

Our fans!  Let me clarify... Daphné's fans.  HAHA!

Love Linz

Miscellaneous fun

Like most people, my phone has now become my main "picuture-taking-device."  Thus, every once in a while, I like to do a little photo drop, as I call it.  There is no theme, except for the fact that Daphné appears in each photo =).  Are you surprised?

After bath bundle of nose-picking cuteness.

A morning with Papi and Mamie.

Daphné and Mommy date at the boulangerie.  [Note : longest lasting ponytail to date... this one lasted 8 minutes, the time to eat her croissant, drink and walk around the boulangerie.]

Shopping at Picard, our favorite "in a hurry" store.

Kids morning at the library.  They had story time, then they put out all these cool toys.

She really enjoys books, and I'm so thankful!

Hangin' with papa on the couch.

Reading on her little pillow perch. 

Oh, and my husband quoted someone the other day, saying, "The best camera is the one you have with you."  Cheers!  I'm thankful the iPhone quality is so incredible now!

Love Linz

Parc Phoenix

Family day at the Parc Phoenix!

Started off the day with some tea =).

Porcupines!

The beginning of a cool bamboo maze for kids.

Papa, my legs aren't that long... wait up.

Left turn.

Right turn.

And we're almost to the end.  It was really peaceful to me to be in here, and oddly enough, it's right across the street from the airport... planes, cars, noise... I still found it incredibly peaceful.

Little monkeys called "Ouistitis" in French.

Pronounced "wee-stee-tee" - it's what the French say when you take a picture, like we say "cheese."

Li'l lonely wallaby.

Look!  Ostriches.

The view is always better on papa's shoulders.

Lemurs.  If you look closely, one is hanging by his back feet on the rope.

And nothing tops off a good day, like a stroll around the house in papa's shoes.

Love Linz

Tata Kikik

Hey guys, well, it's been a while, and I'm going to play catch up the next few days.  

I took a small detour to share my walk through depression, and at the point that I'm writing the blog post you are currently reading, over 1200 people have opened my story!  Crazy!  On average, 25 people read the blog, so I'm absolutely amazed at the response I've had.  I pray God is glorified most of all... And... it has shown me that there is a need for vulnerability and education on the subject of mental illness.  I'm sure it won't be the last time I share.

So, in the mean time, back to zee blogue.  (That's French for 'the blog'... hehe!)

Tata Kikik came to visit!

We sure do love when Daphné Christiane gets to hang out with Tata Christiane.

I just love this picture.

And tell me, how adorable are those pink overalls?  Seriously.

Euro bin score!  She has since decorated it (with her papa's help) and wears it around the house.  It's disturbingly cute.

Love Linz

My Story : Depression

In light of Mental Illness Awareness Week, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share my story.  Everyone has a story.  Everyone has a cause.  Everyone is affected directly or indirectly by these stories and causes.  So here's mine.  Feel free to read if you'd like.

This week, I fly the proverbial green flag.

God healed me.  He healed my mind.  He healed my body.  He healed my soul.

[ and YES, He used psychiatrists, psychologists and even medication to do it =) ]

Click HERE to learn more about NAMI.

Uncertain as to where to begin, I guess I'll start with this... I never had any education on mental illnesses, EVER.  I didn't understand them.  I thought they were rare.  And I thought that depression meant someone was just really, really sad.  I was not well-informed.

Then, I got postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD and psychosis after the birth of our first sweet little girl in January 2015... WHAT?!!!  You?  Lindsey?  Yes, me.  We all thought it was just the baby blues and lack of sleep, but there was something greater, something deeper.  In short, I'll give you a little bullet point summary of my journey.

     -started having suicidal thoughts

     -hospitalized for 6 weeks [first 4 days in the literal "loony bin"... I have to laugh now ;)]

     -saw a therapist after I got out of the hospital for 2 months

     -took anti-depressants, anti-anxiety pills and sleeping pills for 10 months

    

I'm sparing details on purpose.  You don't need to know everything right now.  I guess I just feel that I need to share to help eliminate stigmas and taboos.  I'm so thankful for my family and friends who have supported me through all this.  I'm now 100% and thoroughly enjoying being a mommy to the sweetest little girl in all the land.  [NOTE (Oct 22, 2016) : After the large response of notes, messages and emails I've received because of this blog post, I feel I need to clarify that I'm healed from the crisis situation I entered in January through March 2015.  However, I believe my brain has become quite fragile as a result of the trauma.  Thus, I still battle with depression and anxiety on a more daily basis, but it's at a level that's no longer harmful to my life - praise the Lord!  I will be writing more and more of my story as time goes on, but I just really felt I needed to add this for any future readers.] And, a beautiful redeeming part of the story... I found a website called Postpartum Progress.  I signed up to receive emails from other women who are going through postpartum mood disorders, and I can encourage them!

This site has truly been a gift from God.

If you've made it this far down, bravo!  Thanks for sticking with me.  To close, I know that one of God's names is "Jehovah Rapha" - The LORD heals (It's found in Exodus 15:26).  He is my healer, and I thank Him for using family, friends, doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and even medication to fix my broken brain.

I invite you to watch this 30-minute video below if you have a chance.  You can watch it now or save it for later.  It's a pastor sharing his experience with depression.  It really helped me understand what I went through, and I share it with you to also understand what I went through...along with what so many others on this planet are battling daily.

That's all.  I'm done.  Thank you for reading.  I pray you never have to experience depression or any other mental illness first hand.  I kept saying while in the hospital that I would never wish it on my worst enemy...  But if you do, there are so many resources.  Get in touch with me.  I'd love to help if I can.

We went through a lot, but I wouldn't have wanted to do it with anyone else.  I'm so thankful for my amazing supportive and loving husband and our darling little princess.

...the Lord heals...

Love Linz