A Cariad Life

We all have those moments–it could be a conversation, an interaction, a smell, or a glimpse of something–that says, yes, this is it. A moment when something new feels right, feels like home, feels connected to some part of who we are, what we dream about, and what we hope for. I call those moments, “that’s when I knew…” moments. The moment when curiosity lands and becomes certainty.

That type of moment and the emotions of it are so universal that I would jokingly refer to it when I taught high school English. When teaching students about the correct rules of punctuation, I would pause on the semi-colon and tell this story: “When I was in college so few people knew how to correctly and appropriately use a semi-colon; many of them chose not to use it because they didn’t know how. However, as an English major, many people I knew would ask me to proofread their essays (many of which were truly horrid, and I could never figure out how they had even graduated from HS). One day, a cute guy I met at the snack bar asked if I would be willing to read his paper…when I did, I saw it–the correct use of a semi-colon.” I would then pause dramatically, and say, “that’s when I knew…” and they would all lean forward, and say, “knew what?” I would then, in all seriousness, say, “I knew he would be the man I would marry, and I did, he became my husband.” After a few chuckles, without fail, a ninth grade boy would raise his hand, and ask, “so, um…how do you use a semi colon again?” By the way, every student left my class using semi-colons regularly and correctly in their writing.

OK, yes, there were lots of moments and conversations with my husband that I recall were “that’s when I knew” moments. I have had them with houses we have bought, jobs I have decided to take, and even lighter things like trying a new food or hearing a type of music that I didn’t know I would love (opera is a weird example.) With our adventure to France and buying this B&B in particular, I have a collection of “that’s when I knew” moments–one of the biggest was seeing the picture above of Repos a’ Riberac’s kitchen. It was truly one of those moments, when I stopped breathing for a second when I saw it. (OK, that sounds a bit dramatic, even for me).

So what was it about the picture of this kitchen? It wasn’t just the beautiful wide planked timbre floors…or the gorgeous French windows leading out to (gasp, is that a solarium? It is, by the way!)…or the six burner gas stove… or even the French mantle with the hanging pots. It’s not even the beautiful wood table serving as a work space…all of that was stunning. It was that this was a kitchen that was used, it looked lived in, and it was beckoning me to cook.

Many of you know that I love to cook with my family–thoughtfully prepared food and dedicated time around our table, without phones or tv, is how our family speaks love. We text recipes and pictures of what we made with one another. Caleb will try numerous recipes of the same dish, until he perfects it. Noah makes bread from scratch and creates his own dishes. Both of them pause and savor after a delicious bite and either give a soft moan or close their eyes as they chew. I love to read cookbooks, and this past week I tried a different recipe every day of the week. Seeing this kitchen and seeing it as a place where cooking is centralized–not one of those showcase kitchens that that looks like you couldn’t drop a crumb–made it look like home. That’s when I knew…France may be a very different culture, have a language that I have not yet learned, and running an inn will be like nothing I have done, but this room–this kitchen–I know this, I can do this, my family will love this.

Interesting note, when I shared the pictures of the B&B with my family, including my son’s girlfriend, Chloe, she paused at that picture, and said, “wow, look at that kitchen.” Yet, another “that’s when I knew” moment…she’s a keeper Noah! So…I can’t wait to get there and get started. I hope you’ll consider coming and seeing it for yourself! In the meantime, eat good food with people you love.