amiche e sorelle!

Here we are! 23 years later! Still friends, and still very pretty!!

Flying...

Tomorrow at this time I'll flying over the big blue ocean heading towards Montreal

and then to Toronto!

I have to write it :

1 day to go!!

2

Can you imagine??? It took almost 2 years to come back and now Canada it's only 2 days away!

These last 2 days are going to be a rush against time! I don't know if actually I will make to do all the things I still need to do...but one thing is sure in 2 days I'll see my family & friends!

And that's what counts!!

Smile!

Here the smiley girl!

Tooth

Meggie lost her first tooth! My little bambina lost un dentino! Gosh I don't believe it! She is getting so big! I honestly feel little strange...Meggie is totally thrilled about this experience and she keeps on looking at herself in the mirrow and feeling like a big girl! I had also to take a picture ...and I will post it very soon! So now it's bed time, I still have to read a chapter or two and then I can relax on the couch! 11 days to go!

Paris/Hamilton

Weather in Hamilton, Canada

Cloudly :humidity : 67 %jeu.12 °C 25 °Cven.18 °C 31 °Csam.14 °C 26 °C dim.14 °C 26 °C

Weather in Paris, France
16 °C
Cloudly : humidity : 72 %jeu.10 °C 18 °C ven.7 °C 17 °C sam.7 °C 18 °C dim.7 °C 19 °C

Cloudy...it's raining here! We had nice weather for about 2 days and we are back to this!!!

13 days to GO!

Petite Anglaise

Petite alias Catherine inspired me in many ways

first of them all was the fact that I came back to Paris

and secondly the birth of this blog!!

Her life was definitely a rollercoaster:

dooced, dumped

but then

a book deal

and love

and like all fairy tales with a

happy ending!

Catherine's wedding

Cause of divorce

If I don't divorce tonight ....

If you are not into Euro2008 you should know that tonight Holland is playing against Italy!!

And Wouter says they will distroy us...

Reply :

AHAHHAHAHAHAH!!!

Happy b-day GEMINI!!

How many we are?

Well quite a bunch considering that

I'm the first one on the list with b-day on May 26th

Joseph on June 2nd

Maddy on June 6th

and last but not least

Gigino on June 8th!!
HAPPY B-DAY TO ALL THE GEMINI!

One last wish...

There is one last wish on my list, and if we don't make it, it doesn't matter, but I have for long time in mind to go with all you guys to the Inn on the Twenty in the village of Jordan! Sandra tells me that it's such a great place...! So if you have a free moment on Sunday 29th of June we could go there for a lovely brunch! Shall we make a reservation...??

Meggie's list!

Here the little one's list : going on the bike, to the swimmingpool and playing the "princess" and sure coloring & coloring! Easy isn't it??

Wouter's wishes!

Wouter is a simple guy!

He will be happy with nice barbecues and some fresh beer

and maybe one evening at Hess Village!

Do you think Jerry, John and Steve can take care of that??

Girls stuff!

My dear Sandra, Nancy & Norma!

In something like 19 days I'll be in Hamilton again

and even if I know that you are very very busy

I was wondering if the 3 of you could find the time

to spend one "girls night out"!

Not loo long, couple of hours, drinking a couple of Frozen Daiquiri (isn't it Nancy??)

an Apple Martini or two for Sandra and some

Tequila shots for Norma

and chat, chat and chat !

Then our men, if they are nice and wish to join, they are welcome!

So let's pick up a day!

Canada here I come

24 days to go! In just over 3 weeks I'll be back to Canada! The excitement is growing every day and I can't wait to be in Hamilton again to celebrate with Sandra and all the family our 40th b-days! This time is even more special for me because till the last moment I did not know if we could make it but then how could I miss such an important event in our "story"?? So when I actually booked the flights my legs were shaking from relief, joy and little stress! So many years went by since the very first time Sandra and I met in 1985, so many laughter and so many tears, but winters could not froze, and summers could not dry the feelings we always felt for each other and even if we are an ocean away our heart are more close than we can say...So cara amica e sorella...I'm on your way to hug you again!

b-day shots!

Greetings from Prague

My birthday is tomorrow!

I will turn 40 and a new phase of my life will start!

I'm looking forward to this!

I'm don't worry about my wrinkles and about the effects of gravity on my body

I'm 40 and happy

and

I just look faboulous!

Canada on my mind...!

News from Paris!

So many things to do so little time!!What's new?? Months are passing by at a scary pace and we are already in March. Tuesady March 18th Meggie is turning 6! That cannot be?? I was pregnant not far ago...or at least so it seems but I have the sweet living proof that 6 years went by! In couple of months it will be my turn to be the b-day girl....that's really scary! I never thought that I would wake up and find myself being 40!! I'm not really sure how I will handle this new 'age'...but as Sandra said 'ages happens'...so let it be!! Apart from my philosophical thoughts about aging and time I have been really busy lately and this is why I have been sort of 'missing'on this blog ...!! I had to organize, finally (just small delay of six years!!) Meggie's baptism that will take place in Villarbasse on April 26th. Just for the record I had to get a permission from the French church to do this cerimony in Italy, then attend some night courses with Wouter and also dealing with the priest in Italy who was trying to be difficult but in the end all mellowed down and things seem good so far. My brother Gio is going to be the Godfather and my friend Claudia will be the Godmother. Then I'm also trying to buy out my mortgage (I had a variable mortgage and it raised like crazy in the last year) over Bineau just to keep busy with some paperwork! In short it's running to the bank, make photocopies, fill papers, run again to the bank and it will take at least a month before things are settled! And all this in addition with my work and all the travelling to bring Meggie up and down to Italy! But Wouter and I had the chance to spend 3 days alone in London while Meggie was at my parents!! It was great...we had good weather (for British standard!) went twice to theatre to see first'We will Rock You' and then'Billy Elliot' and then simly enjoying walking around without worrying about anything and doing everything our way!! Great!! Then Meggie and my parents flew back to Paris and we spent a nice long week end and had a great time together walking around the city and finding a new great brasserie in the 6th!! So what's next on the agenda?? Well, I have a trip to Madrid scheduled on April 7th and one to Barcelona on the 17th and then we are off to Italy but before this a girls week end will take place in Lyon on Saturday 29th : 7 ex high school friends out in town with no men and no kids...should be fun and you will know all about it when I'll come back! So I'm done here in Paris, now to you Hamilton!!

Un anno fa...

Well I think I finally did it!!!

So, Thursday March 6th I get a phone call from my realtor Tony to go and view a house..so my thoughts were.."here we go again"..I ended up meeting Tony at a house on East 21st street at around 5:15 that evening. Steve wasn't with me because he was working til 6 that night. My first thought of the house was "aahhh no!!!". I didn't even see the inside and yet I already didn't like it. Tony then takes me through the house and I just couldn't believe how much I actually did like the house. The layout of the house is exactly like Sandra's old house on Camelot but a little smaller and the kitchen is a bit different but all in all..it's the same look. After seeing that house Tony wanted me to see another house on East 25th just to compare the difference so we ended up driving over to view it. That was a house from HELL!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't like it at all. So I said to Tony "I like the other place more". He asked if I wanted to show my parents and so I agreed. I called them up to meet me there and so we were off once again to view the house. This time it was with my parents. As we were going through the house again..I can tell that my parents really liked it. So in the end..my parents told me that if I really liked the house to put an offer. So that evening after seeing the house two times already, I followed Tony to his office to put an offer on that house. As we were there making up the papers, Steve called and said he was on his way. Steve was coming with me to see other houses prior to this one but like I said, he was working that day so he couldn't make it. He ended up meeting me at Tony's office just as we were finishing up the paper work. Tony asked if we wanted to see the house one more time and with no hesitation, Steve said "let's go". So for the third time that night we went to see the house. Steve really liked it so I was more excited to have his input on it. Tony then told me he'll keep me posted on what's going to happen the following day with the offer. There were already 3 offers pending for the same house. So I was excited and nervous at the same time due to the fact that I thought I might be losing another bidding war for a house. I had to work the following day and all I kept thinking about was that darn house and my offer...Finally at 3:45 that day Friday March 7th, I got a phone call that pretty much would change my life..."CONGRATULATIONS NORMA YOU GOT THE HOUSE!!!". I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was in shock and shaking at the same time that one of the nurses had to sit me down. I just couldn't believe what was happening at that moment. The nurses station was full of nurses and doctor's no one had a clue at what had happened. I finally got off the phone and in a state of shock I yelled out..."I GOT THE HOUSE!!!" Everyone couldn't believe it because I was looking for so long that this day has actually arrived. Everyone congratulated me over and over I still couldn't believe it. I finally caught my breath and started calling Steve and my family. They were all excited and they couldn't even believe what was happening. That phone call pretty much now is going to change my life and finally open up a new chapter in my life. Now I'm in the process of organizing the financial part and making a lot of phone calls to get the ball rolling and all. This is exciting but right now I'm in the very stressing part of it all. This is too big to mess up. Everyone around me are being very supportive through this whole thing but I'm still quite nervous and stressed about things. This is what I have wanted for many years and now that it's actually happening to me...it's easier said then done. But my realtor and mortgage broker are fantastic and they are taking care of pretty much everything. My parents are great and supporting me with this I really can't ask for anything more. And yes I'm still hearing from my parents not to move out because they don't want to see there baby go..but it's time to finally cut that umbilical cord and have my own responsibilities and life. Mind you what they don't know is that I'm going to be there almost every night for dinner...lol...I still gotta eat!!! I take possession of the house on April 11th. So until then I really can't do much as far as painting or anything. So as soon as I get the key we gotta paint and fix a few things. Like I said..I'm pretty nervous right now because I don't want to mess anything up but I know when I get myself settled in and make it mine..I know everything will be ok. So that is what's happening in my life right now so I'm kinda busy with all that. Steve and I are still together and doing really well so life is pretty busy but I'm happy.
So I'll leave you with that, I'll keep you posted of what's going on. So I'll talk to you all soon!!! Have a good night!!!