365/103 + 365/104 + 365/107 + 365/108 + 365/109 + 365/110 + 365/112

Thanks to everyone who applied a lot of effort and had read my whole story about Paris

Day 112 My last chocolate from Paris - 3 degrees below zero in the morning

Day 110 Another sunrise

Day 109 Blossoms near our station

Day 108 Greek farmer´s salad made by my elder son

Day 107 First BBQ of the year - wearing t-shirts at 20 degrees

Day 104 Sunrise


Day 103 Gift I got after Paris... washing soccer t-shirts

FOUR DAYS IN PARIS 365/98 until 365/101

These are my thoughts but Kerri was so helpful and friendly to translate for me. Thanks so much Kerri - many hugs!!

My dream came true. I am back from Paris - yes from Paris! I still can't believe it myself even though I find myself browsing 700+ photos daily! Yes, I visited Girlie!!!

Right up until the last minute I wasn't sure I wouldn't chicken out. It is something totally different driving somewhere quickly in a car - or going to a different country for 4 days, where you don't speak the language, and where you can't talk in your native tongue, but you have to dig deep and dig up your rusty school english.

Even though I didn't know the person, family I was visiting, where I was going and would we get on, from the beginning I had a feeling I was doing the right thing - and this feeling didn't decieve me.

From the very first moment, Girlie and her family welcomed me with open arms, as if we had known oneanother for a very long time. I immediately felt at home! It was incredible - I have never experienced something like this before.

One of the first things she said was "sit down and relax" and that is what I did for 4 days in Paris "relax".

We did so much in those few days, saw so much of beautiful Paris, you would think I would have been exhausted from our marathon sight-seeing tour. But no I wasn't. I thoroughly enjoyed it all, and any stress just fell away, I felt released and accepted - it was just amazing!

To top it off we had perfect weather, a clear blue sky and everything.

One special event was visiting Girlie's church and taking part in the service, it meant a lot to me.

I am very grateful that I was able to accompany Girlie on her "goodbye Paris tour" and to share those experiences with her, some of which she experienced for the first time in her 5 year stay in Paris.

Unfortunately the days sped by and the time together was much too short. It is such a shame that we never met sooner and never had the chance to spend more time together over the years.

At the same time as me Gigi, was also visiting Girlie, she too showed me such heart and warmth, as if we had known one another forever. Such familiarity from the beginning was great.

We had some great conversations and were able to exchange familiarities of our kids. I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did and that she wasn't bored or tired of my bad english ;o)

The familiarity and the conversations did me the world of good and still are even back in Germany.

I did not only find a friend in Girlie, who incidently fits the name, but also in Gigi, and I will be forever grateful.

I am sure that god willing I will see Girlie and her family again as well as Gigi.

You cannot imagine how difficult it was to say goodbye and return home to everyday life. I miss them a lot and am sad in a good way, when I recall our days in Paris - sad because they are over.

...these four days in Paris were some of the best of my life and it has been a long long while since I have relaxed so well, and felt so good.

My colleagues at work, who didn't know I had been to Paris said when I returned "wow, you look happy and really well rested"
I fully intend to keep this "great feeling" and take some of the asian serenity into my daily life and be able to see things more relaxed and calmer.....

Thank you for the great time with you!

Enough talk - now some of my photos, that you have waited on for so long, but I just couldn't decide which to post. Somehow shrinking the pictures has also messed up the quality, but I think they can show you some of what my trip to Paris was like.

So, sit down and just relax, enjoy my pictures of Paris..........



Credits: all pictures by me
photgraphy templates by Ramona
translation by Kerri

365/91 + 365/93 + 365/94 + 365/95 + 365/97

A new skateboard as a birthday gift


Construction site


Easter surprise handmade by my younger son


Flowers my younger son gave to me



Thursday 01.04.2010 Day 91

We visited KayJay for the second time and had a fantastic afternoon in the Childrens Academy. There, you can crawl through a replica of a real heart. It´s quite interesting.

Crawling through the heart

EN VACANCES

I still can´t believe it... tomorrow I´ll fly to a blogger friend of mine - I´m so excited. My suitcase and the gifts are packed, I checked in, I got my boarding pass and my Nikon is ready to go!! I´m so delighted.



Credits: Stuff by WW

I´ll update my missing blog entries when I´m back - Sorry girls, but I was so busy the last days... with the treatment of my back and knee - to recover for my dream ... and among others with the birthday of my son.

So girls please cross your fingers for me, that everything will turn out well in a foreign country its language I didn´t speek!

FROHE OSTERN

Credits:
kit spring tales and bunny trails by holly designs
kit aprilfresh by cinnamon designs

365/87 + 365/88 + 365/89 + 365/90

Wednesday 31.03.2010 Day 90

Both boys enjoyed a trip with the local vacation programm to a swimming bath.

My husband had a day off from work today and I had another appointment with my physiotherapist. Unfortunately the last one from the prescription

Afterwards we enjoyed a cup of café latte in a sidewalk café.

In the late afternoon my husband and my elder son had an appointment in the hospital. During that my younger son and me picked up his new bike. He is so proud. But another storm with downpour arrived so he couldn´t ride his bike shortly.

Last week I told you that my knee joint was crackling during the pilates course.... each day between then and now it worsened.


Picture of the new bike will follow






Tuesday 30.03.2010 Day 89

Playing on the balcony


My younger son visited the police station with the local vacation programm.

I had another appointment with my physiotherapist

In the afternoon my younger son had fun playing outside on the balcony.

A thunderstorm started in the evening and went on during half of the night







Monday 29.03.2010 Day 88

Dark spring afternoon

Dark, windy and rainy weather - as always when we are having holidays.

I cleaned up my younger son´s room, changed his winter clothes into the spring clothes... and after all .... I had a new lumbago (heavy back pain). In fact of my planned trip to one of my blogger friends on Thursday and my flight next week I decided to go to the doctor immediately.

He reduced the joint twice and gave me a injection. Hope it´ll work.

In the evening I had an appointment with my physiotherapist for the neck/shoulder/arm problem - but we changed it into a treatment of my back.






Sunday 28.03.2010 Day 87

Playing in the bathtub

365/75 + 365/76 + 365/77 + 365/79 + 365/82 + 365/86 + Looking for spring

Saturday 27.03.2010 Day 86

Confirmation present

Back side of the bookmark

Grey and rainy day today.

We picked out a new bicycle for my younger son - it´ll be ready next Tuesday. He is so thrilled!! His old bike is finally broken.

In the afternoon I delivered a confirmation present.

It was a selfmade bookmark, a voucher for a bookshop and something each young girl loves...nail polish and lip gloss. I´m really proud how the bookmark turned out - not as perfect as the one I got from Fabella - but I´m satisfied.






Friday 25.03.2010 Day 84

Last school day - now the children are having holidays for two weeks
- and so am I.

My younger son was visiting a classmate directly after school and had much fun.

Until the afternoon we had wonderful sunny weather, with about 21°C degrees. But then a storm with downpour approached.

Swimming training in the evening.






Wednesday 24.03.2010 Day 83

Flight schedule - The first step of my dream (picture 23.03.10)

Fantastic weather today with 20°C degrees and quite sunny. Sad I had to work until 8:00 pm.

But I enjoyed a lunch break of two hours, sitting in a sidewalk cafe with café latte. I sent a SMS to a friend of mine in France telling about my wonderful lunch break - and was so sorry to hear, that it rained there.

My picture of today isn´t a really great shot - technically - I know that. But for me it´s a perfect shot - because it shows the first step of my dream. These are the flight datas of my flight to.....

....psst, that´s still a secret.

I´m so jazzed. Hope nothing intervenes!!!! Please cross all your fingers for me!





Tuesday 23.03.2010 Day 82

Crocus - Spring is here

Had an appointment with my physical therapist in the early morning.

I found the first crocus in our garden, today. So spring is here.

This picture is also for Katinka´s project "looking for spring". And I too have a German poem for you.

FRÜHLING

"Wie lieblich ist die
Frühlingszeit:
Die Sonne scheint,
es blüht, gedeiht -
so ist es mit den Herzen.
Die Sonne will
hinein, warum soll
nicht auch Frühling
in unsren Herzen sein."

Gisela Solms-Wildenfels

Today was a beautiful mild and sunny day.

And the first step of a dream came true today... I´ll tell you a little bit more, tomorrow.






Saturday 20.03.2010 Day 79


My younger son had a swimming competition today.

He got two gold medals for breast stroke and back stroke, a silver medal for freestyle and a brazen one for butterfly stroke. It was his first time swimming the butterfly stroke.

Picture of the medals is following





Thursday 18.03.2010 Day 77

Sunrise

Wonderful sunrise today!!







Wednesday 17.03.2010 Day 76

Picture will follow... it´s a belated birthday gift from two of my colleagues.

I had to work until 8:00 pm and enjoyed a lunch break of two hours. There I had an appointment with my physical therapist for a treatment of my neck, shoulder and arm.







Tuesday 16.03.2010 Day 75

Belated birthday flowers

These beautiful flowers I´ve got from one of my BFF´s. We are making the pilates course together. She came back from her holidays in Gran Canary.

During the pilates course there was a crackling in my knee joint. Doesn´t sound good...

It was rainy today.