HAPPY 2010!!

OK, maybe a little late but I wish everybody a really great New Year!! A much better year than last year if yours wasn't that wonderful. I can feel it this will be a good year for a lot of people!!

We are back into our ritme of school since today, so I have time to blog, am over my jet lag... I was in 3 continents and 4 countries these last 2 weeks, so for now I stay put for a short while :-) However, people who know me know that this won't be for long!!

We were in the Netherlands visiting our families for Xmas and some good friends for New Years. We really had a good time, celebrating my cousin's Jesse 9th Bday bash on the 24th, celebrating Xmas and my father's Bday on the 25th, celebrating and having a feast of a dinner with Dirk's sister on the 26th and on the 27th a big Bday bash for my dad and some of his friends and colleagues because he turned 70! So a lot of food, meeting friends and family, last minute shopping in Holland, celebrating for the first time in 11 years Xmas in the Netherlands!! Fun, but COLD, WINDY, RAINY, so... probably it will take another decade before we return to Holland to celebrate Xmas... rather go in spring or summer....

Funny, they say the Dutch are rude or blunt, direct and open and normally I don't notice that so much, since I am Dutch myself... but I guess I've changed and adapted a bit to more different ways because I was pretty surprised myself about the directness of the Dutch people this time around. I've sent about 120 Xmas cards to all over the world, which I do every year. It is my only contact in paper form that I keep up as my tradition, and normally I get nice comments about my cards or Thank You's from people that I knew from the past and are still in my contact list but they are surprised they are still there. Most people really enjoy a real card these days... which I do myself as well... so I make an effort to create a funky card every year. Not the usual Xmas scene, too normal for me :-) so I start thinking about this around August, theme, colors etc.. etc..

Well, you have seen my card and you know what I am talking about... so here are some comments of Dutch people... no need to mention names, just sharing their comments: "I don't like the card, a bit creepy with that 3rd eye"..... and: "You are exploiting your children too much!" Not a Thank You for the card, although I prefer a much simpler theme, more Xmassy... NO, just a blunt/rude comment, not even a side comment, nothing else, just that! On top of that, these people didn't send us a card... I guess this is the last year that I will send them one too!

How many people send a Xmas card with a picture of their children?? Is it that mine is just a bit more out of the box theme, or are all people exploiting their children when they send a Xmas card with their children/dog/cat on it?? Dutch people can be so negative or jealous that they are not able to create a unique card, I don't know what it is... but things like this makes me happy that I moved away!! Some people can never be happy for anybody else, always negative... I learned by living in the USA that: If you have nothing positive to say, don't say anything at all!! The Dutch people could learn a lesson from this!!

But enough about Xmas cards, it's a new year with new challenges, adventures, fun times ahead of us and I am looking forward to create a great year, have fun galore, travel to new places and some old but much loved places, like Thailand!!
Did I tell you that while the soccer season is going on here in June/July and Dirk is totally excited to go to 10 games, YES, he has tickets to 10 games. Which would mean I would sit alone, be stuck in traffic and have to deal with all the craziness I decided to go to Thailand with the girls for 8 weeks! Koh Samui and Bangkok here we come!! WHOA!!
The girls have 10 weeks summer (here winter) break and it is cold here, boring because everybody goes home so we are relaxing on a beach in Koh Samui. The girls will go to Thai school in the morning, so hopefully they will absorb some Thai language and culture, how nice is that??!!

Pictures I can't upload yet, I have a new Mac Book Pro and haven't installed the camera's on here yet... so you have to wait for that a bit more. I need Dirk's help for that, but he is traveling....

Glad to be back behind my computer again, I just read some of your blogs and updated on most of you again!
Have a great week!
Mireille