"Around the World in a Day" linky party

I am invited by Laura of Happy Homemaker UK to join a 'Around the World in a Day' linky party.



So here is my story from Johannesburg, South Africa!
I am a Dutch expat who travels around the world with my handsome hubby and adorable twin girls, who we adopted when we were living in Thailand at the age of 3 months. Jasmine and Juliet are 8 now, almost 9 next month!

We have an exciting life and lived so far in Holland in a few places, Tenerife and Lanzarote both on the Canary Islands, just south of Spain, closer actually to Morocco. Then we moved to Eugene, Oregon to do some studies, back to Holland to get married before we moved to Jomtien in Thailand. Here we lived for 5 years and this is when our twins entered our lives, so much fun!!
After that we went to Ridgefield, Connecticut for 5 years, the North East of the USA and that was a grand time as well.

But now we are already 2,5 years here in Johannesburg, South Africa which is actually more fun than most people would think. It is a gorgeous country and SA was voted one of the countries with the best sceneries by Conde Nast Traveller in 2006 and last year in 2010 the idyllic Pezula Spa in Knysna one of the best SPA's in the world! So go figure! If Conde Nast says it it must be good!!

We Like to go on safaris all the time, the girls are addicted to seeing those wild animals so close up by now that they are always begging to go again on another trip! Nature is just amazing here, and the skies are breathtaking! We have the most spectacular thunder and lightning storms where the sky just opens up and the sunsets are a deep orange I have never seen anywhere else!

Yes, there is crime in this country, everybody always warns me about it, but hey; would I live here and jeopardize the lives of my precious children if I knew that it would be too risky!! You just have to know where and when you are going places, like any big city in any country... you can't just go anywhere after dark! But I was not planning to do so anyway, so when I keep to those rules I feel pretty safe here!!

So why don't you come over and crash my couch, come and visit this beautiful country! You will be amazed!!
See you later! and as they say in ZULU: Sizobonana!

I am looking forward to reading your stories!!
Mireille

~ 100.000 mark ~

Woo Hoo!! I hit the 100.000 mark!! Isn't that amazing??!!



In 3 years, actually 37 months I have one hundred thousand visitors from 198 countries!! Officially there are only 195 countries in the world... but I guess this is a different way of counting countries.

That means that I have about 2750 visitors a month looking at my life here at Funky Doodle Donkey!! About a 1000 a day... impressive... for just looking/peeking into my life. I mean I don't give a service, post recipes, or free things... just rambling about my life :-) Sweet! Cool! Never thought this would happen 3 years ago... i just did it for my family and friends overseas... I got so much more than I ever thought I would get out of writing a blog. If you don't do it yet, go for it, it is fun!!

So many people stop by and only so little who comment??!! Why not more?? I don't get that, I want to know who you are, who is looking at my life?? Please try to comment more and introduce yourself, I like to know you, where you are from, what brings you back to my site all the time?? Do you have kids, twins, adopted children from Thailand, do you live in Africa, are you an expat, are we having the same common interests, what is it that brings you to my site??

I would LOVE to know!! So please ~ STOP LURKING ~ and SAY HI!!

My life has changed quite a bit since I started blogging in January 2008, still living in Connecticut not knowing what would hold for me in the near future, definitely not knowing that I would be moving in 5 months to Africa, but loving my life and sharing it with you.... hopefully entertaining you enough to keep you coming back!!



THANK YOU ALL for stopping by and coming back. I am having fun keeping up this blog, it is a great way for me to see what I did the last weeks, months, years and staying in touch with family and friends this way.

Hopefully I will be updating my blog even when I move again to another country, because I am sure that will happen sooner or later... are you staying with me and following me then too?? I hope so!!

Well friends from all over the world, let's stay in touch and come back to my little space in blog world!!

Love, Mireille

Happy Birthday to me!

Yesterday it was my Birthday and also the second Anniversary of my blog... YEAH to both!!

We had a wild and crazy party on Saturday going on till Sunday morning around 3 am. Wow, what a crazy bunch was here, we danced on tables, drank so many shots and shooters that most of us 15 party animals had to recoup all Sunday before feeling human again ;-)

I don't think we ever went through so much alcohol on 1 night as Saturday, my friends can drink!! The only thing is when you reach a certain age, the drinking is not the problem, it is the feeling you have the next day that is so much worse than when you were 10 years younger!! Luckily I felt OK, a bit of a headache and tired the next day, but that was it... some of my friends felt worse though and were really sick.... that's what you get when you mix so much drinks and party too wild for your body's sake...

Here some pictures of those crazy but FUN friends who were at the party!

Dirk, the bartender giving Marta a drink.



Gustavo & Luciano.



Lane, Nadeem & Dele.



Maryam, Candice, Marta, Tehmina, Stella, Dunke, Hyun, Felicity and me.
The new Legal Aliens :-)



Toasting on my Bday.



Dancing and posing.



Dunke and me. That's how it all started with the 2 of us and a bus ride to Sophia Town...



Nadeem and the girls.



Dirk and the girls.



He likes it there!



This was all still before 12 o'clock... so not my Bday yet. Now it is getting wilder, need to wait for more pictures from my friends cameras, since I don't have much on my camera after this point.... to be continued!

It was such a grand party, we found a really great group of people to hang out with, and I know for sure there will be many more parties and get togethers with this crazy bunch out of all the corners of the world!! Thanks guys, for the fun party!! I hope you didn't feel too bad the next day... ;-)

Then another topic, my 2 year Anniversary of Funky Doodle Donkey!
Wow, I can't believe this is already going on for 2 years! I love to be part of the blogging world, meeting so many nice and interesting people this way and want to go on for many more years. I am thinking of changing the blog lay-out a bit this year, and taking the blogging to a new level... how I don't know yet, but I need to change a bit I feel...

THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING MY FRIEND OR FOLLOWER!!
I really appreciate your friendship and interest in my blog, my life, my ramblings....

Life is Good!
Mireille

Getting mail....I just love it ;-)

As of today I have 2299 visitors of 87 countries to my blog. That is great, wonderful, amazing, and I just LOVE it.

What I would LOVE even more is, if I would get some mail from you. Who are you? Why are you interested in my blog? Are you Dutch or Thai like us? Do you have twins as well, or did you adopt from Thailand like we did? Or do you live in the USA or South Africa, or even another African country, or is it just the Funky Donkey?? What are the common things we have that you come back to my blog?? I AM INTERSTED IN YOU! Do you have a blog as well, and like to share it with me? Tell me!!

Please drop me a line, give a comment on my blog. What do you like to read more about; our private lives, our house and surroundings, our daughters, me or my hero hubby??
What is it that you like or maybe even dislike about this blog, share it with me....I like to know more about my readers. You are part of my daily life...obviously.... I like to be part of yours ;-)

I hope to hear from you ;-)
Love, Mireille

As Art Up

The other day I stumbled upon another blog from a graphic designer Andrea Schreiber from Germany who also teaches art to children. Her work is phenomenal and I wanted to share it with you! Check out her blog at
http://as-art-up.blogspot.com/
Her work fits so well into my description of Funky Doodle Donkey; unique, groovy, sassy, swanky, hip, bright, bold & funky stuff that gives you the wiggles & giggles! And that also proves that From there to here, from here to there, Funky things are everywhere! These vibrant colors of Andrea's work make me happy, and soon she is opening a store at Etsy. So keep her in mind if you need something hip, bright, bold and colorful!
Have a great day y'all!
Mireille