Hi everyone,
Look what i found! Another nice view.
This view is very special to me, as it is loaded with memories.
This is a view from Riga.
About 1,5 years ago i turned 40 in Moscow. The big FOUR AND O .
I did not want to celebrate it. I told Mr Guzzi I did not want to have a party. I wanted to celebrate just the two of us, romantically, dinner, some flowers, some champagne.
He did just that. He cooked a delicious meal at home, just for the three of us. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Ms Lollipop had made a card, and drawings, and they decorated the house with balloons and flowers.
There was a small present with a riddle attached. The riddle said "Riga - Friday 2pm"
We were going on a weekend to Riga! I was so happy! Just me and Mr Guzzi having a little bit of 'just the two of us' time.
He had arranged everything! From who would take care of the dog, to who would take care of Ms Lollipop.
All taken care of, I could not believe it! All I had to do was pack...
I packed my sexiest lingerie, my shortest dresses, my highest heels, my sweetest perfume.
I was so ready to go!
We arrived at the airport and out of the blue appeared my best friend and neighbour AM.
I was very confused to see her, as she was , as far as I knew, supposed to take care of our dog.
"I am coming to Riga too" She said.
I was surprised to say the least, puzzled at the thought of spending a romantic weekend with another couple.
(somehow, I assumed AM's husband would also be joining us)
And then he just told me:
"I am not going to Riga, you two are going."
Excuse me? What do you say? What do you mean? Why are you not coming?
I want you to come! I cannot go without you? Why would I go on a romantic weekend without you?
As much as I love AM , and as much as I would have loved to go on a weekend with her, this was just not that moment.
I felt like a small child that was promised it would go to Disneyland and somehow it ended up on a local merry-go-round.
Looking back I can only imagine how AM must have felt. It was very obvious I was not very happy with the latest turn of the events. I have no idea how she did it, but she convinced me to go, as I had no intention of going anywhere without Mr Guzzi.
AM and I met in Moscow. She has 2 boys, the oldest the same age as Ms Lollipop. They were in the same class too. We alterenated on the Home-school-home routine. One would bring all 3 of them in the morning, and the other would bring them back in the evening. It made the Moscow traffic hell a bit more bearable. That is how we became friends, we shared Moscow and all its experiences, the good became better and the bad became less frightening because we could share it and we could count on each other. When we had to move houses, they had to move houses as well, and by some strange sort of faith and Moscow madness, we ended up as neighbors again. We spent our 4 years in Moscow as friends and neighbors, and I felt honored to be so close when she had her third child, finally a little girl, in Moscow. AM's little girl is the little sister Ms Lollipop always dreamed of, and her boys are the brothers she never wished for. AM, I still miss all of you!
Just before I went through passport control, Mr Guzzi made it worse. I think he really must love me...
He told me the surprise was not over, more people would join me.
I panicked.
More people? Who? where? Why?? I hate surprises. You know damn well I hate surprises! You tell me right now , who is joining me and where, or I will not enter that plane. Why are you not coming! Oh I HATE you!!
You have to realize, I really do not like surprises. So to all of you, don't ever ever ever do this to me again! :-))
After the longest flight of my life, where AM tried to make me feel better by telling me we would have to take another flight to another secret location and we wouldn't be back for at least a week, we arrived in Riga. I am sure AM tried to comfort me, (not really) and was feeling sorry for me (not really) but the fact she was laughing all the time (with me or at me , I am still not sure) and I was feeling completely confuzed, did not really help!
Look what i found! Another nice view.
This view is very special to me, as it is loaded with memories.
This is a view from Riga.
About 1,5 years ago i turned 40 in Moscow. The big FOUR AND O .
I did not want to celebrate it. I told Mr Guzzi I did not want to have a party. I wanted to celebrate just the two of us, romantically, dinner, some flowers, some champagne.
He did just that. He cooked a delicious meal at home, just for the three of us. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Ms Lollipop had made a card, and drawings, and they decorated the house with balloons and flowers.
There was a small present with a riddle attached. The riddle said "Riga - Friday 2pm"
We were going on a weekend to Riga! I was so happy! Just me and Mr Guzzi having a little bit of 'just the two of us' time.
He had arranged everything! From who would take care of the dog, to who would take care of Ms Lollipop.
All taken care of, I could not believe it! All I had to do was pack...
I packed my sexiest lingerie, my shortest dresses, my highest heels, my sweetest perfume.
I was so ready to go!
We arrived at the airport and out of the blue appeared my best friend and neighbour AM.
I was very confused to see her, as she was , as far as I knew, supposed to take care of our dog.
"I am coming to Riga too" She said.
I was surprised to say the least, puzzled at the thought of spending a romantic weekend with another couple.
(somehow, I assumed AM's husband would also be joining us)
And then he just told me:
"I am not going to Riga, you two are going."
Excuse me? What do you say? What do you mean? Why are you not coming?
I want you to come! I cannot go without you? Why would I go on a romantic weekend without you?
As much as I love AM , and as much as I would have loved to go on a weekend with her, this was just not that moment.
I felt like a small child that was promised it would go to Disneyland and somehow it ended up on a local merry-go-round.
Looking back I can only imagine how AM must have felt. It was very obvious I was not very happy with the latest turn of the events. I have no idea how she did it, but she convinced me to go, as I had no intention of going anywhere without Mr Guzzi.
AM and I met in Moscow. She has 2 boys, the oldest the same age as Ms Lollipop. They were in the same class too. We alterenated on the Home-school-home routine. One would bring all 3 of them in the morning, and the other would bring them back in the evening. It made the Moscow traffic hell a bit more bearable. That is how we became friends, we shared Moscow and all its experiences, the good became better and the bad became less frightening because we could share it and we could count on each other. When we had to move houses, they had to move houses as well, and by some strange sort of faith and Moscow madness, we ended up as neighbors again. We spent our 4 years in Moscow as friends and neighbors, and I felt honored to be so close when she had her third child, finally a little girl, in Moscow. AM's little girl is the little sister Ms Lollipop always dreamed of, and her boys are the brothers she never wished for. AM, I still miss all of you!
Just before I went through passport control, Mr Guzzi made it worse. I think he really must love me...
He told me the surprise was not over, more people would join me.
I panicked.
More people? Who? where? Why?? I hate surprises. You know damn well I hate surprises! You tell me right now , who is joining me and where, or I will not enter that plane. Why are you not coming! Oh I HATE you!!
You have to realize, I really do not like surprises. So to all of you, don't ever ever ever do this to me again! :-))
After the longest flight of my life, where AM tried to make me feel better by telling me we would have to take another flight to another secret location and we wouldn't be back for at least a week, we arrived in Riga. I am sure AM tried to comfort me, (not really) and was feeling sorry for me (not really) but the fact she was laughing all the time (with me or at me , I am still not sure) and I was feeling completely confuzed, did not really help!
To my delight we arrived in Riga to stay. When we got out of the airport , AM told me Mr Guzzi had arranged for a blue taxi to pick us up. I saw green and red taxi's, but no blue taxi...
Instead I got jumped upon by A and B.
A is my childhood friend. We met at boarding school when we were 12. We lived together in our appartement for 4 years as a student. We know probably too much about each other (haha!) , we cried and laughed together, we still do! We became drunk and sick together, and yes, we still do that too...
I am the proud godmother of her adorable middle child. A lives in Geneva and I love her and her family of 3 girls to bits!
I met B through A, and as it often happens, friends of friends become your friends too. I guess it has something to do with similar energy or vibes. When B became an expat as well, our friendship deepened. It was nice to have an allie, someone who understood what you were doing. Someone who could relate to what I was experiencing and what I was talking about.
B is the most balanced person I ever met and I love her humor and her ever positive attitude. B lives in Germany and we had dinner together tonight. It was a lovely evening, B and I enjoyed meeting up with you guys!
Instead I got jumped upon by A and B.
A is my childhood friend. We met at boarding school when we were 12. We lived together in our appartement for 4 years as a student. We know probably too much about each other (haha!) , we cried and laughed together, we still do! We became drunk and sick together, and yes, we still do that too...
I am the proud godmother of her adorable middle child. A lives in Geneva and I love her and her family of 3 girls to bits!
I met B through A, and as it often happens, friends of friends become your friends too. I guess it has something to do with similar energy or vibes. When B became an expat as well, our friendship deepened. It was nice to have an allie, someone who understood what you were doing. Someone who could relate to what I was experiencing and what I was talking about.
B is the most balanced person I ever met and I love her humor and her ever positive attitude. B lives in Germany and we had dinner together tonight. It was a lovely evening, B and I enjoyed meeting up with you guys!
We all jumped into a red taxi (the blue one was a fake one , AM needed to stall the time) and the driver must have thought we were completely lost or crazy or maybe both. I guess we were.
I was still nervous though, still angry. I felt a bit sick.
I really hate surprises.
Arriving at the hotel I got another boost of energy when 3 lovely people started to sing Happy Birthday!
There was M, the wife of MrGuzzi's best friend. The four of us have spent an awful lot of time together when we still lived in Belgium. M is my discussion buddy. We think alike, but not quite the same. We have spent hours discussing the meaning of life, the end of the world, the enrichment (or not) of children. The pro's and con's of .. well, just about anything. M is without any doubt my philosophical friend who needs the close and fequent contacts of her friends. Being an expat this was sometimes difficult to establish, so .. M, I was so glad you were there! Thank you!
ND was there too. We met at a windsurfing holiday in Tarifa.(Did I mention MrGuzzi is a windsurfer?) A friend rented a big appartement for a whole month and was looking for windsurfers to come along (and pay the rent...). One morning we got up, and at the breakfast table was ND. She is the godmother of Ms Lollipop and I am the very proud godmother of her oldest boy. She has the energy of 3, the endurance of a terrier and the joy of life of a teenager. At a party , she is always the last to go home...They will be visiting us in July and I am really looking forward!
And last but nog least: NC. I met NC in Moscow, at a coffee morning. I could not figure out who this women with an Irish accent was until she introduced herself as the mother of Ms Lollipop's new found BFF. It is nice when mums of BFF's happen to be nice mums too, but with NC it was just that little something extra that made it work even more. We share the same visions, the same humor, the same expectations. Our husbands get along. Her middle daughter is still Ms Lollipop's soul mate. They have the same humor, the same language, the same state of mind. They still do, even as they life at the other sides of the world.I was devastated when NC told me they were going to leave Moscow and go back to the Netherlands. But we promised to make it work, and it still works!
See you soon NC, Ms Lollipop is not the only one who is looking forward to your visit next week.
And that was the cast for my surprise weekend to Riga. Not a one-to-one with my Mr Guzzi, but a three day delicious bath of laughter, sillyness, giggles, food, drinks and dancing with all my best friends ever! After my first glass of champagne (and probably a second and a third one), I could finally relax as I knew I was in good hands, and I enjoyed every minute of this extraordinary trip. I still cannot believe you guys came from all over the world , to Riga, to celebrate my 40th birthday!!
An overview of the weekend is not available as we all have sworn to secrecay , but it looks something like this...
I was still nervous though, still angry. I felt a bit sick.
I really hate surprises.
Arriving at the hotel I got another boost of energy when 3 lovely people started to sing Happy Birthday!
There was M, the wife of MrGuzzi's best friend. The four of us have spent an awful lot of time together when we still lived in Belgium. M is my discussion buddy. We think alike, but not quite the same. We have spent hours discussing the meaning of life, the end of the world, the enrichment (or not) of children. The pro's and con's of .. well, just about anything. M is without any doubt my philosophical friend who needs the close and fequent contacts of her friends. Being an expat this was sometimes difficult to establish, so .. M, I was so glad you were there! Thank you!
ND was there too. We met at a windsurfing holiday in Tarifa.(Did I mention MrGuzzi is a windsurfer?) A friend rented a big appartement for a whole month and was looking for windsurfers to come along (and pay the rent...). One morning we got up, and at the breakfast table was ND. She is the godmother of Ms Lollipop and I am the very proud godmother of her oldest boy. She has the energy of 3, the endurance of a terrier and the joy of life of a teenager. At a party , she is always the last to go home...They will be visiting us in July and I am really looking forward!
And last but nog least: NC. I met NC in Moscow, at a coffee morning. I could not figure out who this women with an Irish accent was until she introduced herself as the mother of Ms Lollipop's new found BFF. It is nice when mums of BFF's happen to be nice mums too, but with NC it was just that little something extra that made it work even more. We share the same visions, the same humor, the same expectations. Our husbands get along. Her middle daughter is still Ms Lollipop's soul mate. They have the same humor, the same language, the same state of mind. They still do, even as they life at the other sides of the world.I was devastated when NC told me they were going to leave Moscow and go back to the Netherlands. But we promised to make it work, and it still works!
See you soon NC, Ms Lollipop is not the only one who is looking forward to your visit next week.
And that was the cast for my surprise weekend to Riga. Not a one-to-one with my Mr Guzzi, but a three day delicious bath of laughter, sillyness, giggles, food, drinks and dancing with all my best friends ever! After my first glass of champagne (and probably a second and a third one), I could finally relax as I knew I was in good hands, and I enjoyed every minute of this extraordinary trip. I still cannot believe you guys came from all over the world , to Riga, to celebrate my 40th birthday!!
An overview of the weekend is not available as we all have sworn to secrecay , but it looks something like this...
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The real highlight for me was our Champagne apero at the park.
We had lovely nice warm weather. we had bought several bottles of champagne and some nibbles and we sat in the park on some benches to enjoy the sun , the champagne and the company.
This was a group of very different people. They came into my life at very different stages. They shared with me very different moments in my life, some good, some not so.
Some of them knew each other, but others did not.
The reason they were here, together, was ....me,
and I could see the transformation from individuals to "we"
We talked, and talked, laughed and giggled, and bonded. This was my present, the bonding between my sweet and dearest friends, normally scattered around the world, now all united in Riga.
I may not like surprises, but this was the best surprise I ever had. And I liked it...
Thank you MrGuzzi for organizing (and paying ...:-) ) and thank you to all you sweet Riga girls, for being there and showing me what a wonderful gorgeous group of friends I have.
big hug
Xxx
Evelyn
We had lovely nice warm weather. we had bought several bottles of champagne and some nibbles and we sat in the park on some benches to enjoy the sun , the champagne and the company.
This was a group of very different people. They came into my life at very different stages. They shared with me very different moments in my life, some good, some not so.
Some of them knew each other, but others did not.
The reason they were here, together, was ....me,
and I could see the transformation from individuals to "we"
We talked, and talked, laughed and giggled, and bonded. This was my present, the bonding between my sweet and dearest friends, normally scattered around the world, now all united in Riga.
I may not like surprises, but this was the best surprise I ever had. And I liked it...
Thank you MrGuzzi for organizing (and paying ...:-) ) and thank you to all you sweet Riga girls, for being there and showing me what a wonderful gorgeous group of friends I have.
big hug
Xxx
Evelyn
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