Shelley - Nov 1st

TBA

Ryan - Oct 31st

TBA

Kevin - Oct 14th

TBA

Ron - Oct 12th

TBA

Monika - Oct 7th

TBA

Chris - Sep 24th

TBA

Ma - Sep 23rd

TBA

Rhiana - Sep 22nd

Happy ... HAPPY birthday to Rhiana - who was nominated as our "next top model" Rhiana ... we missed your birthday because you were on vacation!! After reviewing your awesome photos from your holiday to Canada, I saw that you definitely had the BEST birthday ever! I found myself a tad envious because I saw some shots of my favourite places/buildings in Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston & Montreal and experienced a flash of homesickness.

I love the above photos because they illustrate Rhiana's jovial personality but what a photograph does not reflect is her inner character: she is kind, caring, thoughtful, honest, compassionate with endless amounts of energy. No party is complete without Rhiana's animated presence to liven up the atmosphere.

Ann - Sep 16th

A super DUPER birthday for my dear Ann - in all her many faces!! Ann is one of my closest friends at work - we have shared some REALLY ... hmm ... what is the word that I search for ... BIZARE moments!!! The above shots are totally voluntary with the exception of the top left one. Ann has no memory at all whatsoever of this moment and was unable to explain precisely what she was doing during this "Kodak moment" - nor could anybody else. Now you know I could get "creative" and share wild stories filled with endless BS ... but I won't out of respect :-) I love these diversified pics because they show the various sides of Ann - but not all sides have been digitally recorded ... YET.

Ann, I wish that I was there to celebrate your birthday (stupid me for straining my foot) , then you could have blamed me for any hangover-like symptoms. Perhaps my absence was a blessing in disguise and saved you from the day-after suffering that seems to follow any, if not ALL, our nights out.

Arnie - Sep 15th

A VERY ... VERY ... happy birthday to Arnie, my partner throughout all of life's adventures!! I am extremely late for this announcement - very sorry honeybee. As you can see, I had a difficult time picking just ONE picture so I made an ARNIE COLLAGE! I selected these pictures so that you could get a taste of the joyful, smiling Arnie with his never-ending zest for life, that I fell in love with all those years ago in Buenos Aires. Although, Arnie's official birthday was Sep 15th, we celebrated HUGELY while in French Polynesia during our vacation (update still to come). One of Arnie's (many) true passions in life is travelling and experiencing the beauty of nature's gifts, cultures & cuisines of various destinations and when he is exploring he is at his happiest ... as you can see in the photos above.

Evan - Sep 4th

Happy birthday Evan & right back at ya man!! Evan is one of my favourite people at work - he is in my immediate team (as you might recall from my Departmental DRINKS & some Dinner posting in Feb 06) and he is an absolute delight to work with. I can count on him for anything & everything - he is always patient, pleasant and such a positive soul. I am looking forward to our next departmental outing (which we don't do often enough) so we can laugh, drink & share fantastic stories.

Pa - Aug 19th

Heel gelukkig verjaardag aan Pa!!!

Jammer, heb ik niet vele foto's van Pa - slechts de bovengenoemde: 1 werd genomen de dag ik mijn nieuwe IXUS50 (en speelde terwijl Pa op het nieuws kijkt) & andere photos van ons Kerst diner. Hoewel hij serieuse kijkt, (de politiek & het nieuws doen dit ook aan me) Pa is zeer vriendelijk, houdend van, zacht & volledig van lach wat is waarom ik de schoten toevoegde van de Kerst photos zodat kunt u hem zien de manier ik hem ken.

Unfortunately, I do not have many photos of Pa - only the above ones: 1 was taken the day I got my new IXUS50 (and was playing around while Pa was watching the news) & the other ones from our Xmas dinner. Although he looks serious, (politics & the news does this to me too) Pa is very kind, loving, gentle & full of laughs which is why I added the Xmas shots so you can see him the way I know him.

Voor Pa's verjaardag, Arnie & ik ging het noorden uit om deze grote dag (één week vroeg) te vieren! Ik verheug me altijd op onze bezoeken met Pa & Ma omdat zij me als hun eigen dochter behandelen en ik houd van hen allebei voor daar het welkom heten van me in familie met open armen. Wij brachten een plezierige dag samen, met een reis door om Jaimy te bezoeken, onze nieuwe babyneef - klik hier om mijn officiële inleiding aan baby Jaimy te zien .

For Pa's birthday, Arnie & I went up north to celebrate this big day (one week early)! I always look forward to our visits with Pa & Ma because they treat me like their own daughter and I love them both dearly for welcoming me into there family with open arms. We spent an enjoyable day together, with a trip to visit Jaimy, our new baby nephew - click here to see my official introduction to baby Jaimy.

Suzanne - Aug 14th

Suzanne souhaitant un très joyeux anniversaire - to my first Canadian friend in NL!!!

Suzanne was one of my first friends in Holland and came in a nice "Canadian package" from the French part of Canada. We both came to Holland for our Dutch partners so this created a natural bond and an instant friendship. When we first met at work, she really made every effort possible to make me feel welcome in the team & patiently listened to me during my moments of confusion. Suzanne's soothing & calming nature which has always been a great source of comfort to me while I was trying to get used to my new job, home & life.

Meike - Aug 10th

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Meike - my Crew Purser double on the Norwegian Dream!

Unfortunately, I do not have ANY recent digital photos to add to your birthday message. When I get my scanner/printer up & running, I will scan one of our cool photos in Bermuda. Perhaps the one with us in the stock in the historical city of St. Georges such as this one below. WE DID THIS!!!

Of course, our picture is much better: taken on our return trip from the gorgeous beach near the fort!!! Oh what an excellent experience to work/live on cruiseships & to make lifetime friends.

Lori - Aug 5th

HAPPY jolly birthday to Lori - one of the funniest people I know!!! Ok - I know I am reeeeeaally late (only two months) so please forgive me. Lori was my first roommate in the BIG city of Toronto and gave me a warm welcome. When I first arrived to TO with eyes of wonder & a giant naive smile to go with my big eyes, Lori threw me a HUGE housewarming party and helped me adapt to my new home. From the first time I spoke to Lori on the phone, I knew we would become great friends. Lori has this magical quality of making me laugh every minute with her dry humour, awesome yankee accent, and great outlook on life.

Karen - Jul 16th

VERY happy birthday to my bud Karen!!!

Karen & I go wayyyy back with many great ... GREAT (occasionally fuzzy) memories. From baseball to Toronto Maple Leafs, Grey Cup, whitewater rafting weekends, a week in Dominican Republic (this is a post on its own), Eukre, Grease, The Mask and much more. We danced & laughed through the good and bad times - heck even the bad times somehow managed to be good thought the magic of friendship. Missing you.

Dixie - Jul 9th

Birthday wishes to Dixie !!!

My wishes are QUITE late but still genuine & heart-felt. I hope that you enjoyed your special day surrounded by great friends and precious family. Another year of good health & fortune is one of the many reasons to celebrate. Unfortunately, I don't have any recent digital photos to use for your birthday announcement but feel free to send one to BubblesinEurope@yahoo.ca and I will add it straight away. A smile as lovely as yours would really brighten up this page.

Lacra - Jul 8th

We were there in IN PERSON to celebrate Lacra's birthday!

This was a Saturday - - unlike any other. It was a gorgeous summer day & perfect for a birthday party & BBQ at Lacra's place. For more photos of the big party click here. Above is a sample of our joyful friend discovering one of her gifts - a rather unique lamp for use outside in her SUPERB new garden on those glorious summer evenings. This was just one of many cool packages. It was an excellent day with great friends, a delicious BBQ, with an occasional glass of wine, lots of girlie talk into the wee hours of the night and a scrumptious brunch the next day before going our seperate ways.

Fontaine - Jul 6th

Belated birthday wishes to Fontaine! After a long summer absence on the birthday announcements, I have many special birthdays to catch up on. Starting with Fontaine, a very dear friend from my TO days. We worked together at the Toronto Hilton and have both since, moved on to greener pastures. We have many MANY fond memories of after work parties with great friends and who can EVER forget our holiday to Acapulco. What a blast & never-ending parties, night after night - one of my favourite holidays to this date.

Fontaine ... it was so excellent to have the opportunity to catch up with you during my last visit to Canada. Like usual, time seems to disappear and it was like I was never away. I hope that your birthday was fantastic!

Emma - Jun 12th

Birthday wishes to sweet Emma!

Wow - our Emma is growing up so quickly - it seems like it was just yesterday that we were giggling before settling down for a bedtime story. I remember fondly our last visit where you were giving me hair tips (I still cut my hair shorter) - can only imagine the loads of fun you must have had on your birthday - wish I had been there in person. I need a recent picture from you to add to your birthday announcement. Please send me one of you all dolled up on your special day in some gorgeous outfit :)

For now I will send you my love across the ocean from Holland & hope to see you again very soon.

Hugs from Bubbles,
xxoo

Paul - Jun 7th

Wishing Paul a belated SUPER happy birthday!!!

It appears that I have fallen slightly behind on my birthday announcements so to make up for my tardiness, I am trying to to make these birthday messages as special as possible. Hopefully my dear friends will forgive me and appreciate the graphics and colours - right Paul?

Did you do something exciting for your birthday like enjoying the day with your family? Perhaps a delicious BBQ - weather permitting of course. As I recall from our last visit, BBQs at your house are pretty awesome and so is Sonya's cooking (in case of rain). How does it feel to be one year younger? Not sure about you but I will soon start counting in reverse - it is more fun this way.

Wishing you the very best birthday ever & if you have a chance, please send me a recent photo and I will upload it with your birthday message - don't be shy, pick a funny picture.

Randip - Jun 7th

Birthday wishes to our Princess Randip!!!

Randip has had a VERY busy month ... a birthday ... a wedding and what is certain to be a magnificent honeymoon in Italy.

Saturday evening a group of ladies (hmmm - the men were all suspiciously left behind for the purpose of a surprise bachelor party) all met in Amsterdam at the Eetkammer van de Jordaan. This is a charming restaurant with an extensive menu, excellent service and a welcoming atmosphere. Once I arrived, I was greeted by some familiar faces along with some smiling new faces. What a pleasure it was to meet Randip's mother (who just arrived that day), Rayan's mother, sister & sister-in-law. It gave us the opportunity to chat and get to know each other in a tranquil setting - especially since the coming week would be quite hectic for all these lovely ladies. I will post some photos of Randip's birthday dinner in Bubbles and Friends.

Michael N. - May 29th

Did Michael have a FAB UUUUU LOUS birthday?!

I will add a picture of Michael as soon as I receive a new photo - for now, I will share a colourful birthday graphic.

Perhaps we need to continue with our Dutch lessons from our visit - of course if there is something specific you would like to learn, pls let me know with a comment.

I will use a different topic since I already explained the Dutch birthday sentences in David's birthday message. Hmmm - how about the theme of summer :)

Our summer vacation has started!

Onze zomervakantie heeft begonnen!

Pronounce: Onz zomar vacantee heaft bechonen (this is quite similar to English)!

I love to play outside with my friends.

Ik houd van buiten met mijn vrienden te spelen.

Pronounce: Ik howd van bowten met mine frienden te spealen.

That's should be enough for you to practise with your Dutch friends :)

Enjoy :)

Sue - May 26th

All the best for your 53rd birthday - still lookin' good.
Sue played a key role in the planning for my brother's surprise birthday party last April & was a huge support for my niece Julie. I met Sue again for the first time since my childhood years - it was a great surprise to make contact & to exchange emails back and forth. We have 2 very special people in common - we both share the title of "Auntie" for Julie & Kevin. I hope that they will enjoy themselves at your cottage this summer.

Thing-I - May 24th

Hartelijk gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag Thing-I

I met Thing-I at my first children's Sinterklaas party at work - we were both dressed as Zwarte Pieten. Click here to see my posting about the Sinterklaas traditions, in case you need an explanation. We arrived at the ungodly hour of 7AM ... ON A SUNDAY, to start the preparations for our make-up and costumes.

Recently, Thing-I and I spent a fun-packed weekend in London in celebration of Randip's upcoming wedding - a good old-fashioned Hen Weekend with shopping, delicious food, dancing and more. Thing-I has a gentle, caring and nurturing nature ... when we were all a bit scatterbrained (a side effect of sleep deprivation), she would come to our rescue with her fresh attitude and BRILLIANT ideas.

Since your birthday is on Wednesday, that entitles you to the right to celebrate it for 2 weekends (before and after) ... and in between. Wishing you an excellent birthday!!!

Floris - May 19th

Happy birthday Floris - what a night out!! Floris celebrated his birthday last Friday at Bar CA in Amsterdam with many of his friends and colleagues, including BUBBLES. It was an excellent evening, with lots of laughs and I have the pictures to prove it. Just go to Bubbles and Friends in a few weeks and you will see our collection of friends and get a taste of the atmosphere - some pretty unusual shots. Floris is always up for a good party, a night out with friends, a game of pool, biertjes on a patio, diving and pretty much anything. He has friends (hmm) in all major ports of call (sorry that is officer talk from my old days) - he literally knows people all over the globe.

Floris, I just wanna share some advise -> BINNEN DE RING" ... "BINNEN DE RING" !!

Rowena - May 10th

Happy belated birthday Rowena!

We would like to send you birthday hugs from around the world. Unfortunately, I do not have any digital photos (will try to find a photo in my memory chest for scanning). I hope that you had a FABULOUS celebration with your family and friends. Wishing I could have been there with you - enjoy & chat soon : ) !

Darren - May 3rd

All the best wishes for an excellent birthday!!!

Well Darren, first I will start off by saying that I am SURE you will have a fabulous birthday. Secondly, I will offer my "world-famous" advise - don't do anything that I WOULDN'T do!!! No worries about the restrictions associated with such advise because it basically translates to ... JUST GO FOR IT cuz there is absolutely nothing that I WON'T try ... at least ONCE.

Darren & I share a special bond - we are both Toronto Maple Leaf fans - we are rare bunch and ... at the moment a very, VERY unhappy bunch. I read online that Toronto has packed it in for this year's season - what a damn shame (not my first choice of words but I gotta keep myself under control in this forum).

The weekend is coming, along with the opportunity to celebrate your birthday... so you have enough recovery time!

Luc - Apr 22nd

Happy belated birthday to Luc!

Shame ... double shame on me for missing this announcement. During the busy month of April with Easter, my 10 day vacation and updating my blog with pictures from my recent trip to Canada, I completely forgot to post a birthday wish for my dear brother. I think I must be forgiven though, given the fact that I have an entire posting dedicated to the SURPRISE birthday party that I attended, in honour of Luc's birthday. It certainly was cleaver of Julie to plan your party 2 weeks in advance which was guaranteed to eliminate ANY, if not ALL suspicion of a surprise. Read all about it here - it was a blast!

I hope that your birthday weekend was great & you had another celebration that was memorable!!! Wish I could have been there - drinking Canadian beer and kicking your butt in pool (as if I would have any hope in winning against you).

Anita - Apr 6th

Sending Anita a belated birthday greeting!

Unfortunately, I missed Anita's birthday because I was on vacation in Canada. But I am sure that it was an excellent party at Paradiso with your electric-dance-jazz evening - sorry I could not join. I am looking forward to the barbecue party that was under discussion for later in the year when the weather warms up a bit.

On the other hand ... the cold doesn't stop anyone from partying and certainly not Anita, as we can see in the above picture. Basically, nobody knows how to party like Anita. She is the only one I know who can manage to party 6 or 7 nights a week (although she does deny doing this - ha ha) and STILL function at a MORE that acceptable level. I need at least 2 or 3 days to recover from a night out - especially if it is with the work crowd - wink wink :)

Wishing you an excellent birthday & looking forward to celebrating it with you later. Got some catching up to do.

Micheal - Mar 29th

Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag Micheal!

Wensend JIJ een uitstekende verjaardag!!!! Het is zeker well een bezige week voor je met veel activiteit geweest. Blij bent je naar huis en goed nu zodat kunt u van uw verjaardagsweek genieten. Omdat ik geloof dat wij meer dan enkel één dag zouden moeten vieren - wij zouden moeten krijgen om voor een WEEK te vieren! hee hee - Feestje.

For all my non-Dutch friends it is Micheal's birthday today and he has had a busy week. My famous advise is that he should follow my example and celebrate for ONE week :)

Sonya - Mar 20th

Happy belated birthday wishes to Sonya!

This picture shows Sonya hard at work during a home renovation project which reflects only a small portion of her never-ending levels of energy. I have known Sonya for close to 15 years - one of my dearest friends from my early 20s. It is truly amazing that we have managed to maintain our friendship over the years, throughout the different stages of our lives ... regardless of where I was living at the time.

Every time Arnie & I visit your home, we always feel so welcome, like a member of your family. I value each second, of every visit and look forward to the next one. I just love the fact that when we meet, the lost time and distance is forgotten and we pick up where we left off. This is true friendship - one that never lets go.

Line - Mar 2nd

Super happy birthday to Line - a belated wish!

According to RAMLand, Line enjoyed a lovely birthday with the family - lots of familiar faces in the birthday photos. Looks like March 2nd is a REALLY important day but then ... us smart folks already knew that didn't we :) Lots of important people were born on this day, Line being one of them. Wishing I was there to see you and all your family ... on the famous street where we grew up together. We have known each other for over 20 yrs now - time sure flies.

It has been amazing to watch how your house has just burst into life with the joy of 2 gorgeous children, a FAB hubby & can't forget the cats. I think about you all the time - many times a week actually - when I check out the RAMLand updates. Hopefully, we can touch base in the near future to catch up.

Melissa - Feb 25th

Wishing Melissa the BEST birthday EVER!


Can you feel the birthday hugs coming all the way from Holland?? I wish I was in NYC to celebrate with you the excitement of being another year WISER! Take my famous advise, celebrate for at least 1 or 2 weeks - I do. Also, once we hit 35, we start counting in reverse so we get younger instead - works for me - seriously... it does!

Found some awesome photos from our cruiseship days in South America & Bermuda. Especially, loved the toga party shots - fond memories of some crazy time.

Peter - Feb 23rd

Happy birthday to Peter!

Since I do not have any digital photos of Peter, I had to use my creativity & find something suitable for Peter's birthday announcement. I hope that your day was "special" & that you enjoyed the day with your family & friends.

David - Feb 23rd

Wishing David the best birthday EVER!

So our David is celebrating another birthday. How about we continue our Dutch lessons for your birthday, like I promised when I visited you in Ottawa.

Today is David's birthday!

Vandaag is de verjaardag van David!

Pronounce: fandag is de feryardach van David!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAVID!

GELUKKIGE VERJAARDAG AAN DAVID!

Pronounce: gulookich feryardach on David!

Birthday wishes all the way from Holland & in the Dutch language. Hope your day was SUPER!

Lots of hugs

xxoo

Amy Line - Feb 14th

Our Amy-Line is TWO years old!

I hope that Mo & Line do not mind that I borrowed these pics from RAMLand of Amy so that I can make an extra special birthday announcement. Of course, the cartoon-like picture of Amy has ALWAYS been ONE of my favourites (there are so many to choose from). I just love her BIG brown eyes. Très joyeux anniversaire - notre jolie petite fille! Looks like Amy had another fantastic birthday & got the coolest gift AN EASY BAKE OVEN- so cool. Our little Valentine's darling will be baking delicious tiny cakes & cookies.

I can recall that I also received an easy back oven when I was a wee munchkin & remember how excited I was - oh the fond memories of burning my first cake. For those who know me, or have had the misfortune of experiencing first hand one of my meals, it seems that my cooking skills have not improved much since my glory days.

Ashley - Feb 1st

A super happy birthday to Ashley!

Did you have this much fun on your birthday? I am sure you did? I hope that your day was great and that you had a super party with Mommy, Daddy & Megan. Arnie & I would like send you many, GIANT birthday hugs & kisses.

XXX OOO - here they come ... did you get them? :)

Evelyn - Jan 26th

Belated birthday wishes Evelyn!

Evelyn had her birthday last Thursday, but I did not know ... which is why this is a belated birthday announcement. I promise not to miss it next year because it is now permanently in my calendar in preparation for next year. Evelyn was kind enough to personally bring me a delicious, home-made brownie to my desk which I inhaled quickly. She heard a rumor from a "little birdie" that I love brownies. Only a talented few (such as Evelyn) can mange to make flawless brownies.

Again, wishing you an excellent birthday and hope that you enjoyed your birthday dinner this weekend with your family. :)

Iris - Jan 20th

Birthday wishes to Iris!

It seems that you got an early birthday present with your gorgeous Mila. I read your email yesterday and hope to come for visit only when it is convenient for you, of course, because you have a very hectic daily routine to maintain. Despite Mila's busy feeding schedule, I hope you had a bit of time to enjoy your birthday. You were my first REAL friend in Holland & we have shared many heart-to-heart moments and I want to wish you a very special birthday - you deserve it. You are always there with a shoulder to lean on & 2 extra attentive ears for listening - which you do with ever so much patience. Perhaps we can plan a belated party to celebrate another healthy & exciting year. Miss you & hope to see you soon ... now wait... planning to see you very soon :)

Paul - Jan 17th

Happy birthday to Paul

Melissa will make sure that you have the best day ever, I am sure! We would like to send out birthday wishes for a SUPER bday from Holland!! Stay out of trouble ... IF YOU CAN! Try not to do too much walking (let your leg heal) & enjoy your special day.

Isabella - Dec 27th

Happy birthday Isabella!!!

Looks like December was a month for many Christmas babies, such as Bella. I assume that you have returned home to Austria to celebrate Christmas and your birthday with your family or did you stay in Amsterdam? Wherever you celebrate the BIG day, I wish you the BEST birthday ever!

Secondly, I am sorry for posting these rather unusual photos in your birthday announcement. Just a quick explanation for those online who might come to the wrong conclusion and think that my friend is part of some strange cult or that she might be trapped in a time warp - I can assure you that she has phenomenal taste in clothing. Unfortunately, these are the only digital photos that I seem to have of Bella. These are from a Halloween party that we attended together in Amsterdam 2 years ago and she was dressed up in a "flapper" costume. I actually adore these photos because her gorgeous personality shines underneath all the feathers. This lovely lady is a ball of sunshine who lights up even the darkest room when she enters - she always makes me smile.

Happy birthday Bella!

Mo - Dec 24th

All the best on your birthday Mo!

Well, it looks like another Christmas has come and gone ... and for you, another birthday! I would like to send you our birthday greetings from The Netherlands - wishing you a SUPER BIRTHDAY! I am sorry for the slight delay with this birthday announcement but it has been a total zoo here with the holiday season under full swing.

Since I do not really have any recent digital photos of you (or any lovely high school photos - hmmmmm - I will seriously pay you good money to remove that horrible photo of me at the age of 16 from RAMLAND) I have just "borrowed" one of the "famous" photos from your website, one which I found to be quite flattering & charming - revenge is ohhh so sweet! This picture summarizes precisely how I feel on every birthday.

I have been catching up on my reading, which also includes RAMLAND updates & photos of the young ones. According to your website, you will be absent due to an exciting project - hope to hear all about it soon.

Again, wishing you the very best birthday ever!

Julie - Dec 22nd

Happy Birthday JULIE!


Today is my niece's birthday. Luckily, I have some SUPER photos from my visit to Canada in May to share in her birthday announcement. So Julie, you are 1 year a way from the BIG THREE O!!!! Did you do anything exciting on your birthday? I wish I was there to celebrate together to be sure that you had an excellent time. It's days like this one that makes me sad that I live so far away. Hopefully, I will have an opportunity to plan a trip to Canada in the next 2 years so that we can go SHOPPING, party and make up for lost time. I could not resist to share this photo of Julie with her cat, who just happens to really look like Dolly - absolutely love this photo.

Angela - Dec 7th

Have a super birthday Angela!

To my dear friend in Miami - where it is always warm (lucky girl)! I wanted to send a special birthday wish. I know you are studying hard but hope you do leave some time for fun on your BIG day! Wishing you were here in Amsterdam to celebrate another year - like we did on ships.

Oh ya ... got your Christmas card in November - 1 week after my birthday! My first Christmas card - you are always so organised every year.

Travis - Nov 23rd

I would like to send out a special birthday wish to Travis who is celebrating his 8th birthday this week. I wonder what kind of cool toys & things he received for his birthday?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRAVIS!

BUBBLES - Nov 11th

Well, in case you don't know already, November 11th was my birthday. I was intending to make this a quiet birthday that would quietly slip by. I took 4 days off work hoping to skip the office rituals that birthdays seem to initiate along with the dreaded question " so ... how many years young are you today?" UGGGGGG! I suppose you can understand why I would want to skip that lovely discussion.

My birthday weekend (a long one) started Thursday afternoon when Arnie returned from a 10 day business trip to Brazil. I was clever enough to come up with a good cover story so he would not call me at work BECAUSE ... I would be in meetings all morning therefore, ensuring that he would not be informed by co-workers that I was off for the day. Then, to explain why my car was parked at home, I told him that I had to take the tram to work that morning because my car would not start. Plan was that I would yell "SURPRISE" after he walked in the door. STUPID ME ... forgot the bloody chain on the door so my cover was TOTALLY blown. It was a quiet day because Arnie needed to catch up on sleep after such a long flight.

Friday he went to work for the morning & returned in the afternoon (allowing me to sleep in). He surprised me with a 10 year old bottle of port, the latest CD from Madonna (just released on that day), 2 DVDs & the promise of something exciting on Saturday. We enjoyed a lovely dinner for 2, caught up on the events of our lives from the last 10 days & then watched The Terminal.

Saturday was a treat because Arnie's parents drove down for the day. Arnie went shopping with Dad and I went to the Amstelveen mall with Mom. When Mom and I returned from the mall there were presents sitting on the table. Arnie explained that they went to Mediamarkt to find me the digital camera I fancied (IXUS 50 from Canon, of course). Unfortunately, they were sold out so they had to find me something else. So I started to open my new packages, cuz my inner child demanded that I MUST and gifts must NEVER go unopened! Earlier, I received a box with different green tea blends (since I quit drinking coffee) and some popcorn (my favourite junkfood). One gift box contained a very special designer silver teapot which keeps tea warm for many hours because of its double layer construction - excellent. The second box contained a multi-memory PC card which left me slightly confused - what do I do with this? After my confusion cleared up I started to thank everyone for my gifts, Arnold walked over & mentioned that there was one more gift. SURPRISE ... it was my shiny new Canon IXUS 50. We enjoyed a dinner of Spanish tapas which was, at times, somewhat experimental.

Eerst, wil ik Ma & Pa bedanken voor en super leuk dag. Ook wil ik en groot bedanken voor alle mijn leuk cadeaus. Ik wil heel veel mooi photos in de toekomst nemen. Ik hoop dat jullie en mooi dag gehad - winkelen bij de centrum & lekker eten.

Sunday, we discoverd a new sports channel NASN (North American Sport Network) in our channel selection (which changes every 3 months). Imagine my "out-of-this-world" excitement to see that they were just about to air an NHL game between the Montreal Canadians and the Toronto Maple Leafs (my favourite team on the planet). For those who know me well, you know that ice hockey, but in particular NHL hockey, is one of my greatest passions. Killer bees and giant spiders could not take me away from my TV - this was the best game EVER! These 2 teams have been rivals for years and the pressure was on. Using my new IXUS 50, I took some photos so I would remember this moment at a later date.

It was an excitement-filled game, one penalty after another, one power play after another & one goal after another. By the second period, Toronto was leading by 2 goals - but this lead did not last.

For those who truly love NHL action, you have to have an appreciation for DON CHERRY - obnoxious, opinionated but entertaining. He is still as excentric as ever in his red plaid suit - quite an individualist.

Finally, during overtime Toronto won 5 - 4. GO LEAFS GO!!! I was ecstatic, in theme of the moment, and feeling a tad patriotic - I suppose, would be an accurate observation. Here is a clear example of a picture saying a 1000 words - so I will let the picture do its job.

But I gotta know, which one is cooler? I have asked this question to NHL fans around the world. Who do you love the most? I need to know your answer so please share your feedback in the comments at the bottom of my posting.

1) Don Cherry: Appears on CBC sports with sidekick Ron McLean. He tells it like it is and does not hold back. Aside from a few politicians, Don Cherry is a recognized figure amongst Canadians. Unlike the politicians, Cherry will not lie.

OR

2) Peter Puck: the talking, wise-cracking hockey puck cartoon whose complex hockey knowledge is shared with viewers. I loved this puck when I was a little girl watching hockey with my father. Especially, when my Dad screamed ouch everytime Peter Puck would get slapped by a hockey stick - it just cracked me up!

Well, that is all for my birthday weekend. I also have Monday off to continue doing whatever birthday "stuff" is left to do.

Kevin - Oct 14th

Happy Birthday to Kevin, my nephew, who celebrated his 25th birthday on October 14th. I wasn't able to announce your birthday because my site went live after your "special day". Thankfully, Julie sent me this photo today so I uploaded it straight away. I know I am late but this birthday was just too important to wait till next year. Happy birthday Kevin - you are officially 1/4 of a century in years - an amazing age isn't it!!

Shelley - Nov 1st

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHELLEY!!!!

To one of my earliest friends in life - a friend from my highschool years. We have managed to keep in touch with each other year after year and share all of the highs and lows. I hope to get back to Northern Ontario for a visit in 2006 so we can catch up in person. For now I want to wish you an excellent birthday!

Happy Birthday to Everyone

As I explained in the intro text, this is the birthday page - for exchanging our very best birthday wishes. Lucky for EVERYONE I have NOT uploaded a sound clip of myself singing happy birthday (a sigh of relief) so you are ALL "saved" from the trauma of hearing me sing & will be able to avoid any potential hearing damage - dogs around the world will be forever grateful.

Now back to the topic at hand. Such a memorable day should never go unacknowledged. Since I cannot share my birthday greetings in person - because I live so bloody far away - I have created this page & if you click on this link: your birthday song will play

I do promise to try my absolute best to be punctual with my birthday postings. But if I should be a little late with posting your birthday announcement, or if I have forgotten anyone, please do not send me hate mail :) Instead, you can simply send me a reminder by email!