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!