The King's Singers

So, what do you think? These are just my two favourites, but you should check them out because they have many other awesome videos!

Dutch Stories: Madurodam

...continued. For previous posts click HERE and HERE.

Visiting Madurodam was very impressing. And fun. Madurodam is like a museum which shows Amsterdam in miniature. That was something I don't think I've ever seen before, and it was definitely quite striking.
The day started being lots of fun. After having breakfast, we set out for a long two-to-three-hours car ride. With us came S(oldest), I. and his son. At first, the car ride promised to be boring. Sonia and I were very tired, and planned to try and sleep in the car. But it didn't work... it did for T., though!
It didn't turn out boring because out went our MP4's and we started to sing along with all the songs that played. It was so much fun!!, although I'm sure S(oldest) and I. didn't think the same... =S
It was freezing cold once we got there, but we soon warmed up walking. In Madurodam that's basically what you have to do... walk. And look and take pictures, of course. But you have to walk a lot. So you better be rested and with a mind to walk if you have to visit it! (Which, by the way, we didn't have xD)

Amazing, really. There were models of every building in Amsterdam. There was an airport. The palace. The economy street.

The cathedral.

The tower. The sports' center. Marketplaces, rivers, bridges, boats, aeroplanes, people. All done with such detail! Every small bit was perfectly built and painted, streets represented; there were even street lights!

   
The funniest part of Madurodam, though, and my favourite, was "The Clown" episode. When we took a break to eat lunch, we went to an inside building, obviously (lotsa snow and cold and rain!! Brr!) It was huge, with a very tall ceiling and fans on it. Turned on. Don't ask me why, though.
(Useless bit of information, but curious, nevertheless).
Anyway, there was this puppet show for the little kids going on, and I tried to understand what the "puppeter" was saying (just invented the word, don't worry!). Obviously, I didn't understand a single thing, because it was in Dutch (duh!), but we kidded around with Sonia and laughed a bit about it, whispering funny comments about this puppet with a huge nose or whatever. You know... laughing because. Best friends together, Double Trouble! What do you expect?
Soon enough the show ended, and from behind the scenario a jolly clown appeared. He was one of the talles men I've ever seen in my life. 7 feet 6 inches, at least! (a weee exaggerated...). But definitely more than 2 meters in Spain.
He had this chubby rosy cheeks and red nose, both fake, obviously, and he was dressed in blue, white and red. I thought him pretty funny, and most of the kids did too, but T. was scared of him.
After the show he started blowing balloons up and turning them into shapes, like hearts and swords and butterflies. Sonia and I started to tease each other to go ask him for a balloon for us two, faking to be little girls. Of course, we did no such thing, but S(oldest) did ask him for a balloon for T.
The clown was hilarious. He blew a balloon, and then it "accidentally" pulled off, flying around the room. Then the clown would either pull up a surprised or a sad face, which made the little ones crack up. He would also trip over his huge shoes, and did several tricks. He was a nice clown.
Then I casually/teasingly suggested to Sonia that we should take a picture of us two with the clown (I get the craziest ideas... -.-') and the crazy girl liked the idea! So she asked Samuel to ask him if he would mind to pose with us. (I was quite embarrassed, you can imagine! What started as teasing turned out reality!)
He agreed! Sonia smiled at me mischievously, and I laughed inwardly.
The guy was so tall Sonia reached his chest. And she's a good head taller than me. So laugh if you want to, but since I'm quite short I appeared even more pettite by his size! (EMBARRASSING!)
The picture is great, though. It's very funny, and it's one memory more to laugh over with Sonia. During my time there, that's all I had in mind... create special moments, build memories that we shared, because... who knows when will the next time I see her be?
I enjoyed my time in Madurodam so much. Sonia and I shared a Mars Bar, and took pictures together on the buildings's reflecting windows.

Isn't she beautiful?

    

It was really a great, wonderful day. =)

For the story's pictures, click HERE.

Mysteries

The misteries of serving a God like Him...

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" 

Isaiah 55:8-9

Have you ever wondered why on earth something happened to you, or why did you meet such and such a person, or... something you don't understand why it happened?

One of my favourite quotes runs...:

"We're not always meant to understand"

Clark Davis, Love's Abiding Joy

Today I marvel at how God works in my life. He is definitely the most awesome God! I'm so glad He chose me as one of His daughters! ♥

And They Said Work Was A Serious Thing...

Grown ups used to say work was a serious thing, where one had to be careful with what she (in my case) did and said.
Well, grown ups weren't expecting for me to work for whom I work now...:

Yeah, I ran a race with my superior! A very respectable, learned man. And as he said... "She got beaten by the old!" We made a comic of it on the white boards later...

(Notice the camera... I'm the photographer! And I actually let him win, though... :P)

This is a comic my superior did (the one who won on our race) of him talking and my Papa translating for him to the rest of the people in the room. As you can see from the drawing, my Papa's a good imitator... =P

And they said work was a serious thing...

Dutch Stories: The Year's Transition

...continued. For previous posts, click HERE and HERE.

My transition from 2009 to 2010 was amazing. Here's the story.

Late that evening, on the 31st December 2009, I had this yearning to go outside and take the last pictures of 2009. The sunset was beautiful, and I got some very satisfying shots of the canal running past their backyard. It was all so beautiful, the snow was so pure and white, everything so silent and breathtaking... it was the best year farewell in my life. God is good... =)

D. & L. and J. (the missing members of the family) weren't there to celebrate the Year's Transition with us, and it felt bad not to have everyone together, but nevertheless, we had the time of our lives talking, laughing and playing Worms.

I. had introduces a new game, Worms, which we got a liking to play. It was so much fun and we all laughed so much while playing! After a long supper (the last supper in 2009... sniff) in which we lingered for a long while, talking all together and discussin things, S(oldest) organized a Worms tournament. SO much fun! We had to kill the other's worms, and stay alive ourselves... (I know, pretty useless game, but it was so much fun, and I'm so happy we played that game together!)

For your wormformation, this is a picture of a (very) cute worm, and the scenery of the game itself. I fell in love with the worms, I thought they were so cute and sweet! We could also invent our own teams, and name the worms ourselves. Sonia's family has a wild imagination, so we came up with hilarious teams! For instance, C. named her team NaaraTim (Naara's Team, her baby's name), and all the worms were named after some of Baby Naara's words, such as Ahhhh, or Nguh! or Gueeee, etc.

What made it funnier was that the worms had very funny voices and they continually exclaimed, "OUCH!" or "Haha, MISSED!" or "HURRY UP!", and we laughed a lot. The worms had also various attack methods that were so funny!, such as the "Poke" or the "Baseball bat".

We spent the whole evening like that, and at about twenty past ten p.m. Sonia and I went upstairs to "make ourselves look pretty," as my Papa says. Then we took "our last pictures together in 2009". Most of the pictures turned out OK and we had fun, lots of fun, which was the best. =)
At about twenty to twelve we went back downstairs, and we hung around for a while, talking and getting ready for...

...the last 12 o'clock...

We turned the lights out, we prepared the champagne... and then... it was five to.

We were so excited! You could feel the excitement in the air. I was so happy to be there with Sonia and her family. To be in Holland. Several important happenings in 2009 flashed through my head, and I felt SO blessed, and I was so happy. I can't express myself with words, I just felt complete inside of me. God is good!

And it was one minute to midnight. We started to countdown seconds, and the volume rised when we got to ten seconds to midnight! We almost shouted.

When we finally said "ZERO!" and the clock struck twelve, we all started laughing and wishing each other "HAPPY NEW YEAR!". Then we kissed and hugged each other, and drank our cava. It was a delightful surprise because after we finished our small glasses, they said it was Freixenet cava, the area where I live! That's why it was so nice. ;)
And we prayed. Honestly, and in all sincerity, my heart was so full. I felt perfect.

Right after twelve there was the biggest explosion, and the sky lit up with fireworks. We rushed outside, almost forgetting to put our coats on, and joines all the people outside who'd come to see the beautiful sky. It was SO beautiful! From everywhere, everyone lit fireworks, and it was beautiful, so impressing. There were so many, and all so different; so many colours and shapes. Sonia, S(oldest)and I took lots of pictures, but most of mine didn't come out right. I wasn't prepared for it and didn't have my tripod. Oh well.

At half past, more or less, Sonia, S(youngest) and I decided to go for a walk in the snow to see more fireworks. Yes, there were still shooting and exploding high up in the sky. I was so impressed! They didn't stop firing them till late, so we had lots of fun watching them.

There was one that I really liked because it was pretty special. It exploded in a huge circle that almost covered the whole sky (when I say huge circle, I mean huge circle), two colours, but what I liked about it is that it gave such a BANG, that it made everything tremble. I felt my insides vibrate everytime it exploded. So cool.

Then we had a kind of weird/scary/amusing thing happen to us. On our walk around where Sonia lives, we passed by a group of young people who were laughing and listening to music from a quite post, modern car. And drinking. They actually started talking to us, and offered us some beer, they even said we were pretty, but we ignored them and walked on. Sonia said they were quite drunk. Thank God they didn't do anything to us!

It was very funny because both Sonia and I slipped on the ice and fell on the ground on our bums on our nocturne walk. I fell cross-legged and Sonia laughed at me a lot, but I laughed too. The first time I slipped, and the only one, hehe!

That was on our way back, and once at home we got back to our tournament. Yep, we spend the whole night playing at Worms. We laughed so hard with that game our sides ached. S(oldest) invented a team for me, names and all, and we enjoyed the rivalry.

S(youngest) was the first one to leave, at about three a.m. I. was the second, at about five a.m. C. was the third, at about six a.m.

When Sonia and I decided it was about time to go to bed, it was about half past six a.m., but we decided we wouldn't sleep just yet. We wanted to break our record of staying up late together (which was half past six hehe), and so we stayed up talking about things till seven a.m., and when we fell asleep it was already light.

We woke up at 2 p.m. on New Year's day. What a shame!

It was a happy, quiet day, spend with family. Delicious lunch, and more laughs. It was great, really. I am so happy I was able to spend the Year's Transition with the V. family. They are all so great and I love them so much! I am blessed to have friends like them.

Next thing we did after New Year's Day was visit Madurodam... but that's another story. ;)

For the Year's Transition's pictures, click HERE.

Barbara Allen

Twas in the merry month of May
When green buds all were swelling,
Sweet William on his death bed lay
For love of Barbara Allen.

He sent his servant to the town
To the place where she was dwelling,
Saying you must come, to my master dear
If your name be Barbara Allen.

So slowly, slowly she got up
And slowly she drew nigh him,
And the only words to him did say
Young man I think you're dying.

He turned his face unto the wall
And death was in him welling,
Good-bye, good-bye, to my friends all
Be good to Barbara Allen.

When he was dead and laid in grave
She heard the death bells knelling
And every stroke to her did say
Hard hearted Barbara Allen.

Oh mother, oh mother go dig my grave
Make it both long and narrow,
Sweet William died of love for me
And I will die of sorrow.

And father, oh father, go dig my grave
Make it both long and narrow,
Sweet William died on yesterday
And I will die tomorrow.

Barbara Allen was buried in the old churchyard
Sweet William was buried beside her,
Out of sweet William's heart, there grew a rose
Out of Barbara Allen's a briar.

They grew and grew in the old churchyard
Till they could grow no higher
At the end they formed, a true lover's knot
And the rose grew round the briar.

***************************************************

So sad! [sniff] It's a song I really like, even though it's so sad... the melody is so melancholic...

Ponderings

Yesterday night I couldn't sleep. It was half past twelve a.m. and I kept tossing and turning in my bed.
So I climbed down my top bunkbed and decided to read the Bible for a while, because there was something I'd read in prayer meeting I wanted to check.
We had read 2 Peter, chapter 1. These are the parts that were highlighted:

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Verses 5 to 8

Then I continued reading on my own, and read, 

"But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins" 

Verse 9

And I started to think... and realised I have to work on that, because, more than anything, I know I lack in perseverance (although it would make it clearer if I said that it's translated as "patience" in the Spanish version). But that wasn't the point I wanted to make. What really stood out to me were the following verses:

"So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things."

Verses 12 to 15

The last verse stood out to me especially, and later that night, while I couldn't sleep, I opened the Bible again to that verse, and thought for a while.

I wondered if Peter had any idea of the way we would be reminded of his words... If he had any idea of how we would always remember these things, the things he had written, such a long time after his departure from this world.

And I marveled at God's awesomeness because, after such a long time (Peter wrote that about 2000 years ago), after so many persecutions and after all that Christianity has suffered... we still have a Bible in our hands, with true words spoken and written years and years ago.

Dutch Stories: First Three Days

...continued. Previous Post, click HERE.

The couple of days before New Year's celebration were quite lazy and quiet.
Our ride home from the airport was long but not boring at all! Sonia and I started talking right away, trying to catch up with our lives after being six months without seeing each other. Her mother was very patient and endured our crazy laughs and sudden squeals, our loud talking and our excitedness in general. We stopped once at a gas station to fill up, and we both got out to walk for a bit, and it felt soooo good to be together again! It felt perfect, and my heart felt ready to burst with happiness.
We got out without our coats, so it was quite freezing. Sonia and I went running to the restrooms because it was a bit warmer, and tried to arrange our messy hair, but we soon had to go back and all of that time we hadn't stopped talking. We had so much to tell and we had so much to laugh about!
Snow, snow, snow all over the place. I couldn't get enough of it all! It was so beautiful! I was already in love with Holland, and I'd only spent maybe an hour or an hour and a half in it. I knew I was going to enjoy myself so much!
Sonia's father and brothers were at home when we got there. It was sooo exciting to get to see them again! I hadn't seen her older brothers since Christmas '08, a year ago, and I hadn't seen her younger brother and father since June '09, six months! So happy so see them all.
It was J's birthday that same day too, although I didn't remember it till the next day, and so had to say Happy Birthday one day late. Oh, well! At least I hadn't forgotten altogether! Better late than never!
We'd eaten lunch in the car (lunch consists basically of sandwiches in Holland), some delicious cheese sandwiches, so once we got home, at about three or half past three, I don't remember the exact hour, we didn't have to worry about eating. We had a whole afternoon ahead of us!
Sonia and I teased each other from the start, it's what we do best as Best Friends (JK!). For instance, there was this thing called Team Work we teased each other about, because we always did things together, we "helped" (or tried to, in the end we usually were making things more difficult for the other :P) each other in everything. When it was time for me to take my big, heavy suitcase upstairs to Sonia's bedroom, it was very funny because Sonia grabbed the front handle and I got the middle handle, and this way we took the suitcase up the (very) narrow stairs. I must add that we almost killed ourselves in the process, because we both lost balance and almost fell down the stairs, but in the end, no harm done, and we had such a laugh! Oh, I laugh just remembering it... how I miss her.
In Holland and during winter, it gets dark pretty soon. At half past four it's already dark, so when Sonia's mother came up with the suggestion that we should go for a walk and visit the city, I was a little bit surprised, but then, we weren't going alone, so since I really enjoy walks at night, we both readily agreed.
On went the wraps once again: jumper, gloves and scarves; hat; thick leather boots; and finally, my coat. I felt so fat and huge walking in that, but then everybody had to wear that over there, so I wasn't looked at as if I had green hair and purple skin.
The city at night was beautiful.
Correction: The city, at night, in winter, during Christmas holidays, was beautiful. Dark, snowy, and full of Christmas lights. (Okay, this last part and the first doesn't really make sense, but you know what I mean...). Everywhere we went was more beautiful than the last. We walked through ice-covered parks (it started snowing again the day after I arrived... that day it was green with ice covering it), we crossed bridges over rivers and canals, we visited the old city (old stone buildings, SO beautiful), we walked across the exterior mall, we went to visit Sonia's school, and we walked the whole city. Nah, but we did walk a lot, till half past six or so.
What I remember best was a huge, tall fir planted in the middle of the old city, near where the outside mall was. It was so big, and it was all decorated with Christmas lights. I fell in love with the tree at first sight, and I was so sorry because I didn't have my camera with me. I wish I had a picture of that tree...!
By the time we went back home, we were quite tired, but it had been worth it. We had talked so much during our walk, we had poured out our hearts to one another in Catalan so no one would understand us, and I felt fresh and alive, although tired... and late. They'd already had supper, and had started to worry about us!
Supper was truly yummy, and Sonia and I had fun eating on our own at the table while the rest of the people sat on the couches and chairs. S and J had left early that afternoon for France to pick up Sonia's older sister and her family, and they would be arriving next day in the afternoon. I was looking forward to meeting C very much, she was the only one in Sonia's family I hadn't met yet! But we had to wait till the next day.
I remembered to phone my parents that day. We talked for about five minutes, and (blush) for the next two weeks I was there I didn't phone them again. I guess I just forgot. But it was nice to hear them and good to be able to say, "I'm in Holland, and the flight was amazing!"
I don't think we slept much the first night we were together. Too exciting! I wore my red Christmas pj's for the first time that night, I remember, and I didn't wear it again while I was in Holland. I don't remember, though, what time we went to sleep that night... I can assure you, it was very early in the morning... :P When two best friends get together, and share all their stories once again, remember old times, uncover forgotten memories, listen to and sing songs they've both known for a long time... well, you get to go to bed either pretty late at night or pretty early in the morning.
Consequently, you wake up late next morning. I slept in till half past ten, or eleven, on Wednesday, to LOTS of snow! Sonia and I woke up to her mother hurrying us about because it had snowed a lot during the night! We jumped out of bed and hurriedly (and sleepily) but also excitedly ran to Sonia's parents' bedroom because it had such a big window, and sure enough, it had snowed a lot while we were happily dreaming under the covers!
I was so excited, I couldn't wait to get my feet into my boots and go outside for a walk. I had this childish wish to see my footprints on the snow, to make a big snowman and have a capital snowball fight with Sonia and her youngest brother (I have a problem here, because Sonia's oldest brother's name starts with an S, but so does her youngest brother's... any suggestions?)
My walk had to wait untill after lunch though, and I wasn't able to have a capital snowball fight because... mwahaha, I had my camera with me! Yep, beware, because I was roaming about the place with my camera to capture... a picutre. =) I went with S, the youngest. He's a sweet, active twelve year old who didn't mind my frequent stops for a picture, nor was embarrassed by my laying on the ground or my asking for him to pose in such and such a way, etc. I took plenty of pictures, and most of them came out pretty nice. I discovered that sometimes snow is difficult to capture.

These are my two favourite pictures from that walk:

When we started to go in the woods you can see in this picture, the cell-phone rang! I instantly felt happy and excited, because that meant that the boys were back with C and her family! That was the last picture I took, and we didn't get to walk in the forest that day, but I didn't really mind it that much because... well, because I was finally going to know Sonia's whole family!
Back we walked, hurrying, puffing and huffing (not), and indeed, there they were, sitting on the couch and talking and laughing! I was so happy to meet them, they are so nice and such happy people! C and I hit it off right away, and since then we talked a lot when we were together about everything. Mostly about babies, though. Hehehe.
Afternoon turned slowly into evening, and it met us talking and just about spending time together. There isn't much to tell about that evening, other than S (oldest) and C getting a hold of my camera and starting to take pictures of all of us (Sonia and I washing the dishes after supper, or youngest S and T playing on the computer...). These kind of quiet evenings are the best... =)

 Sonia ^^ ♥. This picture was taken by C.

Next day was New Year's Eve Day... waking up in the morning was lovely that day, because once Sonia and I had gotten our sleepesness out of our heads, we heard that it was pretty noisy in the room next door. Curiosity got the best of us, and when we popped our heads in we saw that everybody was in C and I's bedroom, either laying lazyli on the bed or sitting on the floor or leaning on the windows, chatting and being together. Ahhh, I like that family so much!
They invited us in, and so we plopped ourselves on Baby T's bed and followed the chats. That was when I first held Baby N... the sweetes little baby girl ever! I was so happy to hold her, and the first thing she did was smile at me! I could hardly keep myself from squealing in delight! *Sighs in contentment* My time there was unforgettable... I miss them.
When we decided that it was time for all of us to dress and go downstairs, once we went downstairs, what do you all think we did...? Yup, plop down on S(oldest)'s matress and resumed our chatter. And took pictures with my camera, too. I also discovered that S(oldest) had really, really huge hands compared to mine.

See what I mean?

There's not much to tell about that day... J left that afternoon, and later, I went outside in their small garden and took some pictures. They have a canal running right behind their house, and it's so cool because during spring and summer they get their boat out and go up and down the canal. Can't wait till May!

New Year's Eve was amazing, we had so much fun! But that's another story...
For the rest of the pictures, click HERE.

Dutch Stories: My Flight To Holland

Nothing much happened during the first couple of days in Holland... it was all very relaxed and family-like. Writing now about them makes me miss them so much... those comfy times sitting all in the living-room, talking, playing and (yes!) laughing together... getting to know Sonia's older brothers better, and getting to meet Sonia's only sister and her husband and children.
Honestly... looking back and writing about them and our times together makes me feel so bad, and makes me miss them so much... but I made a promise. =) And I know that if I have something to write, is because I made so many precious memories over there. What's best, I'll have them to treasure for ever.


My flight over there was very exciting. It was my first time on a plane since I was a little girl, and I was looking forward to it very much. Although at first I was nervous, the airport from where I left was small, as well as the one where I landed, so I didn't have much trouble in finding my way around. It was fun to qeue behind people (Dutch, Spanish and Indian), watch all the different coloured suit-cases, and (yes!) at all the people's shoes.
At first I was a bit shy about taking pictures in the airport, but I soon lost my shyness and started snapping around. I decided I wanted to sit at the back of the plane, so I climbed up the steps to the back door, with lots of people before me and behind me. It was so exciting to me! I was able to sit in a very good seat, not too far away from the end but not too far away from the middle, either. The perfect place, really.
Then the plane was taken to its take-off position.
I will never forget the sensation I felt when the engines started to roar and the plane started to run, and when it took off! It was so amazing! I felt everything at once, happiness, exuberance. I wanted to scream and laugh and jump and cry, it gave me such a feeling of power! I guess I had a rush of adrenaline. It was incredible, everything was boiling inside of me.
And I was on my way to Holland.
Right after the take-off I took my camera out and started to take pictures from up the air. I felt so awed at all I could see from my window! I had flown before, but when I was three years old and under, so I had no idea what could be seen from up there. And I was sooo amazed!

"I saw everything from up the air, and it was breathtaking"

It was sunny all the time up there because we were all the time flying above the clouds. And once, it snowed up there! It was so amazing! The crystals were so tiny, but so beautiful!

Sitting by me was a little girl and her mother, and across the aisle her father and brother. The girl was lovely, with greenish eyes and blonde hair, and a freckled nose. They were Spanish, but had family in Holland. I smiled at her often, and soon her mother and I started talking. We talked about Holland, about Spain, we talked about winter. I told her why I was going to Holland, and we had a very pleasant talk. She was a very smiley lady, and had a very pleasant voice which soon calmend me down, because I was nervous about the landing.
The almost-two-hours flight flew by me (haha!) way too quickly, and soon enough, we started to penetrate the clouds. They were gray, ugly clouds, but when we got a little lower, I completely forgot about them when I saw what was under us. Big patches of white were all over the places, and all the lakes and rivers were frozen. It was so amazing! I was all the time whispering, "God, your creation is so amazing!"
Then the captain announced that we were about to land, so click went the safety belts, and off went the camera. Now I just had to watch and enjoy.
Once again I got this feeling of exuberance and adrenaline when we landed. The engines started to go the other way around, and the air breaks on the wings came up. Such a noise!! I again felt sooo full of energy!
And so we landed. I was in Holland.
A gust of cold wind welcomed me, and as I climbed down the steps from the plane, I felt how tiny, icy drops of rain were falling from the sky. Welcome to a cold, Dutch Winter!
I remember how I looked up to the sky and breather in the cold, clean air deeply, thinking, "Thank you", and I started walking towards the building. Then, surprise!! Sonia and her mother were waving happily from the top of the building, behind a glass.

When I saw them, I started jumping and waving like crazy, but after receiving a couple of amused looks, I stopped showing my excitedness and started walking quickly toward the exit. I had to wait another ten minutes, though, to pick up my lugagge, and that was almost eternal to me. But wasn't it worth it...!
Sonia was waiting for me right outside the door, and I didn't even have time to drop the big suit-case before she gave me a bear hug! It was a precious moment.
Sonia's mother took a picture just as she hugged me, so we have that moment in a photo... and I am thankful. We were both so happy to see each other... I think we drew a lot of attention because we squealed and hugged and squealed again and then hugged once more, and it was like this all the time. I also hugged Sonia's mother, in case you were wondering.
My flight there was great. I really enjoyed it and I am so thankful that I had such a warm welcome once I got to the airport.
We had a long car-ride home... a two hours and a half ride...

...TO BE CONTINUED... ...FOR MORE PICTURES, CLICK HERE...

Answer From Above

Dear all,

I am right now in a way too hyper mood to write anything that is coherent.
So I will leave you with a very exciting bit of news:

I AM GOING TO USA NEXT SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!

God is SO GOOD!!! I still can't believe my parents have said yes!
I'll leave you right now before I accidentally break the computer in my excitement. Once more, THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of you who have been praying for my parents and I!! I am SO grateful!

From All Over The World

On Monday the 4th, Sonia's whole family was able to gather together. It was such an unusual occasion that Mr. V. prepared a banner with all the nationalities that were present that day.
The nationalities that gathered that day were: Dutch, Colombian, German, Catalan, English, Spanish and French.
That day was amazing. I had a great time with all of them, and what's best is that they made me feel like part of the family. =) But Monday is a story I will post about soon, hopefully.

Something To Chew On While You Wait

Note: This picture is NOT mine.

While working last Friday, one of my superiors showed me this picture and asked me a question I'm going to ask you:

If this picture was taken on USA's coast, would you be able to tell me in which coast, if East or West, was it taken?

Obviously, there is no researching permitted, and if you've been at the place, don't say anything, please! Just look at the picture, and tell me how you've come to your assumption/conclusion.

Feeling Melancholic...

I've started sorting out the pictures I took in Holland. I have more or less over 1500 pictures in 6 GB, more or less. But it makes me feel so melancholic, I miss my friends over there in Holland so much.
I like snow. I like winter. I like Holland. I love them. ♥

I'm HOME!

Dearest, wonderfulest readers,

I'm home! My trip home was safe. This time, I did get my ears plugged (it hadn't happened on my way to Holland), and they still hurt, but I'm starting to hear better.
I'm not feeling up to writing right now, and I don't think I'll feel like it for a while. You know... post-vacation depression and all. I just feel like sitting in the darkness.
But soon, I hope, I'll start posting stories. I have most of my days written down on my Scrapbook Diary, because... well, you'll know why... and whenever I'm able to steal a little free time I'll write them down for all of you to enjoy. Pictures are coming too! I have over 6 GB full of pics!
Hope you aren't too mad at me because I haven't commented a lot. I just hope I still have readers!

On My Way!

Yes, I am finally on my way!
Ladies and Gentlemen... after a loooong countdown of about two months, I'm finally in day 0... and when this post gets published, I'll be on the plane, too! ON MY WAY TO HOLLAND!
I would cherish your prayers for safety, again.
I make a solemn promise (because otherwise I know I won't get around to it) of publishing a couple of posts about Holland when I get back, and stay tuned on my Photo Blog, because there'll be lots of pictures over there! (Hopefully)
Ta-da,

Flying MoonShaw!

Hello...?

Dear everyone,

As you may know, I leave for Holland next Tuesday. For at least two weeks, I don't think I'll be blogging, other than by a scheduled post... or checking blogs.
I know I haven't been able to check blogs for some time, but I have a good reason. I've been getting ready for my trip to Holland, and that has taken up an enormous ammount of my time each day.
I've almost finished sewing my winter Dutch skirt, too, and if I can I'll post a pitcure of it tomorrow.
Please know that I am sorry that I haven't been around, and you are all in my thoughts and prayers!!
I would like you all to pray for me on Tuesday, for a safe trip to Holland. I really enjoyed traveling by plane when I was small, but that was a long time ago. So I don't know how I'll see it this time. I'm looking forward to it, but you know... just pray. ;)
Love,

MoonShaw

 P.S.: How do you like this picture?

There You'll Be - Pearl Harbor

When I think back on these times,
And the dreams we left behind,
I'll be glad cause I was blessed to get,
To have you in my life,
When I look back on these days,
I look and see your face,
You were right there for me.

In my dreams I've always seen you soar above the sky,
In my heart there'll always be a place for you,
For all my life,
I'll keep a part of you with me,
And everywhere I am there you'll be,
and everywhere I am there you'll be,

Well you showed me how it feels,
To feel the sky within my reach,
And I always will remember all,
The strength you gave to me,
Your love made me make it through,
Ohh I owe so much to you,
You were right there for me.

In my dreams I've always seen you soar above the sky,
In my heart there'll always be a place for you,
For all my life,
I'll keep a part of you with me,
And everywhere I am there you'll be,

Cause I always saw you in my life, my strength,
And I wanna thank you now for all the ways,
You were right there for me, you were right there for me
Always!!

In my dreams I've always seen you soar above the sky,
In my heart there'll always be a place for you,
For all my life,
I'll keep a part of you with me,
And everywhere I am there you'll be,
And everywhere I am there you'll be,
There You'll Be.

*********************************************

Ending song of the film Pearl Harbor. I enjoyed every minute of the film.

Whole Peek?

Want to see the rest of the pictures on this post?
Click HERE!

Small Peek...

...to what's coming!


Baby Lara and Baby Paul... =) Aren't they sweet! ♥

Feelin' Bad

Hello, everyone!
Listen, listen, listen! I feel SO bad because I haven't been on Blogger for such a long time, and I haven't commented or talked to any of you guys! Please forgive me, but I've been so busy. The happy week with my cousin turned out to be three weeks of helping and houseworking, and I'm only half through the second week! So I hope you understand, and I let you know that you are all on my mind and that I've often wished I could visit your blogs. I miss reading them so much!
But it's fun. I'm having the time of my life helping my cousin and cleaning, and it's fun to sing the babies to sleep! And play with Baby Lara. And read to both Lara and Baby Paul.
I hope I can post pictures of them soon, I've been able to take lots of cute photos of both of them, and my cousin tells me I can post them on my blog.
(Five minute interruption because Cousins Eli and Danny had to put Baby Lara to bed and I had to tend to Baby Paul. He's only a month and a half old, and he already knows how to smile!! He's spent the whole day smiling at me! My heart melts, really. He's the sweetest baby in the whole world, and such a good boy. He likes me to sing to him, and to dance with him, and he also likes me to caress his right cheek. That makes him smile a lot!! ^^)
So please know that you're all on my mind, and I pray for you all a lot! I miss you lots and lots, and I hope you understand!