Saturday, March 22, 2008

Family and Friends

By now, y'all know that I just LOVE meeting up with my blogger friends, especially ones I have known for as long as I've been blogging, since January of 2005!

SO, meet Orange-X and CanadianSwiss, husband and wife team living in Basel, Switzerland!


I have wanted to meet them since forever! We knew it would happen one day and, YES, finally it did. It helps that O-X is originally from Amsterdam (thus the Orange of his blogging name, Holland's color!), where his parents still live. So on this Easter weekend, I was lucky to finally connect.


Three years of blogging later, CS and I finally got to sit side by side and share a hug. I am such a glutton!

And believe it or not, I brought the bloggers over to our Amsterdam apartment and before they left, Chris and Lesley came in from their daily out-n-about, and met each other. Bloggers and family mixing and matching. How fun.




I just HAD to show TWO photos of Chris because in the second one, you can see the twinkle in his eye. Lesley, my niece, has always been bubbly for as long as I've known her. But the jury was still out on Chris because he was so quiet when we first met him, both in NYC last year and here in Amsterdam. BUT, give him a few hours, and then a few days, and he just gets better and better. What a fantastic sense of dry humor. And character. He says he's had his beard for 17 years, half of his life!

By now, Chris and Lesley have seen so much of Amsterdam, walking all over tarnation through wind, rain, sun and snow, that I think they may have seen more than I have in my year here! Actually, they HAVE visited the Nemo Science Museum, where there are great views of the city. So that's their gift to me...something to see that I haven't yet seen. Maybe this week I'll get there, after they're gone.

Donica will take the day off on Monday, because it's an Easter holiday here in Holland. We plan to take a nice side trip to nearby Zaanse Schans, the last day before the kids leave on Tuesday.

Apart from all the religious significance of this weekend, I was thinking about how holidays like this often mean connecting with family and friends. Even on the other side of the world, we are lucky! Hopefully you are as well, enjoying the presence of those you love.

Resurrection joy and life to us all!

20 comments:

  1. Ohhhh, boohoooo, pout pout pout. I miss my little girl, and I feel sorry for myself that you and D have met Chris twice and we, not at all. :(

    But . . . these pictures make me very happy also! :D They look beautiful sitting there in AMS in your lovely apartment. Thank you both for taking such good care of them.

    And lovely to see Orange-X and CanadianSwiss too! You do get lovely visitors.

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  2. Lesley has told me Chris has beautiful eyes. I can see that!

    (I hope I don't embarrass him, hehe.)

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  3. Always fun to see your blog, you are the lucky one to meet a lot of bloggers, I had to smile at the reaction of Ruth, Ginnie got to see them first....I am talking of Lesley and Chris, he has fun eyes and that shows he has humor.....
    It would be nice for you to visit Nemo this comming week, I know you love heights (grin grin)
    Please enjoy you Easter weekend with Donica, Lesley and Chris, time flies when you are having a good time and....I know you love snow.....it might even be snowing this weekend.....

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  4. People's love and friendship are the real richness of life indeed.
    Happy Easter to both of you...Namaste, Bob

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  5. Thanks for the pics and the inside scoop on Chris! I, like Ruth, miss my daughter terribly and am "waiting with four eyes" (old Turkish expression) to meeet Chris. 8" of snow in Dansville friday night.

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  6. Ah it is fun to meet friends that you have things in common with, blogging to me is like having pen pals, i have met a few of my pen pals and hope to meet some of my bloggers some day
    Happy Easter

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  7. It sounds like you are have some good times meeting up with blogger friends. Have a happy Easter!

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  8. Ruth: I know, I know! It's not right that we have met Chris twice before you have met him once! It's not right that you're not here first in AMS either! :( BUT, we/they are preparing the way for you. Thanks for letting us share them. I have a feeling that Chris is not easily embarrassed. :)

    Astrid: Yes, we met him first and he has a wonderful sense of humor! You'll have to go see Nemo with me one day!! It looks like a good photo-op!! :)

    Integrity: Happy Easter to you and yours, Bob!

    Don: We have talked every day about wishing you and Ruth could be here with us!!!

    L&N: Pen pals, indeed, Lilli. That's exactly right, for those of us who remember those days! :)

    Tim: One day it might be YOU! :)

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  9. What fun, meeting O-X and CS, and then introducing them to Chris and Lesley! Bet you all had a wild time. That Chris certainly does have a twinkle in his eye.... but so does O-X. I'm envious of all your fun.... but while you were bogger-socialising, I was cuddling my new grandson!!!!! That was heaps of fun!

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  10. Heehehe I think I used the word "fun" far too many times in the previous comment!

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  11. Ginnie, thanks you sooooo much for taking the time and sharing the afternoon with us. I personally enjoyed every minute and actually hated to leave so soon again. I hope next time we'll have more time, or at least, we'll have to plan that, and get Donica involved. I'd really love to meet Donica too. See if we're really as much alike as you think. Once again many thanks Ginnie. I'm sending you a big Orange hug!

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  12. Hey... Where did my comment go??? I posted it before OX and it's apparently been gobbled up by blogger! Oh well....

    It was fantastic meeting with you face to face! OX is right. Next time, we have to plan a bit better and add more time (also for Donica, if possible). I had so much to ask you and it seemed as if it had been too short to talk about all I had in mind. But there will be other moments, I'm sure.
    Thank you for your time and for sharing these moments with us AND your family.

    Hugs and kisses!
    CS

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  13. I saw the twinkle in the first photo, it was the first thing I noticed!

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  14. Great photos, Mom, and it sounds like you all had a wonderful weekend together. I'm looking forward to hearing more about the day trip outside of Holland. I miss you all so much. Happy Easter (belated)!

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  15. Well you have been a busy bee, there's no holding you down woman...:)
    Looks like you had a ball as usual.
    Great shots as norm Ginnie:)

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  16. Nice photography Ginnie,
    You wouldn't be you to show the photo's on your blog but I am not as photogenic as you are my dear, I a glad that I am able to visit this blog ( in email I explain that I cannot visit you other blog,-boohoo I don't understand why either) I hpe you and D- have had a good eater celebration?

    Look at my easter-collage at my blog. :) Happy easter!

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  17. Ex-S: HA! Too much fun indeed! And I KNOW you're cuddling that new grandson of yours. Just eat him up while you have him!

    O-X: You are such a sweetheart! And yes, we will definitely have to get Donica involved the next time because you two could talk each other's ears off! HA! I will always love your Orange hugs!

    CS: WE DID IT! We actually met each other and now it feels like a dream. That just means we'll have to make it happen again...when Donica can join us, indeed! Thank you, dear Sandra (and Mark)!

    RRD: Soon it will be YOUR turn! :)

    Amy: We had a great trip to Zaanse Schans, so I'll have to post about that soon. It was a great week with Lesley and Chris. And no one even killed anybody! :) I miss you, too. We'll see you soon.

    Lurch: HA! No holding me down, Tracy, is right. :) We had a great time.

    JoAnn: You are much more photogenic than you think,Lady. I have some wonderful photos of YOU! But,I understand why you didn't want me to show them. Maybe some day?

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  18. How fun for you! I met up with a fellow blogger when I was in San Francisco a few weeks ago....awesome. love the family shots.

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  19. Ginnie, that would be wonderful if we would have the opportunity to meet in person. We will have see what the future brings. :)

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  20. Wonderful pictures! So much going on at your place and I'm so glad you finally got to add CS and O-X to your Bloggers I Have Met in Person collection. :-)

    And how great that Lesley and Chris could come for a visit. What a sweet couple.

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