Time to end this blog?

I am working hard. Finishing my studies, just a tiny little bit more to go :p  And then it's time to set up my new Life coaching practice!

I have downloaded forms for the Chamber of Commerce and for the Tax office and am filling them in, as far as I can :s The Tax office wants to know a LOT and since I can't see into the future I have no idea what to put as an answer to many questions :p

So I asked my dear friend Sylvia for help with that :p And soon I will be going to Purmerend, to the Chamber of Commerce to finally officially register my business and to be written in the commercial registry :p Scary shit :p

So I am gonna be a small business owner soon! One without a cent in the bank but I sure hope that'll change soon :p

Well, since I have a new blog and a page on Facebook I am thinking of slowly closing this blog down...I don't think I have many readers anyway so I guess I won't be missed even :p You just let me know!

Have a great day,
Hugz, Anna

HA, I knew it!

It's been a while since my last blog again :p I posted what, 3?  4? in a row. And then nothing! One reason is: I don't do that much. I don't really have an interesting life with interesting things to write about!

But here I am, sitting here blogging after 2 hours of sleep. Since I moved, I don't sleep that well. Must be because my light blocking blind still isn't up yet. And the blinds I do have hardly deserve that name :p 

I totally forgot to tell y'all that I have been to the hospital. Remember my (new) doctor suspected I had a torn rotator cuff? Well...was he wrong! Turns out I have a subcapital humerus fracture, or: the top of my upperarm bone is broken :p The orthopedist was happy to hear I already tried exercising my arm and she sent me to a physiotherapist for the next 6 weeks. Hoping she won't have to operate.

Well I have been to the physiotherapist twice now. It is HELL! but on the other hand, my range of motion is improvingand we're working on regaining the muscle tissue again. Even after 6 weeks or so my left shoulder is looking a bit....droopy. So lots of work to do, I have to exercise every day at home too. But...physio-girl said she doesn't expect an operation to be needed!

And then I am busy with something else. I told you before I am studying to be a life coach and I want to start a mostly web-based practice soon. So I needed a website. Or at least a domain! Thanks to Dan (best boyfriend EVER!) I don't just have a domain now, but also a web hosting package ànd a WordPress blog. 

So I am trying to figure out how that works :p For now it's in Dutch only. But it kinda works, I guess :')  You Matter! coaching , go take a look, I like the theme and the colors a lot myself ;) If you don't speak Dutch, that's all you can see really!I think I will try to add a few pages in English too soon.

And I am studying hard, last few lessons! Oh and thanks to Dan again, I have a printer now. That's a lot of fun too. And very useful!

*Yawn* Yes, I am getting sleepy again ;) Guess I'll try to get a few more hours in!

Have a wonderful day you all!

Hugz, Anna

Shopping spree

So, I finally have money for the first time in months! Well, 2 months :p And of course there was some stuff I really needed,  like a nice big fluffy towel and some more underwear and those Intuition razors so I bought those right away.

But I also needed some shopping therapy ;) I think I told before that I am not much of a shopper. I especially HATE buying clothes or shoes! But I love to go grocery shopping, that really boosts my mood. And sometimes, when I am really sad or like now, when I have been without money for quite a while and then finally have some, I get bitten by the spending bug ;)

Of course I also know that, even if I have money, I can't spend loads and loads of it. I am in fact still kinda poor! So I have learned to be careful on my shopping therapy sessions ;) I usually go to the Action, they have nice and cheap stuff so I can get a big bag full for almost nothing.

Yesterday I asked Andrea for directions and as most things here in town, the Action is quite easy to find. I am getting good at getting around here! But of course, on my way to the Action, I got sidetracked. A shop called 'So Low'! So I went in and found they have even cheaper stuff! And to make things even harder for me, lots of crafting materials too!

 I wasn't really planning on buying anything so I went in without a shopping basket. Big mistake...had to go back to get me one ;) And yes, I got a lot of beads, little boxes, earring hooks, pretty ribbon...and even 4 Betty Boop lighters! Big bag, hardly any money spent, happy girl!

Still, I was going for the Action and so I just had to go there too! This time I got wise and took a shopping trolley. And I started walking around the store...finding nothing to my fancy. So I started walking towards the exit when I finally found...the crafts department! And they had some things I really really NEEDED and couldn't find so far. So yeah, another bag full for hardly any money!

I am soooo happy now! On the way back I sat down outside on the terrace of the restaurant I went for my birthday and had a latte macchiato...sun was shining, I had 2 bags of stuff...what else could a girl want? Mission accomplished!

So now I just put away everything and am thinking about some new projects...something with beads, or greeting cards...*sigh*

Have a wonderful day you all, may you be as happy as I am now ;)

Hugz, Anna

Exciting times...part 3

Yay, I was going to write about my 'adventures' with the Enkhuizen municipality, employment office, Social Services and everything...but I went to empty the mailbox before starting and found a 'good news' letter! My 'dole' application has been accepted so no more worries about money anymore!

I think I have told you all before that I really hate to be dependent on Social Services. As a single woman I only get 50% of the minimum wages, but the worst thing is: I want to work. And I'd do anything, really! I even want to work here in the cookie factory :p (Preferably as cookie taster, hahahaha!)

Oh well, but to start the real story...

Luckily, the day I fell off the stairs, I registered online as inhabitant of Enkhuizen. (That was before my fall of course, when I could still type :p) I also registered online at the employment office UWV in Hoorn, a nearby city. The only place I couldn't register online for was Social Services. One has to register in person at the UWV, they send the application to Social Services and they invite you then for an application for the dole.

So on June 22nd, I had healed enough to be somewhat able to ride my scooter again, I took the train to Hoorn to visit the UWV. Still with my arm in a sling and slightly limping. Had to fill out a load of forms and wait for someone to talk with me and fill out the application. I was really lucky because the lady that helped me was really sympathetic and even though it was 11 days after my registration in Enkhuizen she'd try to make it all work retroactively.

In the meantime Social Services in Leiden wanted me to send them my rent contract and registration for Enkhuizen. They would end everything there then and send me the money they still owed me. But that was taking loads of time.

I complained about my terrible lack of money to Dan. Just to get it off my chest, you know, nothing else! And that super sweet caring idiot sent me money via PayPal :p

Several days after I went to Hoorn I got a letter from Enkhuizen Municipality with an invitation for the 3rd of July and another load of papers to fill out. I was rather nervous because my dealings with Leiden Social Services hadn't always been too...nice.

The day I went was a nice sunny day. And the lady I had to deal with, was a VERY nice sunny lady :D Of course she wanted to know why I had come to Enkhuizen and how I lost my last job, she wanted bank statements for the last 3 months and she promised me that because my needs were rather urgent, that she would work as hard as possible to get everything in order.

And she sure did! The letter I got today was signed July 17 so only 2 weeks after our conversation! I was really amazed...Again, Leiden took a LOT more time for that :p

So finally my biggest money worries are over ;) And now the time has come to go out and explore Enkhuizen...I have seen some things already of course on my birthday and with Andrea but there is so much more to discover in this lovely old town :)

So, I promise to keep you all informed of my 'adventures'! Maybe not every day but a lot more regular than I have been blogging lately ;)

I wish you all as good a day as I am having ;)

Hugz, Anna

Exciting times...part 2

So there I am, in my lovely room, with my new computer and my books and arts&crafts stuff surrounding me...and a lame arm. Well, lame-ish :p There go my plans for venturing out to see Enkhuizen and get all my stuff done, like applying for Social Services.

And of course: my birthday is coming close too: the Big Five Oh! It's on a Monday this year so I know the kids are all off work and they promised they'd come. And, big surprise: Willem -my stepdad- and my little sister Nienke are coming too! Willem sent me an e-mail saying they wanna come by to congratulate me or offer their condolences on 'meeting Sarah' :') ('meeting Sarah' or 'meeting Abraham' is a Dutch thing when you turn 50, and refers to the biblical Abraham and his wife Sarah. The custom stems from verse 57 where the Jews sarcastically tell Jesus, “You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!”)

Usually a big lifesize doll is placed in front of the house to mark the event but since I've been saying I'll just turn 49 for the second time and miraculously turn 51 next year... I guess that saved me from that ;) Andrea and her friend Yvonne were teasing me relentlessly though in the days before. And Andrea's sons didn't make it much better because they warned me to brace myself because they know those ladies and what they can do ;)

But midnight arrives and we're sitting in the living room. Suddenly they get up and bring me a big, beautiful box. With the warning of Alwyn and Raynor in mind I expect anything can happen so I open the box pointing away from me, scared of stuff 'jumping' out of it. But...it is filled with loads of individually packed little pink glacé cakes 'the real ones from Enkhuizen' :) (I must have mentioned I LOVE pink glacé cakes, haha!)

And after that lovely surprise I get a beautifully wrapped black basket filled to the brim with...pink stuff! Soap roses, foaming bath salt, a shower puff, a pink dotted fan, razors and shaving cream, (for my legs of course, dôh) shower gel and deodorant...all nice things! Recurrent theme was pink and polkadots :)

The day of my birthday itself was lovely too. Willem and Nienke were gonna be here in the late morning, we were going to lunch together so I had a table reserved at a very nice restaurant here in town, with some difficulty because it was 'Lappendag' or 'rag day' in Enkhuizen, that is the last day of the big yearly fair and that means the whole old centre is one big market.

So we had a nice lunch and a walk through the old centre afterwards. Willem knows Enkhuizen quite well, much to the surprise of me and Nienke. We had a drink at the canal near the 'Drom', a historical landmark. And after that another walk back to the car. Alas it was time to go home for Nienke but Willem wanted to see little Layla and had some prezzies for her.

A little later in the afternoon my kids, kid-in-law and grandbaby arrived and Yvonne came back too. Willem got to see his step-greatgrandchild ;) It was really nice to see everyone chat and get along, Andrea and Yvonne were talking with Willem outside and told me later they think he's a really charming man :)

But it was time to start dinner...Andrea's sons and daughter in law were coming too and we made roasted chickens and potatoes and salad, and fruitsalad and icecream for dessert. I was so happy to see all those kids eating and talking and having fun together! So for me that was a perfect birthday!!!

Long story again and still not done...I'll just save the rest for next time :)

Have a great day y'all!

Hugz, Anna

Exciting times...

Been a while since I last blogged...but as an excuse? I had some really exciting times and lots and lots to do!

First of all, I've been to Chicago. A bit over 2 weeks. Weather was kinda sucky and Dan had to work the first days of our vacation but we had loads of fun anyway. I stayed at the Best Western O'Hare, close to the airport (so any chance to ruuuun....hahahaha). Was a lovely hotel, free breakfast bar every morning but the most fun there was Shoeless Joe's, a sportsbar where they served great food and great drinks :) 

Although we both don't really like shopping, we used all of the 3 days Dan had set aside for that. Nina wanted something from Victoria's Secret and I have to say: thanks to the girl that helped me I got her a pretty bra and didn't run out screaming! Got some lovely stuff for little Layla too and sports jerseys for the boys, Bulls for Erik and Bears for Evan. And for myself: a new Betty Boop bag and wallet :) Dan and his mom got me materials for a new hobby: making jewelry.

The last 3 days of our vacation we went to Sybaris. We had a lovely cottage with a swimming pool and a waterfall, steamroom, whirlpool...the works! When we came in there was a rose on my pillow, a big bunch of balloons on the bed and rose petals, a bouquet on my nightstand and champagne and chocolate kisses... Dan says he's not romantic, but he could have fooled me ;)

My vacation ended with a delicious Mothers Day lunch at Dan's house, all made by his mom :) And then it was time to go home again...

And there waited my next challenge: the move to Enkhuizen to live with my soul sister Andrea! Incredible how much stuff I collected ever since the divorce 2 and a half years ago. Evan fixed me a nice, working computer before I went and I packed loads and loads of boxes...

Both Nina and Evan helped me move most of my stuff, in a big rented van. We passed by Ikea first to get me some stuff. And once in Enkhuizen everybody helped to get my things in the house. I have a lovely room now, with my antique bed and a desk, a commode and a bookcase...and loads of boxes still ;)

We still have to empty out a room to set up my wardrobes so I can unpack my clothes, I am literally living 'out of a suitcase' now. But after a few days I was here I had an accident: I fell off the stairs and hurt my left arm and leg, I couldn't move my arm at all and it hurt like hell. Andrea used to be a nurse and has a friend that still is, and the girls gave me one week to recover or visit the doctor.

Well, the doctor it was...although my arm functioned a lot better already :p Doctor thought I may have torn my rotator cuff and I have to go to hospital next week to get it checked.

Pooh, I wrote quite a bit already! And nothing about my 50th birthday or my adventures with Social Services yet! But I promise to write about that in a few days, okay?

Good to be back! Cya all soon again :)

Hugz, Anna

Busy busy busy...

Next week at this hour I'll be in a plane flying to Chicago... I am so friggin' excited! It's been almost 2 years since I was there last and I sure hope after this vacation it won't take another 2 years before I go there again.

Thank God for internet and webcameras or I would miss Dan so much more! (I wonder if we would even have a relationship really...)

 

 

Anyhow...I am in the middle of preparing for my trip there. Dan said I could leave some of my stuff there with him so I'll be taking 2 suitcases this time. The weather overhere is quite similar to the weather in Chicago at the moment so I can't really pack yet, just make lists, do laundry, try some 'proof-packing' to see how the weight of my suitcases will be.

And of course there's a lot of other stuff to take care of. Visa waiver...check. It's still valid until June 13th. Prezzies for Dan's parents...check. 3 pounds of Dutch licorice for his mom and a CD with Prokoviev's Lt. Kijé suite for his dad. I couldn't find anything for his brother and Dan didn't have any useful ideas either so Greg's gonna get...nothing :p Of course I have my presents for Dan: the bottle of Edradour whisky in it's cute pink (!) crate and some tins of anchovies. But he's getting the best present of all: ME!

Dollars...check. Guy at the bank was very happy I ordered small bills and gave me a warning against pickpockets :) Taxi to the station next week...check. My son is bringing me to the airport and picking me up again when I come back and we don't like taking the bus at 8:30 am with 2 suitcases and a carry-on trolley :p 

 

Train ride is gonna be only 15 minutes and thanks to my sweet sister Andrea I have loads of coupons for a 40% discount (for my son), 2nd to 1st class upgrades (for both of us) and of course coffee coupons :) So we're gonna travel cheap and in style and well caffeined up :D Oh and she even gave me a coupon for a free magazine!

So this week is gonna be busy. Have to shorten a pair of jeans, finally have my sewing machine! Have to clean the house and leave everything ready for the kittycats and of course my son... And last but definitely not least I have to go to Oegstgeest to visit little Layla (and her mom of course hahaha). I miss that cute little girl...

Oh and inbetween chores I have to send in some homework for my Life Coach course too!

So I guess I better start doing something now... Have a good day you all and if I don't return here before next Friday, be sure I'll be sending some news from Chicago!

Hugz, Anna

Friday the 13th...

Yup, it's Friday the 13th again! I know lots of people aren't very happy with this, and would rather stay at home or something ;) Silly superstition! For me Friday the 13th is a lucky day really! A few years ago I had my beautiful tattoo done on that day. And today the dentist was gonna pull a premolar.

I hate dentists! I hate people poking in my face and on my head! But I have to admit: it was waaaaaay less horrible than I thought it would be! I was the most scared for the anesthesia but that really was a piece of cake and of course I didn't feel a thing when the dentist pulled the tooth. So again: Friday LUCKY 13th :)

Last Monday we had a family gathering at my aunt's house, in memory of mom. She would have had her 70th birthday on Tuesday. Everybody except my kids were there, son had to work and daughter and granddaughter couldn't come, too fussy for Layla. My aunt had the event catered, lovely food :) Even my aunt from California was on Skype for a bit, was so good to see her too.I stayed a bit longer so I could have a talk with aunt.

But I celebrated mom the way I did last year: on her birthday I ate white asparagus with ham, eggs and butter sauce, mom's favourite meal! And I know this may sound harsh but I am glad mom didn't have to live to be 70. We really lost her when she lost her voice but the last few months of her life were really hell. She started the New Year in the best way possible!

2 more weeks and I'll be on my way to Chicago! I am super excited, can hardly wait to be there with my dearest Dan...I have all the declarations for customs ready, tickets printed, dollars ordered...All I have to do now is pack my suitcases (that's gonna take quite a while ;) ) and order a cab. Oh and pay online for my 2nd suitcase :p 

The weather in Chicago is 'jumping' up and down. Hot, cold, wet, dry...Good thing I already decided to take 2 suitcases (and leave a lot of stuff there) because I am probably gonna need it! Summer clothes and cardigans I guess :D You'll see, somehow it'll be just HOT again, like every time I visited Chicago. And if it's cold, I'll just have to ask Dan to keep me warm :D

Well, don't know anything else to tell you! Just have a very Happy Friday the 13th!

Hugz and cya soon,

Anna

Spring is in the air...a day early ;)

Today I read the astronomical spring has officially started. Something about the sun over the Equator :p Don't ask me please, I read stuff like that and it immediately leaves my brain, haha! Dan told me that they're having a really HOT spring in Chicago, temperatures have been in the 80's F there lately, close to 30C! While here we're dabbling in the lower 50's F and sometimes we go a teensy bit over 60F, 10-17C. I really hope that doesn't mean it is gonna be that hot overthere when I plan to visit! But Dan says it's usually kinda cool in May... Well he also said it usually snows in March :p

Remember I told you all I really needed a job so I could have my scooter repaired? I needed new tires and an exhaust and a sparkplug and a new startmotor and a battery... As you all know I didn't find a job STILL but I DID manage to have the scooter fixed ;) Turns out the new battery was all it needed to start again so I saved a bit of money there (no startmotor needed :p) and all the other bits and pieces I got month by month. My son even fitted me a new basket on the back, the old one was falling to pieces! Can't tell you how happy that made me, my scooter is my main means of transport...

I sent in another 2 lessons of the Life Coach course for homework. And now I am at a chapter I am not too happy about, the one about addictions. Luckily the book said right away that life coaches aren't the ones to help addicted people because I soooooo don't want to! I have seen so much addiction in my life that all I wanna do to addicts is kick them in the butt, HARD. I know that is something I may have to work on but in the meantime I am happy that I can just search for some addresses of specialists to send them to. So I have to collect the courage to send in my homework and then start with some 'fun' chapters again, about relationships and families!

Yesterday my son came to visit. He brought dinner ('Kapsalon' or Barber's shop', that is french fries with döner kebab under some melted cheese, topped off with salad greens, cucumber, tomato and onion and drenched in hot sauce and garlic sauce). The portions were HUGE and I (of course) didn't manage to eat all mine but it was deeeeeelicious :) After that we were going to watch some old movies I found, childhood faves. Legend was a big disappointment, man what was that movie slow! Then we put on The Mambo Kings but got a call from Nina in the middle of the movie that one of Evan's highschool friends was on the telly so we had to watch that of course. After that Jackass2 was on so Evan wanted to watch that... Not my cup of tea really but he just couldn't stop laughing...and it's good to see your kid laugh :)

Yesterday during dinner my friend Patrizia called me. She's still in a fight with her employer, she's suffering from burn-out and both her GP and psychologist say she can't go back to work yet but the controlling physician says she can. Told her to go see her doc again today to see what happened with the reports he and the psychologist had to send in and stay strong, make her employer license her and not make him have her go away on her own account! She also had very good news though, she's finally starting her restaurant! It's really close to the one where she works now and it's gonna be called 'La Dolce Vita'! She and her boyfriend managed to get all the money they need together and she'll probably open May 1st :D

She wanted me to be at the opening but I'm in Chicago then... Will visit asap when I'm back of course and I am thinking of having the picture above printed on canvas to give to her :)

And...I just went to get the mail and there was a little package from England! The other day Dan and I were talking about a hematite bracelet my aunt gave me once and I was looking for the healing properties of hematite on the internet when I came across the cutest bracelet ever: all hearts of hematite with silver beads inbetween and a heart and arrow clasp. Cams were on so Dan heard me gasp and wanted the link 'to see it'. Of course he ordered it for me right away!!!! Coincidence? The lady that owns the website/webshop is also an intuitive life coach/Reiki Master. Hmmmm ;)

Well these were some bits and bobs from my life... It ain't much but at least things are happening again and I feel great about it :)

Have a lovely day you all!

Hugs, Anna

I'm gonna be a Life Coach soon!

So I already told you all in my last blog that I am studying to become a life coach... This may come as a surprise for some of you and as not a big surprise for others. 

You know, I have been trying for 2 years now to get some kind of job. I even started studying again and got a diploma and a certificate, the diploma for Medical Office Skills and the certificate for Basic Training Doctor's Assistant. For Doctor's Assistant I'd have to do the practical training too and that involves...drawing blood! Well, ehm...no thank you ever so much :p

I have applied for soooo many jobs, sent out my CV and wonderful application letters. And every single time I got rejected. After a bit you learn to read through the lines what the real reason behind the rejection is, because you can't be discriminated on things like gender and age and such. At least, according to the law... Turns out I am too old, have too little/too much experience, overqualified and so on. And the only job I managed to land I lost because of some 'freak accident': Bell's Palsey.

So -once I was out of my depression- I started thinking. I had to find something I was good at, where my age and life experience coming with it is an advantage, where I could be self employed and maybe even web based... And finally it came to me! Coaching! And in particular: life coaching.

Years ago I used to be the go-to-girl for friends with problems. And my forte was to help them help themselves. Reach their goals. Be a listening ear and when needed, a shoulder to cry on. And all for free of course! What if I could do the same for other people too and get paid for it? And of course, long ago I studied psychology, just didn't finish.

I started doing research, found a course I could do and asked Social Services for help because to tell the truth, I didn't have the money to pay for it laying around somewhere ;) A few weeks after I sent in the letter I got a phonecall from Social Services, telling me that the reintegration budget for this year was mostly finished already. So I could do the course and get some of the money back out of another budget.

Luckily it didn't come to that because I inherited some money from my mom! Of course I am gonna ask the money I can get, back from Social Services (that'll teach them!) but at least I could start studying right away!

The first time I sent in homework my teacher gave me a 7/10. I was rather disappointed until I read that she doesn't like to devaluate grades and a 7 was good and 8/10 excellent and she rarely gave that. Since then I have sent in homework 3 other times and got a 7,5/10, 8/10 and another 8/10! Looks like I am doing something good!

This course also teaches me to set up my own practise. Of course I know a thing or two about setting up your own business but this is a little bit different. I talked to my friend here who has an accountancy firm and she promised to help me and I found a lot of information on the internet too, also for starting a small business in the US. Because that's where I'm gonna go in the end ;)

So, lots to look forward to, studying again -something I love to do!- and finally setting up a business for myself! Oh, it won't be easy for sure and it will take time to be able to generate a full income...although my teacher suggested that, if I plan on being web-based and do web-coaching and e-coaching, I could have clients in the Netherlands too even after I emigrate to the States!

Back to my books now, I have some more homework to send in soon...

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

Hugz, Anna

Hello...I'm back :)

Me and my pretty mom, summer of 1962

A whole lot has happened since my last post here... I left you all with the bad news about that job I finally landed. Well, they never came back to me! And frankly, looking back...I don't really care :p 

The Bell's palsey, the job, the trouble with the emigration, the 'homelessness'...it all got me spiraling into a depression. And I was worried about my mom too, she usually liked to have a chat on Messenger but lately she seemed to avoid me.

Then came the really bad news... In the night of October 23rd-24th mom had a cerebral infarction and a heart infarction. She was paralized on the right side of her body and that left her completely helpless. She always loved to talk and her voice was already taken away from her, and now her right hand- which she used to write and communicate with us- didn't work anymore either.

Of course that added to my depression too, and left me completely numb. I got all kinds of complaints that later proved to be stress related.

Of course in the family we communicated a lot about mom, and soon we all came to the conclusion that she only wanted one thing: to die in peace. Sadly it's not an easy thing to hear, and even harder to help her. But we all understood why she wanted to go and were in peace with it. Things were set in motion to get help for her.

Then came Januari 1st. ... New Year's Day. Late in the evening I got a call from Willem, mom's husband: mom had passed away peacefully, alone. Just like she wanted. Us kids came together at her and Willem's house and we prepared a lovely send off for her. I am sure she watched all of us with a big smile on her face. Instead of mourning her death, we celebrated her life!

Since then, life has taken a new turn for me! 'Strangely' my depression disappeared completely. I asked Social Services permission to start a Life Coach course but got the answer that there wasn't any money in the reintegration budget for that. But we all inherited a little money from mom, as an advance really, and that helped me pay for the course!

And of course I finally had money to book my ticket to Chicago, such a relief I didn't have to ask Dan and Patrizia for it :p I also got some new suitcases and money to buy a nice present for...my lovely granddaughter! I got her a cute gold bracelet with her name engraved in it.

Yes, because Februari 7 my daughter Nina delivered a beautiful baby girl! Her name is Layla and she will be baptised Layla Alessandra Cristina. I wasn't too sure about becoming a grandmother but somehow, after she was born... ;) I am a really proud granny! I have loads and loads of pictures of the little girl and have been to see her a few times already.

Me and little Layla, the day after she was born.

Life goes on... I will be leaving for a 2 week vacation in Chicago on April 27, when I come back I am going to move to Enkhuizen so my son finally gets his house back. In a few months I can start my own practise as a life coach, and I plan to be mainly web based. My vacation is supposed to be the last before my emigration to Chicago, Dan feels like he has to audition ;) Well, as far as I am concerned, he's hired, haha.

So...I am back :D I hope you like it! If you do, leave me some feedback please... ;)

Have a great day you all!