Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Wednesday 30 April 2008: Let the looooooon weekend begin!

Sarah says:
LOOOOOOOOON Heidi? As in you'll pay me alllll weekend? Or dod you mean LOOOOOONGGGG as in we sure look long in the above photo and we have Thursday and Friday free and Saturday and Sunday so that's a mighty fine long weekend we have coming up starting now!!!! I even got my toenails done to celebrate - hence the slippers at work! If the sun shines, I can now proudly wear my sandals! Happy Long Weekend you Belgians out there! Get some good rest Heidi!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Tuesday 29 April 2008: Sarah is sorry for the view! Truly! What bad taste that is! We had no other photos to use!!!

Heidi says: girls and technology!!
Sarah says:
Whoops! That angle gets ya every time! I apologize for flashing you all. Didn't mean to! By the way, my day started with my using face wash as hair conditioner by accident! My hair is a greasy mess because of it. Plus I have a major breakout around my lip and nose area. Very unexplained! Maybe I am rotten inside! It's been a power-robot kind of day! Got lots done I'm happy to say! Tomorrow I will take on the world! Then it's a LONG weekend! 4 days! On Thursday it's my nephew's communion and on Friday I have a day at home with my kid. She'll have friends over so I'll get to get stuff done at home. Spring cleaning maybe!!! I hope! My house needs it badly! Saturday it's just a regular free day - but we'll get our daughter her birthday gift. And Sunday my daughter will be 9 years old! I can't believe it! Amazing!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Monday 28 April 2008: Heidi and Sarah are bored of themselves...


Sarah says:
Yawn...

SUNday 28 April 2008: Stress, Music, illegal flaptest, peace.. FUN PARK FUN FUN FUN SUN SUN SUN - REMARKABLE DAUGHTERS!



Heidi says:
Ik beken: Nico en ik deden gisteren een illegale flaptest, nu ja, illegaal... eentje buiten categorie, een stapke buiten het normale parcours, een excursie als het ware... Spijtig dat het niet meetelde, want deze flappen stonden aan de leiding. Nu ja, telt niet mee he?
Daarvoor: stress, en dan ontlading bij het draaien in een parochiezaal in Gent! Hele mooie zaal!

Sarah says:
You can see in above and below photo that I had a great, great day with my daughter and her friends going on rides at the nearby fun park! I even went on the upside-down roller coaster a couple of times and had not one problem with my back! I am restored and feeling fabulous! It's such a joy to be able to speed around on attractions again! I still have to be careful but not as careful as before! It's so great and such a joy!!!!

Post Secret favorite pick of the week time! I chose the below one because it made me think of my daughter. There were several moments this weekend when I really just felt how freaking remarkable that little bunny is. She is an amazing, sensitive, loving person. Very sensitive. She's a wonder. She has blessed my life like no other. She knows it. She feels it. She's a dream.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Saturday 26 April 2008: sunny happy shiny people



Saturday 26 April 2008: SUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNCLOUDSSUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN


Sarah says:
So much sun today! I have a lot to write about but no time as I have a house full of kids. Maybe tomorrow!

Sarah says:
Find the 5 differences between below and above photo of all the kids at my house...

Friday, April 25, 2008

Friday 25 April 2008: Yes yes, it's THAT day again!!! Oh my gosh my golly gee what is Heidi doing to Sarah?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Sarah says:
Every picture tells a story, don't it? Well, you just wonder for yourselves what's going on in those two photos above! Heidi and I have sick,dirty minds and foul mouths! We are the bottom of the bottom really. Did someone say bottom? It's Friday! Please understand that our brains have turned to mush. We long for the sun now! It will be a good, sunny weekend. Not for everyone. For some it will be sad unfortunately. We hope most of you will enjoy the sun. We will.

Heidi says:
I tell you: I am going to smoosh that child of mine one day! She is just too damn cute! She makes me and her daddy mad! Even more mad than before! Yma is a wild cat! She's crazy. And she just talks and talks and goes on forever. I give her only a couple of weeks before she speaks in real sentences! It's pretty amazing if you know that a year and a half ago, she was a tiny newborn, lying on my belly and not able to do anything but screaming, drinking and pooing... (and even that was already amazing :) ). I LOVE MY LITTLE CREATURE!!!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Thursday 24 April 2008: Leave the biker?


Heidi says: leave the biker? Fountains of Wayne, what are you talking about???
Had a good swim at noon (hehe, like always!). Did 22 lanes back crawl and 14 breast stroke. Getting good at it!!!!

Sarah says:
Heidi - are you now Willis as in watchotalkinbout'?
I have a trench coat finally. That makes me happy. My day wasn't great. But my new spring jacket is! One thing can happily balance out the other. If only. I wish. Time will tell.
It's a cryptic day in our worlds I'm afraid...
Tonight PILATES!!! Full report later!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Wednesday 23 April 2008: wakkere Heidi and head-exploding Sarah!


Sarah says:
Great work day but why is it that time of month yet again! It feels like it was just yesterday and with my old age it gets worse and worse. I used to just get cramps in my abdomen. Now I have pain throughout my back and down through my legs! So uncomfortable. And my head aches! I never used to get headaches. Still only takes three days so I can't complain about that but man oh man in some ways do I look forward to menopause! I'll probably regret saying that but... all I want to do is sleep right now and it's 9pm. Hormones are a mofo! In this way, I really do think men have it easy... And have I mentioned the RAGE in my brain that comes at this time of month. Ughhhhh........ Bloody hell!


Heidi says: De papierpropjesboom en de kaarsjesboom staan echt in bloei nu! Ze zijn mooi!!!
Ik ben wakker en alert. Maar zou best vroeg slapen vanavond. De tijd vliegt en ik heb er geen vat op. Niemand.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tuesday 22 April 2008: Heidi shows off her goods with her low shirt as Sarah tries her best to look you in the eye...


Sarah says:
Wow! Usually it's me with the low shirts. But not today folks! It's Heidi's turn! What a tramp! The sun has turned her into a beast. Isn't the sun GREAT!!! I love Belgium when it's sunny! I love the weather when it's not too cold for a fruit smoothie for breakfast! This morning - soya milk, frozen blueberries, frozen cherries, frozen bananas - BLENDER - and ready - a cold healthy, purple, delicious drink! Because it's sunny!!!
Heidi says: yeah, that's right! It's usually you and never me! Got time that I showed you people what I have!


Heidi says: I am bloody tired. Too tired. Went to bed early. Doesn't help. I need holidays. Badly. I am going under.
Heidi says: had a noon swim, feeling much better!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Monday 21 April 2008: Green day



Heidi says: Mondays are green days! The plants get water, I put on my green shirt and I wear my green wristband that says: www.muco.be (to support the Belgian community for muco patients. If you want to support, contact me and I can put you in touch with my good friend Barbara, who knows all about Muco! The Muco-patients really need your support, so give them all you can spare!)

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Sunday 20 April 2008: EXPO 58 HERE WE COME - Brunch, brunch, brunch here we eat!

Heidi says: Can't remember Expo 58 enough! Everybody to the Cultuurcentrum of Kortrijk!!!!! aaaaiiiiiiiit!
IEDEREEN NAAR CULTUURCENTRUM IN KORTRIJK VOOR EXPO 58 MET QUICKSPERM!!!! Vandaag van twee tot vijf! Gezelligkoffietjes drinken en pannekoeken eten. En voor het flaptestpanel: Appelflappen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Heidi zegt: De flaptest geschiedde als hierachter vermeld. Alle vast benoemde panelleden waren present: Alexander Derweduwen, Wout Deernaert, Nico Haemers, Heidi Garrein en Yma Haemers. Deze laatste onthield zich van het stemmen en gaf dus geen punten. Als grote verrassing was er een extra panellid (dat blijkbaar veel van appelflappen afweet) dat mee punten mocht geven: Marie-Thérèse Samyn. Marie-Thérèse Samyn is 54 jaar, en is een volwaardig Werviks burger en is ook de biologische moeder van panellid Heidi Garrein. Om de flaptest nog wettelijker te maken was er een gerechtsdeurwaarder ad interim: Nathalie Garrein. Nathalie Garrein is 31 jaar, en sedert enkele jaren een volwaardig Bissegems burger. Ook is zij de volle biologische zuster van panellid Heidi Garrein. De appelflappen werden genuttigd en besproken in het muziekcentrum te Kortrijk, alwaar het expo 58-evenement plaatsvond met heren DJ's Quicksperm en Dr Miguel (die dat uitermate goed verrichtten). Nog even ter uwer informatie: de appelflappen werden na een lange flaptocht gevonden en aangeschaft in bakkerij H in de Doorniksewijk te Kortrijk door panellid Nico Haemers. DE PUNTEN DIE WERDEN TOEGEKEND AAN DEZE KORTRIJKSE FLAPPEN WAREN: 6,2/10.
Wij geloven dat er een mol in het spel is die de flaptest wil saboteren. Laat dit een waarschuwing zijn: de mol zal gevonden worden en zal geëlimineerd worden uit het flaptestpanel.


Sarah says:
What a sunny day! Started with a nice brunch at our house and then off we were to the neighborhood brunch to sit outside. A lovely Sunday indeed!

Life sometimes feels so good that you feel too lucky and just know something dark and horrid lurks around some corner somewhere. Hence the below Post Secret pick of the week for me. I too mostly feel way too freaking lucky these days. That's a good thing but we all know how life goes so I can just keep on thanking my lucky stars and enjoy it while I can!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Saturday 19 April 2008: Meet Krik-Krack, Sarah's little piggy! Who wants him? Anyone out there? He'll be ready for a new home in 3 weeks.


Sarah says:
Krik-Krak is really cute. I think he's a boy. His dad-brother will be castrated Monday thankfully. That should calm the beast in him down. Pretty soon Krik-Krak will be able to get his mom-sister pregnant so things are getting dangerous! Anyone want Krik-Krak in three weeks? Let me know!

Friday, April 18, 2008

Friday 18 April 2008: dadadada...shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit as Clay Davis would say on The Wire....And Sarah will say as much as possible now..


Sarah says:
It's the end of the day and of the work week. Another week done. These weeks are flying by! I am Friday-night tired now and Friday-night uninspired now. But the GREAT NEWS is that I picked up the 4th season of The Wire today at the local library and am going to dive in right now - but first I have to remove these dang lenses before my eyes dry up and fall out of their sockets. Have a good weekend everyone!

Heidi says:
Yma is amazing. She says new words: pinguin, kangoeroe, olifant, fietspomp, machine... I can't follow anymore! This morning she also came to me and said 'kaka gedaan' (which means 'I did poopoo'). And she is very much into cranes! When she sees one she goes berserk and yells 'kane kane!!'(you know why I write this here, right? To have a recollection for later :) ) NO, NOT TO SHOW OFF!!! Or maybe just a little bit.

Sarah adds:
Het NSM - here's my comments on The Wire Season 4 first two episodes. This has to be a favorite scene and the way he says "shiiiiiiiiiiiiit" was the best part about it all. I plan to use that often. Heidi - learn that "shiiiiiiit", we can surely use it a lot and have a grand old time with it.

And from a later episode I'm guessing but a real good capture of his "shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit"!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Thursday 17 April 2008: Heidi is calm (for a freaking change hehehaha) and Sarah is off her rocker!


Heidi says:
I am calm and peaceful today. I am feeling awake and alive and normal. And I found out why I feel nostalgia for those months I had to stay home and lay down at the end of my pregnancy. It's all about taking time. My doctor obliged me to stay flat for at least two months; I could only get up to go to the toilet, to eat or to go to the doctor. It was pretty annoying every now and then, and also lonely. But today I realised that I feel nostalgic about that period, because I HAD to take the time. I had to see the hours pass. Ans they passed slowly. Days were days again. When you have a baby, a fulltime job and hobbies, time flies and you forget why you live. Back then, on my bed, I remembered what a day was. Yeah, sometimes life is simple.

Had a good swim at noon! Back crawl starts to be my favorite stroke! I think someone should teach me how to do it perfectly though. But on the other hand, it goes better and better everytime I swim. Long live my back!!! It's going to get so so strong!!! (I hope :) )

Sarah says:
You know what was in my eye yesterday the whole day?! One-quarter of a ripped contact lense, that's what!!! It took me so long to finally see that and to pull it out. Immediate freaking relief. Lenses have a danger factor I wasn't aware of! But all's well that ens well - so there you have it! I survived! I have a very bad mouth today and have been cursing everyone and his mother out. I have a pre-menstrual rage going on I think. People are annoying me. But again, I will survive!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Wednesday 16 April 2008: A sunny day!!! But not for Sarah's dumb eye which is making her and Heidi go bananas!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Heidi says: A sunny day should make me feel great but it doesn't cause I am motherfuckin' tired!!!! hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!
she makes me happy
and this makes me happy too

Sarah says:
There has been something scratching in my eye all freaking day and I can't take this feeling anymore!!!!!!! It started with my putting a contact lense in and the pain that followed. I wasted 3 dailys today! I had to try a new one and it hurt more so I took it out and threw it away. The feeling has gotten worse all day. It's like I scratched my dang eyeball or there's a piece of sand doing that all day long. I can't find anything in it though. I might just pull the whole eyeball out and throw it against a hard wall at this point. I'M GOING BANANAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, I apologise for Heidi's bad language above - she really should have used mofo instead!

Sarah adds:
And this makes me happy! Look at the above photo of Oscar Dionisio Smith - the kid of my good pal Erika. That photo was taken last Saturday at Oscar's first birthday party. He's a beauty that one! Can't wait to get to know him better this summer when I kidnap him when Erika and Neil come to visit. I wish I could have been at Oscar's first birthday party! That's one of the bog, mofo, seriously-sucky things about living so far away! But at least there are photos to bring us all closer!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Tuesday 15 April 2008: Run Heidi run! Introducing Heidi and Sarah's first ever Face The Day video of themselves! And their double-chin trick!


Sarah says:
We did it folks - our first Heidi and Sarah Face The Day VIDEO!!! We are proud of ourselves for moving into the video world. But we promise we won't get carried away. Just every now and then.

The above front-on photo is generally not very flattering and shows off double-chins for example. The below taken from above photo tends to make double chins go away - a free facelift! Of course you can see the bags under my eyes more from above for some reason. Still not so sure about my face with lenses. I'll give it some time!


Heidi says: I ran 18 minutes last night. It was painful when I started. My knees and ankles were hurting but I kept on going until they felt better. I hope I can keep on running without hurting myself. I also swam at noon yesterday. Wiiihooo!
Today I am very very tired. My head is bursting and my eyes are not really open. I need HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Monday 14 April 2008: GELUKKIGE VERJAARDAG X 1000 WOUT!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHERYL!!!!


Sarah says:
Happy Birthday Cheryl and Wout!
I'm glad my husband will be back from Sarajevo tomorrow! I miss him. I truly do! Who would have thought! Today I felt much better than I did yesterday. I don't know what got into me. I was so down! I don't feel that way at all today. It's strange how mood swings can happen. A very important happening and news item from my day is that tonight, my kid and I began the last season of Little House On The Prairie and though it looks doomed to be horrible, I was so happy to see the one-and-only Shannen Doherty! If you know me then you know I LOVE SHANNEN DOHERTY! Always have and always will and will always want her to play me in a movie. Not that I even want a movie about me. I just want her to have a reason to play me. She's wicked - in more ways than one! So for her alone I will watch the last season of Little House happily. The last episode of the 8th season totally turned me off. Charles got all miracle and god-obsessed and it was just way over the top and all of a sudden too religious. I have no problem with morals and even with the churchy stuff. I even like that about the series. But it goes too far when you have little Jason Bateman in a coma and then some god-like guy who looks like a white version of the Asian guy from Karate Kid being some vision of God who helps this boy come out of his coma. The only redeeming thing about that episode was seeing Charles with a beard for once. I have to say he looked like my father looked with a beard. Maybe that's way I like Pa so much! But I also love Ma! I will miss Ma and Pa as they aren't in season 9! A little book came with season 9 and it has made me want to watch Highway to Heaven and Father Murphy next - but that would really be going too far! I need a new series to watch with my kid! Seventh Heaven is a possibility but again - way too over-the-top churchy for me. All suggestions welcome. Must be age-appropriate for a 9/10 year old though!

Heidi says: een dikke vette super maffe leuke mottige fantastische vorte kaka pipi mufti beestige rotte gezellige verjaardag gewenst, Woutje!!!!!!! ti ti ti ti titi ti ti ti ti titi titititititi

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Sunday 12 April 2008: Sarah is alone in her head and in the world... of Belgium anyway, so she feels today anyway...

Heidi says:
We celebrated Wout his birthday today. But it is tomorrow!! It was very cosy!!
Before we went to dinner, I turned into Hannibal Lector and then back to my fresh self... Oh! Almost forget to tell you that in between we went to the EXPO58-café in the Cultuurcentrum in Kortrijk. Four weekends in a row, a DJ will play 50's-music and people can have a coffee and cafe or pancakes and enjoy the music (and dance!). On the first floor there is an oldies jukebox and a lot of 50's radios to admire. Yesterday it was Matto Le D and his girlfriend Mounia, and they did a great job! Too bad there was no audience (except for Nice, me, Wout and Alexander :) ). On 4 May (14to 17 O'clock), it will be DJ's Nice'n'Haydee!. Come shake your ass or at least eat a pancake with us!!! There is no cosier way to spend your sunday afternoon!






Sarah says:
One of those weird days I'm afraid. I feel very alone and lonely. Maybe it's simply because my husband has been away for a week and my kid is at her youth club. I don't know. It goes a little deeper than that. Last night I spoke with a couple of really close friends from The States and I have been in touch with another close friend from The States a lot lately. It's been feeding my soul big time. I love these girls more than any others! As our lives have gone on, we are still somehow rooted in each other. It's not always smooth but mostly as we become adults, it feels great most of the time when we talk. I so miss that kind of connection here in Belgium. I have friends, even close friend here, but that rooted connection and availability just doesn't exist. There are very few people I could really call in a time of need here. It makes me feel quite alienated to tell you the truth. Today it is weighing on me heavily. It's at these moments I can even go so far in my head as to want to move back to The States. Not that it would necessarily feel any better there. It probably wouldn't in reality. I guess I'm just always going to have these moments that I feel 100% disconnected from Belgium and that I long for old friends and my own family. As much as I only talk to most of my brothers and my parents and the rest of my family very seldom, I still feel more connected to them sometimes then I do to people I speak with every week here. When does that feeling change I wonder? How long does that longing keep coming back to haunt you when you uproot yourself? As much as I have integrated here and as many years as I have already lived here, I can really feel total emptiness. I suppose as you get older, you simply have fewer close friends and deep connections so all of this is quite normal. Doesn't make it feel any better knowing that. It just makes me feel lonely and alone and a bit dark today - even though the sun is shining and all. I feel like there is nobody I can call to talk to and connect with. I feel like everyone is busy with his or her own life. Maybe I am getting my period. Maybe this is really just what missing my husband feels like - which surprises me if that's so.

This will pass...

Post Secret hasn't been posted yet so I took one from the Post Secret My Space site instead for now - related to how I am feeling and how I am missing friends and how I really do wish I could be at my friend Erika's baby's 1st birthday party today and then stay on a few days in New York seeing her and my other friends and some of my brothers. That would feel super right now...



Just checked Post Secret again and saw that this week's cards have now been posted. Not a lot of them stood out to me so I give you this one about feeling a bit loony and a bit depressed today!

Saturday 13 April 2008: Wat een sisser!!! No more La Fille D'o Parties...


Heidi Says: What a bummer, man!!!! My friends and me were totally in the mood for a good rock'n'roll-party tonight, but had to go home at 1:30 am, because the music was worse than we ever heard at a party. It was a shame of a party, the non-party of the non-parties, worse than a boring Belgian wedding. The music that the DJ played after the Triggerfingerconcert was so bad that the FAKE-feeling was very there for a lot of people... A big bummer! I feel robbed. Of a good evening.
Let me just explain the fake-feeling that I am talking about. We were really expecting a rock'n'roll-party. I don't think you can expect other than that, if you look at the style Murielle Scherre tends to bring in her work: Fifties fifties fifties. If I'd only be that she follows the waves of the fiftiesrevival for commercial reasons, and that's that, it would be different. But she walks around in her rockabilly-hairdo and make-up (and probably clothes), lets her Devilles Harem girls put on a burlesque-like show on fifties and sixties music, uses that style in everything she does. How can we not expect a good old rock'n'rollparty? Well, we were quite surprised to hear the Venga boys and crap like that, after a perfectly good gig of Triggerfinger. A real real shame!!!

This was the best part of the evening: eating the best pizzas of Gent at Gulhan Turkish pizzas!!!!


and then, being bored:

(these two look like they are having a relationship, shame shame shame... ;) )