Friday 30 April 2010: Sarah and The Lool are making a disgusting pancake layer cake full of Nutella and sugar for The Lool's pre-birthday breakfast!

Sarah says:
This pancake layer cake is about as disgusting as it gets but if it makes The Lool happy (and hyper) well then it makes me happy and hyper too! She's going to be so happy Saturday when she gets her dream present, which she fears she won't get. She's a lucky girl and she deserves a great gift! She's always doing her best and she's such a great person with a wonderful heart and head. I can't wait to see her face when she opens her gift!

Thursday 29 April 2010: Sarah's is a good mood again!

Sarah says:
Good day! Got a lot done! I like being busy and seeing the start, middle and end of things. The sun was shining - so much it was even hot! Riding my bike on a warm day is a pleasure! Puts me in a good state of mind from the moment I hop on my bike to head to work till the moment I hop off when I get home. Then I see The Lool, who puts me in a good mood again! And then Tomske. It's all good again. At least for now!

Sunday - Wednesday 25 - 28 April 2010: Sarah sees the sun, the Editors, some friends and nothing...

Sarah says:
Not a lot of time to keep up on here anymore and as you can see, Heidi is hardly here anymore either on Face The Day! I think Facebook replaces everything online! Makes the need / want for a blog less as you reach all your friends or most of them that way... But that's not really what Face the Day is about. It's about tracking the days and the months and the years with photos - and I still like the idea. I love being able to look back! I just wish it weren't always my face. I miss Heidi's head on here too!!! Anyway - the above photo is from today - Wednesday the 28th. The sun has been shining all day - even from the early morning. And it feels great!

Picture above and one below are both from yesterday -Tuesday the 27th of May. We went to see Editors in concert at La Gran Mix. I love his voice and their songs but the gig was a bit flat for some reason - no extra wow or charisma. It was too bad. They were on my list as a must see - they aren't any more. A must listen - yes - always... The nice - well bittersweet - thing about seeing them was that I had Peter De Wilde on my mind all day and night and during so many of the songs at the gig. Their second album is my Peter album. Every single song reminds me of him. I listened to that CD over and over again throughout his sickness, when he died and after he died. Every time I hear Editors anywhere, Peter pops in my head and I like that. When I'm driving and they come on the radio I feel like Peter is talking to me. I love music for that. I love that it can keep a person alive in your head even though it can also bring tears to your eyes...

The above photo is The Lool blinding me! She's right! My dumb face shouldn't be on here all the time! The above photo is from the 27th of April and the below one is from Monday the 26th of April - I know, I know - I'm wearing the same thing in both photos. Don't forget, this is Belgium - perfectly normal to wear the same clothes for the whole freaking week if you want! You sweat less here because it's rarely really hot and it means doing fewer load of laundry! It's easier this way! I think 3 days is about my maximum!

The below photo is from Sunday the 25th of April. I had a nice dinner at Same Same in Kortrijk with my expat friends Rosemary and Kate. It's always nice to get together with the girls!

Friday and Saturday 23 and 24 April 2010: Sarah is enjoying reconnecting with The Lool and once again knows there's no place like home...

Sarah says:
I had a great morning on my bike with The Lool on hers riding around getting stuff done and then having lunch together. She's such a great person. Such a pleasure to be around. I treasured and enjoyed every second of her today! And the sun was shining! It's been a good day. I feel light - like a load is off my shoulders or something. A difficult month is now behind me and I am able to move forward now. That's a huge relief! And a bought a cute new dress, earrings, necklace and leggings today! :-)

I was already getting in the joyful mood last night in my kitchen with my husband and kid by my side. So nice to be home with them! We watched Meet The Parents on TV and ate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups I brought back from London. I knew Ayla would love them! Simple pleasures. I so enjoy seeing that child of mine content. She's most content just having my and Tomske's attention. It's that simple sometimes.

Above and below you can see a jumpsuit Ayla made for her Barbie today. She did some rough sewing but I love the look. I hope she pursues this while sewing and fashion design thing. It seems to give her such joy and I think she's got some talent for it and an eye for fashion...

Monday - Thursday 19 - 22 April 2010: Sarah is back from Norwich, UK and happy to be home for a while after a couple of weeks on the road...

Sarah says:
That's me above today - the 22nd, glad to be home and happy to have had a good sleep in my own bed. Don't get me wrong. I love travelling for work and for play. It's just been a hectic month and I need some rest. I have felt worn out for a while and though travelling was a nice escape, what I need most is some rest and some time to veg out. This morning I slept a little late in my own bed and it did me well! I am also so happy to see my kid. I feel like I haven't REALLY seen her since mid-March because I was so preoccupied from then till now. Now I am all hers!

And there she is! The Loolabell! She's the best. So happy to be back home with her. That's us yesterday the 21st when I got home from Norwich. It was a good trip to The UK with a really nice bunch of people!

By the way - here is a link to all the photos from Norwich, if you are interested!

I think the above photo is kind of cool because of the shapes and colors. It's from two days ago - the 20th - taken at a place in Norwich called Open Org. There were some great decorations going on there. Nice colors and shapes everywhere...

Above and below are also from the 20th of April, taken at Epic TV Studios, which is one of our partners. It was nice finally being able to see the place I had heard a lot about! That naked lady is a prop I guess! Of course I couldn't resist having a photo...

The above photo is from Monday the 19th in the hotel in Norwich. It was a good trip. I hope it leads to some good stuff! It gave me some ideas. I just have to find a way to make them happen!

Tuesday - Sunday 13 - 18 April 2010: Sarah goes to and actually gets out of Cannes, France despite the volcano and is now off to Norwich, UK...

Sarah says:

I'm back home but it's almost time for me to take off again - thankfully by train as there are no planes!!! It's amazing I made it home from Cannes, France on Thursday - well really early Friday morning - after a lucky last flight out to Orly airport in Paris thanks to great timing and a chance car rental together with 4 total strangers to get us all back to Brussels, Belgium by after midnight. I was in bed by 2am. I am seriously so lucky I got that last flight out - almost by accident. I was just in the right place at the right split second. There's no place like home - even though I learned a lot at mipTV and had a good week! I'm off to Norwich, UK for work at 6am Monday morning so I really need to get to sleep - bu you know how that goes! I have to wake up at 4:30am, which means I won't sleep tonight. I'll toss and turn and keep checking the clock afraid I won't hear my alarm. Travelling is fun and I am not complaining - but sometimes it can be too much all at once! I'm looking forward to this trip a lot because I love Th UK, have never been to Norwich and am excited to meet one of our project partners. But I can't wait till Wednesday night when I home with my kid with no travel planned until the second week of June. I'm clicking my red shoes together saying there's no place like home right now! Above photo is from today by the way - Sunday the 18th of April.

Above you can see me and Tom on Saturday the 17th of April in Hasselt of all places before seeing a tribute concert to The Triffids. It was a nice day with Tom and two friends and the concert was okay but not great at all. The best part was of course when Stef Kamil Carlens sand three Triffids songs. He is amazing and he will always be amazing. I don't know if I know other artists quite as talented as he is on stage - he just has this thing about him. He is so professional and gets every single detail and his voice and movements on stage. He is a show stealer! Made me feel sorry for the rest of the singers. Some were pretty good but something was lacking on stage last night. It was a bit too chaotic and all over the place and not tight enough. It could have been so much better.

There above you can see me and The LOOL on Friday night the 16th of April. I was so happy to see her!! Man I miss her when I m away and it's hard for her too! Tonight she cried about it saying I have been away too much. I explained that I'd be all hers soon! I have been pretty absent lately - not just in travelling. Before I went away I had some pretty rough weeks and though I was here, I really was far, far away. I feel like after Norwich I'll be able to collapse a little. I need that I think...

Below are various photos from my last week in Cannes, France for mipTV. I could only post some and there are far better ones - especially of Cannes itself, which you can see by clicking into this album!

Above you can see me and some other travelling strangers in distress at around midnight between Thursday the 15th and Friday the 16th of April- at the Brussels airport after a long ride from Paris in a shared rental cars. We were strangers who met on an airport bus trying to get back home! We did it together and it was actually fun! I love how a volcano can put you in a car with 4 total strangers who can become nice contacts perhaps!

I think above is from Wednesday the 14th of April - on the beach at lunch! Mostly we were inside at conferences but every now and then you have to get some air!

I think above photo is from Tuesday the 13th of April - again taking a break!

Probably also Tuesday the 13th above an below - with my friend Chewbacca whom I have always loved and with some serious boats below!

And last but not least - below - my Post Secret pick of the week! This weeks seems to be dedicated to the topic of abortions - perhaps because it's been in the news lately a lot due to the 20th anniversary of the law to make them legal in some of Europe... Anyway - I can relate to the below post card. Some topics are so very not black and white. Abortion is a gray topic for sure. I could very much imagine supporting pro-choice yet still being upset by the idea of aborting a child... It's a difficult choice no matter how you look at it and it must remain an individual choice but I can't imagine it is ever easy to go through for anyone...

Tuesday 13 April 2010

Thursday - Sunday 8- 11 April 2010: Heidi and Sarah Face The Day together after haircuts and welcome JVK to FTD!

Sunday the 11th of April - tired and lazy - need to pack for trip to Cannes, France tomorrow for MIPTV. A lot of travel in the next two weeks. First Cannes and then Norwich, UK. I'm lucky to have these travel opportunities. I jus wish I felt less tired right now. The last weeks have left me exhausted. A little sun and sea might just do the trick! I hope so!

Saturday the 10th of April 2010 above - with my friend Joke at her parents' home in Blankenberge (also at the sea!). We stopped by there to see her and had a nice few hours full of good food and fun!

Above and below are from Friday the 9th of April 2010 - above is after my haircut with Heidi and below is the before picture. It's much shorter now but it needed it. It was too thick and too dry. I like it better now. Tom had a haircut too, which looks nice as well! Let the spring in!

Above photo is from Thursday the 8th of April. See that earring there! That nice earring! I lost one :-(!If you find it, let me know!!!!

Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday 5,6,7 April 2010: Life goes on at Face The Day with Sarah, Heidi and MATTO!

Sarah says:

Above photo from today - Wednesday the 7th of April. Just took it. It's late and I have been driving through lots of rain and I am totally tired and worn out and down right now. It all comes in waves. Didn't feel great today - well tonight actually. Everything is / was too much. Blue.

Was very happy to see Heidi yesterday the 6th of April and also Matto as you can see above and below! I can't get the photo below to turn the right way so I have to leave it as it is I guess! Check out Matto's face! He's funny! Was so happy to see him and get to hold him and to be able to catch up a bit with Heidi and get a photo together! Every time I talk to a good friend I feel so much better. I tend to forget that and sometimes want to shut down and shut everyone out. But the minute I talk things out I generally always feel a great relief...

That's me above on Monday the 5th of April - Easter Monday. Though I had a nice day of great food and fun games with family - I felt pretty sick during the day and low. Ups and downs. Soon balance will return I hope!

I had to post this photo of The Lool and Arne that my father-in-law took Easter Monday. They were so happy with all their Easter eggs. Ayla looks so different there than usual - maybe because her her is off her face. She's changing right before our eyes. She'll be 11 in just a few weeks!

Sunday 04 April 2010: Sarah is at rest...

Sarah says:
Hiding out in my home sweet home today with my little, lovely family. We cooked, played a game, organized closets... all relaxing things to do in the last few days. I don't feel like leaving my house right now. I could just sit or lie here all day for days. Monday we will see some family and eat good food I'm sure. It's a long weekend because of Easter. Back to work, back to life, back to reality Tuesday - which might just be a good thing. I have to get out of this chair and move on... I will but I'm glad I'd have some days to rest and re-focus and to heal my heart, head and body... Who knows how much more time I need. I think these things must come in waves. It's been rough but sometimes it all feels just fine...

Friday and Saturday 02 and 03 April 2010: Sarah contemplates the meaning of life and death...

Sarah says:
I don't know when I took the above and below photos other than that they were both taken on Saturday the 3rd of April 2010 I think. Different times of the day. Same mood or up and down mood anyway. I don't even know how I'm feeling right now. From bad to relieved to bad again to normal to abnormal to up to down... Having to act normal and happy actually helps - makes "normal" and "happy" seem more real... Can't really explain. The emotion or feeling I have felt most throughout the last weeks and even now is alone and lonely. It's been weird an confronting. I feel like I am in less of a dark hole right now than I felt I was in the last weeks but I still am sort of standing on the edge of it. It's like more powerful than I am. As hard as I try to feel okay and get back to "normal" life it's just not totally up to me. I do know I'll be fine and will feel fine again but I think somethings mentally and physically just have to run their course. I can't control everything that's going on or that I am feeling. I just have to go with it and I guess one day I'll wake up and feel "normal" again...

Below photo is from Friday the 2nd of April. All I wanted to do was hide under the covers that day. I didn't though because life has to go on - my life anyway. There's mourning and there's morning I guess. When the morning came, I had to get up and deal with the day despite whatever mourning I'm going through... That's life, isn't it...

tHURSDAQ (???) - Wednesday 31 March 2010 - Sarah is getting ready for a bad, bad day ...

Sarah says:
So Heidi posted for Thursday twice it seems so I'll use her mistake to post for Wednesday the 31st of March 2010 here. The photo above shows how much I wasn't looking forward to the 1st of April... It's been an awful couple of weeks. Can't get into it on here - way too private. Needless to say, I have been feeling awful and lost and I wish I could fast forward o a few weeks from now and skip Thursday all together but I can't. I have to deal with this and deal with this I will...

Thursday 1 April 2010: Heidi is too tired for April fool's day and Sarah is too but here goes Flashback 1st of the Month anyway...

Heidi says: Matto has been crying a lot the last three days and I am very very tired. But maybe this thing will bring some relief. I hope so. (That's Heidi and Matto above on 01 April 2010)
Sarah says:

That's me above on 01 April 2010. Honestly - it was probably one of the worst days of my life - for reasons I can't / won't get into on here - those of you who know me know why... Anyway - in the morning, before the storm came that day, I still managed to take the above photo. I was doing anything I could to pass the time of that miserable day, which got worse and worse from that point on. So strange that I just can't write about it all on here. But I can't. Too public. I guess that's what my diary is for. I need to write all my thoughts down about this whole experience one day. Not ready yet I guess. I'm just glad April Fool's Day 2010 is over. It was seriously no joke. Nothing fun or funny about it. It was just totally awful...
Sarah says:
It's Flashback 1st of the month here at Face The day so join us on memory lane! Above you can see a photo of us - one year ago today- the 1st of April 2009. Heidi's showing off her stuff again this year! Who needs her face when you have her... Via this link you can go back in time to that day with us...

And there we are above exactly two years ago today on 01 April 2008 being April Fools as usual... Via this link you can see what we were getting up to two years ago today...

And there I am exactly 3 years ago today with an April Fool's fish on my mulle. It was 01 April 2007. Click here so go back to that day three years ago to see what we were up to. Heidi didn't take a photo that day sadly!

And above and below you can see me and Heidi four years ago today on 01 April 2006 - still with my tongue flapping about and still with Heidi strutting her stuff! If you click here you can get back to that day and see what was going on in our world....