Saturday 13 October: DANG DITTY DANG IS YMA CUTE - even with a snot-nose!

Sarah says:
Yma is way too cute and stylish!

HEIDI AND SARAH WILL BE AWAY UNTIL WEDNESDAY NIGHT THE 17TH! THIS IS THE LONGEST YET! FACE THE DAY WILL BE BACK UP AND RUNNING WHEN THEY RETURN AND YOU NEVER KNOW, MAYBE EVEN WHILE THEY ARE GONE.... SEE Y'ALL NEXT WEEK! MAKE SURE TO COME BACK!!!

Friday 12 October 2007: Heidi and Sarah Let The Sun Shine In... And meet Sarah's cute new housemates!!!!

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius!
Aquarius!

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
Aquarius!

Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in

Oh, let it shine, c'mon
Now everybody just sing along
Let the sun shine in
Open up your heart and let it shine on in
When you are lonely, let it shine on
Got to open up your heart and let it shine on in
And when you feel like you've been mistreated
And your friends turn away
Just open your heart, and shine it on in

Sun Catcher as seen in above photo is available at AMBA-AMBA. Heidi and Sarah are sure it will bring good luck and good karma their way! Thanks Vanessa!

How could I forget to introduce you all to my daughter's new pet guinea pigs named "Kika" and "Kike" (pronounced Key-ca and Key-ke so don't get offended -- the name "Kike" is not meant to be a pejorative ethnic slur referring to a Jew in case you were wondering. My kid chose the names. We thought they would be called Kika and Coco but she wouldn't have any of it. I can't even tell them apart name-wise or in real-life as they look so much alike so it's all the same to me. They are sisters and they came from my daughter's cousin Arne. He has the mom. My daughter is so pleased. And to tell you the truth, I already love the little buggers. They really are cute. Adorable even! And they make such wonderful noises. Click here to have a chance to hear the different noises. Ours seeem to purr and rumble a lot. The mother in me and vegetable lover gets so excited when they eat up all the fresh spinach, carrots and broccoli we give them. And the pears! Today we gave them pears and it was like watching a baby eat fruit for the first time. Heart-warming. I hope Kika and Kike will be part of our family for a long time - that my daughter, with all her new-found responsibility, will keep them well and alive and happy and that she will be all the happier for it!

From the looks of it, Kika is the less fearful one and made her way into every photo, where as Kike scurried away mostly. Then again, I actually don't know if that's Kika or Kike. I'll have to find out! Anyway, they are hungry bunnies!

Thursday 11 October 2007: Heidi and Sarah are still late...

Sarah says:
I have to say again... Don't worry - we got a photo today. We just didn't have any time to do anything with it. We are "good" busy. But we'll be back! It might just take a few days or so to get our acts together... We'll try to post today's photo by the end of the week so check back!

And again, in the meantime till we can post the photos of today and yesterday, which are still in Heidi's camera, here's another Post Secret from last Sunday that struck me for some of the same reasons the one I posted yesterday caught my eye. It's just this all becoming adult and following some planned path thing -- like robots sometimes. As I see my friends and I all getting older I am so happy we are settling into the lives we all are settling into. It's great after so much chaos that so many of us have found stability and goodness and all that -- but in a lot of ways we all really are living by the book - and though there is nothing at all wrong with that, especially if it makes us all happy and stable, then great -- BUT - the adventure and spontaneity of days of yore are on pause for these years I guess... I just know though that my girlfriends and I will meet when we are older - like 7 or 80 - and be bad ass old ladies together taking fun vacations. I can only dream of being like my great Aunt and parachuting out of an airplane on my 80th birthday and driving a race car on my 85th. We all wonder what her plan is for 90! I guess these are a bit the "by-the-book" years but perhaps that will all change once the kids flee the coop. Who knows. And with that said, you all know that NOTHING makes me happier than watching Little House on The Prairie with my kid - so I can't be much more by-the-book than that! Speaking of buying the book -- the 3rd Post Secret book is out in shops now! Can't wait to find it and the 2nd one!

Photos tomorrow!!! We promise!!! And then we'll be out of town from Sunday through Wednesday so you might have to miss us on those days I'm afraid but then we'll be back here at Face The Day in full force!!!

Wednesday 10 October 2007: Heidi and Sarah are late...

Sarah says:
Don't worry - we got a photo today. We just didn't have any time to do anything with it. We are "good" busy. But we'll be back! It might just take a few days or so to get our acts together... We'll try to post today's photo by the end of the week so check back!

In the meantime, I forgot to post my favorite Post Secret last Sunday so here's one now to hold y'all over!

Sarah adds:
Something about being in America around all my high school and childhood friends and something about the above Post Secret entry made me really miss drink and drugs! All I remember is good stuff other than maybe two experiences and the in the later days frequent dark thoughts... but mostly it was fun -- granted it was total escape and only appropriate behavior of someone single and without real responsibility - but it was fun. I remember nights like the post card above but with joy not fear - moments when we'd watch a movie tripping out or stare at fish for hours stoned or talk, talk, talk about everything and nothing or indeed go to an amusement park off our rockers and fly high in the sky having fun, fun, fun! Other than that time when someone shook a tree over my head when I was totally whacked out on something hallucinogenic and sticky leaves were caught in my hair which made me feel like I was in some sticky prison - I had some great and vivid moments. I would never go back or even condone all that stuff but I won't pretend it wasn't fun at the time - though I have to add I made some very stupid decisions while drunk or on drugs and I paid for those mistakes the hard way so again - in no way to I say here to anyone that drugs are the way to go... BUT --I loved the escape and the freedom of it. Being back in The States without husband and child and on vacation reminded me of that sort of free-spirited-ness that goes along with being a teenager. My life now is far far better than it was then and I would never exchange those days for these but I have to admit that I can long for that sort of freedom sometimes and I had a little taste of it in New York and that was great and I shall savor it!

Tuesday 9 October 2007 Part Two: Sarah wants to show you some random New York photos if you don't mind!

Hi all - I'm back in town! Haven't been able to keep this up from New York! But I just updated everyday starting at last Friday so feel free to scroll down to see what's been going on in New York! Below are just some random shots from the last 5 days I had a great time! Now I'm going to go to sleep!!!

The theme below is TWINS!!! Three sets of them in one night!!

Above you can see the beautiful Ames twins, Jennifer and Rachel...

And above you can see Erika's mom Lorraine and her twin sister Elaine. They are a pair!

And though not identical, above you can see Neil and his twin brother Paul. Two English lads. Twins at heart with different heads...

PHOTO DELTED (05-01-09)
Above you CAN'T see Seth Zimiles and his partner Sarah BECAUSE I DELTED THE PHOTO. Seth was also at the wedding, which is cool because he is Erika's ex-boyfriend. They have happily stayed friends. I am glad because it was great to see him and to meet his partner Sarah. Seth is a spectacular and dark sculptor. His work is the kind of stuff I love. He's also just started a restoration business. He's very talented and a bit mad like every artist should be I guess. Check out his stuff via this link!

That's an old Nyack gal named Jane Lecroy who was at Erika's wedding and who I have known here and there and on and off just via connections. I think our parents used to hang out and do hippy stuff back in the day. Anyway - Jane is fucking amazing! I had to use a bad word because in her speech at the wedding she did and it was great! She is a performer for sure! Very impressive. Very big balls! Here is a link to her stuff. Check it out!

This Oscar kid is way too cute. Just had to throw another photo in there of him! I wish I had gotten photos of Rachel's two kids come to think of it! They were so fun to see as well! I love seeing my friends' children. Heart-warming!

And last but certainly not least, I will end this New York photo extravaganza with a photo of Erika with an actual piece of spinach stuck in her teeth. It's an ongoing joke between us and I CAUGHT her green-toothed and grinny! Congratulations Erika!

Tuesday 9 October: Heidi's day after: there is a hole in her life...And Sarah is walking on the moon and the king of pain back in Belgium!

Sarah says:
I forgot to take a photo again! So when I remembered on the plane this morning it must have been 2 am New York time and 8 am Belgium time. I couldn't use my flash so this is all I can offer! I am back Jack! I haven't slept a wink! I will take a few hour nap in a minute before my husband and daughter get home. I can't wait to see them! We also have another addition to our household which I'll tell you about another day! Glad to be back but also sad! It's a mixed-bag as always. I REALLY enjoyed my time alone in New York. I got to do everything I wanted - other than shop more!!! - And I got to see everyone! I feel so filled up with good stuff. But every happy feeling is of course the flip side of some sad one. It's always hard to say goodbye. I feel a little empty! But life will be back to normal very shortly!!!



Heidi says: That was it! It's over, again. I paid 104 euros for a ticket, and they didn't even play my favorite song. No no, not Roxanne, Dead end job!!! The Police were magnificent yesterday. I am sure they were much better and wilder in my birthyear, 1978 that is, but for three men of 56 (Sting), 55 (Stewart) and 65 (!!! Andy!!!) they were pretty ok! There was no super show, no diva-allures, no look-at-me-how-rich-I-am-behaviour. It was just an honest reunion of three boys who did it in the late seventies and early eighties. I loved them when I was 15 and I still love them. Viva The Police!

Monday 8 October 2007: Police!!!!!!!! Sarah says goodbye to New York and to Mona after a great short, hot week full of fun!!!

Sarah says:
I forgot to take a photo of myself today! Imagine that! So I give you the lovely Mona in front of her beautiful home, where she rents an apartment in that house you see up there. She has such a cosy place. It felt like home to me! Sad to say goodbye! By the way - do you see just how sunny it was when I left New York today? It was about 29 I think - hot and humid! Mona and I went to a diner for breakfast just as I requested. I had a massive load of eggs, bacon and a bagel full of butter! That's what I associate with America! But it sure tasted great! I ate well this trip and didn't overdue it too much! I had everything I had been dreaming of having. All the things I miss. And I left very satisfied about everything! Just wished I had more time!



Heidi says: Sorry! no cameras allowed at the Police-gig...

Sunday 7 october 2007: Family day for Heidi and friend and family day for Sarah!

Sarah says:
Today I went with Mona to Erika's new apartment in Riverdale. Look at the view out the windows! Crazy! Erika and Neil and Oscar have made it! Seriously! I was in awe of their apartment. It's freaking great! Windows everywhere! Amazing views everywhere! Lots of light! This is going to be such a great place for them to live and for Oscar to grow up and for me to stay when I come to New York City!

And look at Oscar up there? He's adorable. Look at that face!

There's me and Erika again acting dumb but looking good and playing with mirrors. We were right near her building's pool!!!!! Living Large! She must feel like the Fresh Prince of Bel Air!

The gang's all there! A bunch of Erika's girlfriends met up at Erika's house for a nice afternoon together. This is a great batch of gals! Look at Neil being the "new man" all decked out and wearing Oscar. Neil is a good one. That's for sure.

And here are my girls! Seriously though - that's Erika, Rachel and Mona - and if I haven't told you already - those are my three best friends in the world. Those girls are my roots. I feel entwined with them. Seeing them makes me feel like I'm on top of the world. I hope we are in touch and an active part of each other's lives till the day we die. They are freaking amazing women. I love them to bits! They are beautiful. I love who we all have become!

Above you can see Erika, Oscar and Neil playing family together with props. Aren't they colorful? I like those stuffed animals! I want that one!

And above you can see my childhood friend Sarah Ratcliff and her son Dante. Sarah and I have been friends since nursery school - so what - 32 years or something? She's my oldest connection. We grew up in Nyack together and spent so many years together day after day. I am so glad we meet up whenever I am in town. I hope when we are 99 years old we can still meet up for a slice of pizza in our hometown Nyack, New York! Sarah is just like always, -- calm, cool and with really long blond hair and big jewelery. Her son Dante is growing up so fast! He's a lovely, beautiful boy!

And last but not least, I got to see my little brothers one last time in Nyack! I also tried to take photos of our old house, where I lived till I was in my 20s. I went down my old street but it was too dark to take photos. It gave me butterflies in my stomach for some reason. I have been there before and haven't felt that way so I'm not sure why it made me feel so weird this time. I ran into an old neighbor and we talked for a while. I saw the 28!!! year old girl I used to babysit when I was 16! Crazy!!!! By the way, my old house is for sale again. Click on this link and you can see exactly where I grew up. You can even buy it if you want!!! It looks so much different than it did when I lived there. There used to be a lot of trees all around it -- a whole forest that I played make-believe in. I could hardly recognize this cleaned-up version of my old house.
It's for sale for freaking $1.7 million almost! So I had another great day with Mona and Erika and Rachel and Oscar and Neil and Sarah and Dante and Erik and Matt and others. I felt so lucky. I know -- I get too sentimental - but I really did feel a lot of love in the air. That feels great!


Heidi says: finally I get my daughter back!

Saturday 6 October 2007: It's swingtime again for Heidi and Sarah hits the city to see old friends and family late into the night...and NYC rat traps!

Sarah says:
So today I hung out with Mona in the morning and did a little shopping too in her town, Tarrytown, where she and I went to Hackley High School together back in the day. Erika, Oscar, Neil and Neil's family came up to Tarrytown for lunch. The weather here is so hot right now!!!! Crazy hot. Soaking up as much as I can but also feeling a bit to warm and nasty and with wet underarms all the time! So anyway - after that lunch, Mona and I took th train into Grand Central and went to the East side of the city to Avenue C and 10th to eat at a nice Brazilian restaurant called Esperanto. We met up with an old friend of mine from The Netherlands who works as a journalist in New York for some Dutch publications - he also has this blog about how he is preparing for the New York City marathon. His name is Diederik Van Hoogstraten. You can see him in the photo with me above. He's partially responsible for my meeting my husband in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Diederik - aka Rik to me, was part of the journalism exchange program at my University New Paltz. I met him at college and we became fast friends. With his encouragement, I signed up for the exchange program to his journalism school in Utrecht, where I met my husband my first day there! I moved to Belgium. Rik moved to New York. It's always nice to see him! Some of his friends from Holland were with us along with my dates Dirk and Mona!

Above you can see me with my oldest brother's ex-wife, my sister-in-law Toni. She met up with me and Mona at Grand Central Station from about 11:30 pm until about 2 am! We had some drinks and caught up. It's been a long time! It was really good to see her. I also really liked hanging out at Grand Central Station bars and next to the New York Public Library so late at night.

And that's Mona and I on the train at about 2:30 am, tired and greasy but still looking colorful and awake and having a good time! I think we got to sleep after 3:30 pm that night... Lots of late nights these days... Fun!

Well - of course I HAD TO take a photo of that huge RAT TRAP you see above - just randomly placed outside an apartment building in the city! Yuck!!!! Do you see how big that hole is? Unbelievable! Disgusting! That's New York for you! You live among the rats and it's still one of the best places on earth. I was so freaking happy to be there walking its streets! I really missed it and was glad to catch up on the city nights!

The above photo was just funny - and again, very New York! We were right across the street from Grand Central at about 2 am. We passed this bank and saw this guy asleep in the window. He had a big smile on his face. He was right under a sign that said "special offer" as you can see. I almost wanted to buy him! He didn't really look like a bum. We couldn't figure out what he was doing sleeping in that window. I love New York!



Heidi says: Now who's my daddy? :)
(first one is Mr Nice, second one is the great swingmeister Ivan)

Friday 5 October 2007: Thank God it's friday! Sarah goes to Erika and Neil's New York wedding tonight!!!!

Sarah says:
There above you can see the happy bride, Erika Dionisio Smith! It was so GOOD to see her and to celebrate this wonderful marriage with her and her friends and family. There sure were a lot of eccentric people there. The place, The New Leaf Cafe, was really beautiful in Fort Tryon Park where the Cloisters are in New York City - an area people need to get to more. It's north but worth the trip! Doesn't Erika look pretty and happy?

And there above you an see the groom, Neil Smith with Erika and his son Oscar Charles Dionisio Smith. Neil is a serious catch for Erika and she for him. They are fun to watch. FUNNY! I'm pretty sure they'll be together for a while - maybe, hopefully forever, whatever that means. That little Oscar - man is he cute. So good to finally meet him!

Above you can see Erika and her butt in all their glory with friends Dara, Rachel and Mona. I hadn't seen Dara in ages. She's also a Nyack girl - came from where I grew up. There were a lot of people from Nyack. That made it fun!

And there I am with the same group of sexy gals. Man did I feel tall. So many of my friends are short. Wonder why that is! It reminded me that with my back operation I gained that extra height. I felt it. It was weird. See how much Dara and Mona look alike? Jewish/Arab sisters.

And above you can see me with Erika and my date Dirk!!! Erika put us at different tables so I didn't even get to cheat on my husband that night with his best friend --my date Dirk!!! I tried to auction Dirk off to some of the single gals at the wedding and he got one offer of 50 bucks! Needless to say - he went back to his hotel alone and I went home with Mona...

Great evening! FABULOUS PEOPLE! CONGRATULATIONS NEILE AND ERIKA AND OSCAR!


Heidi says: I am tired and that is why I am happy it is Friday. I must however say I had a very good and motivating week. So it is a good tiredness I am feeling! And yes yes, again the same picture... :)

Thursday 4 October 2007: Sarah sees her good old friend Rachel and the Statue of Liberty!

Sarah says:
That's my friend Rachel - twisty-headed Rachel! I'm so happy to see her! It's been way too long!!!! I'm staying at her house in Connecticut tonight and spending the day with her Friday before Erika's wedding. it's fun getting to see her kids and know them a little better. I'm happy to be here!
The photo below is the view out of my dad's office at the southern tip of New York city. I was in the city very quickly today at his office before hopping on a train to Rachel's.

Still Tuesday 3 October 2007: Sarah sees three of her 5 brothers and her two nephews at her dad's in Queens!!!

That's my 17 year old nephew Andy -- he's my oldest brother Josh's son. I can't believe how old he has gotten!

That's my 19 or is it 20? year old nephew -- also the son of Josh.

That's my younger brother Erik who turned 22!!!! on the 1st of October!!! I'm getting so old if I compare myself to him and to my youngest brother Matt below who's 20 already!!!! I forgot to take a photo of my dad this time -- but you can see him above in the background.


And last but not least - you can see my oldest brother josh above. he's now 42!

Wednesday 3 October 2007: Heidi keeps on going!! Sarah runs off to New York with Marv's best friend!!!

Sarah says:
Hi there! I arrived safely in New York! Flew here with Dirk, Marv's best mate! Little does anyone know that Dirk and I have run away together forever!!! He'll even be my date at my friend Erika's wedding Friday night! Good old Marv - he's okay with all of it! I had a good flight with Dirk. Smooth sailing! Great to be back "home"!

Hey Heidi -- that red looks FAB! Great work! By the way - I am typing on a qwerty keyboqrd here in the stqtas and it is very hard!!!!!!! This iw ajqy it looka like if I type blisnd (blind)<>. oh BOY!


Heidi says: today I painted the color 'ambition' on two big walls (look at the color behind me). What's in a name ;). I also ran around to pick up very needed stuff, and was really busy the whole day. It felt great! Great! GREAT!!!!