Vienna

I was lucky enough to join Bogdan in Viena for couple of days. He came for his job, I came to see again this beautiful city, now even more embellished by the Christmas lights. We met our friend established here and today we are going to celebrate another friend's birthday. Now I have to go, because I'm gonna lose the breakfast!

Runa

This morning, very early, Runa went skiing in Austria. She started this sport 5 years ago, when she was almost 5. We sent her in a camp, with 2 monitors, in Predeal, and since then, every winter goes skiing and every summer she goes climbing and hiking, sometimes twice per season. 

It was a tough decision for us, since she was a very small child at the time, but now we can see the seeds we planted were in a very fruitful soil. 

Many friends asked me how we managed the stress to know our little baby child away in such adventure... well, we trust her. If she have shown us that she was afraid of doing that, we should take her home within 2 hours. 

She enjoyed every minute of her adventure, she found funny solutions at some problems (even at 5!) and she managed to be on the trail the whole day. Of course, there were many adults around her, taking care to have anything she needs, but nobody from the family was allowed, so they kept the camp in very well defined boundaries.

Mara

She is original, crazy, full of imagination. She can talk for hours with her cats and dolls, dancing and reciting. Is cute and sweet, stubborn and nervous. All of them in the same time. 

Happy Birthday, Alexandra!

I love to have a big family! Alexandra is my niece and also my godchild, last week was her birthday, we celebrated her 5th anniversary!

The cake was in a shape of a butterfly (beautiful choice, Alina!), and Alex blew the candles several times, it was a funny trick, they lit on and on again...

All the kids played with some colorful modeling paste, making ice cream and cakes in different shapes. I "ate" lots of ice cream, it was good for my throat :).

Alexandra's smile is contagious for everybody, she is such a happiness to watch!

Radu's laughter is the same, he is so funny and joyful! Not that he's my child, but is really a pleasure to watch him laughing...

Alina, a heroic mother, cooked everything for the party, starting with some fish and a-la-russe salads, then schnitzels and "sarmale" (meat rolls in cabbage leaves). She was really awesome.

My smaller funny brother :) and Alexandra's father. Santa's "little" helper.

Ioana and her beautiful and curious daughter, Maria. Nice kid, isn't she?

Runa found some crafting game to play alone, the other kids were a little bit too small for her to play together.

But when the balloons arrived, she was happy to blow some and made the other kids laugh.

Alexandra loves balloons too, she is such a cute child!

Mara dressed herself like a princess, it was really cold outside but she didn't give up her beautiful dress. She made a clear statement: I will always wear only dresses, never pants! I do believe her for the moment, she is so stubborn!

Radu started to show also some preferences about clothes: Cars and Cars and Cars.

All my kids love colors and express that by drawing, painting, even by clothes.

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY again, Alexandra! A little bit late, but from all our hearts!

Mara

Mara took over the decorating project this morning, so she arranged the stairs while I was ironing. She started with herself, and finally she fixed alone a beautiful setup in the house. Bogdan put on the lights and the whole building is lightened, pretty and cozy.

Barcelona with Vv

As never, I know exactly what I did last year on 30th of November: I spent few days with my good friend Vv in Barcelona. It was a strange decision for me, but I needed some time just for myself, so I decided to go visiting her for 3 days. I was lucky enough to find some low-cost tickets only few days before, so I made it for the weekend.

God, we spoiled ourselves like hell, we went to the city market, we ate in cheap restaurants with best food ever (she lives there since 2007, so she knows the bests), drank a lot of claras (beer with a twist of lemon), having churros (some sweets with or without chocolate) every day, doing lot of window shopping and real shopping (just a little bit because was season yet, so there were no discounts), danced salsa at night with some Columbian gay friends of Vv (this was their folk dance, ok? all the girls in the club would kill us), chatting till late at night (or would I say morning?). Best time between girls, I should say.

We didn't take any pictures, except the ones below, with her mobile phone, mostly to remember the location of the colorful flats shop and some shoe models.

We found a marvelous shop with flats, in rainbow colors, ready-to-wear or made-to-order, as you please.

We tried half of the pairs from the shop and left empty handed, I really don't know why, I guess was just hard to choose from so many colors and nuances.

My name is K and I am a shoes addict, I wanted the above model, but in chocolate color and they didn't have it at the time, but I found instead my dream boots in red color, the only pair was exactly my size and Vv negotiated hard a good discount for me.

I came back refreshed and ready to start over with the kids and work and I think is the kind of escapade we all need sometimes, just to shut down the engine a little bit. Bogdan took the children all the weekend out and entertained them, so they hardly noticed I wasn't there.

I will definitely try that again someday! Hope is not gonna be when the kids will go to college!

This Moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. {from www.soulemama.com}

Crying Window

I wanted to take this picture from a very long time, but only today I was able to stop on that street. And it was a car parked just in front of this window, so I couldn't make it proper.

I like the way the color drained on the wall, the contrast between the lemon yellow and the intense blue, the prison feel of the bars, the beauty in the ugliness.

I find it sad, despite the bright and happy colors. It gives me a bitterly mood.

Baking Runa

Runa had a tough day today, no tv, no computer, only lessons, reading and drawing as relaxing activity. So, evening time, when she heard grandma is going to bake a cake for school, she offered to help. I put a hand too, but she did most of the work, so I'm very proud of her.

Catalunya - Spain

Funny how life is... On my wish list, 10 years ago, was to travel anytime I want, anywhere I want. Maybe is not anywhere, but is almost anytime now. Is still on my wish list, and is gonna be forever, I think. I wrote it when I was seventeen, I write it now. My soul is restless, my eyes want to see. More. And more. And this is how I went again in Spain.

We landed in February 2008 in Barcelona, but we rented a car and visited Costa Brava, starting with the sea villages. Above is the fortress in Tossa del Mar.

Geometry in Girona.

In a lighthouse garden we snuck in and we found this beautiful place on the shore, very beautiful and well cared.

Girona has most beautiful views by the river.

I went to the museum and in the (very old) citycenter, but what I enjoyed most was taking lunch on the quay.

We just sat and enjoyed the tapas with a glass of red wine aside, chilling down a little bit, taking our time and admiring the views.

Well, we didn't have enough of Girona's views, we sat there one whole day relaxing.

The Besalu brigde, a Roman relic, gorgeous and incredibly well kept.

In Tossa del Mar we had the most incredible tapas, it was winter and nobody there, and they cooked mussels and shrimp with garlic, also some Pimientos del Padron (try them if you go in Spain, they are yummy).

Alone on the beach, while Bogdan stayed in the fortress taking pictures.

I will be back with some more Spain pics, we went there 5 times, now I counted. And we will go more, we want to see Madrid and for sure some other places. And Valentina lives in Barcelona and I miss her so much... In fact, all that Catalunya trip was just to see her, because we saw Barcelona one year earlier. How crazy is that...?