Maastricht

After some serious discussions with R. trying to convince me not to go, I went to Maastricht.

Friday morning hawkeye Always Right picked me up and together with G. and D. we headed south where we arrived around noon. Had a great lunch and went on our shopping mission. After 1,5 day i can solemnly swear we did the best we could.
I got home with presents for the kids, 3 pairs of shoes, 1 black doorschijnbloes (which they made me swear to wear on the evening of the 23th when everybody is coming to our place for dinner), 1 cookingbook and a sweater for R. 2 pairs of earrings, 1 bracelet and 1 broche and 2 sweaters for the boys.
And of course all of the above without fitting coz my back didn't allow me to bend too much.
Girls thanks again for carrying all my stuff and D. in particular for not smashing me on the back at night coz i was snoring :0

But the best part of it all was: we made cunning plans (can you tell i love that expression?) about this coming year in which we all become 40.
It's strange. I know some of you reading this must go like: 40 !!! my god, she is OLD.

And i KNOW you are right. But I can write about this topic without any shame or fear or whatever. It's just too surreal.
I mean, I remember my mother becoming 40!
And i KNOW life is clearly over by then.
Now i admit thinking that too when i became 19, but i am sure most of you would agree with me on the 40 story. FOURTY !!!

You know what is even worse.
41.
Can't really say why, but with 40 you still can show some pride coz it's a special year. Like 21 or 30. Going the wrong way ofcourse but hey, 41 is definitely over the top.

So.
D. is the first of us to celebrate and we decided to start our jubileumyear by going to New York!!
Yippie, Yahoo !
Just for a few days, *nose in the air* to do our Christmas shopping.

Then during the springbreak holiday of the kids we all go ski-ing in Austria. We rent a big house, hire a Dutch ski-instructor for the kids (we can fill our own class by then) and maybe persuade A. to bring a friend so we can have an evening off for dinner out. TTYL about that one A.!

And as i am the youngest one, getting 40 in June 2006, we top it off with a birtday party somewhere in a house with a pool where everybody can invite friends and family. Ladies, help me out; was this the house in Tuscany or are we going there for the summer holiday?
Anyway, we're going to see lots of each other the coming year, we're going to celebrate life, we're going to have big dinner feasts, and in generalgoing to spend a lot of €'s.

D. and I are in the NY organisation group. I think A. is doing the skiing and G. looks at the house in June.

Great, great, great.