Roxy & Marty

NYC 2011

2011-08-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

Marty and I took a short trip this July to New York City. It's been on my bucket list for a long time now and I have been thinking more and more that unless and get my pen out and start crossing the things on my list off, life will just fly by me without me even realizing.

With that thought in mind I said to myself - now it's the time; there isn't a better time... it's as good as we make it to be. So just like that, I made up my mind, got online, found some tickets, looked for a hotel, booked it, found a dog sitter and within a couple of hours we had "vacation plans".

We had such a great time! We got there Friday night and stayed until Sunday. Saturday couldn't have been a better day - the weather was great and we walked the city from morning until night. I had to laugh when I took my sandals off late that night...cried shortly after, but first reaction was to laugh. Here are a few of my favorite memories. I wish we did things like this more often!

We have guests!

2011-04-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is one of the reasons I love living in the country. I woke up to these two cranes who decided they liked our pond.

Doi cocori au decis ca le place lacul de langa casa noastra...micile bucurii care fac viata intr-o zona retrasa foarte frumoasa!

Hristos a inviat!!

2011-04-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

A peaceful Saturday

2011-04-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Manuel, Leslie, Bella, and Gianna came over for a nice, rainy Saturday. We had such a good time and the girls and Penney loved the walk around the pond by our house.

Giethoorn

2011-04-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

I came across a posting that talked about the city without streets in the Netherlands and it intrigued me to research it. The more I find about it the more I want to see it. I can't even imagine the peacefulness of a place like this. I wish this could be my next vacation!

Saying good bye to my dad

2011-04-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

Over the course of these past 4 weeks I have been struggling to articulate what I feel. I have very strong feelings over what happened and feel as though I have a lot to get out but the words don’t seem to want to get out yet I guess….Sometimes I wish I could just get it all out at once and then be able to move on with life! I guess it’s the pain that I would like to get out of my heart and I'm hoping that maybe words would help.

I have been through an emotional roller coaster from the highest highs working my heart out for something I believe in and feeling full of hope and excitement, to having to break myself from what was reality for me up until that point, to finding my father in such heart wrenching state, to feeling more helpless than I ever felt in my life, to fighting alongside him not sure whether it was the best thing to do anymore, to losing him- reality that is very hard to accept and move on with.

I have been a “daddy’s girl” growing up and always looked up to him seeking his approval. The past 12 years have been really rough as I watched him mourn over losing the love of his life. I never saw anyone fall so hard and suffer for so long over losing their special someone. It hurt to witness it but made me proud at the same time that my parents loved each other this much.

The reality hits me in the face every so often and knocks me to my knees: I am 33 and I don’t have a mom or a dad to call on, nor will my children have a "bunicu" or "bunica" (g-pa, g-ma) to be spoiled by.

Trying to move on as I cling onto two things – he is not suffering anymore and he holds the answers to the questions I’ve often wondered about and don’t know the answer to with certainty: how is it? Where is it? Did he find her?

In Military Academy

Good bye for now; I will miss you terribly! ....Those 5pm calls when I knew you would be up even if it was midnight in Romania calling to see if I am going home to get on skype so we can talk....chatting about nothing just because you loved sitting there watching me as I cooked or ironed clothes....the little ways in which you tried to be part of my life from afar.

http://www.condeiulardelean.ro/articol/colonel-r-florescu-ion-1949-2011

Romania

2011-04-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for Christmas!

2010-11-29T19:15:00.001-08:00

London

2010-11-28T18:56:00.000-08:00

Stonehendge

2010-11-28T18:49:00.000-08:00

Buckland Abbey

2010-11-28T08:43:00.000-08:00

700 year old castle that used to belong to Sir Francis Drake

Eden Project

2010-11-28T06:26:00.000-08:00

The Eden Project was built in a 160-year-old exhausted china clay quarry at Bodelva, near St. Austell, in Cornwall. Eden is a charity, working beyond the visitor attraction on education, community and regeneration projects. It is a great testimony to self efficiency and nature conservation.
It has an amazing subterranean drainage system that collects all the water coming on to the site, averaging 20,000 bathfuls a day. They use this water to irrigate the plants while the rainwater that falls on the Biomes is used to create the mist inside the Rainforest Biome. 43% of their water needs are provided from grey water harvested on site.
They have two biomes - Rainforest and Mediterranean.

The steelwork of the biomes weighs only a little more than the air contained by the biomes. They are more likely to blow away than down, so the frames are secured to the foundation with ground anchors. The hexagonal windows are actually made of a material that has a lifespan of over 25 years, weighs 1% of what a glass panel that size would, transmits UV light, is non-stick, self-cleaning and one hexagon could hold the weight of a car. Don't ask the name of the material....ETFE

This waterfall is inside the Rainforest Biome and runs on recycled water helping to manage humidity levels needed inside the biome. This biome is 164 ft tall and it is the world's largest rainforest in captivity.

Totems created by a West African sculptor. These totems were salvaged from fire.

Mediterranean Biome, full of flowers and perfumed herbs. Lemon trees, orange trees, olive trees and even a vineyard inside of this biome.

The Weeman, made of 3.3 tons of waste electrical and electronic equipment an average person in the UK throws away in their lifetime.

The seed is a 70-tons granite sculpture located in the Core. The Core is an education center full of interactive displays where both children and adults can press buttons, wind handles and learn a lot of things about nature. The Core uses solar panels to provide energy.

Horse made of cork, which they actually grow in the Mediterranean Biome.

The cost of this project? 140 mil pounds
Returns on this investment? 400 full time jobs, 200 seasonal jobs, 200 volunteers, 11 million visitors and 900 million pounds of incremental business in the county since its opening in 2001.

Newquay, England

2010-10-26T14:49:00.001-07:00

Plymouth, England

2010-10-13T08:22:00.001-07:00

We are visiting my brother and Ola and Roxi in Plymouth, England to a couple of weeks and are very excited to be here with them and to have the time away from work to recharge our batteries. There is so much to see and the weather has been perfect! Apart from the little things I find a bit strange such as driving on the left side of the road and sitting in the driver seat without a steering wheel or trying to wash my hands with look-warm water...we are having so much fun.

Plymouth, England

Penney's TP party

2009-12-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

This post is long overdue, but I had a hard time uploading the video last time and gave up on it...thought I would do it later, but later turned into 6 months later. I can't believe how long Penney's hair was back in June! Here are the pictures and I will try to edit the video down so it's shorter.

We're closing on our new house next week!!!!

2009-11-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to hold my excitement back until I knew that this is happening for sure. I now have confirmation that we are on track to close this coming week and I thought I would share the great news with you all. We are very excited and feel so blessed to be getting this home!
Please come to visit us; I hope the distance won't discourage anyone - our new home is in Oxford.
Now that the whole house-hunt/negotiations/appraisals/home inspections/anxiousness looking for the best fit is over, I feel overwhelmed looking back and realizing how God worked everything out for the best. We've had our eyes on a few other homes prior to finding The One and it was pretty discouraging watching them all go to other people, but I can't think of one that I would have picked over this one. God really knows what He's doing - not that I doubted it, but I did struggle at times believing that that this will be our house. In fact...I still find it hard to believe because it's so perfect!

I received this box at work today from my realtor and my loan officer - that's how I found out we're clear to move on.

Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad

2009-07-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

Rochester Hills

2009-07-16T00:56:00.000-07:00

Trip to the Detroit Zoo

2009-07-12T13:53:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July & La Multi Ani Diana!!!

2009-07-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Moses

2009-07-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share a few pictures of Isabella with her pet. She named him Moses :)

2009-07-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

We took a three day trip with my father to see Marty's parents in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. On the way there we stopped to see Milwakee as well. What a great city!

The Lottie Cooper built in 1876, was capsized off Sheboygan in 1894. Much of her original structure was recovered in 1992 and displayed by the shore.

My dad with Marty's dad on the Lottie Cooper.

Soccer player

2009-06-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

With my dad visiting from Romania we thought it would be a great idea to take him to see my brother Manuel play soccer. I took advantage of the occasion to snap a few pictures while we were there :)

Happy B-day Isabella!

2009-06-30T19:37:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Isabella's birthday this June. Hard to believe that she is already 4!! The theme this year was "bugs" and her biggest wish was a SNAKE!

Sleepy Penney

2009-06-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

Marty has been taking pictures of Penney on several occasions and e-mailing them to me at work. I thought I would share a few because she is just the cutest thing ever! She loves her little bed and to add to the cuteness of it, she unmistakably takes my slippers (which I purposefully leave out for her when I leave in the morning) in bed with her.

Stuff the Couch!

2009-06-03T16:07:00.001-07:00

We call Penney's new favorite game "Stuff the Couch". Here is why :)

Spring

2009-05-25T10:04:00.001-07:00

We took these pictures a couple of weeks ago but didn't have the time to update the blog. Penney loves being able to go outside and thought the flowers were delicious. We also got a basket that goes on the handle bars of my bike and she loves to ride in it. Thought it would be a good alternative to have her outside even when she wouldn't be able to keep up with us.

Sleepy head

2009-05-05T19:01:00.001-07:00

Silliness

2009-05-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

So, Penney keeps looking in the oven at herself and barking

Skill Test

2009-05-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

Since Yorkies were originally bred to hunt mice, we thought we would put Penney's skill to the test. We gave her 3 tests -
Ferret Hunt - PASSED
Tunnel Chase - PASSED
Turtle Hunt - FAILED

Take a look and how she did!!!

Penney's New Friend

2009-03-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally coming!!!

2009-03-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

Today was one of the sunniest days this year and it felt great! Manuel, Marty, Bella and I went for a walk with the dogs while Gianna took a nap. Bella loves Penney so much! She walked Penney on the leash and every once in a while she remembered how much she loves Penney and would stop to give her a hug and a kiss.

Gianna was not too sure about Penney today :)

Bruise progression

2009-03-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

This is day 3 of my bruise in its healing process. Let's be honest - this is once in a lifetime kinda' bruise, so I had to post it! At least I hope it's once in a lifetime!!! :)

Roxy's injury

2009-03-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

So, I went yesterday for the first time at Troy Church of Christ to visit while my brother was being appointed associate minister. Needless to say, a whole bunch of people were there including marty's former boss who sat right behind us. I originally sat half way in the row of seats but kept moving further down as more of our family came in. We were all singing (standing) and I had Bella in my arms and my coat on, so when that was done and everyone sat down I put Bella down on the chair next to me and I sat down myself so I could take my coat off. Except there was no chair behind me!!!! In a second I found myself on the floor with a big "boom" noise and shocked as to how and when all that happened. I crawled in between the rows by Bella's legs barely holding my laugh although the pain was excruciating. Marty kept asking if I was ok and I couldn't even talk I was laughing so hard. All I wanted to say to him was "Shut up!!" cause he was only drawing more attention to me. Last thing I wanted was attention. Manuel had his face down, was red as a lobster laughing his heart out.
I took my coat off while sitting on the floor next to the chair and then slowly crawled on the chair and held Bella. For the next 30 minutes I struggled to keep myself from laughing as I replayed the movie in my head and thought of what an embarrasing moment that was. I am sure Marty's former boss saw it all happen...who knows how many more people!? I really wanted to check my arm too because it was hurting so bad and I could feel that it was swollen but I didn't want more attention that I had already gotten.
Now that the shame wore off and I can laugh at it better I thought I would share a picture of my arm with you. I am guessing that it will look worse in the next few days. At this point is more red/bloody than purple. I'll keep you posted though :)

New Hair

2009-03-05T05:52:00.000-08:00

Penney had her first appointment with the groomer last night and she looks so cute I had to take a few pictures after the fact. She was very nervous and worried as I left her there, but there were three ladies all free and eager to cuddle her and comfort her. She was there for almost three hours and it seemed so long to me! I heard that she did great for the most part. She did not like to have her nails trimmed, which I knew cause I have a lot of fun with that at home too ;). Let's just say she gets a LOT of treats when I cut her nails. She stays still as long as she is chewing :)
Here is Penney, big girl hair style!

2009-02-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

Greedy Penney

2009-02-18T20:19:00.000-08:00

I find it very entertaining to watch how greedy Penney is. I hope it makes you laugh just as much :)

Look who got a t-shirt!

2009-01-12T18:07:00.000-08:00

It wasn't easy to find something that would fit Penney, but somehow we did! She is 1.5 pounds as of her last dr. appointment and got two of her vaccines so far. She is being great for us and brings us so much joy!! She is very silly and full of life. It's all about play time for her! So far she knows where to pee and poop (most of the time), knows to fetch and to sit on command. Better than anything else she knows how to "pinch the right strings" to win us over.

Cuddles

2009-01-10T15:37:00.000-08:00

After a bath, cuddling in the towel :)

Totally out!!!!!

Sleeps as hard as she plays :)

Fell asleep while watching TV

Stair climber

2009-01-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

Merry C-mas!!!

2008-12-27T16:27:00.000-08:00

This is a picture I took last winter and it's one of my favorites

I borrowed this from Leslie. I must have been sleeping somewhere when this happened, but I find it hilarious.

Laura and Lee

Marty, Roxy and Penney

Manuel and Leslie got a bread making machine!!!

Merry C-mas with the Zurlinden Family! We had a great evening with them. Leslie's camera again :)

I declare myself a thief!!! This is Leslie's picture. But how could I resist it??

Thief, thief, thief!! I stole this one too from Leslie :)))

Penney being very interested in this gift that came from Germany.

Gma and Gpa Jeffery looking at a book that Leslie made for them.

Isabella loving C-mas :)

MERRY C-MAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whistle Player

2008-12-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

2008-12-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

Small Growl

2008-11-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

Vicious Penney caught on tape :)

New Addition

2008-11-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

Introducing Penney!! :)

We are in Traverse City this weekend visiting with Marty's sister and we happened to mention that we were looking to adopt a yorkie. Around 6 am, Marty's mom came running all happy with the newspaper in her hands. A few hours later we came home with Penney....7 weeks old. We couldn't resist her as soon as we met :) I will follow up with some videos as well in the next couple of days.

September Birthdays :)

2008-10-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures from our September b-days :) Half the family is born in Sept ;). Wish Bogdan and Ola were here cause they would have been added to this party.

Trip to Traverse City

2008-10-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Finally getting a chance to update a few pictures from our trip to Traverse City. We spent the weekend with Marty's sister Melissa and her newly aquired yellow lab...quite a hand-full of a dog but as sweet as they come :)

Loves to be pampered :)

We actually built a kennel for her while we were there. Our first ever!

She has a little doggy door to go into her indoor kennel...nifty!

We didn't build this one however...came with the house.

Soon enough we found out that she is a great jumper!

Taking a peak while her dinner is getting ready :)

Sofie is Melissa's cat. She is a lot of fun!! Most daring cat I ever met by far! She did not care that there was a dog in the house. In fact she found it very intriguing.

Sofie's favorite: sleeping in paper bags

Here's what happened with this itty bitty mushroom while we were there:

Eating at Moomers!

Melissa is a teacher. We got to see her class and that brought up very sweet memories for me. I miss teaching. I have to say though, Melissa's class was the ONLY one ready for the kids. All other teachers were still working on theirs...while Melissa was enjoying the sun outside. Way to go!!

There's a downside though to being in her class!!! ;)

Trip to the Zoo

2008-09-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

We caught a really nice Saturday to visit the Zoo with Manuel, Leslie, Bella, and Gianna. It was a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures:

2008-08-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LESLIE!!!

Frankenmuth

2008-08-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

For our 3 yr anniversary, we made a quick weekend trip to Frankenmuth. We both enjoyed it a lot and marked it on our list as a place to go back to. Here are a few pictures. Manuel and Leslie, I think Bella and Gianna would love the things they would be able to do at the lodge! You might want to come with us next time.

The Mirror Maze!

Belle Riverboat was a lot of fun!

We passed by our hotel as well - this is the back side. The Bavarian Inn Lodge

Here are a few pictures from inside the hotel. They have a total of 5 pools and 3 whirlpools, minigolf, tennis courts, archade games, and a huge play house for kids.

I could totally see Manuel on this thing :) LOL!!!

Our Minigolf tournament. We shall not speak of who won it :)

Bronner's - World's largest C-mas store. The building itself measures 7.35 acres and the land that it's on 27 acres. I didn't know this, although it makes sense...all the sets in the Home Alone movies were created with Bronner's products. Their electric bill is almost 1,000/day.

Ornaments imported from Romania

And a display with money from all around the world. Found Romania :)

Marty being goofy :)

Wii Boxing

2008-07-18T07:49:00.001-07:00

Marty plays his Wii quite a bit. He loves boxing and he's quite good at it! :)

Happy Birthday Princess Isabella!!!

2008-06-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Isabella's birthday this year was a blast! I think she will be talking about it for a very, very long time to come. She loves fairytales and knows them all by heart. She often pretend-plays that she is Snow White or Cinderella. She would suddenly come and take you by the hand to go with her to Neverland or she will drop to the ground in the split of a second and wait for her prince to give her a kiss...just like Snow White! She is so much fun to watch at this age. Everything is a fairytale.

Needless to say, her birthday this year was more than she would have ever dreamed of. She got a visit from Snow White herself and I cannot describe in words what must have run through her mind when she saw Snow White walk into the backyard. She walked towards Snow White in awe and when she realized that Snow White was actually coming directly to her, she didn't even know where to go or what to do for a second. It was so cute!!!

Bella seeing Snow White for the first time.

First encounter with Snow White

Snow White tells them a story...of Snow White

100% into the story.

One on one time with Snow White

And more stories just for Bella!

Opening gifts

The hidden prince :)

Isabella got her own Snow White dress...I don't think I have ever seen her this excited yet!

Snow White in disguise :)

Trying out her new Princess bike

Happy Birthday Marty!!

2008-06-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Marty's B-day was a lot of fun this year! I was able to get him something he had been trying to buy for a very long time. Yet, each time he tried to convince me how much I would like it, my answer was unmistakably NO! He wanted a Wii game. He got it this year, but it took him a long time to figure it out. Take a look! LOL!!!

First clue: a Wii game called "Big brain academy". Marty thought it must be a DVD by the looks of it.

He then saw "Wii" on it and wisely concluded and we do not have a Wii. Seeing that he is not picking the clue, I said: "What??! You mean to tell me that you can't make this play on the computer???"

Marty animatedly explains me that this game CANNOT be played on the computer.

2nd Clue: Another Wii game, this time with a remote attached to it. Does he get it yet?? No, not yet! But he does aknowldge my attempt to provide a remote....that would still serve no good! My goodness!!! How silly he thinks I am!!! We were all laughing at him and he was laughing with everyone thinking that we are laughing at me cause I am finally getting how naive and ingnorant I am when it comes to technology.

3rd Clue: The game system! Aaaaahh! It finally clicks!! :) He's been playing it every day since!

Playing the Wii

2008-06-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

This game is quite intense! Here is a demo of the baseball on the Wii!

Bogdan pitching the ball

Intensity!

Determination!

Fight!

Focus!

Passion!

Sweat!

Victory! (Bogdan thought he'll be nice for Marty's B-day!)

Ola and Bogdan

2008-06-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

I owe a lot of updates on this blog. I apologize for not being able to keep up with it better. Life is running at such high speed! Here are a few pictures from Ola and Bogdan's wedding.

Ola and her daddy :)

Olga and Bogdan Florescu, together with their two nieces.

We are very sorry to have to say good bye to Bogdan and Ola and miss them a whole lot since they have left. They decided to move to England, closer to Ola's brother and start a new life there. It's been already tough quite a few times for us to drive by the area they used to live in, or to go to Taco Bell and them not be with us. Ola, I know you dream about Taco Bell! I had a delicios crunch wrap supreme today!! We'll be missing you a whole lot!

Dear friends I was so glad to see again!!!

2008-02-24T18:17:00.000-08:00

INA

Ina, is one very special friend I have in Romania. Bellow is a picture of us and Ina with her husband. They have been such great hosts and I still think about the great food they served us. Ina is special for many many many reasons. Our friendship started after I graduated and started working as a teacher. I worked in Special Education for four years and Ina took me under her wing the first year I started. She has a lot of experience teaching special aid children, she is a psychologist and author of children's books/manuals. The love she carries for the children she works with is one that I have never seen before in anyone. I am talking about love for children who are not yours, children who challenge everything you have- patience, tact, knowledge, hope... She gave 100% off all she has in every circumstance without ever expecting anything in return. Her dedication was a great example for me and her knowledge and talents have always been an inspiration.

Besides who she is in the classroom, Ina has put her heart in our friendship and she is one friend I know I can always count on. I wish we lived closer to her! I feel like I fail her in many ways!! I get so tangled in life here and so exhausted with all kinds of things that my energy level is zero anytime I should be online talking to her. Around 5 or 6 am (Romania's time) Ina is up and ready to go and exited everytime I make it to talk to her. She is one constant friend!! I am so thankful for her!!

Bellow are a couple of pictures of the Special Aid School I worked at with Ina.

Marty and I visited the school in one of the days we spent in my hometown and Ina took us on a tour to see everyone I knew and this was her special place - here is where kids get to spend time with her and get help with their problems.

Ina, I, and the president of the Special Aid School in St. George.

Medals that the children earned throughout the years. The school is making a great effort to keep the children active and to integrate them with other children their age.

Gabi was the president of the school when I worked there. It was nice to see her for a few minutes.

Csiki :) He was so happy to see me!! So was I! He's got such a positive attitude! He works with children in physical therapy.

Olga :) Her clasroom was next door to mine and Ina's.
I dared to take a little peak at the boys working in the crafts room because I noticed a lot of the decorative objects made by them throught the school. These children have a lot of talent and a lot of patience!

ADI & TIMMY

Two very special friends :) I have not seen them in 7 years. Timmy was 6 or 7 and Adi was 3 when I left Romania and I was amazed to see them again this year. I have not been in touch with them all this time and I have trully not seen them at all. I was amazed to see them so big and carry conversations with them. Adi used to hang on the door of my car whenever I would get ready to go home. He once cried so bad that I ended up taking him with me.

Special Encounter!!

The turtle I left behind 7 years ago! She was pretty mean!

Bellow is a picture of a family who was very close to us. I used to ride a trycicle with the guy on the left side (when he was 3). He is now the owner of a local newspaper and has a finacee (next to him). Next...the mystery man! =my dad who cannot stay still not even for one picture. Me and Marty. Next to me, one special lady: my kindergarden teacher! She was best friends with my mom and worked together for many years. She is the mother of the newspaper guy and the young girl in the orange sweater: Ada. Ada took care of my turtle all these years. In the back with white hair is Gigi, the father. I am very grateful for this family. My father visits with them every Sunday.

On our way out of the country I had a chance to spend a few minutes with my childhood friend: Alina. We met in first grade and lived across from each other. We shared a lot of memories, laughs and sad times. If I rember right....she made me quit my piano classes in first grade! I lied to my teacher that my mother doesn't want me in that class anymore. Really it was because Alina said I was dumb if I stayed in that boring class. Thanks Alina ;)

Sweet reunion!

2008-01-24T19:01:00.001-08:00

It was fantastic to meet with a big group from my highschool. We have all been really close during those years and are bounded forever by the greatest memories. I have not seen any of these ladies in 10 years except over the internet. It felt like a quick trip back in time and seemed like we picked everything up right from where we left it 10 years ago. It was awesome to see all of them grown into women and a lot of them with more than one kid. I am so grateful they all dropped whatever they were doing that night and came to meet with me. It was one of the greatest times I had in Romania.

Sibiu

2008-01-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

Sibiu is breath taking. We absolutely loved it and being able to enjoy it with our family made it so much more special for us. Sibiu was declared European capital - definitely deserved the title!

The Bridge of Lies

Marty begging on the streets of Sibiu ;)

Marty and the jellyfish

My cousins - Alex on my right and Irina on my left

We found a car from Michigan!

Me, Marty and Herman....the founder of the city.

From left to right: Alex, Irina, Marty, me, and Koko (Irina's husband)

So.... these were the apetizers!!! My aunt is just the best!

Stuffed cabbage, pork stakes, mashed potatoes, pickles...what else could anyone ask for? Yet there was soup too. I was too excited though and forgot to take a picture of it :)

Still dreaming of this cake!

My family: my uncle Doru - the smartest guy. I would have never gotten to like math unless for him.
My aunt Any :) the one who cooked all the great food you saw.
My cusin Alex
My dad
me
Marty
My brother Bogdan
Irina and Raul in her belly :)
Koko

The Carpathian Mountains

2008-01-01T19:15:00.001-08:00

I got the chance to capture a few shots while crossing the mountains on the way to my g-ma's.

And one more castle in Romania - Hunedoara

2008-01-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

They were renovating part of it, but nevertheless...beautiful castle!

A peak inside

Dracula's Castle

2008-01-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

Next on our trip, we knocked on Dracula's Castle's door. We couldn't miss this beautiful castle conveniently located half way between my dad's house and my g-ma's.

Guess who's bed??????????

Marty and my brother Bogdan

Ceilings were so low; people must have been pretty short ...kinda like me and my brother :)

This stairwell is inside one of the castle's walls!

Trip to Romania

2007-11-27T17:05:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to actually keep this blog updated, here are a few picture from our recent trip to Romania!

Rasnov Fortress, just half an hour away from my house and I never knew how beautiful this was! We both had a great time and Marty found some donkies :)

Inside the fortress it really felt as if we stepped into the past.

Marty and my brother Bogdan at Rasnov

Bogdan looking over the city

This is where the naughty people got to go back then!

These people were merciless!!

We said goodbye to the little town Rasnov and moved on towards Dracula's Castle!!!

The two of us

2007-04-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

We met in Rochester Hills, Michigan while attending college and it wasn't love at first sight. It all started with a nice, honest friendship that grew into something beautiful. Life is full of great surprises!

Although we both started school in 2001, we didn't date until 2004...like I said it was a surprise :) It did not take as long, however, for us to figure out what was next. We got married in August of 2005 and we now make the best of what we have together.