Unbelievable, but I haven't written anything in 7 months!!!

Today is July 4 and it is now 05:55 EST. I decided not to go to bed after my shift because we want to go to the yearly Festival of the Eno here in Durham. We decided to go early so we can be back home before it will be too hot outside. The Eno Festival brings many artists to Durham as well as many people who are selling their arts and crafts. Ofcourse there is also a lot of food, evironmental stands and stuff for the kids.

Tonight we're invited to a BBQ (a whole pig) at a colleague's house who will have an open house today.

 

In February of this year we got a phone call from the AFS representative in North Carolina if we could host a 16year old Chinese boy. After Yerik left us last May we had decided not to host, but only do "crisis hosting". Yifan was supposed to be sent back to China, but Pat and I decided to give him a chance and he stayed with us till June 28. It was quite a challenge and sometimes very exasperating, but both sides made it through till the end!

Again this year we wont host, but I will be a liaison for Varpu, a Finnish girl, that will be hosted by a very nice family here in Durham.

 

Pat has been very busy with his job and I am still working for Durham 911. I can't believe I've been working there for 3.5years now and I still like it!!

Our center has recently been awarded the Project33 Certification by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International, Inc. Only eight other 911 centers in the world have this distinction! We were also re-accredited as an Emergency Medical Dispatch Center of Excellence, the highest distinction awarded by the National Academy of Emergency Dispatch and are in the process of being accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

Having all three accreditations is rare, but we hope that we'll get that last one as well.

 

In April I finally had the chance to meet our youngest grandson and the rest of the family in Holland. I spent two fabulous weeks with Nono,Brigitte,Noah, Isabel and little Lucas! The trip both going as coming back was a desaster. Air Canada lost my luggage both ways and for the way back they forgot to email me that my flights had been changed. Thanks to the people from Lufthansa I was able to fly back via DC and my luggage was brought home the following day.

 

Chica, our 16.5year old Wirehaired Dachshund started having eye problems but she's doing a lot better now after several trips to the vet and medications. I know she's old, but I've had her for such a long time, she's like one of my kids!! Actually she was Nono's dog, but stayed on with me when he and Brigitte started a life together.

 

 In June I went to Brampton, Ontario, to visit my aunt, my father's younger sister, and celebrate her 81  birthday together with my cousin's family.

My aunt lives in a Dutch Christian Retirement Home which is a great setting for all Dutch immigrants to Canada. My aunt left Holland in 1957 and like her many others.

This retirement home is bi-lingual, so older people who revert back to their original language have no problem there, unlike my mother who, after more than 40 years in Spain couldn't speak Spanish anymore and therefore wasn't able to communicate with the people in the nursing home there.

Pat and I are wondering if I will have that same problem and whether I will then only speak Dutch or Spanish!

 

Pat and I are planning a trip to Montana and Wyoming and Yellowstone in August. This trip is our wedding gift (5years) and our birthday gitf to each other. Pat will be 57 and I have reached the big 60!

 

I'm sure I will have a lot to tell you when we come back, but for now this is all folks!!

 

There are some new picturesof my trip to Holland and Canada.