Vessie's Life

Vanyo's name day...:)

2012-01-19T19:30:00.000+02:00

Vanyo's name day was on January 7th /Saturday/. Vlado and I had picked the children up from Karlovo the previous evening, so the four of us celebrated it together...:) We visited my parents for lunch as my dad had a name day too and we spent a very nice time there - enjoying delicious food, good drinks and a funny conversation...:)

Needless to say, Vanyo got some nice gifts for his name day - a Lego City set from his sister, his dad and me and some money from my parents and my mother-in-law...:) He was soooo happy!!!:)))

The Monday that followed Vanyo's name day /January 9th/ was the first school day after the Christmas holidays, so my son brought two boxes of chocolates as a treat for his classmates and teachers...:) He was very proud that his name day was celerbated that long...;)

Other than the celebration of Vanyo's name day, that weekend was quite uneventful... I guess the only other thing worth mentioning is that we saw 'Real Steel' /wonderful movie - interesting, touching, exciting... And it also has Jugh Jackman in it... What else could a girl like me need in a movie?!:P/.

Last weekend we saw another nice movie - 'Johnny English Reborn' /quite funny, I liked it a lot:)/.

Yesterday was a very busy and stressful day - I had to get up too early /5.45 a.m./ in order to catch a bus to Botevgrad /a town in the mountains, 60 kilometers away from Sofia/ as I had a case there...:( To top it off, it had started snowing that morning, but luckily I didn't have any unpleasant road adventures!!!:) The views of the snowy mountains were fantastic!!!:))) And the best thing about the trip was that I made it to finish reading the fourth book of the Vulgar Novels series of the Bulgarian author Hristo Kaltchev - 'Liquidate the General'. I have read it in 1998, but it was nice to re-read it after a few years /this time as an e-book on my phone/...:)

Our Christmas holidays...:)

2012-01-04T00:09:00.000+02:00

December 23rd /Friday/ was the last day before our Christmas holidays... Vanyo had a Christmas party at school that day, so he brought some cookies as a treat for his classmates and teachers...:) All the children got a very nice Franklin Christmas package at the party, so Vanyo was super happy...:)

I worked only until noon that day and just as I was about to leave the office, my boss called me and gave me a Christmas bonus...:) I was so shocked as I didn't expect that at all!!!:))) Needless to say, this surprise added quite a lot to my Christmas mood!!!;)

We arrived at Plovdiv in the afternoon and we were more than ready for the beginning of our Christmas holidays...:) We spent Christmas Eve in Karlovo with my inlaws and we had a very traditional celebration...:) This year Vanyo was the lucky one - he got the coin in his piece of 'pitka'!!!:)

While we were having dinner, Santa Claus had put the presents under the Christmas tree!!!:) The children got spoilt as always!!!:)

Minnie got a tiger puzzle /500 pieces/ and a dog folder from my parents, a 'She is cool' toilet water from my sister, a FOX sweater from my in-laws, lots of cosmetics and stationery, two books in English /'The Hound of the Baskervilles' by Arthur Conan Doyle and 'The Moonstone' by Wilkie Collins/, and a helicopter toy /she had chosen it herself/ from her dad and me...:)

Vanyo got a Rescue Centre toy from my parents and my sister, a helicopter toy from my in-laws, some Lego toys and a tiny skateboard /Tech Deck/ from Minnie /she receives a scholarship this school year, so she wanted to buy some Christmas gifts too;)/, a TMNT helicopter toy /helicopters were obviously the hit for our children this Christmas;)/ and two books /fairy tales from different corners of the world, part of a series he is collecting/ from his dad and me...:)

The adults got some nice little gifts too, mainly cosmetics, so everyone was happy...;)

We got back to Plovdiv the following day /December 25/, but before going home we went to visit my parents for a while... We had a short, but very nice time together...:)

The rest of our holidays were spent quietly at home... We watched TV, read, and most of all - relaxed and enjoyed our time together to the fullest!!!:)

I also met some friends and had such a wonderful time catching up with them!!!:))) I've missed them all so much!!!:)))

We made it to see only one movie during our Christmas holidays - 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'. It turned out to be very nice, much better than I expected!!!:)

We celebrated New Year's Eve at home and we had so much fun...:) We had yummy food, good drinks, we danced and laughed a lot!!!:)))

January 2nd /yesterday/ was the last day off for Vlado and me... We went to visit my parents once again and then drove to Karlovo... Minnie and Vanyo are still on holidays /until January 9th, lucky them;)/, so hubby and I left them with my in-laws and continued to Sofia... We were a bit sad to leave the kids but it's just for four days and then we'll be together again...;) They love spending their holidays in Karlovo, so they'll be fine...;) Plus, hubby and I need some time as a couple every once in a while too...;)

Today was my first day at work and I was feeling quite stressed out, but I hope that I'll be back in track in no time, fingers crossed...;)

Minnie's 15th Birthday... and some Christmas activities...:)

2011-12-21T10:47:00.001+02:00

Quite a lot has happened since I last wrote here... You probably remember that Vanyo had his tooth taken out in the beginning of December so the Tooth Fairy was about to put some money under his pillow... Well, unfortunately Vanyo was very disappointed when he saw the money as it turned out that he had expected a toy instead...:( So we returned the money under the pillow and when he got back from school, he found a Lego City toy instead...:) Needless to say, my son was totally satisfied with his gift this time!!!:)

That Sunday /December 11th/ was Minnie's 15th birthday!!!:) As always, we spent the weekend in Plovdiv, but we came back to Sofia earlier than usual because of the birthday party...:) Minnie celebrated with her best friends in a bar, called 'Antre' and even though they were only four kids, they all said they have had a great time...:) Minnie had a very special chocolate cake, called 'Cleopatra' which was super delicious...:) And she got some really cute gifts from her friends...:)

After the party with her friends, Minnie had another celebration - this time with her family...:) We got some KFC food at home and had a nice quiet dinner, just the four of us...:) Minnie got some nice presents from us too - some clothes from her dad, her brother and me /a new top and a new leather belt for her jeans/ and some money from her grandparents and aunt /which will most probably be spent for clothes as well:)/.

We also managed to see a Bulgarian movie during the weekend of Minnie's birthday. It's called 'Footprints in the Sand' and we greatly enjoyed it!!!:)))

The following week was rather uneventful... The only interesting thing that happened was that we saw 'Mr. Popper's Penguins' /a very nice movie for the whole family:)/.

Yesterday was the Christmas party at Minnie's school...:) She brought some chocolate muffins for her classmates and the kids have exchanged gifts...:)

And in the evening Minnie, Vanyo and I went to the 'Saturnalia' organized by the 10th grade students at Minnie's school. The performance was excellent and very, very funny...:) The children did a great job imitating their teachers...:)))

That evening was also my office Christmas party so as soon as we were back from the 'Saturnalia', I went to the pub where my colleagues were already celebrating...:) We had a very nice evening together, enjoying yummy food, good drinks and an interesting conversation...:)

So yesterday was a very busy, but fun-filled day as well!!!:)))

Missing home...

2011-12-07T23:21:00.001+02:00

I've been missing my home and city so much lately...:((( Looks like I will never feel comfortable at the capital, no matter how spectacular, cool and shiny living here might seem...:((( I'm afraid that if we didn't go home every weekend, I might become depressive... So even though all that travelling is quite tiring, it's necessary for my mental sanity...;)

Of course, I'm happy that our family is not separated anymore, but I miss my previous life so much... Sigh... Oh, why does everything have to be so complicated?!

Anyway, I didn't mean to complain... All I wanted to do was to share what's been going on here in the past few weeks...;)

My news are mainly about Vanyo now...:) In November he started attending Fun Mathematics lessons and he really likes it there...:) It's great to see him so interested in Mathematics!!!:)))

Yesterday he made me super proud!!!:))) He had found some money at school and had given them to the teacher...:))) You can imagine how happy had been the girl who had lost the money!!!:)))

And today Vanyo had his third tooth taken out /the second bottom tooth on the left/... He was very brave and didn't cry at all!!!:))) I guess the Tooth Fairy will put some money under his pillow tonight!!!:)))

I have some book news too...:) In November I finished the third book of the Vulgar Novels by the Bulgarian author Hristo Kaltchev - 'The Cycle of Messalina'. Just like the previous two books of the series, I have read it in 1996, but it was very interesting to re-read it - this time as an e-book on my phone!!!:)

Two parent-teacher meetings and Minnie's name day...:)

2011-11-13T17:16:00.001+02:00

Last week was super busy… Besides my usual obligations I also had two parent-teacher meetings to attend. The first one was at Vanyo’s school – on November 10th /Thursday/. I was a bit nervous as I was afraid that Vanyo’s class teacher might not be completely satisfied with his discipline, but luckily it turned out that all my worries had been in vain…:) Actually the teacher was very pleased with him!!!:) She even told me that once they were having a discussion in class about being tolerant towards the different people and Vanyo had made a very long and nice speech about how important it is to be good to everyone around us…:) The teacher was greatly impressed…:) Needless to say, I was super proud when I heard this!!!:)

The second parent-teacher meeting was the following day at Minnie’s school. This time I wasn’t nervous at all as I knew that I’ll hear only good comments about my daughter… And I was absolutely right!!!:) All the teachers I spoke with were very pleased with Minnie and kept saying what a pleasure it is for them to have such an intelligent, serious, hard-working student as her…:) I was so happy and proud, that I even got tears in my eyes…:)

That day was a Friday, so as soon as the meeting at Minnie’s school was over, the four of us drove to Plovdiv for the weekend. It was also Minnie’s name day then, so we stopped at McDonald’s for dinner…:) Of course, Minnie had also brought a box of chocolates to school that day as a name day treat for her classmates and teachers…:)

The celebrations for Minnie’s name day continued yesterday as well…:) My parents came for lunch and we had a wonderful time together…:) Of course, Minnie got some nice presents for her name day…:) She got a Calliope shirt from her dad, her brother and me /we had bought it together at the mall the previous weekend/. My mother-in-law had given her some money in advance, so Minnie bought herself a new winter jacket and a long sleeved top from the New Yorker shop that day at the mall too… My parents gave Minnie some money too so we’ll have to figure out what to spend them for… Most probably for some new clothes again…:)

A few more nice weekends...:)

2011-11-07T16:51:00.002+02:00

The last few weekends were very nice indeed...:) Maybe it was so because we spent them at home, in Plovdiv?!;)

On the morning of October 22nd /Saturday/ Minnie and I went to the hairdresser for a much needed cut and then the four of us visited my parents for lunch. :) We drove back to Sofia on the Sunday and we stopped at Karlovo on our way to visit my mother-in-law for a while… We even made it to see a movie that weekend – ‘Captain America’ /very entertaining:)/.

The following weekend /October 29-30/ we once again visited my parents for lunch on the Saturday...:) And once again we saw a movie - this time it was 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2' /breath-taking, super exciting and touching end of the saga... I had misty eyes most of the time... I can't believe that the whole adventure is over now... Sigh.../

Last weekend we stayed mostly at home as I was trying to recover from the nasty cold I had caught the previous week... But we still made it to see a movie - 'Friends with Benefits' /a very fresh and nice movie, I liked it a lot:)/.

A long weekend, a radio show, an Ancient Feast, and some other news...

2011-10-16T14:05:00.000+03:00

The long weekend at the end of September /September 22-25/ was wonderful - we enjoyed our time in Plovdiv to the fullest!!!:) We didn't do anything special, just relaxed at home... My parents came for lunch on the Friday /September 23rd/ and we had a great time together - yummy food and nice conversations...:)

Of course, we saw some movies as well - 'Zookeeper' /well, maybe not the funniest movie I've seen, but it wasn't too bad, either;)/, 'Morning Glory' /a very nice movie, I liked it a lot:)/, and 'Fast Five' /I loved it - lots of breath-taking action scenes and incredible Vin Diesel:)/.

We spent the first October weekend /October 1st - 2nd/ in Sofia and on the Sunday we decided to go to the park at the National Palace of Culture /a walking distance from the flat we're renting/. Vanyo rode his scooter there and the rest of us just enjoyed the gorgeous weather sitting at one of the numerous cafes there...:)

As Minnie is studying Ancient Greek this school year, I've decided to give it a try too and I started sudying it in the beginning of October... So far I've only learnt the alphabet, but I'm very proud of myself and I hope I'll keep it up...:)

The second October weekend /October 8th - 9th/ was spent in Plovdiv again...:) And once again we had such a wonderful time just staying at home and relaxing...:) My sister and my parents came on the Saturday and we had a very yummy lunch meal together...:) And on the Sunday we listened to a kids' radio show where Vanyo was interviewed...:) We were so amazed when we heard him speaking about the phases of the moon, asteroids and meteorites, black holes in the Universe, and other things we had no idea he knew about...:) We were all so proud of him!!!:)

This week I finished reading the second book of the 'Vulgar Novels' by the Bulgarian author Hristo Kaltchev - 'Caligula the Furious'. I have read it in 1996 but I greatly enjoyed re-reading it as an e-book on my phone...:)

Yesterday there was an Ancient Feast at Minnie's school. She had to recite a poem in Latin, so she was a bit nervous, but she did fine...:) She told me that she has had lots of fun there!!!:) They showed the event on the news and it seemed very interesting indeed!!!:) She is so lucky to study at such a great school!!!:)

Today is a rather uneventful day... The only thing worth mentioning is that it was snowing this morning... What a shock!!!:((( I can't believe that the winter is trying to come so early...:((( Luckily they're predicting warmer weather next week, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some more sunny autumn days!!!:)

Our new life in Sofia...

2011-09-22T17:50:00.000+03:00

The last days of August were wonderful...:) We mainly stayed at home and relaxed but we also did some reading and movie watching...:) Vanyo and I finished reading 'Pippi Longstocking' /Minnie also wanted to listen to the last adventures of Pippi with us:)/ and then started another lovely book by Astrid Lindgren - 'Emil of Loneberga' As for the movie we saw, it was 'Water for Elephants'. It turned out to be a very nice and touching movie, I really liked it!!!:)

In the evening of August 31st hubby drove me to Sofia as I was about to start work the following day... We moved some stuff to the flat which we started renting since then /the bigger one, in the centre of Sofia/ and after that he got back to Plovdiv to join the kids /he was still on holidays until September 7th/. I was a bit upset to stay alone in Sofia, but it was for two days only, so I survived...;)

The following weekend was a long one because September 6th /Tuesday/ was a national holiday and we were given the Monday off as well...:) We had to work on the Saturday /September 3rd/ instead but luckily not in our law firm, so I had a lovely four-day weekend to enjoy with my dear family!!!:)

On the Sunday /September 4th/ we drove to Starnitza /the village where we have bought a house/ as we were invited to a BBQ by our friends...:) Needless to say, we had a great time there as always!!!:))) We got back home on the following day but we did some stops on our way for picking up some wild raspberries, yum!!!:)

We also saw some movies during the long weekend - 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' /definitely not my kind of movie... Johnny Depp did a great job, though.../ and 'Black Swan' /too weird and dark for me.../.

When the long weekend was over, hubby and I left the kids in Karlovo and then drove to Sofia as we both had to work the following three days... As soon as we finished work on the Friday, we went to Karlovo again to pick the children up and then we drove home where we spent another lovely quiet weekend...:)

During that weekend we saw 'Thor' which turned out to be a great entertainment for the whole family.:)

September 11th /Sunday/ was my dad's birthday so we were invited to my parents' home for lunch...:) We had a very nice time together!!!:)

In the evening we drove to Sofia again, but this time the kids came with us as they were about to start school on September 15th /Thursday/...:)

I still can't believe that my little son is already in 1st grade at school!!!:) Vanyo was super excited to start school too!!!:) He didn't know anyone there, but it was not a problem for him at all!!!:) He made lots of friends in no time!!!:) He likes all his classmates and teachers and he really enjoys going to school so far, which is such a relief for me!!!:) I hope he will keep it up this way, fingers crossed!!!:)

Minnie was also very happy to be back to school and re-unite with all of her friends there!!!:) She will have some new teachers and subjects this school year /Arts and Ancient Greek/ but I'm sure she'll do fine as always!!!:)

Today is a national holiday /Independence Day/ and we're a given tomorrow as a day off too /we had to work the previous Saturday, September 17th, instead/, so it's the beginning of a long /4-day/ weekend...:) We got back to Plovdiv and we have no special plans yet... I guess we'll just relax and some fun things like movie watching, reading and letter-writing...:)

My birthday and summer holidays...:)

2011-08-29T10:32:00.002+03:00

August 12 /Friday/ was my 36th birthday...:) It started off as a normal working day, but it also felt somehow special, because I received so many calls, SMS, e-mails, e-cards, Facebook wall posts and messages from family and friends...:) As soon as I finished work, I took the bus to Plovdiv to spend the weekend with my dear hubby and kids...:) To my greatest surprise they welcomed me at the bus station with a red rose /my favourite flower/...:) Minnie explained that giving only one flower means 'You are the one and only for me', so interesting /I didn't know it before;)/ and sweet...:)

When we got home, there were some more surprises waiting for me - Vanyo had drawn me a BD card and had written me a poem...:) My dear hubby and kids had also made a cake for me, which was so thoughtful of them...:) And the cake was so delicious!!!:))) I was so deeply touched by these surprises, that I burst into tears...:P I felt so special and loved!!!:)))

My birthday celebration continued the following day as well - we visited my parents at their holiday house and we had some yummy BBQ there...:)

The next Monday /August 15/ was my last day at work before my summer holidays...:) It was super busy but I made it!!!;) While I was at work, hubby and Minnie were moving all of our stuff out of the flat we were renting in Sofia /close to Minnie's school/ because we will rent a bigger one since the beginning of September...:) When I finished work, we said 'good-bye' to Sofia and went to Karlovo to pick up Vanyo /he was staying with my mother-in-law that day/ and then we drove to Plovdiv...:)

The following day was super busy as well because we had to prepare for our holidays at the Black Sea...:) We did some shopping, Minnie and I went to a beautician, and Vanyo and hubby went to the hairdresser...:) And, of course, we did lots of packing...;)

We left for the Black Sea coast early in the morning of August 17 /Wednesday/ and stayed there until August 23 /Tuesday/. We had rented two rooms /one for the kids and one for hubby and me/ at a hotel in Kiten /a lovely little town on the South Black Sea coast/. Our hotel was not anything luxurious but it was very clean and in good shape...:) The service and food were excellent, but most importantly - its location was perfect - in a little forest, yet very close to the beach...:)

The weather was perfect, so we went to the beach every day...:) Minnie and Vlado used to run along the beach early in the morning, then we would have breakfast and go to the beach for a while /9-11 a.m./. After a shower, a lunch and some rest we would go to the beach again /3.30-5.30 p.m./. Then we would have another shower, a dinner and would either go for a walk or just relax...:) It was a very lazy holiday, exactly what we needed...:)

Normally I don't like sunbathing much but this time I actually enjoyed it...:) I think it was because I always had something to read with me in my phone...:) I actually finished reading one book at the beach - 'Nero the Wolf' by Hristo Kaltchev. It's the first book of the 'Vulgar Novels' series of this author. He writes about the criminal world in Bulgaria, which, needless to say, makes it very interesting for me...:) I've read this book in 1996 and now I re-read it as an e-book....:)

After we got back home from the Black Sea, we spent a few more lazy days... I guess the only interesting thing that happened then was that we finally saw 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' /except of some action scenes the movie was nothing special, to be honest/...

Last weekend we went to Karlovo for the annual fair... We went to the fair twice - on the Friday evening and Saturday afternoon... The kids enjoyed all the attractions as always...:) We met our friend Istillian with his family at the fair on Friday and all of us went to a restaurant that evening...:) We had a great time there!!!:)

Now we're back home and I'm enjoying my last days with my family before starting work again on September 1...:)

Getting used to Sofia...

2011-08-08T00:41:00.008+03:00

Yes, I'm slowly getting used to my new life in Sofia and I've even started enjoying all the opportunities the capital has to offer...:)

July 28 /Thursday/ was a very nice day!!!:) Hubby and I met after work and went shopping. He liked a shirt and I bought it for him as an early birthday present...:) Then I liked a dress and he bought it for me in return /as an early birthday gift too/. We were both so pleased with each other...:) When we finished shopping, we sat at a cafe enjoying the lovely summer evening...:)

The following day my boss told me that he liked the way I work, so my probation period was over /in three weeks instead of a month as he originally planned, great:)/. So it looks like I'll stay at that law firm for a while...;)

My boss also told me that he'll be on holidays the folowing two weeks /1-15 August/ and when he gets back I can take two weeks off as well /16 August - 1 September/...:) So needless to say, I'm looking forward to my holidays...:) We have booked two rooms at a hotel in Kiten /a lovely town on the Black Sea coast/ and we'll be staying there for a week /17-23 August/. I'm sure we'll have a great time there!!!:)

The day when I found out that my probation was over, was a Friday, so as soon as hubby and I finished work, we drove to Karlovo to pick the children up and bring them to Plovdiv for the weekend..:)

On the Saturday /July 30/ we went to the mall. Vanyo remained at the children's section /to his greatest joy:)/ and the rest of us went shopping... This time Minnie got lucky - we bought her jeans, a shirt and a top from Mango and shorts and a T-shirt /with the sign 'Wild hearts can't be broken';)/ from Fox.:) I got something from Fox too - a black cotton dress, perfect for the beach...:)

Then we went for lunch at the mall /McDonald's for Minnie and me, KFC for the guys/ and we spent the rest of the day quietly at home...:)

Minnie and Vanyo were invited to a birthday party at the bowling club of Novotel Plovdiv on the Sunday. While they were at the party, hubby and I went for a walk and then we had lunch at 'Happy Bar and Grill'. I had delicious Greek style calamari - the perfect summer meal!!!;)

In the evening we drove the children back to Karlovo and then continued to Sofia... Actually hubby was on holidays from August 1st /Monday/ but there were still some errands he had to run, so he remained at the capital for two days... Then he joined the children in Karlovo... I was a bit sad to remain alone in Sofia, but it would be too selfish to ask him to stay with me just to be around when I get back from work... Besides, our separation won't be too long - I'm planning to join them next weekend /when we should also celebrate my birthday;)/...

So far this month I've seen only one movie - 'Conviction' /very good and touching, I absolutely loved it!!!:) Made me realize once again how much I love Criminal Law...:) And the actors were great too!!!:)

An emotional meeting with friends, a weekend in Starnitza, a new job in Sofia and a wedding anniversary...:)

2011-07-24T18:26:00.003+03:00

Once again a lot happened since I've last written... On July 6 /Wednesday/ I met three of my High School friends for a drink and it was such an emotional evening...:) To top it off they gave me an icon as a good-bye gift... So touching and thoughtful...:) This made me realize once again that I have the best friends in the whole world...:) I'm so lucky!!!:)

On July 8 /Friday/ after work hubby went to Karlovo to pick the children up and brought them home...:) The following morning we drove to Starnitza because our friends had invited us for a BBQ. We had a great time as always - yummy food, great company, beautiful nature, fresh mountain air...:) We didn't feel like getting back to the hot city on the Sunday at all... But we had to, because hubby and I had to work the next week...

So we brought the children back to Karlovo on the Sunday evening and left for Sofia... I was supposed to start my new job at the law firm in Sofia on Monday /July 11/ but my boss had phoned on the Saturday telling me that he would be away then so I should start working the following day /Tuesday, July 12/. Actually I didn't mind starting work a day later... Still, I was a bit annoyed that I found out about it a bit late...:( If I knew earlier that I would start on the Tuesday, I could have gone to the second job interview I was invited to /which was scheduled for the Monday/...:( Oh, well...

My first days at the new job were super busy and stressful...:( But I'm slowly getting used to the new working environment and I'm a kind of enjoying it now /even though I still miss the freedom I had when I was self-employed;)/...:) My boss seems to like me too, so I guess he'll keep me after my one-month probation period is over... I guess we'll just wait and see...;)

As the kids are in Karlovo this month, hubby and I miss them a lot, so we're visiting them every weekend...:) It's so heart-warming and relaxing to spend the weekends with them...:) Still, Vlado and I are enjoying our time as a couple as well - we meet for lunch every day and two evenings we also met for a cup of coffee after work...:) It felt like a date, so romantic!!!:)

On July 22 /Friday/ hubby and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary...:) We had a very special and delicious lunch at a nice Italian restaurant, called 'Capriccio' /which is officially one of my most favourite places to eat in Sofia now:)/ and as soon as we finished work in the evening, we drove to Karlovo to be with our dear kids again...:)

I haven't seen many movies lately because I've been too busy... Still, I could see a few: 'The Librarian: Quest for the Spear' /great entertainment for the whole family:)/, 'The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines' /somehow not as interesting as the first movie, but still fun to watch...:)/ and 'Beastly' /an OK teen movie, but to be honest, I was slightly disappointed.../. I hope that I'll have more time for movie watching in the next couple of weeks... Fingers crossed...:)

Big changes...

2011-07-05T17:31:00.005+03:00

Yes, June has definitely been a month of big changes...:) Lots of things happened which made me realize how close we are to our moving to Sofia...:) It feels both scary and exciting at the same time!!!:)))

June 8th /Wednesday/ was a very nice day...:) First, in the morning I thought I would miss the bus but the driver was so nice to pick me and Vanyo up from the building where we live /even though he is not supposed to stop there/...:)

Then I met Minnie's ex-class teacher and she gave me a red rose /my most favourite flower/ saying that it would suit my dress...:)

In the afternoon I left for Sofia because Vlado and I had to attend the first parent-teacher meeting at Vanyo's new school. It went fine and all of his teachers seemed very nice and experienced...:) So we both hope our son will like his new school and will enjoy going there!!!:)

After the meeting hubby and I went to see a flat we were offered to rent. It's not perfect, but it's bigger than we expected /consists of three spacious rooms/ and has all the necessary furniture. The location is great - it's situated at the centre of the city, a walking distance from Vanyo's new school, from the Palace of Justice and from the metro station /Minnie will need to take the metro to her school/ which makes it very convenient... So we decided to rent it and we'll move there in the beginning of September...:)

The following day while picking up Vanyo from the Kindergarten one of his little friends came up to me and told me 'You are very beautiful. You look like a bride'. How could I look like a bride with my black-and-red dress is beyond me, but I was definitely flattered by this young man...:) My little admirer kept coming up to me and making me compliments every day since then... So sweet!!!:)

Unfortunately not everything which happened to me in June, was that nice...:( A few days after my trip to Sofia I started coughing...:( And my cough became worse and worse...:((( So on June 16th /Thursday/ I went to see my doctor and it turned out I was having bronchitis...:( My doctor prescribed me some medicines /including some quite strong antibiotics/ and told me I should stay at home for a few days... I followed her advice and the medicines and rest made me feel better in a short time...:)

During my sick leave I got a call for an interview from a law firm in Sofia. The interview took place on June 23rd /Thursday/ and it went perfectly fine. I was offered the job but as the payment was a little lower than I wanted, I said I would think about it... I didn't think too much, though, and called the law firm on June 27th /Monday/ to tell them that I'll accept the job...:) We decided that I'll start working there on July 11th /Monday/ so the last June week was quite busy for me - I had to finish all the pending work, to inform the owner of my office that I was moving out, to arrange the moving itself /and I'm extremely grateful to my parents and hubby for helping me with the last task which definitely was the most difficult one...:)/. Luckily I made it all in time and now I have a whole week to relax at home before starting my new job!!!:) I'll do my best to enjoy it to the fullest!!!:)

The funny thing is that today I got another job offer but as the interview was scheduled for July 11th /which should be my first day at my new job/, I had to reject it... Now I can't stop wondering if I have done the right thing... Sigh...

June 30th /Thursday/ was the last day at the Kindergarten for Vanyo and at school for Minnie. My son was very sad to say 'good bye' to his little friends and his teachers... I'm sure he will miss them a lot...:(

As for Minnie, once again she made it to get 'excellent' 6 /the best mark in Bulgaria/ for all of her 8 grade subjects - Bulgarian Language and Literature, English, Latin, History, Geography, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Culture, Music, IT, and Sports. We got a very touching e-mail from Minnie's class teacher who congratulated us for having such a hard-working and determined daughter...:) Needless to say, we are all very proud of Minnie doing so well at school and we hope she'll keep it up that way!!!:)

Last weekend we drove both children to Karlovo where they'll spend the first month of their summer holidays... My mother-in-law had such a wonderful surprise for them - she had taken a little male cat!!!:) The kids were so excited and happy as they've always wanted a pet!!!:) I hope Tommy /as they called the cat/ will be strong enough to survive their love!!!:)

Besides full of changes June turned out to be a great month for movie watching...:) I saw ' I Want Candy' /a very fresh comedy, some moments were simply hilarious!!!:)/, 'Mission London'/a Bulgarian movie, very weird and funny:)/, 'Doubt' /to be honest, the movie didn't touch me too deeply but it made me think, which was good enough... The acting was great and Meryl Streep was simply incredible...:)/, 'Michael Clayton' /very good and deep movie...:)/, 'Keeping Mum' /it turned out to be much better than I expected... Perhaps I should see more British black comedies in the future...:)/, 'Red Riding Hood' /I loved it!!!:) Very fresh and suspenseful!!!:)/, 'The Jane Austen Book Club' /such a beautiful and touching movie, I greatly enjoyed it!!!:)/, 'The Burning Plain' /the only two things I liked were the acting /great job, Chalize Theron and Kim Basinger:)/ and the way the story was revealed /like putting together the pieces of a puzzle/. Other than that, the movie was pretty ordinary.../, 'The Last Legion' /putting aside the fact that the story doesn't seem historically correct, the movie isn't that bad...;) And, most importantly, it has Colin Firth in it...;)/, 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' /the special effects were just as breathtaking as in the first Transformers movie... But once again that is the only good thing I can say about it...:) Oh, actually there is one more - I saw it together with my son and it was so funny to observe his enthusiasm!!!:)/, 'Australia' /the story was beautiful and touching - there were moments which made me laugh and others which put tears in my eyes... The actors were great too /especially Hugh Jackman, who was such a pleasure for my eyes:)/...:)/, and 'Pope Joan' /I loved this movie!!!:) Beautiful, touching, thought-provoking...:) Two thumbs up!!!:)/.

In June finished the first season of 'Game of Thrones'. It's our favourite TV show now and we just can't wait to see the next episodes!!!:) I'm also planning to read the books... some day...:)

So far this month I've seen only one movie - 'American Gangster' /great actors, but the movie was somewhat slow and even boring at times.../, but we're still in the beginning of July, so there is still hope!!!;)

A long weekend, a Pre-School Graduation Party and some other news...:)

2011-06-01T17:11:00.006+03:00

Well, the past couple of weeks were very, very nice!!!:)

May 24th /Tuesday/ was a national holiday /Day of Bulgarian Alphabet and Culture/, but the government had decided to give the Monday /May 23rd/ off as well /and we had to work one Saturday, May 28th, instead/, so we enjoyed a long /four day/ weekend!!!:) We spent it mostly relaxing at home, but on the Monday Vlado, Vanyo and I went to Sofia to meet Minnie at the airport. The four of us were so happy to be together again!!!:))) Minnie told us that she had had a wonderful time in Italy, she had seen and experienced so much during those 9 days...:) They've visited Pompei, Naples, Rome /for three days, they've also seen the Vatican then/, Siena, Firenze, Pisa, Milano, Verona, Venice /while there Minnie has also taken a boat to the islands Burano, Murano and Torcello/. She told me she simply loves Italy and she is determined to visit this beautiful country again...:) Oh, I understand her so well!!!:) She had brought us lots of great souvenirs from all the places she had been to and she had taken 500 pictures!!!:)))

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful... Of course, we saw some movies - 'Stranger Than Fiction' /a quite predictable movie... But Emma Thompson was incredible and made it worth watching...;)/, 'The Maiden Heist' /a very fresh and funny movie, I liked it very much/, 'Just Go with It' /quite predictable but also very, very funny:)/ and 'Push' /there were some interesting action scenes but nothing extraordinary/.

I only worked for three days the following week, which was super nice!!!:) On the Thursday /May 26th/ I met a couple of High School friends for a drink after work and we had such a great time together!!!:) Vanyo /who had also come with me/ had so much fun that he even told me 'Mum, you have the coolest friends!'...:) What a wise boy he is!!!:)))

Last weekend was rather short as hubby had to work on the Saturday /because of the extra day off the previous weekend/, but we had a great time anyway!!!:))) On the Saturday evening I took Vanyo and Minnie to the Antique Theatre to see a play put up by some students from Minnie's school. It was a historical play, but there was also some modern music /Queen/ and some dancing... Very interesting and well done!!!:)

On the Sunday /May 29th/ the four of us attended Vanyo's Pre-School Graduation Party....:) There was a very nice show - songs, dances, and even some demonstration of how well the children are prepared for school, and then they got their certificates...:) Vanyo participated at the Russian Dance....:) I think he looked very cute in his Russian costume and he danced very well!!!:) I was so proud looking at him and couldn't stop wondering when did he grow up so much...:) By the way, the video of the Russian dance is in Facebook so if you're interested, you are more than welcome to have a look!!!:)))

By the end of May I've seen two more movies - 'Night at the Museum' /very funny and entertaining:)/ and 'The Brave One' /Jodie Foster did her best, but the movie as a whole was nothing special to me.../. I hope June will be just as good for movie watching as May was!!!:)

A rollercoaster...

2011-05-18T14:51:00.017+03:00

The past couple of weeks were pretty intense emotionally... I felt as if I was riding on a rollercoaster... Sigh...

On April 28th /Thursday/ I was at a meeting with Vanyo's Pre-School teachers when I got a call from my dad telling me that he should be hospitalized because he had been diagnosed with pulmonary pneumonia...:( It was such a shock for me...:( Needless to say, I was super worried for him...:( I tried to get as much info as I could find online, but the more I read, the more scared I got, so I finally gave it up...:(

Minnie came home from her school practice on the Saturday afternoon /April 30th/ so unfortunately we couldn't spend the whole weekend together...:( Still, Vlado and I could see a movie - 'No Strings Attached' /an OK romantic comedy/ which was probably the only fun thing we did that weekend...

On May 3rd /Tuesday/ my dad got back from the hospital as all his test results were fine. However, the doctors had noticed a spot on one of his lungs which they had decided to remove... So my dad had to return to the hospital the following week...:( But he was very happy to be home again especially as it allowed him to attend the party for Vanyo's 7th birthday.:)

Vanyo's birthday was on May 6th /Friday/. As it's also an official holiday /Day of Bravery and Bulgarian Army/, it marked the beginning of a long weekend...:) My mother-in-law and my parents came for lunch and we enjoyed some yummy food - a Shopska salad, roasted lamb /it was also Saint George's Day, so we were supposed to eat lamb or goat according to the tradition;)/ , 'drob-sarma' and, of course, a cake...:) Actually Vanyo had two cakes - one we had bought for him to light his candles on /chocolate/ and another one my mother-in-law had made /with bananas/...;)

Needless to say, Vanyo received lots of wonderful gifts!!!:) He got a transformer toy /turns into a police car/ and a set of tools /hammer, bolts, screwdrivers, etc., all made of plastic, of course;)/ from my parents, a Ben 10 motorbike and a Bakugan ball from my sister and her family, a board game about mathematics and some money from my mother-in-law and a scooter from the brand of his favourite cartoon 'Cars' /which you can see on the picture of this post/ from his dad, his sister and me...:) Vanyo loved all the presents and it was difficult for him to choose which one to play with first!!!;)

The rest of the weekend was pretty quiet... We made it to see the movie 'I Am Number Four' which turned out to be a great entertainment for the whole family...:)

On the Monday of the following week my dad was back to the hospital and a few days later /on May 12th, Thursday/ he got operated. Luckily the operation went fine, the tumor /which, to our greatest relief, was not cancer/ was removed without a problem, and yesterday my dad was allowed to go home.:) He is still weak but I'm sure he'll get stronger soon as my mum takes a really good care of him...:)

The day of my dad's operation I had to travel to Sofia as I had a case at the Supreme Court of Cassation early the following morning... Luckily my dad was out of the OR just before I took the bus to the capital, so I could speak with him and my mum /who was at the hospital/ on the phone before I left... Which, needless to say, allowed me to travel with a lighter heart...:) I didn't have to worry about Vanyo either, as my mother-in-law came to pick him up from the Pre-School and took him to Karlovo with her...:)

As soon as I arrived in Sofia, I met Vlado /who had just finished work/ at 'Happy Bar and Grill' where we had yummy dinner...:) We called Minnie to join us but she said that she would rather have something from McDonald's instead so that's where we went afterwards...;)

My case the next morning went fine and as soon as it was over, I met hubby for a cup of coffee at a very fancy place, called 'Flocafe'...:) I really liked it there even though it was rather expensive...;)

When Minnie got back from school and Vlado finished work, we drove to Karlovo to pick Vanyo up and then the four of us got home.:) Unfortunately once again we couldn't spend the whole weekend together, though...:( Minnie had to be at the airport early on the Sunday morning for her school practice in Italy /she'll be there for 9 days... Lucky her...:)/... So hubby had to drive her back to Sofia on the Saturday evening...

That week I finally finished reading 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' /after more than a year, I know...:P/. I loved it just as the previous four Harry Potter books even though this one seemed a bit too long /almost 850 pages, that's one of the reasons why it took me so long to read it;)/... But it was still a good and interesting book...:)

I've decided to take a little break before continuing with the young wizard's adventures, so I've started reading 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame' by Victor Hugo next. It is the first one of the 19th Century Golden Books Collection hubby and I bought 2 years ago...:) This collection consists of 40 books, some of which I've read before but I won't mind re-reading...:) It is the first time I'm reading this particular book, though, and I'm greatly enjoying it!!!:) Hopefully it won't take me another year to finish it...;)

Oh, there are so many books I want to read, and so little time... This week I received a prize - the book 'The Lincoln Lawyer' by Michael Connelly and I hope I'll be able to read it in the near future as well...:)))

So far this week I've seen two movies - 'Brothers' /the actors were great but the story of the movie somehow couldn't touch me as deeply as it was supposed to.../ and 'Remember Me' /turned out to be much better than I expected...;)/. But we're still in the middle of the week, so there is some room for improvement...;)

A different Easter...

2011-04-26T10:08:00.006+03:00

The days before the Easter holidays were pretty uneventful... Even the weekend before Easter was quiet... Only on the Friday /April 15th/, as soon as Minnie and Vlado came home from Sofia, the four of us went to have dinner at 'Happy Bar and Grill'...:) The food was delicious as always and we had so much fun that evening...:)

That weekend I saw only one movie /'Battle: Los Angeles'/ which was a total waste of time...:( Lots of action and battle scenes /as expected/ but the plot was nothing special...:((( It also seemed unfinished somehow which means that either there might be a sequel or the movie is even worse than I thought...:P

On the Thursday before Easter /April 21st/ I decided to work only until noon so my Easter holidays started a little bit earlier...:) I picked up Vanyo from his Pre-School, we had a nap together /a rare and much needed pleasure/ and when we woke up, hubby and Minnie arrived...:)

Our original plan was to spend Easter at my in-laws as every year but we suddenly decided to stay at home instead /which turned out to be the perfect choice:)/.:))) We spent some super nice time together, just the four of us....:) Unfortunately early on Monday /April 25/ Minnie had to leave for her school practice /around the monasteries of Bulgaria for a week, lucky her:)/, so she and Vlado had to leave for Sofia on Sunday evening and we couldn't spend the last day off together...:( But the next weekend is near, so I'm trying to be positive!!!;)

Spring holidays...:)

2011-04-11T09:38:00.010+03:00

Yes, March turned out to be a really good month for movie watching...:) After writing my last post here, I saw one more - 'Gamer' /lots of action and fantastic Gerard Butler... That sums up the only good thing about the movie...;)/...

On March 30th /Wednesday/ started Minnie's spring holidays...:) As Vanyo is in Pre-School, he also had spring holidays but he was allowed to attend the Kindergarten during that time, so he continued going there until the end of the week /Friday, April 1st/...

Hubby had taken a week off during the kids' spring break /April 4th-8th/, so the four of us finally had the chance to spend a longer time together!!!:) Which we enjoyed to the fullest!!!:)

As soon as Vlado and Minnie came home from Sofia on Friday evening /April 1st/, the four of us went to have dinner at KFC and did some grocery shopping at the mall...:)

On the Saturday we slept in, and after having coffee /breakfast for the kids/ we drove to Karlovo to visit my in-laws. We had a lazy time there, just relaxing, watching TV, reading and eating lots of yummy food...:) We got home on the Sunday after lunch.

I had to work a bit on the Monday and Tuesday, but I took the rest of the week off as I had nothing urgent to do and I wanted to spend more time with my family...;) On Tuesday /April 5th/ I met a few of my High School friends for a drink after work and we had such a great time together - lots of nice chats and fun!!!:)

On April 6th /Wednesday/ the four of us went to do some grocery shopping at Galeria Mall. The kids wanted to climb the wall in the middle of the mall so that's what they did when we finished shopping...:) Each one of them climbed it for 3 times and they had so much fun!!!:))) After the wall climbing we went to have lunch at 'Verdi' /yummy pizza:)/ and spent a quiet afternoon at home...:)

The following day we had lunch at Mall Plovdiv /KFC again:)/ and then we went to the Rowing Canal where hubby and the kids played football... I tried to play some too, but got tired quite easily, so I just sat under a tree and observed the game...:P When the others decided they were tired too, we sat at a cafe next to the canal and enjoyed the perfect spring weather to the fullest...:)

The last three days of our spring holidays were spent mostly at home /the only exception was the lunch we had at McDonald's on Friday/... We just relaxed, did some reading and - surprise, surprise- saw some movies - 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1' /one of the best Harry Potter movies - very interesting and exciting!!!:) I loved it and I just can't wait for the second part!!!:)/, 'How Do You Know' /and OK romantic movie/, 'Star Trek' /I love science fiction, but this movie just couldn't impress me much...:(/, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' /a great entertainment for the whole family:)/, 'The Girl Who Played with Fire' /maybe not as suspenseful as the first movie, but still very good and interesting:)/ and 'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest' /a great ending to the story!!!:) The scenes of the trial were especially interesting for me as I noticed so many differences between the court procedures we have in Bulgaria and those in the movie...;) I was especially shocked when I saw the prosecutor, the lawyer, and even the defendant remaining seated while talking to the judge... In Bulgarian court this would be considered as disrespectful...;)/.

Unfortunately our wonderful spring holidays were over too soon...:( Today hubby and I got back to work and the kids are attending school/Pre-School again... But I'm already looking forward to the following weekend!!!:)))

Almost over...

2011-03-28T15:34:00.006+03:00

I can't believe that March is almost over... After that wonderful weekend at the Batak Area I wrote about in my previous post, my life has been rather boring... Still, some things happened, so I guess it's time to share them here...

On March 11th /Friday/ my parents became owners of a house in a village not too far away from Plovdiv. I helped them to prepare all the necessary documents for the purchase and I went with them to the Notary's Office when they signed the deal... I'm not very impressed by the house and the village /I would rather prefer it to be situated in the mountains/ but my parents are extremely happy and enthusiastic, so I guess my own opinion simply doesn't matter...;)

The following day /Saturday, March 12th/ Minnie attended an English Competition /it was a second round - between students from various schools in the Sofia region who had passed the first round successfully/. As soon as the competition was over, her dad drove her home... It was a pity that we had less time together that weekend, but we did our best to enjoy it to the fullest!!!:)

Unfortunately the next week Vanyo got sick - he had high temperature and cough, but the worst of all was that he had completely lost his voice...:( It was heartbreaking to see him suffer so much...:( Especially knowing how much he loves talking...;)

Luckily my dear son got better by the following weekend /which was a short one as the Saturday, March 19th, was a working day/...:) As soon as hubby and Minnie got home, the four of us went to the mall where we had yummy dinner at KFC and then we did some shopping...:) Vlado bought me a beautiful shirt /light blue with white stripes/ which was so sweet of him...:)

On March 23rd /Wednesday/ Vanyo was healthy enough to start attending the Pre-School again and life got back to normal for us both...:) His little friends were so happy to see him again!!!:) One of the girls had even told him that she loved him and wanted to become his girlfriend /unfortunately they broke up a few days later/...:)

Last weekend was great!!!:) We went to the mall on the Saturday evening /and had some yummy KFC dinner again:)/ and I worked a bit on the Sunday but most of the time we were simply relaxing at home...:)

March turned out to be a great month for movie watching!!!:) I saw 'Fireflies in the Garden' /great actors, weak movie...:(/, 'Revolutionary Road' /a very good movie, but too sad and depressing for my taste...:(/, 'Tron: Legacy' /great special effects, some breath-taking scenes, but nothing more than that...;)/, 'Hereafter' /the beginning was interesting, but the rest of the movie was boring and predictable...:(/, 'The Lost City' /a very sad, yet beautiful story... Andy Garcia did a great job... He acted so well that at certain moments I felt like reaching out and hugging him...:)/, 'Little Fockers' /there were some funny moments but not as much as in the first movie of the trilogy.../, 'Season of the Witch' /another disappointment... I have always loved Nicolas Cage but I like the movies he plays in recently less and less...:(/ and 'Love and Other Drugs' /a bitter-sweet story, funny, sad and touching like life itself...:) Much better than I expected it to be...:)))/.

And before I go, let me finish off with a quote from my favourite character in 'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena' - Gannicus /whose picture I've put in the beginning of this post/: 'There are many things given to us in this life for the wrong reasons. What we do with such blessings, that is the true test of a man'. Wise words, don't you think?!;)

A perfect weekend...:)

2011-03-09T11:09:00.009+02:00

Last weekend was simply perfect!!!:) March 3rd /Thursday/ was an official holiday /Liberation Day/ and as the government made March 4th /Friday/ a day off as well /we're supposed to work one Saturday, March 19th, instead/, we enjoyed a 4-day weekend!!!:)

In the morning of March 3rd the four of us drove to our favourite resort in the Batak Area and we had such a wonderful time there!!!:) We were surprised with some snow but actually we didn't mind it much as the houses of the resort were all perfectly heated and besides the kids had so much fun sledging, snowball fighting or simply lying in the snow!!!:)))

We went together with two other families and both the adults and the children enjoyed themselves to the fullest!!!:))) I didn't feel like having any spa procedures this time, but I went to the fitness centre once with Vlado and the kids and we had lots of fun there!!!:) We also enjoyed some quiet chats at the lobby bar of the resort, some yummy food at the restaurant and a couple of drinks in the evenings with our friends...:)

Unfortunately our holidays were over too quickly and on Saturday /March 5th/ after having breakfast we had to leave for Plovdiv as I had a case in court in the afternoon... I'm on duty this month, so I was busy on the Sunday as well, but I didn't mind it much as I had recharged my batteries the days before!!!:)

Let me see now what else has happened here... On March 1st we celebrated Baba Marta in Bulgaria - one of my favourite holidays!!!:) Vanyo and Minnie were so happy to receive so many 'marthenitza's from their family and friends!!!:) I had to go to Sofia for work, so met hubby for lunch and we had such a great time together - it felt like a date!!!:)))

Yesterday /March 8th/ was International Women's Day but it was just a normal working day for me... Still, I got a lovely surprise from Vanyo - he had drawn a picture of us both and had made me a little bracelet, which was so sweet of him!!!:))) I also got greetings from my family and friends which also added a great deal to my positive mood that day!!!:)))

This month I haven't seen any movies so far, but I did see a few in the second part of February: 'The Switch' /an OK romantic comedy/, 'The Resident' /maybe not one of the best thrillers, but it was definitely interesting to see Jeffrey Dean Morgan in such a different image...;)/ and 'The Tourist' /what a disappointment...:(/. I also saw 'The Forsyte Saga' mini series /I enjoyed them to the fullest/ and 'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena' TV series /I loved them and I just can't wait to see the next season of 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand'/...:)

I can't believe...

2011-02-15T14:42:00.009+02:00

..that we're already in the middle of February... Where did the time go?! It's not that bad actually, as I'm so much looking forward to the end of winter and beginning of spring...;)

Well, nothing super exciting has been going on in my life in the past couple of weeks, to be honest... We spent the last January weekend /January 29th-30th/ in Karlovo and the only interesting thing that happened then was that hubby and I went for a walk on the Sunday and we met with our friend Istillian for a cup of coffee...

That week I also saw 'Step Up 3D' which was nice and entertaining...:)

On February 2nd /Wednesday/ I took out Vanyo's second tooth /the front lower one on the left/ because it was seriously shaking and Vanyo was in so much pain that he couldn't even eat...:( And I have to tell you that my dear son was incredibly brave and didn't cry at all!!!:) So the Tooth Fairy brought him a very cool transformer toy which he loved so much!!!:)))

The first February weekend /February 5th-6th/ was very quiet... Most of the time we were just relaxing at home... Only on Friday evening we went to the mall for dinner at KFC and on the Saturday hubby and I went to METRO to buy new sheets and pillow cases for our bed /light blue - I love them:)/.

Unlike the weekend, the week that followed was quite busy and stressful... On February 8th /Tuesday/ I went to the Police Station to pick up Minnie's first ID card... I still can't believe that my little girl has grown up so much!!!:)

Early the next morning /February 9th, Wednesday/ I had to take the bus to Blagoevgrad as I had some work to do there... I traveled for 4 hours and had everything done for less than half an hour after my arrival... Then I had some coffee and lunch and took the bus to Sofia... I traveled for 2 more hours and when I got to the capital, I sat at 'Happy Bar & Grill' where I waited for hubby to finish work.

After having a cup of coffee /and some yummy mini pancakes with chocolate/ together, hubby took me to the building where I was supposed to have a case the following morning /as I had no idea where it was/... Then it was time for dinner so we got back to 'Happy' and called Minnie to join us...:) We had a lovely time together - yummy food and a nice chat...:) And after dinner we went to Dunkin' Donuts for a dessert!!!:) We also phoned my parents to hear Vanyo /who spent that night at their place/ and it was such a relief to find out that he was dealing with my absence quite well...:)

The case I had the following morning was a real nightmare and I was quite upset when I got out of the court building...:( Luckily I felt much better after meeting hubby during his lunch break - we went to sign Vanyo up at a very nice school in the centre of Sofia /called 'Count Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatiev'/ and then we had lunch and coffee together...:) Then hubby got back to work and I took the bus to Plovdiv...:)

The next day /February 11th, Friday/ was my mother's birthday, so I was invited for lunch at my parents' place /roasted goat with potatoes - yummy:)/ and we had a very nice time together!!!:)

In the evening, when Vlado and Minnie came home from Sofia, the four of us went to have dinner at the mall /KFC again, of course;)/. Vanyo played at the children section /which he adores:)/ and Vlado took some pictures of Minnie together with two young actors /very popular at the moment/ - Radina Kardzhilova and Yavor Baharov - who were at the mall to present their newest movie - 'TILT' /which we're planning to see very soon:)/.

Speaking of movies, that weekend I finally saw 'The King's Speech' and I think it's an incredible movie, which definitely deserves an Oscar!!!:) A touching story, great acting and fantastic /as always:)/ Colin Firth...:) This is certainly one of the best movies I've ever seen!!!:)

Yesterday was Valentine's Day but I didn't celebrate it as hubby was in Sofia...:( We heard on the phone, of course, and said that we love each other, but it definitely was not enough for me...:( Still, I'm trying to keep in mind that even though we couldn't celebrate this year, our love is strong and this is the most important thing...:)

Quiet days...

2011-01-26T14:16:00.005+02:00

Well, the past two weeks were quite dull and uneventful... The weekends, however, turned out to be very quiet and nice...:)

On January 14th /Friday/ as soon as Vlado and Minnie came home from Sofia, the four of us went to the mall where we had yummy dinner at KFC and did some grocery shopping...:)

The following morning Minnie, Vanyo and Vlado went to a hairdresser as they all needed haircuts /I had cut my hair earlier that week so I just waited for them/. Then we did some shopping and Vanyo got new clothes - jeans, a Ben 10 sweatshirt and some underwear...:) He was sooo happy!!!:)))

At noon our 'kumove' /and godparents of our children/ Vassil and Todorka came to bring us 'kravay' and a cake. According to the tradition they were supposed to do it on January 6th but they couldn't come then, so they postponed the visit a little bit. Their daughter Renny was with them too, but unfortunately their son Peter was ill, so he couldn't join them... We had yummy lunch and it was so nice to catch up with them...:)))

Last weekend /January 22nd - 23rd/ was even quieter... The only interesting thing was that Vlado and I went out on the Saturday evening... We sat at a bar and we spent about an hour there, chatting and joking non stop, it felt like a date...:)))

I also saw the movie 'Eat Pray Love' and I greatly enjoyed it...:) Watching the part which took place in Italy made me want to get back there again!!!:)

Schools in Sofia closed for a week because of the flu so Minnie is staying at home January 24th - 28th and it feels great!!!:) Both Vanyo and I are so happy to have her around!!!:) And I was so pleasantly surprised when I got home from work on the Monday evening and found the flat totally clean and tidy!!!:) As soon as Vanyo saw how pleased I was with what his sister had done, he quickly decided to put all his toys in the cupboards and drawers in his room...:) So sweet and funny!!!:)))

Vanyo's name day...:)

2011-01-11T14:22:00.003+02:00

Vanyo's name day was on January 7th /Friday/. In the morning he brought to his Pre-School two boxes of chocolates as a treat for his friends and teachers.:) We picked him up from Pre-School earlier than usual - at noon, as my dad /who also had a name day then;)/ had invited us for lunch!!!:) My mum had prepared delicious food - roasted turkey with sauerkraut...:) The turkey was filled with rice, minced meat, mushrooms and some spices - yummy...:)))

Vanyo was super excited as he got some really nice presents from my parents - a Ben 10 gun /with light and sound/, a Ben 10 omnitrix and Ben 10 pencils...:)

That day Minnie and Vlado came to Plovdiv earlier than usual as we needed to apply for Minnie's first ID card...:) Luckily we did that quite quickly and then we went to my parents' home where we continued celebrating...:))) And Vanyo got one more present /from his dad, his sister and me/ - Dunkan Bulk from the Lego Hero Factory series...:))) He was soooo happy!!!:)))

We continued celebrating the following day as well because my in-laws came to visit us then... Which meant more yummy food and some more nice gifts for Vanyo /he got money this time/...:)))

That weekend was pretty quiet and uneventful...:))) I saw three movies - 'Law Abiding Citizen' /quite cruel, but very exciting as well... And Gerard Butler is incredible as always...:)/, 'You Again' /a nice and funny movie, I liked it...:)/ and 'Takers' /what a disappointment...:( So many great actors, some really nice action scenes but the movie seemed so long and boring...:(((And predictable...:(((/.

My Christmas and New Year's Eve...

2011-01-06T15:40:00.008+02:00

Well, our Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations were quiet, but nice...:)

On December 21st /Tuesday/ Minnie and her classmates exchanged gifts... And as my daughter is studying at a Classical Lyceum, all the children were given names of ancient Greek gods or goddesses... Only their class teacher knew which child is which god or goddess... There was a draw and it turned out that Minnie had to give a gift to Aphrodite... My daughter had to do some research about that goddess and her gift had to be related to Aphrodite's personality... She had found a very beautiful and elegant souvenir - two hearts, pierced with an arrow, covered with Swarovski crystals...:) To Minnie's greatest surprise, however, it had turned out that actually she had been Aphrodite /how appropriate:)/...:) So she exchanged gifts with another girl who had also drawn herself - Persephone /and got a cute demon from her/!!!:)

But this was not all...:) Being a Classical Lyceum, Minnie's new school has another lovely tradition for Christmas - Saturnalia!!!:) It is held by the 10th-graders /it took place on December 23rd, Thursday/ and Minnie told me she had had lots of fun!!!:) She was so enthusiastic that I'm determined to see the show next year!!!:)))

Minnie's Christmas holidays started right after the Saturnalia!!!:) When hubby finished work, they both came home and we were so happy to get together again!!!:)

In the evening of December 24th /Friday/ we drove to Karlovo where we spent the weekend...:) We had traditional dinner /Minnie got the coin in the 'pitka' again:)/ and when we finished eating, we found the presents under the Christmas tree!!!:)

As usual, almost everything was for the kids!!!:) Minnie got a C-THRU Purple Diamond cosmetic set /from her dad and me/, an Adidas Pure Lightness cosmetic set /from my parents/, 'The Magic Circle' book by Katherine Neville /from my sister and her family/ and some money /from my in-laws/.

Vanyo got a Star Wars Lego set /from his dad and me/, a Bakugan set /from my parents/, 'The Black Arrow' book by Robert Louis Stevenson /from my sister and her family/ and a knight set /from my in-laws/.

I got something from Santa as well - a B.U.Wild cosmetic set I had chosen myself!!!:))) So I have obviously been a good girl again!!!:)))

On the first Christmas Day /December 25th, Saturday/ hubby and I went out for a walk and sat for a cup of coffee with one of our best friends in Karlovo - Istillian. It was great to catch up with him!!!:)))

The following day /Sunday, December 26th/ after lunch hubby and I drove to Plovdiv but we left the kids in Karlovo for a few days as we do every year... It was nice to spend a few hours just the two of us as a couple at home...:) Unfortunately hubby had to drive to Sofia that night as he had to work the following day...:(((

The last week of 2010 felt a bit strange as I was all alone at home... I missed my hubby and the kids but it was also a kind of nice to be by myself for a few days...:) On the first day of that week /Monday, December 27th/ I met three of my High School friends /Aysel, Daniela and Alexandra/ for a drink after work /Tequila Sunrise for me:)/ and we had such a wonderful time together!!!:))) Being with them always makes me feel like a teen again!!!:)))

December 30th /Thursday/ was the last working day of that week. Hubby came from Sofia at noon and we went shopping...:) Then we went to Karlovo to pick the children up!!!:)))

We spent New Year's Eve at home and we had a great time just as the year before!!!:) Lots of nice food and drinks, lots of dancing and fun!!!:))) As soon as we welcomed the New Year I started receiving many calls, SMS and e-mails from friends, family and clients because of my name day /January 1st/...:) I felt spoilt!!!:)))

That week we saw two movies... My last movie for 2010 was 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' /some scenes were too brutal and violent, but generally it was a good thriller...:)/ and my first movie for 2011 was 'RED' /great entertainment - funny, exciting, and full of action...:)/.

The first two days of 2011 /January 1st and 2nd/ were spent mainly at home, relaxing... And on January 3rd /Monday/ our life got back to normal again - Minnie and Vanyo started attending school/Pre-School and me and hubby started work...

This week has been pretty dull and uneventful so far... The only thing that's worth being mentioned is the movie 'Rabbit Hole' which I saw on Tuesday... Such a sad and touching story... One of the best movies I've seen recently...

Our trip to Italy...and some other December news...:)

2010-12-20T10:50:00.017+02:00

Well, the trip to Italy was so wonderful and I have such great memories that I'm not even sure where to start from...:) OK, I'll give it a try!!!;)

The evening before our flight to Italy /Friday, December 10th/ Vlado came to Plovdiv to pick me and Vanyo up and drove us to Sofia where we were supposed to spend the night. Hubby had taken two weeks off as he wanted to take care of Vanyo while Minnie and I were away...:) When we arrived at Sofia, Vlado and I bought ourselves new mobile phones and I have to tell you that I simply love my smart Experia!!!:) After the shopping we met with Minnie and the four of us had yummy dinner at Subway...:)

The following day /Saturday, December 11th/ we woke up early, hubby and I had our coffee, the children had hot chocolate and some breakfast and we were off to the airport... I was a bit nervous as I was hoping to get there a bit earlier than we actually did, but still we were on time for our flight /which was at 12.05/...:) Unfortunately just after passing the passport check Minnie noticed that the money she had in her jeans pocket /100 euro/ were missing...:((( This made us both quite sad and worried as you can imagine, but I told Minnie that we should pretend we had paid for our flights with those money and not let this unpleasant incident ruin our trip...:) I think this attitude was the best in a situation like that!!!:)))

The flight to Italy was painful as both Minnie and I had a cold...:((( I was almost deaf after our arrival and was feeling quite dizzy but luckily I was completely fine the following day!!!:)))

My friend Bri who lives in Forli met us at the airport. Her dad Bruno was there as well and he kindly drove us to the old part of the town where we had delicious lunch at a very nice restaurant!!!:) We had some traditional Italian dishes /each one of us had a different one and Minnie and I had so much fun trying each other's food;)/ and some very good sparkling wine. As it was also Minnie's 14th birthday, Bri made her a wonderful surprise - she had spoken with the waiter and after we finished eating, he brought two pieces of cake with a candle on them and sang 'Happy Birthday' to my daughter!!!:) She was sooo happy!!!:)))

Then we went to the hotel Bri had found and booked for us. Its name is 'Gardenia' and it was a very nice and clean place, close to the old part of the town and to the bus station, train station and airport which turned out to be pretty convenient!!!:))) During our walk to the hotel Minnie and I kept noticing beautiful details around us and my daughter tried to take pictures of each one of them!!!:)

After leaving our bags at the hotel, we went to the museum of San Domenico. As Bri is a guide, she gave us a very interesting tour - we saw the regular exhibition of the museum as well as the temporary one /about Egypt/...:).

Bri also took us to the Abbey of San Mercuriale which was such a beautiful place, with such an incredible mystic and spiritual atmosphere, we simply loved it there!!!:)

Then Bri invited us to her favourite cafe where she had some tea, Minnie had hot chocolate and I had coffee /both Minnie and I liked our drinks very much:)/. We had a very nice chat and soon it was time to go and have dinner at the osteria Bri had reserved a table at /the place used to be a butchery and it seems to be very popular/. One of Bri's friends met us there as well and the four of us had a great time together!!!:))) We had so many various starters and everything was so yummy that when they brought our main courses Minnie and I were already full...:))) Oh, I shouldn't forget that we had some really good red wine as well!!!:)))

Bri's friend drove us to our hotel after dinner which Minnie and I were so grateful about as we were both so exhausted...;)

The following day /December 12th, Sunday/ Minnie and I got up early as we had to catch the train to Florence /or Firenze, as is the original Italian name of the city/. Bri came to pick us up at the hotel and patiently waited for us while we had our cappuccinos in a hurry /the cappuccinos were heavenly, by the way;)/. Bri's dad drove us to Faenza where we caught the train to Firenze. We traveled for two hours, but the beautiful views and the interesting chat we had made the time pass rather quickly!!!:)))

When we arrived at Firenze my dear friend Sonia was waiting for us at the train station /she had arrived from Pisa in order to meet us/. We recognized each other right away!!!:) I was so happy that we had arranged this meeting and it was funny /though not surprising at all:)/ how Sonia and Bri got along immediately!!!:) They started chatting as if they have known each other for ages, really sweet!!!:)))

As soon as we started walking on the streets of Firenze I understood why everyone says it's one of the most beautiful cities in Italy...:) Minnie and I loved everything about this magical place - the narrow streets, the old buildings, the decorated windows of the shops, the signs, the colours, the sounds, and all the other details we saw were so special, so full of beauty...:)

We heard a man playing harp in the underpass from the train station to the centre of Firenze and we simply loved his music...:) Then we saw a Historical parade of men and boys dressed in medieval clothes who made quite a show with the flags they were carrying in their hands...:)

Bri and Sonia took us to see the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, the Giotto Tower /luckily none of us wanted to climb it;)/, the Piazza della Signoria, the Palazzo Vecchio /the townhall/, the Ponte Vecchio and the Palazzo Pitti... Minnie and I were breathless - everything was so beautiful, so full of history, so special...:) We deeply regretted that we had only one day to stay in Firenze... But we did our best to make the most of that day!!!:)

Minnie took pictures of everything we saw but I took some pictures of her as well - with two living statues, one of which was Leonardo da Vinci!!!:) Leonardo was especially nice - he gave a note from his book to Minnie which made her so happy!!!:)))

On the bank of the river Arno we saw rows of padlocks of different shapes and colours... My friends told us that according to a superstition if couples write their names on such a padlock, lock it and throw the key into the river, they'll stay together forever...:) This may seem a bit silly, but Minnie and I both liked the idea very much!!!:))) Those padlocks were so interesting to looks at!!!:)))

Still, the most interesting place for us / and especially for Minnie/ was the Uffizi Art Gallery!!!:))) We spent hours there admiring the marvelous masterpieces, reading the explanations, trying to figure out the meaning of the details... Minnie fell in love with all those fantastic paintings!!!:)

After our visit at the Uffizi it was time to get something to eat so we went for some yummy pizza...:) Then we sat at a cafe and chatted for a while... Sadly this wonderful day was almost over so we had to rush to catch our trains... Sonia almost missed hers so we had to say 'good bye' in a hurry... I was very sad that our time together was over so soon, but I hope we'll have more chances to meet again in the future as she is just as sweet and lovely as she seemed in her letters!!!:)))

The travel back was OK even though we were all pretty exhausted... Luckily Bri's dad was waiting for us at the Faenza train station and drove us to our hotel...:)

Bri had to work the following day /Monday, December 13th/ so after having coffee /cappuccino for Minnie/ and breakfast at the hotel Minnie and I went exploring Forli by ourselves. It happened to be the day of Santa Lucia, so the whole centre of the town had turned into a huge market with stalls selling everything - mainly torrone but also all kinds of food /chocolate, cakes, olives, cheese, meat, bread, herbs, nuts/, souvenirs, clothes, shoes... Minnie and I had so much fun walking around, looking at the stalls, trying the samples we were offered... When passing by a certain stall selling cheese, a young guy gave us some to try. Minnie said something in Bulgarian and the guy asked her where she was from. When she answered she was from Bulgaria, he got extremely excited and said he had been to Sofia /our capital/ for a folklore festival and had danced Italian folk dances there... Needless to say, I had to take a picture of Minnie and him /holding a huge round piece of the cheese he was selling/.:)))

It was not our only strange meeting that morning, though...:) We saw a weird guy dressed only in boxers. His whole body was covered with clear tape and he had a tie around his neck and a laurel wreath on his head... He was carrying a poster looking like a Facebook page and his head was inserted at the place where the profile picture normally stands... His friends asked us to sign on the poster and we did!!!:) When we told Bri about this strange person she said that probably the guy had just graduated and his friends were making jokes of him... Whatever it was, seemed like they were having lots of fun!!!:)))

When Bri finished work, we met and took the bus for Ravenna. The trip lasted for only about 40 minutes. As soon as we arrived at Ravenna, we went to have lunch at a very nice traditional place /Minnie and I had a kind of a sandwich, made of a piece of the typical thin round bread, folded in two and filled with cheese and ham inside - yummy:)/. Bri took us for some delicious ice-cream afterwards /both Minnie and I had chocolate and stracciatella and the ice-creams were so big that Minnie had to finish mine as well;)/.

Then it was time for sightseeing - Bri took us to see the Basilica of San Vitale, the Basilica of Saint Apollinare Nuovo, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Dante's Tomb and another lovely church that I forgot the name of /which had a natural water basin under the altar with fish swimming inside/. Minnie and I were simply astonished by the beautiful mosaics...:) As the Byzantine culture is closer to the Bulgarian, the atmosphere of Ravenna seemed so familiar somehow!!!:)

This wonderful day was over soon as well... After getting back to Forli Bri came to our hotel where we had our last cup of coffee together and then said 'good bye' to each other... It was sad to separate with Bri just as it was sad to say 'good bye' to Sonia the previous day but I hope that I'll meet both of them again before too long!!!:)

Minnie and I decided to go out at our last night in Italy so we went to a nice little restaurant close to our hotel where we had yummy dinner - some bread with herbs, some prosciutto and pizza /ham, mushrooms and cheese/.

The following morning after having breakfast /and coffee for me/ we checked out of the hotel and took the bus to the airport. Luckily Bri had helped us buy the tickets the previous day, had written 'aeroporto' on one of them and had shown us where to take the bus so everything was nice and easy...:) Actually we were at the airport quite early /we arrived at 9.30 a.m. and our flight was scheduled for 1.30 p.m./ but we walked around, did some shopping, had some sandwiches, etc. so the time passed by somehow...

The flight home was painless for both Minnie and me and it was such a shock for us to find everything covered with snow and freezing in Bulgaria while we had had such a beautiful sunny weather in Italy...;) Vlado and Vanyo were waiting for us at the airport and we were so happy to see them again!!!:))) Vanyo surprised us because one of his teeth was missing - it had fallen out!!!:) I was a bit sad that I had missed the moment /it was his first tooth changing/ but we can't have it all, right?!;)

We left Minnie at the flat in Sofia because she needed to get ready for school for the following day. Then Vlado drove me and Vanyo to Plovdiv. /which was so sweet of him:)/ We stopped to have dinner at 'Happy Bar and Grill' and as soon as we got home hubby had to rush back to Sofia as we didn't want to leave Minnie alone for the night...

The following day /December 15th, Wednesday/ there was a Christmas performance at Vanyo's Pre-School. His role was a star and the stars played a very spectacular torch dance...:) Vanyo had so much fun and as always he greatly enjoyed all the attention he got after the performance!!!:)))

Then, on December 17th /Friday/ I had to go to Blagoevgrad for a case which meant lots of traveling again... I took the bus early in the morning /7.30 a.m./ and arrived four hours later. When my case was over, I took the bus to Sofia /luckily this time I traveled for two hours only/ where I spent the night with Minnie and Vlado /actually hubby went to a Christmas party with his colleagues that evening but we saw each other briefly before he left/. Vanyo spent the night at my parents' home. He was very excited as Santa Claus had come to his Pre-School that day and had brought him his most desired toy - William Furno from the Lego Hero Factory Series...:)

The following day hubby, Minnie and I went Christmas shopping both in Sofia and Plovdiv and we had so much fun!!!:))) Then we went to pick Vanyo up from my parents and in the evening the four of us went to the mall where we did some more shopping /Minnie got new shoes, jeans and a T-shirt with a sign 'Daddy's Girl':)/ and had dinner...:)))

During the weekend we finally put the Christmas decoration in our home and everything looks so nice now - cosy and festive!!!:)))

So far I have seen only two movies in December - 'The Town' /well, let's just say that Ben Affleck was the best thing for me in that movie;)/ and 'Legion' /nothing special... the only thing I liked in the movie was the way the archangels looked - their wings were kind of cool;)/...

Minnie's name day... and some other November news..:)

2010-12-01T13:13:00.007+02:00

I can't believe that it's December already... Where did the year go?! Seems it was yesterday it started and now it's almost over...

Well, except of Minnie's name day /November 11th, Thursday/, the month of November was pretty uneventful... I was sad that I couldn't be with my daughter on her special day, and I was feeling pretty lonely, so I decided to invite four of my High School friends for a drink after work... We went to a bar, called 'Chocolate' and we had such a wonderful time together!!!:)

Of course, Minnie got some nice presents for her name day which were actually all given to her in advance /some underwear from my parents, money from my mother-in-law and a Metallica T-shirt from her dad, her brother and me/. On her name day she had brought some chocolates as a treat for her classmates and teachers, so she has had a nice celebration too!!!:)

On Minnie's name day I also picked up her passport so we got one step closer to our Italy trip...:) We are supposed to travel on December 11th and I still can't believe that it's really happening...:) It all seems so unreal!!!:)))

I met my High School friends for a drink the following Thursday again /November 18th/ but this time I brought Vanyo with me as well...:) He was very happy to meet my friends and they all liked him a lot!!!:)))

The rest of November has been quite dull - I was either very busy or very bored at work /but feeling mostly lonely and depressed/ and very happy during the weekends...

I saw only two movies that month - 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' /a very cute movie, fun and entertainment for the whole family, even though Vanyo kept saying that Harry Potter is a much better wizard;)/ and 'The Expendables' /the story was nothing special, but the action scenes were incredible... and I loved the witty dialogue between Stallone and Schwarzenegger in the church:)/.

Quiet time...

2010-11-10T13:56:00.005+02:00

After the intense days I wrote about in my previous post, life seems to get back to normal again and I'm so grateful for that!!!:)))

The last October weekend was very nice - after Minnie and Vlado came home on the Friday evening /October 29th/ the four of us went to 'Happy Bar and Grill' where we enjoyed delicious dinner...:)))

On the Saturday we went to Karlovo to see my mother-in-law but we didn't stay there for the night /to my greatest relief:)/...

The Sunday was very quiet and relaxing but I felt very sad and depressed when I had to say good-bye to my hubby and daughter...:(

Luckily I was quite busy during the following week, so the next weekend came rather quickly...:)

After Minnie and Vlado came home on the Friday evening /November 5th/ the four of us went to have dinner at the mall /KFC, what else;)/.:)))

The Saturday was quite busy, but fun...:) First we went to apply for Minnie's passport /should be ready today/, so we got one step closer to our Italy trip!!!:) Then we went shopping - Minnie got two Metallica T-shirts from 'Metal Shop' -'...And Justice for All' and 'Master of Puppets'...:) She actually wanted to have one of Linkin Park, but unfortunately none of her size was available...:( Vanyo got a new Ben 10 toy and hubby got two pairs of shoes... I guess I was the only one who didn't get anything, but it was totally my fault - hubby wanted to buy me a new pair of shoes but I just wasn't sure whether I wanted them or not...:P

We had coffee at my parents that day too and in the evening we saw the movie 'Inception' /unusual, weird, exciting, great special effects, incredible /as always/ Leo DiCaprio/... And actually I would like to see it more than once...:)

On the Sunday evening we went to Karlovo to leave Vanyo with my mother-in-law. I had a case in the Supreme Court of Cassation /SCC/ early on the Monday morning, so I spent the night in Sofia with Vlado and Minnie...

The Monday was quite tiring - after the case at the SCC was over, I went to have coffee and breakfast at 'Happy Bar and Grill' /delicious mini pancakes with chocolate:P/. Hubby was at a seminar in the morning but we wanted to have lunch together so I waited for him...:) When the seminar was over, we had yummy lunch at a Chinese restaurant...:) I missed the 4 p.m. bus to Plovdiv so I got home rather late and very, very exhausted... My mother-in-law and Vanyo were waiting for me already...:) It was so nice to be at home after such a long day...:) I just had a quick shower and went to bed early with my book... This helped me immensely to relax and to recharge my batteries...:)

Today has been a nice day so far...:) I met a friend from High School at a cafe and we had such a wonderful time together...:) Actually we're planning to meet tomorrow again /plus two more friends/ so this is something I'm definitely looking forward to!!!:)))

Intense days...

2010-10-27T10:05:00.008+03:00

The last couple of weeks were very intense... So much was going on... Luckily I have some free time today and I'll do my best to sum it up here...:)

Well, in the evening of October 12th /Tuesday/ I started feeling sick...:( I thought I had caught a virus, because I was feverish and my whole body was stiff and painful...:( My tonsils were hurting a lot too...:( I felt terrible the following day, but luckily by the end of the week I was healthy again...:)

Then, on December 14th /Thursday/ the most incredible thing happened!!!:) My daughter called to tell me that she had won two Wizz Air tickets to a destination of her choice - London, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Eindhoven, Brussels, Paris, Rome, Milano, Venice, Forli/Bologna, Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia...:) This came so unexpected that even now, two weeks later, we still can't believe this is really happening...:)))

When I shared the news with my friends around the world, a lot of them suggested to meet, which was so sweet of them!!!:)))

First Minnie and I wanted to go to London but we were told it was very expensive there and we are totally unprepared for making any extra expenses at the moment... Besides, someone from Minnie's class had told her that it would be too cold there in December /when we're planning of making that trip/... So we decided to choose a warmer destination - Italy!!!:) Minnie will go to Rome, Milano, Venice and Pisa with her class in May /as part of their Latin Language Practice/, so she wanted to go somewhere else this time... That's how we decided on Forli/Bologna /you can see a view of Forli in the picture of this post, by the way:)/!!!:)

I have a friend living in Forli /her name is Bri/ who is a professional guide, so we'll be in good hands!!!:) Bri was kind enough to offer to meet us at the airport and she also booked a very nice hotel for us!!!:) She will also take us to day trips to Florence and Ravenna, so we'll try to see as much as we can!!!:)

During the day trip to Florence I'll also meet my friend Sonia who lives in Pisa!!!:) So I'll meet two of my wonderful Italian friends in December - needless to say I'm looking forward to that!!!:)))

I've booked the tickets already and we'll be flying to Italy on December 11th /which is also Minnie's 14th birthday/ and back home on December 14th... It's going to be a short trip, but as I've already said, it was quite unexpected and that's all we can afford right now!!!:) Besides the financial aspect of it, none of us both can be absent from school/work for longer than two days at the moment... But we have decided that it will not be our last trip together so hopefully this will be the beginning of a new adventure for us both!!!:) In fact this will be Minnie's first travel abroad and for me it will be the first foreign trip since 1990!!!:))) So we are both excited beyond explanation!!!:)))

The weekend that followed /October 16th - 17th/ was simply great!!!:) Vlado and Minnie came home from Sofia on the Friday evening. The four of us were so happy to get together again!!!:) We went to Mall of Plovdiv to have dinner at KFC /again, I know:)/ and on the Saturday we went to the other mall - Galeria for some shopping and afterwards we sat a one of the cafes there... The time we spent together was so nice and was over so quickly...

Oh, I also saw some movies that week - 'Tekken' /the movie was nothing special, but the battle scenes were quite spectacular;)/, 'Whiteout' /an OK thriller:)/, 'Sex and the City 2' /I loved it!!!:)/, 'The Last Airbender' /wonderful movie!!!:) Can't wait for the sequels!!!:)/.

The next week brought us another surprise - a very unpleasant one this time...:((( On October 20th /Wednesday/ Minnie called to tell me that she had broken her right wrist at her gym class and it should be in plaster for a month /until November 22nd/...:((( Poor girl!!!:((( I'm really amazed by the way she is handling the situation, though - she is not complaining about the pain or discomfort at all... The only thing she is worried about is that she can't write her homework and do the tests at school, can you believe it?! Wish I was that strong...

Last weekend was nice and relaxing too, but it was heart-breaking to see Minnie's arm in plaster...:((( Still, we went for a dinner out on the Friday evening /October 22nd/ - we enjoyed the yummy food at 'Pizza Originale' to the fullest!!!:)

On the Saturday evening /October 23rd/ I attended a meeting with my ex-classmates... We had dinner at the restaurant called 'Classic' /just like the previous time we met/ and I enjoyed catching up with my friends a lot...:) But I just wasn't in the right mood for going to a bar afterwards, so I skipped that part of the reunion this time...

Last week I saw only two movies, but they were both very good - 'Street Dance' /great entertainment/ and 'Knight&Day' /lots of action and funny moments:)/.

This week has been quiet so far - just work and nothing exciting...:) But I'm somehow grateful for it!!!:) And, needless to say, I'm already looking forward to the weekend!!!:)))

The autumn is here...

2010-10-11T13:55:00.006+03:00

...and it seems incredible that not so long ago we were complaining about the heat...;) Oh, how I miss those hot, sunny days...:( It's been grey, cold and rainy here for weeks already and this terrible weather does not influence my mood in a positive way...:( But I should get myself together now and stop complaining... As I have to concentrate on summing up the most important things which have happened in the past three weeks...;)

September 22nd /Wednesday/ was an official holiday - Bulgaria celebrated its Independence Day then... As it was in the middle of the week, Minnie remained in Sofia with my mother-in-law... Vlado, Vanyo and I didn't do anything special - we just stayed at home and relaxed...:) Which was the perfect as it helped me to completely get rid of the cold I had caught the previous weekend...;)

The following day /September 23rd, Thursday/ I took the bus to Sofia... My mother-in-law had something to do in Karlovo so I stayed with Minnie instead of her... My daughter was so happy to have me around...:) We had a great time together!!!:)

In the evening of September 24th /Friday/ Vlado and Vanyo arrived at Sofia too as the following morning we had to attend the first parent-teacher meeting in Minnie's new school...:) The four of us felt so wonderful to be together again!!!:)

The parent-teacher meeting took place in the big hall of the University of Sofia /which makes perfect sense as Minnie's school is a lyceum towards the University/... It was all very official and we liked it a lot!!!:)

As soon as the meeting was over, we headed for the resort in the Batak Area /the same place where we had spent a great weekend back in May/...:) Our friends had arrived there the previous evening and were already waiting for us!!!:) And just as in May, we had a wonderful time again and we didn't feel like getting back home at all!!!:)

The last days of September I also made it to see some movies: 'Letters to Juliet' /very sweet and romantic movie - I loved it!!!:)/, 'Everybody's Fine' /a beautiful yet a bit sad story... And Robert De Niro is brilliant as always!!!:)/ and 'The Joneses' /a very deep and interesting movie...:)/. I also saw 'The Pillars of the Earth' mini-series /I just loved them and regretted there were only 8 episodes...:)/.

On October 4th /Monday/ hubby started working in the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office... So from that moment on he has been the one staying with Minnie... I've been feeling quite lonely without him, but we'll be together during the weekends, so it could have been much worse...;) And I've started making plans of moving to Sofia as well /not before September 2011, though, when Vanyo should start going to school/...;)

Last weekend was a very nice one...:) It was great when Vlado and Minnie came home on Friday evening... They had brought us two boxes of Dunkin' Donuts which was so thoughtful and sweet of them!!!:) We ate some /left a few for breakfast/ and then headed for the mall where we had dinner at KFC /more unhealthy food, I know, but so yummy;)/.

On the Saturday we went shopping and we had so much fun together!!!:) I bought myself a black leather jacket and I'm so happy about it!!!;) We had lunch in the mall /KFC again;)/ and in the evening we just stayed at home and relaxed...:)

Unfortunately Minnie and Vlado had to leave for Sofia early the following morning as there was a ceremony for the 33rd anniversary of Minnie's school on the Sunday and she had to attend... But I'm already looking forward to the next weekend when the four of us will re-unite again!!!:)

A good start:)

2010-09-20T09:24:00.007+03:00

Well, looks like both children have had a really good start of the new school year!!!:) Vanyo has been doing fine at the Pre-School and his teachers are very pleased with him...:) Minnie likes her new school in Sofia very much too and has already managed to make some new friends!!!:)

On September 11th /Saturday/ the four of us went to Sofia to get the keys for the flat where Minnie will be staying while at school...:) And as soon as we got back to Plovdiv, we visited my dad to celebrate his birthday!!!:) We all had a great time together and the food my mum had prepared was delicious as always!!!:)

The Sunday that followed /September 12th/ was very quiet and relaxing...:) We saw a few movies: 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' /I have to confess that this movie was much more interesting and exciting than 'New Moon' and I enjoyed watching it a lot:)/, 'Gunless' /nothing special:(/ and 'Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam' /the second Camp Rock movie was much worse than the first...:( The songs and dances were OK but the story was not interesting at all...:(/.

On September 14th /Tuesday/ after hubby and I finished work, we drove to Sofia and left Minnie there with all her luggage as she had to start school the following day... My mother-in-law stayed with her as well... It was very sad to say 'good-bye' to my little girl, but I tried to keep in mind that I'm helping and supporting her to follow her dreams and this thought helped a lot...:)

On September 17th /Friday/ after school Minnie got home and we were all so happy to have her here for the weekend!!!:) That same evening we were invited by our friends Vanya and Dobri for a 'kurban' at their home and as every year we had a wonderful time enjoying an interesting conversation and some delicious food!!!:)

Unfortunately I caught a cold that day too /I suspect the changeable weather and all the stress I've been dealing with lately are to blame:(/ so I couldn't enjoy the weekend much...:((( But I think I'm a bit better today and I hope I'll be perfectly fine the following weekend!!!:)))

Our summer holidays...and some other news...:)

2010-09-07T16:07:00.009+03:00

Well, our summer hoildays were quite short this year, but nevertheless it was great to get away from home for a while...:) We spent a week in Varna /August 18th - 26th/ and it was nice to see my sister and nieces again...:) Plus, the weather was perfect and we could go to the beach every day so the children had lots of fun!!!:)))

My first day at work after the holidays /August 27th, Friday/ was a real nightmare...:( I told the lawyer I'm sharing my office with that after the term of our rental contract is over /beginning of October/ I want to use the office alone... I had every right to do so because it was me who had found the office /I knew the lawyer who was renting it before and he had introduced me to the owner/ and it was always me who was contacting the owner... I had invited that woman to share the office with me as she seemed very nice at first... Unfortunately she turned out to be a totally different person...:((( So I had decided to use the office only by myself for the next rental period... I was hoping to have a quiet conversation with my colleague - but no, she called her husband and made a scene in front of him...:((( Her husband wanted to know why I prefer to be alone but I replied that I would never tell him anything against his wife and that if she wanted to know the reasons, I would readily tell them to her in a private conversation... I did my best to keep my dignity and remain calm even though she tried hard to provoke me... Anyway, a few days later /August 31st, Tuesday/ she moved out and since then I've been working alone in the office...:) It's such a relief for me...:)))

The last August weekend was quite busy - on the Saturday /August 28th/ Vlado and I baptized Angel /the son of Maria and Nickolay - the couple whose 'kumove' we are/ and on the Sunday /August 29th/ we took our kids to the Karlovo Fair /needless to say, they tried all the attractions and enjoyed themselves to the fullest:)/...

During that weekend we also made it to see two movies - 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time' /a great entertainment:)/ and 'Salt' /great movie!!!:) Lots of action, unexpected twists and an incredible Angelina Jolie!!!:)/.

The Monday that followed /August 30th/ was very busy too... We went to Sofia to search for a flat to rent for Minnie and we found a nice one-room apartment which is in a new building right next to her new school...:) It's totally furnished with nice new furniture and at an affordable price...:))) I still can't believe how lucky we were!!!:)))

Last weekend was a long one - we had the Monday /September 6th/ off as it was a public holiday /Unification Day/ and we did our best to relax after all the stress we've been through lately...:) And, of course, we saw some movies - 'Iron Man 2' /I didn't like the first movie, but the second was even worse:(/ and 'Robin Hood' /well, let's just say that I expected much more from the movie...;)/.

Today is a normal working day for me and my husband...:) And it's the first day at Pre-School for Vanyo!!!:) He'll attend it at his Kindergarten, even his teachers will be the same so there won't be too many changes for him, which is good...:) This morning he was very happy to meet all his little friends again after the summer break!!!:)

Some August news:)

2010-08-16T10:53:00.010+03:00

Yes, I've been too lazy to post anything here lately... So I guess it's time for a catch-up!!!:)

August started with quite an unpleasant experience - I had my upper left wisdom tooth removed on August 2nd /Monday/...:((( I was very scared because two years ago when I had my other upper wisdom tooth removed, the two shots of anesthesia didn't work and I was in a lot of pain...:((( Luckily this time I didn't feel a thing...:))) And I felt fine enough to go to 'Verdi' with hubby for dinner in the evening...:)

The rest of the month was full of nice events!!!:) On August 4th /Wednesday/ I met three of my High School friends and we had a great time together!!!:) We went to the 'Afreddo Ice Cream House' where we stayed for three hours chatting and laughing non-stop!!!:) Oh, and I had delicious chocolate ice cream cake...:)

On August 6th /Friday/ hubby and I finally went to pick our kids up from Karlovo...:) It was fantastic to have them home with us again!!!:) They have had a nice time in Karlovo hiking in the mountains and swimming in the mineral water pool in Banya but they were so happy to be at home with us too!!!:)

The weekend that followed /August 7th-8th/ we were invited to visit our friends in their house in Starnitza /the same village where we've bought a house too/. We had a great time and both the adults and the kids enjoyed themselves to the fullest!!!:) We had BBQ and a couple of drinks on the Saturday evening... The table where we sat had a fantastic view over the mountain slopes!!!:) And the air was so fresh and cool - totally different from the heat in Plovdiv...:) We didn't feel like getting back to the hot and dirty city at all...;) On our way home we picked up some wild strawberries, raspberries and blueberries...:) They were so yummy!!!:)

I had a case in the Law Court of Blagoevgrad early in the morning of August 10th /Tuesday/. Considering that the traveling time is 4-5 hours I had to arrive there the day before... So on August 9th /Monday/ I took the 1 p.m. bus and arrived at Blagoevgrad at about 5 p.m. I checked in at the hotel where I was about the spend the night /it was a family hotel called 'Merida' which wasn't anything special but it was cheap and close to the Law Court so it was good enough/... After checking in and having a quick shower I walked to the Law Court /wanted to see how long it would take me to get there the next morning/ and back... Then I had dinner in the 'summer garden' of the hotel /neither the 'summer garden' nor the dinner were worth it:(/ and went back to my room where I watched some TV, had another shower and felt so bored that decided to fall asleep at 10 p.m. /too early for a night person like me;)/... Getting enough sleep was probably the only good thing during this trip to Blagoevgrad!!!;)

The following morning I had a cup of coffee at the lobby bar of the hotel and then went to the Law Court... Luckily my case was the first one on the list so it was over within 15 minutes...:) I went back to the hotel, had my last shower there and spent the whole morning watching TV /I deeply regretted that I hadn't taken a book with me/... At noon I checked out of the hotel and as my bus was only at 2.30 p.m., I walked around the central part of the town to kill the time... It was too hot and I got exhausted easily so I decided to sit at a pizzeria where I had a light lunch /French fries and Coke/... Time definitely seemed to be dragging those two days...:((( Finally it was time to get on the bus and after 4 hours of traveling my sweet hubby and kids met me at the bus station in Plovdiv!!!:) It was fantastic to be at home again!!!:)

The rest of the week I was quite busy at work and it felt great!!!:) I was busy even on my birthday /August 12th, Thursday/... But it was a very nice and special day for me anyway!!!:) I felt so spoit to receive all those phone calls, SMS, e-cards, e-mails, Facebook messages/wall postings/virtual gifts, and snail mail cards from my friends!!!:) I also got a piece of abstract art created by Vanyo /luckily he explained me in details what he had drawn;)/ and Minnie had written a sweet sign on it!!!:) Vlado bought me a T-shirt I wanted to have /there's a sign on it saying 'Buy me a drink and I'll think about it.' - I love such funny signs on clothes:)/... So I got some cute gifts as well!!!:)

In the evening of my birthday I took hubby and the kids to the 'Mall of Plovdiv'. First we had dinner at KFC and then yummy ice cream /plus great coffee for me and Vlado/ at Afreddo.:) We all had lots of fun even though we didn't have a big celebration...:)

Last weekend was lots of fun too...:) In the evening of August 13th /Friday/ the four of us went to the new mall - 'Galeria'. To be honest, we didn't like it as much as 'Mall of Plovdiv' but it was still interesting...:) There is a 'Carrefour' supermarket there /the first one in Plovdiv/ and we had lots of fun looking at the Carrefour products which were totally new to us...:) And we ended up buying lots of chocolates, biscuits and juices which were almost finished by the end of the weekend!!!;)

Yesterday we decided to have lunch at 'Verdi' - all of us except Vanyo /who had chicken wings as he doesn't like pizza/ had delicious pizzas...:) We were so full that none of us wanted to have dinner that day...:)

During the first half of August I saw some movies - 'The Upside of Anger' /a very beautiful, warm and touching movie... I loved it!!!:)/, 'Amelia' /at first I thought the movie would be boring but it turned out to be quite nice and interesting...:) Not the type I would like to see more than once, though...;)/, 'Couples Retreat' /an OK romantic movie with some quite funny moments... and breath-taking views:)/, 'The Boys Are Back' /a beautiful story which deeply touched me...:) And Clive Owen is incredible as always!!!:)/, 'The Karate Kid' /great movie - touching story, wonderful battle scenes, and a fantastic - cute and very talented - Jaden Smith...:) Definitely a movie I would love to see more than once...:)/, 'Beauty & the Briefcase' /an OK romantic comedy...:)/, 'Centurion' /I love historical movies but this one is nothing special...:( Comparing it to '300' and 'Gladiator' is quite an exaggeration...:(((/ and 'Killers' /and OK entertaining movie with some funny moments and some interesting action/battle scenes...:)/.

A wedding anniversary and a penpal meeting...:)

2010-07-29T14:49:00.006+03:00

Yes, hubby and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on July 22nd /Thursday/...:) We were both quite busy at work that day /so busy that we even missed our usual date over a cup of coffee in his lunch break/ but in the evening we had a very nice and romantic dinner at 'Happy Bar and Grill'...:) And we even got a phone call from the kids /who are still in Karlovo with my in-laws/ wishing us 'Happy Anniversary'...:) It was soooo sweet and thoughtful of them!!!:)

On July 26th /Monday/ I had another penpal meeting - my Dutch pal Yvonne came to visit me with a friend of hers...:) Both ladies had spent 3 days in Sofia /our capital/ before that but they both enjoyed Plovdiv much more /saying that my city has much better atmosphere - and they are absolutely right:)/... That same day Minnie had come to Plovdiv too /as she was invited to a birthday party/ and she said that she wanted to meet my Dutch guests as well... So the four of us had a great time together in spite of the rainy day!!!:)

Minnie and I met our Dutch guests at the bus station and as it had become almost noon, we went to have lunch at a restaurant, called 'The Old Plovdiv'. The food was very good and we had a great conversation, chatting almost non-stop...:) I even tried to learn some words in Dutch /Minnie's idea/ but found the pronunciation incredibly complicated...;)

After lunch we went to the Old Part of Plovdiv, where we saw the Antique Theatre, the old houses and churches and did some souvenir shopping ...:) We were supposed to visit the Ethnographic museum but it turned out that it wasn't working on Monday /what a shame that this piece of info was missing in their website:(/... But we visited another /smaller/ museum, so I guess that was good enough...;)

Then we sat at a cafe for a while where we continued with our interesting chat and I even got a wonderful present from Yvonne - some typical Dutch wafers /which turned out to be really yummy:)/ and... whole two pads of writing paper /Diddl and Diddlina/...:) Minnie and I were both so excited about the writing paper as it's impossible to be found here...:)

After our coffee break Minnie left for the birthday party of her friend and I took my Dutch guests to the bus station... It was sad to say good-bye to them... We spent 6 hours together but we had so much fun that it seemed like 6 minutes...:( Still, I think they both enjoyed their visit a lot too, so I hope they'll come again - for a longer time!!!:)

Minnie had also had a great time at her friend's birthday - she came home exhausted and very, very excited!!!;) It was great to have her at home - even though it was for two days only!!!:)

The following day /July 27th, Tuesday/ after hubby and I finished work, we took Minnie to a new fast food place where we had some real good sandwiches... After that we did a nice walk along the main street /and enjoyed the procession of the participants in the International Folklore Festival which is taking place in Plovdiv this week/ and finally sat on a bench in the Central Park with ice-creams in our hands...:) Then it was time for Minnie to catch the bus to Karlovo...:( Both Vlado and I found it hard to say 'good-bye' to our daughter but we know she has a lot more entertaining things to do in Karlovo and besides, the weather is much better there in the summer... So knowing that we're simply doing it for the children has helped us to accept the separation easier...;)

During the past two weeks I've made it to see three movies - 'Repo Men' /dark, cruel, depressing, but also full of action and unexpected twists.../, 'The Back-up Plan' /a very nice romantic movie:)/ and 'The Last Song' /a very beautiful and touching story, I loved it... and cried a lot in the end...:)/.

Summer time:)

2010-07-19T11:14:00.009+03:00

Well, on the day I last wrote here /June 28th, Monday/ Vanyo got sick - he had high temperature /39C/ and his throat hurt a lot... When I took him to his doctor the following morning he was diagnosed with angina /just as I feared/. He had the same illness in the middle of June as well, so I was rather upset that he would have to take antibiotics again /and even stronger ones this time/...:( But we had no choice... Luckily he got better as soon as he started with the medicines!!!:)

On July 4th /Sunday/ Minnie had to sit for her History exam at the NGDEK school in Sofia... All the four of us went to the capital as well as we wanted to support her...:) The exam was oral and she had to speak in front of a commission which consisted of the headmaster of the school, a History teacher at the school and a History professor at the Sofia University /as NGDEK is a lyceum school towards that university/. Minnie came out of the exam room rather surprised that the commission did not examine her as long as the other candidates... I told her that it was a good sign and I proved to be right - on July 8th /Thursday/ we found out that Minnie has received a very good mark /5/ and was accepted to study at the NGDEK!!!:) You should have seen the joy in her eyes when she found out about it!!!:) These moments are simply priceless!!!:)

After the exam the four of us decided to have a late lunch so we went to a 'Happy Bar and Grill' restaurant where we enjoyed delicious /as always/ food!!!:) Because of the FIFA World Cup Championship we also got a quite unexpected gift from the restaurant - a foot ball /Vanyo was thrilled:)/...:)

The following day /July 5th, Monday/ after work we went to the Rowing Canal. We sat at a cafe next to the water and enjoyed the beautiful summer evening...:) Afterwards we had a walk in the nearby park... :) We all had a wonderful time - especially the kids /as you can see from the picture I've uploaded/...:)

During that week I could see only one movie - 'Public Enemies'. Unfortunately, it was too slow and boring for my liking...:(

That week was also our last one with the kids... On July 9th /Friday/ after work we all drove to Karlovo and spent the weekend there... On Sunday afternoon Vlado and I got home but we left Minnie and Vanyo with my in-laws... The kids will stay there for 3 or 4 weeks as every summer... And just as every summer I've been missing them a lot...:( But I also know that they'll enjoy their time in Karlovo to the fullest...:) And that hubby and I need to spend some time as a couple as well...:)

Actually enjoying our time as a couple was exactly what we did last weekend!!!:) On the Saturday /July 17th/ we went to a theatre performance... We saw 'Golemanov' /a Bulgarian satiric comedy/. It was a charity performance - all the money collected from the sold tickets will be used for the children of Plovdiv - for building a new eco playground and for renovating the asylum for abandoned children... Both are very good causes...:)

After the performance hubby and I went for a walk along the main street of Plovdiv...:) We bought some ice cream /mango and Baileys for me/ which was the perfect thing to do in the hot summer night!!!:)

When we got home, we saw some movies - 'Cop Out' /a nice and entertaining cop movie - lots of action and some quite funny moments... Nothing extraordinary, though...;)/ and 'Clash of the Titans' /it turned out to be much better than I actually expected - lots of action and wonderful special effects!!!:) The perfect summer entertainment!!!:)/.

The Sunday /yesterday/ was quieter - we just stayed at home and relaxed...:) We saw one movie /'Vampires Suck'/ but it was so silly that I'm not sure if it's worth being mentioned at all...:(

Yesterday there was a big celebration in Karlovo and the president of Bulgaria had been there as well... Well, my mother-in-law told us on the phone that Vanyo had somehow passed by his guards and had shaken hands with the president, introducing himself...:) This is so typical for my extroverted and sociable son!!!:D What a pity that Minnie hasn't had a camera with her to take a picture of this important moment...:(

The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner...:)

2010-06-28T14:06:00.008+03:00

Well, the title of today's post is actually the name of a wonderful Bulgarian movie I saw earlier this month /and about which I'll write more in a while;)/... It pretty much sums up the way I've been feeling lately - too much worries and stress in the last couple of weeks...:( And then - the enormous help, support and understanding I got from my family and friends...:) After feeling depressed for a while I'm slowly beginning to get back to my positive, optimistic self...:) And it feels great!!!:)

But let me see now what has happened in my life since the beginning of this month /seems like ages ago already;)/... The first June weekend /June 5th-6th/ was a very quiet and relaxing one, spent at home - just as I hoped...:) I even made it to see a movie - 'The Wolfman'... The movie itself was a total disappointment, though...:( I've always thought that Anthony Hopkins is a great actor so I simply can't understand why he has agreed to play in such a bad, stupid and disgusting movie...:(

On June 8th /Tuesday/ there was a performance at Vanyo's Kindergarten - the kids danced dances from various parts of the world... The final dance was a Bulgarian folk dance and my son took part in that one!!!:) He was sooo cute in his folk costume /you can see it in the picture:)/!!!:) And very confident and artistic at his performance, I must add!!!:)

On June 11th /Friday/ Minnie attended a party with her classmates. They celebrated the end of the school year.:) It was held at Club 'Plasma' /one of the most fashionable dance clubs in Plovdiv/ and my daughter had had a great time there - dancing non stop!!!:)

The following day /June 12th, Saturday/ hubby was at a conference in Sofia and as soon as he got back home he had to go out again - this time for a High School Reunion!!!:) He didn't get home till about 3 a.m. and he told me he has had lots of fun there!!!:)

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful...:) I saw the wonderful Bulgarian movie which almost made it to the Oscars - 'The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner' and I simply loved it!!!:) It was such a beautiful and touching story!!!:) Oh, and most of the scenes were shot in Karlovo /my hubby's birth town;)/ so we had lots of fun recognizing the familiar places while watching the movie!!!:)

On June 16th my daughter officially finished her 7th grade!!!:) And for a seventh year in a row she got 'excellent' 6 /the best mark in Bulgaria/ for all of her subjects - Bulgarian Language and Literature, Mathematics, English, History and Civilization, Geography and Economy, Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry and Ecology, Biology and Health Education, Computer Technologies, Labour Education, Music, Art, Sports, CCS /Compulsory Chosen Subject/ Bulgarian, CCS Mathematics, CCS English and FCS /Freely Chosen Subject/ Mathematics. This school year was quite difficult and stressful, so we're all very proud of Minnie doing so well!!!:)

The weekend that followed /June 19th-20th/ was another quiet and relaxing one, spent at home... I saw 'From Paris with Love' which was a very entertaining movie, full of action...:) A bit predictable, though...:(

On June 24th came the results from the Plovdiv High Schools applications...:) It turned out that Minnie is accepted at the Ivan Vazov Language School /also known as 'The Russian Gymnasium' as the students there study Russian as a second foreign language/.:) It's one of the most prestigious schools in Plovdiv and we're all very happy that Minnie was accepted there!!!:) The class she got into is specialized in English but she can also choose a third foreign language /besides English and Russian/ if she wants...:) This is the school Minnie wanted most from those in Plovdiv but she still hasn't given up the idea of studying at the NGDEK in Sofia... So while all her classmates are enjoying their holidays, she is studying History for the entering exam at the NGDEK /which should take place in the beginning of July/...:( I know I should be very proud of my determined daughter /and I am/ but sometimes I really wish she was less ambitious... Oh, well...

Last weekend was quite a movie weekend!!!:) I saw 'The Bounty Hunter' /I love Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston but their presence in the movie was not enough to make it worthwhile:(/, 'Brooklyn's Finest' /dark, touching, suspenseful, exciting- a wonderful police movie:)/ and 'Fame' /I have to confess that I haven't seen the original, so I had nothing to compare the remake with, which is probably a good thing... I generally liked it, even though it was a bit too slow and long in my opinion...:P/.

Exam period, a High School reunion and a Holiday of the Rose...:)

2010-06-03T09:59:00.011+03:00

Yes, the last couple of days were very stressful for Minnie as she had to pass her exams then... Luckily the exam period is over now and she seems to have done a great job /as always:)/...

The first exam was on May 27th /Thursday/. It was Bulgarian Language and Literature... The first part /module/ of the exam lasted 60 minutes. It's a mature exam - consists of 25 questions about the material the kids have studied at Middle School in their Bulgarian Language and Literature lessons... Well, my daughter has obviously got two of the questions wrong /unfortunately one of those could have given her 6 points if she had answered correctly... but what could you do.../. The maximum she could get at this module is 65%.

The second module lasted 90 minutes /it started right after the first module was over/. It was the High School Entrance Exam. This was the difficult part - the children were supposed to retell a story /in written form/ from a book they haven't studied at school. They had to listen to the text, read it for 15 minutes and retell it... The story they had to retell was a bit tricky /a historical theme, full of archaisms and ancient names/, but I hope Minnie has made it nevertheless...:) She has always been good at writing and she used to practice a lot with my mum /who is a retired Bulgarian Language and Literature teacher/ so I'm not too worried about the result of this part of the exam... The maximum she could get at this module is 35%.

The English mature exam was on Friday, May 28th. It lasted 60 minutes. Minnie got 3 questions wrong /-1 point each/ out of 35, so not bad either...:)

The third exam was Maths /Monday, May 31st/. It also consisted of two parts /modules/. The first module was the mature exam. The kids had to solve 25 mathematical problems for 60 minutes /which meant that they had approximately 2,5 minutes for each problem:(/. Minnie got all of those correct!!!:) This means she has 65% /the maximum she could get for this module/!!!:)

The second module was the High School Entrance Exam. It lasted 90 minutes and the kids had to solve 5 mathematical problems which were much more complicated. Minnie is not very confident about the way she has solved them, but we'll see if she did well or not by June 11th /when the official results will be announced/. As with the Bulgarian Language and Literature Exam, the maximum she could get at this module is 35%.

The Social Sciences, Civil Education and Religion mature exam was on June 1st /Tuesday/. It lasted 60 minutes and consisted of 18 questions from the Geography and Economy lessons /Minnie got all of those correct/ and 18 questions from the History and Civilization lessons /Minnie got only one wrong there/.:)

The Natural Sciences and Ecology mature exam was yesterday /Wednesday, June 2nd/. It lasted 90 minutes and consisted of 15 questions from the Physics and Astronomy lessons /my daughter got only one of those wrong/, 15 questions from the Chemistry and Ecology lessons /only one wrong there as well/ and 15 questions from the Biology and Health Education lessons /Minnie got two of those wrong/...

To top it off, Minnie had to go to school on the days of the exams as well /except of when she had her Bulgarian Language and Literature and her Maths exam - those days were school-free:)/... On the day she had her English exam she even had to sit for a History test /the Roman Empire/ - fun, fun, fun...;)

Speaking of fun, on May 28th /Friday/ I attended a High School reunion. Actually I was the one who organized the whole thing this time...;) I met my ex-classmates at a very nice restaurant, called 'Classic'. We enjoyed delicious /and not expensive at all:)/ food, a couple of drinks and an interesting chat...:) We had such a good laugh remembering our school times!!!:) We stayed until midnight /and yes, we were the last ones to leave the restaurant;)/ and continued at a dance club called 'Brilliantine'...:) We had some more drinks there /vodka with black currant for me:)/ and danced until we were almost dead from exhaustion...:P I got home at 3 a.m. but felt so excited that I had a hard time falling asleep!!!:) All those who attended the reunion /we were 8 girls and 2 boys/ said that they have had a wonderful time and want us to meet again!!!:) Sure, why not?!;)

During the weekend we went to Karlovo to celebrate the Holiday of the Rose. As I've probably mentioned before, Karlovo is situated in the Valley of Roses. The roses growing in this valley are a special sort which is used for producing rose oil. Rose oil is very expensive and it's used both in cosmetics and medicine. Anyway, the Holiday of the Rose is one of the biggest events in Karlovo - there are rose-picking and rose oil producing demonstrations, concerts, theatre/folklore performances and even a 'Queen of the Roses' beauty contest...:) Unfortunately the weather was not perfect, but we still attended the event /I'll never forget watching some of the concerts and the fireworks in the pouring rain!!!;)/. The kids had so much fun!!!:)

This weekend will be much quieter but I don't mind it at all...;) I guess we'll just stay at home and relax...:) Minnie will probably start preparing for her History exam, though... It will take place in Sofia in the beginning of July... She wants to apply to the National Gymnasium of Ancient Languages and Cultures /NGDEK/ as she wants to study Latin, Ancient Greek, Ancient Bulgarian and lots of History... To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this ambition of hers... On one hand, it's one of the most prestigious schools in my country and my daughter would be very happy to study the subjects she loves if she gets accepted...:) But on the other hand, she will face a lot of difficulties living in a strange city /bigger than Plovdiv/ at such a young age...:( We should rent a flat /or at least a room/ for her which would mean extra expenses...:( Also, either my mother-in-law or my hubby should move to Sofia with her at least for the first school year... Somehow I think that the second option would be better for Minnie as Vlado would be able to drive her with our car, help her with her homework, projects, etc. But this would mean that I should stay in Plovdiv alone with Vanyo...:( So if Minnie gets accepted at the NGDEK, it would affect our whole family... As you can imagine, I'm not feeling at ease about the whole situation...:( But I'll keep my fingers crossed for Minnie and hope that no matter where she'll continue her education, she'll be happy and satisfied!!!:) Because she deserves it!!!:)

A perfect weekend:)

2010-05-26T10:49:00.007+03:00

Last weekend was simply perfect!!!:) On Friday /May 21st/ I worked only until noon and in the afternoon we gathered with some friends /colleagues of my husband with their families/ and headed for the Batak Area in the Rhodope Mountains!!!:) We stayed in a resort which can be used only by prosecutors and their families. Each family had a house of their own which was very convenient...:) And the place was so beautiful!!!:) We had a breath-taking view to the Batak dam lake from the terraces of 'our' house!!!:)

Our company was great - both the adults and the children had a wonderful time together!!!:) There was so much to do at the resort - we could play table/court tennis or football, go to the fitness centre /which I did for a first time in my life and I absolutely enjoyed:)/, try sauna, solarium, hand/hydro-massages /I tried the hydro-massage/tangentor and loved it:)/, etc. or just relax at the cafe or the lobby bar of the resort...:) Unfortunately the pool wasn't working /it was an open air one and the weather was still a bit cold for it/ but all the other facilities were more than enough!!!:) Oh, and I shouldn't forget that the food at the restaurant was delicious!!!:)

We left in the afternoon of Sunday /May 23rd/ but we all enjoyed this weekend so much that we're determined to go to the resort again /probably in autumn as everything is already booked for the summer season/...:)

Monday /May 24th/ was the Day of Bulgarian Alphabet and Culture, so it was another day off...:) We mostly stayed at home and relaxed!!!:) Oh, I also saw a movie /of course;)/ - 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' /definitely not my kind of movie - too weird and unusual...:(/... That was also the day I saw the series finale of 'LOST'... What can I say about it?! It was epic, touching, beautiful...:) Typically for 'LOST' it left a lot of questions unanswered...:) And it brought tears to my eyes!!!:)

Vanyo's 6th Birthday:)

2010-05-14T11:02:00.008+03:00

It's amazing how fast time is flying...:) Seems like it was yesterday Vanyo was born and we celebrated his 6th birthday last Thursday /May 6th/...:) It's also a public holiday /Day of Bravery and Bulgarian Army/ and the Orthodox Church celebrates Saint George then!!!:)

My parents and my mother-in-law visited us for lunch. On Saint George's Day Bulgarians should eat roasted lamb or goat /as this Saint is believed to protect herds and shepherds/ and 'drob-sarma', so we followed the tradition...:) We also had 'Shopska salad' and my mother-in-law had baked delicious 'kozunak'...:) There was also a cake, of course /chocolate with three types of cream inside - very fresh and light taste:)/, and my son was very proud that he could blow all the 6 candles at once!!!:)

But what he enjoyed most about his birthday, was all the attention...and the presents!!!:) He got a Star Wars laser sword /with light and noise:)/, a magic board /where he can write and erase/ and a set of Ben 10 cards from my parents, a tractor toy, a Power Rangers magazine & toy and a book about the letters of the Bulgarian alphabet from my sister and her family, some money from my mother-in-law and a Ahsoka figure /a character from Star Wars I suspect my son has a crush on as he wanted to have this figure for months:P/ from his dad, his sister and me...:)

When we finished with the lunch, we drove to a village close to Karlovo to visit one of Vlado's aunts who had a name day...:) It was nice to see her and her family again...:) We stayed for a while and then Vlado and I went to visit a friend of ours /who had a name day as well/ while my mother-in-law took Minnie and Vanyo for a hike to the waterfall at the Stara Planina Mountain /it's right where the town of Karlovo ends/..:) After the visit at our friend we said 'good-bye' to my mother-in-law and drove home. It was such an exciting day, full of emotions!!!:)

The following day /May 7th, Friday/ was given as a day off /we'll have to work this Saturday, May 15th, instead/, so my son's birthday was the beginning of a long /4 day/ weekend!!!:) The second day of the long weekend was quite full as well!!!:) We went to Starnitza /the village in the Rhodope Mountains where we've bought a house/ as we wanted to plant a pine tree in our land!!!:) We all enjoyed our day in the mountains so much!!!:)

On the Saturday that followed /May 8th/ Minnie had to attend her Maths course but right afterwards she went to the birthday party of one of her friends /a girl in her class she is very close with/. The party took place in the 'Excalibur Castle' and obviously my daughter has had a wonderful time there!!!:)

During the long weekend I finally could see some movies...:) I saw 'The Lovely Bones' /such a sad and heart-breaking story...:((( Still, there were moments - when Susan Sarandon appeared - which put a huge smile on my face...:) The movie was good, but I doubt I would like to see it again... Just the topic of children being abused/murdered is too painful for me...:(((/, 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' /an OK entertaining movie with some really good special effects...:) Still, my teen daughter remarked they could have chosen a better-looking actor for Percy's role...:P/ and 'The Book of Eli' /such a disappointment... even Denzel Washington's acting could not make me like the movie...:(((/.

On May 10th /Monday/ Vanyo had a birthday celebration at the Kindergarten /his cake was with a picture of Harry Potter which he had chosen himself/:) and he was very happy to get some extra attention and some more presents /a Ben 10 colouring book and a desk organizer with pencils, a ruler and scissors - the perfect gift for a boy who is going to attend pre-school next year:)/.

Minnie will attend two more birthday parties of her classmates /a boy and a girl/ this week...:) The first one is this evening at the 'Excalibur Castle' and the other one will be on Sunday at 'Club Escada'. Choosing a present for the boy turned out to be quite a challenge, but I hope he'll like the T-shirt we got for him from 'Metal Shop' /it's black with a picture of skulls that are glowing in the dark...:P/.

Busy weeks...:)

2010-05-03T15:12:00.005+03:00

Yes, the past few weeks were absolutely hectic... I had a super full 'on duty' month... There were whole days spent in court and sometimes I could not go home before 7 or 8 p.m. One day I was even called for a murder case and I couldn't get home before 10 p.m. But I love my job, so I actually enjoyed being so busy!!!:) A few of the cases I worked on were mentioned in the press, the murder being the most popular one... They even published my picture and asked me for an interview...:) Perhaps this means that I'm finally going to become a famous lawyer?! Well, I truly hope so...:P

April 16th /Friday/ was Constitution Day, so both hubby and I celebrated our professional holiday then... We treated the children yummy dinner at a Chinese restaurant, situated on one of the banks of the Maritza River and we all had a wonderful time that evening...:)

Last weekend we visited my in-laws in Karlovo... On Saturday evening Vlado and I met some of our friends /two other couples/ at a very nice pub, called 'Mistral'... We enjoyed some good drinks, delicious food and an interesting chat...:) I really needed such a relaxing time after being so busy and stressed out lately...:)

I haven't seen many movies in the last couple of weeks... I only saw 'Beyond a Reasonable Doubt' /an OK, but a bit predictable thriller/ and 'Dear John' /a very nice and touching love story, I absolutely enjoyed it:) And Channing Tatum was charming as always...:)/.

A relaxing weekend:)

2010-04-12T09:30:00.007+03:00

Yes, it turned out to be a nice and relaxing weekend, just as I hoped!!!:) The weather was fantastic - warm and sunny and I enjoyed being at home with my lovely family!!!:)

I also enjoyed some movie watching and reading - I saw 'Love Happens' /an OK romantic movie - some moments were rather boring, some made me cry...;)/ and finally finished reading 'Angels and Demons' /I found it quite interesting but I think 'The Da Vinci Code' was better, maybe because the atmosphere in it was not as dark;)/.

The book I'm planning to read next is 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'. It's quite thick and considering how little time I have for fun reading, I'll be lucky if I finish it for a year...:P But I'm sure that I'll enjoy the process and that's what really matters, right?!;)

My Easter holidays...:)

2010-04-10T12:00:00.008+03:00

My Easter holidays were the perfect mix of pretty much everything - some traditions, some family time, some meetings with friends and even some work...:) Yes, I happened to be in the 'on duty' list for April, so I was called a couple of times to work during the holidays... But I can't complain, as the last time I was on duty was in April 2009...;)

On April 1st /Thursday/ I had a very unpleasant incident...:( I got to the building where my office is, bought myself a cup of coffee and was just about to get into my office when I realized that I had forgotten my keys at home...:( Just the 'perfect' thing to happen to me on Fool's Day...:P I called the lawyer I share the office with and luckily she arrived about 15-20 minutes later so I could finally get into my working place...:) Forgetting my keys, however, turned out to be a very good excuse for me to get home at lunch time...:) During our daily 'date' with my hubby for a cup of coffee at his lunch break he told me that his boss had allowed them to go home at noon and start their holidays earlier. I immediately said that I would go home too and that's what I did...:)

Unfortunately about an hour later I got a call from the court asking me to take part in an urgent case... When I arrived at the Court Palace, the secretary of the judge who was on duty told me that they had decided to call me as they both wanted a nice and serious lawyer, who won't be wasting their time...:) Well, that was something really sweet of them both and hearing this compliment was worth all the efforts I made!!!:D

April 1st was also the first day of Minnie's spring holidays...:) She went to the mall with two of her friends to see 'Alice in Wonderland' in 3D and she told me that she had had a great time...:) I was very happy to hear this, because my girl is super busy and stressed out at school this year...:( Even during the holidays she had heaps of homework and she had to go to her Maths course almost every day...:((( So she definitely deserves to have some fun!!!:)

April 2nd /Friday/ was the first day of the official Easter holidays. Minnie had to go to her Maths course in the morning but for the rest of us it was just a slow and lazy day at home... And in the afternoon we drove to Karlovo where we were about to spend most of the holidays... That evening Vlado and I met a couple of our friends /Renny and Istillian/ at a restaurant called 'Hunting Club' and we had a wonderful time together...:)

The next day /April 3rd, Saturday/ was mostly dedicated to preparations for Easter - the kids painted and decorated the boiled eggs and my mother-in-law and Minnie baked the home-made 'kozunak' /which came out delicious as always:D/. In the afternoon Vlado drove me to Plovdiv as I was called to work in one of the police offices and in the evening we were invited at Renny and Istillian's home for another nice meeting...:)

The first Easter day /Sunday, April 4th/ I had to go to Plovdiv again in the morning /got a call from another police office/. Luckily Vlado drove me again, so we got back to Karlovo on time for the special Easter lunch - fresh salad /tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and bolied eggs/, roasted lamb and 'drob-sarma' and, of course, 'kozunak' for dessert.:) And as always the kids had so much fun with the 'egg fight'...:)

Then we went to visit our 'kumove' Vassil and Todorka who live in the town of Sopot /the neighbour town of Karlovo/ and according to the tradition we brought them 'kozunak', painted eggs, a box of chocolates and 'rakiya'...:) We had some good food there too and enjoyed catching up with them...:) Oh, and the kids loved playing with the new dog of our 'kumove'- a female Golden Retriever, called... Goldie, of course!!!:D

After the visit at our 'kumove' we drove to Plovdiv.:) It was so nice to be back home again!!!:)

The second Easter day /Monday, April 5th/ Minnie had to go to her Maths course in the morning again. Vlado happened to be on duty that day but luckily he wasn't too busy... And in the evening the couple whose 'kumove' we are /Maria and Nickolay/ visited us with their baby Angel. They brought us 'kozunak', painted eggs, a box of chocolates and 'rakiya'. We had prepared delicious dinner and we spent a very nice time together...:)

The following day /Tuesday, April 6th/ the holidays were over, so Vlado and I had to get back to work and Vanyo - to the Kindergarten. Minnie was the only one who still had some days off /she should be back to school on Monday, April 12th/. But as I already mentioned, she was too busy to really feel like she was on holidays...:(((

As for me, this week I had to work for four days only, but I was so busy that it felt like a much longer time...:( I'm totally exhausted now so I'm planning a lazy and quiet weekend...:) Unless I get a call from one of the police offices saying that they need me...;)

Life is good!!!:)

2010-03-26T11:24:00.009+02:00

Yes, life is good indeed!!!:) The spring has finally come here and I'm enjoying its beauty to the fullest - the warm and sunny weather, the green leaves that start to appear on the tree branches and this general feeling of revival!!!:) It's all so amazing and exciting!!!:)

I just saw a video about the character of my most favourite character in LOST - Sawyer...:) My dream guy...:) I had to see it three times before I could start doing anything else...:P If you want to see it too, the link is in my Twitter Updates box... As well as in my Facebook profile!!!:D

Right now I'm listening to another favourite of mine - 'Depeche Mode'. Their music and lyrics /and Dave's voice and appearance:P/ have been an important part of my teens and twenties...:) And even now they fill my heart with such incredible feelings and emotions!!!:) Yes, now I feel totally inspired to start sharing what has made my life so good in the past few days..;)

The Wednesday of the previous week /March 17th/ I had to go to Blagoevgrad /a lovely town in South-West Bulgaria/ as I had a case there. Luckily hubby was not working then /he had taken two weeks off/ so he drove me there. We had decided to take Vanyo with us as well...:) Unfortunately Minnie could not come as she had to go to school, but she has been to Blagoevgrad before, so it was OK for her...:) We arrived there at noon and after a short stroll along the central street we found a very nice restaurant where we enjoyed delicious lunch...:) Then it was time for me to go to court and the guys went to have some fun...:) It was such a nice surprise to find them waiting for me when I went out of the court hall!!!:) We did some shopping and then headed home.:)

The weekend that followed was very nice and relaxing.:) I saw 'The Blind Side' and I just loved this movie...:) It deeply touched my heart and made me go through a whirlwind of emotions - I smiled, laughed, cried...:) It was definitely the best movie I've seen so far this year...:)

This week I had two important events to attend. The first one was the meeting with Minnie's teachers on March 23rd /Tuesday/. All the teachers were very pleased with my daughter /and with her class as a whole/.:) That was not a surprise actually, but I still felt very pleased and proud...:)

The second event was the musical/operetta in Vanyo's Kindergarten on March 24th /Wednesday/. It was about a girl whose baby brother was stolen by the crows and the other animals in the forest help her to find him... My son was the hedgehog and he was so cute and artistic!!!:) We took some pictures and made some videos, but the quality is not very good, unfortunately... :(

The weekend is almost here...:) Tomorrow after Minnie finishes her Maths course we're going to Karlovo to visit my mother-in-law... Let's hope I won't get too bored then!!!;)

Another quiet weekend...:)

2010-03-15T17:24:00.005+02:00

Yes, it was another quiet weekend indeed...:)

Unfortunately Minnie was busy both days again - on the Saturday morning she had to attend her Maths course and on the Sunday morning she was at a Bulgarian Language and Literature Competition /this is the second stage of the competition - she got 92% at the first one/...:) Once again she was upset that there were questions about stuff they haven't studied at school /yet/ but I hope she did fine anyway /on one of the previous competitions where they also had such questions, she got 78% and the highest result was 88%, so she did well there too:)/!!! Anyway, no matter what the result may be, these competitions at least show that my daughter is ready for the High School Entrance Exams...:) Or at least for the Bulgarian Language and Literature ones!!!:)

As for movies, last week I saw 'Seven Pounds'. Well, what can I say... It's not the typical Will Smith kind of movie, but I liked it anyway...:) The ending was a bit predictable, though...:P

International Women's Day

2010-03-08T10:17:00.006+02:00

It's International Women's Day today, so I wouldn't miss the chance to greet all my wonderful lady friends and to remind them how special they are!!!:) Those roses are for you, because you are simply amazing!!!:)

Unfortunately the weather is not very nice today - when I got up in the morning I was shocked to find out that everything was covered with snow...:( It's still snowing and cold, so I guess the winter is not quite gone yet...:( But hopefully soon!!!

Last week we had the Wednesday /March 3rd/ off as it was our National holiday then - Independence Day...:) Unfortunately Minnie still had to go to her Maths course in the morning, but for the rest of us it was just a relaxing day at home...:)

The weekend was very nice and relaxing too...:) We finally saw 'New Moon' but I was rather disappointed...:( For some reason I didn't like this Twilight movie as much as the first one... The first half an hour or so was rather slow and boring... The rest of the movie was OK but I sill can't help thinking that it could have been much more interesting and exciting...:P

Chestita Baba Marta!!!:)

2010-03-01T14:25:00.007+02:00

It is finally time for one of the most beautiful Bulgarian holidays - Baba Marta!!!:) I've written about this ancient and unique Bulgarian tradition in my blog from March 4th, 2009, so I won't repeat my explanations here... I just want to express how happy I feel that the first spring holiday has already come!!!:) Even the weather feels different these days - milder and fresh!!!:) So I just couldn't miss the chance to wish 'Chestita Baba Marta' to all my wonderful friends around the world!!!:)

What else has happened here lately?! Nothing much, actually... I've just been too busy at work... Oh, no, no, no, wait... On February 18th /Thursday/ my parents and I went to the Notary's Office. They had decided to donate their flat to me but they'll continue to live in it, so it was just a formality... Still, knowing that the flat is mine now makes me feel more secure... You know we have taken two loans to pay for the flat we're living in, so sometimes I can't help feeling worried about what could happen if we can't pay our loans anymore... Of course, I hope such a thing will never happen, but even if it does, at least we'll have another place to live in...:)

The weekend that followed the deal with my parents /February 20th - 21st/ was a very nice one.:) Unfortunately Minnie had to go to school on both days as she had two competitions to attend - Bulgarian Language and Literature on the Saturday and Maths on the Sunday. But she still could have some fun afterwards - on the Saturday the fours of us went for a late lunch at one of our favourite restaurants - 'Verdi' and on the Sunday she was invited to a 'Blue and Orange Birthday Party' of one of her classmates...:)

Vanyo was quite busy during the weekend too - he learned the last letters of the Bulgarian alphabet so now he knows them all!!!:) I'm so proud of him!!!:) As a matter of fact he is not as diligent in studying as his sister was at his age, but he was not supposed to know the alphabet until the age of 7 /when he should be in 1st grade at school/, so knowing it before his 6th birthday is already quite a progress, I guess!!!;)

Last weekend /February 27th - 28th/ was quite uneventful... We spent it at home relaxing... Except of Minnie who attended her Maths course on the Saturday and another Maths competition of the Sunday... No wonder she's been feeling so exhausted lately...

I saw only two movies during the second half of February - 'Black Lightning' /a very good Russian movie about a young man who becomes a super hero:)/ and 'Edge of Darkness' /not bad, but not as good as most Mel Gibson movies either....:P/.

Destiny Found

2010-02-15T11:18:00.005+02:00

The new /and - sadly - final/ season of my most favourite TV show LOST has started earlier this month and I am as addicted as ever!!!:) And I just love the phrase under some of the season 6 posters /'Destiny Found'/!!!:)

What else has happened here since I last blogged?! Let me see... The weekend of February 6th-7th we spent in Karlovo with my in-laws... Minnie had her Maths course at the private school from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. on the Saturday and when the course was over, we were off to Karlovo. It had started snowing at that time and surprisingly the snow didn't melt as easily as before...:P In spite of the weather Vlado and I decided to go to a pub with a couple of our Karlovo friends and we had a very nice evening together!!:) And this meeting with my friends made my weekend with the in-laws much more bearable!!!:P

When we got home on the Sunday, there was so much snow outside, that Vlado and the kids decided to go out and play...:) They fought with snow balls and even made a snowman!!!:)

Last weekend /February 13th - 14th/ was spent at home but was quite busy nevertheless... Hubby was on duty on the Saturday, so we didn't see much of him that day... And Minnie attended a Bulgarian Language and Literature Competition from 8.30 a.m. until noon. The aim of this competition was to prepare the kids for the High School Entrance Exams in May... My daughter, however, was a bit upset that some of the questions in the competition were about stuff they haven't studied at school /still I'm pretty sure she did well anyway...;)/.

On the Sunday Minnie had her Maths course at the private school /so we had to get up early then as well:(/ and in the evening she attended the birthday party of a friend /which took place at a bar, called 'Escada' and, apparently, my daughter has had a very nice time there/!!!:)

Last week I finally saw 'Avatar' ... I didn't have high expectations, so I wasn't surprised that I found the first hour of the movie a bit boring... But the rest of the movie turned out to be quite interesting and I enjoyed it a lot in the end!!!:)

A nice weekend...

2010-02-01T09:18:00.005+02:00

Last weekend was a very nice one...:) On Saturday we made it to visit the couple whose 'kumove' we are /Maria and Nickolay/ just as we planned...:) We followed the tradition and brought them 'kravay', a cake and 'rakiya'... The highlight of the visit was that we saw again their baby Angel who has grown up so much and was so sweet and amusing...:) We had delicious lunch and an interesting chat... We'll meet again at Easter when according to the tradition they should visit us and bring painted eggs and 'kozunak'...:)

In the evening we finally saw 'Sherlock Holmes'... I was so impatient to see this movie... And I when I finally did, I was quite disappointed...:( I like both Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law a lot and I have always loved the books and movies about Sherlock Holmes but this movie just wasn't intriguing enough...:( I even felt bored at times...:(

Quiet days...

2010-01-29T10:45:00.004+02:00

Nothing interesting has happened here lately... I feel a bit bored and I'm looking forward to the weekend when, hopefully, I'll have some fun!!!;) We're planning to visit the couple whose 'kumove' we are /Maria and Nickolay/ and see their baby Angel... According to the tradition we are supposed to bring them 'kravay' /a round sweet bread with a hole in the middle/ and a cake on Jordan's Day /January 6th/. We just couldn't make it to visit them earlier but I hope we can finally do it on Saturday...:) I bet Angel has grown up a lot since we last saw him and he will be a very amusing little boy!!!:)

Our 'kumove' /Vassil and Todorka/ also visited us this month to bring us 'kravay' and a cake.:) They came on January 16th /Saturday/ and we had a wonderful time as always!!!:) Their children /Renny and Peter/ get along with ours quite well so both the adults and the children were happy!!!:) It was actually the first visit of our 'kumove' at our new home and they said they liked it a lot!!!:) We had delicious lunch and enjoyed a long and interesting chat...:) I guess next time we'll get together will be at Easter when the tradition obliges us to bring them painted eggs and 'kozunak'... It's a pity that we see each other so rarely...

I haven't seen any movies lately... But I've started watching 'The Tudors' TV show and I like it a lot!!!:) I became so obsessed that I even started playing the computer game based on the TV show!!!;)

Vanyo's name day:)

2010-01-10T17:50:00.006+02:00

Vanyo's name day was on January 7th /Thursday/. When he went to the Kindergarten, he took with him two huge boxes of chocolates as a treat for his little friends and teachers!!!:)

We had a quiet and simple celebration at home for his name day at the evening... It wasn't anything huge, but we still had some quality family time and that is the most important!!!:)

Of course, Vanyo got some lovely presents for his name day!!!:) He got a Ben 10 watch from my parents, some money from my mother-in-law and a mini Tech Deck skateboard /he was dreaming of having one for quite a long time:D/ from his father, sister and me...:) My dear son was so happy with all the presents he got!!!:D

This weekend has been another quiet and relaxing one... And once again I made it to see some more movies...;) I saw 'Armored' /an OK action movie, but nothing special/ and 'Universal Soldier: Regeneration' /a total disappointment... the only interesting thing for me was that the movie was made in Bulgaria and there are some BG actors playing in it..:P/...

Happy New Year 2010:)

2010-01-03T21:23:00.009+02:00

Well, the New Year is already here so I guess it's time to wish all my dear friends a wonderful 2010, full of health, happiness, love and success!!!:)

I hope it will be a great year for us all!!!:) Just like Christmas, it was actually our first New Year celebration at home so it felt extra special as well!!!:) We had a quiet evening and the four of us enjoyed it to the fullest!!!:)

First we had dinner - roasted goat and potatoes, Russian salad /I know we had it on Christmas as well, but what can I say - we just love it in our family;)/ and, of course, 'banitza' with fortunes /I got 'health', Vlado - 'love' - much to Vanyo's disappointment who was hoping to get exactly this fortune, Minnie - 'happiness' and Vanyo - 'success'/.:)

After dinner we watched TV /mainly the musical channels:P/ and danced a lot... :) And at midnight, when the president finished his speech, we welcomed the New Year by drinking some sparkling wine and enjoying the fireworks...:)

Then came the kids' favourite New Year's tradition - the 'survakane'...:) I've already written about it in my first entry of 2009, so I'm not going to explain about it again...:) Let me just say that we all had so much fun during the 'survakane'!!!:)

January 1st also happens to be my name day, so I didn't forget to treat my dear family with some delicious chocolates as soon as the 'survakane' was over!!!;) And I was extremely pleased that so many people phoned, sent SMS or e-mails to greet me!!!:) It felt great to realize they hadn't forgotten my name day in spite of all the fuss around the holidays!!!:)

The first days of the New Year we spent at home reading, watching TV or just relaxing...:) One evening we even made it to play 'Monopoly' and the children greatly enjoyed it!!!:) Unfortunately the long weekend has come to an end, so we'll all be back to the routine tomorrow...

I just realized that during this first January weekend I've seen as many movies as during the whole month of December...;) Perhaps this means that the New Year will be a good one for movie watching?! Let's hope so!!!:) Anyway, here are the December movies: '2012' /a very interesting movie, full of action and excitement, plus great special effects:)/, 'American Pie 7: The Book of Love' /one of the silliest movies I've ever seen:(/ , 'Bathory' /a very good and interesting movie especially for a Middle Age fan like me;)/, 'Spread' /another silly movie:(/ and 'Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans' /I've always loved Nicolas Cage but this movie was totally meaning less to me...:(/. And the movies I've seen this weekend are: 'The Time Traveler's Wife' /a wonderful movie - dramatic, exciting, touching, beautiful love story:)/, 'Dorian Gray' /a simply terrible movie, some scenes were too cruel and disgusting...:(/, 'All About Steve' /an OK comedy...and, by the way, Sandra Bullock is so cute as a blondie:)/,'The Box' /weird, unusual, kept my attention most of the time... but in the end I couldn't help asking myself 'Who was the crazy brain who decided to make such a movie?'/ and 'The Simpsons Movie' /nothing special, even though there were some funny moments/.

Our first Christmas at home:)

2009-12-28T13:42:00.007+02:00

Yes, it was our first Christmas at home and it felt extra special because of that!!!:) But before I start writing about it, I should write a few lines about the days before...;)

So...:) When I wrote my previous entry, I was about to take Vanyo to the ENT specialist... Luckily the check up went fine and the doctor said that Vanyo is OK and he won't need any operation after all...:) You can imagine what a relief it was for us!!!:)

After two weeks at home Vanyo had started missing his little friends at the Kindergarten, so he was very, very happy when he could see them again on December 21st /Monday/. His first day at the Kindergarten also happened to be their Christmas party so Vanyo was overly excited!!!:) My little son was extremely happy that Santa had given him exactly what he wanted - a mini TMNT figure with a motorcycle!!!:) You should have seen the joy in his eyes when he showed me the present!!!:) This memory makes me smile even now when I'm typing this!!!:)

Minnie's Christmas party was on December 23rd /Wednesday/. It took place in a dance club called 'Remix' /just like last year/ and my daughter told me that she had danced almost non-stop during the party!!!:) She reminds me so much of myself at that age, amazing!!!:P

This party marked the beginning of Minnie's Christmas holidays...:) She should be back to school on January 4th /the Christmas holidays will be shorter this year as the kids had one extra week off in November because of the flu and now they need to catch up...:(/. She will be quite busy during the holidays, though, as she still needs to go to the Maths course...

December 24th /Thursday/ was an official holiday, but unfortunately hubby was on duty so had to work...:( Luckily he came home in time for dinner...:) In Bulgaria the dinner on Christmas Eve is the most important part of the Christmas celebrations...:) It's full of symbols and rituals...:) The dishes on the table should be either 7, 9, or 12 /these are considered sacred numbers/. People are fasting until Christmas, so the dishes should be vegetarian... My family, however, is not very religious, so we had meat that evening too...

One of the most important dishes on Christmas Eve is 'sarmi'. 'Sarmi' are made of rice, minced meat and spices, covered with sauerkraut leaves into little packages. On Christmas Eve, however, they should be made without minced meat because of the fasting /we followed that rule/... 'Sarmi' symbolize the baby Jesus in his diapers...

Another essential item on the table on Christmas Eve is the 'pitka' /homemade round bread/ with a coin inside. Everyone gets a piece of the 'pitka' and whoever finds the coin into his/her piece is believed to be the luckiest in the family during the New Year...:) Just as last year, Minnie found the coin into her piece again!!!:) She is lucky indeed!!!:) The 'pitka' on Christmas Eve should be decorated in a special way - there should be drawn a cross in the centre of it /symbolizing Christianity/ and a circle around the edges of the 'pitka' /symbolizing a wall, protecting the family from evil/.:)

There should be also fruits, nuts, honey and wine on the table too /symbols of health and abundance/. Needless to say we had all these on our table...:) Plus Russian salad /made of potatoes, ham, gherkins and mayonnaise/ and roasted pork steaks...:)

Before eating we said a prayer and then we burnt some incense over the table and in every room of our home to drive the evil spirits away...:)

The following morning the kids woke up and found their presents under the Christmas tree!!!:) They were so excited - especially Vanyo!!!:) He got TMNT mask, ninja weapons and a Gormiti egg /from my parents/ and a Lego Police set /from Vlado, Minnie and me/. Minnie got some Garnier cosmetics /from my parents/ and grey jeans with a black leather belt /from Vlado, Vanyo and me/. There were some little presents from my parents for Vlado /a STR8 deo spray/ and me /a black long-sleeved top/ as well..:) Vlado and I didn't exchange any presents but a few days before Christmas we had bought a new digital camera /Sony Cyber-shot:)/ so we had agreed that would be our common Christmas present!!!:)

After we had a cup of coffee and some breakfast we headed for Karlovo to visit my mother-in-law...:) There were some presents for the kids there too - a G-Force toy set for Vanyo and a McMillan set for Minnie /an English dictionary and two calendars:)/. We had delicious Christmas lunch and after that went home...:)

The last two days of the Christmas weekend we spent at home just relaxing, watching TV, reading books...:) I absolutley enjoyed our quiet family time...:)

Today I'm back to work but I don't mind it at all as I'll be working for only three days and then we'll have another long /4 days/ weekend!!!:) And I have the New Year and my name day /January 1st/ celebrations to look forward to!!!:)

Minnie's 13th Birthday:)

2009-12-15T16:10:00.007+02:00

Minnie celebrated her 13th Birthday on December 11th...:) I still can't believe that my little baby has grown up so fast and is now a teenager...:) Yes, time does fly indeed!!!:P
Anyway, her birthday was on Friday this year, so she was at school until noon. Of course, she had brought two huge boxes of chocolates as a treat for her classmates and teachers...:) As soon as Minnie finished school, the celebrations started!!!:) My parents had invited us for lunch, so we enjoyed delicious food /barbeque and home-made cake/.:)

At 5 p.m. started the real party for Minnie's birthday!!!:) It took place at the Excaliur Castle /a great entertainment centre with carting, bowling, billiards and other fun games plus a bar and a room for smaller kids - it's Minnie's third time celebrating a birthday there:)/!!!:) My daughter had invited 9 kids from her class /her best friends/, but only 8 of them /two boys and six girls/ were able to come... First the kids played bowling, then they had a snack /pizza, French fries, chocolate eggs, cake and some drinks/ and afterwards they played some more games...:) All the kids had a wonderful time there!!!:) Vlado and I enjoyed a few drinks and a chat during the party, so we had a nice time too /we were sitting at a separate table as we didn't want to bother the teens:)/.

When the party finished /at about 8 p.m./ we went to my parents' home to pick up Vanyo /they took care of him during the party/. Then the four of us went to the mall where we had dinner at KFC!!!:)

Minnie continued celebrating the following day as well - my MIL visited us for lunch and once again we enjoyed delicious food /including a cake/ and a nice chat!!!:)

Needless to say, Minnie got some lovely presents for her birthday!!!:) She got books, cosmetics, clothing items and souvenirs from her classmates, 'sleeves' /a clothing item which is very fashionable at the moment, she is wearing it on the picture/ from my parents, a black dress from my sister and her family, a golden ring with a purple stone from my mother-in-law, and a light blue top, some underwear and a hairbrush /she had chosen them herself/ from her father, brother and me...:) Minnie loved all the presents she got!!!:)

Unfortunately not everything which has happened here lately has been as nice as Minnie's birthday...:( In the evening of December 4th Vanyo got ill - he had high temperature and no other symptoms...:( His GP said it was a virus and would go away without any antibiotics... And indeed Vanyo was starting to feel much better in a couple of days... Until in the morning of December 9th /Wednesday/ when he complained of ear pain and his temperature got even higher than before... The specialist we went to said that Vanyo had to be operated right away... You can imagine what a shock it had been for us...:( Luckily my hubby decided to consult another specialist and he advised us to try to heal Vanyo's ears with antibiotics first and go for an operation only if the treatment is unsuccessful... In a couple of days my son felt much better, so I hope he won't need any operation after all ... We're going to the second specialist tomorrow, so fingers crossed for my son!!!:)

November movie update...and some other news:)

2009-12-02T09:17:00.005+02:00

Well, I didn't see a lot of movies in November... Here they are:
‘Surrogates’ /I love such futuristic action movies, so I enjoyed this one a lot :)/, ‘April Showers’ /this movie was totally different from everything I've seen lately... Such a sad and touching story.../, ‘Inglourious Basterds’ /I've never been a huge Tarantino fan actually, but this movie was definitely good!!!:) And Brad Pitt was simply brilliant in it!!!:)/, ‘My Sister’s Keeper’ /one of the best movies I’ve seen this year, it deeply touched my heart and made me realize how blessed I am to have healthy children… and the actors did a great job:)/, and ‘Sense and Sensibility’ /it's a shame that I didn't get the chance to see the movie until now... I love Jane Austen so it's no wonder that I enjoyed the story so much!!!:) But the acting was brilliant as well!!!:) Definitely a movie I would like to see more than once!!!:)/.

What else has happened in my life since I last wrote here..?! Let me see...:) Oh, yes, the previous week was full of positive emotions!!!:) On the Wednesday /November 25th/ I finally got a decent sum of money from the National Bureau of Law Assistance... So by the end of that week I had bought some stuff for my office - one of those so-called director chairs /very comfortable, made of black leather/ and a new desktop computer. As a result my working environment has greatly improved!!!:)

Needless to say, when I found out about the extra income, I had to celebrate together with my family!!!:) We went to have dinner at the mall and enjoyed ourselves there a lot!!!:)

That weekend /November 28th-29th/ hubby was at a seminar in Tzigov chark /a resort in the Rhodope Mountains/ so I stayed at home with the kids... But we weren't bored at all!!!:) We ordered Chinese food /we often do that when Vlado is not at home because he doesn't like it/, watched TV, read books, visited my parents for a BBQ lunch on Saturday, did some shopping /Christmas gifts for my nieces:)/ so our days were quite busy...:)

On the Saturday Minnie started attending extra Math classes. The classes are each Saturday from 9 a.m. till 12 a.m. at a private school called 'Argus Plus'. The aim of these classes is to prepare the children for the High School entering exams. Minnie is in a group of 6 kids and she told me she enjoyed these classes a lot!!!:) I'm very happy about it and I hope the classes will really help her to prepare well for the exams /which are very difficult/!!! Fingers crossed for my girl!!!:)

Minnie's name day:)

2009-11-16T10:21:00.009+02:00

Minnie's name day was on November 11th /Wednesday/. The Orthodox church celebrates Saint Mina then.:) We had delicious lunch with my parents /roasted chicken wings and potatoes - Minnie's favourite/ and for dinner we had a small chocolate cake.:)

Of course, Minnie got some presents - a turtleneck sweater /from my parents/, some money /from my mother-in-law/ and a new pyjamas with the elephant Horton /a cartoon character she likes a lot:)/ from Vanyo, Vlado and me...:) She was pleasantly surprised that some of her school mates phoned to greet her for her name day even though they were all off school that week /because of the flu/...:) So it was a very nice day for my daughter!!!:)

Minnie's name day was probably the only good thing for me last week... I got a very unpleasant infection of my left eye which continued for the whole week...:( The eye doctor even wanted to get me hospitalized ...:( Luckily by the end of the week the eye drops finally did their trick and the eye was healed...:) It was such a relief and the timing was perfect - I was fine during the weekend!!!:)

The weekend was a typical quiet and peaceful one, spent at home...:) Only on the Saturday we went to visit a couple of clients who live in a viallge close to Plovdiv. They had invited us to celebrate their new house /which they had built with the money I had won for them in court/.:) We had a wonderful time there enjoying delicious lunch and an interesting chat...:) And the kids loved to play with the cat and the other animals of my clients!!!:) So it was a very nice day for all of us!!!:)

As for the previous weekend, on the Saturday /November 7th/ we went to Starnitza again and we took Vlado's realtives along...:) We showed them the house and discussed with them the renovations we're planning to make...:)

Today finally we're all back to the routine in my family - Minnie is back to school /the 'flu holidays' are over/, Vanyo - to the Kindergarten /he was sooo happy to meet his little friends there again/, Vlado and I - to work /I didn't go to the office on Thursday and Friday of the previous week because of the eye infection:(/. Hopefully all the illnesses are behind us already!!!:)

First snow...

2009-11-04T09:52:00.004+02:00

Yes, we had our first snow yesterday, which is quite unusual for this time of the year... Luckily it melted away almost immediately and even though it's raining today, the weather is much milder, which is definitely nice...:)

What else has happened since I last wrote here...?! Minnie had had a wonderful time at the school trip at Pamporovo /October 19th - 20th/ indeed, and I'm very happy for her because she really deserves it after all the hard work she's been doing at school...:)

The weekend that followed /October 24th - 25th/ was a very nice and relaxing one which we spent at home... Vlado finally put up the blue chandelier in the kids' bedroom and the lamp at the corridor and needless to say these areas look so much better now...:) I hope we'll buy a chandelier for the adults' bedroom soon too as I'm sick of looking at the ugly bulb hanging from the ceiling...:P

Last weekend /October 31st - November 1st/ we were in Karlovo, but I wasn't too bored as on the Saturday we went to visit Vlado's relatives in a village close to Karlovo. We wanted to ask them if they would be interested in helping us with the renovations of the house in Starnitza and luckily they were...:) So next time we go to Starnitza we are taking them along to show them the house and dicuss with them our renovation plans...:)

I have some bad news too...:( Yesterday the nurse at Vanyo's Kindergarten called to tell me he had high temperature and I should take him home... I was busy at work, so my parents picked him up and took him to his doctor... Luckily it turned out he was not having flu /as I feared/ but 'just' angina... The doctor had explained that my poor son should be fine by the end of the week and indeed he's feeling much better today and the high temperature is gone...:) Fingers crossed for him!!!:)

During the past few weeks I've only seen one movie - 'The Ugly Truth' /one of the best romantic comedies I've seen recently...:) Fantastic Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl:)/. But I've become a fan of the new TV show 'Flash Forward' which is very interesting and exciting...:) It reminds me of 'LOST' in a way /and not only because some of its actors are also playing there/...:) But of course LOST /and Sawyer:)/ is still my number one!!!:)

Good news:)

2009-10-19T14:46:00.009+03:00

I finally finished reading 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'...:) I loved the movie but the book is so much better...:) I'm still very excited that there is a Bulgarian character in the book /Victor Krum/ and every time I read 'Bulgaria' or 'Bulgarian' I just couldn't help smiling...:) I’ve decided to take a little break from the adventures of the young wizard and instead of starting the next Harry Potter book I’m planning to read ‘Angels and Demons’ by Dan Brown next…:) We own a luxurious illustrated edition since last summer, so I guess it’s time to lay my hands on it…;)

What else has happened since I've last written here?! I remember I wrote that I was sick during the last week of September but luckily during the first October weekend /October 3rd-4th/ I could stay at home with my lovely family and relax so when I went to work on the Monday I felt as good as new!!!:) And in spite of the terrible weather we're having this month, I've been healthy ever since /as well as everyone else in my family, knock on wood:)/.

On October 8th-9th /Thursday and Friday/ hubby went to a seminar to Tzigov chark /a famous resort in the Rhodope mountains/. When he got back, he told me he had had a wonderful time there learning new things and socializing with his colleagues...:)

That weekend /October 10th-11th/ we had to go to Karlovo... It was about time as we hadn't visited my inlaws since the beginning of September. The highlight of that weekend was when my hubby and I went to a cafe at the town square on the Saturday evening - see how bored I was!!!:P But I survived somehow!!!:)

Last Monday /October 12th/ was a very important day!!!:) I moved to another office!!!:) It's in the same building /and even floor/ where my old office was, but it's much bigger and more comfortable!!!:) And /what is most important/ I moved away from the lawyer I shared my previous office with /who was a very negative person/...:) The lady I'm in the same office with now seems so much nicer...:) Hopefully she'll stay that way in the future too!!!:)

Last weekend was a very nice one...:) On the Saturday we went to Starnitza to see the first renovations of the house. It wasn't anything major /just some work on the roof, filling in holes on the facade, removing the stone stairs from the second floor entrance, etc/, but it was good to get it all started from somewhere...:) We paid to the workers and ordered new windows and a new front door /which should be ready by spring when we're planning to continue with the renovations/...

On Sunday hubby was on duty so he spent the entire day running from one police office to another... The weather was horrible /freezing and rainy/ so the kids and me just stayed at home reading, watching TV, etc...:)

I managed to see two movies during the weekend - 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' /in spite of the great acting the movie was too slow and even boring most of the time...:( Maybe only the last 20 minutes or so were really worth it.../ and 'G.I.Joe: Rise of Cobra' /very entertaining, great visual effects and lots of action... Plus a charming Channing Tatum...:)/.

Today Minnie left for a 2-day trip to Pamporovo /a famous ski-resort in the Rhodope Mountains/ with her classmates...:) I hope she'll have lots of fun there!!!:)

September movie update...:)

2009-10-02T14:51:00.007+03:00

Sooooo... the movies I've seen in September are: ‘Dance Flick’ /a very silly parody of dance movies…:(/, ‘2012: Doomsday’ /not as interesting as I expected…:(/, ‘Mr Brooks’ /a bit strange and cruel, yet interesting movie/, ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ /an OK comedy/, ‘The Covenant’ /a teen mystic thriller with great-looking young actors:)/, ‘Cold Mountain’ /the only thing I regret about the movie is that it took me so long to finally see it… A very good movie, both interesting and touching… And Renee Zellweger is simply brilliant in it:)/, ‘Year One’ /a very silly movie:(/, /an OK movie for the whole family/, ‘Race to Witch Mountain’‘Watchmen’ /a total disappointment:(/, and ‘The Proposal’ /a bit predictable romantic comedy, still fun to watch:)/

After the long weekend /September 19th - 22nd/ it was Minnie's turn to get sick...:((( On September 23rd /Wednesday/ she called me from school and said she had 39C...:((( Her doctor diagnosed her with angina, so she didn't go to school until the end of last week... Luckily the medicines helped quite quickly and on September 28th /Monday/ she was fine again /and therefore - back to school/.

This week, however, I was the one to get sick... I have painful tonsils and I feel feverish...:((( I could have taken sick leave, but I had three important cases this week that I just couldn't miss or postpone... The worst of it all was that two of the cases were in other towns - Kazanluck /about 2 hours drive from Plovdiv/ and Lovetch /about 3-4 hours drive/... The cases were very difficult but all I worried about was to do my best not to faint into the court...:P Luckily I made it OK and I hope I'll get better during the weekend... Perhaps the main reason for my illness is the stress I've been put to lately, so hopefully the two days of rest will make me feel as good as new...;)

A seminar in Sozopol

2009-09-22T09:02:00.006+03:00

Last weekend I went to a seminar in Sozopol /a little picturesque town on the Black Sea coast/... We stayed at Laguna Beach Resort which is new and very comfortable...:) But what is most important - it is situated right on the beach /as is seen on the picture/...:)

I arrived with a bunch of colleagues at the evening of September 18th /Friday/ - right on time for dinner...:) After we finished eating, we went to the Piano bar where we had a few drinks /vodka and orange juice/ and danced... Until 2 a.m....:P

Still, we had no problem getting up at 7.30 the following morning for breakfast... And our lectures started at 9.00 a.m. They were about the new Family Code which we'll use since October 1st... We had a break for lunch /during which I made a short stroll at the beach but it was too windy, so I didn't stay for a long time/ and then our lectures continued... The afternoon lectures were not that interesting as they were about the Law of Obligations and Contracts which hasn't changed at all since I've been at the University, so there wasn't anything new to learn...:( But I survived somehow until 6.30 p.m. when the lectures for the day were finally over...:P

The lady I was in the same apartment with /who is by the way the one whom we had visited in Starnitza and whom I find 'guilty' for our decision to buy a house there too:P/ and I decided to rest a bit before dinner... We were planning to have lots of fun at the Piano Bar and to dance even more than the previous night...:P Unfortunately things didn't turn out the way we had planned them... After the official dinner there was some live music at the restaurant and the Piano Bar wasn't working... We could have danced at the restaurant, no problem, but the musicians were simply terrible...:((( So we just remained at our table, drinking white wine and enjoying a chat and that was it... We went to our apartment at about 1.30 a.m. which was a lot earlier than we had intended... Oh, well, we'll have more fun at the next seminar!!!:P

We had some more lectures the following morning /Law of Obligations and Contracts again, yuk...:(/ then we received our certificates, had lunch and after a last glass of white wine we left the hotel... I got home at about 5.30 p.m. and even though I had a good time at the seminar, I was sooo happy to be with my lovely family again!!!:)

What else has happened since I last wrote here...?! Well, Minnie's first day at school /Tuesday, September 15th/ was just as nice as she expected and she was very happy to meet her friends again after a long summer vacation!!!:)

Unfortunately after two days at the Kindergarten Vanyo got sick at the night of September 15th - he had a high temperature /about 38C/ and no other symptoms...:((( It continued until the day when I had to leave for the seminar... I was on the edge of giving the seminar up but Vlado insisted that I should go because I had already payed for it... He told me I shouldn't worry as he would take a good care of our son... I knew that all but still I couldn't leave knowing that my child is sick... Luckily when Vanyo had his afternoon nap at the day I was supposed to leave, he started sweating which meant that the virus was finally leaving him...:) And indeed, when he got up, he was fine..:) So I left for the seminar but I phoned home regularly to see how my son is doing...

The day after Vanyo got sick /September 16th, Wednesday/ Vlado and I had to go to the Rhodopes again /we had to pick up our property deed from the Notary in Smolyan and after that we had to fill up a tax declaration about the house and handle it at the Banite County/... So we left Vanyo at my parents' home and they took care of him while we were away... That day was a real nightmare...:((( We had to travel a lot plus we were worried about Vanyo and we called my parents every half an hour...:((( It was such a relief to find out when we finally got home that in spite of the high temperature Vanyo had been fine and had enjoyed the stay at his grandparents...:) Vlado and I were too exhausted /we had almost no sleep the previous night trying to get Vanyo's temperature down with medicines and wet towels/ so we just grabbed some food for dinner from the mall /McDonald's for Vanyo and KFC for the rest of us/...

On September 17th /Thursday/ we were invited as every year for a kurban at our friends Dobri and Vanya /it's Dobri's birthday actually/. We enjoyed delicious food, good drinks and an interesting chat as always!!!:)

This weekend is a long one as today is an official holiday - Independence Day. The government decided to give the Monday /September 21st/ off as well and we'll work on the Saturday /September 26th/ instead... So after getting back from the seminar I still had two more days to enjoy with my lovely family...:)

We did it...:)

2009-09-14T10:07:00.007+03:00

Yes!!!:) We signed the final contract about the house at the Notary's Office and it's officially ours now /plus half of the yard - we're planning to turn it into a separate piece of land in the future/...:) We did it last week /September 10th, Thursday/. The Notary's Office is in Smolyan which is a very beautiful town in the mountains, famous for its clear lakes. So after we finished our work with the Notary /who is by the way a very nice lady we've studied together with at the University:)/, we took the kids to an open-air restaurant at the beach of one of these lakes!!!:) The food and the view were both fantastic!!!:)

The following day /Friday, September 11th/ was my dad's birthday, so we were invited at my parents' home for lunch...:) We had delicious food as always, but what I enjoyed most was the coffee we had at their table on the terrace...:) They live on the 6th floor, so the view of the city is simply incredible...:) Plus, we had wonderful weather that day - sunny and warm, but definitely not hot - perfect!!!:)

The weekend that followed was pretty calm and uneventful - we just stayed at home, read some books, watched TV but most of all just relaxed...:) Quite the opposite of the previous weekend during which we went to Starnitza again...:) Our friends had invited us to their house on the Friday night /September 4th/ after work and we had so much fun again!!!:) We made yummy BBQ, had some drinks and even danced a bit!!!:) No, we weren't drunk, we just had a good time!!!:) We got home on the Saturday afternoon.

Today is Vanyo's first day at the Kindergarten after his summer holidays... I was a bit worried about it, but everything turned out to be just fine - he was very proud to give flowers to his teachers and very happy to see his little friends again!!!:) Hopefully he'll enjoy his time at the Kindergarten as always!!!:) And tomorrow is Minnie's first day at school, so she'll re-unite with her friends as well!!!:)

My summer holidays:)

2009-09-01T10:37:00.009+03:00

It's my first day at work today and there are so many things I have to do... But I wouldn't miss the chance to write a short update of my life here as well...;)

The month of August has been pretty uneventful… At first I was thinking of taking three weeks off but in the end I found myself working a few hours every week…:P Which was not that bad as we didn’t go anywhere this summer and we needed the money /because of our house in the mountains project/…:)

I didn’t celebrate my 34th birthday /on August 12th, Wednesday/ much either… Of course I was spoilt by all the attention I got from my family and friends – all these phone calls, SMS, cards, e-cards, e-mails and even gifts I received…:D Feeling that people love me and care about me is what actually makes my birthday special, not the big celebrations!!!:D Minnie and Vlado even baked me a cake which soooo sweet of them!!!:D And the cake was simply delicious!!!:D

We spent the last August weekend /August 29th– 3oth/ in Karlovo. This is the time when the fair takes place so we just couldn’t miss it!!!:P We arrived in Karlovo in the Friday evening and headed straight to the fair.:D Minnie and Vanyo went to their favourite attractions and afterwards we had some barbecue dinner at the tables there – yummy!!!:D We visited the fair on the Saturday too and on the Sunday went home.:)

The last day of August /yesterday/ we went to the Rhodope Mountains area as we had to prepare some more documents for the house purchase. We spent the whole day on the road combining the work we had to do with some hiking, wild raspberry picking /yum:)/ and sightseeing…:D On our way back we had dinner at our favourite place there – the Blue Inn.:D

I’ve seen quite a lot movies in August: ‘Hannah Montana' /a cute movie for the whole family:)/, ‘Fast and Furious 4’ /a wonderful movie - full of action and excitement!!!:) Two thumbs up!!!:)/, ’12 Rounds’ /this movie was supposed to be an exciting action, but I didn’t find it interesting at all…:(/, ‘Daredevil’ /wonderful movie - interesting, breath-taking... and gorgeous Ben Affleck:)/, ‘Legally Blonde 2 – Red, White & Blonde’ /maybe not as good as the first Legally Blonde movie, but still cute and funny:)/, ‘Legally Blondes’ /a very silly sequence:(/, ‘Bedtime Stories’ /an OK comedy movie for the whole family:)/, ‘Elektra’ /interesting and exciting, great battle scenes:)/, ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ /one of the best movies I've seen so far this year - great and touching story, wonderful acting...:) Definitely a movie I would love to see more than once!!!;)/, ‘Honey’ /a cute movie with great dancing:)/, ‘Night at the Museum 2 – Battle of the Smithsonian’ /a nice and funny movie for the whole family:)/, ‘The Good Shepherd’ /I’ve never been into spy stories/movies, but this one was definitely very interesting and the actors were fantastic:)/, ‘Fighting’ / the story was good, but the movie was a kind of slow most of the time... Still, it was worth watching it because of the sooo charming Channing Tatum...:)/, ‘Bring It On: Fight to the Finish’ /another cute cheerleader movie:)/, ‘Pitch Black’ /in spite of some really disgusting scenes it’s always a pleasure seeing Vin Diesel:)/ and ‘Duplicity’ /I was a bit disappointed in this movie, it just wasn’t as interesting as I expected… A good ending, though…:)/.

The picture above shows a view of Starnitza /the village in which we're buying the house/. Isn't is so wild and beautiful?!

Honest List

2009-08-28T11:24:00.006+03:00

I was tagged/awarded by my dear friend Claus.:) It's a shame that only now I find the time to do it... Yes, I've been a very lazy blogger lately, I readily admit...

Anyway, I have to list 10 honest things about me. Sooooo, did you know that:

1. I’m left-handed, but I write with my right hand... When I started school, my teacher told my parents that I should learn to write with my right hand... So I did... I can still write with my left hand as well, but my handwriting with it is not that refined...;)

2. When I was a child, I wanted to be a boy... Sometimes I still think that my life would be much easier if I was a male...:P

3. I have a driver’s license sine 1994, but I'm scared to drive... It's silly, I know... Last night I even had a nightmare, in which I was all alone, driving a car... Needless to say, I was greatly relieved when I woke up and realized it was just a dream...:P

4. My mother was adopted by my grandparents, but I've always felt them closer than my other grandparents /my dad's parents/ whom I'm blood related to... My granny Donka /my mother's adopter/ has actually been my closest person in the world... She literally raised my sister and me and we loved her so much that spontaneously started calling her 'Mama Doni'...;) She passed away in 1998, but I'm convinced that she's not completely gone...

5. My dad has a very special skill - he knows how to heal dislocated or strained body parts by manual therapy... He does it without causing any pain whatsoever... He's very popular and the newspapers have written about him a number of times... My dad says it's a gift from God, so he doesn't charge the people he helps... It must be running in the family as his grandmother /whom he was named after/ had been a healer too... I wonder if my son /as he's named after my dad/ would inherit this power too...;)

6. I've always wanted to have two children - a boy and a girl... But actually I've wanted to have first a boy and then - a girl... Well, it happened the other way round...:)

7. Vlado and I met at the University of Plovdiv. in 1993.. I had a boyfriend at that time for almost 5 years and everybody expected us to get married... However, I realized that guy just wasn't the right one for me... And when I met Vlado, I fell so deeply in love with him that I broke up with my boyfriend... Apparently Vlado was deeply in love with me too as he offered me to get married only two months after we met... At that time I thought he was joking... But he wasn't... so we got married in the summer of 1995...;)

8.After we got married, I was desperate to become a mum... Which was a bit silly maybe, as I was still too young... It was a real tragedy for me that I couldn't get pregnant in the first few months after the marriage... Anyway, I gave birth to Minnie while both Vlado and I were still at the University...:) And I'm proud that I never gave up an exam - in spite of having a baby!!!:) I finished my studies on time and with excellent grades!!!:)

9. Before becoming pregnant with Vanyo, I've had a miscarriage...:((( Doctors said I shouldn't get pregnant for a few months after the miscarriage... But on my birthday Vlado and I were a bit careless, so I got pregnant with Vanyo... Hubby jokes that my son has been my birthday present!!!:)

10. I guess now all of you will know much more about me than you've ever wanted to... Maybe that's another honest thing about me - sometimes I'm too honest and share too much...:P

Five people are supposed to play along. I know some of my friends have already done this, so I would tag Go West, creawitch, BellaMio, Quirky Celt and Cottage Crafts! No pressure though. If you don't wish to list your unknown facts - if you still have any - don't even sweat it. Just grab the award.

July movie update...and some other news:)

2009-08-03T14:11:00.012+03:00

The movies I've seen in July are: ‘Transformers’ /great special effects, but nothing more…/, ‘State of Play’ /even though it was hard to believe that Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck had been friends from college as Crowe was looking 20 years older than Affleck, the movie was quite good - intelligent, keeping the attention most of the time, combining action and drama in the best possible proportions…:)/, ‘The Riot of L.’ /a Bulgarian movie about the destiny of a young man who was captured while trying to escape from Bulgaria at the time when our country was a part of the East Bloc – the movie was nothing special, but it was interesting to see as new Bulgarian movies are so rare…;)/, ‘Obsessed’ /I was pleasantly surprised that Beyonce is not only an incredible singer, but an OK actress as well...:) Even though the movie was quite predictable, I watched it till the end without feeling bored...;)/,‘Princess Protection Program’ /a cute movie for the whole family/, ’17 Again’ /an OK romantic comedy/, ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ /one of the best Harry Potter movies, definitely much better than the previous one!!!:D A movie I would love to see more than once:)/, ‘The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past’ /an OK romantic comedy/, ‘Miss March’ /a very silly comedy…:(/ and ‘Labor Pains’ /another silly comedy about a fake pregnancy:(/.

On July 26th /Sunday/ Minnie went to a summer camp with her schoolmates and her school teacher. They stayed at a hotel in Primorsko /a lovely little town on the Black Sea coast/ for a week.:) She got home on August 2nd /Sunday/ and told me she has had a wonderful time there!!!:)

While Minnie was at the camp, I took Vanyo with me to the office. We stayed there in the mornings /luckily I wasn’t too busy that particular week;)/, and at lunch we used to go home /as he needed his afternoon nap/.:) Both my son and I enjoyed spending these days together a lot!!!:D

Our 14th wedding anniversary:)

2009-07-23T16:10:00.008+03:00

Both Vlado and I had to work on the day of our wedding anniversary /which was yesterday, July 22nd/, but as soon as we got home, we picked the kids up and went to the ‘Rowing Base’. It’s in the neighbourhood here we used to live before moving to our own flat. The ‘Rowing Base’ is how the locals refer to a huge area where the rowing canal /for canoe and kayak trainings/, the Plovdiv stadium, some swimming pools, a lot of tennis and football fields and alleys for bikes, rollers and jogging are situated. There are also a small zoo and a lot of cafés and restaurants, so this is the favourite place for people in Plovdiv who want to do some sports or just to relax!!!:) Vlado and the kids decided to go there as they wanted to play some football!!!:) When we arrived at one of the football fields, Minnie asked me ‘Mum, if you’re not playing, what you are going to be? A judge?’ And before I can figure my answer out, Vanyo replied ‘A cheerleader!!!’. We had such a good laugh!!!:D

After the game we went to the mall for a KFC /and McDonald’s for Vanyo:)/ dinner and when we got home we had some ice-cream and Milka heart-shaped chocolates for dessert!!!:) So it was a lovely wedding anniversary even thought we didn’t go to any fancy restaurant!!!;)

Our newest project:)

2009-07-20T23:55:00.003+03:00

After the visit at our friends' house in the village of Starnitza in the Rhodope Mountains /about which I already wrote here in the begining of May/, Vlado and I decided to buy a house in the same village too...;) So we're going to buy the one on the picture here... It's a stone house, built in a typical Rhodopean style about 50 years ago... And no one has been living there for about 40 years... So it will need a lot of renovations... But it's strongly built and quite big - consists of two floors about 85 square meters each /each floor is bigger than our flat and has four big rooms/, plus a basement and a /very small/ attic... The yard on which the house is built is quite big too - almost 2000 square meters /but we're buying only half of it, because we just don't need so much space...at least for now;)/. So generally it's quite a good deal even though I'm pretty sure that the next few years will be dedicated to renovating the house!!!;) And most probably we'll give up having any holidays away from home this summer... Oh, well...

Last month we signed a preliminary contract with the owners and as soon as we get the loan from the bank /yes, we're getting another loan to add up to the two ones we've already taken for the flat:P/ we'll sign the final deal...:) Anyway, Vlado and I drove to Starnitza last Saturday, got the keys for the house and had a good look at it, planning the way we wanted the rooms and thinking about the most urgent renovations that have to be done... After that we went to have dinner at our favourite place in the Rhodope Mountains /the Blue Inn/ and then drove home... It was quite an exciting day for both of us!!!;)

Tomorrow after work Vlado and I are going to pick the kids up from Karlovo...:) Originally they had to stay with my mother-in-law a bit longer but we really missed them a lot, so decided to take them home earlier...;) Besides, on Wednesday Vlado and I are going to celebrate our 14th Wedding Anniversary, and we would like to share this special day with our lovely kids!!!;)

A cute video:)

2009-07-13T09:17:00.006+03:00

As I'm still reading 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' and am somehow in a Harry Potter mood, I remembered this cute video and decided to share it with my friends here.:) It consists of scenes from the Harry Potter movies and the song is 'I want you' by one of the most talented Bulgarian musicians - Grafa...:) Enjoy!!!:)

A weekend in Karlovo:)

2009-07-09T14:22:00.015+03:00

We spent the first July weekend /July 4th – 5th/ in Karlovo with the kids.:) As soon as Vlado and I finished work on the Friday, we left for Karlovo…:) We were really impatient to meet the kids as we have missed them so much!!!:) They welcomed us with so much joy, there were so many hugs and kisses…:) Minnie and Vanyo were so impatient to share with us everything they’ve done during their stay in Karlovo…:) Obviously they’ve had a wonderful time – they’ve been to a few hikes at the mountains /Karlovo is situated at the foot of the Stara Planina mountains/, and to the pool in Banya /a lovely little town close to Karlovo, famous for its healthy mineral water/.:) And Minnie had learned to bake!!!:) She had baked such a delicious cake – all by herself!!!:) And the cream on the top of the cake was so smooth and evenly made – it didn’t look like a hand-made cake at all!!!:) I’m so proud of my daughter /and grateful she is not as clumsy as me:P/!!! She seems to be really interested in cooking /unlike me/ and I’m so happy about it!!!:D

The weekend with the kids was so relaxing and special, I absolutely enjoyed it!!!:) It was sad to say ‘good-bye’ to them on the Sunday afternoon…:( But it’s really much better for them to stay in Karlovo while we’re working… Besides, it’s so nice to have Vlado’s attention all to myself for a while!!!;)

June Movie Review

2009-07-01T10:44:00.004+03:00

Soooo, the movies I've seen last month are: 'Confessions of a Shopaholic’ /the whole shopping mania thing is totally strange for me, which was maybe the reason why I couldn't enjoy the movie the way I should...:P/, ’27 Dresses’ /a sweet romantic comedy, which wasn't bad at all... The ending made me a bit teary actually...:)/, ‘The Bucket List’ /one of the best movies I've seen lately - great acting, touching story, dark humour... Definitely a movie worth seeing!!!:)/, ‘The Secret of Moonacre’ /a nice fantasy movie for the whole family:)/, ‘Baby on Board’ /the story was generally OK, but the jokes were flat and silly:(/, ‘Angels and Demons’ /interesting and exciting... I liked it even more than 'The Da Vinci Code':)/, ‘Fired Up’ /an OK teen comedy about guy cheerleaders:P/, ‘Terminator Salvation’ /a total disappointment...the movie has nothing in common with the previous Terminator movies - it's boring and silly...:(/, ‘Semi-Pro’ /except of the bear fight scene which was kind of funny, the movie was silly and boring...:(/, ‘Flirting with Forty’ /an OK romantic movie, showing the love story of a 40 year old lady and a 27 year old man.../ and ‘I Am Legend’ /in spite of some really cruel and disgusting scenes the movie was interesting and kept my attention all the time…/

Summer holidays:)

2009-06-22T11:37:00.015+03:00

Yes, both my kids are on summer holidays already!!!:)

Minnie's last day at school was June 12th /Friday/. All the students from the 6th and 7th grades at her school had a party that day and my daughter told me she had had a wonderful time there!!!:)

On June 15th /Monday/ the official ceremony for the end of the school year took place.:) Minnie got an award diploma as once again she got 'excellent' 6 /the best mark in Bulgaria/ for all of her 6th grade subjects - Bulgarian Language and Literature, Mathematics, English, History and Civilization, Geography and Economy, Man and Nature, Computer Technologies, Labour Education, Music, Art, Sports, CCS /Compulsory Chosen Subject/ Bulgarian, CCS English, CCS Mathematics, CCS Man and Nature, FCS /Freely Chosen Subject/ English and FCS Mathematics...:) Needless to say, we're all extremely proud of her for doing so well again!!!:)

Minnie is on summer holidays from June 15th until September 15th...:) I hope she'll be able to relax to the fullest during these three months because the next school year will be very important - it's the last year in Middle School and at the end of it she'll have to pass some very difficult exams to be accepted at High School... But I'm sure that if she keeps her attitude towards education, she'll be accepted without a problem wherever she decides to apply!!!:)

Vanyo's last day at the Kindergarten was June 18th /Thursday/. The following day I had a criminal case at the Supreme Court of Cassation in our capital Sofia. Vlado had taken that week off so he offered to drive me there which was definitely sweet of him!!!:) We decided to take the kids as well and it turned out to be a great idea!!!:)

We left our home pretty early /at about 6 a.m./ and as soon as we arrived at Sofia /it was about 8 a.m./ went to have breakfast at McDonald's.:) Then Vlado and the kids went sightseeing and I went to the court... When the case was over, we all gathered again and had an early lunch at KFC.:) Then we grabbed some doughnuts at Dunkin' Donuts /4 boxes, 6 pieces each:P/ which we enjoyed during the weekend /yummy:P/. Our final destination was the Zoo, where the kids enjoyed themselves to the fullest!!!:) We got home at about 5 p.m. and I was almost passing out of exhaustion, but I couldn't deny that it was a lovely day for the whole family!!!:)

We spent last weekend in Karlovo and on Sunday only Vlado and I got home... Minnie and Vanyo will stay with my mother-in-law for about a month and I hope they'll have a good time there!!!:) Hubby and I will miss them a lot, but it will be nice to spend some time just the two of us as a couple...:)

Bulgaria

2009-06-17T14:16:00.006+03:00

Well, I've decided to use my blog to tell the world more about my almost unknown little country - Bulgaria, about its beautiful nature, glorious history, and unique culture...:) This is the first entry of the Bulgarian topic, in which I'm sharing a sightseeing map and some info I've borrowed /and slightly edited/ from Wikipedia...:)

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria is a country in the Balkans Europe which borders five other countries: Romania to the north (mostly along the River Danube), Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south. The Black Sea in south-eastern defines the extent of the country to the east.

Bulgaria includes parts of the Roman provinces of Moesia, Thrace and Macedonia. Old European culture within the territory of present-daygolden artifacts by the fifth millennium BC.

The first Bulgarian kingdoms on European soil date back to the early Middle Ages (7th century). All Bulgarian political entities that subsequently emerged preserved the traditions (in ethnic name, language and alphabet) of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/681 – 1018), which at times covered most of the Balkans and spread its alphabet, literature and culture among the Slavic and other peoples of Eastern Europe. Centuries later, with the decline of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 – 1396/1422), Bulgarian kingdoms came under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 led to the re-establishment of a Bulgarian state as a constitutional monarchy in 1878, with the Treaty of San Stefano Third Bulgarian State. In 1908, with social strife brewing at the core of the Ottoman Empire, the Alexander Malinov government and Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria formally proclaimed the full sovereignty of the Bulgarian state at the ancient capital of Veliko Turnovo.World War II, in 1945 Bulgaria became a communist state and part of the Eastern Bloc. Todor Zhivkov dominated Bulgaria politically for 33 years (from 1956 to 1989). In 1990, after the Revolutions of 1989, the Communist Party gave up its monopoly on power and Bulgaria transitioned to democracy and free-market capitalism.
Currently Bulgaria functions as a parliamentary democracy under a unitary constitutional republic. A member of the European Union since 2007 and of NATO since 2004, it has a high Human Development Index of 0.834, ranking 56th in the world in 2006, and being listed by Freedom House as "free", scoring 1 (highest) for political rights and 2 for civil liberties.

Bela sum, bela

2009-06-05T09:38:00.005+03:00

This is one of my most favourite songs from the Rhodope Mountains - 'Bela, sum, bela, yunache' /can be translated as 'I'm white, white, young hero'; 'white' is equal to 'beautiful, honest' in Bulgarian folklore/. It's a love song... The bagpipes accompaniment and the views from the Rhodopes are magnificent!!!:)

The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices

2009-06-05T09:28:00.004+03:00

A Bulgarian folk song performed by the famous Mystery of Bulgarian Voices formation... plus some breath-taking views of the Rhodope Mountains... Enjoy!!!:)

100 Kaba Bagpipes - the folk music of the Rhodope Mountains

2009-06-04T15:34:00.003+03:00

Latest news in a rainy June morning...:)

2009-06-03T11:30:00.010+03:00

Vanyo went through the chicken pox just fine...:) He stopped scratching himself after I explained him that if he did, he would get scars and girls wouldn't find him handsome any more...:P And my young Casanova decided that his good appearance is worth it suffering the itching...;) Thanks to this successful strategy he doesn't have any scars, yeah!!!:)

My son got back to the Kindergarten on May 25th /Monday/ and he was so happy about it!!!:) It was obvious that he had missed his little friends there a lot!!!:)

Last Sunday /May 31st/ hubby went to Sofia for a 4-day seminar... He'll get back tomorrow and we're all so much looking forward to welcoming him home!!!:)

June 1st /Monday/ was International Children's Day, so I treated my lovely kids dinner at McDonald's, which turned out to be a really wonderful surprise for them!!!:)

The movies I've seen in the second half of May are: ‘New in Town’ /an OK movie, but I wish it didn't seem so familiar...:(/, ‘Gran Torino’ /one of the best movies I've seen so far this year - great, touching story, wonderful acting:)/, ‘Jumper’ /interesting story, great effects, but the ending was a bit dull.../ and 'Pink Panther 2’ /an OK comedy, some moments were funny, others – boring…/.

The 5th season of my most favourite show 'LOST' also ended in the second half of May... The season finale was breath-taking and exciting as always...:) I just can't wait until 2010 when the 6th /and last/ season will start!!!:P

Vanyo's 5th Birthday:)

2009-05-12T22:13:00.015+03:00

The first May weekend was quite a long one – we had 6 days off!!!:) It’s because we had two official holidays – May 1st /Labour Day/ and May 6th /Bulgarian Army Day/. The only working days in between were May 4th and 5th which the government decided to give off as well /and we should work two Saturdays instead – May 16th and May 30th/.;)

On the first day of the long weekend /May 1st, Friday/ we visited my mother-in-law in Karlovo. Luckily we stayed only for a few hours…;) In the afternoon we got home and started packing… A married couple we both know from work and whom we’re friends with /the woman is a lawyer and the man is an investigator in the police/ had invited us to visit them in their house in the Rhodope Mountains… So as soon as we woke up on the Saturday, we drove to the village of Starnitza /about 90 km away from Plovdiv/. These friends have a son who is the same age as Vanyo, so the kids played together very well.:) As for us, adults, we had a wonderful time as well – we spent almost all the time chatting – either at the table with delicious meals and drinks, or during our walks around the village /which turned out to be absolutely picturesque:)/… We spent the night there /and stayed up until 1 or 2 a.m.:)/ and after having our coffee and breakfast on the Sunday morning we drove home…:)

The following two days were quiet ones… We spent them mostly at home, relaxing…:) And May 6th /Wednesday/ was Vanyo’s 5th Birthday!!!:) We had a special lunch at home with my parents and my mother-in-law.:) My son is born on Saint George’s Day /who is considered to protect shepherds and herds/. According to the tradition we must have a meal of roasted lamb or goat that day /as a kind of sacrifice/. So we had delicious roasted goat for lunch.:) We also had yummy ‘drob-sarma’ /made of rice, mushrooms and selected inwards of the goat, all roasted together – sounds a bit disgusting maybe, but tastes really good:)/, spring salad /lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes and green onions, seasoned with some salt, vinegar and olive oil – very refreshing:)/ and, of course, a wonderful birthday cake /with three types of cream – yum:)/.

Besides the special meals we also enjoyed an improvised show programme, put up by Vanyo – he sang a lot of songs and recited a lot of long poems he had learned in the Kindergarten…:) So sweet and amusing!!!:) Hubby has made a few videos that I’d love to upload to my blog – hopefully I can make the time for it!!!:)

Needless to say, my son got some presents as well – a word game from my mother-in-law /as he is learning the alphabet at the moment:)/, two books and a Lightning McQueen toy from my sister and her family, a clothes set and a remote control Lightning McQueen toy from my parents and an Airport set from Vlado, Minnie and me…:) He loved all the presents and was definitely overjoyed!!!:)

Vanyo had another birthday party the following day /Thursday, May 7th/ - this time with his friends at the Kindergarten.;) He had a huge Spiderman cake and has had lots of fun with the kids there!!!:) He also got a little present – a Winnie the Poor tea cup and an eating pad /to put his dishes on while eating/…:)

That day I had another visit at the surgeon’s and he said the swelling under my left eyebrow was almost gone, so I might not be operated after all… Fingers crossed!!!;)

The weekend after Vanyo’s birthday was a very nice and relaxing one which we spent at home…:) Unfortunately, we noticed a rash on Vanyo’s body and yeasterday we took him to his GP.:( And he was diagnosed with chicken pox /varicella/…:( So far it goes rather smoothly /he doesn’t have any fever, high temperature or other complications/, so let’s hope he’ll keep it up that way!!!

The movies I’ve seen so far this month are: ‘Knowing’ /it was interesting most of the time, even though it could have been much better... Nicolas Cage was great as always;)/, ‘Crank’ /one of the best actions I've seen recently - weird, breath-taking, dark humour...:) Two thumbs up!!!:)/, ‘Two Lovers’ /I was a bit disappointed with this movie - it was too slow and somehow couldn't touch my heart.../, ‘The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon’ /a poor imitation of the Indiana Jones' movies...:( I'm quite disappointed for wasting my time watching it...:(/