The Adventures Of Lies and JP Reimer

Funny Boy

2009-02-20T12:47:00.003Z

Charlie had a great time flopping onto the couch once JP took the cushion off. Who knew it would be so much fun!

The Learning Process

2009-02-20T09:40:00.004Z

This was the morning of February 17th, when Charlie officially started to walk. As you can see it is going to be a bit of a process for him to get it mastered! Dont worry...he is fine and is getting more balanced every day!

Helping with the dishwasher

2009-02-12T13:46:00.005Z

Both little ones like to help with the kitchen chores. It looks like little Charlie is taking after his great grand fathers. He enjoys taking things apart. I it isn't the dishwasher then it's the vacuum cleaner.

Charlie and his girlfriend

2009-02-12T12:49:00.011Z

Our friends Jeff, Jolene and their 16 month old daughter have come to live in Holland for a few months. They have been staying with us for a bit while they get set up and we have been having a great time. Charlie and Noelle hit it off right away!

It's always about the food for these two, if one is eating the other one wants to be too!

What a lady

Diaper buddies

Story time for Charlie...he loves "Safari Friends"

Mom...I told you, I'm finished

Noelle has taken a liking to JP or should I say..."PG, GP, PG, PG" that is JPs name coming from Noelle

They both love rice cakes

What a gentelman, pushing his girl around on his truck

They love watching Baby Einstein together

First Birthday Party and More

2009-01-21T17:48:00.007Z

Hi there, wel things are moving along smoothly in the new year here in the Netherlands. Charlie is a one year old, Lies is back into her volleyball training and I'm still the stay-at-home pops. As I said all is as it should be. Charlie isn't walking yet but he does stand up all by himsef on occaision, I'm sure that soon he will get the nerve to take a step or two.

Jeff and Jolene Van Huisen are visiting us from Canada. They are friends of Lies' that are now friends of the family. They are here with their 16 month old Noelle for about 6 months or so. They hve been living with us while they get settled in. It has been great fun for Charlie who has become quite fond og Noelle... as you can see in the picture below.

It looks as though our son is becoming quite a reader as well.

Florence, Italy

2009-01-04T08:58:00.010Z

We are back in Holland now but spent New Years in Italy. These are pictures from our time in Florence.
This was the view we had after climbing up a small mountain...poor JP had his 30 pound "pack" on (that is Charlie in the middle of us).
A replica of Michelangelo's David, we saw the real one in the Galleria Accademia, it was amazing.
The city of Florence and the famous Duomo.
JP and Cups just chilling
The view on the Ponte Vecchio, a huge bridge with shops all along it
Charlie having his afternoon nap in his backpack
One on the most beautiful churches I have ever seen, the walls are a mosaic of tiny green white and pink tiles
Maxin and Relaxin on the train
Charlie checking out the window on the way to Florence.

2008-12-14T10:43:00.003Z

This was really funny, Charlie leaning in for a big open mouth kiss! He is a real sweetheart, though sometimes he is not so gentle!

Charlie is learning how things work, he is pushing buttons on the washer and dryer, putting little cars on their track to watch them go around and is also stacking blocks. He can now put three or four on to of each other and is so proud of himself when they all stay up!

tickles with papa

2008-11-30T11:17:00.002Z

What a sweet little laugh

Charlie dancing and sticking his tongue out!

2008-11-30T10:16:00.003Z

A couple weeks ago Charlie learned where his tongue was, he also knows "earmuffs" and how to give kisses. He is really learning a lot about himself and how to communicate with us. It is a lot of fun!

Life With Charles Paul

2008-11-21T10:09:00.014Z

Bath time is a lot of fun with this little guy! Charlie now weighs 30 pounds and is 31.5 inches long...still off the charts

Upsidedown baby!
"earmuffs"
A new friend Charlie met at papas basketball game
JP turned 36 this year! He got lots of nice gifts
Playing in Amstelveen
Serving series
JP and Charlie watching intently...Steve not so much!
Charlie on his first tram ride in Amsterdam

Oma and Opa come to visit!!

2008-11-10T21:04:00.009Z

Mom and Dad come to visit us here in Weert for almost 2 weeks! We had a great time, we took a trip down to Belgium, went to visit relatives and had a really nice time just hanging out. I had a great birthday at a real pannekoek huis and was of course spoiled! The best gift was just having mom and dad there though! It was great to see them with Charlie...he sure loves his Oma and Opa!

Charlie has been having fun learning about his own body and how he can control it! He likes to mimic us and we like repeating his little gestures too!

This video is just so cute!

more crawling

2008-10-27T09:05:00.002Z

We have a crawler!!

2008-10-27T08:39:00.004Z

At about 9 am this morning Charlie started to crawl.

Fun Times

2008-10-25T09:56:00.006Z

This was a taken in the city of Maastricht, it is a very beautiful city in the south part of Holland. There is a really big river through the centre of town with big ships and houses that remind me of the ones in Amsterdam along the edge of the river.
Every year in the town of Weert they have a huge "Kermis" is it the second biggest fair in Holland and we had a great time going on the rides and playing games! I got pretty sick on one of the rides but it was worth it!

This was at Susannes birthday party, Steve is the guyy on the right, he is a Canadian that we hang out a lot with, Onmi is in the middle and Susanne snuck her way into the picture as well, she is our setter and I get along really well with her, she also lives right next door to us.
These are some of the girls on the team...from left to right- Deb a Dutch girl, Sus above also Dutch, Maritna the blonde a Czech girl, Karine Dutch, Karolina Czech and myself. We all get along really well and live in the same building so hang out a lot!

Back in time to Summer in Sandpoint 2008

2008-09-15T18:44:00.002Z

Charlie is so proud of himself he claps

2008-09-12T10:58:00.003Z

Well this little fella is learning new things every day. He passes things back and forth between his hands and then he applauds himself. It is so fun.

search, destroy and laugh

2008-09-08T15:07:00.003Z

The little fella sure loves to laugh...

Recent Pictures

2008-09-07T11:59:00.006Z

Here are a few pics, more to come we just cant find the cable to upload the new pictures, this one is from when we were staying in the old apartment, now we are in our new place and it is really nice.

The pictures below are from our train ride to go visit Julie and Jeroen who were in Rotterdam, we had a great time there visiting with them before they went of to Istanbul to Jeroens team.

OK more stories and pictures soon!

Love Lies, JP and Charlie!

The mama is home, the mama is home!!!

2008-09-06T07:48:00.003Z

Lies is back from her trip and we have moved into our new digs. The internet connection is working and things are moving along as smooth as ever. Charlie has become quite an emotive speaker, he used his hands and has quite a lot to say, he sure is fun.

Just the Boys

2008-08-27T18:35:00.003+01:00

Hi there folks, well Lies is off to Switzerland and Italy for some volleyball tourneys so it's just us men here in Holland. It is fun, and we're having a lot of one-on-one time. I think the little fella missed Lies and I know I do. we have been riding around on the bike and talking walks into town. Charlie has been helping me coach, he sits on the side and chatters away, the little dude sure is fun. He's even checking email these days... They grow up so fast don't they?

We have arrived!!

2008-08-09T22:56:00.008+01:00

Here we are in the Netherlands!! As you can see Charlie is looking like a little Dutch boy already. Well almost as it turns out nobody really wears wooden shoes anymore... not even the slipper version we have for him.

We had a good flight over here, Charlie slept most of the way. Our apartment isn't ready yet so we are bunking in at one of the players places. She isn't here so we have sort of taken over that place. It is close to the town centre so that is really nice. We are living in Weert which is in the South. It is a neat little place and the people seem really nice. Lies hasn't started training yet, she will be heading out on Monday for a week long training camp. I'm sure she will come home tired but excited about her season. I have a meeting with the manager of the basketball club here so I'm hoping that something will arise from that. I've added a few pictures of the town and of course of our little boy.

There are 2 new photo albums, click the link to the left.
Much love

Charlie Has Teeth

2008-06-19T20:35:00.006+01:00

Hello there everyone,
Or little boy is growing up so fast! He is rolling over from his back to his belly, he got his two bottom teeth a couple days ago and he is eating rich cereal. He is so chatty and loves his tummy being tickled. He laughs so hard! He is still sleeping really well which we are thankful for. He goes to bed around 9:30 and is up at 7:30. He has a couple naps during the day which sometimes he has trouble falling asleep for. He lovss playing peek a boo and grabbing everything in sight to put in his mouth...including his toes. Here are a few pictures

Talking already?!

2008-04-30T18:23:00.003Z

I know, I know you think I'm crazy and how could he possibly be talking... but here is the picture
to prove it. He seems to be a Canadiens fan but I don't know where that comes from.

Fun time in April...time is flying!

2008-04-26T04:46:00.005Z

e
We had a great weekend away in Whistler with some friends. We saw some nice houses in Squamish that we are having fun fantasizing about. We will see what happens...

This is Charlie's friend Noelle, one of his only friends his age! We had a nice time playing today!

This is papa's favorite activity for Charlie. He is really fun to watch, he kicks his feet and is doing the moon walk quite well!

ADORABLE...my great looking men!

We Got Giggles!!

2008-04-17T06:04:00.004Z

Here is our little boy, he is now grabbing hair and giggling. It is so fun to be able to stay home with the little guy. Everyday there is something new.

Baptism

2008-03-22T21:40:00.006Z

On March 16th Charlie was baptized at Woodgreeen Presbyterian Church in Calgary. It was a nice service, Lance and Rudy did profession of faith and JP sang a really nice song. Family and friends came over for lunch after church. It was fun to introduce Charlie to the rest of the family.
We had a good time with JPs parents as well as they made it our from Montreal for the event.

Charlie looked beautiful in his new Baptismal gown...he was really good until he got up to the front of the church...he wailed the whole time we were up there. JP says it was because he was embarrassed to be in a dress in front of all those people.

Learning

2008-03-22T21:27:00.004Z

Charlie is really getting good at finding his own hand and the finger sucking calms him right down. He is such a sweet heart and is still sleeping really great at night. We are having a lot of fun learning about our little boy.
He has a seat with a mirror that he can look up at himself in. Sometimes when he loks up he starts to cry. Maybe he scares himself...I'm not sure. He is turning into such a little boy already!

Check these out!!!

2008-02-08T07:36:00.000Z

www.rdcapturedmemories.com/gallery/index.asp?sid=Reimer

That is the link to some pics that we had done by a professional, they are really great.

P.S. It is awesome being a mom!

Busy Boy

2008-02-01T17:53:00.000Z

We have had a great week with our little guy. He is more awake during the day and he has already grown a double chin...little porker! It is fun being a full time mom, we go for walks, shop at the mall, get groceries and I'm just a little home maker!

New photo album!!

2008-01-26T21:55:00.000Z

We're uploading photos onto the webshots site. You can use the link on the right. The new one is called "the baby"

enjoy

He found his thumb today!!

2008-01-26T21:26:00.001Z

Hi there folks, well you know you are a nutty new parent when you are excited because your kid found his thumb. He was sitting in his little chair checking stuff out and then I heard a sucking sound. He had his thumb... along with most of his hand, in his mouth. HE then lost it and then found it again. He seemed pretty happy with his newfound treasure.

Lies and I are doing really well. It is amazing how much time babies take, and I don't mean the changing and feeding and putting to sleep, I mean the watching. I can sit and stare at that little monkey for hours, all he has to do is sigh or squirm a little and I'm happy to stare for more hours. Yup I am officially a cheesy papa.

Pictures from the week

2008-01-20T02:47:00.001Z

One week down...18 Years to go

2008-01-19T23:29:00.001Z

It sure is fun being parents! We are having a great time with Charlie, he is such a little sleeper and making life very easy on his parents. At least for the time being. He slept 6 hours in a row last night...we couldn't believe it. We had a good Dr.'s appointment last Thursday...he now weighs 8lbs 2 oz and is a good healthy boy. Of course he peed all over the scale when he was bing weighed. He has been on a couple outings- one to Vancouver to be registered and last night he went to his first volleyball game. We went to cheer on his Uncle Rudy- they won in 4 which was great.

One Week Old

2008-01-17T17:58:00.002Z

Well our little boy has survived his first week. Or more appropriately, his parents have survived. We have had a couple tough nights one where JP said "Lies...please take him...I just have to lie down" He was at a loss with the crying and it is hard when you don't know what they want. For the most part though he has been a really great sleeper letting us get around 7-8 hours of sleep at night...now all in a row however but sleep is sleep at this point.
He is such a sweet little guy, he is learning so much already. He has found his fist and fingers to suck on and he is following our faces with his eyes. He loves looking at the blanket of Bible stories that we have above his change table an he is a really good eater, breastfeeding is going great.
Here are some pictures from the past week.

Charlie!!!

2008-01-12T05:24:00.001Z

Hey there Everyone! We are home with our little boy and we are having an amazing time. He is such a precious little thing...it is unbelievable that he is finally here and we love him so much already...it is not even possible to describe! He is healthy and beautiful and just an amazing gift from God.
I am doing pretty good..labour was hard but really cool at the same time! It was the longest athletic event I have ever competed in but it was the most amazing prize anyone could ever ask for. It was all worth it when he was plopped down on my chest...I couldn't believe that he was mine and JP and I have just been bumbling fools ever since! We are just so in love with this little boy. There are some pics more will follow of course so keep checking!
His name is Charles Paul Reimer after his Grandpa and his Opa! Love to you all from the little family of 3!

Our New Baby Has Arrived

2008-01-11T07:24:00.001Z

Here is our little boy... More to come

Much Love

back to the hospital

2008-01-10T01:18:00.000Z

Well we're heading back to the hospital and hopefully they will let us stay and the baby will not be too far behind. It has been a tiring couple of days for Lies. She is most definitely a trooper and continues to do really well. She is smiling and happy... that is "between contractions" she is smiling and happy. This beautiful wife of mine is truly amazing.

Time to go!

2008-01-08T18:55:00.001Z

Hey there folks!
It is the mother to be here...between contractions letting you know that we are on the way to the hospital in the next little bit. The contractions aren't to terrible yet. I have to pause what I am doing and take a few big breaths but for the most part it is bearable...ask me in a few hours and I am sure the story will have changed! So yeah, the contractions started around 11pm last night and have been pretty much about 5-10 minutes apart the whole time.
So I can't believe that it has been 12 hours now and I still feel pretty good. We are going to put on a movie or something to pass the time. My parents are on their way here from Calgary and other then that we are ready to go! Well, send up a prayer for me and JP too! I am sure he will take some verbal abuse in the next while! Talk again soon,
Lies

T minus 2 Days

2008-01-05T20:16:00.000Z

Hey there everyone,
We are getting really excited about the arrival of our little one. We are not sure if it is a boy of girl and we aren't even settled on names yet. We have some thinking to do! For the rest we are pretty much ready, the room is set up in monkeys and giraffes (our favorite animals) and JP is just finishing the change table that he built to fit on top of the dresser.
We have had a great time hanging out just the two of us, getting lots of sleep and relaxing before there is not much time for that anymore. JP has to go back to school on Monday so that will be too bad. He will get a few days off for the main event but I will be happy to have my parents around to help out.
Keep checking back for more news, we will keep you up to date. The Dr. said that it looks like it could come any time now so we will see how accurate the due date of the 7th is.
Lots of love from a happy pregnant lady!

We've got a baby on the way!!

2007-12-28T02:22:00.000Z

It has been such a long while since we wrote anything... but it seems that with a new little baby on the way we need to fire up the old blog spot once again. We've had a great time getting used to living here in Langley. We have become a couple of good little Langelors. Our little town house fits us just fine. I've been teaching and building furniture and Lies has been personal training and getting bigger by the day. She looks beautiful and her smile seems to be getting bigger as her belly does. We had a wonderful Christmas and now we're looking forward to our little one.

Hope all is well with everybody, keep coming back to the blog the countdown has begun.

Good Bye Calgary...

2007-06-08T16:39:00.000Z

Well we're off to Lethbridge today. Then we'll head West on the #3 highway through the Crow's Nest pass and onto Vancouver.
We had a great time in Calgary with the Verhoeffs. Lies and I packed boxes and bags, organised all her stuff for the trip out west. We went to see Rudy receive the Athlete of the Year award as well as a memorial Scholarship from his high school Calgary Christian. We also had a nice party where we announced that we are expecting a little bouncing baby in early January... YAAAAHOOOO!

Sorry...

2007-06-05T17:58:00.001Z

Well much has happened since the last post. For one thing we are now in Calgary. We drove here from Montreal and we're on our way to Vancouver.

Lies completed her season in fine form. Her team lost the 3rd place playoff but played well through the 3 games. We had a wonderful time at Jeroen and Julie's wedding in Russel Manitoba. We also had a great visit in Montreal with my parents. We went to Upper Canada Village, Ottawa and of course Montreal. We even went to see the Cirque Du Soleil.

As I said we are now in Calgary and will be checking out of the Verhoeff in on Saturday of Sunday. In Vancouver we'll be staying with G-Ma Shaver until July 1st when we'll be moving into our home in Langley.

We don't have the Stanley Cup but...

2007-04-12T09:40:00.000Z

We have French Championship Volleyball. It is getting to the end of the season, the time that every game counts and every point makes a difference. Le Cannet played last night and pretty much clinched 4th place. The top four teams in the league get into the playoffs where they play best of 3 series in the semis and finals. This was the team goal for the season. Might not sound so lofty but this is just their second year in the top french league. Last year they finished 7th so this is a step up. And who knows? Anything can happen in the playoffs. Lies is playing really well, she is consistently one of the top scorers on her team. As well opposing team won't hit at her, if they do they're pretty much blocked!! She is great to watch always excited and encouraging. Her club have a photorapher at the games so I've included some pics to give you a feel, enjoy.

St. Patties Day in Nice

2007-03-18T09:44:00.000Z

We had a great time last night at JP's bar Thors for St. Patricks Day, lots of beer and lots of loud music! My Czech teamate Misha came along for the fun- it was especially great because we beat the number 4 team 3-0. Now we are one point away from playoffs- good times!

Chateau turned sporty

2007-03-16T23:40:00.000Z

This is the administrative building for one of the French "Sport Schools". If you are between the ages of 14-18 and are exceptional at a sport you will most likely leave your home and attend one of these schools. We visited this one in Toulouse becasue this is where most of the girls on the French Jr. National live and train so we had a practice with them on our way to our match last weekend.

France from above

2007-03-16T23:29:00.000Z

These pictures were taken last weekend on my 2 flights to get home from our match in Albi. We were in the South West of France an hours flight away from Nice, but had to fly all the way up to Paris and then back down South to Nice... cheapest way is the only way with this club!! Anyways, I amused myself with the camera. The one above is of Nice and the one on the right is just South of Paris.

We can pretend

2007-03-16T23:08:00.000Z

Tammy came to visit us from Holland a couple weekends ago and we took her to see the sights in Cannes. This is the red carpet just oustside of the Palais de Festivals where the annual Cannes Film Festival is held. There was a convention going on during the day but there was no one around when Jules, Tammy and I decided to pose on the famous staircase. Of course they do it all up for when the real stars show up but it was fun none the less!

What the Haynanny!!

2007-02-28T17:57:00.000Z

It's been way too long since our last post, very sorry, very sorry. February was a fun month. My parents Fran an Bill were here for a visit. We went to all sorts of sights and had a great time. Thir visit coincided with Carnaval when Nice and other small town go a little nuts with parades and festivals. The picture is a shot of Lies and my dad getting hit with silly string. It was a good time. there will be some pictures to come. My pops and I also had time to jam a little, here is a video of us doing a little duet. That's right I'm learning the harmonica, my father is a great teacher.

JP at Le Park

2007-02-05T17:44:00.000Z

Saturday night after my match, we went to the restaurant that my President owns and he asked JP to play a couple songs with the band that was there. It was great to hear him play while surrounded by other instruments -he sounded really great and was a hit with the volleyball players. He is a talented musician, that is for sure!

Enough with the construction!

2007-02-05T17:35:00.000Z

This is the street our apartment is on and they have been doing construction of some sort since we arrived here. I think they are finally finished. Thank goodness because the 8 am jackhammering was really starting to get on our nerves. I have only opened the window and screamed at them once. I know, I am a child!
Our street now has beautiful brown sidewalks and a special place for the bike shop to put all their bikes outside on display! Yeahhhh!

St. Raphael

2007-01-31T16:14:00.000Z

This picture was taken just before the Canadians took it to Beziers- they are in 3rd place in the French pro A league St. Raphael won in 5! I had the weekend off so I went to watch Julie and Emily play at home in St. Raph. My next match is against La Rochette on Saturday and it is our first French Cup game. If we lose we are out, but no worries, we play at home and haven't lost there yet!
Until next time...
Lies

Buddha Bar

2007-01-31T16:07:00.000Z

After our win in Paris we were treated to an incredible dinner at the world renouned Buddha Bar. This is a picture of our team (minus a couple) with our President Eric inside the resturant- that is one huge Buddha!
We all had a great time eating and listning to some groovy music.

Updated homepage...

2007-01-23T15:50:00.000Z

Hi there folks,
Well I've finished updating my music homepage so feel free to check it out and let me know what you think. It's easy to get to just click on the link to the right or type in www.jpreimer.com

Winter has arrived here... so to speak. There were some dark clouds and it is pretty cold. As you can see in the picture the clouds just lifted for us to see that it snowed in the nearby hills. I just took that picture from our window. There isn't enough to ski there but maybe farther up in the Alps?

The "almost" Trommels

2007-01-18T22:54:00.000Z

I would like to introduce you all to our fellow Canandian/Dutch friends here in Cannes. Julie Salyn and her fiancee Jeroen Tromell both play volleyball in the area and we live in the same residence.
I played volleyball together with Julie 4 years ago and we have been great friends ever since. Each week we have an "FP" (Foriegn Power) dinner and since JP and Jeroen are great chefs we really look forward to this night. It is great to have friends to shop with, chat with, laugh with etc.
Just thought I would show you who they are!

French "healing" mud

2007-01-18T22:19:00.000Z

French people are very concerned about health and well being, you will notice this if you go to France because there are Pharmacies on evey corner. If they are sick or hurt, they do not mess around. JP and I have been having a rough month as far as aches and pains go so my physiotherapist suggested putting this French healing mud on our sore parts. Each night we wrap up our knees (I heard it was good for your skin and am also using it on my face!) and read or watch a movie. My knee is feeling better, JP not so much, so we will keep layering it on!
Love you all,
Lies

Not quite in lights...

2007-01-12T01:15:00.000Z

Hey there, well I just got home from my gig at O'Sullivan's. I had a great time. Lies was there and she invited some teammates who clapped and whistled. It was loads of fun. the bar was not so busy but we had a party of our own.

Lies is playing at home against Villebon. She is confident that the team will do well. I know she will play great!!

We're groovin'

2007-01-11T15:40:00.000Z

The picture was taken just outside our parking garage.

I know, I know, after a daily blog to read how can I be so callous as to only write every few days? Sorry but that is the beauty of the advent calendar.

Lies and I are now back into the daily groove. Yup I know our daily groove is pretty great. Lies lost her match this past weekend, it was an unfortunate loss, however it could have come at a good time. We figure it might get the players focusing. The team will go down in the standing but they have plenty of opportunities to get back on track. The goal is top 4, with that they will get into the play-offs and then anything can happen. I have been playing my regular gig at Thor's Pub (http://www.thor-pub.com/) on Friday and Saturday evenings, it really is a lot of fun. The news is that tonight I also got a gig at O'Sullivan's an Irish Pub in Mandelieu. Hope it goes well.
That is all for today hope you are all doing well.

Love JP&Lies

2007-01-04T14:03:00.000Z

Howdy, Howdy.... Is it the 4th day of 2k7 already?!! Man time sure does fly. Well Lies and I are continuing on along the same road. She is practicing and playing, I'm cooking and guitaring (is that a verb?). As you can see by the picture taken on the 31st the weather here is agreeable, today is much thee same, sunny hoody weather.

We are working on our movie star poses... The Cannes film festival isn't for a few months so we should be in good shape when they get here.

2007-01-01T14:16:00.000Z

Happy New Year!!!
We had a nice celebration here with fireworks on the beach, friends and champagne. Hope you all had a nice evening as well. A special Happy Birthday to my nephew Thom.

JP

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2006-12-25T13:25:00.000Z

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
I hope you are all having a wonderful day. We miss you all and are thinking about you.

DAY 24

2006-12-24T10:24:00.000Z

Well it's the day before Christmas, it's already here
The young ones and older ones are filled with good cheer
The thinning of patience is surely taking place
With family and friends all over your space
But it's all worth it because at the end of the day
It's just one small part of these holidays
The main ingredient the one I see so clear
Is the love that I feel from far and from near.

Cheesy poems and feeling are a necessary part of Christmas.

Hello to all those we love, we are missing you and thinking of you on this special holiday. We are thankful for so many wonderful people in our lives and can't wait to spend more time with you all. Take care and have a wonderful Christmas!

Love Lies and JP

Advent Day 23

2006-12-23T11:53:00.000Z

Hi there, Well we made it to Rotterdam. The sky is a beautiful Netherlands winter gray. We spent the afternoon in Amsterdam yesterday and visited the old places we used to go when we lived here. Then we came back to Julie and Jeroen's place in Rotterdam and decorated. As you can see I helped with the lights.

Advent Day 22

2006-12-22T09:04:00.000Z

Hi there, this is the day after the shortest day of the year. We are in Rotterdam after an uneventful flight from Nice. We are here to celebrate Christmas with some friends of ours. It should be a nice time. Hope all of you are doing well.

This picture was taken in the small midieval perched village of Peillon. It is a litte treasure as it has no stores or touristy things it's just a village that people still live in. We eaven saw some dad telling his boys to get the garbage down to the garbage can.

Advent Day 21

2006-12-21T01:18:00.000Z

I've stepped it up a notch for today. This is like one of those interludes you get on CTV or CBC during the holidays. The difference of course is that it's home made so the quality is not top notch. I'm hoping to get better as my ability and knowledge increase. You will see some of the lights of Cannes as well as a pretty special woman.

Advent Day 20

2006-12-19T08:48:00.000Z

JP and I went on a very fun Ferris Wheel ride at the Christmas Fair in Cannes, we could see for miles around. It was a little scary because there were no chains or bars to hold you in, I guess they are not as freaky about insurance and liability over here in France! It added a bit of extra excitement. We are off to Holland on Thursday and cant wait to relax with friends-it will be great!
Love to you all, Lies

Advent Day 19

2006-12-18T12:59:00.000Z

This is a picture of Lies and the pick-up-sticks game we won playing the midway game. We played the game where you drop coins into the machine and it pushes them forward hopefully dropping others off the end. It was fun and now Lies and I have another game to play at home. So far we are pretty evenly matched at pick-up-sticks.

Advent Day 18

2006-12-18T12:56:00.000Z

Last night Lies and I went to the Christmas fair in Cannes. It was a good time with a game played and a ferris wheel ride. The pisture is taken from the Bord De Mer (ocean side road). It has been getting a little cold here so we bundled up and headed out.

Advent Day 17

2006-12-17T15:09:00.000Z

Hi again, this is a picture of Lies making nanaimo bar using the ingredients that my mother sent us. We received this great box filled with goodies, some we could use right away and others that we must wait to open. Among the things were zip lock bags filled with the necessary ingredients for nanaimo bar... Well most of the ingredients, she didn''t send the eggs or the milk.

Thanks Mom the nanaimo bar is delicious.

Advent Day 16

2006-12-17T15:06:00.000Z

Sorry, sorry, sorry we have been having connection trouble. I'm giving you two today and then more to follow so keep coming by.

This is the tree in the lobby of our building. It's nice and big and festive. There isn't any snow but they certainly like to decorate for the season.

Advent Day 15

2006-12-15T10:08:00.000Z

10 days until Christmas. Lies has a game this weekend and then she gets a week and a half off. We are thinking of going into the mountains but will keep you updated. I'm sure everybody is starting to feel the holidays, all the excitement and stress, it really is fun.

This is a shot of the Cannes Christmas market. Look at all the snow on that tree...

Advent Day 14

2006-12-14T11:53:00.000Z

Whoa 14 already?!! man this time thing it just keeps on ticking and ticking. Anyway I think I've got all my gifts in order so far so good anyway. This is a picture of the sunset from Nice. I think that's Santa's sleigh in the air on a test run but I didn't have my binoculars so I couldn't be sure.

Advent Day 13

2006-12-13T08:51:00.000Z

There was a carnival going on when JP and I were in Nice on Monday, the ferris wheel was huge! We also found an antique market with some very old maps, china, WWII paraphernalia, and of course Louis Vitton bags, Chanel and Dior jewelery and glasses. The second hand stores aren't what they are in Canada- that's for sure. I hope everyone is doing well and that there is not too much stress in the air trying to get the shopping done! Mom, I hope that you have a wonderful day today- Happy Birthday.

Advent Day 12

2006-12-12T10:24:00.000Z

Hi there, This is Nice in the Middle of December. That's right there are people swimming in the Mediterranean in December. I don't know if I would, it's pretty cold but its far from a polar bear swim.

The view here is of the "Promenade Des Anglais" in Nice. The beach is made up of these rounded pebbles. The pebbles make a great sound getting knocked into each other by the waves.

Advent Day 11

2006-12-11T20:20:00.000Z

Hi there, sorry this is late on this 11th day of advent. This light set-up hangs on the main street here in Cannes la Bocca. In fact there are a bunch of them all the way down the street. It looks great when you can look along and see the twinkling blue and yellow lights.

Today Lies and I went to Nice, we walked through an antique market and wandered into some other shops as well. The beach was beautiful and there were even people hanging out in their swimwear suntanning and yes swimming.

Advent Day 10

2006-12-10T11:13:00.001Z

Hello there, I know this dosen't look like Christmas but it is a part of what we see here in Cannes. In fact this is the view today from our little balcony. The sun is shining and there are palm trees, however it is a little nippy especially in the shade. The locals are wearing parkas in this freezing 10 degree weather.

Advent Day 9

2006-12-09T09:14:00.000Z

These two certainly do look happy together. I can speak for myself and say that Lies makes me a very happy man. Here we are at the Cannes Christmas market on what turned out to be a relatively cold day. We bundled up for the icy 7 degree weather and managed to stay warm...

Advent Day 8

2006-12-08T09:55:00.000Z

Hello again, This is a nice scene down at the Cannes Christmas market. It is a little rainy and stormy today so I'm hoping that it's snowing in the mountains.

Lies has a big game tomorrow. Her team playes RC Cannes the first place team. In fact RC Cannes has won the French championship for the last 11 years and went undefeated last year only loosing 2 sets during the season.

Much Love

Advent Day 7

2006-12-07T09:54:00.000Z

This little guy asked if I was going to finish my ice cream... I think he was feeling a little warm and needed to cool down. I told him maybe he should take off the hat and scarf but he said it wasn't aloud to take off his uniform.

Today I think any snow folks around here will melt. It's pretty warm and sunny. Apparently the weather is warmer than usual over here. Hopefully wherever you are the weather is nice.

JP

Advent Day 6

2006-12-06T18:52:00.000Z

Hey there folks,
It's Lies here writing about the cute little seals that they had displayed at the Cannes Christmas market. Of course JP made some comment about clubbing them...then he said he was kidding!!!
Can't believe that it is already December 6th, 19 days 'till Christmas!
Love to all who come check out the "Avent Calender"
Lies

Advent Day 5

2006-12-05T10:55:00.000Z

Can you believe it? When I took the picture there was no red nose... But then when I uploaded it onto the computer there was this glowing red nose. Wow the spirit of Rudolph is here in Cannes I guess.

Advent Day 4

2006-12-04T08:57:00.000Z

It's a bright sunny day here in Cannes on this 4th day of December. The picture was taken at the Christmas market in Cannes. They have these neat booths and it looks very similar to the Vienna markets. One difference is that people drink wine and champagne as much as the hot wine and "punsch". Lies is off to practice and I need to get moving on a Christmas project. Ciao!

Advent Day 3

2006-12-03T17:04:00.000Z

Bonjour! This first Sunday of December must be the official beginning of Advent. We now wait in eager anticipation for the birth of Christ. Of course along the way we need to shop, plan, pack the minivan to go to our relatives house, bake, shop, a little more shopping, pack the car again to go to more relatives, make sure we get all that's on the x-mas lists, wait in line, try to find parking, rest, wake up sweating in the middle of the night because you forgot to finish the angel costume jr. has to wear in the pageant, finish said costume at 3:30 am, more baking. The list goes on and on but it is always so exciting and fun. I love the holiday season.

Yesterday Lies played in a match against La Rochette the second place team. Le Cannet won in 4 sets. Lies played well and her leg didn't bother her. It was a great game, next weekend they play first place RC Cannes. After the game we went bowling with Julie and Jereon. And in that highly charged competition yours truly was the winner.. .not that winning is very important or anything. I stay at home, cook, clean and kick butt at bowling, it's just what I do, I'm an athlete?..

Advent Day 2

2006-12-02T11:00:00.000Z

We have decorated our home. Lies bought us some stockings. There is one with Santa which is for me (JP) and the other has a snowperson for Lies. There are other decorations around, some tinsle and those shiny streamer things. Our little appartment is becoming quite festive. Hope you are all beginning to get into the mood.

Advent Day 1

2006-12-02T10:56:00.000Z

Advent is here and once again I will be giving you a photo of Christmas in our region. This is a picture of the happy couple all bundled up for a cold night in the South of France. Allright so it's like 10 degrees.

Some photos of Lies playing

2006-11-29T16:02:00.000Z

Hi there folks,
It's come to my attention that Lies' team website is not yet up and running. I'm sure you all want to see her in action so I uploaded a new photo album of her playing, practicing and posing with some teammates. You can link there with this court picture.

by jpliesr

We found the Middle Ages

2006-11-27T10:30:00.000Z

Hello there my friends,
Lies and I got into our new Lancia and found the time travel button. It took us back to Medieval France. We ended up at the "village perche" of St Paul de Vence. It literally means perched village and they are all over the hills and mountins in the South of France. Back in Medieval times the French lords were not at all friendly... you know like our modern day political leaders are friendly... In fact they often fought each other for land and power. This drove them to build fortified towns perched on the tops of cliffs and mountains. The high vantage points were of course good for defense as they could see enemies coming from far off. As well this meant that the town could only be attacked throught the heavily fortified front door because the rest of the castle walls were above cliffs or very steep hills.

St Paul de Vence is still pretty much as it was in the 16th century, well except they don't fight much any more. The town has become very art centered and Lies and I had a great time walking through the narrow streets and looking in all the neat little shops and art galleries. go check out the newest photo album to see some great shots.

Nothing Much

2006-11-22T09:35:00.000Z

Hi there, I just wanted to get a birhtday picture of me on the site. As you can see I'm quite a looker here. I'm a refined and classy 34 year old. BTW did you know that the french arn't familiar with the term toque? It surprised me, they refer to the "tuque" on my head as "un bonnet". That's all for now.

Birthdays!!

2006-11-18T00:05:00.000Z

Hi there,
Well this past 3 weeks is a time for birthdays. Lies turned 25 on oct 31st and I made it to a young and spry 34... did I just write 34?!! Where does all the time go, I still feel like heading down to the garage grabbing my bike, changing the handle bars making a jump out of old lumber and taking flight in front of the house. Sure, at this point the bike would be a tad small and my knees might not like the impact, but I still feel like that 13 year old kid. Allright maybe not 13 but surely you get my point.

Lies' parents were here for her birthday and we went out to a fancy reastaurant called Le Parc. For my festivities Lies and I enjoyed some of the Beaujolais Nouveau and then had a great meal with our friends July and Jeroen at a nice little restaurant in Vieux Cannes. BTW Beaujolais Nouveau is this new wine that comes out on the 16th of november every year. It's some kind of big deal over here, all the restaurants have special menus and people go out to try the new wine.

Hope all you people are doing well. There should be a new photo album ready soon so come visit us again.

Love Lies and JP

A new way of letting you know.

2006-11-13T22:47:00.000Z

Hi there,
Well this seemed like an easier way to update everybody about our lives.

Things have been happening over here in the sunny South of France. Lies has been playing and winning volleyball games. Her team has won 3 out of the 4 games they played. Lies has been playing really well, and was the second top scorer on her team in the 3 wins.

Paul and Cobi Verhoeff, Lies' parents were here for a nice visit (we did visit more than Nice) We went to Monaco, Marseille, Nice and Frejus where we saw some roman ruins. The visit was to celebrate Lies' birthday on October 31st. she is 25 this year.

I've had a bit of a slow start but things turned around last week. I got a gig playing accoustic guitar during happy hour at Thor's Pub in Nice. I play Friday and Saturday evening from 19:00 to 21:30 (that's 7 to 9:30 pm in North American). It's a nice little place and they are even paying me a little.

For now things are going very well and with this new blog I will be better at updating you all on our lives.

Take care
Lies&JP