Laughs, songs and apple pie

My sister, ever the social butterfly, has already made not only her own circle of friends, but also gave her debut conducting performance last weekend –after only a month in the Netherlands!

LAUGHS - Last Thursday, I went with her to a comedy club to meet some of her new friends, another stranded American girl who never left the Netherlands and a bunch of Irish guys. Ahhh, the Irish accent. Cute, but difficult to understand, especially after a couple amaretto sours…

Check out C.'s Irish cutie. Question: “Is he a keeper?”

























New American friend A. and her cute Irish boyfriend, D.


Me and the first comedian, Owen O'Neill (umm, could he be more Irish?). Of course, C. had to make a big deal and whoop and holler when he asked if there were any Americans in the crowd. Then when asked where from, C. and I got into a yelling match between Texas and California. C. has yet to learn that unless you want to get mobbed later on, you don't shout into a European crowd that you're from Texas. Thank you George.

SONGS - P. and I went to see C. perform at the Romantic Music festival in Rotterdam, where she both conducted and sang soprano in an amateur choir from Utrecht. She’d auditioned as a singer, but once they knew her background, they hired her to conduct as well. She also has an audition with a professional Dutch choir next month. Wish her well!



That's C. on the end conducting. There were several different stages throughout the park with various classical music performances, as well as lots of people in period costume. And the hats! I love hats. I wish everyone still wore hats and gloves and dressed up to stroll in the park on Sundays.

The Cherise choir performers. I think my sister is making a statement about how she is as pure as a blushing rose...Hah!

APPLE PIE - So, although my sweet, loving husband and darling sister are world's apart in personality - there is at least one thing they share - a love of apple pie. Ever since C. has arrived, she has been testing the various Dutch apple pie's on the market - bye, bye Jenny Craig (no just kidding, also like my husband, she spends hours each week at the gym...picking up gym boys, no just kidding again, I mean working out...) Apple pie, although in my view, a traditional American dessert is P.'s favorite Dutch dessert. I do think the crust is better in Holland. :-) After the music festival, we walked through a bit of Rotterdam and P. and C. chose the restaurant for dinner in accordance to the best apple pie on display, of course.