Another visit to Brussels

The second weekend in October I took the train to Brussels and attended the Region 4 FAWCO Conference held at the AWC of Brussels in Waterloo. If you're interested in what FAWCO is about and why I'm involved, you can see more at www.fawco.org

As you can see, we mix work with fun but make no mistake, we work hard to try to get some good things done in the world.



The picture above is of the group on the day we learned about the Well Deserved Desserts program, one way our local clubs can raise funds to build wells for the Tabitha Project in Cambodia (http://www.fawcofoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=169&Itemid=137). In about 30 minutes we raised $210 - enough for another well!!!

Here's a video clip for you to think about. In an effort to raise awareness about our Target Water Project and the water crisis our world faces, please take a look at this:




Our goal is to raise $80,000 for the project, and we're now more than halfway there!

What else do we talk about at such conferences? Here's another example of what is important to us:



To see more pics from the meeting, go to my facebook page.

Girls Gone Wild in Paris

Last weekend I met up with my friend Sue (from St. Mike's) and her hilarious friend Mary for a long weekend in Paris. I arrived before Sue and Mary and was delighted to find that our hotel was about 1,000 yards from the Eiffel Tower. The girls arrived a few hours later and we began a weekend of good food, wine and fabulous company. We laughed A LOT!

We wandered around the city to see the Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, the Louvre, Notre Dame, St. Chapelle...what a beautiful city. And the weather was remarkable - sunny and about 80 degrees. I wore shorts for the first time all summer!

On Saturday evening we'd arranged for a package deal that provided transportation to and from the Moulin Rouge theatre, which included a three-course meal and champagne. When we arrived we were escorted to our table - in the front row right up to the stage edge. The dinner was excellent and I can't even put into words how amazing the show was. It included a raised stage that was filled with water - and snakes - into which one of the performers jumped and swam with with the snakes....yikes! There was a ventriloquist that made me laugh so hard I thought I might pee myself!! The dancers, simply amazing. Lots of naked boobs! We were so close to the stage that when the dancers went past, there was a "whoosh" and at times I found myself under a cape or a boa! During one performance, a dancer who was playing a drunk spied our champagne bucket - and when I pulled the champagne bottle toward me, she scowled, so I gave it to her. It was, of course - and to her chagrin - empty - and she returned it. Mary was quite taken with the male dancers, and because we were so close, they were well aware of her. During the next act, from an elevated stage, they looked down and winked at her. The whole show was just extraordinary, impressive - and thoroughly entertaining.

After the show we met a charming couple, Warren and Sally, who were in Paris to celebrate Sally's 75th birthday. Warren, who is 78, was in the US foreign service, and saw Moulin Rouge back in the 50's and was as impressed this time as he was then. Since we'd just been to the show (which has lots of exposed bosoms) the topic of boobs was top of mind for Warren, who prefers the larger sets, but assured me that it is quality, not quantity...

On Sunday evening, Sue's sister, Patty, and her husband, Mark, arrived from Wales and we all enjoyed a fun evening of more food, lots of beer and plenty more laughter. The following morning we all got up rather slowly and headed out to explore more of the city, getting a bit lost in the Metro and making our way to Sacre Coeur and the surrounding areas until I had to catch a cab back to the hotel and another to the train station for the three hour ride back to The Hague. I hated to leave.

It was a simply fabulous and perfect weekend!

I love you Sue and Mary!!!!