Water Planet

All I have to say is AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! :D

Happy New Year!

I spent my new year's eve again at Copacabana beach watching the fireworks. I've done that almost my whole life, with a few exceptions. Well, I lived there, and now still live very close, so it's been the obvious choice. I heard this year they hired specialists from Disney to coordinate the fireworks with the music. For me, it was amazing like always :) I just LOVE the shiny colors everywhere!

This time there were my sister with the kids and my brother in law, and our dear friends that now live in Germany, Fabiano, Katrin, and their kids Fiona and Valentina. She is almost the same age of my Valentina, who helped me taking a firework foot pic holding my leg up high :))

My resolutions for 2010 include finding a job that I love, learning how to play the guitar, making more friends, writing, laughing more, keep singing, practicing more yoga, travel more and, of course, keep walking :) No matter what.

Happy 2010!

the nut cracker!

Cooking grandma's nut cake - 2 of my favorite things :))

I have to say Vivi has a natural talent for the kitchen and she was amazing with the mixer!

It turned out perfect, just like hers, and tasting like childhood Xmas!

xmas shopping

PRESS PLAY É preciso saber viver - Roberto Carlos

Victória is so enthusiatic about the blog! She is often posing for feet pics. We were on the mall this week and she was the one who found this lovely floor at a store! So cute :)

Later on we watched a coral singing a song I LOVE, that says something like "you need to know how to live / if there is a rock on your way, you can remove it..." and Vivi actually knew the lyrics!

This song is by Roberto Carlos, called "The King" here in Brasil. He is a very famous song writer and singer and he is been a huge success since the 60's, with him romantic songs. Every year the TV has a Xmas special with him.

Victória and Valentina's party!

December is for sure an emotional month for me. It's my mom's and grandma's birthday, and they are both not here anymore to celebrate with us, but it's also Victória and Valentina's birthday, and that is guaranteed fun!

Our friend Barbara had to rescue little Lara from the ball pool, I took a ride on a seahorse, girls had fun playing with the table decoration and were literally climbing walls! The one looking at the camera is Julia, Vivi's best friend, in her princess costume. Victória didn't bother to look, she was too concentrated playing with the Barbies (which by the way I LOVE) and when I told her I wanted a picture for my blog she just gave me her dirty foot! :P

My sister now loves to put her feet on my pics, and Barbara wanted to show off her red sole hills :) Too bad they are not Louboutins!

Happy birthday girls!

tiny dancer

PRESS PLAY História de uma gata - Vanessa da Mata

Last weekend it was Victoria's first ballet presentation :)) She was in three choreographies, and she played an Angel, Little Red Riding Hood and a Cat! It was soooo cool to see her dance one of my favorite childhood songs!

My sister was travelling for work, so I did the backstage preparation - make up, hair, costumes... she really wanted my red lipstick, and it I had a hard time convincing her it wouldn't look good with the angel outfit! These girls today are impossible! :D

Valentina got her first pedicure :)

She's got red toes...

...and I got my first professional camera :D I guess both of us are growing up!

I've been wanting it for a looooooong time... I just LOVE the shallow depth of field! Blurry backgrounds are the best; the focus is only on the picture's subject.

Life should have more blurry backgrounds, so we could really focus only on the important things :)

Gaya

Introducing the newest family member - Gaya - a 7 years old Siamese who needed a home :)

Apparently her former owner had a baby and wanted to get rid of the cat. I don't understand these kind of people... but anyways, the bright side (cuz everything has one!) is that now we are a very happy bigger family and I'm completely in love with her!

...and I'd say she is pretty happy too... :) Doesn't she look cool just sitting 'n' relaxing in her new bed?

PS: In ancient Indian history, Gaya is the city where Buddha got enlightenment. Hum... Maybe that's a sign...

I keep roller skating

PRESS PLAY Cheek to cheek - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

This weekend the weather finally gave me a break, and I got a perfect day to go skate - cloudy and not raining! I went to the Lagoa skating rink with Valentina and Billy.

It didn't take long until I was skating like I used to 20 years ago :)) Billy loved going with us for a ride, felling the wind on his face... he is too cute! What about his glows-in-the-dark ghost t-shirt? :D And I LOVE the view of the place, with the Christ and everything! Yes, skating like this, I'm in heaven...

moving feet

these are the nails of people that spend the whole day boxing, packing, organizing, moving

helping my sister moving out of our family's apartment, that we finally sold, almost exactly a year after my mom passed away

myself, my sister, Carol and my brother in law and Billy, on the floor

we stayed there till 2:30am

it was a long, long day

I keep walking with Billy and Valentina

Isn't he lovely in his little raincoat? :)

my sister's birthday party (or with a little help from our friends!)

PRESS PLAY Billie Jean - Michael Jackson

Last Friday I had a blast at my sister's birthday party with music from the 80's/90's . I even did some moonwalking! All of her old friends danced like they were still in their 20's and didn't have kids, some extra pounds and some missing hair... I was nobody the day after, and I'm only 32! I'm not sure how they have survived...

My special thanks to Junior and Roberto who very nicely and bravely let us have this party there and to Ricardinho for making us travel on time playing all we loved to hear. Friends are the family we choose :) Thank you friends!

babysitting

PRESS PLAY Aquarela - Toquinho

My nieces are still on vacation (in Brazil it's winter, they should have gotten back to class 2 weeks ago) because of the swine flu. All schools will remain closed until next week. Aunt Lilli is helping her sister out, so she can take care of her birthday party preparation. She is 40 now, we gotta celebrate!

Father's Day

Nina giving paw to my dad / dad showing me his rare bromelias

My dad, his wife and Felipe / Sol

hitting the road back home

My dad lives in a little town called Miguel Pereira, a couple of hours from Rio. I went there to spend the Father's Day weekend with him. We cooked, I watched him play volleyball and win (he is 71!), he showed me his beautiful garden, I played with the pets (aren't they lovely?)... oh, and this time he finally did like my presents! It was great. I really needed that :)

Thanks, Dad.

There is no place like home

happy 32nd birthday

The kids were in love with the cake... and so was I :)

I LOVE Confetti bombs! They are a must have in my parties.

Myself, Carol with another of her Melissa shoes, Bianca and my sister, Chris.

My sister trying to make Billy get in the picture... I'm not sure he wants to though...

I LOVE parties. I usually like to have them at home, or in some unexpected place, like a boat, 2 years ago. Last year I didn't really do anything because my life was very stressfull back then. My mom then decided to bake me a cake, and invite a few friends to her place, to sing me happy birthday. That was very sweet... and also the last birthday I would ever spend with her here on this planet.

So this year I thought I'd have a dinner party at my place, cooking one of the most traditional dishes made by my grandma, the shrimp Bobó, to pay homage to her. Why be sad, right? Life is too fast and random for us to waste any time. Keep celebrating! Even if it is just for being alive one more day.

Heritage for the human calendar

for my mom

PRESS PLAY I just called to say I love you - Stevie Wonder

I just brought home from my sister's place my mom's drawing box. Since I wanted to take a picture for the human calendar with my birthday, I thought I'd use her stencils...

Heritage for the human clock 8

Mom's stencils for the human clock.

Victória took her first feet pictures :)

My niece and I were standing on the line of a notary public and we were getting bored. She was playing with my Blackberry and she looooves taking pictures with it. I asked her to take a few for my blog, and here they are :)

They grow up too fast!

Valentina is only 11 and she is almost walking with my shoes!

I asked my dear niece to pose her feet for a picture for my blog. She choose to put her feet between mine, and then I realized how big they were! She said the shoes were a bit big, but her mom said it was better like that, so they would last longer. Man, they grow up too fast!

HOMAGE

for my mom

these were her favorite socks and this was her favorite song:

PRESS PLAY Can't take my eyes off of you - Frankie Vallie

for my baby girl

who decided to departure on mother's day

Dearly and deeply missed

Hope you are together now waiting for me up there :)