As most of you know we have been traveling. We spent a few wonderful days in Helsinki. I will write about that later. I wanted to write about today as we are here and have a computer connection.
We left Helsinki with apprehension. This was a trip of a lifetime. We both had waited our whole lives to experience a peek at the life behind the Iron Curtain. At least that’s what it use to be. So many stories from our youth. I use to have nightmares hat the Russian Soldiers were coming over the mountains to take me away from my parents. It is interesting and exilerating to actually have our feet firmly planted on Russian soil.
We are currently in the beautiful city of St. Petersburg. The Zsar’s rule here is seen around almost every corner. The winter palace from the outside is nothing short of breathtaking. The architecture is ornate and the detail is precise and definative.
I find it rather odd to see a policeman on just about every major intersection. The traffic is crappy for lact of a better term.
I have had a difficult time adjusting to the time change. In the afternoon I seem to crash hard for about an hour or two. At nights I have more energy. I’m still all mixed up.
The train here was so comfortable and easy. At the border I freaked out. I will try to write about that tomorrow. Kind of a funny experience.
The children are doing fantastic. HB gets a little wild once in a while. I wish he would relax and quit being his boyish “farty” and “gacious” self. He kills me. HG is being a typical sister and barking at her brother when he steps out of line.
So we will see the sites tomorrow. Until then….we will enjoy the city. XXOO

When we left Finland we felt we had a curse. Although I think now we should have looked at the frustration of the obstacles and thought that through it all we were very lucky.
We headed for Croatia. Our friends were going to meet us at the airport and take us over the border into Bosnia. This was going to be an adventure.
About an hour before we got on the plane our friends called and told us that they had to work and were still in Paris and in Brussels. They would send their driver and we were going to go to Bosnia to stay at the family house. Being that I am an American the first thought was, “OH MY GOODNESS! How are we going to do this? How are we going to go with a driver for who knows how long that does not speak English into a country that had been a pretty extreme hot spot with war. HOW CAN I TAKE MY CHILDREN THERE. Panic started to set in.
When we arrived in Zagreb we were met by their driver. He looked at our luggage with a puzzled look. I wondered if he though…CRAP! HOW ARE WE GOING TO FIT ALL OF THAT LUGGAGE IN THIS CAR. WHAT DID SHE NOT PACK???? THE KITCHEN SINK???
We got in the car and started driving and driving and driving. I had no idea how long we the trip would be. I did not even ask when we were talking to our friends. After two hours he started motioning us to get out our passports. That’s when I really started to panic. We approached what looked to be the border and showed our passports. It was a piece of cake. We left Croatia and for about 10 feet were in no man’s land. We approached the Bosnian border guards and went past with no problem.
Even though it was dark we did notice that we saw houses and businesses that had holes. When we asked our driver he motioned that it was in fact bullet holes. We noticed that the holes were very predominant the closer to the border that we got. After 15 years some homes were not repaired.
We pulled up to what would seem to be an very wealthy home. It was beautiful. It was 4 stories high. Our friend’s sister greeted us with hugs and kisses. We felt truly at home there.
We sat down to a wonderful meal of spaghetti and lamb. I personally do not care for lamb but I learned to enjoy it on this trip. At 10:30 at night we ate like kings, enjoyed conversation and wine. It was a lovely night. We were shown to our room at the tip top of the house. Being that the house was four stories, the weather was over 110 degrees (40-42) the house was very hot. That night I could not sleep. I went to our outside porch and fell asleep overlooking the city.
The next morning we got up, showered and headed to the National park in Croatia. The Plitvitcha was amazing. (if you go to the link go to the bottom of the page) The water was beautiful. It was clear and blue. You could see all the way to the bottom. Stunning. As you walked through this amazing wonder (about 5 - 7 miles approximately) you saw beauty at its finest. There’s only one place in Colorado that I’ve seen that looks remotely close and it’s Hanging Lake. This was Hanging Lake multiplied by 100! It was untouched and beautifully preserved.
We arrived at what we thought was the end of the walk only to be greeted by a large lake or the path all the way back. The last ferry boat of the day was getting ready to leave so we jumped on. As I melted into my seat I was amazed at the beauty of everything around me. I truly had been fortunate enough to visit another piece of paradise.
The next day we had a wonderful breakfast of raspberries that had just been picked. Hula Girl and H (the daughter of our host) went to go get meat. When HG arrived she looked a little pale. I asked her what was wrong. She said, “We went down the street to get meat. We walked into the backyard of this neighbor and she had a bunch of sheep in the field. We approached the lady and told her what we needed. She then took us to her side yard where she had a lamb over a fire that was roasting. She hacked the leg off and that’s what we are eating!!!” Reality of where meat comes from at any age is a hard lesson to learn. She couldn’t bring herself to eat the lamb.
The next day the driver loaded us up and we headed to Croatia to stayfor a few days. It had been an amazing trip so far. I couldn’t wait for what was next.

As we walked off the boat in Finland at nine o’clock in the evening we were shocked that the sun was still very high in the sky. It felt as if it was noon. It was noon. Just not in Finland. Our body clocks were all switched around.
After finally getting to sleep that night, the next morning we left for their lake house. Lake house to me in my mind looked something like a luxurious spacious cabin right next to the lake. Lake house to them meant no electricity (who needed it anyway because of the sun never going down) 2 small cabin with beds, (just the right size for a kids playhouse!!) then a main cabin with a small kitchen table and bed. Attached to it was the best thing EVER…the sauna.
The next few days the children ran from the sauna to the lake. They wore life vests all day long and just enjoyed being a kid. It was relaxing and wonderful. The only downer was the HEAT! Finland was 32 degrees. Now that translates to FREAKING HOT. (at least for us wimpy sorts)
Because there was only an outhouse, Hula Boy learned about peeing on trees and rocks. He enjoyed nature to its fullest. He ran around naked with a life vest the entire time we were there. No one cared. All the children (all 4 of them) enjoyed playing in the lake and swimming to their island.
The nights were wonderful. In the evening Hula Hubby and I would sauna in privacy and then run and jump into the lake. Granted I did not run and jump. I eased myself in. It was lovely, the water was pure, clean and warm. It was paradise.
The day before we left the guys took the kids out fishing. Auntie P and I just sat back at the house and relaxed. It was wonderful to hear nothing but our own breath for a while. The children were having a ball but the noise could have woke the dead.
When they returned they had caught one small little fish. It was a cute one. Hula Boy just wanted to play with it. He kept picking it up and putting it back in the water. I explained that he needed to leave the fish alone. Hula Girl got sick of seeing him play with the fish and swooped in for the rescue. She grabbed it, ran and threw it back in the water. Hula Boy was DEVASTATED. His playmate was gone. Hula Girl just couldn’t take the thought that an animal was being hurt. It was just a baby. (at least that was her defense)
The next day we left for Auntie P’s father’s lake house. When we arrived he had a wonderful smoked salmon. Remember, I am the one that doesn’t enjoy fish. I practically licked the bones clean! Something to be said for very fresh fish. At that lake house we enjoyed going down to the park and letting the children play. Unlike their lake house (which was truly in the back of the woods with no one around) this house was in the middle of a small town.
That evening we walked down to the water and got on her father’s boat. We went to their friend’s house to celebrate the longest day of the year and “Summer’s celebration”. They had a word for it but I don’t remember it. That evening at around 9:00 all around the lake you could see bon fires that had been lit. From their traditions of old the fires were to symbolize driving away evil spirits and celebrating the sunlight. It was 2 in the morning before we knew it.
The next day her father made us lunch and I noticed something interesting. The fish that we had let go a few days ago, you know the one we thought was too small, there was a whole bowl of those little fish for lunch. Hula Boy (being obsessed with fish) kept playing with them and not eating them. Hula Girl ate them but decided later on that she had grown fond of the other little fish. Eating these felt like she had ate his friends. She liked the taste but felt bad. OH the fun of kids.
After spending two days at her father’s lake house we headed 3 hours back to their house. On the drive home she felt like she was going to fall asleep and asked me to drive. Right outside of Helsinki I started to drive. When we arrived home Hula Hubby asked me for his phone. We looked everywhere. Then it struck me. It was probably laying in the middle of the highway outside of Helsinki. Uncle S went to go look for it. Sure enough it was there in the middle of the road.
I tell you at this point we felt cursed. What else could happen. In the first week we had lost and found our passports, missed our boat, almost missed the last boat because Hula Boy locked himself in the bathroom, and lost and found Hula Hubby’s phone. Either we were cursed or just very blessed because everything had (with a little aggravation and stress) worked out. I chose to look at the glass half full. We were blessed. Everything that had been lost was found. Nature around us was stunning and life was simply wonderful. We were on the vacation of our lives. One word to round it up….blessed.

I added a few pictures to my flicker. If you care to view them just click on the flicker side bar. These are a few pictures in Estonia! Enjoy!

I finally get to write about our adventures in Europe. I am so thrilled to be able to write all of the posts that have been brewing in my head. My blog has been sick. ACHOO ACHOO. I hope I didn’t catch it as well.
Before I begin I want to let you know that I will be moving blogs within the next two weeks. I will have my own domain at http://www.huladoula.com. I have enjoyed being hosted by The Zero Boss but he is moving on up and needing some room. I respect that. I have appreciated the two years I have been able to be hosted by him. Now beyond housecleaning and onto the ADVENTURES!
We left Denver a day early. Everyone had ants in their pants. It was HORRIBLE. I just wanted to be gone and on vacation. It was wonderful. We stayed overnight in Washington. the children were absolute angels. I loved it. I feel so blessed still that they made our trip just downright enjoyable.
The next evening we took off for Frankfurt. The flight was long and occasionally bumpy. Over the ocean I get a little nervous every single time. I know it is crazy but just the thought of deep water and all that is suspending us is a metal flying frame kind of FREAKS me out just a little. Ok I’m a big baby I know.
We landing in Frankfurt at 7:30 am and had plenty of time to hang around before our 4:30 flight to Estonia. Estonia was our first sightseeing stop. Frankfurt was so busy. The soccer tournament saw to that. The airport was packed to the gills with people hustling here to there. The bars were crowded with people watching the soccer games. Lines were drawn and people had their favorite teams picked out. Country against country.
When we landed in Estonia it was apparent that their country had been influenced by Russia. Their spires were magnificent. The architecture was beautiful. The wall around the city was still in tact. The people embraced western visitors. It was a beautiful place.
That night (after traveling all night and into the next day to us) we went into the city. The first thing I noticed were the flower markets. I personally have never in my life seen such beauty in one small gathering. We took a picture of HG by one of the markets. The Gerber Daisies were gorgeous. Here in the states you would pay around 2.00 a stem, there we paid 20 cents to enjoy the stunning beauties. We enjoyed bartering in the medieval shops. In the evening they took us out for true Russian food. OH MY…YUMMY. We went back to the hotel and noticed that there was a play place in the hotel. JOY! We were set.
The next day we looked around the city and enjoyed the atmosphere. The city wall and monastery that had been there for centuries looked untouched by anything but years. We shopped for things that were hard to find in the United States. We found a few treasures. That night we went to head out on a boat for Finland. We were going to stay with friends that are like family there.
We went to the harbor to get checked in and started the passport search. Strike ONE. Suddenly panic…NO PASSPORT OR MONEY….CRAP….
(more…)

We are preparing for our jump across the pond. We have so far not slept a whole bunch because Hula Boy discovered we were in his room. His room mind you. He then struck up a conversation in the dark that ended with much grumpiness and knashing of teeth! He’s a social butterfly. Even in his sleep.
We got up this morning had breakfast and went to the pool. Hula Girl is getting better and better with swimming. She actually jumped off the side of the pool and let water come and and over her head. Ever since she was a baby she has hated water in her ears. Because of her deafness it hurt her to get any wetness or moisture inside her ears.She went from the hot pool and jumped into the cold pool. She’s NUTS.
Hula Boy and I played Diego. We were rescuing baby turtles (the plastic play turtles) He also got to laughing so hard becuase he would get out of the pool and then walk back in. The air in his shorts would make bubbles and he of course would yell….”WHO TOOTED??” I would just look at him and roll my eyes. What a nut.
So the long haul is today. We go from Washington to Frankfurt which is about 9 hours. Then we will be waiting for a few hours and board another plane for 3 hours to go to Estonia. By tomorrow we should be set and done with the long traveling for about a week.
I’ll keep ya posted throughout the week.

We arrived safe and sound in Washington D.C. and have been enjoying the sights today. The children were FANTASTIC. OH MY GOODNESS THEY WEREN’T MY CHILDREN ON THE FLIGHT! They were angels sent from who knows where. We were told by numerous people that had the pleasure of sitting by them that they were skeptical when they saw they were sitting by a three year old and an eight year old. They were not only fabulous, but they had on their manners caps. I mean I was even impressed. May be the numerous threats made them think twice about being rambuncious crazies.
We swam and saw a few things today. Tomorrow we will be heading to Frankfurt and then on to Tallinn, Estonia. Look in my flicker this week. I know I will be posting quite a few pictures later.

In only one month from today we will be starting our journey across the pond. I am already packing to make sure that we do not forgot anything. Yes I am a bit of a nut but if I do not start now I will not feel prepared.
Our first leg of the trip we will be flying into Tallinn, Estonia. We will stay there for two days with HH’s sister and family. (no it will not be winter but it’s the only picture I have) We will take a ferry across to Helsinki to stay the rest of the week with them at their home. After that we hop a flight to Brussels and then onto Zagreb, Croatia. We will drive up to Bosnia to stay with friends in their home there. Then go back to Croatia to enjoy the seaside in Croatia We will pry ourselves away from the beach to enjoy the company of his other sister and family“. We will be in Paris for 5 wonderful days. We will catch up with the growth of the kiddos since the last time we saw them. We will then take the train to Brussels and stay there for a few days before we head home.
I am starting to get really excited. Nervous about flying with the whole family but excited about seeing a new country and visiting friends and family.

We left on Friday for the bright lights of the city! We arrived just in time to join up with a few of HH’s work friends. It was a great time.
First off we decided to go out and hit the strip. We gave ourselves a 60.00 maximum to play the games. Neither one of us gamble much. I learned to play 21. HH learned to play Craps. I sat down at the penny slots andwon 20.00 right off the bat. Then I went to the 21 table and won 200.00 for the evening. After that we went and sang some pretty horrible Kareoke. We got to bed around 4:30 in the morning.
The next day we got up about eleven. We got ready and met some friends to watch some college games. I on the other hand had no interest whatsoever. I played a little Video Poker and lost 20.00. I decided to leave them to their game. I was going to go shopping. I went over to the mall.
I wandered around aimlessly watching the mother’s with their children reminding them to stay close, stay out of the racks, quit cring, and behave. It felt strange to not have a little hand to hold. I found myself thinking , “RED LIGHT” when I saw little ones escape their parents. I enjoyed people watching and the quiet.
After the games were over we went to a close by casino that was off the strip and played a few more games. Sticking to our 60.00 maximum HH went and shot Craps and I played 21 again. When I met up with hubby, he was up 100.00 and I was even.
Then we decided to go bowling. I haven’t been in years. I was horrible at it. I lost COMPLETELY! Bet on me to lose when bowling is in question. I’m a sure thing unless I’m playing against a child. Even then with the bumpers up they beat me too!
Getting back to the hotel by 12:30 was definately a good choice. I had to be up and out the door by 5:30 am to catch my flight home so that I could be in dress rehersal at noon.
The flight back was a little rough. Actually it was a lot rough. I sat in the rear of the plane at the window that smelled like it was a rear! The man next to me was still drunk from tying one on the night before. He smelled of alcohol and an occasional rotten egg concoction. When we hit turbulance I thought I was going to be sick. Between the turbulance and his bursts of gas I thought I was going to puke. Finally the guy next to him yelled, “FOR GOD’S SAKE DUDE, SEW YOUR A** UP!!” That set the plane in a titter and a giggle fest. I couldn’t laugh with my mouth open because the air tasted disgusting. I was glad to land and be on solid ground away from the flatulating fool.
So what did everyone else do this weekend?

This weekend we went to Paris. Hula Hubby’s sister (actually foreign exchange student) lives there so we went to go see her family. We had a fantastic time.
The first night we were there they had dinner planned with some friends. So we had dinner with strangers that didn’t speak much English, BUT it was incredible. Even though we did not speak the same language we were able to communicate and laugh and drink! As we drank our French got better and their English was totally understood. Amazing how that happens. We spent the night laughing at how we were rude and did not bring enough wine! Thankfully Paris Sister and the friend’s wife spoke English. I think it’s wonderful considering that she hasn’t spoken it in over 10 years it was truly amazing.
The children played so good. I was proud as punch. HG played with their daughter. They couldn’t speak a lick of anything to each other but childhood alone makes up for the communication barrier. HB just ran around having a blast!
We had dinner at 8:00 and it lasted until 1 in the morning. We had starters and then champagne, then main course, followed by cheese and wine, home made crepes were next on the menu, leisurly followed by coffee. DIVINE! The next night we attended a birthday party. Nothing like being at a party of French speaking people and not knowing french. No one spoke to us except for Paris Sister. I attempted a little French right and left but felt very odd, but the kids had a blast. Dinner was fantastic. Another 5 hour hum dinger. These French people know how to party!! WOO HOO!
A little later on today I’ll write about the Eiffel Tower. It was an interesting experience. So…for now I’ll sign off and send love to all.