In the midst of wedding madness...

I'm writing about my awesome friends. Why? Well, because I feel like it darn it. Friendship day is in like August or something. Not sure how I know that. But that is too long to wait to make a friendship blog. I just want to honor my few great friends and tell them how much i love them :)

Giovanna- hmm, definitely like my mother in all the best ways. My shoulder to cry on (and trust me, i've used it many times) and the one who is always there for a hug. She puts others before herself, which makes it easy to take advantage of her sweetness. She's the one that will pull you aside at a party to make sure you are ok, just because you looked like you didn't feel so well. I love her. There's a reason she's my maid of honor. the only thing i dislike is the fact that she has to live so far away. we go in year long increments without seeing each other. But we talk everyday, cause she's the bestest!

Daphne and Mathieu- These two go hand in hand. I've had some really great friends over the years. Some stay, and some go. I have to honestly say that these two are the friends I cherish the most. They are the only ones in my friendship group that know what it was like to grow up in Rue des Rosiers in the Pletzl. It was our playground. We knew which shop owners loved us and would give us free goodies, and which would shoo us out. We knew the Yiddish phrases that the old women would say to us as they pinched our cheeks when we walked by, and of course they were my only friends that wouldn't say "why not?" when i had to tell them that i could not do something with them on Friday evenings. I think it's really great that we were great friends even though we all went to different schools; I went to the International School, Mathieu went to Jew school, and Daphne went to the normal private school, but the two of us girls would meet up after school for our afternoon Jewish classes. And although Mathieu got his fair share of beatings from us girls, and Daphne and I bickered like siblings, I love them both so much. Wow, looking back on it, we were pretty cruel to each other...They'd call me the hairy midget haha oh my gosh. Nighttimes were always the best. Mathieu's bedroom was directly across from mine, and we would use flashlights for Morse code. and with Daphne directly above me, she would tap her feet three times quickly if she wanted to meet in our special spot. I cry sometimes thinking about how much I miss Daphne. I can't wait till she's finally done with school so she can come back to her home and it will be like old times again...except now Mathieu and I will both be married and Mathieu has a little one on the way, but still... for putting up with me all of these years, i have to love these two ;)

Lotte- So, I only knew Lotte for about two years. Which i guess is a short amount of time. She came from Germany when we were teenagers. She was sooooo pretty, like i couldn't look her in the eye because she just made me feel so atrocious, haha. she was also really sweet and smart, and i slightly hated her for being so perfect. But after she opened up to and told me about her life, she really tought me not to judge people because you never know what happens behind closed doors. I don't talk to her much anymore, which is really sad, but i think of her often and i wish her all the best. she's definitely one that has impacted me for life.

Well, i guess i don't have many friends. but these four really did change my life, i'm forever grateful for getting the pleasure to know them.

scary times...

soo...not last night but the night before, my sister came into my room at like 11 and said she didn't feel well, then she started regurgitating everywhere. she said she felt better though, so she fell asleep on my floor. then at about 2, she started yelling at me about her friend Youna! I was so confused. Then she started calling me Youna! She had to wake up for gymnastics at four, and since i was up too i took her since my parents were gone and i was afraid she would get sick again. anyways, she was flaming up and so i took her temperature but she was being bratty about it which is kind of rare because usually she is in a really good mood to me. so that failed, and i just wrapped her up and took her there. so, at about seven in the morning i get a call that during her warm ups when she was jumping rope she was breathing really hard but she said she felt ok. then during her first session with her floor routine, she was doing some flippy twisty combination and in the middle of it her body just gave out and she fell onto the floor. her teammate Lola ran up to her and apparently she was awake and saying she was fine, then she got up and passed out. they got her to the hospital and that's when they called me. i rushed there as soon as possible. she was really dehydrated and her body was exhausted. she was awake though, which was good. i got her home and she slept all day, which she needed since she hasn't had a good night sleep for hmm about six of her twelve years haha. i forced her to take the next day off which surprisingly she didn't fight. she's back to the gym today though and she's feeling better.

well that would be my drama for the past few days. haha. hope everyone is doing well.

Valentine!

Last year my special Valentine was my sister. The year before it was Giovanna. It was also probably Jacob at some point.

But this year, I decided I needed to honor the wonderful love of my life who has been there for me for years, who is my listening ear and best pal.

Who is this? Louise of course!

Louise is the cutest most cuddly Basset hound in the world. I remember the day I got her...

I was jumping rope outside of the apartment with Daphne Mercier.
"Did you hear that Mr. Berendt's dog had puppies?" She said. I wasn't very impressed, after all, my grandparents had a rather annoying yippy dog. But the streets were hot and so was the apartment from the bakery, so we took off chunks of ice from her freezer and walked down to Mr. Berendt's antique shop. In front there was a box. it said "Free Dogs." We looked inside, and there were these tiny puppies with HUGE ears on them. Daphne started snuggling them. Then I noticed the tiniest one in there. It looked so sad at me, and I felt so bad for it. I picked it up and started to cuddle it. then Mr. Berendt came out and yelled at us "You girls need to go ask your parents to take one of these things home instead of blocking my entrance!" he was a really mean old man. So, Daphne knew she wouldn't be able to take one cause her mother is allergic. But I scooped up the cute runt and carried it back to the bakery. It was so hot and crowded in there, everyone was trying to get cold drinks. I shoved through the crowd to get to my mother who was working behind the counter. I showed her the dog and said "Can we keep her?"
"Absolutely not!" She said. Then I just remember going on a big thing about how I needed a special friend since my parents were always busy with Anglique now. Nothing better than a guilt trip! She told me to go ask my dad, so I went back to the kitchen where everyone was making cakes and pastries, and I showed him the dog.
"Get that thing out of here!" he said, but he was laughing. He said i could keep it! i was soo happy. And so, that is how Louise came into our family.

I haven't always had support around me. I don't have many friends that live nearby, Jacob couldn't always be reached over the phone, my sister is at gymnastics and my parents are working...whenever i'm struggling i turn to Louise, lays on my bed long enough for me to hug her. she's my best friend. I love her so much.

But I also get sad, because she is getting old. I know she won't be here forever. I think she was an angel in disguise, because for the hardest times in my life, she was there when nobody else could be. I think she knows that I'm ok now, and when she is ready to go to dog heaven, she can, because now I am healed.


ALSO check out my pal Giovanna's blog! lavitadigiovanna.blogspot.com! she would love to meet new folks like you!

Happy Weekend!

Olympics!

I love the Olympics. Do you? They are so fun to watch. it is like the whole world joins together for a short time for good things. :) I really loved the Torino 2006 Olympics. Why? Cause of this magical moment...fast forward to 4:25



Giovanna's sister and my second little sister Eleonora was chosen to sing the national anthem of Italy. Um, PRESSURE? I remember when I was watching the ceremony, i was on the edge of my seat, holding my breath. Please, Eleonora, Please, Please don't mess up! But she didn't! It was perfect and she was the pride of Italy and my little apartment :) I was so proud of her, and so relieved when it was over! LOL at the very end "Anthem sung by nine year old ee-lah-nahr-ah"

Bonjour. J'espère que vous avez tous font bien. J'ai été occupé dernièrement, seulement environ vingt jours jusqu'au mariage. Jacob était aujourd'hui en ville. C'est la dernière fois que nous allons voir les uns les autres avant notre mariage :) Je suis donc très heureux. Aujourd'hui nous simplement poser sur le divan toute la journée recherche de grande musique sur internet et j'ai fait quelques cacao espagnol géniaux. Notre Shabbat était tellement belle ainsi. Seulement, nous avons joué un match avec toute la famille. Que ne à méritent de telles personnes grand?

Je reçois parfois triste, mais ensuite je passe toujours à eux. Ma famille est tellement important, je ne peux pas attendre jusqu'à ce que nous sommes un. Il est presque de Giovanna anniversaire. Réjouissez-vous!

Sad, but needs to be said...

it's really early, but i can't fall back asleep without wishing my great-grandmother Marie a happy birthday. she was supposed to be 98 years old today. unfortunately she never got to see past 30.

a few days ago was the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. I guess this makes it the perfect time to blog about the Holocaust and remember all of those close to me that survived and passed during that horrific time.

I don't really like to think about it too hard. it makes it too sad. but i have heard all the stories from my three grandparents who survived. my grandmother Cosette tells her stories like they are ghost stories; creepy low voices, random shouts and crazy hand movements and wittiness, making it seem like fiction. My grandfather Léon always tears up when he talks about it, and my most mellow grandfather Thierry doesn't talk about it at all, but I know what happened anyways. Being the only Jew at school, my grandparents used to come into school and tell all the kids about it. I always had such a sense of pride for my race during this time. Like my grandfather said one time, all of us as Jews may have been down, but we survived, and we are all lucky to still be here today. It's hard to find a European Jew who didn't have many of their family members killed. I know i did. So many of my grandparents siblings and cousins died. This is just to honor several of my family and friends who survived or unfortunately perished during this time. The many that I did not include will forever be in my hearts.


REST IN PEACE...
The family of my gradmother Cosette...
Great-Grandmother Marie: decided the greatest way to protect her family after her husband was murdered was to separate them and put them into hiding. she remained with her infant daughter Nathalie so that she would be able to feed her no matter what. After fleeing from Paris, she was caught by the Gestapo and sent on the train to Auschwitz. Visibly distraught and exhausted at the arrival, she was gassed at the age of 30. She's remembered as having the most compassionate soul and kindest heart.
Great-Grandfather Jean-Pierre: shot by a Nazi after being seen selling food from the bakery at the age of 30. was always very defiant and stood up for what he believed in, which ultimately caused his death. He was extremely proud of his family.
Great-Aunt Nathalie: died on the train to Auschwitz at the age of 9 months. was the only other person in the family who shared Cosette's black hair and blue eyes, and was always regarded as the cutest and most happy baby.
Great-Aunt Elouise "Lou": A very, very beautiful girl whose passion was dancing ballet. Lou dreamed of someday becoming a ballerina with Paris Opéra Ballet.Cosette says that Angélique inherited her grace and artistic dance ability from Elouise. Lou was sent to live with a Christian family, where it is said that she fell in love with the family's son. Ultimately they discovered her hiding, and the family was shot as she was sent to Birkenau. She worked until she died of Typhus at the age of 15.
The family of my grandfather Léon...
Great-Uncle Sébastién: A strong, handsome teenager who was just getting started at University. He was leaving one day when he was arrested. He was sent to a work camp, and was lined up, numbered off, and shot.
Great-Grandmother Odette: An extremely overprotective mother, she was sent with her husband and child to the ghetto after the death of her oldest. she died of starvation and "a broken heart".
Great-Great Grandmother Anastasie: Sent to Bergan-Belsen, where she died nearly immediately.

The family of my grandfather Thierry:
Great-Grandmother Aurélie: Found leaving her missing sister's home when she was arrested and sent to a slave labor camp where she died of exhaustion. She was a strict but very loving mother who wanted nothing but success for her children.
Great-Grandfather Yves-Camille: A very lovable, compassionate father who was adored by all of his children. Was on secret business and never returned. He had been sent to Auschwitz where he was murdered.
Great-Aunt Elizabette "Bette": After her parents were taken, she was sent to a German hospital where she was used for medical testing. She was injected with several diseases included Tuberculosis until an injection of morphine killed her at the age of 8.
Family Friends Eva and Abraham: Murdered at Auschwitz the ages of 11 and 9 after being denounced as Jews. Click their names for their full biography.

HONORING THE SURVIVAL...
Grandmother Nicole "Cosette" and Great-Aunt Anais "Anne": Cosette and Anne were the closest of sisters. they were sent by their mother who knew they could not be separated to a Catholic convent. Although always frightened of being caught, they stayed their for some time before being denounced as Jews. They were captured and put on the train to Auschwitz, where they saw many people die, and were nearly there before the Russians liberated their train. They were one of the lucky ones, for if the weren't stopped their death would be certain as they were only 10 and 12 years old.

Great-Grandfather André and Grandfather Léon: Out of the many people sent to live in the ghetto, André and Léon were out of the few that would survive the brutal conditions. This would not erase the memory of seeing thousands being murdered, and losing their own wife and mother.

Grandfather Thierry: Although only a little boy at the time of his family's ordeal, he still remembers clearly everyone and everything he saw during this time. He lived in Theresienstadt with a surrogate Jewish family who posed him as their own son so that he would not be sent to an orphanage where his death would be certain. Thierry contracted typhus, but miraculously recovered.

Great-Uncle Georges: Although only 12 years old during this time, he had the muscular build of a teenager. When he was sent to Auschwitz after the Gestapo broke down his door, rather than being sent to the gas showers where the children went, he was allowed work. When Auschwitz was liberated, 12 year old Georges was barely alive. He was able to recover physically and went on to live his life.

Great-Aunt Anneliese "Lies": Lies was a college student in the south of France when she got news of her parents murder and sibling's capture. Fearing for her own safety, she was able to go to a convent and was miraculously never caught.

Friend Sofia Sofia was a ten year old girl from Russia who had witnessed her brothers, sisters, and parents get murdered before she was sent to Auschwitz. On the train there, she was able to use her few French skills to be able to converse with the only other little girls smashed in the train with her-Cosette and Anne. The three became very close friends, and Sofia was fortunate to be among the few that were liberated by the Russians. Since she had no parents to go back to, she lived with Anne and Cosette with their uncle who was like a second father to them. He loved having Sofia around, because he missed having Elouise and Nathalie around too. She went on to live a very happy life, and continued to be best friends with Anne and Cosette, which couldn't be said the same about her siblings and best friend/cousins, Eva and Abraham.


To all my other cousins, friends, and family members who were killed, I think of you all everyday and hope you are enjoying eternal bliss where you belong.