By: unknown

Read and remember!
No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us, WE ARE AWESOME !!! Our lives are living proof!

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930′s, 40′s, 50′s, 60′s and 70′s!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn’t get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren’t overweight.

WHY? Because we were always outside playing… that’s why!

 We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s or X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound or CD’s, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.

WE HAD FRIENDS!! And we went outside and found them!

 We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.. We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team… Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

 The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are one of them? CONGRATULATIONS!

Does anyone these days know what this means?

 The quote of the month by Jay Leno:
“With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take”.

My father went to Germany to get us first radio

GOOD LUCK” out of our Lives?
People born before 1946 were called – The Greatest Generation.

People born between 1946 and 1964 are called – The Baby Boomers.

People born between 1965 and 1979 are called – Generation X.

And people born between 1980 and 2011 are called – Generation Y.

Why do we call the last group – Generation Y ?

Y should I get a job?

Y should I leave home, and find my own place?

Y should I get a car when I can borrow yours?

Y should I clean my room?

Y should I wash and iron my own clothes?

Y should I buy any food?

But a cartoonist explained it very eloquently below…

Getting old and my life
As I’ve aged, I’ve become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I’ve become my own friend. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play, on the computer, until 4 AM, or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70′s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody’s beloved pet gets hit by a car? But, broken hearts are what give us strength, and understanding, and compassion. A heart never broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don’t question myself anymore. I’ve even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

Source: GraphJam

Funny snippets from our daily life
Somebody had enough free time to put together all these graphs about every day modern life. I find them very true and would like to share them with you.

Career path – funny

Isn’t this true?

Time…

Another funny but true fact

No comment…

At least true in last 10 years

Now this definitely applies to me…

Hahaha… KFC is in the last spot… go figure!

Good old Beatles…

This applies to many other TV shows these days…

Ah, women!

PCs, not Macs…

Supermarket people

Does anyone responds to a car alarm?

Exactly!

We’ve been married for a long time…

Haha… free booze!

 Home Away From Home
Sanja and her friend Jenn decided to take some time off from the work and all daily routines here in Edmonton, and travel the world for a while. I will publish blogs about their traveling adventures, so return to this site again to read more. They left Edmonton in mid July 2010 for a short visit to London, and than headed off for capital city of Croatia – Zagreb.

Family house in Kraljevec street (Zagreb)

Zagreb, Croatia July 17, 2010

We made it!

After a night in London wide awake wondering what the F** to do, we made it to the Luton airport ready to get to Croatia. We were in surprise as we made it through customs with nothing but a nod hello. Nothing like the London customs where they needed a pee sample.

Hello Croatia! I was so ready to say hello to my new home. Although I couldn’t even say hello but I felt like I was home.

We were not in any mood to take the big airport shuttle to downtown Zagreb, as it was +35 and the thought of crowding on a bus with about a hundred other sweaty people was not worth the 30$ we would have saved. So we used Sanja’s left over Euros from a previous vacation and hailed a cab. We had pretty much lost as many layers as we could, without sitting in the back seat with nothing but our under garments on.

Cathedral in Zagreb

As we drove through the city en route to Baka’s house, I noticed just how different everything was to me. Nothing looked anything like home. The streets were small and narrow, cute little details such as street signs, lamp posts, the patios full with people sipping their expressos and puffing on their 15th cigarette. The rail went right through the middle of the roads, the people filled the streets wearing nothing like the typical fashion we were so used to seeing. Just about everywhere I looked, totally different to what I was so used to seeing as I drove the streets of Edmonton. Unreal to someone who thought she had done much for travel. Well up until now, I had barely graced the surface of the world.

As I sat back and listened to Sanja speak in full Croatian to the taxi driver, finding it hard to not throw in the odd English word as she would with her parents at the dinner table, I started to panic. I didn’t know a word of the one language I was now surrounded by for the next few months. As Sanja turned and explained what she just said, I breathed a sign of relief, I was in Croatia with a Croatian, whew, I was going to be totally fine.

Our temporary home… street side

View from the back of the house

As we made our way to the house we now called home, it was almost a surreal feeling. We had made it. Yes, we were here. We actually did what we talked months about preparing for this exact moment. It was nothing like I had ever felt. I couldn’t ask Sanja what she was feeling as she was directing the taxi driver to the exact address I thought it might not be the appropriate time to have an in depth conversation about our big adventure and a totally new direction our lives were going just from this one trip.

Main entrance into the old house

We pulled up to the big house with the red brick roof. It was exactly how in looked in the pictures that hung on the Kahlina’s wall at home in Canada. It was very homey. Reminded me of my Gram’s place in Ontario. The house even smelled like my Gram’s. It was so neat that our families lived worlds apart yet they were so similar with the way their homes were set up. The little pictures hanging on the walls to the ornaments nicely organized on the coffee table. It was just perfect for the two of us for the next few months. We had left our families to explore the world but felt closer to them just by staying in this home.

We took a mini tour of the place, figured out which room we would have the pleasure of unloading our 140 lbs of items we squeezed into our poor luggage to get it here. It was like a department store, we couldn’t remember all the items we placed in out bags, as closer to our departure, we were taking things out to comply with the weight restrictions. We both couldn’t help but laugh as we unpacked yet another white tank top. Seriously, how many white tank tops did we need… apparently six! Yes, Zdenko, you were right, we didn’t need half of what we brought but we brought it anyway. Laughing away as we neatly placed everything in the cupboards and closets. We were set!

We were both extremely tired by this point that we just wanted to go right to bed, but once again, we didn’t think going to bed at 2 pm on a Friday night was he best solution. Instead we went to the local neighborhood store (or market as they are referred to here) and picked up the basics to get us threw till we could hit up a bigger market to stock the house.

St. Mark’s church in Zagreb

We literally didn’t do much for the rest of the day and night. Went for a nice walk around the downtown area just to get familiar with the city. It was still not sinking in that this was our home for the next few months. I must have looked completely confused when an outsider looked at me. Not understanding another language is frustrating. I was determined to figure out the basics of the language before I left though. I repeated that to Sanja as she tried once again to teach me how to pronounce the address we now lived at. Yep! Still can not say it… Kraljevec 9.

Day 2 started off great. We both rolled out of bed at 12:30 pm all upset that we missed going to the market in the downtown square. Since we now lived in a humid, overly hot climate, we had to make sure that we got majority of our outside activities done by noon otherwise we had to wait until the evening. The heat here is nothing like I have felt. I have been to Hawaii and Mexico multiple times but nothing was like the Croatia sun. Seriously, I was sweating just brushing my teeth.

Park in Zagreb with big trees

Horse nuts trees are everywhere

      The kitchen window and the box of good Cabernet Sauvignon wine!

July 20,2010

So it’s 8pm and we are sitting at a little table under the kitchen window, where the boxed wine is keeping us hydrated. It’s quite the life we have:) We spent all day in the garden, getting all the weeds out and trimming the overgrown plants. It’s a lot of work, that I didn’t think I would want to be doing, but turns out that we are both enjoying it very much. I just wish I could tell the difference between a weed and a plant. There was a lot of confusion as to which greens to remove and which to keep, but we somehow decided what would look best and went with it. So, sorry mom, if you come here next year and wonder where that wonderful plant went that you planted strategically in a special spot…..we may have mistaken it for a weed and killed it. I’ve never claimed to be much of a gardener, but at least we’re trying.

Somewhere in the vineyards of Zagorje region…

Time to finally enjoy our trip with good food and vine!

In the corn field

Anyway, the last few days have finally cooled off a bit, and it has been cloudy, so we spent most of the days outdoors. We couldn’t resist but to go out on Saturday night, so we dressed up and found ourselves a cute little caffe/bar on Tkalciceva street. We ordered our usual, red wine for Jenn, and my vodka with a new favorite, tonic water and lemon. I have a feeling we were the only ones consuming alcohol, as all you could see on everyone else’s tables were coka cola bottles. But at least we weren’t chain smoking like the rest of the crowd. After a few hours of people watching and chit chat, we headed home. Usually in Edmonton we would have stopped at the nearest Mcdonalds drive through on the way home, but here I think we have found something even better. Gelato!!!

icecream – Gelato – Sladoled

As you walk into any one of these wonderful ice cream stores you instantly get a feeling of being a kid in a candy store. There is at least 20 different flavors of ice cream spread out in front your eyes and it looks kind of like clouds of ice cream. Big tins filled with soft, creamy, delicious flavors of all sorts. And at 6 kunas ($1.25) per scoop, who could resist this heavenly treat. So we then strolled down to Britanski Trg where we got on the bus to Baka’s house. I think this was only my second time in my life taking public transport while a little under the influence, but it was quite fun.

Sasa and Iva with Sanja: they were wonderful hosts and guides

Sanja under “attack” by “Neanderthals” from Krapina (Zagorje)

Monday turned out to be quite a productive day, as we did most of our shopping for the week. And no, I don’t mean shoes and clothes, but food and market necessities. Fruits and veggies at the fresh outdoor market, groceries at the Konzum (the local store), and toiletries at DM. All this is located about a 20 minute walk from the house. So after that we went back and relaxed at home. In the evening we met for drinks with an old friend, Martina, and made plans to go to an island with her and her friends from August 11-15. How easily plans happen:) Martina also showed us where the English bookstore was located, and we spent about an hour there, picking out our next reading pleasures. Jenn’s picks are fun, mindless, entertaining books about sex and the city type of stuff. And I am apparently trying to be grown up and pick a few classics, like the count of Monte Cristo, which I’m sure will keep me occupied the entire 8 months as it is 1100 pages long. But at least we can say we are reading books, instead of watching TV.

Ivan i Durda our friends who live in Sydney

Wednesday night we were invited to a family friends house for dinner and of course home made desserts and wine. Mladen ensured that our wine glasses were never empty and the ladies just made us eat. After expressing how much we enjoyed the wine, Mladen explained that it was home made wine that he makes at his vineyard. So Jenn immediately expressed how she has always wanted to learn to make wine, and just like that we were invited to his vineyard in the fall for the harvesting and the making of the wine. And not just a few bottles, but apparently 800 Litres, of which I’m sure he could spare a few for us. Life couldn’t get any better than this but than again, we are only a week into our new adventurous selves.

To be continued…

 Cheers!!

By Zdenko Kahlina

Off The Beaten Path in Croatia – Island of Brac (Croatia).
The diamond is on your finger. It’s a beautiful ring, just as meaningful as the ceremony at which you got it. You’ll never forget that day.

Osibova Bay – near Milna 

The same can be said about island of Brac. On this island man and stone have lived and fought each other from time immemorial. Who knows where a small town of Milna is? Than I’m sure nobody ever heard about Osibova village, which is even smaller! The real diamond in the rough. Vera and I just returned from a glorious week in Osibova Bay on the island of Brac in Croatia. Here you will find unspoiled nature, calmness and crystal clear water.

Island of Brac, Croatia 

This summer our group of friends decided to replace usual vacationing spot in Losinj for something new and different. They picked island of Brac and small village of Milna. This was good decision, as we all had a great time there at a much lower cost. This is a story about our time spent there.

Osibova Bay – near Milna
The Osibova Bay is located about 2 km from the small town of Milna. This is only a 10 minute drive or 30 minute walk. Milna is full of great food, fresh fish to buy and small but adequate supermarkets to get all you need. A hire car is a must if you’re staying in this area because you don’t want to walk 2 km in the summer heat. We had a small Chevy Cruze, but it served us well. If you want to explore the island, which is highly recommended, you’ll need a car. All roads on the island are in good shape, just be careful if it rains. The roads than become very treacherous. In Milna you can also hire a boat to explore Brac or neighboring islands. 

Milna village and Osibova Bay 

The road from Milna is narrow, but pawed all the way to the village of Osibova, however last couple of hundred meters is a gravel road before you reach the villa. Our Šimić villa had parking for several cars and the owners offered additional parking in their garage. Here you will find unspoiled nature, calmness and crystal clear water, stone and secluded beaches or those gravel beaches, appropriate for children, are ideal for the perfect summer vacation.

Osibova Bay – crystal clear water 

We stayed there as a large group of 12 in the Šimić Villa, where we booked all four apartments. This was the best thing we ever did, because it was a great value compared to the other very large villas in the same village.

Osibova bay with villa Šimić

The small Gothic church of St. John (crkva svetog Ivana)
is on the other side of the bay. It can be reached by a walkway.  

Apartmani Šimić, Osibova
The house consists of three floors, with 4 apartments situated on the second and third floor. Single apartments can accommodate maximum 4 persons. The villa had all we needed with great outdoor seating on the patio and cooking facilities (grill) for such a large party. The bay is really stunning, only 50m away and loads of jetty’s to swim and snorkel off and the sea is crystal clear. There is a beautiful view of the bay from each balcony in villa.

villa Šimić in Osibova bay 

Access road to villa Šimić

We met the owners as soon as we arrived. Žarko and Dragica ŠIMIĆ really went out of their way to please their gests. Žarko likes to go fishing with his boat and he provided fresh fish or some other kind of seafood almost every day. One day Žarko caught big octopus and we all had octopus stew for dinner. Just several months ago, he caught big Tuna fish of 301 kg from his 5 meter boat! Sensational!!

Žarko  Šimić with his catch of the year!

Žarko  Šimić and his boat

My friend Mladen was an expert with the grill and we had a great grilled fish daily. The hosts also provided (for free) their own home made wine, both: red and white. What else did we need!? Oh, yes… I forgot about the beer. The nearest shop, restaurant, post office, and bank is about 2 km away in Milna. We brought beer (daily!) from Milna. Since every apartment had a fridge, we always had enough cold beer.

Spacious balconies overlooking the bay

Trail to the beach from villa

Spacious balconies on every level of the house guaranteed a wonderful view of the sea. The beach is very short distance from the house, and it is possible to swim at all sides of the bay. The weather was fantastic: sunny days, warm water and we had plenty of free time.

View from our balcony on Osibova Bay (east)

Grilled fish is almost ready and hungry group is waiting for food

Built in grill on the terrace and Mladen with his family at work

Grilled fish – Croatian way 

Cheers!! Živeli!

I have to say this Villa is not the Ritz, but it has got everything we needed. It is located on great location close to the sea and I would thoroughly recommend Apartments Šimić, in Osibova Bay to anyone. If you want a peaceful holiday, in an idyllic location, (and don’t mind a 10 minute drive along narrow road to get to a closest town with restaurants and shops) then the Osibova Bay is perfect! 

Aerobic on our private beach 

Cycling boys
The “boys” from our group went biking every single day. We were in good shape having just returned from visiting Tour de France and climbing one of the most known mountains in cycling world: Alpe d’Huez and Galibier. The only problem was heat and the 3 km hill right from Milna, which seems to be harder than Alpe d’Huez. Was it the wine or the heat? Once we got ourselves over the top of that hill, it was easer. The roads on the island of Brac are very interesting, with lots of ups and downs, narrow in the villages, but than wide open through the olive plantations. Recent major forest fire in this area has ravaged more than 9,000 acres of pine forest, olive trees and other plants. The firefighters worked hard and they saved all the houses and villages. The smell of burned trees and grass is still in the air, especially when you are on the bike like we were.

Ivan and Mladen described the hills on the island as tough

Road through village of Ložišća is very narrow 

In fact this would be true, if Ivan Čolig wouldn’t dictate a strong pace on the hills, so both of us could hardly endure his speed. When we were left behind him on the hill, he would latter wait for us at the top of the hill, and we would continue to ride together again and enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the island. 

All roads around the island of Brac are very interesting, with lots of curves, climbs and descents. Road through the village of Ložišća is so narrow, only one way traffic is allowed and it is regulated by traffic lights. Outside the village road again becomes broad and beautiful. Recent major forest fire in the area, which has ravaged over 9,000 hectares of pine forests, olive trees and other plants, left a large footprint. Still visible is the efforts of firefighters, who worked hard and managed to save all houses. We did not see any house that was destroyed in the fire. The smell of burnt trees and the grass is still in the air, especially when riding a bicycle through the fire affected area as we did. 

Zdenko going through village Ložišća. Here he enjoyed the view of the famous church tower.

Recent major forest fire in the area left a large footprint

Going through the villages

We bike toured the western part of the island. On the path from Milna we passed through villages Bobovišća, Ložišća, Bol, Mirca, Supetar. In Supetar we turned up the hill (the hill again!), And drove all the way to Nerežišća, where we turned right for the Lower Humac, Dračevica and descended again into the village Ložišća. Here we enjoyed the view of the famous church tower which dominates the village. The tower was designed by sculptor Ivan Rendić, and belongs to the parish church which dates back to 1820 years. Ložišća has chosen its site in a very steep stone glade. The stone houses are strung one upon the other along the sloping lanes that stretch from the rather deep valley and reach to the top of the village. The stone, southern fronts are turned to the sun. They are filled with rows of little windows above the large cellar door….

Old stone houses are virtually on the road

These stone houses were recently restored

Oncewe passed through Ložišće and through Bobovišća we returned to Milna. The trail on the way back was much easier because it was mostly all downhill (except for the climb out from Supetar). The round was long somewhere around 60 km, which we covered in approximately 2 hours. I can’t even describe how we enjoyed our cold beer after such a ride. Who was once a cyclist, will know for sure…

In the evenings we usually went with the cars to Milna for a walk and ice cream treat. Milna harbor was full of beautiful foreign yachts, at which all the people from the shore cast envious glances. There were not too many tourists in Milna, but enough to get a sense that it was a full season.

Spend the day in Bol on Zlatni Rat

We reserved one day in a week for a drive to visit town of Bol, the most famous place  on the island, because of its beautiful beach Zlatni Rat. On the way to Bol we turned off the main road into a small forest road that leads to the top of Vidova Gora, the highest peak on the island of Brac. Its beauty is sure to attract your attention and you will be excited about coming to such a beautiful place on this island.

View of town Bol, from Vidova Gora

The only way to really see the ‘Golden Horn’ in Bol is from above – and one of the highest vantage points on the Adriatic islands is from Vidova Gora. There are two ways to get here – by road or by hiking. There is a konoba located at the summit. (Trivia – Winston Churchill’s son was killed on this mountain, while helping local soldiers).

‘Golden Horn’ in Bol viewed from Vidova Gora

Vidova Gora, which is also known as Mountain Vitus, is about 778 meters high. It is also the highest peak of all Croatian islands. It is built of several kinds of rocks and is an ideal place for adventure lovers. One side of the Vidova Gora is covered limestone, which is also very rocky and steep, and the other parts are low and covered with sand. 

Although it was preparing to rain when we reached the top, the clouds just opened for a few minutes for our group. The view from the top made us loose our breath and the view from the top of Vidova Gore was memorable; southern slopes of the mountains are incredible. I will remember this forever. Town of Bol and the most popular beach on Brac “Zlatni Rat” were below us as the images. From here we could even see the islands of central Dalmatia. We were able to enjoy the many landscapes and views of the island Hvar, Vis, and other surrounding islands. Vidova Gora can also be reached by hiking trails from Bol.

Our group on top of the mountain Vidova Gora 

After about half an hour enjoying the beautiful views from the top of the mountain, we went back to our cars are returned to the main road, so we continued driving towards Bol, still some twenty kilometers further away.

The walk along the water’s edge underneath pine trees

How to describe a place where because of the beauty of nature, place has a lot of tourists, everything is expensive and crowded. The walk from Bol meanders along the water’s edge underneath pine trees and takes about 30 minutes. The whole time we were surrounded by groups of people who were moving in the same direction.

The Horn is a triangular shaped, smooth pebble beach that juts out perpendicular from the coast (the only one in the world). You can either just sun-swim-sleep or partake in numerous water sports. The sound of the wind, the waves on the pebbles and the warm Adriatic sun lulled my friends and the two of us to sleep.

‘Golden Horn’ beach in Bol 

We posed for several pictures, rested on the beach a little from walking, and went back to our cars all the time thinking how lucky we are that we are located in Osibova bay, and not here.

The girls in our group (Đurđa, Sanja, Ljiljana, Dragica, Vera, Vikica, Evica, Petra, Blaženka and little Nika) 

Time to leave
A week on the island has quickly passed and it was time parting with the islands, but also with our friends, who extended their holidays for another week in Osibova bay. The conclusion was that everything nice, doesn’t last for long. I hope that we will be back in a few years… back in Osibova bay. 

Zdenko (Edmonton), Mladen (Zagreb) i Ivan (Sydney)

Cheers! Until next time!

By: Zdenko Kahlina
My daughter Sanja will turn 31 this weekend. I am as old as dirt! I originally wrote this on her 30th birthday, but decided to repost it because I still feel the same. A lot has happened in her life in one year. She traveled around the world and fulfilled her long standing dream for traveling. Now she is back again and just moved to her house again.

The last 31 years have been a journey that I wouldn’t have missed for anything. I am not exactly sure where the time went. We sure squeezed in an awful lot of fun though, didn’t we?

Happy birthday Sanja, you are one of my greatest rewards in life!

Dearest Daughter,
I am a parent, but I never went to a school to become a parent.  I learnt on my own, mostly from my wife,  your mother. No one tells you how to be a parent. There are no operating instructions issued with each new baby. No owner’s manual, tech support, or directions to follow. There is no toll free number at which you can reach a soothing unintelligible foreign sounding voice to talk you through it.

Ignorance is bliss, as no one can be prepared for life with a child. And since each individual born into this world is a unique personality unto him or herself, no instruction book could ever cover the limitless variations on the basic product. As a parent, you are on your own… especially in our case. We did the best we knew at the time and just looking at what you’ve become, we can see that we did a great job!

Of course in days preceding your birth, none of this worried me. You had an older sibling that had served as guinea pig. That was going quite well. Well enough that the idea of having two kids was very appealing. Or not! I wanted my second child to be a girl. Nobody could guarantee me I would get a girl and not a boy again. But it happened and so now I have a daughter.

I was lucky that we got you! How much better can it get? There was a lot of  different things to learn, lots of unfamiliar parts to deal with, and lots of new clothing expenses. And lots of new shoes to buy!! Thanks God, you started late with the shoe passion.

This was going to be a piece of cake… or so I thought. Raising a girl. I can handle that. The thing is, I was making my plans based on what had become the usual and expected, largely predicated upon what I knew about your brother; a contented and happy child who wanted to explore everything surrounding him at an early age. How was I to know that there was nothing usual or expected about you?

You were always a perfect child. So perfect that your mother and I were suspicious if something was wrong, and we didn’t see it. You learnt on your brother’s mistakes and never repeated them. You always came home on time, except that one time, which was not your fault, when babysitter took you for a stroll through the city of Zagreb – without telling anyone!

You always had a best friend. Maja, Kristina (Zagreb), Amanda, Karyn, Cherrie, Jodi, Leah, Lindsay, Jennifer… to name only a few. And your friends love you. A party girl! Adding water to my liquor at home, so I wouldn’t find out how much was missing!

You were a good student, never without a homework or late in the class. You never met an activity that you didn’t want to try-well, the exception would be anything involving sports. That’s probable because I was myself involved in sport all my life, and you didn’t want to compete with me.  Your sports career was always an iffy proposition as while you have considerable athletic talent you never cared much for being coached or competing with others. You love skiing, yet you never pushed yourself too far, to actually fall and taste the snow.

My daughter the Fashionista emerged by the time you were three years old and demanded to be allowed to choose what you would wear each day. “Dressing ourselves, are we?” I remember one of your pre-school teachers asking. The question was elicited no doubt by the creative combination of plaid and polka dots selected that morning. Upon further reflection I realized that you wore what made you happy and feel good about yourself whether it went together or not. You never agreed with what me or your mom were wearing. Our color schemes were never up for your likening. Up to these days…

I miss the long car rides we, as a family took, with you kids in the back seat of the car. The detours in order to take in the scenic routes, with you and your brother yelling, “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE WE ARE?” But we always got there didn’t we? Wherever there was. We traveled with our camping gear and my bike on the roof of the car, and you both loved it. You still love to travel, and I am proud of that.

Remember when during a visit to our friends in Zagreb, you went out and got lost? “Ljudi pomagajte” (people help!) you yelled while we were watching you from the window, but couldn’t help you, because you didn’t hear us?

Many days I have wondered how this larger than life personality came to live in my house. How did this kid with a plan who is so comfortable in her own skin come to be?

You are a grown person now, living in your own house. Luckily for us, old folks, you are only a few blocks away. I am happy every time you come for a visit, or when ever you call to check how we’re doing.

Since you moved out I am always missing all the daily news updates on all your friends as we took our evening walks with Dina and Rhea (the dogs) and I even miss tripping over all your shoes strewn throughout the house. I miss listening to you sing late in your room at night or the mummer of your voice as you talked to your friends on the phone. I know, I know, lately, since you got that darn iPhone, you are texting more than talking on the phone, but that just shows how technology is changing.

Two years ago we all went to Europe, to have one more vacation together, and to say one last good bye to baka, your grandmother. This was probable the most memorable vacation we ever had. I was happy to see you really enjoying it.

I am also very excited that you will begin the life that has been in the planning stages since you were twenty years old; traveling and all that… just keep in mind that should push come to shove, you are still my retirement plan! LOL! You are going to travel the world for next while and I know you’ll have lots of fun doing it. I wish you all the best and safe return.

I once read that children are like kites and that a parent’s job is to slowly unwind the string as they begin to soar. One day you realize that the string is let out and they are flying free. And so it is with you. It appears that my work is almost done as it seems that I am hanging on to the very end of the string. With exception when the sum pump suddenly stops working, than you still need me and I love it!!

So World, I give you my daughter, the Amazing Miss Sanja. I for one can’t wait to see what happens next.

I guess if the truth were told, I wouldn’t have read an owner’s manual even if I had one. Happy traveling my daughter.

Love, Dad

My mother passed away one year ago – on Mothers Day! It is hard to believe one year has gone by already. There is not one day that passed I did not think about her. It has definitely been a very difficult year for me and my family. We still talk about her and her life at our family gathering. Here is what I wrote about her last year:

Weep not for me that I have died; rejoice instead that I have lived!

My mother passed away today – on Mothers Day! She quietly passed away at the home for elderly people „DOM TOLIĆ BRADAŠEVIĆ“ in Zagreb (Croatia), at the age of eighty-six. After a long illness, she succumbed to cancer after fighting it for more than 15 years. I think my mother had a very fruitful and happy life and was the most significant inspiration in my life.

Zdenka was born in Zagreb and lived all her life in her beloved city. She was married to our father, Petar Kahlina for a remarkable 44 years until 1988, when our father died due to a terminal illness. However difficult time of her life it was, she never remarried but not to say that she was lonely. She lived a very active life and for years was involved with the senior citizens organization where she had a large circle of friends and acquaintances.  She also visited her sons in Edmonton on more than one occasion and our families reunited with her in Zagreb every two years regularly.

Our mother passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 9th, 2010, her smile leaving a glow in her room at „DOM TOLIĆ BRADAŠEVIĆ“, place for elderly people near Zagreb, where she had lived the very last year of her life.
 
With the following pictures I want to celebrate her life and remember her for all the good things she did. She will be forever remembered by her children, Zdenko and Marijan and their spouses Vera and Sandy, who all live in Edmonton, Canada. She will remain in the hearts of her five grand children Neven, Sanja, Robyn, Christina and Jeffrey.

Our families are thankful to all her caregivers at „DOM TOLIĆ BRADAŠEVIĆ“in Croatia and doctors and nurses at the Holy Spirit Hospital in Zagreb.
We are forever indebted and want to give special thanks to Damir and Marija, her nephew and his wife,  for all their kindness, love, care and attention they provided to our mother over the last number of years, since her closest family was out of reach living such huge distances away.

 
Zdenko and Marijan with mom 
 
2009: Grand children Sanja and Neven with grandma 
 
2009: Family with mom in her room. 
 
2009: Grand children Christina and Sanja with grandma 
 
2009: Sandy, Marijan’s partner with mom 
 
2009: Vera with mom 
 
2007: Zdenko with mom 
 
2007: Zdenka with her older son Marijan 
2007: Vera and Zdenko with mom
 
2005: Zdenko with his mother and cousin Damir

Today My Mother Died

© Sania Harris

Today my mother died
Silently without a sign
No inkling about her sadness
Even though we filled her with madness
Never being a burden for us
Instead giving us all a bless

Today my mother died
The one to whom I always lied
Screaming at her for her calmness
Creating all kind of fuss
Not thinking about her loneliness
Putting her in deep distress

Today my mother died
Thinking about her fate, I sighed
The times I went away
The times I never looked back
The pains she felt astray
The pains she felt setback

Today my mother died
I recalled her past and cried

 
1995: Zdenka with twin brother Zvonko
 
1943: Zdenka with her husband Petar Kahlina
 
1940: Zdenka with her husband Petar Kahlina
 
Twins Zdenka and Zvonko in 1939
 
Family Leskovar 1939: Zvonko, mother Gustika, Zdenka and their father Vilim.
 
Twins Zdenka and Zvonko in 1934 with their father Vilim
 
Twins in 1934: Zdenka and Zvonko
 
Twins in 1924: Zdenka and Zvonko

Family Leskovar in 1929

Until we meet again mother, rest in peace. We love you.

Your son Zdenko

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Hello everyone!
It’s been two years already! Samantha Louise Bagnall and Neven Kahlina got married on May 2nd, 2009. It was one beautiful day in between several cold days at the beginning of May that year. They have become a proud parents of little baby Luka since than. It was a beautiful ceremony at St. Joachim Catholic Church, followed by a reception and a dance at St. John’s Cultural Centre in Edmonton.
 

We couldn’t ask for a better day. It was sunny and warm (+22 degrees), and all the bridesmaids got sunburns. We all enjoyed the warm day standing in front of the church and taking pictures in every imaginable position.

The church where they got married was just beautiful; it has huge ceilings, grand arches, and lots of room for 150 wedding guests to move around in. St. Joachim’s is Edmonton’s oldest Roman Catholic parish, dating back to 1854 when Father Albert Lacombe converted a small building within Fort Edmonton into a chapel. It was later given the name of St. Joachim by Bishop Alexander Antoine Taché. 

The ceremony in the church was wonderful. Though it is a church in the French neighborhood, the priest Fr. Paul Moret held ceremony in English. Here is how my brother described it: ” It was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to (including my own). The church was beautiful, ceremony was great (and short) and people around were wonderful. Sam’s family is great, they are all wonderful people”.

After the ceremony at the church, it was time to take zillion family pictures in front of the church. Than, it was bridal party turn to go off at different location to take more pictures. They all went to the Louise McKinney Park, by the Shaw conference centre.

We arrived at the St. John’s Cultural Centre for the reception around 5:15 pm, to relax for a couple of minutes before the party starts!!! A receiving line, consisting of Sam, Neven, Cindy, Keith, Vera and Zdenko, was there to welcome all the guests.  The lineups were not that long, but it was pretty busy for a while. When the cocktail hour started, I was so close to the bar that I could “smell” the beer, yet so far… as I was not able to leave my duty, before I welcomed all the guests to the reception.

Once all the guests were seated, ceremony started. DJ Dave (Bob Layton’s son; Bob Layton is very popular commentator for Edmonton’s Global TV station) introduced the whole wedding party.

The bridal party pairs were:

•1.      Sanja and Ben
•2.      Vicky and Josh
•3.      Kelly and Blaz
•4.      Becca and Mark

Ben and Josh introduced each member of the bridal party with a short description of who they are and how they are related/connected to the bride and groo

It was time for DJ Dave to call out the table numbers for the buffet line-up. After the dinner (by the way, food was great!) ceremony went well. It was time for the speeches.

First was Becca’s turn. She did a great job describing how the sisters grownup together.

Sanja, Neven’s sister, was next. She is a nurse at ICU in Royal Alexandra hospital. She lives only two blocks away from Sam and Neven and with her boyfriend Jeremy and her dog Rheya is a frequent visitor at Sam and Neven’s house. Having come to Canada from Croatia at a young age Sanja and Neven have been very close siblings and are very good friends as well.

Than Mark (Neven’s best man) had his speech and a toast to the groom. Neven and Mark know each other pretty much since Neven came to Canada and the Kahlina family started going to the Edmonton Croatian community gatherings and the Croatian church. They went to high school together; both lived in Calgary with a couple of other friends. They were each other’s wingmen while single. Now they are both getting married in the same year – Mark and Andrea Kemper are getting married later this year.

After Mark it was Vera’s and Zdenko’s turn to welcome Sam to the family. And they did (you can read his speech bellow).

Sam’s father Keith welcomed Neven to the Bagnall family…

At the end, Neven wanted to say few words too…

Ben and Josh wrapped up the speeches and introduced the slideshow that Sanja set up on the main display. The slideshow was something special. In 15 minutes we were introduced to Sam’s and Neven’s childhood with lots of memorable pictures.

When the slide show was finished DJ invited everyone to the dance floor for Bride and grooms first dance. This was followed by the dance for the wedding party, followed by bride’s dance with her dad and by that point everyone was welcomed to dance floor.

This is all for the blog. Hope you enjoyed reading it. I’m sure this wedding will give them something to talk about for the rest of their lives! 

Zdenko

Speeches

 Best man:
 Good evening ladies and gentlemen.  My name is Mark Marinic. There are obviously two very important people here today, without whom very little of this would have been possible. Neven and Sam, when you guys look at each other I can see how much you love each other and today is definitely a testament to that.  When Neven asked me to be his man, I was very overwhelmed and honored, I mean who else would you ask?

Kidding aside, this day has been so incredible and special and I am so happy that you found the love of your life, I know you will have many happy years together.

 I have known Neven for over 19 years; ever since he came to Canada at the age of 13 I remember seeing him and his family at the community gatherings and at the Croatian church. As time went on, I started seeing him around more and more and thought “Yah this is a cool guy!” and we became friends and have been ever since.

Neven, one of the best memories I have of you is when you told me you were going to ask Sam to merry you. You were so excited and happy when you described this special moment to me.  I saw your face light up. I thought to myself “she was the one”.  

Look at us now, back in the old city again and both getting married in the same year! How did this happen???

I’d just like to say Neven, you are a very lucky man, Sam is beautiful, smart, funny, warm and loving and she deserves a good man like you! So thank God you married her before she found some else.

Sam, I did the very best that I could to make Neven who he is today, if he every gets out of line, just let me know!!

I would like to say to the bridesmaids how beautiful and stunning all of you look today! And thank you for everything you have done to help prepare for this special day!

And to the groomsmen, you guys clean up pretty good too! Who knew a shower and a tux could make us look so handsome!

Neven, a few words of advise I’ve heard along the way, number 1) Marriage isn’t a word, it’s a sentence, (pause for laughing) and number 2) Marriage is a three-ring circus – engagement ring, wedding ring, suffering.

Well, my speech is almost done but before I finish, would everyone please stand and join me in a TOAST to Neven, a lifetime of happiness and love. To Neven!!!

From the bottom of my heart and with all kidding aside, may your love survive the test of time, lasting forever! Each of us in this room wishes you a long life of love, laughter, and growth. Along with the good times, there will be tough times but together you will get through whatever hand life deals.

Along with the wedding party, I would like to propose a toast to the happy couple and wish a lifetime of love and happiness together. To Neven and Sam!!!

Father of the groom:
Dear family and friends! Good evening!
It is my pleasure to welcome friends and relatives of both families to share this very special day. As father of the Groom it is my privilege and real pleasure to welcome Sam’s parents, Cindy and Keith and all her sisters and brothers.

Special thanks to our guests who came from afar (UK, Scotland, USA (Oklahoma), Toronto, Vancouver), your effort makes our celebration that much more special.

Not that long ago, Sam asked me if I was going to give a speech at the weeding, to welcome her to our family. I was honored then as I am now, happy to finally, have this opportunity to say:” Sam, on behalf of our family I welcome you to our lives and our hearts.”  (I want you to be my friend on the Facebook!)

We love you and thank you for joining our family! I’m sure everyone will agree with me when I say you are beautiful and today your beauty is even more radiant than ever!!!

I remember the day Neven introduced you to us for the first time, it was right after you left that Vera and I looked at each other with a smile and unspoken thoughts: “Oh, we sure hope Neven falls for her because she is a “keeper”. It turns out our wish was granted.

Our Son Neven is standing here today; honest, determined, loving and loved, a respectful and respected young man who makes me proud to be his father. (I do forgive you for taking my car(s) without permission!)

Neven I am here to say today that both, your mother Vera and I love you unconditionally for everyday of your life and those feelings will stay with us forever. You made us even happier with finding Sam and bringing her to yours and our lives.

Since the day we were introduced we just love to say repeatedly: “Sam is the best “thing” that could happen to Neven”. She understands you, better than we ever could!

Sam stays calm and is very persistent; she knows what she wants and how to get it (done). Whatever it is, to our surprise, Neven is listening! Well, most of the time. Right Sam!?

It appears they assigned their chores quite equally: Neven takes care of the remote control, computer games, Beamer, barbeque and beer. Sam takes care of the rest!? Nobody’s complaining…… Not yet!

We love YOU both very much!

Toast: Please all rise and join us in a toast to the bride and groom:

“May your lives and this marriage be a symbol to us all, of the love in your hearts and the joy that will last forever.”

We wish you and your guests to have a great time tonight! Enjoy!

Groom’s speech:
Ladies and Gentlemen, family and friends, thank you all for being here to share this special day with us. We have been planning this day for a long time and it has turned out to be everything we have imagined and hoped for.

Sam and I met two and a half years ago at a friends going away party and from the first few dates it was clear that we were a perfect match. She has just enough patience to put up with my sometimes immature ways and I……well…..I’m just lucky to have her. Her family has accepted me as one of their own and my family has done the same with her. As a matter of fact sometimes I think they like her more than me.

Guests

We would like to thank all of our guests, friends and family for showing their support today and for sharing this special day in our lives with us. We would like to offer special thanks to some guests who have traveled from far away to be with us today and even apologize that we have not been able to spend more time with them but as you all know this day required a lot of work and organizing.

We would like to thank:

Lorraine, Geoff, Emma and Daniel Hodson as well as Jennifer Clegg whom are here visiting us from England.

Jan and Bob Bagnall from Scotland.

Simon and Amy Bagnall from Arkansas.

Ljiljana Mironovic from Toronto.

Branko and Zlata Vukic from Vancouver.

Amanda Kelloway from Vancouver.

Rob Gora from Vancouver.

Karmyn, Chad and Abi Graham from Okotoks.

Guests not present:

Unfortunately, it’s not been possible to have everyone we love here with us today, but we know they’re here with us in spirit & they’re not only in our thoughts today, but more importantly they’re with us in our hearts.

Parents 

We would like to thank both sets of parents as we wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for them. We want to thank them all for the love and support over the years and for everything they have done to help make this day special for us.

To my Mum & Dad….

Thank you for all the advice you have given me, for putting up with me and pointing me in the right direction. Although I wasn’t always an obedient kid and had a tendency to do the exact opposite of what I was taught I think it’s safe to say now that I turned out OK. I’m sure you will have a lot of advice and suggestions to pass on to Sam as she will surely need to be armed with patience and Love going forward with her life with me.

Mum, Dad I love you very much, hold your heads high you’ve done a great job!

To Sam’s parents

Thank you for all your love and support and for giving Sam a great start in life. I believe that I’m also meant to thank you for putting up with her in her childhood and teenage years, however when I asked her for some embarrassing snippets of information for this part of my speech, I got the reply: ‘I’m perfect, I didn’t do anything wrong when I was a child’!!….

Of course I haven’t just gained a wife today, but also a family. Thank you to all of them for making me feel so welcome. Most of all, thank you for bringing Sam up to be the woman that I have married.

Mark and groomsmen

I’ve known Mark or Marko for about 18-19 years or so… and both Sam and I are very pleased to hear that Mark & Andrea have decided to get married later this year. I can only hope to be able to return the favor of helping with your wedding as well as you have helped us with ours. I think it needs to be mentioned that the bachelor Party was one for the history books and Mark with the help of all the groomsmen did a wonderful job planning a day filled with fun and exciting events.

I would also like to thank Blaz, Josh and Ben for everything they have done for us and for their support and love. Since Ben is getting married to Jenn later this year and Josh and Jenna will be tying the knot soon also I guess the pressure now falls on Blaz’s shoulders to take the next step….

Many thanks for all your support today…

Becca and Bridesmaids

We would like to thank Becca and the Bridesmaids who I am sure you will all agree look amazing today for their love and support. They have done a brilliant job planning and helping out with the wedding and making sure Sam didn’t run off somewhere at the last minute.

Sam

I now come to the most important person in my life – my wife!

Honey, it’s been a long time coming and I can’t stop smiling! Simply put…. ‘You look absolutely stunning, you take my breath away!’ I’m just so proud to be your Husband… Thank You for choosing me to spend the rest of your life with!

They say, ‘To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.’ It works for me.

We have so many plans to make throughout our lives together but, whatever happens, I know that we will be together forever and that is all that matters in this world. I love you simply because you are you. That’s why I know for the rest of my life I will always be in love with only you!

The bride: Samantha Bagnall Kahlina

Away We Go…
Sanja and her friend Jenn decided to take some time off from the work and all daily routines here in Edmonton, and travel the world for a while. I will publish blogs about their traveling adventures, so return to this site again to read more. They left Edmonton in mid July 2010 for a short visit to London, and than headed off for capital city of Croatia – Zagreb.

London: Before crossing the street… warning for tourists!

Travelers & bloggers: Sanja & Jenn

They left Edmonton in mid July 2010 for a short visit to London, and than headed off for capital city of Croatia – Zagreb.

London

July 14-16, 2010

We arrived in London separately. Both of us were still groggy from my muscle relaxants (I injured my back a few days before the trip). Since Sanja had arrived an hour prior to me, she was awaiting my arrival past customs.

Sanja seemed to get past customs no problem, yet myself, well lets just say I was lectured for 25 minutes on who the UK allows into he country “I am sorry Miss, but we are unlike Canada and their customs, we do not allow just anyone in”. I got off with a warning and was given 48 hours in the country. I am not sure if he was just giving me a hard time because I stated “unemployed” or that I had no idea where I was going.

Once we collected our 140 lbs in luggage (no, this is not a joke), we proceeded to the trains.  We had been advised the train system was tricky, so we wanted to give our selves plenty of time to get there without rushing. Since I was still injured from my back incident, poor Sanja was responsible for majority of the luggage handling throughout the airport. I must say, the airport wasn’t half as big as I thought it would be. We managed to get to the trains in less than 10 minutes from collecting our luggage, even with the luggage being delayed from being taken off the plane. We had time to rest before taking the train to Downtown London.

We were surprised when our train pulled up completely empty. As I was getting onto the train, I had the pleasure of the door shutting on me. Since I was unable to lift the luggage in time, I let go of my handle and watched the luggage fall toward Sanja. I gave a small wave to Sanja as she stood there in shock with all bags at her feet. I think we both had a mini panic attack.

Once we both realized the train was not going to leave either of us separated, we could both breathe.

We struggled to get on the train with all the bags. Sanja was getting yelled at by some man to get on the train, not even taking a look at all the bags she actually had to get on the train with. We did it though. We came to realize that we work very well under pressure. We rode the train to the last stop, London Victoria. We managed to get our luggage through the huge train station to hail a cab to our hotel.

We have been in disbelief on how not one person would assist us with any of our bags, not that we expected help, but an offer would have been polite. The cab driver didn’t even help us get everything into his cab, he just sat there waiting impatiently as we loaded all our stuff in his cab.

About 5 blocks later and 5 British pounds we were dropped outside our hotel.  Once again removing all our luggage on our own with no assistance from the cabbie. As we looked into the hotel we realized we booked a budget hotel, which didn’t have an elevator nor a bell boy. So once again, there we are struggling to get all our bags up the 2 flights of stairs. We laughed so hard when we tried to open the door to our room to realize the room might have been as big as most of our bathrooms back home. Once again, not joking. As we managed to fit ourselves and our bags into the room we sat in a numb state that yes, we had made it.

We found the nearest pub to our hotel and had some lunch. Familiar foods like nachos and grilled cheese/ham sandwiches. Can’t go wrong. As we were paying our bill we noticed the “snacks” on the bar counter – pickled olives, popcorn, mixed nuts and a scotched egg. (don’t ask).

Since we were both exhausted but didn’t think going to bed at 1 pm in the afternoon would be smart, we decided to go check out some sights. When I say some sights what I mean is one. We managed to make it to Buckingham Palace. I think because we were both so tired, we didn’t get too excited as we stood in front the Queen’s home. We snapped a few pictures and proceed back towards our hotel.

We made a pit stop for the basics, water and chocolate digestive cookies. Then headed straight to bed at 4 pm. We awoke at 10:30 pm well rested and ready to take on London, or at least that’s the idea we had for the first 20 minutes of waking.

As I sat here to type out this first excerpt I watched Sanja struggle to find a plug in to charge her camera battery. She sat there all confused that all our plugins were child proof but soon to realize she just was using the wrong adaptor. Yes people, she was using the typical standard European adaptor but London has their own 3 prong adaptor.

Now we are off to hit up London like originally planned. In true Canadian form – lululemons all the way!

Day 2 (July 15, 2010)

So, turns out, that a combination of muscle relaxants and jet lag is a bad idea. Day 2 started at 13:40 when I finally made myself sit up in bed, look at the time and say, “seriously Jenn, we need to get up”. We clearly missed the included breakfast at the hotel, so in search of a good breakfast place we went. Although, first stop needed to be an exchange office where they would assault our Canadian dollar once again. So, we randomly chose a direction to walk in

search of the nearest exchange office. After 30 minutes of strolling random london streets we finally came across a post office that was a little nicer in the exchange rate, than the previous day at Victoria underground station. Once we stuffed our pockets with the 60 GBP we were off in search of food. But, turns out we accidentally came across all the biggest sights London had to offer, such as Big Ben, the Parliament buildings, London eye, and a few large cathedrals. We kept walking and eventually got a little lost (although my inner compass was definitely guiding me in the right direction), so we stopped and asked for directions to Victoria station just to get our bearings. The guys completely pointed us in the wrong direction, but not to worry, we found our way anyway. We finally made it to an area that was familiar and grabbed a quick bite to eat in a very nice park at Buckingham Palace. Having walked for two hours straight we decided to sit down for a nice coffee and read our books. It turns out we both really enjoy not being on a schedule and having nothing to do. So after about an hour at the coffee shop we strolled back to our hotel to freshen up a bit before dinner.

We decided to treat ourselves with dinner, and by that I mean, actually sit down in a restaurant and order a meal. The sign outside this cute little italian place said “pizza and a glass of wine 10GBP”. So we thought that sounded great and took a seat. Well, one glass of wine turned into a few and of course couldn’t pass up dessert once we were a little tipsy, so our budget went out the door and a credit card came in handy.

So now, it’s 2AM, and we’re both wide awake thanks to our early afternoon wake up. We need to be on the bus to London Luton airport in two hours. I guess we won’t be needing that wake up call we asked for.

To be continued…

Wish you a Happy Valentine! 

February has long been a month of romance. It is the month associated with Valentine’s Day celebrations.

Every year, the fourteenth day of the month of February has millions across the world presenting their loved ones with candy, flowers, chocolates and other lovely gifts. In many countries, restaurants and eateries are seen to be filled with couples who are eager to celebrate their relationship and the joy of their togetherness through delicious cuisines. There hardly seems to be a young man or woman who is not keen to make the most of the day.

The reason behind all of this is a kindly cleric named Valentine who died more than a thousand years ago. We have, time and again, heard the name St. Valentine being uttered before us in this season of love. But just who is this St. Valentine? Why is this month associated with love and romance? Learn about St. Valentine, how Valentines day came into practice as it is today. The origin of this lovers day goes back as early as 270 A.D and started with the clash between a kindly priest and a mighty ruler. To know more, just read on and discover the true meaning of this festival.

It is not exactly known why the 14th of February is known as Valentine’s Day or if the noble Valentine really had any relation to this day. The history of Valentine’s Day is impossible to be obtained from any archive and the veil of centuries gone by has made the origin behind this day more difficult to trace. It is only some legends that are our source for the history of Valentine’s Day.

The modern St. Valentine’s Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition. As per one legend, the holiday has originated from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that used to observed annually on February 15. But the rise of Christianity in Europe saw many pagan holidays being renamed for and dedicated to the early Christian martyrs. Lupercalia was no exception. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia into a Christian feast day and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14. He proclaimed February 14 to be the feast day in honour of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine’s Day honours.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by the name of Valentine. While one was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop in Terni. Nothing is known about the third St. Valentine except that he met his end in Africa. Surprisingly, all three of them were said to have been martyred on 14th February.

It is clear that Pope Gelasius intended to honor the first of these three aforementioned men. Most scholars believe that this St. Valentine was a priest who lived around 270 AD in Rome and attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II who ruled during this time.

The story of St. Valentine has two different versions – the Protestant and the Catholic one. Both versions agree upon Saint Valentine being a bishop who held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young men and was executed by the latter. During the lifetime of Valentine, the golden era of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Education declined, taxation increased and trade witnessed a very bad time. The Roman empire faced crisis from all sides, from the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asia. The empire had grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Naturally, more and more capable men were required to to be recruited as soldiers and officers to protect the nation from takeover. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. He believed that marriage made the men weak. So he issued an edict forbidding marriage to assure quality soldiers.

The ban on marriage was a great shock for the Romans. But they dared not voice their protest against the mighty emperor. The kindly bishop Valentine also realized the injustice of the decree. He saw the trauma of young lovers who gave up all hopes of being united in marriage. He planned to counter the monarch’s orders in secrecy. Whenever lovers thought of marrying, they went to Valentine who met them afterwards in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. And thus he secretly performed many marriages for young lovers. But such things cannot remain hidden for long. It was only a matter of time before Claudius came to know of this “friend of lovers,” and had him arrested.

While awaiting his sentence in prison, Valentine was approached by his jailor, Asterius. It was said that Valentine had some saintly abilities and one of them granted him the power to heal people. Asterius had a blind daughter and knowing of the miraculous powers of Valentine he requested the latter to restore the sight of his blind daughter. The Catholic legend has it that Valentine did this through the vehicle of his strong faith, a phenomenon refuted by the Protestant version which agrees otherwise with the Catholic one. Whatever the fact, it appears that Valentine in some way did succeed to help Asterius’ blind daughter.

When Claudius II met Valentine, he was said to have been impressed by the dignity and conviction of the latter. However, Valentine refused to agree with the emperor regarding the ban on marriage. It is also said that the emperor tried to convert Valentine to the Roman gods but was unsuccesful in his efforts. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully. This angered Claudius II who gave the order of execution of Valentine.

Meanwhile, a deep friendship had been formed between Valentine and Asterius’ daughter. It caused great grief to the young girl to hear of his friend’s imminent death. It is said that just before his execution, Valentine asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her “From Your Valentine,” a phrase that lived ever after. As per another legend, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer during his imprisonment. However, this legend is not given much importance by historians. The most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not centered on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14, 270 AD.

Thus 14th February became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its Patron Saint. It began to be annually observed by young Romans who offered handwritten greetings of affection, known as Valentines, on this day to the women they admired. With the coming of Christianity, the day came to be known as St. Valentine’s Day.

But it was only during the 14th century that St. Valentine’s Day became definitively associated with love. UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of “Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine”, credits Chaucer as the one who first linked St. Valentine’s Day with romance. In medieval France and England it was believed that birds mated on February 14. Hence, Chaucer used the image of birds as the symbol of lovers in poems dedicated to the day. In Chaucer’s “The Parliament of Fowls,” the royal engagement, the mating season of birds, and St. Valentine’s Day are related:

“For this was on St. Valentine’s Day, When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.”

By the Middle Ages, Valentine became as popular as to become one of the most popular saints in England and France. Despite attempts by the Christian church to sanctify the holiday, the association of Valentine’s Day with romance and courtship continued through the Middle Ages. The holiday evolved over the centuries. By the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine’s Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts began to be created on this day and handed over to the man or woman one loved. This tradition eventually spread to the American colonies. It was not until the 1840s that Valentine’s Day greeting cards began to be commercially produced in the U.S. The first American Valentine’s Day greeting cards were created by Esther A. Howlanda Mount Holyoke, a graduate and native of Worcester. Mass. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap”. It was when Howland began Valentine’s cards in a large scale that the tradition really caught on in the United States.

Today, Valentine’s Day is one of the major holidays in the U.S. and has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are “valentine”s. The “valentines”, as Valentine’s Day cards are better known as, are often designed with hearts to symbolize love. The Valentine’s Day card spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of the earliest valentines was sent in 1415 AD by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife during his imprisonment in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the British Museum.

There may be doubts regarding the actual identity of Valentine, but we know that he really existed because archaeologists have recently unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to a Saint Valentine.

Our beloved nine-year old Golden retriever Rheya, has passed away this week. We sadly said goodbye to her, after Rheya succumbed to the pain of cancer. I am eternally grateful for the nine wonderful years that Rheya gave us, full of excitement and Love, and a wonderful friendship that we’ll never forget.

There is no easy way to deal with losing a furry love. Our lives take on new meaning when we are enveloped by their ever constant love, companionship, and soulfulness.

 

 When I think of the many Goldens’ whose time here with us is not as long as we’d like… I wonder why? It may be that they are able to give all the goodness they have within them, to us, and do it so well that their mission here is over faster than it might be for other dogs. Perhaps, like an evolved soul, they don’t need to live as long to learn what they would here on earth. They already know most of what they need. And they are experts at bestowing their presence on us in a compacted period of time. So often, they are like mentors and can impart the lessons which will teach us many extraordinary things, by the simplest, kindest gesture from them.

 I think Goldens unfurl their wings when we are not looking. Have you ever noticed an expression they have, especially when they smile, that gives hint to something wondrous and grand? As if they have the most incredible gift they are hiding behind their back but you can tell they want so very much to show you what it is. Well, when I see that expression I could swear I feel the flutter of their wings in my heart.

In the song “Real Life”, country music artist, Jeff Carson, expresses the pain a child feels when his best friend dies like this…..

“I was young, she was old, we both were the same age…
Every day playing fetch, shaking hands, she’d lick my face.

I wasn’t aware the day would come.
Then she died…
For the first time I knew what real pain was.

I was never the same again.
From that moment on, Real life began.” 

As our animal companions are forever dependent on our care, they assume those roles typically assigned to children. And, there is no greater despair than to endure the loss of a child. Research indicates that after experiencing the death of a child, it may take three to five years for one to move on or begin to live their life again.

We believe the same holds true for our furry children. The amount of pain we experience when a loved fur child dies is also a function of the level of the relationship. If you were the person responsible for your dog’s needs, the one that your sweetheart cherished most, the one who was always there, then you will need more time to deal with this loss. All of that time that went into building this unique bond with your dog needs to be worked through. It can happen, but it takes time. The grieving process is an important one, despite society’s demanding pace to move on.

We can never forget or replace the radiant place that our furry loves hold in our hearts. But, we can hold on tight to the memories of how they taught us to live, love & laugh. “Life is not a journey to the grave, with the intention of arriving safely, in one pretty and well-preserved piece, but to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out and shouting ‘WOW…what a ride.’”

That is what life is all about. I don’t want to dwell but look to the future, knowing that our Rheya is having a wonderful life over the bridge, and that we will all meet up again someday and be reunited.

Here is the old poem I posted few years ago, when I lost Dina, “my” first Golden retriever… she was “the light of my life.”

When you were just a pup, and you were new to home and heart, I used to laugh so hard and pick you up and hold you squirming and struggling my arms and whisper to you “I love you this much”.

And I smiled a lot as you grew and decided that squirrels were indeed evil, and that there was no really good reason for cats; that every dog in the neighborhood posed a potential threat and needed to be sent packing.

And I was delighted when you discovered children, and you found they were much like you—they liked to run; they liked to play; and there was an endless quality to the day when they were around.

You and I as adults together developed a deep and abiding respect for one another. Your constant devotion made life’s valleys a little less deep, and there were times when I needed you: to listen, to love and to lick away the tears…and you were always there.

You liked Chinese food, spaghetti and cheese. Lettuce and pickles and heartworm pills were for other dogs. We adventured, you and I. We camped, we fished, we hiked, and we played ball. Oh, did we play ball. And through all those years, you gave so much, and I could only hold you in my arms at the end of each day, and we’d both smile, and I would whisper “I love you this much”.

And now we’ve come to this. I don’t believe I have the strength to say goodbye, but you tell me it’s time. Neither one of us has smiled in a very long time, and the only part of you that doesn’t indicate pain is your stubby little tail. I cried when the doctor told me, and I railed against the Powers That Be, and all the platitudes in the world and all the comforting friends can’t make up for the undeniable fact that you will no longer be with me. And I don’t think I can do this. I envy those with ones who passed so quickly. The shock must numb the grief.

But now, as I have done so many, many times before through so many, many years, I fold you in my arms, lay my head upon your velvet cheek, and whisper, one last time, “Rheya, I love you this much”.

For all who have had to make the decision. ~ Penny Cary 1996

“Rheya”

August 29th 2000 ~ October 27th, 2009

Passed away at the age of nine. Rheya had many friends who will miss her and remember her always.

By: Zdenko Kahlina

July 25 – Aug 1, 2009

Beautiful Adriatic coast * Uncrowded Roads *

I am excited to invite my family and friends to join us in V. Losinj Croatia as part of our summer holidays in Europe, for 2009 year.

 V. Losinj is the place where every second year old cycling buddies from the same cycling club get together with their families, to spend summer vacation.

Only this time we expect to have a much bigger group due to popularity of such holidays within the families.

 The beautiful island of Losinj is the spotlight of the Primorsko-goranska county of Croatia. The island is not very big, yet it includes a number of fantastic sights that are definitely off the main tourist track.

CYCLING THE BEST OF SLOVENIA – ALPS TO THE ADRIATIC
FROM THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE VINEYARDS
TO THE SEA

 Vera and I are hoping you will join us for this exciting trip.

 At the end of our “The Best of Slovenia“  trip, we are traveling from Slovenia to island of Losinj in Croatia. After a short ferry boat ride, we’ll have about 60 km to drive across island of Cres until we reach the island of Losinj. Cres and Lošinj are connected by a small bridge in the town of Osor (Italian Ossero), on the island of Cres. Town of Losinj is 20 km further down the road from that bridge.

ABOUT ISLAND OF LOŠINJ

Lošinj, Primorsko-goranska county, Croatia

Info from wikepedia ;

Lošinj (pronounced low-sheen) (Italian Lussino, Latin Apsorrus) is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, in the Kvarner gulf. It is near the city of Rijeka, and also a part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county.

Lošinj is part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar CountyThe towns of Lošinj are listed here with their Italian name equivalents in parentheses: Nerezine (Neresine), Sveti Jakov (San Giacomo Lussignano), Ćunski (Chiusi Lussignano), Artaturi (Artatore), Mali Lošinj (Lussinpiccolo) and Veli Lošinj (Lussingrande).

A regional road runs through the island; ferry connections (via the island of Cres) include Brestova – Porozina, Merag – Valbiska, Mali Lošinj – Zadar, Mali Lošinj – Pula. There is also an airport on the island of Lošinj.Panoramic view of Losinj island… 

Geography

Lošinj is a part of the Cres-Lošinj archipelago. The Cres-Lošinj archipelago includes Cres and Lošinj, and the smaller islands of Unije, Ilovik, Susak, Vele Srakane, Male Srakane and a number of inhabited small islands. Cres has the biggest land area, and Lošinj is second. Cres and Lošinj are connected by a small bridge in the town of Osor (Italian Ossero), on the island of Cres.

Lošinj is the 11th largest island in the Adriatic Sea, 33 km long, with the width varying from 4.75 km in the north and middle of the island, to 0.25 km near the town of Mali Lošinj. The total coastline of the island is 112.7 km.

With over 2600 hours of sunlight a year, the island has become a popular destination for German and Italian tourists in the summer months. Average air humidity is 70%, and the average summer temperature is 24 °C (75 °F) and 7 °C (45 °F) during the winter.

The highest elevations are the mountains Televrin (also called Osoršćica) (588 m) and Sv. Nikola (557 m). The towns of Nerezine and Sveti Jakov lie at their base. The island is formed predominantly of chalk limestone and dolomite rocks. There are sand deposits in the western part of the Kurila peninsula.

The island has a mild climate and evergreen vegetation (like myrtle, Holm oak, and laurel). The highest elevations in the north have more sparse vegetation. Veli Lošinj, Čikat and the south-western coast are ringed by pine forests.

Mali Losinj 

History

The island of Lošinj has been thought to be inhabited since ancient times. This is evidenced by hill-forts at the foot of Osoršćica and around the port of Mali Lošinj. The Romans called this island Apsorrus (Ptolemy), and named the islands of Lošinj and Cres together as Asperities. In several places, ruins of Roman villas have been excavated (villae rusticae: Liski, Sveti Jakov, and Studenčić near Ćunski). In the Middle Ages, Lošinj was unpopulated and the property of the clerical and secular nobility of Osor. Built in the Roman Era, several small eremitic churches have been preserved (St. Lovreć near Osor, and St. James in Sveti Jakov).

The first evidence of settlers from the mainland was in 1280. Pursuant to a contract with Osor, their settlements gained self-governance in 1389. The name Lošinj was first mentioned in 1384. Parallel with the gradual decline of Osor from the 15th century onwards, the settlements Veli Lošinj and Mali Lošinj played an increasingly important role.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, trade, shipbuilding and seafaring on the island developed more intensely. After the fall of the Republic of Venice, Lošinj was under the Austro-Hungarian rule up to its breaking off in 1918; under Italy up to 1943. In 1945 the island was annexed to Yugoslavia. Lošinj was then an under Croatian rule in 1991 after Croatia’s declared independence from Yugoslavia.

The 1945 annexation of the island to Yugoslavia was associated with a substantial exodus of its people of Italian descent to Italy and to other countries, due to their unwillingness to live under Yugoslav communist rule. These expatriates today are a vibrant “community” living in Italy and around the world, and publish a newsletter (http://www.lussinpiccolo-italia.net) which keeps their memories and traditions alive.

Let’s start with…

Veli Lošinj (“Big” Lošinj)

Typical street in V. Losinj.

 …and finally lol – Mali Lošinj (“Small” Lošinj, a town that is way bigger than its ‘brother’ town – Veli (Big) Lošinj)

I will begin to make accommodation arrangements some time in April 2009 based on received confirmation from all of you. Also, if some of you wish to make your own arrangements for the hotels that’s O.K. too, just please let me know.

HOTELS LOSINJ

We are planning to stay at the Hotel Punta in V. Losinj. Here are two similar links to the same hotel:

http://www.losinj-hotels.com/English

http://www.island-losinj.com/

 The hotel complex Punta contain 181 single and double rooms and 53 family rooms, situated on the promontory dominating the Veli Losinj bay. Rooms have central heating, bathroom (shower), telephone, SAT-TV, and sea side balcony.
New building has 4 stars apartments on international level. Apartments Punta are equipped with air-conditioned, telephone, SAT-TV, hairdryer, bed clothes, modern kitchen and bad. All apartments have a balcony, most of which have sea views. It is surrounded by beautiful pine woods with a spectacular view to the transparent sea and the mainland Mountains.

Those who love sports will appreciate 13 tennis courts, mini golf courts, table tennis, and billiards as well as boat and sunshade rental on the hotel beach which is awarded with Blue Flag.

Entertainment and animation for the whole family starts with morning gymnastics and continues in team games, music or folklore evenings including cocktails and food degustation.

From the summer of 2005. we are able to offer you beauty and wellness program. You can choose between massages, facials, essential or body care. You can use some package arrangement, anti stress package; firm your skin, relaxing moments or wellness weekend.

If you want us to calculate the price of your vacation for you, please fill in the booking form and you will receive the total price of services required.

Apartment Punta exclusive, prices in EURO (2008.), daily rent

Registration – 7,00 Kn per person

 Contact us at any time, we will be happy to give you the information you need.

You can contact us by e-mail, fax, and phone during our working hours, or you can fill out the contact form below. We encourage you to contact us by Internet, as the fastest and most reliable means of getting all the necessary information.

 ASL AGENCY d.o.o.
Tourist agency “Turist”
O.M.T. 17
HR-51551 Velli Lošinj
Tel: 00385 51 236 256
Fax: 00385 51 236 256
E-mail: info@island-losinj.com
Internet: www.island-losinj.com
Tax number: 0699829
Code: HR-AB-51-0401
Main manager: Tihana Dakić-Barichievich

 I hope this was helpful information.

Regards, Zdenko