Merry Christmas......

Christmas Letter December 2006,
No, no, no I haven’t forgotten my annual letter…..It’s just that on Dec 22nd I got the surprise of my life and my Christmas present early…..so I had to re organise my letter…
Well this year, with so much excitement in September we forgot to book our flights to Miami for
X-mas, when we realized flight prices were already sky high, we decided at that time to also check out flights for LA and found some reasonable tickets…so in talking back and forth the Antonioni’s and Seboun’s agreed , why not LA for Christmas….and New Years in Vegas….We could see Natasha’s new hair salon which by the way was inaugurated end of November and their brand new Home which they finally moved into beginning of December…..well it sounded like great fun, until dad announced to all of us that Mom’s heart problem was a bit iffy, do to some changes in medication…..don’t worry we’ll all come to you guys…..yea easier said that done….by this time no flights were available, and if there were they had connections and were outrageously priced…..
Conclusion Christmas everyone in their home!!!!
I was quite devastated and sad as Christmas I’ve always spend it with all of my family.... we hang with mom, dad, Pablito and the kids and welcome in the new year together.... I look so much forward in all of us being reunited, we all live so far away from each other, literally one in every corner of the world, but no matter were we are we somehow manage to get it together and make it for x-mas dinner....This year will be a bit different....
Well not for long as I got home Friday night from my last trip of the year to Spain, Greg greeted me and I asked him to bring Jose (our chauffer) a bottle of the wine….you go he said I don’t know were you put them….as I walked into the living room the first face I saw was Pablo….I was so shocked I guess my first thought was what happened why is he here, and as I walked in to hold him in my arms there were mom and dad….boy they blew me away….the best Christmas present ever….I wouldn’t of imagined them coming in a million dreams, specially with the cold weather we get at this time of the year…thank you for being so courageous and the best parents ever....I also thank my Grego for willing to deal with all of us under one roof in the cold....and my kids for being able to keep a secret...wow they really blew me away.....and then to top it off….The next morning Gussy called at 5am and said open the door, I’m down stairs, as I put the slippers on to run down stairs he said….just kidding….don’t worry I’ll get you back bro….but know I was a bit sad it was a joke….
Well I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and I wish you all a very magical and fun-filled New Year.
For us it’s been a fun and busy year.
Every year writing my letter has become like a great challenge, and a little project that takes me some time to do, but something I truly enjoy doing. I have been keeping a journal for several years now, well actually I have several journals around the house, but how to sum up a year in a couple of pages, not, so easy…So I sit and go threw pages of writings, recipes, photos, poems, notes and so on of things I paste and wrote threw out the year….notes from the kids, pictures they drew etc….so much happens every year…so many things that are now memories, but memories that hopefully I will never forget….so as I sit and write my letter I go threw so many memories and try and sort out the ones that really have marked our year and write them down, and maybe one day when Chloé and Dylan are big they go threw my letters and it will help them remember stories from the past....Chloe and Dylan are getting so big, they have changed so much the last year, specially Dylan, trying to affirm himself and convincing me everyday that he is becoming a little man now….Were is my little baby gone….I realize more than ever I should of gone for a number 3 because soon he’ll be calling me Andrea instead of mom, and I’m not ready for that yet…..
After the episode we endured last year with him and his head surgery, I reduced my travel to about 6 to 7 business trips a year…… Dylan is much better and what happened last summer is a closed chapter in our lives and much was learned…. thank you all for your concerns, support and your love…
This year Dylan turned 9 and started 4th grade, has been working extremely well in school and he reads beyond believe, he is a total poet, reads with such charisma that he makes you travel throughout his story readings….As a matter of fact last year he was asking to take acting lessons and this year I found him a fantastic theatre teacher and he loves it. The end of the school year they will performing in a big Play and he will be portraying Cesar….he continues his tennis and has made it to the ‘‘espoir’’ team, the team of all the future hopes as they call them….he has decided to let his hair long and no one can touch it once his combed it, God forbid he’ll have to start all over….he kisses me goodbye in the car now no question of doing it in front of his friends….and the other day he said to me ‘‘mom, I’ve been thinking instead of calling me Didou, Chou Chou, mon amour, angel, just call me DYLAN’’……well his just becoming a little man, I guess….
As for my Chloé, Gods bless her…. She is now 10 and in 5th grade, she has settled down a bit since last year, and that’s a good thing, she loves school and as Dylan has been working extremely well, I’ve been helping her quite a bit with work as this year has been a lot heavier since they are preparing them for college (middle school) and she loves the attention. The other day the teacher said Chloe is working outstandingly in class and she asked me if I got a private tutor, I said your looking at her, so that kind of made me feel good , but what makes me feel even better is hearing Chloé tell her dad that she prefers my method…lol…This year she has been able to analyse different perspectives to situations, I guess everything comes with age….She’s a computer wizard, knows how to surf around like a total pro, will even e-mail me files when I forget to down load them onto my laptop, she’s great…. She has been very loyal to her good friend Claire, and to her little friend Clement…Music and dance passionate her, and she really has a great rhythm, don’t know were she gets it from!!! She’s still taking modern jazz and this year both her and Dylan signed up for Hip Hop and they love it…she’s also taking an arts and craft course that she very much looks forward too, and every 2 weeks brings me a magnificent piece of art work…she’s a true free spirit, but quite wise and cautious yet very fashionista and in doing do leaves the room like a department store after x-mas day, I threatened to take a picture of her room and send it out as our x-mas card some thing like from my home to yours, (an idea a friend gave me, well her mom actually did do that) and so far so good it seems to be working out…so thanks my friend, don’t worry I won’t give away your identity away….
They have both filled my year with great joy and admiration as to how responsible they are willing to be…thank you for being so good, I must say, but thank you also for being kids…. You keep me young and on my toes….
As far as my Grego goes, his been so busy this year….Flying around the word from Bangkok , Hong Kong, Tunisia and New York, I think he’s got in enough miles in Air France this year to send us on at least two trips for free next year….He launched his two new lines DN67 and Noa Joe at the Salon de Prêt a Porte in Paris, in September and did quite well, hired a great team of new young fresh blood, cute too, to rep his lines and so far so good, the best is yet to come…
As far as I’m concerned I had a full year, the house as usual takes some percentage of my health, but I’ve also put some of that energy into my new membership at the gym Greg offered me in September....working on ‘‘the body’’...I would like to welcome the 40’s in better shape....I’ve also discovered a clinic in Versailles, the clinic of youth as I put it , with many youthful treatments, I mean lets be real after a certain age if we can help our skin to look younger, why not before having to get the ‘‘nip and tuck’’ action.... I’m still working, which is good in a big way, at least it keeps one foot in the door, and I do truly still enjoy my work, if it should be called work at all, I feel more like the expensive decorator!!! But, I am truly grateful they still need me...they are a great bunch...
Here is pretty much how the year passed by..... I tried my best.....to compress it....
February break we spend it in Courchevel Skiing with our close friends the Ribardier’s, this time we rented a chalet and it was great fun…Skiing the 3 Valleys, Meribel, Val Thorenes, Les Menuires and Couchevel, the largest skiing resort in the world…2nd week we flew to New York and landed in the Largest Snow storm New York has had in 20years… ‘‘The Blizzard’’ as they put it, was unbelievable….mom and Dad joined us from Florida and we spent a great couple of days together in piles of white snow which soon became slushy and muddy…If we would of know I wouldn’t of unpacked the moon boots....Showing New York to the kids was great fun , The Empire state Building with King Kong greeting us at the door, The Statute of Liberty, I even took them to Brooklyn and we walked the Brooklyn bridge back to the city, go to even see the Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, being back brought so many memories…Got to see my close friends, Karen, Megan, David and Nadine, Chris and Bernadine…As we said bye, bye to New York and all the hamburgers in a nice stretch limo Greg surprised us with , I wondered when we will be back in this magical place….
March 23rd the same day as moms Bday Bella Badila du Clos des Aubepines was born, Chloé and Dylan’s long awaited x-mas present. A Golden Retriever, as beautiful as Nikita but boy has she done some good damage, the garden looks like a hurricane hit it, Greg’s car has scars all over it, she’s so big she’s like a Beethoven we actually hesitated with that name since it’s the year of the B…Poor Mimi has been terrorised by her, but Nikita is thrilled to have a new friend…
April we headed to our favourite place...Island Maurice to celebrate Easter Break. This time we stayed at the Dina Robin Hotel which was fabulous, it part of the Beachcomber hotels…We left again with the Hanse family, It’s becoming a little ritual….This trip we bumped into some friends that also live in Bazainville literally backdoor neighbours….too funny it’s really becoming a small place. I tried Golfing for the first time and loved it, have made it my top sport on my list…
Month of May was a busy travelling month as both Greg and I were preparing Collections, Mom and Dad celebrated their 42nd anniversary in Rome and would soon be coming to visit....I also started my cooking classes, which by the way I love...
In the beginning of June Mom, dad and Gustavo were with us for a couple of days, and then Caroline came and stayed with us before she would leave for China for a whole year in September...
June was quite a special month for me, for several years now I have wanted to join an association and help children who have been abused or abandoned I’ve been wanting to help those who are less fortunate and have lost faith and hope...and in having no luck in finding something close to home I decided to go to Lourdes, in return for all the blessings I get daily in my life. This year finally I was able to prepare my family for this long awaited pilgrimage.
It’s not evident to share such a spiritual trip and experience with just anyone, my friend Catherine has been doing this the past two years and has shared her experiences with me something that not many people are receptive to, therefore she knew I would love to share this trip with her, another special person that I wanted to extend the invitation to was my dear friend Danny from Argentina that now lives in Miami. Danny has had an extremely difficult year loosing a very dear friend to Cancer a battle that has left him very exhausted. This trip would help to re focus and to get some of that love back and to realise that we must not loose hope and faith.
My experience in Lourdes has been one that I will never forget… I felt great love. Love and a superior energy that you get from the powerful presence of everyone there and even more so from the patients who suffer from all kinds of diseases who were there to received our humble help… We left with the Pilgrimage Dioceses of Castellon (Spain). It is an impressive organisation. Our mission was to participate as transporters this meant transporting the sick in their wheelchairs, or chariots to the different prayers, the grout, the bathing baths, but most important to have discussions with them to simply talk to them, share with them, give them hope, love, courage and of course hugs and kisses something that most of them are missing in their daily lives, during a week of prayers, masses and pilgrimage… I learned many things there and had some amazing miracles happen to me personally I will share them with anyone who would like to listen…
July we finalised collections and I left early with the kids for the US were Chloé and Dylan would soon start camp...
I signed them up at the American Heritage camp in Plantations Fl...about 20min bus ride from mom and dads apartment in Aventura...They loved it, Dylan played Tennis all day and video games and of course spoke English or should I say Spanish, one day he came home and said Mom I love this camp, Tennis and Video games all day and when I’m tired I just say ‘‘me duele la cabeza’’ , I said, ‘‘what?’’ ‘‘Me duele la cabeza,’’ Dylan, I said ‘‘you’re supposed to be talking in English, not in Spanish, what will, I tell your dad”....
Chloé literally lived a movie at that camp, her friends where so pretty all of them, little Barbie’s, the campus was amazing, she was living ‚‘‘The High School Musical”, she made so many friends she’s even e-mailing with some....and while they had fun I also got to enjoy my freedom a bit, I even got to see Madonna in concert, what a great night I had....thanks guys....
July was also a month of reconnecting with family got to spend some time with Gus, Pablito, Dario and Natasha who even made it out to see us, and I also got to see my cousin Mario from Mar del Plata, that was a great joy, it had been 6 long years…
Greg joined us in August, we were so happy to see him it had been a while...and soon we headed for Connecticut for this year we had our 20th year high school reunion....We first stopped in Philadelphia to visit uncle Mike and Tata and my cousin Alex it was great fun, we were sorry to miss the cousins who had just left for Argentina, we even went bowling....
Then we drove to Connecticut saw the old house in Darien and in Greenwich, gosh we relived so many memories...
We spent a whole day with the Engel’s on a magical island of Rowayton and had an amazing day with them and that night at The Tokeneke Club in Darien we reunited with all of our high school friends, 20 years later...it was so much fun, they all look amazing, have great situations and have created beautiful families....and boy did we party....I drank for 4 days straight If I stopped I think I would of passed out...
Even Greg danced....
September the year started for all of us again....Back to school and back to work...Greg had his big Show, Nadine Siskin my dear friend came for the shows and stayed in our home, we had great fun and she filled our home with great laughter, we miss ya.
Then we got a great surprise Cecilia and Arnaud’s announced wonderful news, that their expecting a little baby for 2007…how exciting a new baby…
October 2nd was a day of celebration, La Hacienda Azul is all ours...We finally finished our loan, no more loans hanging over our head.... Going back, I can remember the day we booked the appointment with the agency….how time fly’s by….
This year we celebrated Halloween at ‘‘Le Domain de Cleris’’ about 15 minutes after Fontainebleau, were Catherine and Olivier own a beautiful weekend Lodge house…It’s in a gorgeous Domain surrounded by a golf course, a pony club, huge inside and out door pools, Tennis, Ping-Pong, soccer field….and so on and so on….In the middle sits an amazing Chateau that has been converted into a hotel, many events are also held there for the residents of the domain….Halloween being one of them….kids had a blast trick-or-treating…..
Beginning of November we enjoyed Mamie Paul who was in Paris for a short visit this is Grego’s grandma from his father’s side, She’s 86 years old, incredible, very coquette (elegant) and still wears her high heels...It is always so nice to see her…
Thanksgiving we spent it around our table with the Macaire’s and the Hanse, Grego unfortunately was travelling the orient and was much missed...
November .......Bella finally stopped chasing Mimi (our cat )out of her own home...Mimi has finally some peace in her life....I guess she finally understood Mimi is part of the family...took her a while, thanks Mimi for being so patient....
This month I also decided Brunettes have more fun and died my hair Chocolate...started a little trend in my village because now all the blonds I knew are turning chocolate...lol....
The first weekend of December we had our towns ‘‘Marche de Noël’’ which was quite fun and original, many moms including me worked very hard at making x-mas crafts to sell and join money for the kids school. We also purchased our Christmas tree at the fair so the money would go for the school, soon the Hacienda Azul was bursting of Christmas spirit...
The 24th we drove over with our huge surprise to the Bittoun’s (Greg’s mom’s house), were we were a total of 30 for dinner, Jocelyne and the girls had prepared a heck of a feast....Thank you the Bittoun’s for such a great Christmas Feast....
So to my dear family and friends were ever you are I hope this year brings all of you great joy, health, love and much magic....
Dario, Natasha, Gussy and Caroline you were much missed by all of us, and hope you had a special Christmas Eve.
All the best from all of us at La Hacianda Azul....
Gregory, Chloé, Dylan, Nikita, Bella, Mimmi Rogers and me…..xxxoooxxx