I must say, in the short time we have lived here in Amsterdam, we have made some friends that have been an impact to our lives. Our neighbors in our old building are amazing. They have taken care of the apartment while we were back in the USA attending to Eric. They took the mail, watered the plants and made sure everything was on the up and up in Amsterdam. That's the reason why those particular neighbors and some friends Eric made on Facebook were a part of our celebration of life here in Amsterdam. We had two celebrations, one at our favorite restaurant, Restaurant Elkaar on Alexanderplein and then we did a canal dinner cruise as well. Both were fitting celebrations for Eric and his life, legacy and impact. Even though his presence wasn't long, Eric's influence to be able to bring people together has shown through during both celebrations.
The first was on Thursday, September 16th 2021, at Restaurant Elkaar. I discovered this gem when I was looking for our apartment back in July 2020. Chef Rob Hagen is an amazing artisan chef that brings excitement to every menu, which changes weekly. My mom and sisters-in-law enjoyed dinner immensely. It was a stretch outside of their comfort zone, but I was glad that they were willing to stretch their culinary pallet. We went to Artis, had a drink at Cafe de Plantage and on our 16th wedding anniversary day, Sept 17th, we did a canal cruise to celebrate his life, love and music. at 10PM, as the bells rang at Westerkerk Church, I dedicated some flowers in honor of Eric on Prinsengracht, which is our favorite canal, by tossing them into the canal. The days were full of activities or as Eric would say "what's the itinerary" I took the family to the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museums. And the one experience they love was the Rice Table at Sama Sebo in Museumplein. The celebration continued as we toured the countryside not too far from Amsterdam: Edam, Volendam and windmills. Every day that we had was beautiful, no rain at all, bright sunny days...Eric shining down on us.
The firstursday, September 16th 2021, at Restaurant Elkaar. I discovered this gem when I was looking for our apartment back in July 2020. Chef Rob Hagen is an amazing artisan chef that brings excitement to every menu, which changes weekly. My mom and sisters-in-law enjoyed dinner immensely. It was a stretch outside of their comfort zone, but I was glad thatchy \were willing to stretch their culinary pallet. We went to Artis, had a drink at Cafe de Plantage. On our anniversary, Sept 17th, we did a canal cruise to celebrate his life, love and music. at 10PM as the bells at Westerkerk Church rang, I dedicated some flowers in honor of Eric on Prinsengracht, which is our favorite canal. Afterwards, I took the family to the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh. The one experience they love was the Rice Table at Sama Sebo in Museumplein. The celebration continued as we toured the countryside not too far from Amsterdam: Edam, Volendam and windmills. Every day that we had was beautiful, no rain at all, bright sunny days...Eric shining down on us
I haven't spread his ashes in the canals yet. I will do that before my Mom and I head to Santorini, Greece. I want to celebrate Eric by leaving a part of him here in Amsterdam, in an urn, and spreading him in the city he and I loved together. We were supposed to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary in Greece, and we will. I will spread his ashes there as well. The celebration of his life will continue in Atlanta. I haven't decided if I'm going to just have it catered at our home or a location. I'll finalize the Atlanta plans before I head back October 19. I want to have that celebration on his birthday, November 15th. We'll probably do something that Sunday, the 14th, since the 15th is on a Monday.
I will continue to celebrate his life and legacy by continuing VGJazz Presents. I probably will not start that up until the Spring of 2022. The plan is to do shows in Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and London. I also want to make each show not only about his legacy and the music, but also about fighting pancreatic cancer. But I'm still in the planning stage and working on taking over the business.
So yes, I will continue to celebrate him every single day of my life for as long as I have breath. I will continue to honor this amazing Son, Brother, Cousin, Uncle, Friend, Colleague, Neighbor, and Husband, for the rest of my days. I will love you forever babe.....forever!
Restaurant Elkaar, trip to the country side, drinks at Cafe de Plantage
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