This was last year. You were happy. Let us make sure this year is special too.
It gives me a great pleasure to be the one who can organise
this special Bday blog for Alice. A truly wonderful person, but if you ever try
to tell her she is indeed amazing, she will undoubtedly rebuff you. She is a
special person to those who contributed here and to those who would had they
had enough time. You are loved by many Alice Tall, we wanted you to know this
on this special day, when you turn thirty years old!
There will be a special surprise for you and this was all
initiated by Gabor, who is absolutely crazy about you and under detailed
instruction and supervision of Karine – these two great people deserve a round
of applause.
Alice was born in France and from an early age showed traits of perseverance
and strong will. Everyone knew she would one day move mountains. The photographs sent by Danielle, speak volumes of
motherly love. Now being a mother herself, Alice can probably understand more…
Mother and daughter
This is the touching message from a loving mother to her daughter on her birthday:
30 ans !
Mon cher Poussin,
Oui, je sais, cela fait un peu bébé de t'appeler poussin, mais tu restes toujours « mon petit poussin » même si tu as grandi en taille et en sagesse !
Toute petite, déjà, ton caractère bien affirmé, présageait une suite mouvementée.
A commencer, par ton entrée à la crèche, puis à la maternelle, où ton intrépidité me donnait parfois des frissons : tu voulais grimper partout et le personnel avait du mal à gérer.
L'école primaire t'a connue plus calme mais toujours joyeuse et avide d'apprendre. Les maîtresses et les maîtres successifs n'avaient pas de reproches à faire quant à l'apprentissage sauf, peut-être le bavardage et l'agitation, mais … bon, c'était toi !
Puis vinrent les années Collège. Ton intérêt pour les langues étrangères, notamment l'anglais, s'est affirmé. Ton BEPC en poche, tu as franchi le seuil du Lycée du Cailly pour ressortir avec ton BAC, et la porte du Lycée Flaubert en décrochant au passage ton BTS.
Un jour, quelqu'un m'a dit : « Elle ira loin votre fille ... ». C'était vrai ! Pour les études et les voyages, j'ai parcouru plusieurs kilomètres, même virtuels, avec toi ...
Ton attirance pour les horizons nouveaux t'a dirigée vers les Etats-Unis, puis vers la Suède, en qualité de jeune fille au pair. A ton retour de Suède, « tes bébés » te manquaient déjà mais tu as su conservés des liens amicaux avec ta famille d'accueil et c'est formidable.
De retour en France, il était impossible que tu restes en place, tu cherchais déjà à repartir ! Et c'est la Grande-Bretagne qui t'a accueillie !
Tu as trouvé un logement, du travail, des amis et … l'amour !
Puis, un jour, tu m'as appelée sur SKYPE et tu m'as dit de m'asseoir ! Je ne comprenais pas vraiment pourquoi … Tu m'as montré une image qui représentait un drôle de petit bonhomme … et je suis restée quelques minutes sans réaliser ce que tu voulais me dire.
Et d'un coup, j'ai compris : j'allais être grand-mère !!!
Une grande joie m'a envahie car je me demandais quand je pourrais goûter ce plaisir offert à toutes les mamans.
Et Noé est arrivé !
Et depuis plus de 20 mois, tu assumes avec Gàbor, ton foyer, tes études et l'éducation de votre bébé !
Je n'ai pas détaillé certains moments de ces 30 ans passés mais que de bonheur et d'émotions tu m'as fait vivre !
Alors, je souhaite que cette journée te rappelle combien je t'aime et que je suis fière de toi et de ton parcours.
Je suis à tes côtés par la pensée pour cette joyeuse garden-party, entourée de tes amis et des deux hommes de ta vie, ton cher Gàbor et ton très cher Noé.
BON ANNIVERSAIRE, mon grand Poussin !
Et mille bisous de ta maman
Danielle's favourite photo of little Alice
She will always be my little girl... no matter how grown up she is
Alice in her younger days...
She clearly loved birthday cakes from an early age
A bundle of cuteness... She loved music from her early days. Maybe that is why she is such a good singer and dancer.
Did she like getting into trouble or was just curious?
A little traveller: here in Dakar, Senegal.
Can you find the little one? So stylish from the beginning.
Alice loves her grandmother very much.
And grandma loves Alice
La grand-mère
d’Alice s’est rappelé ceci :
« Quand
Alice s’asseyait sur mon canapé, elle s’entourait toujours de tous les coussins
comme pour se faire un nid douillet … »
« Ma
fenêtre de cuisine donnait sur le Collège Gounod. Quand Alice sortait des cours
et qu’elle me voyait, elle ne manquait jamais, avec ses copines, de me faire un
petit signe ».
Quant à moi,
je me souviens de ses facéties à la crèche. Les femmes de service craignaient
toujours de voir Alice grimper sur les chaises et les tables empilées … elle
grimpait partout dès qu’elle le pouvait !
The intention of this blog entry is not to tell the story of
Alice’s life but to make her realise how much her family loves her and so that she knows has made contributions to the
lives of many friends around her.
I am one of them… Our story began with Alice’s CV being sent
to school on 22nd November 2010 and then being forwarded to me by
our then boss Andy. His email said: cv's - call whoever you think looks best - shame there
aren't photos! (2nd December 2010). I did call Alice
and to my silent outrage a grumpy voice picked up the phone and she was not
that keen on coming for the interview as she was under the weather. Who would
have thought this initial encounter would develop into friendship. Needless to
say, she got the job and we saw each other nearly every day for the next 5
years, until she quit in 2015 to make her dream come true, to study and for other reasons that are not not be mentioned.
As a
colleague I always found Alice innovative, dependable, punctual, hard-working,
reliable, accountable, effective and efficient. Her integrity is something I
invariably envied. She will not put up with anything she does not consider
worthy of her time or attention. If you piss her off, you will know quickly to back off.
As a friend, I have come to recognise softness
in her. She cares about her friends and has time for them or more importantly she will make time for
them. She has been with me through one of the most difficult times of my life
and listened to me without tiredness or indignation. She has always been there
and I will be forever grateful. She is a caring partner, a loving mother and
meticulous student who is a perfectionist. She is a foodie and an amazing cook.
She never gives up, even in the moments of hardship. She is ambitious, goal
driven, determined and diligent. When
she starts something, she will finish it. Alice loves children; in fact she
adores them and she had always known she wanted to become a mother. She is a
fantastic one who juggles family life and uni life with an admirable skill.
Her friends love her dearly and on a day like this want to express their love. Happy Birthday dear Alice!!!!
Hi Alice,
We were
going to write a story but as we all sit next to you trying to finish these
dissertations there simply is not enough time. “Not enough time”.
That seems to be our theme this entire year. Not enough time to do all
the course readings. Not enough time to write all of these essays.
Not enough time to look for jobs and plan hazy futures. Not enough time
for wonderful friends whom we have only just met. It may have only been a
year, but the crucible of LSE has forged a strong and lasting bond. We
have watched in awe as you have succeeded as an incredible student, mother,
partner, and friend. You are an amazing person and we are truly honoured
to call you a friend. So from all of your LSE friends, we wish you the
happiest of birthdays and a glorious future yet to come.
Trevor,
Marc, Fiku, Monty, and Nyags.
Alice Mid-Convo
Alice, Monty and Nyagz
A day out in Tate Modern
Here are are a few pics I had of Alice, I hope they are what you are looking for so that the presentation/slideshow is fabulous.
The one titles Alice Mid-Convo was at her house where she graciously hosted us one afternoon and the picture shows Noe sneaking up to her mid-conversation right before he jumped on her back.
Lastly the one titled Alice, Monty and Nyagz is a pic of Alice with her lovely smile.
Louisa
Ma
très chère Alice
Encore
une fois, (parce que je ne m'en lasse pas):
"Très
joyeux anniversaire!! hipipipe!! "
Tu
vois le côté inoubliable dont je te parlais?! lol
Comme
les images sont plus parlantes que les mots, j'ai "tenté", je dis
bien tenté, de sélectionner environ une photo par an qui me tenait à coeur
parce que mine de rien, 30 bougies c'est une chose, mais autant d'années
d'amitié, ça, ça fait prendre un sacré coup de vieux!!lol
Tant
d'années passées ensemble et encore tant d'autres à venir et à partager avec
toujours plus de bonheur et d'amour!!
je
t'embrasse fort et bon visionnage des photos!! (tu ne m'en voudras pas j'espère
pour les photos choisies!)
Tant
de photos mais encore plus de moments partagés, et autant d'étapes
franchies!!
Expire
au maximum...
Inspire
profondément...
Et
souffle toutes tes bougies!
Que
tous tes voeux se réalisent ma Lily!
Joyeux
30 ans!!
Athéna.
(...) this particular day we
spent together...
Alice and I know each other for about 2 years now. Karine introduced us together and since then we often go out together for a "Frenchy Girls Brunch". Talking about food, she likes to share with us her latest healthy recipes, which actually turn out that we are eating healthier since then. ;-)
Alice is a truly wonderful friend, she is always smiling and caring about people. She is also a lovely mum, and probably THE MOM of the year. She is studying, working, taking care of Noé at the same time and always finds time to meet with friends. Which always had surprised me!
Alice and I know each other for about 2 years now. Karine introduced us together and since then we often go out together for a "Frenchy Girls Brunch". Talking about food, she likes to share with us her latest healthy recipes, which actually turn out that we are eating healthier since then. ;-)
Alice is a truly wonderful friend, she is always smiling and caring about people. She is also a lovely mum, and probably THE MOM of the year. She is studying, working, taking care of Noé at the same time and always finds time to meet with friends. Which always had surprised me!
Marie Anne
I
met Alice 8 years ago in Stockholm, Sweden. At that time Alice just arrived in
Sweden and a common friend, Pauline, introduced us. The truth is that Pauline
wanted me to come along in case you guys happened to be from totally different
universes. That was the best move she's ever done as on that day I met one of
my closest friend.
I
remember moving to London afterwards and losing touch but soon Alice crossed
the North Sea and we were back to having Fikas again!! Literally touring coffee
shops all over London. Sure, at first, we were lazy arses blaming the
distance but soon enough we started meeting regularly around a coffee/brunch
with exciting stories and updates. It was something to look forward to and IT
STILL IS! I absolutely love catching up with you!!
Out
of all the memories I have of our Fikas, I keep the announcement of your
pregnancy dear to my heart. The Nordic Bakery it was, a nice link between the
past, present and future.
Karine (an absolute organisation star by the way)
Does she not have the most gorgeous smile...
With lots of Birthday love from Alina.
Ma Lily, tu fêtes aujourd’hui tes 30 ans, ce qui signifie que cela fait 27 ans qu’on se connait !!!!
Bon en 27 ans, il y en a eu des évènements entre nous des bons comme
des mauvais…. Je garde plus les bons en tête car il y en a eu heureusement
plus J
J’en ai pleins qui me viennent à
l’esprit : les mercredis après-midi passés ensemble, les histoires qu’on
s’inventer en cours, le concert d’Eminem ou plus récemment ta grossesse.
Je dois dire que tu as toujours
était présente dans tous les moments importants de ma vie et j’espère avoir
répondu présente aussi pour toi.
Bon 30 ans, c’est quand même un
âge important, une étape pour regarder ce que l’on a accompli mais surtout pour
ce dire qu’on a encore beaucoup de temps pour réaliser ses rêves et en avoir de
nouveaux !!!!
Je te souhaite un très très
joyeux anniversaire
Pleins de bonheur, d’amour, de
réussite professionnelle et tout ce que tu souhaites
Je t’aime très fort ma Lilyters
Emyshall ;)
We met in 2001 in the first year of high school, she was reading a magazine about TV series. Realised she was reading something about Buffy and I told her I liked it too. She gave me a cold shoulder, but a few week later we were friends. Happy Birthday Alice!
Pierre
Pierre
Everyone who knows Alice is in awe of her commitment and incredible strength.
Graduation day. Everyone was so proud.
She does not give up...perseverance is her second name
She is an explorer, a dreamer and a traveller...Did you know she had a blog of her own?
http://lily-o-usa.skyrock.com
http://lily-o-usa.skyrock.com
Greece
A foodie who shares her passion for cooking and happily suggests new palate explorations. She is always happy to offer her unique take on food.
An incredible mum. Strong, caring, loving, devoted - a mother who will show Noe the best things in life she can.
Dear Princess
I love you mum!!!
Happy Birthday
It is time to celebrate your birthday! This special day!
We love you Alice Tall
30 things we know about Alice
1. She is a huge fan of Jamie's 15 Minute Meals Show ;) Yane
2. She is hilarious and doesn't even know how funny she is! Louisa
3. She is super strong and driven!!! Karine
4. She absolutely loves Sweden. For good reasons. There cannot possibly be any wrong reasons.
5. Whenever I meet her she's energetic and so happy. Mary
6. She is a great cook!
7. She considers anyone who eats plain scones BORING!
8. She is a globetrotter.
9. When she was younger, I mean in primary school, she used to smell her arms...so sweet! (NB not armpits)
10. She fought easily with boys who disturbed her.
11. She loves dancing with just a few notes of music. She has it inside. I think it is coming from her African heritage.
12. She was hyperactive as a child!
13. Decisive and tremendously brave!!!! Determined and organised. Helpful and ready to listen to others. No time waster.
14. The owner of the best legs ;)
15. Staunch supporter of IRON MAN competitions.
16. She can swear at her computer in a continuous manner for 3.5 minutes if things go wrong - in French! 'Mais non imbecile! being repeated all the time in between.
17. She has stellar organisation skills.
18. A huge fan of 30 ROCK.
19. Adores Tina Fay.
20. Wonder Alice - she organised her own baby shower whilst studying, working and, well, being pregnant.
20. She is no stranger to bed sharing in London.
21. Whilst asleep would unwittingly place her delicate hand on her gay friend's genitalia, giggle while asleep. Mortified the next day as had absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever.
22. Not a great fan of running and yet completed 5km race while pregnant to help raise money for Cancer research.
23. Would frequent YMCA (gym in central London) with a childlike obsession to win the best class attender competition. Completed over 20 classes in a week and won!
24. She has a remarkable disdain for any food products with added sugar.
25. She has a serious fear of bees and wasps. She often thinks her own hair is a bug when it brushes against her face.
26. She used to love the Lumineers and would hum 'Ho Hey'.
27. Frugal with money. Took on babysitting in the evenings to organise a trip to Greece on her own.
28. A great partner in crime. We helped ourselves to Starbucks mugs after finishing our coffee.
29. When you buy a coffee for her, you get the most complex instructions and if it is not the way she wants it, she will return it and supervise them while they are doing it again.
30. Loves little IKEA trips and pink colour!
Happy Birthday!!!!
We really hope you enjoyed our little surprise
We know you liked the reason we needed you out of the house!
