Snow!

To say that we are excited here is a huge understatement. After two winters of heavy snowfall, this year we have been left with... nothing. Until today, that is. When we woke up this morning, it was to find about an inch or two of the fluffy white stuff all over the ground. As I was doing my happy dance all around the living room, the kids were rolling their eyes and asking what the big deal was. (You'll have to excuse them. After 4 years in Alaska, they're a little jaded about snow.) My American friends over here get it, though. They did the virtual happy dance with me on FaceBook. And some even braved the elements to get out and explore the gorgeous day with me. It's still falling, slow and steady outside my window. Who knows what tomorrow may bring, so I'm certainly going to enjoy today. I mean, come on. It's SNOW!

The House Fairy is On Strike...

Or maybe she's just on vacation. Either way, the house is a mess. When I first moved here, I was inspired by the locals and how energetic they were. The second it stopped raining, they were all outside with their buckets and rags, cleaning the spots off their windows. Or stooped over, painstakingly pulling the tiny weeds from the gravel easement in front of their houses. At this very moment, the neighbors are probably peeking at my windows and shaking their heads in disgust. Lazy American. I'm sorry. Truly I am. I have the best of intentions. For instance, a couple of days ago... I ran out of mazout. That's the heating oil that not only warms our house, but also our water. To run out is a crime. An embarrassment. An outrage. But it happened. Blame the lazy house fairy. The mazout people were kind enough to do a same day delivery for me, but they couldn't give me an exact time. I'm fine with that, because beggars can't be choosers. Besides, it was the perfect excuse to clean the house. I can't leave, so why not do something productive with my day. After getting ready, I decided to just check my messages before I got started. I read and answered email. No problem. Then I figured I'd just check my messages on FaceBook. Here's where things started to slide down hill. There is a reason my hubby refers to FaceBook as the devil. I FaceBooked... which led into Pinteresting... which carried on to Googling. Next thing you know, the entire day is gone and the Mazout guy is pulling up in front of the house for my delivery. And my house is still messy. Maybe the House Fairy and I need to have a little chat. Something about getting her priorities in order perhaps. I'll get to it in a minute. FaceBook just whispered something to me. It was something about going over to the Dark Side. I hear they have cookies.

Pottery Class

I'm just a few days into my second session of pottery classes in Belgie, and quite frankly, they are the highlight of my week. Who knew how relaxing and enjoyable it is to sit at a spinning wheel, covered in clay up to your elbows, and just create? And why didn't you share this secret with me sooner? I'm sure a lot of it has to do with our awesome teacher. He has a great sense of humor, and is infinitely patient with the crazy ladies that make up his class. He doesn't even flinch any more when I start out with "I saw this picture online..." or "Is it possible to..." He just tells me to go for it and gives me little pointers along the way to keep me on track. Of course, there have been a few times that we've gotten a little carried away (OK, very carried away) with our chatter at our coffee break. Poor Danny just leans back, shakes his head, and says "I'm glad my English is not so good." You're a very brave man, Danny. Very brave indeed.

Antwerp For Lunch

Just a few years ago, today would never have seemed possible. Sometimes I still have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. On a whim, I asked some friends if they would like to go to Antwerp for lunch. They did, of course. I mean, who wouldn't? It wasn't long ago that lunch with friends meant the food court at the local mall. (And that was a treat in itself.) Today, we took the train to Antwerp, walked down the city streets to the Cathedral, and had hand tossed pizza in a lovely little Italian Cafe in the shadow of the Church. And it was fantastic. Of course, the company was the best part of the day. We laughed, explored, ate, shopped, and laughed some more. These are the things that I will remember most when we have to leave Europe. Great times with great people. I am truly blessed.

I'm Short!

Right now, my family and civilian friends are saying "No you're not. You're actually pretty tall." My military friends know exactly what I'm talking about. We've all been there. Being short means that you only have a little time left on your current assignment. In fact, we only have around 5 months left in beautiful Belgium. Part of me is very excited, because it's been almost 7 years since we lived in the lower 48, but another part of me is sad. There are so many things that I'll miss about this place...the small town atmosphere, riding bikes along the canal, listening to the church bells ringing out the hours in the centrum of town, fresh flowers at affordable prices, the local bakery, train trips, being so close to amazing cities that I never dreamed I'd be able to visit. The list goes on and on. If I could bundle up Belgium and stick in smack dab in the middle of the United States, I'd do it and live there happily for the rest of my life. On the other hand, I'm so excited to be back in the great US of A. I can't wait to be smart again and understand every sign I look at and everything that they're saying on the radio. I can't wait to be able to walk into a Target or Walmart and find everything I need in one place. (Trust me, it's a modern miracle. If they opened one of those stores here, they would be millionaires over night.) I miss my kids going to a school that isn't an hour away. I miss roads that run North, South, East and West. (Over here they resemble the spokes on a bicycle tire. And they meander. A lot.) I'm sure the next few months will fly by at an amazing rate of speed, and we will soon be on a plane to our next assignment. Wherever our road leads, it will be to yet another amazing adventure. I think that Belgium, like Alaska, will always hold a very special place in my heart. And every day I am grateful that we got the chance to live here and experience it. But I can't wait to see what's next...

New Beginnings

You know what I love best about the New Year? Getting a new calendar. I love opening it up for the first time and seeing all those blank days, just waiting to be filled with adventures and opportunities. I always shop around for a weekly calendar, because that works best with our busy household. You can see the entire weeks activities and appointments at a single glance, so you can prepare for what is to come. And then... I start filling the pages. School. Appointments. TDY's. Vacations. Birthdays. Coffee with friends. Everything goes in my little calendar. In it's own way, it tells the story of our lives. Hope your calendar is filled with endless possibilities for the New Year.