BelgiumBarb

Snow!

2012-01-30T13:20:00.002+01:00

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...

2012-01-28T08:58:00.005+01:00

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

2012-01-26T18:34:00.005+01:00

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

2012-01-25T13:24:00.003+01:00

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!

2012-01-17T16:06:00.003+01:00

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

2012-01-01T19:12:00.004+01:00

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.

Dragons at Hoensbroek Castle!

2011-12-27T17:32:00.004+01:00

This week, Hoensbroek Castle is hosting Drakenkasteel (Dragon Castle). And signs of them are everywhere. You get to go on a treasure hunt to find them, but I'll give you a hint... Look in the attic. They are everywhere up there, and they have nests with baby dragons, too. Peek inside the little school room and you'll find a couple more. Even though we didn't understand enough Nederlands to go on the treasure hunt, we still had tons of fun searching for the mystical creatures. Now... if I can just talk Russ into letting me adopt one. I'm sure they don't eat much and I bet they're a breeze to house train!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:04:00.003+01:00

Merry Christmas. We had a fantastic day of opening gifts, spending time with and eating with friends, and relaxing with a movie. Hope yours was just as great.

Valkenburg Cave Christmas Market

2011-12-22T20:13:00.004+01:00

I hadn't planned on a return visit to the Christmas Markets in the Valkenburg Caves this year, but when a friend called me on the last day they were open, it was too much to resist. And I'm so glad I didn't even bother to try. It was a lot different from my visit with Russ last year. It was misting rain instead of snowing, and the decorations were all completely changed. We checked out the goodies at each booth, talked to the vendors, and had a delicious cup of cappucino and a fresh waffle with warm cherries on top at the cafe in the middle of the cave. I picked up a few last minute Christmas gifts, and Kimberly scored a gorgeous antique rocking horse. And we made a few new friends. But that's another story all together.

Cologne Christmas Market

2011-12-19T19:59:00.006+01:00

Russ had to work, so the kids and took off to Cologne, Germany, to go to their Christmas Markets. Cologne has not one, but FIVE different Christmas Markets. The one at the base of the Cathedral is my favorite. This year, we shopped under a canopy of Christmas lights. They did a fantastic job of decorating for the Markets. We spent the day wandering around the city with a fantastic group of people from KB. They had booths full of everything from ornaments and assorted gifts, to delicious food and gluhwein.

And don't forget a visit to the Nativity Scene: Mary and Joseph, pushing baby Jesus in a shopping cart. Hmmmm, something seems a little off about this, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I'm sure it's just me. Merry Christmas!

Hasselt Christmas Market

2011-12-17T15:45:00.004+01:00

Proving once again what an awesome person he is, Russ took me to yet another Christmas Market. Although he doesn't share my enthusiam for the markets, he is a really good sport about it and keeps me company any time he can. Today, we went to the market in Hasselt. We went pretty early in the morning, so we beat the crowds. It was great just to walk around and check things out. In case you are wondering, the kids chose to sleep in. The Christmas Break has officially begun, and they wanted to take full advantage of it. It was their loss, because this market had both a roller coaster and a Fun House.

Christmas in Belgium is just a little different from Christmas in America. This is where Santa and Rudolph come to kick off some steam. I'm thinking that Rudy has had one too many frosty mugs of beer. He's getting a little too frisky with Santa.

And is it just me, or is this a Christmas prostitute? She's standing by the lamp post holding her hand out for money. I guess this is how they get the Dads to come to the Christmas Markets with the wives and kids.

In all, Hasselt has a great Christmas Market. They even had Santa's house there. It was a adorable little log cabin, fully furnished and with Santa in residence. Sadly, my camera battery died when I walked in the building, so I don't have any pictures to share. You'll just have to go there and check it out for yourself!

KB Christmas Party

2011-12-16T16:33:00.004+01:00

Tonight was our Annual KB Christmas Party, and it was a huge success. We ate, drank, laughed, and ate some more. The group that put it on did a fantastic job, and everyone really enjoyed themselves. And guess what... it even snowed. OK, so it didn't stick, it still counts.

This cake was not only gorgeous, but so delicious! It was a white cake with a vanilla cream filling, frosted with whipped cream, and then topped with fresh fruit. And served on an antique mirror. It just doesn't get any better than that. (I could have eaten the whole thing myself.)

Of course with guys, it's never enough, so we stopped by the Wedelse Molen with some friends for a little more beer and a lot more laughter.

You should have seen our rather large group squeezing into the tiny cubby hole of a booth. (That's it on the left there.) In fact, the bartender came over and told us he had a bigger table that might be a little more comfortable, but we were happy where we were. Nights like tonight are what we'll remember for years to come. Great times with great friends.

KB Cookie Caper

2011-12-15T15:30:00.004+01:00

Each year, just before Christmas, the lovely ladies at KB get together for the Cookie Caper. We all bake lots of delicious cookies, and then get together and make up plates full of them to deliver to the unaccompanied airmen stationed at our base. This way, we get the enjoyment of holiday baking without the added calories going straight to our hind ends. And the airmen (who can afford the extra calories) seem to love it, too. This is what the weather was like last year when I drove to the base to assemble the plates. And this is what it looked like this year. My poor rose bushes are so confused with the warmer temperatures and all of the rain, that they actually started to bloom again. I assured them that this is December, but they didn't believe me. *sigh* We might not be seeing a white Christmas this year. Other than a few snow fluries that didn't stick, we're out of luck. Anyhoo, I had an awesome time today: assembling cookie plates, playing a stirring game of Bunco with the gals afterwards, and then enjoying a delicious lunch with the ladies and our husbands following our game. Hope your day was just as fantastic!

On The Twelfth Day of Christmas...Another Christmas Market!

2011-12-12T08:03:00.009+01:00

We normally have a bunch of snow at this time of the year, but Mother Nature has been cutting us some slack lately. And while I appreciate it when it comes to driving, I miss it's beautiful backdrop for our Christmas Markets.

When we were walking past this Santa statue, I noticed Russ kept his eyes on it. On closer inspection, I realized that it wasn't a statue at all.

This guy was excellent at staying in character. I watched him for a while, and he didn't even blink! He was completely still until some little ones came by. Then he moved ever so slowly until he lowered his basket enough for them to get a treat. Two thumbs up for Mr. Santa Statue!

The temporary ice skating rink was also a big hit - with all ages!

My favorite part of any Christmas Market is just walking around, listening to the music (it's American!), and people watching. And the food is delicious, too.

The old Visitors Center was looking particularly lovely this year. She had a face lift this past year, and is now a fantastic restaurant. They added a hotel off to the side, as well.

One day closer to Christmas. I'm not very well prepared this year, but it's all good. I'm sure the last minute gift panic will kick in any day now and I'll lose my cool, but for now... I'm relaxing with a hot cup of coffee and my awesome family. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

On The Eleventh Day Of Christmas...A Christmas Market In Commanderij Gruitrode

2011-12-11T08:15:00.005+01:00

The Commanderij Gruitrode is a fascinating place. The original Commanderij was built here in 1418. Unfortunately, after some serious squabbles between families, that building was destroyed. The current Commanderij was built between 1485 and 1568. Until 1801, it was one of the subordinate commanderies under Alden Biesen. If it looks familiar to you, it's because it's also home to the Royce Feesten (Royal Festival) that's held in the summer.

Today, the Commanderij was host to a small but lovely Christmas Market.

Santa (at least the one present today) is the owner. He was a very friendly gentleman and told us that if weren't so busy hosting as Santa today, he would invite us inside for a cup of coffee. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

The Commandery has changed owners several times over the years, and fell into a state of disrepair. The current owner acquired it in 2003, and has been slowly restoring it to it's former glory ever since. We're so happy that he's doing so, because the buildings and property are beautiful.

There are lovely gardens and a moat behind the main buildings. Can you just imagine how beautiful this is in the summer?

We had a great time wandering around the Christmas Market and checking out the historic buildings. Who could ask for a more perfect was to spend a Winter's day?

On The Tenth Day Of Christmas... the 2011 Historical Bastogne Walk

2011-12-10T19:41:00.017+01:00

Around this time last year, Russ and I took part in the 2010 Bastogne Historical Walk. If you recall, we said that we were glad that we'd done it, but would never do it again. Famous last words. Due to my very short memory, I talked the hubby into doing it again this year. I told him that this time we would do the shortest walk (8 K), and would spend the afternoon relaxing with beer and cappuccinos and exploring the town. Sounds like a great plan, doesn't it? So... we got up at 4 am to get ready, met with the rest of our group at 5:30 am, and took off for Bastogne at 6 am. The sun was rising over the hills when we started our walk in the historic city of Bastogne.

As we walked, we could see the Mardasson Memorial off to our right. Last year, this was one of our stops on the walk, but they had us on a completely different route this year. Not too far past this, we reached the point where the trails divided. Our blue trail, the 8 K one, seperated from the other longer paths. As we prepared to turn, Brandon mentioned that he really wanted to see the live re-enactments and scenes from the Battle of the Bulge. Apparently they weren't doing this on the shorter route, so this meant taking one of the longer ones. Do you see where this is going? We all took a vote and decided that we would take the yellow path (18K). Off we went.

How could you not love this country? It's absolutely beautiful. We hiked merrily along, occasionally checking the markers when we realized something wasn't quite right. We had somehow missed the turn off for our 18 K trail and were now on the 23K trail. Suddenly the day wasn't quite so sunny. After studying the map for a little bit, we figured out that we could cut through a couple of towns and reconnect with our desired route. It added a couple of kilometers to the hike, but it was much better than the extra 5 km that we were heading for at the time of our discovery. I was having some very vivid flashbacks from last year at this point. Minus the snow, of course.

Back on the correct path, we traveled on. Occassionally, jeeps and trucks full of soldiers passed us.

There were smaller memorials scattered here and there around the countryside. If you think that the Belgians have forgotten the sacrifice our soldiers made for them, you'd be mistaken.

The original foxholes from the Battle of the Bulge still remain, scattered in the forest along the side of the roads. This reminded us of the real reason we were taking this historical walk. We were there to remember the young men who gave their lives so that others could be free.

Every so often, we came across an encampment of soldiers. It was like traveling back in time.

We entered small towns, watched the soldiers prepare for war, and then traveled on.

We even happened upon a German camp. We traveled quickly by before they realized we were the enemy and captured us.

This lovely lady was being escorted by soldiers. Do you think she was a spy?

Back into the country once more.

The trail stretched on for miles.

We came across another American camp. The soldiers were preparing for another battle. They had spotted German soldiers in the distance, and they were heading our way.

The soldiers went to secure the line.

All of the participants did an amazing job of recreating the look and feel of the battle. It was easy to imagine that we were back in 1944.

After walking quite a long distance, our trail turned and went between two fields full of large beasts. From a distance, they looked like cattle. But when we got closer...

we discovered Bison. Who would expect to see Bison in the Bastogne countryside? Not me.

Bob was not terribly impressed with our group of walkers, so we quickly traveled on.

After around 5 or 6 hours of walking, we made it to the end. In all, we hiked around 20 kilometers ( 12 1/2 miles). This is the fantastic group of people that we had the pleasure of spending the day with. If you ever get the opportunity to take part in the Historical Bastogne Walk, please do so. It's an experience of a lifetime. And some of us are lucky enough to get to experience it twice. Of course, when I mentioned to Russ that is would be fun to fly back next year so we can do it again, he didn't hesitate at all with his reply. I'll let you guess what it was.

On The Ninth Day of Christmas...

2011-12-09T13:40:00.003+01:00

I was a good little elf and got all of my Christmas boxes into the mail. Yep, I know. You're welcome.

On The Eighth Day Of Christmas...

2011-12-08T14:32:00.004+01:00

We watched The Amazing Race. This is one of my favorite shows (along with Psych and Burn Notice), so we try keep up with it every week. Some weeks are more of a challenge than others. We actually watched two episodes back to back this time, and guess what? They showed Brussels, Lommel and Ghent. As I'm watching the participants run around and compete at places like the Atomium and a canal in Ghent, I'm pointing at the TV screen and yelling "Oh My Gosh!!! I've been there! I've been there!!!!" Russ looks at the screen and says "Have I been there?" "Um, no. Those were Dawnventures (adventures where Dawn and I took off to explore on our own). My bad. But I'll take you! I really want to go back!" "Don't bother," he says. "I'm good." Now do you see why I went on Dawnventures? Sigh. I have my eye on some Christmas Markets, though. He might be going on more adventures than he thought he was...

On The Seventh Day Of Christmas...

2011-12-07T13:39:00.002+01:00

It rained. And rained. And for a change of pace, it rained. We had a brief 23.7 minutes of sunshine this morning, during which I ran out and took care of some errands, and then (surprise, surprise) it rained. On the positive side, my grass looks maaaaahhhhhvelous, dahhhling. My windows, on the other hand, are a complete mess. I'm sure the neighbors are cringing. The spots! Oh, the spots! Now that I am over the worst of the crud, I am spending the day cleaning up the house, addressing the last of the Christmas cards and packages to be shipped, and listening to Ben sing away each quarter hour. The kids named the Grandfather Clock Big Ben, because they said not only did it sound like the clocks in London, but if King Kong and an anaconda had a baby, it would be the size of this clock. You can't argue with the logic of teenagers. Mostly because I can't even begin to understand it.

On The Sixth Day Of Christmas...

2011-12-06T09:54:00.005+01:00

I am still under the weather, so to speak. No one wants to see what I look like when I'm sick, but a vending machine that sells fresh sandwiches? That's cool stuff. Enjoy.

On The Fifth Day Of Christmas...

2011-12-05T08:38:00.008+01:00

This time last year, we had about a foot of snow on the ground. This year, Mother Nature has been playing some games with us. Today started out like any other day... But around 3 pm, the sky suddenly turned to black. Then I heard a strange rat tat tat on the window. Hail. Lots and lots of hail. Luckily it was pea sized, so it didn't do any damage, but it was impressive none the less.

It kind of reminds me of the time I refilled the Poef Poef chairs. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

On The Fourth Day Of Christmas...

2011-12-04T16:39:00.002+01:00

I woke up feeling rather icky, myself. Before you start talking Karma, and how we shouldn't have left our baby home sick last night while we went out carousing and GoKarting and all, let me just say... Thbtttttttttt. That is the level of my intelligence today due to my congestion and crankiness. I am no where near as good a patient as my kids are when they are sick. That said, I'm going back to bed. Have a lovely day. Or not. Whatever.

On The Third Day Of Christmas...

2011-12-03T07:21:00.006+01:00

We were supposed to be having a Birthday party for one awesome young man, but things don't always work out as planned. Poor Brandon came home with a cold on Friday, and woke up feeling rather icky on Saturday. So, the party was postponed for a little bit, and he decided to eat the cake to console himself. Due to the germified nature of the morning, we decided maybe the candle blowing ceremony should be contained to one small portion of Birthday cake.

I know the next few pictures have you thinking "What the heck? I thought the party was cancelled?!?!?" Yes, it was. But with Brandon under the weather, Russ decided to connect with the KB Go Kart crowd and take part in this weeks competition. Since it was a new track to us, I figured I would tag along and check the place out. We left Brandon happily stationed in front of the PS3 with two new games (Birthday presents) and the company of his lovely sister (also into PS3 games), and went to Maasmechelen. Check out what else we found here... an awesome indoor playground. You can see if through the window at the back of the Go Kart Bar.

They were shutting down for the night, but I snapped a few pics of the place before they turned the lights out.

Brandon and his friends would love this place. Almost as much as they would love the GoKarts on the other side. We will most definitely be back to check it out.

Back to the GoKarting place, here are a few pics of the bar. I was impressed.

It's a great little area where you can get snacks and drinks, and one wall is made of glass, so you can watch all of the action out on the track.

Well, most of the action, because the Maasmechelen track is two stories. And very, very action packed. Just look at all of those curves! Everyone had a super time racing around, and we will definitely be going back here as well. As soon as Brandon is back to health, we'll take him and let him check it out. As you can see from the video, it rocks!

On The Second Day Of Christmas...

2011-12-02T20:56:00.006+01:00

Brandon turned 14! I have no idea how this happened. I swear, just yesterday he was in Pre-School.

Now he's all grown up. Well, maybe not completely. (He's still my baby.) In case you're wondering, he had a super Birthday and got lots of great gifts. The festivities are flowing over into tomorrow, and fun will be had by all. Happy Birthday, Brandon. You rock!

On The First Day Of Christmas...

2011-12-01T09:02:00.004+01:00

I went to the local grocery store to get milk. That's melk if you speak Belgie. Anyhoo, I was strolling along the aisles, listening to the music being piped in from a local radio station and minding my own business. As I reached out for the dairy, I paused. Did I just hear what I think I heard? I looked around me. Moms were pushing shopping carts along the aisles while their tiny tikes tagged along, jumping and skipping and asking for a treat. The little old ladies were choosing fresh eggs and checking out the specials. Two older gents were catching up on the local gossip near the meat section. No one else seemed to notice anything amiss. The tune on the radio was an old ditty by Alanis Morissette called You Oughta Know. The original version. They don't have "radio versions" over here, and Alanis was a naughty girl when she wrote this tune. You don't expect to hear the F bomb dropped in dairy section, but this is Europe. I've been shopping here before and humming along with a catchy tune before I realized they weren't singing "Thank you, thank you very muuuuuuuch...." Oops! My bad! We're not in Kansas any more, Dorothy.

Maastricht And Sinterklaas

2011-11-30T15:48:00.007+01:00

Some lovely ladies and I decided to head over to Maastricht today, to check out their Christmas Market. Maastricht is one of my favorite cities, so it doesn't take much to convince me to go there. First we wandered around the local market, and then we strolled down the streets and window shopped for a bit.

Then we spied what we had come to see... the Christmas Market! We were so excited, but something just didn't seem right. Why were there no people walking around the stalls? Why weren't the stalls open? We asked a local and were told that the dates on their website were incorrect, and the market doesn't actually start until Friday. Foiled. Oh, well. Who can be sad in the beautiful city of Maastricht when you are there on such a gorgeous day with friends? Not us.

So we walked around a little bit and enjoyed the sights.

And planned another visit to the city. Very, very soon.

And then paid a visit to my favorite book store. It's the one in the old church. Don't you just love it?

And then we went next door for a delicious lunch. I am really going to miss all of this when we have to leave Europe.

It was getting late, and the kids would soon be home from school, so we walked back to the Town Hall and to our vehicle.

Imagine my surprise when I spied this familiar group stopping by the local pizza joint. Could it be? Why yes! It's...

Sinterklass and his trusty sidekicks Zwarte Pieten! Back home we have Santa and his elves, but in The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, they have Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet. And they have two Christmas celebrations, too. Why have just one, if you can get away with two? On December 5, the good little girls and boys put their shoes out in the hopes that Sinterklaas will send Zwarte Piet down that dirty chimney and fill their shoes with all kind of goodies.

If the children are good, then they get lovely surprises. If they have been bad, then Zwarte Piet bundles the naughty children into a burlap sack and ships them off to Spain to be disciplined. I'm told that this hardly ever happens, but it's still enough to give the little ones nightmares. We assured Sinterklaas that we have been very good this year, so hopefully there won't be any nasty surprises when I wake up on December 6. Then again, I haven't been to Spain yet...

Sadly, we said good bye to Maastricht. We promise to return very soon. We still have to check out that Christmas Market!

I did pick up one little thing from Maastricht. It's a T-Rex tea infuser. So essentially, it's a Tea Rex. Don't you just love it? I couldn't resist.

If you're like Russ, you're rolling your eyes right now, but you'll be jealous later on when Rex and I are enjoying a nice hot cup of tea. You know it's true.

Merry Christmas... A Little Bit Early!

2011-11-29T15:05:00.005+01:00

Around this time last year, Russ and I were drooling over a Grandfather clock at the Spang Bazaar. We don't like to talk about that experience much. Mostly because we both blacked out the majority of the experience from our memories. This year, at another Bazaar, we happened upon this Grandfather clock... and we just knew it had to be ours. We talked to the gentleman who was selling the clocks, and not only was this one even more gorgeous than the first, it was less expensive. Much, much less expensive. (Europe's economic troubles do have a bright side. Prices on certain items have dropped.)

Needless to say, the deal was done and our Christmas gift to each other was bought. Today, our baby was delivered. I have just 3 words for you: Uh May Zing! She's even more beautiful than I remember.

And she sings to me! Every quarter hour, she says a little "hello". On each hour, she sings such a lovely little tune that I almost want time to rush by, just so she'll do it again. In case you're wondering how lovely I'll find that same tune around 3 am, you don't have to worry. She has a setting, so she'll go to sleep with us at 10 pm and wake up around 7 am to start all over again. She's just that perfect.

How perfect, you ask? Just look at her pendulum. That's right. Neuschwanstein Castle. It's a match made in heaven. This is why we could never agree on an antique piece of furniture (or as Russ would say, "old, used stuff"). We were waiting for this lovely creature to come into our lives. And it was sooooo worth the wait. Ooooohhhh! It's time again. Shhhhh. She's singing...

Putting Up The Tree

2011-11-27T16:24:00.004+01:00

With Thanksgiving in the back window, it's time to get ready for Christmas. Today was spent eating, putting up the tree, watching movies, and playing games. In other words, it was a perfect day. 27 days until the big event. Are you ready? I am most definitely not. But I'm getting there.

Santa's Starbucks Fix

2011-11-26T14:29:00.005+01:00

Embarrassed by his Starbuck's addiction, Santa decided to use his stealth skills to sneak in and grab a Cranberry White Mocha to go.

Aachen Christmas Market

2011-11-25T14:42:00.007+01:00

From November 18 to December 23, Aachen is home to Winter Magic. That's the name of this years Christmas Market, and "magic" is a perfect choice. Aachen, Germany, hosts one of my top 5 European Christmas markets. Wooden stalls start in front of the historic City Hall, wind down narrow streets to the Cathedral, and then lead you back up the other side.

The only sad part of our visit to Aachen was seeing our faithful friend being loaded up and taken away. This statue used to stand just to the left of the Town Hall, but the he's had it pretty rough the last few years. He is showing more than a little wear and tear, so the city passed him over to a company who will repair him and find him another home. I'm sorry to say that it won't be in Aachen. He will be greatly missed.

All of the local stores were all dressed up in their holiday best, and were definitely in the Christmas Spirit. The window of the Printis shop never fails to impress.

We had a fantastic time exploring the city with friends, and making a few new ones along the way as well.

I might have even picked up a Christmas gift or two.

There was so much to see, eat and do that it was almost overwhelming. Almost.

We had a fantastic day in Aachen, and couldn't have chosen a better location to kick off our season of European Christmas marketing. Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:39:00.003+01:00

The glass bowl sat quietly among the Polish pottery, certain that they did not sense anything out of the ordinary.

If your Thanksgiving was half as great as ours, then you are truly blessed. Happy Thanksgiving.

Saturday At The Eifel Bazaar

2011-11-19T21:21:00.005+01:00

Each year, around this time, Spangdahlem AB in Germany hosts the Eiffel Bazaar. Three days filled with glorious European shopping, all contained in two gigantic hangers. Yes, it's amazing. The kids weren't that impressed with the possibility of watching Mom haul in more Polish pottery and antiques, so they bowed out of the adventure. Besides, they wanted to catch up on their beauty sleep. Russ and I woke up to a dark and foggy Fall morning, and took off on our treasure hunt.

We weren't disappointed. I was a good girl and passed by the pottery this time, but it took all of my will power to do so. They had Polish, Italian, and Spanish pottery, and it was all so tempting. They had antique furniture, new furniture, wine, cheese, tapestries, and just about anything you could wish for. We did bring home a couple of goodies. Won't these look lovely in our future castle?

And the second I saw these, I just knew they had to come home with me. They are huge and glorious (each around 7 -8 inches long). I'm starting to think that half our weight allowance will be made up of keys, but I just love them so much and they are a very inexpensive thing to collect, so what's the harm? Can you imagine what sort of doors they might open? I know. The kids didn't get it either. I'm fine with that.

The sun was setting as we headed back home. It was a long day, but lots of fun spent with my favorite person. This is one of the things that I'll miss most when we head back to the states. We'll just have to make the most of our time left in Europe... before we have to head back to reality. Did I mention that the season of Christmas Markets has begun?

Frost On The Flowers

2011-11-17T07:53:00.004+01:00

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the candle is so delightful..." What? I don't have a fireplace, so you take what you can get. I was half listening to the radio the other day while running errands, and I heard something to the effect of "asffj werpoiusn cpaj wporu fjash SNOW askfj vjpuwt ghpia bhuw..." That one word came through loud and clear, so I started paying attention... but it was too late. The announcer was on to other things. Do you think we're in for a white and wooley winter? Could be.

By the way, I went to the bakery the other day and bought a couple of pies. Our entire conversation was in Nederlands (Dutch). I was so proud of myself as I walked out of the shop, that I almost went back in and bought a few more. It's the little things that make you smile. Tot ziens for now.

Reading Between The Lines - The Steel Chapel

2011-11-16T15:25:00.011+01:00

In the little town of Borgloon, Belgium, there are a lot of hills. On top of one of those hills, lies a steel chapel called Reading Between The Lines. The Chapel was designed by Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh, and is constructed out of thousands of steel slats. The artists got the idea for the chapel from the church ruins scattered around the countryside. They wanted people to think about the churches from their past, and to appreciate them just a little bit more, instead of letting them fall into decay after being abandoned. They also thought it would be interesting to create a church that blended perfectly into it's natural surroundings. A place to commune with both God and nature, if you will. They did an excellent job. I can just imagine how the church must change and adapt to each new season. And let's not forget the view. It's spectacular! The church is 10 meters high, and is constructed of 100 layers of weathered steel plates. It was welded at another location, and only took one day to assemble on the hilltop of Borgloon.

If you're interested in seeing the church in person, then head on over to Borgloon. When you get to the intersection of Sint-Truidersteenweg and Grootloonstraat, look for a little paper sign with an arrow on it. Head up the tiny, one lane road (through the orchard) that the arrow is pointing to. When you reach the picnic table, you're there.

Trust me, it's worth it.

Couch To 11K In One Day!

2011-11-11T13:53:00.004+01:00

So here's what went down. My loving hubby called me up and said "Hey, Ken is planning a run/walk for Veteran's Day here on base. Are you in?" Of course, my first question is how far?

"11 kilometers", he replied. I've never ran 11 kilometers in my life, and I was quick to point this out. "No problem", he assured me. "You can walk it. Other wives will be walking it." Fine. Sign me up. I've walked over twice that far in the snow (if you recall my Bastogne adventure last December), so I can handle it. Keep in mind that I haven't ran in around 6 weeks or so, and all I was doing then was 5K. I did 3 weeks of another workout program, but that skidded to a halt when we flew over to Scotland for a few days. That was 2 or 3 weeks ago. I haven't done anything since. That in mind, I showed up at the event: The First Annual Veteran's Day 11K Run/Walk/Bike ride. In case you were wondering, we started at precisely 11:11. (Nice touch, don't you think?) The two ladies I was walking with proceeded to start jogging. As did everyone else. Hmmmm. That's a little strange, but maybe they are just getting warmed up and will walk in a minute. By the 3rd kilometer, I had figured out that they perhaps were not walkers after all. At that point, I quit jogging and walked for a few paces. They didn't take the hint, so I jogged again. By the 5th kilometer, they were carrying on a lively conversation, so my wheezing must not have been quite as loud as it sounded to me. I revived just a little bit at the half way point to utter the phrase "Are you freaking kidding me? I've only gone half way?" Around the 10th kilometer, I waved them on. They offered to slow down so I could keep up, but I would have felt guilty for that. I walked and jogged alone for the next half kilometer, then I saw the hubby approaching me. He kept me company for the final bit, assuring me the entire way that he really did think that the other wives were walking this course. It's all good, though. I ran/walked 11 kilometers without puking or passing out. And even though I am the oldest female on our little base, I did not finish last. In all, it was a very good day. Whether I can get out of bed tomorrow, is another matter entirely. That said, Happy Veteran's Day. If you don't do anything else today, remember those that fought for your freedom. Some even died for it. The least we can do is remember them.

Date Day

2011-11-10T13:47:00.003+01:00

Russ was off today, so we had a date day. He took me to the antique store, out to lunch and then to a furniture store. We weren't really buying, but it's always nice to get ideas. Check this out. Everybody loves FaceBook, even Belgium. And if you like the furniture store's page, you get special parking. That's awesome!

Weekend Go Karting

2011-11-07T08:59:00.004+01:00

The menfolk went Go Karting with a group from our base this past weekend. Those blurs in the picture are the go karts. I'm not sure if it was their massive speed or the amount of testosterone that was in the air that made them all blurry. Either way, a good time was had by all. They've decided to make this a weekly event. As with all things that men do, it's turned into a competition. Let the games begin.

Belgian Birthdays

2011-11-04T21:09:00.003+01:00

Belgians love to make a big deal out of Birthdays. They celebrate the ones ending with "0" with lots of crazy decorations, followed by a huge party.

And they love to decorate with bikes. Maybe it's because there are just so many here. Bikes, that is. Not Belgians. Of course, the choice of decoration could be in direct response to the amount of beer consumed while decorating. This fellow could consider himself lucky that he didn't wake up to find his car duct taped to his fence.

Fall

2011-11-01T15:45:00.004+01:00

It's another gorgeous Fall day here in Belgie. Just makes you happy to be alive, doesn't it? It's the perfect weather to get out and enjoy a local market, so that's just what I did. Stolling around with friends, picking out fresh fruit and veggies while munching on a warm waffle... it doesn't get much better than this. Happy Fall.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T09:09:00.003+01:00

Hope your day is frightfully fun!

Exploring Edinburgh And Searching For Nessie!

2011-10-28T23:19:00.046+02:00

If you aren't interested in seeing a bootyload of Scotland pictures, then this isn't the post for you. That said... we woke to an amazingly gorgeous day in Edinburgh and decided to make the most of it. Today was the day to explore the city. This is what was just outside our hotel. We rounded the corner onto the Royal Mile, and this is what we found. I know. It's just too perfect. Russ immediately asked me if this is why I booked our hotel. Nope. But it is one fantastic bonus. :0) You know how I love my Starbucks collector's mugs.Even if you don't have an agenda, just get out and walk on the Royal Mile. It's one of the most interesting streets in Europe. It's an eclectic mix of historic buildings, restaurants, and souvenir shops. In other words, there is something for everyone.

There are narrow alleyways off of the main streets called closes, and they all have names. Some are plain, and others have really interesting details. We stopped to check out the ghost tours of the city. Hmmm. This looks like lots of fun, considering how close it is to Halloween...
See? Everyone loves Edinburgh. Actually, this is the famous heart of Midlothian. It's supposed to be good luck to spit on it, but I passed on that one. Of course, that did explain the dampness and build up of chewing gum.
After a few minutes, we made it to Edinburgh Castle. In ancient times, this was known as Din Eidyn, or the stronghold of Eidyn. The English invaded around 638 AD, and it's been known as Edinburgh ever since. It's now a World Heritage site, and is a working military installation.
A bronze statue of Sir William Wallace stands guard outside the castle. On closer inspection, it looked nothing like Mel Gibson, but who am I to judge.

You can take off on your own to explore the castle, but we chose to tag along with the guided tour. It was really interesting to hear all of the stories about the castle and the people who lived there. This is the back side of the Scottish National War Memorial. It was formerly a church, and later the North Barracks.

This is the Great Hall, built in the early 16th century. It was refurbished in the 1880s. The medieval roof is very famous, and is the oldest surviving one of it's type in all of Britain.

Here is the front of the Scottish National War Memorial. You can't take pictures inside of it.

The Royal Palace began as an extension to David's Tower, but was enlarged to be the royal residence in the castle in the 1430s. No royals have lived here since Charles I in 1633. Now it's home to the royal crown and scepter.

The Queen Ann building was once the Royal Gun house. The chambers beneath were used as a prison during the wars with France in 1793 to 1815.

The views from the castle are amazing.

This is the One O'clock Gun. It's fired at 1 pm every day except Sundays, Good Fridays, and Christmas Eve. The One O'clock Gun first fired in 1961, and the tradition is alive and well today. The current gun is a 105 mm field gun, and it was installed in 2001. The gun is used to keep everyone in the city on time. When asked why it didn't fire at noon, the guide told us that the Scots are a cheap folk, and by firing at 1 pm, they only have to use one bullet a day. You can't argue with that logic.

These cannons are strictly ornamental. They were added by the queen for a stately appearance. They are real cannons, and were once used on a ship.

After spending a few hours wandering around the castle, Brandon checked his messages and we were off to explore more of Edinburgh.

So of course, we headed back down the Royal Mile.

Scott Monument is in honor of Sir Walter Scott, and it was built between 1840 and 1844.

The Balmoral Hotel is the former North British Hotel. It's across from the Scott Memorial and up from the Waverly Train Station. The clock on the tower is always 5 minutes fast (except for New Years Eve) in order to keep distracted passengers from missing their train.

We traveled on from the Balmoral Hotel and climbed up to the top of Calton Hill. We had seen it from the castle, and decided to go and check it out. It was well worth the hike. This is the Dugald Steward Monument. It was built in 1831, and is modelled after the Tower Of The Winds in Athens.

Also on the hill is the National Monument of Scotland. It's designed to look like the Parthenon, and construction started in 1826, but it was left alone and unfinished in 1829. Funds for the project ran out, and it's referred to as Edinburgh's Disgrace or Folly. (Is it just me, or do the Scottish really like to represent other countries in their monuments?) The views from the top of Calton Hill are some of the best in all of Edinburgh. On the way back down, we stopped for a moment in Old Calton Cemetery.

Then it was back to the Royal Mile and out hotel. We were pooped after a day of walking/hiking around the city, but the adventure was not over yet. After dinner, the kids hung out at the hotel and relaxed while Russ and I...

went on the Hidden and Haunted Tour of Edinburgh with Mercat Tours. It was a lot of fun. We weren't really scared, but our guide did a fantastic job of telling gruesome, historic tales of the people of Edinburgh as we wondered around the darkened streets of the city.

The tour ended with us walking in haunted, candlelit chambers far below the city streets. No spirits showed themselves to us, but we were assured that they were there just the same. It was more than a little creepy, and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour. I'd have to say that our first full day in Scotland was a complete success.

The sun was just starting to come up when we made our way back outside the next morning. After much debate, we decided to just go for it and take the Loch Ness Tour with Scotline Tours. I am so glad that we did. It was fantastic, and turned out to be the highlight of our trip.

There was so much to see on our ride. Check out this beautiful castle.

Doesn't this look like something from a Harry Potter movie? It should, because it's almost identical to the one just down the road that was used in the film.

We took a coffee break early on in the trip and met Hamish. He and his lovely family are Highland Cattle, the oldest pedigree breed of cattle in the world, dating back to the 6th century.
We also met the wife... And of course, Junior. Highland cattle don't have any fat to keep them warm, so they have an extra layer of hair for insulation and weatherproofing instead. They shed the extra hair every Spring and then start the growing process again for the next winter.

We made several stops along our tour, so that we could get out, stretch our legs, and admire the gorgeous scenery. Fall is one of the most beautifuls seasons in Scotland. This is the Weeping Glen of Glencoe, famous site of the 1692 Massacre.

This is an old drovers bridge. Drovers were the people that drove the Highland cattle from the mountains to the markets for sale.

More beautiful scenery to admire.

Finally, we reached Urquart Castle, located on the famous Loch Ness. I can't tell you how excited I was to finally get here. For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated with Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. I do think that Monster isn't a very nice term, so I prefer to think of her as a shy aquatic friend.

Again, the scenery didn't disappoint. It was absolutely stunning.

We climbed to the top of the castle and searched everywhere for Nessie. Sadly, we didn't locate her anywhere. I did see several clues to her existance, though. Don't worry, Nessie. I'm still a believer.

After touring the castle, we walked down to the dock to wait for our boat ride down the Loch Ness. Nessie was still being shy, but we did happen upon the Loch Ness Duckster. He was quite ferocious. I continued my search for Nessie. She's so close, I can just feel it...We saw strange ripples in the water, but still no official sighting. Sadness. I knew we weren't guaranteed to see her, but a gal can hope, can't she?Our boat soon arrived, and we were then cruising on the Loch Ness. How cool is that?It offered us another view of that amazing Urquhart Castle. A storm was approaching in the distance, and the clouds were so pretty. Much too soon, our cruise was over and we were at the dock.At one point, I almost felt like someone was watching us, so I think that Nessie was very close, but still... no sight of her. She is very stealthy. Most people think that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but we in Scotland know that it really points the way to Nessie. We saw 7 rainbows during the days tour, so either Nessie gets around a lot, or she has a much bigger family that we had imagined. We drove along the banks of the Loch and back down to the city of Edinburgh, arriving back at our hotel around 9 pm, exhausted and very very happy. Just another wonderful day spent in a gorgeous country. The only sad part was knowing that we had to fly back home the next afternoon.

We woke up bright and early, and said goodbye to our lovely Scotish home away from home.

having a few hours to explore before we took off for the airport, we walked the other direction down the Royal Mile and ended up at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It was too early in the day for a tour, but we wanted to see it before we left.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official Scotish residence of the Queen of England.

Given more time, I would have loved to have peeked inside.

Beside the Palace is Holyrood Park. The largest hill in the park is called Arthur's Seat. I've heard that it offers the best view of the city. If you find yourself in Edinburgh with lost of energy and time, be sure to check it out. Having not much of either this day, I decided to admire the view from down below.

We casually strolled back to our favorite streets to walk around just a little longer. We'd passed by St. Giles Cathedral quite a bit over the last couple of days, so we decided to take a little look inside.

I love European churches and cathedrals. They are so peaceful and inspiring.

Here is a better view of the front of St. Giles Cathedral.

With a final walk back up the Royal Mile,

we said a fond farewell to Edinburgh Castle.

Then we slowly made our way back down the road.

We said a fond warewell to the city that we had grown to love in such a short time.

After picking up our luggage from our hotel, we slowly made our way back to Waverly Train Station to catch our bus to the airport. Edinburgh ranks in the top 5 of all our vacations, both in and out of Europe. I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to visit her. She's amazing.

We're Flying to Edinburgh, Scotland!!!

2011-10-25T10:09:00.010+02:00

We've been very fortunate to be able to travel so much in the last couple of years. Our time in Europe is coming to a close soon, so we wanted to take advantage of the Fall break and go somewhere very special. There aren't many places more magical than Edinburgh, Scotland! We took off to the Dusseldorf-Weeze Airport (affectionately referred to as Weezy by Brandon), and caught the plane.

After a little over an hour in the air, we found ourselves landing in the beautiful city of Edinburgh.

Our hotel rooms were a little tight, but we weren't there to sleep. We want to explore! Besides, the reason I chose this hotel was a combination of price and location. And you can't get a more perfect location than this. It's just off the middle of the Royal Mile, the most famous street in all of Edinburgh.

Who cares if the bathroom is tiny. It's clean and the water's hot, so we were happy campers.

It was rather late when we arrived at our hotel. The kids voted to relax and watch some TV (they were excited to find everything in English), so Russ and I hit the streets to explore the city. I couldn't believe we were really walking around the streets in Scotland.

We slowly made our way up the Royal Mile, admiring everything we came across.

Once we got to the top, the view was amazing, even at night. This is George Heriot's School. It's been educating children in the city for over 350 years. Can you imagine attending? It's like something out of Harry Potter.

This is what we really came to see, though. It's Edinburgh Castle. During the day, it's open to tours, but at night, it's a working military base. And it's huge. It was getting very late at this point, so we slowly made our way back down to the hotel and went to sleep. We had lots of exploring to do, so we definitely needed our rest. We're in Scotland!!!!!

Changes

2011-10-22T14:48:00.007+02:00

Saturday brought blue skies and sunshine, but not warm temperatures. Russ decided it was the perfect weather for a run on the canal. I didn't agree, but it was the perfect day for a bike ride. So off we went. I love watching all of the changes that each season brings to our canal, but there were other changes today that weren't so enjoyable. This is what it normally looks like out there. Two lovely rows of trees along the bank, their varied sizes and colors make a beautiful frame for the quiet waters. Apparently someone had other ideas. The peaceful morning was disturbed by the grinding of chainsaws at work. This is what it looks like now. Thinned out and straggly looking. And sad. I wasn't the only one concerned about the activity. I happened to run into my new friend and occasional jogging buddy, and she was not amused. We chatted a little bit about what was going on, but she really had no better idea than I did on who was in charge. She took off to make a couple of phone calls to straighten it all out, and I started on my way again. I quickly caught up with Russ, and we made our way back home. Hopefully, our next visit to the canal won't bring any more surprises. I have a feeling my friend has some connections, so we should be safe. She's very persistant.

Would You Want To Meet A Legend?

2011-10-21T12:57:00.005+02:00

I've been doing a pitiful job of posting lately, and for that I apologize. I'd like to say that I've been busy with exciting adventures, but that's not the case. Instead, I've been caught up with every day mundane tasks like grocery shopping and laundry. That said, there is a new adventure on the horizon. I won't go into details, but we'll be taking a little trip some time soon and I'm sure I'll be quick to jump on here and share all the delightful details with you once we get home. This brings to me to today's topic for discussion. As excited as I am about our trip, I find myself facing a dilemma. The place we are going is home to a famous character. Not just any famous character, but one that I've been fascinated with for as long as I can remember. I've read books about her, studied articles online, and glued myself to the TV any time she appeared on a program. The question is, do I take an entire day out of my short stay to try and catch a glimpse of her? She is very reclusive, so in all honestly, I would probably spend hours driving to her home only to leave without so much as a peek at her. Then again, I might be one of the very few that catches her interest and therefore not only get to see her, but get a picture of her as well. What if I do get to see her, and she doesn't live up to all the hype? That would be a big disappointment, as well. Oh, the decisions. My family has said that they will support me either way, so the choice is entirely mine. Do I take the chance, or just spend the time touring castles and museums, wandering around the city and enjoying the sights? Hmmmmm. I'm off to think about it.

Aventure Parc is AWESOME!!!

2011-10-15T07:50:00.011+02:00

When some friends of ours invited us to go to Aventure Parc this weekend, I was a little hesitant. I wasn't sure I was up to the task, for one. And #2, I'm just a little nervous about heights. Russ, of course was all in from the minute he heard about it. After checking out their website, I decided to just go for it. And guess what... Best. Day. Ever. Did I mention that Brandon got his braces on yesterday? When Jess got her braces, we took her on a camping adventure in Alaska that afternoon. Brandon got to go on a confidence course in Belgium when he got his. At least this way they aren't focusing on how much their mouths hurt.
The park is in a beautiful setting, and very professionally run. Just follow the path through the woods until you get to the office. After you pay, they fit you for your stylish jumpsuit and safety harness. OK, maybe the jumpsuit is a little goofy, but all jokes aside, it is very comfortable and it does save you from getting your clothes dirty or torn during the course.

There are three categories of courses at Aventure Parc: green, red and black. Green is the easiest, and black is the toughest. The courses wind above, below and around each other through the woods. During the course, you have to balance across beams, hop from one wooden post to another, and swing across on ropes.

Yes, you even get to ride a bike across a narrow wooden bridge high up in the air. Don't worry, though. During all of these activities, you are attached to a safety cable by a harness that you are strapped into. Even if you fall, you don't really fall. You drop about a foot or two and have to pull yourself back up to keep going.

See those green barrels in the distance? That was one of my favorite things. You have to lay on your back and pull yourself through. The hardest part was getting in and out of the barrels. It was a little unnerving when I hit the first gap between barrels, though. My rear slipped down in the gap and I panicked just a little bit. When my safety harness took hold, I could breath again. It's definitely a learning experience. And one serious workout!

Some of the courses are very high in the trees. Black is the highest and most challenging of all.

I think part of what made this day so much fun was the awesome group of people we went with. Our KB friends joked and encouraged each other throughout the course. Brandon was a rock star. He was the only kid in our group, so we were afraid that we'd have to take things kind of slow, but after figuring out how it worked, he took off. I don't know how he got through some of those courses so quickly. Toward the end, he would stop on the platform between tasks and ask "Do we need to take a break and rest, Mom?" My answer was always yes!!! He's a good kid. I was worn out.

To get from one platform to another, you have to balance on these wooden logs and swing yourself to the next one. It looks tough, doesn't it? Well, it is. Very tough, but so much fun!

The wooden ladder connecting the platforms was lots of fun,too. The best part of this one was that waiting at the top platform was the best zip line ever invented! You slide down from the top of a tree, over the path and to another section of trees where the children's course is. It's a blast!

Way too soon, it was time to head out and pick up Jess from her volleyball game. We had so much fun. I can't want to plan another group trip to Aventure Parc. If you are feeling even more adventurous, they also have a bungee jump and a free fall jump into a giant inflated pillow. Today was awesome. And tiring. I'm pooped. Did I mention it was awesome?

Exercise Update

2011-10-13T17:38:00.002+02:00

Yep. I'm still hanging in there. This is week 2. Do I look thinner yet?

Homecoming

2011-10-11T13:23:00.004+02:00

It's Homecoming weekend here in our neck of the woods, and that makes for one busy Saturday. After an hour on the road, we watched a lot of this. (Yes, their warm up shirts do say "Our team is tighter than spandex.") And a lot of this. (Nice "war face", but I prefer that lovely smile.)And a whole lot of this. The ladies played several kick butt games and had a great time! Then it was time to head over...

to watch this.

And Brandon did a lot of this. After cheering on all of the school teams in their different sports, we finally headed home. Not Jess, though. She took off to Germany with some friends to get all "gussied up" so that she could...

do this. Whew. Talk about a busy Saturday! Somehow, the kids made it through all of their various activities and had an awesome Homecoming. That's all that matters in the end. Russ and I did a lot of sitting... and watching... and sitting.... so when it was all done, we went home and relaxed while watching a movie... and sitting. (But at least this time if was on our comfy - and cushioned - couch!) Happy Homecoming!

Friday

2011-10-07T11:58:00.003+02:00

"In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous."

~ Aristotle

Wednesday's Weigh In

2011-10-05T12:55:00.005+02:00

I started a new exercise routine on Monday. I'm not going to mention the name of the program, because of the next sentence I'm about to write. I hate it. I used to think that Jillian was the devil, but it turns out that she's only his friendly little niece. This guy... now he's the devil. And I'm only on day 3. I can only image how much worse this is all going to get. Yesterday's workout was unbelievable. I was sweating and wheezing, doing my best to keep up when he said (all chipper like) "All right, now that we're warmed up, let's get going." Are you freaking kidding me? That was the warm up? Ugh! Somehow, I made it through. This morning the alarm went off, and as soon as I moved, the pain hit. Then it all came flashing back to me. Seriously, I wanted nothing more than to crawl under the bed and hide, crying my eyes out. Can you get Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from an exercise video? I'm going to try and hang in there. They said I should take some "before" pics so that I can be amazed with my transformation at the end of this traumatic event, so here you go. Black is slimming, right? I'm going to go find the Motrin now. Don't bother calling me to commiserate. I'm in too much pain to pick up the phone.

The Countdown Begins

2011-10-03T10:12:00.003+02:00

There are 28 days left until Halloween.

51 until Thanksgiving.

82 until Christmas.

Someone needs to get on the ball, and it's not the turkey.

Pumpkin Festival in Peer

2011-10-02T20:08:00.010+02:00

Something that I love about Belgium, is the fact that they are all about family. And they love to get together and have a great time. The awesome folks at Bruegel Farm in Peer hosted a Pumpkin Festival today, and it was lots of fun.

During the summer, the local school kids could sign up and get a free pumpkin plant from the farm. They then proceeded to grow their own pumpkins, which they brought to this festival to show off. They had prizes for the biggest pumpkin, the best decorations, etc. They had some great decorations, too. This was one of Brandon's favorites.

You have to love their imagination, don't you. These are great.

The kids really did a great job!

This was the real reason we came to the festival, though... the hay maze! You know how I can't resist a good maze!

Of course I had to stop to take pictures, and the family abandoned me. After a while, they took pity on me, and came back to lead me out. I guess that's what I get for not paying attention. The goal of the maze is to make it to that black tent you see on the far side. Inside the tent was a great display of lit jack-o-lanterns.

Some were creepy...

And some were silly. Like I said, these kids did a great job!

There were little Fall displays here and there around the farm.

We wandered outside to check out the kip (chickens). These aren't just ordinary chickens, you know. They are thoroughbreds. Racing chickens!

That's right. They had chicken races outside.

Back inside the barn, they had set up a little bunny petting area, so of course we had to go and visit. How cute is she?

After checking out the sites and running through the hay maze one more time, we headed for home. A big THANK YOU to Bruegel Farms and Peer for putting on such a great family event. We had lots of fun. Happy Fall, Y'all!

A Day In Antwerp

2011-09-29T18:13:00.008+02:00

We decided to do something a little different today, so some friends and I went out for lunch... in Antwerp. I am enjoying these things while I can, because all too soon I'll be going out to eat at McDonald's again. Or maybe Wendy's. Boy, I really miss Wendy's. Anyway...

Antwerp Central is one of the most beautiful train stations in all of Europe. It alone is worth the trip over there.

They just don't make them like this anymore.

After a nice walk down to the old part of town, I enjoyed a yummy cappuccino and a fresh waffle with warm cherries. It's OK. I'm on vacation today, so the fat and sugar doesn't even count. Vacations Rules, you know. Check the handbook.

Here are my awesome lunch companions. They made the day a total blast.

We did a little sight seeing before we had to head for home. Check out the Cathedral of Our Lady. Gorgeous!

Of course we had to stop by the Town Hall and visit the statue of Brabo. I've covered the basics of Antwerp in other posts, so feel free to go back and read about the history.

And the perfect way to end the day... a cup of happiness from Starbucks to enjoy on the train ride back home again. :0)

Blue Skies All Around

2011-09-28T15:07:00.000+02:00

For the last couple of weeks, we've had the most amazing weather ever. Blue skies and the perfect temperatures. This definitely makes up for all the rain we had this summer. Hope your day is just as fantastic. I'm off to enjoy it...

A Fantastic Day In Aachen, Germany

2011-09-27T15:57:00.016+02:00

Aachen, Germany, is a quick drive from our home in Belgium, so I like to spend the day there every few months. It's a great place to wander around with a friend, so that's what I did today.

My favorite place to start is in front of the Rathaus (Town Hall). She's a beauty, and she's built on the foundation of the ruined palace of Charlemagne, Emperor of the Romans from 800 to 814. It's also a wonderful meeting place. You'll always find groups of people sitting at nearby cafes, relaxing and sipping coffee with their friends. As an added bonus, this is the site of the annual Aachen Christmas Market. Did I mention that this is one of my favorite spots in all of Aachen?

Charlemagne's statue is in front of the Town Hall. Charlemagne was the founding father of the French and German monarchies. He has been referred to at the "Father of Europe". I hope you'll remember me when you win the big bucks on Jeopardy. I'd like a bright blue Mustang, please. The car, not the horse. This is one of my other favorite places in Aachen. You can't visit without stopping by Starbucks and getting a cup of happiness. Thanks for taking my picture, Deb!

This is one of my new favorites. It's the Tee Gschwendner, a lovely tea shop beside the Town Hall. When you step inside, it's almost like walking into your Grandma's kitchen... full of warmth and wonderful aromas. This awesome lady was so patient and helpful. She gave us lots of tips and let us smell tons of different teas. I picked up a few things, including Aachener Printentee (Aachen's own personal brew), and some brown rock candy sugar crystals to sweeten it up. If you have a little free time, then step upstairs to find a wonderful and cozy tea room that spans several different floors. You can sip away while gazing out the windows at the square. Soon, we continued on our walk around the city.

As always, we stopped by the Oil and Vinegar shop to check out the goodies.

And then stopped by the fountain to play a little bit. All of the characters on the fountain are movable, so you can pose them however you want. It's always fun to watch the children playing with them. OK, maybe I like to play some, too.

A quick peek into the Nobis Printen store to admire (and smell) the gingerbread, and we were off again.

The florists on the street had lots of beautiful Fall goodies for sell today. The wreaths were so pretty.

And I'm always a sucker for fresh flowers. For less than $10, you would be, too!

And check out these crazy pumpkins for 1 euro each! I love it! Fall is such a fun and colorful season, isn't it? More gorgeous architecture to admire...

The Cathedral of Aachen became the first German building to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. I can't believe I haven't stepped inside for a tour yet. On my next visit. I promise.

This store was another great find. It's Vom Fass, and they sell everything from oil and vinegar to wine and hard liquor from all over the world. They even have stores in the US, so be sure to check out their site and see if there's one near you. These wooden kegs hold whiskey and other liquors.

This is a selection of their vinegar. Don't you just love these crocks? They have lots of interesting bottles, and you just pick out what you want. The salespeople do the rest. They'll even wrap it up all fancy if it's a gift.

I had to take a picture of these. On the left is Burke's Tequila Gold from Mexican, and it's 40%alcohol. On the right is Absinthe, and it's 70%. I can't imagine who could drink that stuff! You'd breathe flames and pass right out. Or maybe that's just me. I sampled a few wines, and they were terrific. I even came home with a bottle. In all, I had a super day in Aachen with a great friend. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Jessica's Senior Pics

2011-09-26T10:44:00.006+02:00

Jess and I had a little fun yesterday. We took some pictures for her Senior page in her yearbook. When you live in a place as gorgeous as Belgium, it's easy to find the perfect backdrop. Of course, having the perfect model as well, makes it... well... even more perfect.

I can't believe our baby is all grown up now.

We're excited for her, starting on a brand new adventure, but we're a little sad for us.

Maybe she'll change her mind, and just live at home while attending a nice Community College. Yeah. I know. Not gonna happen.

Full Of Hot Air

2011-09-25T19:07:00.009+02:00

I was standing in my kitchen, doing all of the mindless little chores that needed to be done in there, when Jess suddenly (and loudly) said "OH MY GOSH, MOM! In the back yard..." She was standing at the sliding glass doors and staring out. My first thought was a wild animal. Was it a bear? A moose? The Loch Ness Monster? I ran to the door and looked out to see this. A very large hot air balloon was landing... in my back yard. No, this is not zoomed up at all. In fact, it looked much closer in real life.

I snapped this picture and then shot a video. (Sadly, Blogger is not behaving well and won't let me upload it. I might try again later.) Anyhoo, the balloon got closer and closer. We could clearly see the occupants' faces. We waved at them. They smiled and waved back. Then the "driver" gave it some gas and it slowly lifted up, just enough to barely squeak by the top of our two story house.

He crossed our street, and then did the same sort of drop down into the neighbor's back yard.

And then lifted back up again to head on his merry way. In all, it was very exciting for our sleepy little neighborhood. Dogs were barking, kids were running around and yelling, adults were out in their yards, taking pictures. That's cool stuff. You know what? I've never been up in a hot air balloon before. Too bad he didn't leave a card.

Saturday

2011-09-24T20:42:00.008+02:00

When you have teenagers, your days can begin very early. Very, very early, if their activities take place in countries other than the one in which you live. So this is how we spent our Saturday. Driving to another country...

so that Jess could to this...
And hours and hours more of this. It's all good, though. They won their games and had a great time doing so. This time next year, we'll be back in the States and Jess will be off at college. I'll be looking at these pictures and feeling sad that we aren't sitting on a hard, wooden bleacher seat and cheering her on to victory. Isn't it crazy how slow a day can feel, when life is speeding by?

Maastricht's Friday Market

2011-09-23T15:20:00.005+02:00

What better way is there to enjoy a beautiful day in Europe, than with a friend, wandering around the Friday Market in Maastricht? Right now, I can't think of one. Maastricht is just over the border from Belgium, and it's one of my favorite cities in The Netherlands. I love Markets, too. You never know what interesting things you'll find for sale there. Maastricht's Market has a very large selection of fresh seafood. In fact, I'd have to say that they have the most impressive of any local market I've been to so far. Octopus and crab? You got it!In the mood for eel? Here you go! Doesn't that just make your mouth water? OK. Me neither, but I'm sure someone is very excited to find this speciality for sale here. I try not to judge.

This is something I didn't know about before, but absolutely loved. It's the old Dominican Church, constructed in 1294. It wasn't being used much recently, and was falling into disrepair. Luckily, they decided to renovate it, and turned it into...a modern bookstore. Don't you just love this idea? It might be my favorite place in all of Maastricht now. Old meets new. The past is kept alive and brought into the future. They didn't do anything to alter the original structure, but made it totally usuable. I love it. In 2008, it was voted the Best Bookstore In The World, and I'd have to agree. If you want to read more about it, check this site out.

Just beside the Dominican Church, is this lovely cafe, and here is where we ended our visit to Maastricht. We enjoyed a lovely cup of cappucino, a slice of fresh apricot pie, and a little "people watching" while basking in the sunlight. Ahhh. Life is good. Very good indeed.

Bummin A Ride

2011-09-21T12:45:00.004+02:00

Spiders are everywhere in Belgium. You can clean your house from top to bottom, and by the end of the day, there are spider webs in the corners once again. There are a few who prefer a mobile home, and they've set up house on my van. Meet Cynthia. She lives behind my rear view mirror on the passenger side of the van. (Sarah lives on the driver's side, but she is much more shy than Cynthia.)

Cynthia is in a bit of a snit today, because while she was out enjoying the cool weather, I chose to drive to the grocery store. Her web is an elaborate design connecting my rear view mirror to the door of the van, and she was forced to grab onto it while flipping and bouncing about in the wind while I drove. As you can see, there was some resulting damage. She wants restitution, but I told her to take it up with her insurance company. In my defense, Cynthia is a freeloader and has never paid me any rent, so I don't feel guilty about the situation. I've asked her to move numerous times, and she has chosen to ignore me.

I left Cynthia to her repairs. Maybe I'll ask the hubby to evict her when he gets home from work. Quite frankly, she's not very friendly and she's bringing my property value down. No one wants to get in on that side of the van.

The Presbytery of Reppel

2011-09-20T12:56:00.005+02:00

This is the Presbytery of Reppel, and the former Abbey of the Norbertine (an order of the Roman Catholic Church). It dates back to 1600. It's where a priest lived and collected tithes from the parish. The moat around the Presbytery isn't large enough to provide much protection, but it's connected to a stream and believed to be the home of fresh fish that were a part of the priest's diet. There was also a vegetable garden and small orchard on the property. Times were tough, and there wasn't much to eat in this area.

A Presbytery usually consisted of a rectangular building and one or two barns. Tithings were normally in the form of harvested crops, and they had to be stored somewhere. That was the other reason for the moat. A place with so many valuable goods stored needed some form of protection. Take notes. This might be a question on Jeopardy one day and you'll thank me.

Heading To The Chapel

2011-09-19T15:58:00.003+02:00

"What a beautiful night,

We're looking for something dumb to do.

Oh, baby,

I think I want to marry you.

Is it this look in your eye,

Or is it this dancing juice?

Oh, baby,

I think I want to marry you."

I've been humming this song all weekend, because on Saturday, my handsome nephew married his gorgeous lady. We're sad that we can't be back in the states to share in the celebration, but we send our love and best wishes their way. Now that my niece and nephew are both married off, I'm sure that somewhere in the not so distant future, there will be the pitter pattering of little feet. Then my brother will be a Grandpa. Heh heh heh. That's good stuff.

"Cause it's a beautiful night,

We're looking for something dumb to do.

Hey, baby,

I think I want to marry you."

Here's To New Friendships...

2011-09-15T14:50:00.000+02:00

I was jogging along the canal, my tunes cranked up to distract me from all the wheezing and panting going on, when I noticed her out of the corner of my eye. She was hanging out in the bushes just off the bike path, and ducked back quickly when I came close to her, not making eye contact. No biggie. I'm sure a lot of folks come out here to enjoy a little peace and quiet. Who am I to judge? I kept on with my slow and steady pace and left her to her privacy. After a while, I doubled back and headed for home. I have to admit, she gave me quite a scare when she bounded out from behind a tree and landed right in my path. I skidded to a halt and gave out a little yelp before I could stop myself. I guess she'd been watching me for a bit and figured out I couldn't pose too much of a threat, or maybe she was just tired of her own company. I said hi, but she didn't really respond. I think she might have smiled a little bit, though. (It's quite possible she didn't understand English, and I didn't want to embarrass her by saying more.) Not sure what else to do, I started walking again. She fell into step beside me and we traveled on a little ways in silence. This must have been a little too boring for her (teenagers!), so she started walking in front of me and slowing down, then speeding back up again. I didn't take too much of this before I got irritated and started jogging again. She kept up the pace with me for about 5 or 10 minutes, and then lost interest, veering off toward to bushes to look for more entertainment. She was a sweet little kitty. I hope to see her again when I'm out there tomorrow.

They're Baaaaaaack!

2011-09-14T10:29:00.004+02:00

And just in time for Halloween, too. I don't know if you remember (trust me, I DO!), but around this time of the year in 2009, I discovered that we had some unexpected house guests. Bats. I was a little freaked out. OK, maybe I was a LOT freaked out. They had taken up residence in the light fixtures just outside and over my front door. Needless to say, I asked them politely to leave. Then I tried not to look up there any more and pretended that they had gone their merry way. And no, that was not bat poop that I've been sweeping off my front porch for the last two years. (Denial is a powerful thing, people. Don't judge.) Anyhoo, this morning the sun was slowly rising and the hubby was getting ready to head off to work. He stepped out the front door and turned to say something to me, but I can quite recall what it was. I was a little distracted by black, fluttering objects swirling around his head like a cartoon character after he was bonked in the noggin. It took about two seconds to register that those weren't sparrows, baby. The bats were back, and they brought a pal. This time there were three of them, and they were looking for a place to roost for the day. I'm not sure what the Dutch word for bat is but I believe the term I used was "AHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHH! BAAAAAAAAAAATSSSSSSSSSSS! GET INSIIIIIIIIIIIDE!" No loss of dignity here, folks. The hubby casually glanced over his left shoulder to see what all the fuss was about. "INSIIIIIIIIDE!!! BEFORE THEY COME IIIIIIIN! " He stepped forward and I slammed the door. Then I started breathing again. Did I mention that I do not like bats? The bats were in a bit of a tizzy as well, because the front entry lights were now blazing hot and bright, keeping them from creeping back into their hiding spots. They flew in crazy circles around the porch and front yard while we peeked at them from the window. The hubby was not nearly as impressed as I was and soon took off for work, abandoning me to the creepy clutches of the evil little paragliders. I left the window before the lights cooled down enough for them to ease back into their bedroom over my front porch. It's hard to live in denial if I actually see them go in there, you know. I'm gonna need more caffeine to deal with this one. A LOT more caffeine.

Fall Treats

2011-09-12T11:52:00.004+02:00

I'm feeling in a Fall mood today, so I decided to bake up a delicious treat that is on the cover of this month's Southern Living magazine. (My Mom bought me a subscription so I wouldn't feel out of touch with my southern roots while over here. Thanks Mom!) Not only did my house smell amazing, but the cake was absolutely delicious! Try it for yourself. Your tummy will thank you, even if your waistline complains just a little bit. It's worth it.
Follow this link for the recipe: Apple- Creme Cheese Bundt Cake

A Birthday Tradtion

2011-09-11T08:29:00.004+02:00

There are lots of lovely traditions in Belgium, but this has to be one of my favorites. They make a big deal out of Birthdays over here. Friends and family come out and decorate the Birthday boy or girl's yard so that everyone knows about their special day. The age is always shared, and lots of embarrassing pictures are plastered about.

It all in good fun, though. On the Friday or Saturday following the Birthday, everyone gathers at the decorated home and enjoys a big celebration that lasts late into the night. If there is one thing Belgians love to do, it's socialize. And they throw one heck of a party. You should see what they do when someone turns 18. Hmmmmm. I'll have to think about that one.

My Little Cupcake... Sort Of

2011-09-09T14:34:00.005+02:00

I don't normally allow myself to be influenced by advertisements. Normally. But this little cutie really caught my eye, and after debating purchasing it for several months, I took the plunge. It's the My Little Cupcake Pop Mold, and it's adorable. Even if you never used it, it would bring happiness and goodness into your kitchen, right? Without even reading what comes next, you're thinking about getting one of these, aren't you? You know you are. The only thing that kept me from snatching one up the second I saw it is that my babies are now 17 and 13, so themed birthday parties and school celebrations where Mom brings in the snacks are a thing of the past (*sniff*). I wasn't sure how much I would use it. Finally I just said "what the heck". Who are we kidding anyway? I want it for me. Part of the appeal of this little jewel is how easy it is to use. They even include the recipe on the box, for goodness sakes. You simply take a package of Oreo cookies, blend them into finely ground crumbs in your food processor, hand mix in an 8 ounce package of creme cheese, chill, and mold these babies out. Piece of cake, right? Absolutely... if you actually follow the directions. Here's where I come in. I don't have a food processor over here. I only have about 9 months left, so I didn't want to go out and get one either. I decided to use the blender. Easy peasy, right? I got it out of the cabinet, somehow dislodging the canister of flour that the cord had mysteriously become wrapped around. The flour canister flipped backwards off the top shelf of the lazy susan and emptied it's contents onto all of the bowls, dishes, and whatnot on the lower shelf. No problem. Now I have a little project to entertain me during the chilling process of my little cupcakes. Ignoring the mess, I dropped 6 or 7 Oreos into the blender, put the lid on and turned it to high. Apparently this blender has a little hole in the lid, because it suddenly resembled a volcanic eruption with black ash shooting up through the half inch hole and flying everywhere. It's OK. I've got this. I give it another shot, covering the hole with my finger. Much better. After mixing in the creme cheese by hand and chilling the concoction, I was ready for the next step. This was probably my favorite part. (I had flashbacks of making play dough creatures with my kids.) The mold worked perfectly, and even though I'd heard of people having to wipe the inside out occasionally to keep the cupcakes from sticking, I didn't have any trouble with that at all. I ended up with 24 beautiful little Oreo cupcakes. Then things went a little wonky. You are supposed to dip these treats in melted candy wafers or candy melts. I didn't have any, so I used bakers chocolate. It's quite a bit thicker, so you don't get the great effect of the mold. I tried to dress them up with candy sprinkles like the My Little Cupcake Blog showed, but it just didn't work out. They still looked a little lumpy. So... I decided to just have some fun with it. I figure Brandon will like these more than the flowers anyway. In case you're wondering, they taste yummy! (Not that I ate a couple or anything like that. Did I say 24 cupcakes? My bad. I think it only made 22. Maybe even 21, but whose counting?) I'll have to locate some candy melts and give it another try. For now, I have a kitchen to clean. It looks like a battle went on in there.

Bologna? In Cup Form?

2011-09-06T16:07:00.003+02:00

When I was around 11 or 12 years old, my Mom gave me a kids cookbook. Somehow, I've managed to hang on to it. It's stained, bent up, and missing the front cover, but for the most part... it's still intact. I was looking through it the other day and decided to whip up one of the recipes for the family. (I've been in a bit of a cooking rut lately, and have been trying to shake things up.) Brandon wandered in while I was preparing this culinary delight and said, "Bologna? In cup form? There's something just not right about that." I told him to just give it a chance. You never know, right? Russ and the kids looked a little nervous when they approached the table, but they were surprised to find that they liked it. Well, Russ and Jess liked it. Brandon stuck to his guns and had a bowl of cereal instead. He'll never know what he missed. If you are in the mood to shake things up at your house, then give this a try.

Eggs in Bologna Cups

Ingredients:

Pam cooking spray

6 slices bologna

6 eggs

6 teaspoons milk

salt

pepper

paprika

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray your muffin pan and frying pan with Pam. Place 3 slices of bologna in the frying pan and fry until the edges curl and the centers puff up. Lift each slice with tongs and place into a muffin cup. Press down in the center, so that the slice fits into the cup. Repeat with the remaining slices. Break an egg into the center of each bologna slice to hold it down. Pour one teaspoon of milk over each egg. Sprinkle eggs lightly with salt, pepper, and paprika. Bake uncovered in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the eggs are set. Loosen each bologna cup with a knife and lift onto a platter with a spoon. Enjoy.

(This would make a great Halloween treat. If you had two on a plate, they would resemble eyes. Is is strange that this just occurred to me?)

Saturday on the Canal

2011-09-03T21:18:00.005+02:00

We woke to beautiful blue skies, and the perfect temperature to get outside and enjoy Belgium. This was a wonderful surprise after the weather we've been having lately, so we definitely took advantage of it. Most of us, anyway. Apparently being on the volleyball team takes a lot out of a teenager, so Jess bowed out of the fun to enjoy a nice relaxing day at home.

The fellows, on the other hand, were all about the bikes. And the speed. They were good sports, though, and let me stop occasionally and take some pictures.

And Russ took a few of me, as well. This is one of my favorite spots. I like to watch the boats traveling from one canal to another.

There weren't any boats going through here at the time, but there were still some interesting things to entertain Brandon. Spiders, for instance. Yuck. I guess they were out enjoying the nice weather, too.

We had lots of other company on the canal as well. It seems like everyone has been longing for the sun around here. Let's hope she stays a while. We've missed her.

Sunrise

2011-09-02T10:59:00.003+02:00

What a glorious morning to be alive. Hope your day is just as full of possibilities...

Better Than Mom's Pot Roast? ...Nay

2011-08-31T10:34:00.005+02:00

I tried out a new recipe today. It's called Better Than Mom's Pot Roast. Apparently their Mom likes cider vinegar. My house smells. Not nearly as bad as that Stoofvlees fiasco, but bad, just the same. And in case you were wondering... no. It wasn't better than my Mom's Pot Roast. If you like a sweet roast with more than a hint of cider vinegar, then be sure to try this one out. Maybe it's the one for you. I think I'll return to my old recipe. You can't blame a girl for trying to liven things up.

Tuesday Tidbits

2011-08-30T09:59:00.004+02:00

Fall is in the air. I know, it's just August, but the weather has been playing silly games with us for a while now. Did you know that we just experienced one of the wettest summers in Dutch history? Over 360 millimeters of rain, to be exact. Not only that, we had about 150 hours of sunshine all summer. Compare that to the 700 hours we had last summer, and you'll see that this was a very unusual year for us. On the positive side, my grass looks maaaahhhhvelous!

Smiles From Unexpected Places

2011-08-25T09:21:00.005+02:00

My house is a mess, I broke a nail, and I spent way too much at the grocery store today, but on the way home, I passed a Porsche Cayenne... with my mini van. And I hate to admit it, but I smiled. I like to think that maybe he was a more than a little impressed as well. Hope something makes you smile today.

When It Rains...

2011-08-24T10:07:00.007+02:00

This has been a summer of very strange weather. Yesterday was no exception. We woke up to beautiful blue skies, but by early afternoon, it was turning a tad cloudy. No biggie, right? I decided to head over to the local grocery store to pick up a few things before the rain started. The sky was filled with light gray clouds. I shopped for less than 15 minutes, and as I was checking out, I realized that it had gotten quite a bit darker outside. When I reached the parking lot, I saw a huge wall of black clouds rolling toward me. Was this the end of the world? The apocalypse? Will the zombies be attacking soon? Should I have bought more speculoos cookies and paste? (Zombies love speculoos, you know.) I ran for the van and high tailed it back home. I just made it through the door when the sky turned as black as night, and the bottom dropped out. Luckily no zombies showed up, and I was able to enjoy the speculoos all by myself.

Firsts And Lasts

2011-08-22T09:58:00.002+02:00

Today is the first day of school. As you can see, we all have mixed emotions about today. It's because this year is a mixture of firsts and lasts for all of us. It's the first day of the last year of school in lovely Belgium. It's also Jess' Senior year, so it's her last first day in High School. It's Brandon's last first day of Jr. High. And it goes on from there. This time next year, we'll be living somewhere back in the US. Brandon will be starting High School. Jess will be starting college. Soon everything will be changing. Big changes, too. And as exciting as that all is, it's also very sad. When on earth did my babies grow up? I'm not ready for them to start going off on their own. Heck, I wasn't ready for them to go back to school. I like having them around. So as they are off in school, diving into the excitement of seeing friends that haven't seen in the last couple of months, meeting new teachers, having new experiences, I'll be here at home... pouting. I'm keeping busy, though. I even have a check list. (You know how I love my check lists!) I'm slowly working my way down it. Have a cup of coffee and catch up on FaceBook... check. Update my blog... check. Scrub the bathroom... well, maybe I'll have another cup of coffee first. No sense in rushing things.

BAF Day... And Grandma Heads For Home

2011-08-17T12:52:00.009+02:00

All great things must come to an end, and so... Grandma heads for home. After a whirlwind 6 week European vacation, we woke up one morning and it was all over. It was time to take my Mom to Brussels to catch her plane back to the states. (I swear, it feels like we just picked them both up yesterday!) Hopefully she had as great a time as we did, and is as sad to see the Summer Of The Moms come to a close as we are. Gone are the days of lunching at castles, and it's back to Sonic and Applebees. Is it wrong that I'm a tad jealous of that?

Anyhoo, after getting up at 4 am, hopping in the car at 6 am, driving to Brussels, checking Mom into airport, and heading back to KB... you'd think it was time for a nap. Not so. Today is also BAF Day. (That's Belgian/American Friendship Day.) Each year, we invite the locals who are an important part of our lives here in Belgium (landlords, city leaders, etc.) to come out to KB and celebrate with a good old fashioned cook out. It's just our way of saying "thanks for all that you do!" The gang at the base did most of the set up work yesterday, but there was still a lot to do to get ready. As Melissa and I put up the decorations...

the guys all stood around and pretended to be "management". Apparently this is very difficult work. They were very good at it.

A few hours later, and the festivities began. I didn't take a lot of pictures, because I was a little pooped at this point, but here are some of the highlights. There was a lot of pie in the face activity. This raised quite a bit of money for our annual Christmas party. (Not to mention, it was lots of fun.)

Then it was time for the dunking. Russ took his turn in the tank...and suddenly Jess took an interest. After all, how many opportunities do you get to try to soak your Dad? You have to take advantage of these times. It took a few tries, because that target it pretty small. But her determination paid off and Russ hit the water. Score! We had a great time at BAF Day, and Mom had a smooth flight home, so we'll call it a success. Just think, this time next year, we'll be on a fight back to the states, too. And one of my first stops will be at Applebees. I'm just saying.

Saturday in Maastricht

2011-08-13T20:53:00.008+02:00

Maastricht is the oldest city in The Netherlands. They have different market just about every day of the week there. Every Saturday, they have the antique/thrift market on the main road in front of the train station. Mom has to head back to the states in a few days, so we decided to head over there and show her around.

They also have lots of interesting statues. This guy was very entertaining. Apparently they have pretty brutal winds in this part of The Netherlands.

Mom and I did the tourist bit, and took some pictures in front of beautiful buildings like the Town Hall. Russ and the kids spent their time cracking goofy jokes. To each his own. (I just can't take the people anywhere, can I? Don't they understand that touristing is serious business?)

Apparently they were having a big Petanque tournament in the main square today. It was pretty interesting to watch.

The whole square was covered with gravel and marked off into lanes.

Mom, Brandon and I left Russ and Jess to watch the games, while we walked over to St. Janskerk. It's the red steepled church just off of the square. St. Janskerk (St. John's Church) was built around 1200, and we were going there on a mission. The last time I came here, the family and I climbed over 300 steps in a tiny spiral staircase to the top of the tower. Mom wanted to give it a shot. She's one brave and determined woman.

St. Johns Church is also right beside St. Servaas Basiliek, whose original structure dates back to 550. We admired it on our way through.

Actually, it didn't take us very long at all, and we were at the top of the church. You get a great view of the games from up here, too. And if you look very closely...You'll see the lazy people who didn't brave the staircase to the top. OK, maybe not lazy, but definitely not as adventurous as we were. Even in bad weather, the view from the top is spectacular.

You even get a close up view of the clock. Very cool.

It was starting to rain again, so after a quick lunch at the American Embassy (McDonald's), we went back to the train station and over to where our van was parked. Just another day is magical Maastricht.

A Rainy Day Spent At The Molenheide

2011-08-12T21:49:00.006+02:00

It's been raining a lot again. Luckily, there are a lot of fantastic places around here where you can hang out inside and let the youngins burn off some energy. Mom and I took Brandon and his friend Joseph to one of these places... the Molenheide. They have a great upper deck with tables, so you can hang our, have a cup of coffee, and watch the kids run all over the place. The kids love the multi story ball pit (complete with air cannons to shoot the balls at each other). Wait a minute. Those two kids look familiar. They also have lots of climbing things, as well as tons of interesting slides. Are those arms sticking out of that platform? They look familiar, too. Maybe I'm mistaken. They also have a pretty cool tower, where you pull yourself up, and then let go to slide back down again. The tower slowly rotates the entire time, so you get a great view of the park from the top. OK, I definitely know those two kids on top of the tower now. The boys had an awesome time running all over the place and acting goofy. After all, that's what summer is all about.

Land Commandery Alden Biesen

2011-08-11T09:16:00.010+02:00

The weather was so fantastic today, the kids and I decided to take Grandma to see another castle. (Poor Russ had to work.) Actually, it's a Land Commandery more than a castle. Alden Biesen, to be exact.

She's a beauty. This was the first castle our family visited in Europe, so she'll always have a special place in my heart.

I can't believe it's already been two years since we moved to Europe! We're on our final countdown already. Less than a year to go, and we will be on our way back to the states. Grandma only has a week or so, and her visit will be over. Time is flying by!

After a quick check of the map, we decided to head for the Water Castle. (The main building here is surrounded by a moat, and is called the Water Castle.)

You can't even see the moat as you approach it. It just looks like the grass goes right up to the edge.

Here is a side view of the entrance and the moat. At first glance, the building appears to be solid, but when you enter the front, you see that there is a covered courtyard inside. The sail like covering is pretty cool, and gives the courtyard a cave like feeling. Apparently they have special events in this area. There are only 3 rooms that you are allowed to tour inside the castle. These are the original floors, so they ask you to put slippers over your shoes before entering this section.

After wandering around a little bit, we left the Water Castle and headed back to the outer courtyard. To the right in this picture is the Information Office and a small museum. It's free, so be sure to check it out.

This is the Church and Gallery. The last time we visited, there was a wedding taking place in there.

Here is a quick look inside the Church. It was constructed between 1633 and 1635.

For a few euros, you can go inside the French Garden. It's worth it, because it's very pretty, and it also gives you another great view of the castle.

This is the view of the Church through the French Garden. This is the other entrance of the Water Castle, facing the parking lot and street.

There were lots of interesting statues in the French Garden. I'm told that these exhibits change all the time. This one looked a little familiar.

What did you do today? I hung out at the castle. Just another typical day in Europe.

Soon, it was time to go. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the castle restaurant and headed for home. Grandma won't know what to do soon, when there aren't any castles to visit and eat lunch at. Applebee's just won't be the same.

Birthday Monday

2011-08-08T15:15:00.004+02:00

How can someone who is only 27 years old have two teenage kids, you ask? Magic, my dear. Magic. (And a chocolate cake every now and then doesn't hurt, either.)

Mondo Verde is... Magnificent!

2011-08-06T21:21:00.021+02:00

The weather was behaving (for the most part) today, so we decided to drive over to The Netherlands and spend the day at Mondo Verde. Mondo Verde is a four in one park: world gardens, dinosaurs, zoo, and small amusement part. Put those four things together, and you get one awesome experience. It seems a little expensive at first glance (15 euro per adult to get in), but for only 2,50 euro more each, you get a season pass that lasts through the end of 2011. That's one bargain not many can refuse. Trust me, once you go here... you'll want to go back again... and again...and again... This friendly little fellow at the front gate will give you a hint at the fun that waits for you inside.

Once in the park, we took a sharp right and entered the tropical forests of Brazil. There were lots of amazing sights in there, including a family of flamingos. We spent almost an hour just walking through the winding paths through the tropical forest. It was beautiful... and a tad dangerous as well. We were just about to take a dip in one of the ponds when we spied this warning.

Good thing we did, because the waters were infested with piranha. They were everywhere. There were alligators, too, but I was so busy running for my life that I didn't get any good pictures of those.

We took shelter in an abandoned tree house while we scouted out a path through wilderness to freedom.

Did I mention how gorgeous this place is?

Finally we escaped the jungle and traveled over to the Italian countryside. It's a good thing, too, because all that exploring really had us work up an appetite. We decided to stop at the villa and have lunch.

Fortified with a great meal, we stopped off at the Trevi fountain before heading on to other countries. That's Neptune in the center, riding in a chariot of shells that's being pulled by seahorses and tritons. Legend says that anyone who throws a coin into the fountain will return there again one day. Another legend is that if two lovers both drink from the fountain, their love will be everlasting. The water looked a little swampy, so we passed. You feel free to take part, though. Don't let me stop you.

Onward we traveled, through Japan and on to China.

In China, you'll find walls with holes in them called Dong-men. They not only serve as an entrance to the gardens, but they also let visitors view the different elements of the garden through a "frame".

There were lots of winding paths through the gardens.

It was a very relaxing place to take a break from our travels and relax a bit.

Next on our adventure was a little trip to Australia. It was early afternoon at this point, so the wallabies were enjoying a little nap after lunch.

There was more beautiful scenery to enjoy at every turn. Just past Australia, we entered the Paradise for Birds. This is the largest free flight aviary in Europe.

Inside, you'll find hundreds of varieties of birds, some extremely rare and all quite beautiful.

Once leaving the aviary, we said a fond goodbye to the wallabies and continued on.

This little fellow caught our attention. I'm not sure if he didn't like laying on the grass, or perhaps he was just protesting his lack of an afternoon snack.

We arrived at a lovely pond, fed by a beautiful waterfall.

There was only one way to continue on our adventure. We had to cross... the pond of doom.

Luckily, we had a couple of strong men with us who ferried us across and on to safety. Then they took back the boat so that others could also escape peril. (Wait a minute. Is that Brandon doing all the work while his Dad and big sis relax? I guess there aren't child labor laws on the Pond of Doom.) Little did we know what was waiting for us on the other side...

I know. You thought dinosaurs were extinct, but this is obviously not the case. Russ and Jess decided to feed one and make him their pet. Grandma was very impressed by their bravery.

We passed by the "Scream Turned To Stone". On the upper lip is the inscription Lasciate ogni pensiero vio ch'entrate, which means "Enter and suffer damnation". Needless to say, we quickly passed on. I'm not a rocket scientist, but that doesn't sound like a good thing.

Our path led us to a giant sculpture of Poseidon, the Greek God of rain and seas. Actually, the path went through a tunnel under the sculpture. It was pretty cool.

I was so busy admiring Poseidon that it took me a minute to realize the kids were missing. I rounded the corner and found... that they were making new friends. I explained to them that this little fellow liked to play a little rough, and they wisely agreed that maybe he wasn't the best choice for a new pet. His food bills alone would be enormous, and quite frankly, you don't want to have to explain to him why dinner was late.

Jess soon found another friend she had a lot more in common with. He must be a teenager, too.

This is the front of the Poseidon sculpture. There is an opening to the cave under the sculpture behind that waterfall. Like I said, very cool.

We wandered around in the forest for a while longer, and made a few more friends. Luckily, most of them were plant eaters.

Finally, Brandon stopped someone and asked them for directions out of there. This gentleman was kind enough to point the way to safety. We traveled quickly through Alcazar, Morocco, and Spain. We took a break in Spain to wait out an unexpected downpour of rain. We made the best of it with ice cream. If you have to get drenched, then celebrate it with ice cream, I always say. (Well, I said it this one time and it got me ice cream, so that's good enough for me.)

Our path finally left out of the darkness of the forest, but we weren't in the clear yet. We found ourselves in the company of Kato and Kenia, the parks two while lions.

Brandon found this interesting contraption. It was a heavy braided rope, suspended from around 12 cables. If you give it a hard push, then it swings back and forth like a giant battering ram while you climb down the middle of it.

So of course, Brandon had to do it. Several times. That kid does love to climb.

Just past the swinging contraption was a zip line. This was more Jess' style of adventure, so we took turns gliding over the lake the the other side of a small island, and then back again.

It was a lot of fun.

But this was even better. This ride alone is a big enough reason to come out to Mondo Verde. It's called a Nautic-Jet. And they have two of these babies!

So of course, Jess and her Dad just had to try it out. They both got in a little boat, fastened the safety bar, closed the metal gate and pulled the rope.

The machine pulled them backwards to the top of the incline... and let them go.

You sail down the big slide, go off a small ramp, catch some air, and splash down into the pond. Once you stop, a rope attached to the back of the boat pulls you back onto the starting platform agian.

And it's sooooooooo much fun! They just had to do it again... and again... and again. Did I mention that these rides don't cost any extra? They are included in the entrance to the park.

I fell victem to the peer pressure and gave it a try. See how high you fly off the end? Yep. It's awesome.

It was getting late in the day, so we had to say goodbye to our beloved Nautic-jet and head for the entrance to the park. It was dinner time for the porcupines, so we stopped to say HI and check them out.

It was also dinner time for these little monkeys, so Jess and Brandon fed them some nuts. This little guy not only rocked one awesome hairdo, he also had some impressive choppers. He knew just how to turn the nuts and bite down to crack them open very quickly. He was lots of fun to watch. Just look how seriously he takes this. Complete concentration.

We passed the Fontana del Tritone in Italy just before leaving. Triton (son of Neptune, god of the Sea) was half man/ half fish, and the fountian shows him blowing into a trumpet shell, symbolizing immortality. In all, we had one amazing day at Mondo Verde, and hope to return agian soon for more fun. I'll leave you with a little video of Russ riding the Nautic-jet. When I win the lottery, I'm going to put a lake out behind my castle and add a couple of Nautic-jets. Then I'll be one happy camper. I'm just saying.

Antwerp

2011-08-01T16:05:00.013+02:00

Mom and I took the train to Antwerp for the day. Normally, the train ride is one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip. Normally yes, but today... it was not possible. A stop or two after we got on, a group of young children got on. A large group of children who were chaperoned by a few teenagers. A summer camp of sorts. (*Tip - Carry a IPod with you while traveling on the train so that you can plug up and crank up the tunes if a large group of children board.*) The kids sat down, pulled all sorts of sugary substances out of their bags, and proceeded to eat... and scream. And jump up and down. And scream some more. We were very excited to get off the train and walk around Antwerp. It's a lovely city. And it's so peaceful. After a brisk walk from the train station, we found ourselves at the Groenplaats, with the statue of P. P. Rubens near Cathedral. What a beautiful site. Mom was happy to be here as well. Or maybe she was just excited to get off of the noisy train. Either way, it was a success. This is the Well of Quinten Metsy in the Handschoenmarkt (glove market).

A little further on, you will find yourself in front of the Town Hall, with the Brabo fountain in the middle of the Market Square. This is my favorite place in all of Antwerp. The fountain symbolizes when the Roman centurion Silvius Brabo conquered the giant Antigon, who used to torment travelers in the area. Antigon charged tolls to sailors who entered the waterways here, and chopped off the hands of anyone who refused to pay. Brabo chopped off Antigon's hand and tossed it into the Schelde, therefore becoming the hero of Antwerp. Legend says that's where the name Antwerp (hand throwing) came from.

The details on the fountain are amazing.

There are lots of lovely statues all over Antwerp.

It's a gorgeous city to just walk around and enjoy. In fact, it's one of my favorites in all of Belgium.

The Steen is a castle that was built in 1885. It sits on the bank of the Schelde.

There's a Maritime Museum beside the Steen. You could spend a lot of time wandering around in this area if you are interested in old boats and ships.

After wandering around the city, we returned to the Cathedral to tour the inside.

It's a stunning building. This is the biggest church in the Netherlands, and took 183 years to complete.

We had a very enjoyable and peaceful day in Antwerp. Little did we know, there was another youth group (chaperoned by teenagers) joining us on the return trip back to our neighborhood. They were jumping up and down on the seats and trying to touch the ceiling, slapping each other on the legs to see who could take more pain, and screaming at the top of their lungs. At one point, a couple of kids dragged a girl down the aisle by her foot. The conductor never came in our car to check for tickets. He just peeked in the window and turned around. Chicken. The few adults that were forced to remain in there looked at each other in complete disbelief. Was this really happening? Belgians kids are normally so well behaved. I did lean over to my Mom at one point and say "My kids are looking really good right now, aren't they?" Did I mention that the trip was over an hour long? All teenagers should have to travel on the train with one of these groups. It's awesome birth control. I'm just saying.

Belgian Harley Rally in Leopoldsburg

2011-07-30T16:26:00.008+02:00

After chauffeuring the Moms around for several weeks, Russ needed a little guy time. He took off to Harley Fest in Leopoldsburg with some friends. The streets were filled with revving motors and testosterone. This is the Belgian version of Daytona Bike Week.

Russ was in his element. He had a great time, but I bet it wasn't nearly as much fun as driving a bunch of women (and Brandon) all over Europe. It's hard to beat that kind of excitement.

Brandon's ITouch

2011-07-29T13:06:00.004+02:00

This is a story about a boy and his ITouch. Brandon is 13. He and his sister take an hour long bus ride to school each day, and then an hour back home again. That's 5 days a week. 20 days a month. You get the picture. Now take into account that everything is very spread out here in Belgium, so just a basic errand could mean an hour or two in the vehicle as well. And we tend to travel a lot. In other words, he spends a lot of time listening to his ITouch. It would be safe to say that music is a very big part of his life. And videos. And apps. He does love his apps. Brandon got his ITouch a couple of years ago for Christmas, and I've never seen a happier kid. It goes everywhere with him. Grandma and Nana came to spend a few weeks with us this summer, so we've been driving all over the place and showing them the sights. Brandon's trusty ITouch has made each trip as well, safely tucked into the pocket of his jeans, and the little buds nestled into his ears. Until a couple of days ago. Due to the heavier than usual traveling schedule, I haven't been keeping up with the laundry as well as I usually do. The washer and dryer seldom stop during the few days here and there we are actually in residence. I haven't been as attentive to double checking each pocket before tossing items into the washing machine as usual, either. You see where this is going, don't you? Yes. It happened. I pulled a load of blue jeans out of the washing machine and noticed a thin, black cord wrapped around a piece of material. It looked familiar. I followed it to the rest of the headphones. There was nothing attached to the other end, but that did not make me feel any better. I knew what I would find. Sure enough, there was his ITouch. It was still tucked into the pocket of his jeans. And it was ruined. I was disgusted. Brandon was in denial. "It'll be OK, right?" he asked. "No. I'll do my best, but I think it's done." Devastation. Then I remembered reading something online about someone dropping their IPhone in a pool, fishing it out, and sticking it in a bag of rice. It was fine after that. I figured I'd give that a try. You have to understand that the ITouch went through an entire cycle in a front loading European washing machine. That means an hour and 48 minutes of tumbling back and forth while completely submerged in water. This was not just a dip in a pool. This was serious. I filled a zip lock bag with white instant rice, tucked the ITouch into it, and left it on the kitchen counter. It sat there for a little over a day. I tried to turn it on, and ... nothing. Then the hubby said that it might work if we charged it, so we did. And guess what... It actually turned on. It had a water mark on the center of the screen, but it worked! We were amazed! And thrilled! And amazed some more! This was about a week ago, and over the past few days, the water mark has slowly faded out and the ITouch appears to be pretty much perfect. All of the songs and videos are still on there. The only thing I had to replace were the ear buds, but that was it. Hopefully we all learned an important lesson from this near fiasco. We'll all be a little more careful with our expensive and precious property, for sure. ITouches are amazing! If an absent minded 13 year old boy (and his overworked Mom) can't destroy it, then no one can. Thanks Apple. You rock!

And Then There Was One

2011-07-28T20:48:00.003+02:00

Nana flew back home to Mississippi today, and her 3 week European vacation has come to an end. Her final tally of countries visited is: Belgium, The Netherlands, England, France, and Germany. Not all of them gave her a stamp in her passport, but hopefully each gave her lots of lovely experiences and memories. Grandma is going to hang out with us for a little longer. She is very brave. Think nothing of that little twitch she's developed. I'm sure it just means she's having tons of fun as well.

Ramstein and Spangdahlem

2011-07-27T13:11:00.005+02:00

Just so that the Moms fully appreciated our shopping experiences over here in Europe, we hauled them over the Spangdahlem and Ramstein Air Bases. They even got to go into the biggest AAFES in all of Europe. I know. It's exciting.

There is a great view of the Mosel River valley just off the highway on the way to Ramstein.

This is where all that Riesling wine we love so much comes from.

The Moms got to ride on the famous Autobahn! That is an experience in itself. Just remember to keep an eye on the signs, so you don't miss your Ausfahrt due to the high speeds.