Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Dutch-Strand English-Beach
The weather here is fantastisch!!!! Sunny, warm, blue sky I did not think it was possible here. Quite a change from the long fall/winter gray. Olivia and I are deciding which strand we will visit tomorrow. There is a man made lake in a village called Eersel, which is very near our home. There is also a place called Aqua Best in northern Eindhoven. I think it is also a man made lake but, it has more of an amusement park option, kind of a waterpark. That may be more fun to do when Matt can join us. If we are up and going and feeling adventurous we may even head to the sea. Olivia seems to think we need Matt for that but, I am quite certain that us girls could pull it off. It may just not go as smoothly as it would with her Daddy!!!
We drove Matt to the Eindhoven airport today. It reminded me of the HHH terminal in Msp. He flew on a European airline called Ryan Air. When he called me he said, "Getting on a Ryan Air flight reminds me of getting on a bus in Mexico!" Those of you who have been on a bus in Mexico will appreciate that statement and understand why we may become loyal Northwest/KLM travelers! He also called when he got to his hotel and assured me that we are not missing anything by not coming along to Italy on this trip by telling me that the view from his hotel window is of a nuclear power plant. For all I know he was just being sweet and he is sipping a fine Italian wine on a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean sea!!!! Ahhh, gotta love him.
Olivia's knee is healing nicely, although she refuses to put a bandage on it. The thought of taking it off leaves her desperately pleading, "No mama, please don't make me. I am NOT going to put ANYTHING on it again!" Matt and I had to literally hold her down to take off a bandage that was about to start growing skin on it. Apparently it was a little too traumatic for her, kind of like Tony's fear of sliver removal:)
I am going to get to bed, big day navigating the dutch motorway tomorrow! GoedeNacht!
We drove Matt to the Eindhoven airport today. It reminded me of the HHH terminal in Msp. He flew on a European airline called Ryan Air. When he called me he said, "Getting on a Ryan Air flight reminds me of getting on a bus in Mexico!" Those of you who have been on a bus in Mexico will appreciate that statement and understand why we may become loyal Northwest/KLM travelers! He also called when he got to his hotel and assured me that we are not missing anything by not coming along to Italy on this trip by telling me that the view from his hotel window is of a nuclear power plant. For all I know he was just being sweet and he is sipping a fine Italian wine on a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean sea!!!! Ahhh, gotta love him.
Olivia's knee is healing nicely, although she refuses to put a bandage on it. The thought of taking it off leaves her desperately pleading, "No mama, please don't make me. I am NOT going to put ANYTHING on it again!" Matt and I had to literally hold her down to take off a bandage that was about to start growing skin on it. Apparently it was a little too traumatic for her, kind of like Tony's fear of sliver removal:)
I am going to get to bed, big day navigating the dutch motorway tomorrow! GoedeNacht!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Dutch- Om Twee!!! English-Round Two!!!!!
Well, here we are!!! The three of us, together again, in Holland. Olivia and I arrived one day before Matt. After a crazy ordeal at MSP airport (including a search of our plane by the Bloomington K9 unit and a three hour delay!!!) we made our way to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. We stayed at a nearby hotel, at which Olivia had an elevator experience that has left her terrified of European hotels! The 2am fire alarm at a Euro Disney hotel this spring is partly to blame for her fear...... thats a whole other trip! She and I made our way by bus and train into the city for dinner, pasta of course, and back to the hotel for much needed sleep. The following morning we were up and out to Schiphol, where we met Matt and his colleague, Ad, for the train ride to Eindhoven. It was fun to run into our neighbor, Jose, at the grocery store that same day, made it feel a bit like home.
We have been here two weeks and Olivia has managed to have two play dates and spend one full fun day at her school. She also managed a fairly significant wipe out on her bike. After which we parked our bikes and I carried her home, luckily it wasn't far! Since she's nearly as big as me!!! Her knee took the brunt of the fall and it was enough that Matt and I debated whether or not to take her in for stitches, we didn't and it seems to be healing okay.... but, man she was hurtin'!
We had a drink with neighbors Hettie,Peter, Frank, Jose, Len and Andre (who is the owner of the house we are renting) one night after we arrived. It was good to see them all again, fun for Olivia to see their chocolate lab puppy, Senna!!! Peter will be 50 next week and there will be a party, we will celebrate with them.
Yesterday we went to an old dutch town called Zanse Schanse. There are nine working windmills, typical 1700's dutch homes and shops all set on the canals. It was pretty nice but, Matt and I both agreed that it was not as cool as we thought it would be. It was more "tourist trap" like than we expected. Also, it was kind of right in the middle of a fairly modern industrial area. We are not, however, sorry that we went. It's fun just to explore a bit.
Today Olivia and i are deciding what we will do with the rest of our week. First of all, we need to get a birthday package in the mail for Tony, he'll be 19 on the 10th!!! WOW! Matt leaves for Italy tomorrow thru Friday. We were going to go along, but we have Liza and Peters birthday party this weekend. There will be another opportunity for us to go in a few weeks. Liv and I might got to the Delta region of Holland, near the sea. We could leave in the morning and be there in a couple of hours.... maybe Wednesday.
Signing off for now, this was a pretty big post considering it's the first one since October!!! More soon!
We have been here two weeks and Olivia has managed to have two play dates and spend one full fun day at her school. She also managed a fairly significant wipe out on her bike. After which we parked our bikes and I carried her home, luckily it wasn't far! Since she's nearly as big as me!!! Her knee took the brunt of the fall and it was enough that Matt and I debated whether or not to take her in for stitches, we didn't and it seems to be healing okay.... but, man she was hurtin'!
We had a drink with neighbors Hettie,Peter, Frank, Jose, Len and Andre (who is the owner of the house we are renting) one night after we arrived. It was good to see them all again, fun for Olivia to see their chocolate lab puppy, Senna!!! Peter will be 50 next week and there will be a party, we will celebrate with them.
Yesterday we went to an old dutch town called Zanse Schanse. There are nine working windmills, typical 1700's dutch homes and shops all set on the canals. It was pretty nice but, Matt and I both agreed that it was not as cool as we thought it would be. It was more "tourist trap" like than we expected. Also, it was kind of right in the middle of a fairly modern industrial area. We are not, however, sorry that we went. It's fun just to explore a bit.
Today Olivia and i are deciding what we will do with the rest of our week. First of all, we need to get a birthday package in the mail for Tony, he'll be 19 on the 10th!!! WOW! Matt leaves for Italy tomorrow thru Friday. We were going to go along, but we have Liza and Peters birthday party this weekend. There will be another opportunity for us to go in a few weeks. Liv and I might got to the Delta region of Holland, near the sea. We could leave in the morning and be there in a couple of hours.... maybe Wednesday.
Signing off for now, this was a pretty big post considering it's the first one since October!!! More soon!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Dutch-Grootmoeder en grootvader English-Grandma and Grandpa
Part two of the previous post is our visit with Sharon and Cal. I have to start out by saying these two are tough!!!! They made the trip and didn't even skip a beat as far as jet lag!!!! When they arrived on Friday we had about enough time for a hug and a sip of Pepsi before I had to leave to pick Olivia up. So, without second thought Grandma jumped on Matt's bike to join me for the 4 mile ride!
Which was a great thing because Olivia ran out of the school, threw her bag to me and jumped into grandma's arms!!! It was too sweet! I took a photo but, it was with Sharon's camera. So, the kodak moment will remain a private one! I'll share some other highlights with pictures.....
Olivia and Grandma going through the "goody bag" that Grandma is well known for!!!! This was not just any goody bag though.... It was a suitcase!!! No, seriously A SUITCASE!!!! Pink, too! Olivia definatly wanted to hog G.&G. to herself for the first twenty four hours!!! She felt pretty good about having some of "her" people around!!!!
Walking in the woods near our house. We were trying to recreate a favorite family photo taken eight or nine years ago in northern Minnesota. The difference is the location and the people!!!! Obviously, Holland is different. Olivia is in this one and Jennifer (Matt's Sis) and Tony are not!!!
We made a pot of steamed mussels. Which we have found to be about as close to "Dutch" cuisine as it gets. They turned out well and proved to be a great appetizer. Fun to put the dutch oven in the middle of the table and "dig in!". 
A night of Guesstures with the neighbors, Frank and Jose was very silly and fun. Jose and Olivia were a perfect team!!! Grandama took a liking to thaem and they liked the Wilson's too! Enough that they invited them for a goodbye drink at their home on Sunday night. Some authentic Dutch hospitality!!! Perfected with a live music performance by Frank!!!
Grandpa and Olivia making fresh squeezed orange juice from oranges that we bought at the market, yummy!
Olivia warming up with tomato soup and hot cocoa at the watermill cafe, after a very long, cold bike ride to Valkenswaard!!! and then back!!!
Dinner at a Mexican Tapas restaurant in Eindhoven after a full day of shopping.
Olivia with Grandma and Grandpa in Maastricht, where the three of them and Matt spent the day on Saturday after our early return from Paris. The flowers were Olivia's idea to get for me since I had a bum knee and couldn't be with them. She paid for them and carried them around the whole time! Bless her heart, she's still as sweet as pie in July!!!! The last day of Wilson's visit Sharon and Matt spent shopping and preparing food. Since we weren't sure how long I would be "off my feet" they made sure we were covered in the food department. The other part of our visit was spent in Paris with Anne and Pete. Stay tuned for part three of the Late October Post!!!!! (Maybe done in time to start a mid November!!!!!)
Love to all and God Bless!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Dutch-Maand English-Month
Welcome to Dutch Word of the Month!!!!! Formerly, Dutch Word of the Day however, that proved to be WAAAYYY too much for me! I think a more "do-able" task is Dutch Word of the Week. Sometimes I may not even include a Dutch word!!!!! That being said, do you think I should change my blog name? If I change it to "month", it could be DWOTM- Dutch Words Olivia Teaches Me!!!!!! Okay, so I think the best way to go about this is to just post some photos of this past month with BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS (a term not typically found in my vocabulary!!!) Maybe just a random list of things we've been up to, highlights of our time with Grandma and Grandpa and our trip to Paris to see Anne and Pete. Ready? Set? GO!!!!
This is one of the stops on the"Lichtsroute Eindhoven". They light up a route about 20 kilometers long, that was the route of the American soldiers when they liberated Eindhoven at the end of World War Two.
Olivia's first ice skating lesson. Tuesday afternoons are International lessons, therefore taught in English!!!
The largest market of the week, 500+ booths, is on Saturdays. There is everything from fresh fish to bicycle parts to gourmet olives to socks!!!! You name it! Fruits, vegetables, flowers, fresh baked goods, Holland souveniers, the list goes on....... Sharon and Cal visited the market with us the first Saturday that they were here.
I'd like to introduce you to our neighbors, Frank and Jose, who live across the carport from us. Also, Len, who lives across the street. One Sunday in October we all rode bikes together. They took us to a watermill cafe where you can take a bus to Belgium and canoe back down the canal to the cafe. Although we didn't do the canal trip, we enjoyed biking and having drinks with our new neighbors. We definately plan to canoe this spring. You're welcome to join us!!!!!
Olivia at her second horseback riding lesson...IN THE RAIN!! The children did not mind because when it rains they go into the woods on a trail ride, for shelter, instead of doing riding drills in the arena.(sorry for the poor photo quality, I was desperatly trying to stay under my umbrella!!!)
Olivia and friends at school during a "farewell party" for Mihir, one of her classmates, who is moving home to India. Top to bottom: Olivia, Jillian, Miss Gootnick (U.S.A.), Alma (Sweden), Katja (Finland).
Olivia and her teacher, Sarah Gootnick. This is her first year teaching independently in her own class. She "interned" here at the international school last year. Sarah is from the U.S.
These are REAL!!!!! In Dutch they are called Vliegzwam, English- Fly Agaric. They are called this because originally they were left out in bowls to kill flies. Apparently, the flies would experience a brief period of disorientation!!! Then, MAGICALLY they would fly away..... Aside from the psychadelic fact and fiction, they are very cute and fun to search the forest floor for!
This is one of the stops on the"Lichtsroute Eindhoven". They light up a route about 20 kilometers long, that was the route of the American soldiers when they liberated Eindhoven at the end of World War Two.
Olivia's first ice skating lesson. Tuesday afternoons are International lessons, therefore taught in English!!!
The largest market of the week, 500+ booths, is on Saturdays. There is everything from fresh fish to bicycle parts to gourmet olives to socks!!!! You name it! Fruits, vegetables, flowers, fresh baked goods, Holland souveniers, the list goes on....... Sharon and Cal visited the market with us the first Saturday that they were here.
I'd like to introduce you to our neighbors, Frank and Jose, who live across the carport from us. Also, Len, who lives across the street. One Sunday in October we all rode bikes together. They took us to a watermill cafe where you can take a bus to Belgium and canoe back down the canal to the cafe. Although we didn't do the canal trip, we enjoyed biking and having drinks with our new neighbors. We definately plan to canoe this spring. You're welcome to join us!!!!!
Olivia at her second horseback riding lesson...IN THE RAIN!! The children did not mind because when it rains they go into the woods on a trail ride, for shelter, instead of doing riding drills in the arena.(sorry for the poor photo quality, I was desperatly trying to stay under my umbrella!!!)
Olivia and friends at school during a "farewell party" for Mihir, one of her classmates, who is moving home to India. Top to bottom: Olivia, Jillian, Miss Gootnick (U.S.A.), Alma (Sweden), Katja (Finland).
Olivia and her teacher, Sarah Gootnick. This is her first year teaching independently in her own class. She "interned" here at the international school last year. Sarah is from the U.S.
These are REAL!!!!! In Dutch they are called Vliegzwam, English- Fly Agaric. They are called this because originally they were left out in bowls to kill flies. Apparently, the flies would experience a brief period of disorientation!!! Then, MAGICALLY they would fly away..... Aside from the psychadelic fact and fiction, they are very cute and fun to search the forest floor for!
Monday, October 8, 2007
Dutch-goed nieuws English-good news
My mom and I last Christmastime...
My mom can talk!!!!!! As I mentioned a month ago, she was having some tests done because she had not had a voice for three weeks. Now, after eight weeks and MANY tests, specialists and unanswered questions she can speak. This is, amazingly enough, the result of only one "voice therapy" session!!! She was shown how to do some self massage from her jaw down to her collar bone and apparently she was talking after a few minutes! Isn't that wild? I have not spoken to her yet but, am interested to know if it is tension/stress related or what. If that's the case I am surprised she's been able to talk for the last forty years..... You know what I'm sayin?
Thirty years ago.....
Chrissy and I Bigger.
Not so long ago!!!!
THREE LOUD CHEERS FOR VONNIE!!!!!
My mom can talk!!!!!! As I mentioned a month ago, she was having some tests done because she had not had a voice for three weeks. Now, after eight weeks and MANY tests, specialists and unanswered questions she can speak. This is, amazingly enough, the result of only one "voice therapy" session!!! She was shown how to do some self massage from her jaw down to her collar bone and apparently she was talking after a few minutes! Isn't that wild? I have not spoken to her yet but, am interested to know if it is tension/stress related or what. If that's the case I am surprised she's been able to talk for the last forty years..... You know what I'm sayin?
Thirty years ago.....
Chrissy and I Bigger.
Not so long ago!!!!
THREE LOUD CHEERS FOR VONNIE!!!!!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Check this out!!!
I saw this cool map on Anne's blog so I tried it myself. Can't wait to have Matt do it later. Should we start a poll as to what we think his percentage will be? I'll say 20%.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)