Candy Canes and Christmas Carols

We've had a lot going on lately, so we haven't gotten entirely in the holiday spirit. We did decorate our apartment the weekend before Thanksgiving (I know its early, but we are leaving for the US on Dec 14 and we wanted to enjoy), but other than that we've been busy. But this morning, we listened to Christmas carols on the way into work and had candy canes for a snack. I think I might be able to get in the holiday spirit a little more each day!!

Hope all your holiday planning is going well. I have only bought 2 Christmas presents and have several more to get....I better get busy!!

(pictures of the decorated apartment to come before the end of the weekend!)

Thankful

Things for which I am thankful:

1 - my husband and being able to call him that!
2 - my friends and family even though most are a thousand miles away (or more like 5000)
3 - having an expat community in which to share traditional American holidays
4 - being able to see and go most places we want
5 - this blog for being able to share our expat life with above mentioned friends and family.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL! WE MISS YOU!

(see I promised I was thankful!)

GRRR - Blogging Frustrations

Shortly, you will see the blog on our trip to Champagne. Let me tell you, this blog has been a nightmare. Between adding the pictures and getting the formatting down, and then figuring out no one could see the pictures, I gave up. So I promise it will be up soon, I just have to load all the pictures. It may be awhile before I do another blog with pictures. Though I did discover how to add more pictures and that its easier to upload the pictures to Kodak and then copy the link. The pictures load way faster that way. (but then no one can see them) I am still relatively new to this blogging world and I guess I still have a lot to learn.

But, it'll be there soon for you to read. Enjoy!!

Weekend in Champagne (France, not IL)

James and I joined our Belgian friends on a weekend trip to the Champagne region of France. It was a great trip. We visited 3 Champagne houses, ranging from small to one of the largest. We stayed at a bed and breakfast, which was fantastic for the rate. Below are pictures and commentary This is the group before leaving from Lieven and Inge's house. All smiles. We thought before and after pictures would be fun!!

Tasting at the first house: Henriet-Bazen
We tasted about 4 different champagnes here. I didn't know there were so many different types. Generally, champagnes are not given vintages, but are blend from various harvests. You won't see dates on these bottles. However, if its a good year, they will create a vintage and you will see dates on the bottle. These bottles typically go for more. This is were we consumed the most and bought the most!

Driving from Henriet-Bazen (which was in a very small town) to Ruinart for our tour. Ruinart is located in Reims, which is the largest city in the region. The countryside was beautiful with the colors of fall. (the pictures are a bit blurry as they were taken from the backseat of a moving vehicle)

Yes, we even found windmills in France. (pardon the spot a bird left behind. i was a backseat photographer at this point.)

At Ruinart, we had a private tour scheduled (thanks Martin). This picture is us venturing down into the caves.



A wall of champagne bottles aging at Ruinart (the picture is kind of dark, so you don't see me very well). I believe there are 3000+ bottles there.

Displays of Aging Champagne. The lighting looks cool on this picture.







This picture is in the tasting area. The bar is similar to the aging displays we saw in the caves. The Photographer (James) got a good shot through the glasses to the bar.


This is James with Lieven and Martin. They met while working Brussels.













Tasting at the small champagne house. This was very informal and cozy.













The group after dinner. Dinner was good, but LONG. It took 4 hours for dinner. I think by the time we left, we were all ready to go to sleep! It was a fun day, but long and exhausting!

Not feeling so Thankful

So, its Thanksgiving week and I should be feeling thankful for all the great things/people in my life. But, I'm having a hard time with it given that we do not get the day off. I know, I'll get over it and need to look at the bright side, but at the moment, I am having trouble.......

Maybe tomorrow or Thursday I will post what I am thankful for because I am, really, I promise, thankful.

BLACK

So, I happened upon this test on another blog while I was lurking....interesting. (you can take it for yourself using the link at the bottom)

Jessi, your true color is Black!
Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

http://web.tickle.com/color/index.jsp?testname=colorogt&resultid=F

3 Years

Corny, I know, but today is 3 years of knowing each other. From a simple lunch at Atlanta Bread Company to being 3 days away from our 6 month wedding anniversary, oh the fun we've had! (Its fun to celebrate twice a year....knowing each other and the official wedding anniversary!)
Here's to many more to come!
Love you!
(and because I was reminiscing and found old pictures, I have thrown one in of Barley right after we got him. He's about 8 weeks old.)

GO BLUE, GO RED

No, not that blue (Michigan Blue), this BLUE (Kentucky Blue)





An no, not that red (Georgia Red), this RED (OSU Scarlet)








Two Big Games this weekend!!! We will be able to watch the OSU v. UM game because it is on the NASN (North American Sports Network) that is part of our cable package here!! Finally, we can "tailgate" and watch a game!

Whatever your favorite team, enjoy a great weekend of college football!

Go CATS!

GO BUCKEYES!!

SUNNY

WOW, what a difference a week makes. Although it is COLD this week, the sun is actually shining! It is a nice fall/winter day here in Holland and I am extremely surprised. And needless to say, it does wonders to improve my mood. We are finally feeling better and even made it to the gym today at lunch. Now, it wasn't the best workout ever, but at least it was one!

Just wanted to share in the sunshine!

A bit late

The update from this weekend will be a bit late. James and I both had the flu (no, its not fun, even in a foreign country), so pictures have not been uploaded for sharing......stay tuned.

Bubbly

Just wanted to wish everyone a great weekend. We are off to the Champagne region of France with our Belgian friends. Hopefully I will have pictures and stories to post after the weekend!

Demand a Dream Life

I was needing a little inspiration after my husband told me I was selling myself short and in no uncertain terms that was unacceptable to him. So, I was cleaning out my drawers and found this quote and found it appropriate:

"Women who live the life of their dreams don't get there by being dainty and darling. They demand what they want and do what it takes to make it happen. [That] could mean breaking a few rules, a few hearts and a few habits along the way." Laurie Sue Brockway (A Goddess is a Girl's Best Friend)

With this I will be inspired and stop selling myself short!

Dark, Rain, Traffic

So, I was driving to work today and realized that fall/winter is settling in here in the Netherlands. This time of the year can be characterized by the above: Darkness, Rain and Traffic. As we approach full winter, the days will get shorter. And eventually I will drive to work in the dark, work in the dark until about 8:30 and beginning again at 4:30 (the dark that is), and drive home in the dark. And inevitably it will be raining at some point during that time. And as always, I'm greeted each morning (that I don't wake up early enough) by at least a 1KM file (that's traffic jam). And again at night, the file is usually more like 5KM....yes I am not sure how 30 miles can take any where from 40 minutes to (that's right) 2 hours.

So, fortunately this year, I will have a gym to go to and weather will not be an excuse for not working out. And maybe because I know what to expect with the winter, I won't experience any symptoms of S.A.D (see previous posts). But, I am not holding my breath as the first symptoms have already arrived...sleeping long periods of time. I do NOT want to get up in the mornings when it is still dark and my bed is so comfy.....

So, my goal for the rest of the week is to find some inspiration, or at least something to prevent full onset of S.A.D.....Any Ideas??

October

Well October came and went and now I'll tell you about it.

The first week was still pretty busy at work given the Go Live, but was more manageable than the week before. Friday evening we picked up Bambi, Marianne, Sallie and Rachel from the train station. Rachel is student teaching in Germany and the Aunts came over to visit. Once we all got back to the apartment, we chatted for a bit and went to bed (it had been an extremely long day for the ladies!!) On Saturday, I took them to Delft as it is the epitomy of a Dutch town. That evening we went to our favorite little Italian restaurant here in Wassenaar. (Its our favorite not only because of the good food, but it is also walking distance, so you can enjoy your wine with dinner - and we did!!). We had dessert once we got home after dinner. I finally went into the bakery downstairs with them and we bought some little pastries....yummmmm...good thing I didn't discover the backery earlier!! On Sunday we took them back to the train station and made our way to the airport. Back to the US for us. We spent Sunday night - Thursday morning in Lexington. We took care of the house, got hair cuts and massages and vistied with family. Then boarded a plane for Atlanta. We enjoyed a great weekend with Ricky and Lisa. We celebrated my birthday on Friday at a great steak restaurant. (Although I probably won't be returning as I had one too many drinks - it was the Jager I swear). On Saturday we went to a Halloween party. Yes, I dressed up, evidence is below!!! Sunday and Monday were spent relaxing! We did do a little shopping in the meantime.
We arrived back to NL on Tuesday morning and went to work. On Saturday morning (EARLY) we flew to Spain for the Sales & Distributor meeting. I think every child in NL was on that plane with us....the kids were everywhere and definitely misbehaving. I am not sure the parents cared at all what the kids were doing. It was AWFUL... But Spain was nice. We had Sat and Sun to relax before everyone got there. The weather was fantastic. Though it was a long week of meetings, it ended with a 2 hour break laying in the sun on Friday!! Not a bad way to end the trip......And we finished the month off in NL.

Yes, October came and went.....but we sure had some fun!!

Jessi and Lisa at Dinner

James and Ricky at Dinner (Don't they look Handsome?!?)

James and Jessi in the Lederhosen (aren't they cute ?!?!)

All four of us in our costumes at the Party!!

September - Month 12

The month started with the end of Prague weekend, which was included in the August post. Then, 3 weeks later we went to Milan and Como for a relaxing weekend (as much as it could be 2 weeks before implementation at work). James was going to Milan for training, so I tagged along and we left on Friday morning. We stayed in an old castle about half way between Milan and Como. It was very nice; however, the only rooms they had left were twins...so, honeymooners we are, we slept in 2 twin beds on the opposite sides of the room! ;)
We had a great dinner at Il Gatto Nero (the Black Cat) which is a favorite of G Clooney (or at least that is what we were told), but there were no celebrity sightings that night. Dinner of truffles and steak was fantastic. Saturday we spent the day (and a bit of money) in Milan. After wandering aimlessly for about 2 hours, we finally found the street we were trying to find, but only after James walked into the Park Hyatt like we were staying there and talked to the Concierge. Sunday, we spent wandering around Como. The weather was fantastic, as you can tell in the photos. And that evening, I returned home to NL while James stayed behind for training.
Milan and Como Pictures use link below....
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8gkpuuo.1kw5v09k&x=1&y=-rzlfq3
The month ended with a crazy weekend at work. We implemented SAP in Europe and went live on Oct 1. After 6 months of hard work, the results were great!!

And that's the first year.....WOW....what a great year! Hope you've enjoyed the journey. I will keep posting updates. But am glad to be caught up!!

Flying by

I am not sure where the month of October went (well actually it went to cutover and immediate aftermath, Lexington and Atlanta, and finally to Spain)....I am officially a month late on getting up to date on postings....But I have posted through August. September and October are coming I promise!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween. Not tricks or treats here as it is not celebrated heavily in Holland (except expat neighborhoods, but we weren't visited). But, look for the October update as james and i did celebrate Halloween in Atlanta!

August - Month 11

We started the month with a visit from Lieven and family. We had a great visit. We took the boys to the beach. It was actually warm enough this weekend for the boys to splash around in the water! Later that evening we enjoyed dinner on the terrace and after the boys went to sleep, the adults enjoyed much red wine! We tried to go back to the beach on Sunday, and with only one road in and out, you couldn't get within 2 KM of the beach in your car. As we were short several bikes and the patience to keep waiting for the bus, we turned around and went home.

(Not sure I have ever mentioned, but our Home Away From Home is a short 4 KM from the beach! Though the North Sea is not one you just go swimming in, its a bit cold!)

The rest of the month was fairly uneventful. Work was busy as we were gearing up for go live. Most of the data objects had been loaded or were being loaded during the month. We did have a visit from a US friend. (Hi Bobbi) And found a restaurant in Den Haag that actually served decent Mexican food (that is generally stop numero uno upon arrival in the US for us).

We ended the month and began September with a trip to Prague...It is one of the most beautiful European Cities. The architecture is amazing, food was great and the city is rich in history. We walked all over the town, so my legs were tired by the end of the trip, but it was a fantastic trip. We stayed at the Hilton using points and were upgraded to the executive level, so enjoyed free breakfast and afternoon cocktails. I could go on and on about the city, but I will let the pictures do the talking....WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PLACE (and my amateur photog husband took some fantastic pictures)

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8gkpuuo.bk7e3wvk&x=0&y=-58ncfx

July - Month10

(back to my calendar review to determine what the heck we did in the month of July)

We started the month by celebrating 4th of July in style at Jack and Kathy's, hamburgers, broccoli casserole, the works. I even whipped up some rice krispie squares (I forgot how much I love them). The food and friends were present, however the fireworks and summer temperatures were not. In fact, it rained off and on all day. AND we actually had to go to work for most of the day. (Guess Holland isn't interested in celebrating USA's independence ;))

Later in the month we took a weekend trip to Ireland. We spent 4 days with Hugo and Daphne at Daphne's parents. While the weather was cool, we didn't have much rain. We took amazing drives (although a bit nausea enducing) along the coast of Northern Ireland. It really was beautiful. We also hit an Irish Pub in Dublin and enjoyed some Guinness....And what would a trip to Ireland be without some Irish Whiskey...we enjoyed a great tour and tasting!! (Hot toddy's are about all the irish whiskey I want, but James sure does enjoy his tastings!!!) See link below for pictures from this great trip!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8gkpuuo.afhm78jk&x=1&y=-628x4k