Shopping and High Tea

The past couple of days have been fun and interesting. Yesterday, Friday, Alyna didn't have school so we decided to go shopping in Nijmegen. It was a nice day, as winter days go around here; the sun was shining most of the time but it was right near freezing. We had each explored Nijmegen before but had never done it together. We found an old Roman wall that we thought would be a fun spot for a photo shoot.




It's always a lot funner to take my girls shopping because they always find clothes that they look cute in and are willing to try on strange and different things. We found all kinds of fun things (mostly for Alyna) and found some great stores. Most of our favorite stores didn't look like anything very interesting from the outside but once you got in the door a ways, we found all kinds of amazing things; either fun clothes or stores that appeared small but turned out to be these huge department stores.



Today, Dennis and I spent the morning running errands, like grocery shopping, washing the car, etc. Then, this afternoon we attended a "high tea" party in honor of a couple in our ward. The wife had just turned 60 and the husband is going in on Tuesday for a major open heart surgery. Their son from Utah, and their daughter from Indonesia as well as the two daughters living here in Holland were all here so they had a huge celebration. It was held at a nice, very old, reception/restaurant center.



There were all kinds of teas and little cakes and things that I have no idea what they were but most of them good, as well as crumpets and muffins. There were tributes given, silly songs and old songs sung and then they brought out the little sandwiches and the quiche. It was a very good, it just seemed like a strange order to serve things in.



Carlo's tribute to Armanda made everyone chuckle and quite a few teared up. I wasn't one of the teary ones, only because I didn't understand much of it. They are wonderful people and have been such a help and blessing to us as we've gotten settled here.

Flowers

This weekend we have gotten a lot of nice flowers. It is amazing to me to see all the tulips for sale at the village markets and in the grocery stores. It's a really nice way to get through the dreary days of winter.


We bought these at the village market in Ede on Saturday. The piles on tulips were about three feet high and about 12 feet long. We paid $10euro and got 50 tulips and then we divided them and I took a bouquet to the missionary couple that we went to eat with on Sunday. These were closed up tight on Saturday. Aren't they sweet?!



This large flower arrangement is what Dennis got for his birthday from the company. They sent us one about the same size for our anniversary. It is so beautiful!



A neighbor had some hyacinths like these in her house and they smelled so good I stopped at the grocery store on my way home and bought some. They are very powerful and can be smelled throughout the house.



I have a few house plants also starting to bloom so our house is looking quite cheerful right now. Maybe I should have braved the cold last week and gone and bought some flowers!

A Good Day for things 'Lost'

Today started off a little rough. I have been looking, or more acurately, meaning to look for where I put the charger for the camera after we got back from Utah. I thought I might just spot it one day but that hasn't happened and so it was time to start looking. But there were several other items that seemed more pressing. I couldn't find my glasses that I need for detailed work, like threading a needle. Also, I looked briefly for my passport yesterday and didn't find it and looked again this morning for a minute, while looking for my glasses but I couldn't find any of them.

I was starting to panic, after all, we don't have that much stuff here so were could they be hiding. I thought I might have to take drastic steps, like cleaning out my whole closet. But first it was time to start some laundry. While taking the sheets off the bed, I noticed the camera battery charger on the nightstand. That was exciting but now I was more panicked about not finding my passport. I need to get it renewed before I come home next month, at least that was what I was told at the Salt Lake airport when we left at Christmas time. (I'm hoping that I can just send it to the US consulate here and get it back in time. If time is an issue, I will have to go to Amsterdam and do it in person.) So I started going through the closet again. It's a fairly big walk-in affair with drawers and such, so just about every miscellaneous thing gets put in there. I cleaned off one shelf, and waa-laa, there were my glasses. Just where I thought I had put them but I had already looked there two times and not seen them.

Then I thought about all the places I could have put my passport. I looked through the logical places like the purse and backpack I used, and then wondered if it could be possible that I had just never taken it out of my coat pocket since we got back from Utah. It is the coat I wear almost every time I go out so it didn't seem likely that I wouldn't have noticed that but I looked - and there it was, buttoned safely in the inside pocket.

So I guess what I've really lost is my mind. If anyone happens to notice it laying around, would you let me know. In the meantime, I'll try to remember to call the consulate tomorrow and get all my documentation to renew my passport ready to send off. Would someone check with me and make sure I got that done. Thanks.

Winter Blahs!

I think the winter blahs have hit our home, or else we are sick or homesick. It has been a tough week for everyone. It has been cold and rainy all week. Today, I thought that for sure I would get out of the house for a bit and go into the village market but it has been blustery with periodic snow flurries. I wimped out and decided that I really didn't need to get out of the house that bad. How I long to see the sun for a whole day.

Dennis has had a bad cold and not been able to lay down at night to sleep because of a hacking cough. He stayed home on Monday and worked from home but had meetings the rest of the week and the earliest he has gotten home is 8:30 PM. Tonight, he also has home teaching appointments so we don't expect to see him until about 10:30. At least last night he was able to get 6 or 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Alyna had mid-terms which she studied hard for but still thinks she did terrible. For some reason, on every test were things that had not been covered in the chapters they had done up to this point. That was pretty discouraging for her. She has also been thinking a lot about where she should live when she comes home this fall. It will not be an easy decision for any of us, well me especially, since I think that the best place for her to be is with me - but not here in Holland!

I have been trying to get some sewing done for the weddings. The quilts turned out okay and were fun to make but the clothes.... Well, they don't look as good as I had envisioned. I have thought I was a fairly decent seamstress but this has really humbled me. After a week of fussing with the skirt for Alyna to wear at Andrew's wedding, she finally told me to give it up and it was good enough for the one night she would wear it. The dress I've been working on all week is... a mess. If I had to judge it at a 4-H fair, it would get a white ribbon (which of course is the same as last place.)! Part of the problem has been that I've been trying to combine a couple of different patterns and the other problem is the choice of fabric. It doesn't have the body to give the dress the look I was hoping for. Now the trick is figuring out what to do. We need 4 dresses. I think I will put that away for awhile and see if anyone or anything can give me any inspiration. I do have a dress suit I'd like to try making for myself so I'm hoping maybe I can redeem myself there.

It's nice to know that winter won't last forever, and that when spring comes to Holland it should be glorious. For now, we will just keep reminding ourselves that we get to head home and be with family and friends again in less than a month. Thanks Andrew and Lisa for giving us something to look forward to and anticipate.

Presidential Inauguration

Tonight, Alyna and I sat in our 'family room' in the Netherlands and watched as Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. What an amazing time to live in. Alyna was not thrilled about having to spend a couple of hours watching something that wasn't very interesting to her but I'm sure many years from now she will appreciate the enormity of the moment.

I can't adequately express my thoughts or emotions as I watched this happen. When I was 4 years old, Martin Luther King gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech. My childhood and teen years have been filled with the struggles and big moments of the civil rights moments. It wasn't a big part of my life because I don't remember ever really meeting a black person and talking to one personally till I was in college but it was in the news, in our classroom discussions, in the church as to why the blacks couldn't hold the priesthood. I remember clearly the day that the announcement was made that the priesthood could be held by all worthy males. What a huge announcement that was. And now we have a black American president.

I thought he gave a great speech and it really made me think of how many things there are that makes me grateful to be an American. I loved watching all the organization, planning and preparation fall into place to make the day go so smoothly. (It appears that much of that planning and organization was done by women - of course. Way to go!) I appreciated all the people of so many races and backgrounds and talents that participated in the inauguration.

I am now watching as the Obama's and Bidens are walking along the parade route. That's pretty amazing to see them out walking. I think I agree with the secret service people and breath a sigh of relief when they got back into their armored car. I don't want anything to mar this day for them.

It is interesting to be in "the world" as the rest of the world is called. The weight of the whole world is truly resting in Obama's hands. For the past month, it seems like CNN is reporting that decisions that countries need to make are being put on hold till the new president is sworn in and see what he does. So much talk about what America will/can do to change the world and save it from the economic and political woes it is now dealing with. It is an interesting time to be alive and it will be fascinating to see what the history books of the future will have to say about this day.

Has there ever been such incredible press coverage? I'm sure I've never spent as much time watching any other inauguration but I've been so amazed at all the great camera angles and coverage. I'm sure all of us that are watching on TV are getting a better shot than anyone that is actually there.

Friday!!

Alyna and I just finished seminary and got all our manuals and scriptures and such cleaned off the dining room table. We use the table for seminary much more than eating, well I guess not if you take into the account that we almost always have hot chocolate and sometimes other goodies to snack on during the lesson. Today we also had apples, peanut butter and cheese.

Dennis has come down with a pretty serious cold this week and hasn't been feeling very good but hasn't let that stop him from working long hours. I tried to suggest that he try to come home early today and he said he would. He promised to leave work no later than 5:30. That wasn't my idea of early. Since it takes him about an hour to get home from work at that time of day, that will be good. We have a Young Women activity tonight (preparing for New Beginnings/Young Women in Excellence) and Alyna and I need to leave not much after 6:30.

I have been busy sewing all week and got Lisa's quilt top and back finished and Andrew's quilt top almost done. I'm very happy how they've turned out so far and it has been fun to think of the recipients as I've stitched each one. I'd put a picture in but I want to wait till they are all done.

I went to "coffee" Thursday morning. It was the first time since we got back that I got out of the house except once or twice to the grocery store and to church. It was a the home of one of Alyna's classmates, who is also new to the area and from the states. There were drinks other than coffee and lots of good foods. It was nice to be able to visit for a bit with some of Alyna's classmates mothers and share experiences. There were several from the states that had been there for 18 months to a couple of years and it was interesting to see how they had adjusted after being here for that length of time.

This week has been a stressful one for Alyna. She has been studying very diligently for her mid-terms (which are actually administered more like college finals exams.) It reminded me of all the hours all of her older siblings put into studying for their AP tests except for that the older kids all had friends to study with and sometimes I wondered if they were really getting much out of it because of all the laughing and talking. I wished Alyna could have had a good friend to study with!
Last night, Dennis and I went to the grocery store and to Media Mart (trying to find a new printer cartridge for our printer.) When we got home all was quiet so I went to see how the studying was going. This is what I found:

There's her books and bag of popcorn but where is Alyna?


Ah, taking a little unscheduled nap. She's obviously been studying and was even very organized in the process. Only three more such days to endure although she will probably also spend most of the weekend studying. Just can't wait to see what trying to get ready for finals in mid July will be like?

Tomorrow, if we are healthy enough, we are having the missionaries over for dinner. I found some inch wide-lasanga type noodles so I'll try and make a lasagna. I have to say - I really don't like to cook. It's a good thing I get pushed into it once in a while. We had some pretty interesting and simple meals this week. We've been on kind of a Mexican food theme this week and almost everything that didn't get eaten earlier in the week got thrown into what Dennis called - Cowboy Delight. It was actually pretty good, although Alyna won't try it.

Sleepless in Elst

We could blame our odd sleeping schedule on jet lag but it's now been almost a week since we got back so there must be something else at work here.

This week, Dennis has gotten home from work at about 7:30 so we have dinner around 8:00. By 8:30 or 9:00, we are all in bed and asleep. Most nights we've been waking up at midnight or 1 AM and then are up for 3 or more hours. One night, Alyna came in at 12:30 and we (Dennis and Jeran - by phone) helped her with her homework till about 3:30 and then we all went back to bed for three hours. The advantage is that we've been able to watch the college championship games as they are being played. We've also been able to send and receive emails since everyone at home is awake. We've watched movies, played games on the computer and had a strange, but nice week. I'm not sure how Dennis is able to hold up. I am able to take a nap during the day but he just keeps going.

Another thing that has been strange about this schedule, is my body isn't quite sure when it should eat. I've tried to keep a fairly normal schedule but those middle of the night cravings have been pretty powerful. Not the thing we need right now while we are trying to loose those extra pounds we put on during the holidays.

It's now almost 11 PM and we are still awake so maybe our sleepless nights are at an end. We can only hope.