Amsterdam

I just returned from a week long Dutch (language) immersion class in Amsterdam.

I'd been very nervous to attend in the time leading up to it but luckily, it turned out to be all that I'd hoped. The class was limited to 8, with students coming from Spain, England, Columbia & the U.S. 

As an added bonus it was held in the heart of Amsterdam. 

Loved attending the class in one of the buildings behind the black ship.

It was seven hours a day for seven days, so very intense.

 The teacher was very passionate and playful about the language which made it a lot of fun.

 

He used stuffed animals as props and lots of jokes to help us remember. He taught us what Dutch people really say, not just what the formal Dutch language books go over.

 It was the ideal class for me.

I decided to rent a room nearby, to totally immerse myself, which was a real treat.

 Although we'd been to the city on many occasions before, 

staying there and feeling like a real local helped me to truly fall in love with it for the first time.

You can tell when a baby has just been born, as it's common to decorate the house with a stork.

It was so fun to discover little streets and to be there at night to see the city all lit up.

Han was able to join me for a couple nights at the beginning and then on my last night to celebrate, 

which made it extra special.

We had fun at the famous Noodermaarkt and I had the most beautiful yogurt/granola/fruit breakfast ever.

It was a beautiful week.

I learned soooo much, mijn hoofd is vol.

Ik ben heel blij met deze grote stap en dankbaar voor deze mooie week in Amsterdam!

The number of bikes parked at the train station here is mind blowing!

Alkmaar is a 43 minute train ride away from Amsterdam.

❤️

How Is It Possible?!

If I could pick any daughter to have in all the world,

I would pick Isabel over and over again.

Celebrating 18 years of this special honor.

Van harte gefeliciteerd, 

Isabel Rose!

Happy New Year

 On this last day of January, I’m finally taking a few minutes out to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

It has been a busy time since my last entry.

I spent four weeks in the U.S. visiting the kids 

and as many family and friends as time (and covid) would allow.

It was such a treat for all six of us to come together for the week of Christmas

(in a beautiful rental house in Palo Alto, California).

Just being together was the biggest gift 

and so affirming to my belief that “home is where we are.”

It was also nice to be there to celebrate Zack’s 28th birthday (on the 28th!). We did so with a trip down to the Monterey Aquarium. 

We had all planned to fly out on the 30th but due to flight cancellations, only Isabel could depart. 

The rest of us ended up celebrating New Year’s together, too. 

It wasn’t hard to make the best of it.

After a few extra days in San Francisco, we parted ways, with Eli & I flying up to Seattle and Han flying home to Holland.

We arrived to the tail end of a winter storm but it was good to be back “home”.

Although, it also felt very bittersweet, of course.

It was so good to spend time one of one with each of the kids.

Eli is living up in Bellingham, in his 3rd year at Western Washington University.

He’s majoring in Computer Science and lives in an apartment near campus with 3 roommates.

Thankfully, the snow disappeared within a few days of my arrival!

I so wish I could’ve seen everyone I would’ve liked to while I was home

 but it was so nice to catch up with those I could.

Reunion lunch with Aunt Dodo & Uncle Pat, cousin Erin, and family friend’s: Charlotte & Alan

My next stop was a trip down to Long Beach, California to spend time with Isabel.

She’s busy going to Long Beach City College and also has a job as a Covid Tester for the local school district (and some nearby hotels). She is a real California girl. I loved seeing her life there. It was also nice to stay in her walkable neighborhood and to get some time in the sunshine!

While I was there we decided to find the house Eric and I lived in when we were little. I had an old photo of it and Mom had written the address on the back. It turned out it was only a 10 minute walk away! Such a coincidence. We ended up having a really nice visit with the current owner (who’s lived there 30+ years). She loved seeing the old photo and it was so nice to see how well cared for it was. We made such a warm connection that Isabel has already been back over a couple times to walk her dog. Mom would love this. 

Before I took off, Griffin joined us for crepes.

They are such a cute couple!

To wind up my trip, I flew back to San Francisco. 

Han and I get really special ticket prices flying KLM and flying out of San Fran is a great direct flight home. So, that works out really well.

Zack has recently become fully certified for Air Traffic Control at SFO and Aidan is busy entering tournaments in the professional gaming world. They are great roommates and finding lots of good things about living in the city. 

Zack & I had fun taking advantage of all the great murals 

for photo backdrops on the way to the laundromat.

We also took our first trolley ride. Have to do it at least once while you’re here. ;)

What a great trip!

It really is remarkable that so recently we could all take being together for granted…

and now it’s a treat that takes a lot of intention to make happen.

But, it is so worth it to create these new normals!

~~~~

Now, I’ve been back in Holland for just over a week.

My shipment (that I had shipped in August!) arrived while I was away, so there is a lot to do as we work to integrate things over here.

So, that’s it for now. 

~~~~

Sending love and best wishes to All in 2022!

❤️

A (Covid) Update

I had begun to feel like maybe I was immune somehow since I feel like I’ve risked exposure quite a bit since this whole thing started….but last week my luck ran out. 

Han and I both had cold symptoms and went in to be tested, just to be on the safe side. My test came back positive and his came back negative. It was quite a shock, especially since I’m triple vaccinated already! Thankfully, I’ve had a very mild case. We’ve both quarantined and (per the recommendations) Han had a follow up test five days later and today that came back as negative once again. It’s so strange how it spreads.

No one wants to get it but I’m so grateful that my case has been so mild and that if it had to happen it hit when it did rather than closer to when I’m supposed to travel later this month.

On a lighter note, I’ve had fun decorating the Mill for Christmas. We don’t have room for a big tree, so we’ve gone “mini” instead. It all sparks a lot of joy on these cold winter days.

Sometimes it’s the little things that carry us through, isn’t it?

Sending out love to each you…and wishes for good health now-and in the New Year!

❤️‍🩹