A sweet smile to brighten your Monday.

Belgian engineering at its best. Notice how the sign goes half way over the seat.

Thursday, July 21 was the 175th anniversay of Belgium gaining their independence. To celebrate, there were parades and bands all day with fireworks finishing off the celebration. Here are some very impressive stilt walkers who took part in the parade.

Wingfield & Ebert

The Carney family is moving back to NYC, so Sam and Brian are up to their ears in boxes and packers this week. Today I took Luke and James to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to get them out of the house. Wow, what a weird movie. I think Tim Burton was doing A LOT of drugs when directed it. Throughout the whole movie, when Willie Wonka (Johnny Depp) talks I just kept thinking, "He sounds like a mix of what I would think Michael Jackson and Jack from Will & Grace would sound like." This movie receives a definite thumbs down from me.

Blog Mania

So I spent most of today reading a wide variety of blogs. (www.dooce.com, www.cookingwithamy.com, www.blueridgeblog.blogs.com, ) As my eyes were starting to burn and I was going cross-eyed, I finally thought, “Why the hell am I glued to a computer screen reading the intracies of other peoples lives, when I could be outside in Brussels living my own life and meeting people in the flesh and blood!?!”

So there you have it, for as much as I love blogs (and think I might be becoming a little addicted) there just comes a point when computers and the internet are bad. Blogs have really just taken reality TV and shows like the Real World to a computer level. So why do I still find myself checking out other blogs everyday? I think we all just crave being able to compare ourselves to others and see if we seem “normal.” So after you have finished reading my blog (and e-mailing me how wonderful it is), go outside and meet some real people who you can actually talk face to face with.

On a side note, as I type this in Word, the word blog keeps getting highlighted as a misspelling. When do you think it will get into the Webster Dictionary?

Sgt. Wingfield keeping the streets of Brussels safe.

Kyle thinks I am the only person in the world who hates Sebagos to the extent I do. Many men in Brussels wear these shoes and when I first saw them I thought, "Oh, those poor people don't have any money so they just have to take the shoes they get at the Salvation Army. I guess people who used to wear shoes like that in the 80s finally donated them." Well, then I saw Sebagos in the store and realized that these people are spending at least 120 euro (= $145 US)!!! I just can't belive this is a trend. However, the same people that wear Sebagos also wear white jeans and waist packs, so I guess I just don't have the same fashion sense as they do.

Salobrena and Venice

Click on the following link to see pictures from our trip. (You should not have to sign in.)

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=121a73ha.91ihqy42&x=0&y=kwy8k6

Future Homemakers of America

Ahh, the exciting lives of homemakers over here in Belgium. We like to spend our time cutting coupons and swaping hints about keeping the perfect home. Here is a good one I just received...

I had a wonderful morning, the heating unit went out on my dryer! The repairman went in to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. We always clean the lint from the filter after every load of clothes. He told us that he wanted to show us something. He took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. Now, the lint filter is made of a mesh material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like.WELL......the hot water just sat on top of the mesh!!! It didn't go through it at all!!! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh and that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that???!!!! Learn something new everyday!

This is a forward I got recently. After being in dry, arid southern Spain and Venice where there is only water, I can truly appreciate how nice it is to see greenery and grass. Here is a soldier stationed in Iraq, stationed in a big sand box. He asked his wife to send him dirt (U.S. soil), fertilizer and some grass seeds so he can have the sweet aroma and feel the grass grow beneath his feet. If you notice, he is even cutting the grass with a pair of a scissors. Sometimes we are in such a hurry that we don't stop and think about the little things that we take for granted. Upon receiving this, please say a prayer for our soldiers that give and give (and give up) so unselfishly for us.

The Wingfields living it up in Venice, Italy

Just one of the many beautiful sights in the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. I'm working on uploading all of the pictures to Ofoto....stay tuned.

Hasta Lavista Baby!

I wrote this before we left, but the Director of Homeland Security (aka Kyle) thought it wouldn't be wise to let people know we would be away from our apartment. So now that we are back safe and sound, here is what I was thinking last Friday....

We are off for our summer vacation to Salobrena, Spain and Venice, Italy. We will be in Spain from July 9 through July 15. Kelly and Rich Willis (aka the greatest friends in the world) have rented a villa for all of July and have kindly invited a variety of friends to join them throughout the month. Check out where we will be staying!!!

We also hope to visit Salamanca and see some flamenco dancing and perhaps even a bull fight. On the 15th we will head to Venice to visit Rebecca Wingfield for a few days, who is doing a study abroad in Florence. We have not made any set plans for that part of the trip, but I think just walking around Venice will be an experience in itself. There will definitely be lots of pictures when we get back!!!

Blogger Info

Thanks to Aunt Beth for sending me the following link with more information about blogging. Hope it helps any other fellow bloggers out there!

http://www.parade.com/weblinks/index.html

All I can say is, "Wow, that is one big fan."

Body of Steelers Fan Viewed in Recliner
PITTSBURGH — James Henry Smith was a zealous Pittsburgh Steelers fan in life, and even death could not keep him from his favorite spot: in a recliner, in front of a TV showing his beloved team in action.
Smith, 55, of Pittsburgh, died of prostate cancer Thursday. Because his death wasn't unexpected, his family was able to plan for an unusual viewing Tuesday night.
The Samuel E. Coston Funeral Home erected a small stage in a viewing room, and arranged furniture on it much as it was in Smith's home on game day Sundays.
Smith's body was on the recliner, his feet crossed and a remote in his hand. He wore black and gold silk pajamas, slippers and a robe. A pack of cigarettes and a beer were at his side, while a high-definition TV played a continuous loop of Steelers highlights.

"I couldn't stop crying after looking at the Steeler blanket in his lap," said his sister, MaryAnn Nails, 58. "He loved football and nobody did (anything) until the game went off. It was just like he was at home."

Longtime friend Mary Jones called the viewing "a celebration."
"I saw it and I couldn't even cry," she said. "People will see him the way he was."
Smith's burial plans were more traditional — he'll be laid to rest in a casket.

From Emily:
On a similar note, I did hear of a gravestone of a Bulldog fan that said,
Bulldog born, Bulldog bred,
Here I lie, a Bulldog dead.

Photos

Here are some photos that I have put together of recent events here in Belgium. The first set of pictures are from the weekend that Kyle and I went exploring. We rented a car and drove from Brussels to Dinant then over to Han-sur-Lesse (to tour the underground caves) and then back to Brussels for the night. On Sunday we drove to Aachen, Germany and on the way back we went through Maastricht (where there happened to be a really cool festival going on) and then we ate dinner in Leuven.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=121a73ha.4qz93vvm&x=0&y=3wd3uc

The next set of photos are from when Kelly, Sonny, Poppy and I went to the parade called Ommegang. Click here for the history of the parade.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=121a73ha.cpcl4vjm&x=0&y=w3qf2m

PS--You should not have to sign in to view the photos. Click on the lower right hand side where it says "View photos without signing in."

Don't mess with Belgium (and their beer)

Beer ban forces meeting cancellation
June 30, 2005: 3:19 PM EDT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A lunch meeting between a leading parliamentarian in Belgium and counterparts from Iran has been canceled because the beer-loving Belgian could not stomach a ban on alcohol.
"Even for the tolerant Herman De Croo, that was a bridge too far," De Croo, a Dutch-speaking Liberal, told De Standaard daily Thursday.
De Croo, president of parliament's lower house, had been due to entertain the speaker and members of the Iranian parliament Friday during their visit to Belgium -- famous for its diversity of beer brands.
But he said lunch had been canceled because the Iranians, who as Muslims do not drink alcohol, wanted their hosts to do the same.
"I did not receive such demands in writing. But ... I was indirectly asked not to serve alcohol," said De Croo.
The visit ran into further trouble after Iran's parliament speaker Gholamali Haddadadel insisted he would not shake hands with the female president of Belgium's Senate.
Anne-Marie Lizin, a Socialist, then canceled their meeting. She said in a statement that Iranians should respect local customs in Belgium, just as Belgians should in Iran.


After reading this article (which really is a true story), Kyle told me that he has never been to an afternoon business function without them at least serving wine, if not beer too. I really do wonder what non-drinkers do in Belgium!

A place that we like to go to, but is not as wild as it might sound is Beer Mania. They have an huge selection of beers and the owner is incredibly knowledgable. But if you want to meet some people who live and breathe beer, check out this website (and read the review.)

If you recall, I was attempting to make a flag cake to bring as my dessert. I had seen in other recipes that it said to mix cream cheese with the whipped cream. That seemed weird to me, so I just used only whipped cream as my topping. Well, I now understand why they say to use cream cheese---because whipped cream not dense enough to hold the strawberried and blueberries! To top it all off, the whipped cream melted on the car ride over, so I basically had a soupy mess that I didn't even serve. :(

Kyle was in charge of the kids games, which consisted of a tug-of-war, three legged race and egg toss. 

"Whadda ya have?" Kyle was a great volunteer server! 

We had a very traditional Fourth of July here in Brussels even though we were half a world away. Hamburgers, hotdogs, cold beer and fun! 

Fourth of July

This weekend Kyle and I are participating in the joint American Club and American Women's Club celebrations for the Fourth of July. Friday I am going to help with the decorations at the Clubhouse. On Saturday Kyle will be playing in a softball game between the two clubs while I help to setup for the food. I am going to attempt to make a flag dessert for my part of the potluck. I hear they are planning on ordering 300 hamburgers, so this should be a big event!

Since most of us will be celebrating Independence Day this weekend (rather than Monday), I thought I would go on and share some interesting facts about what our forefathers sacrificed for our freedom:

Signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776 was not a trivial act on the part of the men who pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. These men were not natural rebels, or crazies looking for a fight. Eleven were merchants, while nine were farmers and large plantation owners. Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. All were men of means and well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Of the 56 men who signed the document, five were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, while another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds as hardships incurred in the revolutionary war.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay and this family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge and Middleton.

At the Battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife and she died within a few months.

John Hard was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died form exhaustion and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston also suffered such similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued Liberty more. Standing tall, straight and unwavering, they pledged: “for the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” American history books have been particularly derelict in describing what happened in the American revolutionary War. This wasn’t a case of simply fighting the foreign British. Those who joined the American Revolution were British subjects at the time and they fought their own government! They committed treason. But they did so for reasons that people today might think of as very noble. At the time, it was questionable in the extreme to go against one’s king.

The question is: What is the measure of your patriotism today?

Ommegang is a parade and re-enactment of a kings wedding. People dress up and parade through the streets with the final part being the re-enactment of the wedding in the Grand Place. They set up bleachers in the Grand Place and it is 45 euro for a seat! Maybe next year....

I'm not quite sure of all the details, so check out this link...http://www.ommegang.be/uk/historique_intro_uk.html

My best adventure/travel buddies (Poppy, Kelly and Sonny). They are always up for a parade!!! 

 

Nothing like seeing people dressed like this walking down the street on a Thursday afternoon!