A place for everything and everything in its place

We had an absolutely wonderful time in the States, but there is just something I love about having all of my stuff in one place. Having my own place with my own things, systems and patterns makes me so happy. It amazes me when I think of how different my emotions are today versus just three years ago when I landed in Brussels for the first time. However, I also think that it took me a full year before I felt this level of comfort upon returning to Brussels.

Our families were beyond generous with gifts, so we came home with some very full luggage. We can't wait to wear all our new clothes and figure out our new toys. I went out for a bike ride today and as I was admiring all the architecture and smiling at my familiar surroundings I felt like a dog just sniffing around the neighborhood and wagging my tail I was so happy to be back.

I loved every bit of food I ate in the States (Chick-fil-A, Sensational Subs, Mexican etc.) but I couldn't help but laugh when I looked at what I brought home from the grocery store today -- lentils, red peppers, bananas, cauliflower, chickpeas (for hummus) and brussels sprouts. The food I miss from the USA is great, but definitely not healthy. I am excited to get back in my kitchen and cook some healthy things. Both Kyle and I always gain a few pounds when we are home visiting, so I am also looking forward to shedding some of that weight.

And to start the New Year off right, I have finished almost every little project that has been nagging me for the last few months -- my laundry pile is empty, all the ironing is done, and I have sewed buttons back on all the things that needed them. Now if only I can keep up this pace for the next 365 days.

Click here for photos.

Changing History

We are scaring ourselves. Never before in the history of our lives have we been so organized. It is 10:30pm the night before we fly to the States and both our bags are completely packed and zipped, the fridge is empty of food that could spoil, the garbage has been taken out, there are no dishes in the sink, and the kitchen counters are clean; homemade Christmas gifts have been delivered to people in Brussels, our mail is arranged to be picked up and the plants to be watered; I don't have one e-mail left to send and no project that I am frantically trying to finish at 1am. Although I have had a constant to-do list in my mind for the past two weeks, I feel like all of that stressing has finally paid off. Is this what Martha Stewart feels like?

In the Eye of the Traveller

I remember when I was working 8-5pm in a cube and friends were sending me e-mails from their travels through Australia. I really felt like I was about to cry at my desk as I was reading them because I was so jealous. Yesterday I was telling my French teacher that I was going to miss yet a few more classes because I was headed back to the States for Christmas. I was kind of embarrassed to tell her this because I felt so lucky to be traveling so much and here she was having to stay in Belgium all the time. This was the conversation:

Teacher: And you were just in Germany last week, right?
Emily: Well, actually I was in Germany for two days and then flew to London for three days because my husband was there for work.
Teacher: Wow.
Emily: Yes, I feel kind of bad because my husband ends up having to work in every city, but it is great for me because I just get to tour around and sight see.
Teacher: So you are by yourself all day? Your husband can't tour with you?
Emily: Well, he has to work alot, so it is usually just me touring around by myself all day. I always bring a book to read at lunch and I stay busy going to museums and just seeing everything.
Teacher: And you like this?

I had never even thought that some people might think I have it really rough having to tour around by myself all day. Personally, I love being by myself -- I go where I want to, when I want to and don't have to worry about anyone else. However, I often forget that many people might see it as lonely or scary. I won't feel quite so bad talking about all my travels now knowing that some people might actually be thinking they are so glad they don't have my life!

Santa's Workshop

I've been busy making lots and lots of caramel sauce for Christmas gifts. Growing up, I have memories of my mom making bite size caramels at Christmas time and then my sister and I sitting at the kitchen table wrapping them in wax paper for what seemed like hours and hours. In reality, I am sure we worked for about 15 minutes and my mom had to do the rest. Since I don't have free child labor around here, I have decided to take the easier route and just make the caramel sauce. I wrap it in a clear bag with a green granny smith apple and red ribbon (my mom did always say presentation is everything). I think this is going to be my signature Christmas gift for years to come. Funny enough, even though it tastes great, I have made it for so long (and eaten so much growing up) that my stomach kind of turns at the thought of it. What a great diet!

The Anxiety Before the Storm

As Kyle reminded me this morning, I always get anxious like this before a trip back to the States. However, for some reason this trip seems to have me in more of tizzy than others. There is just so much to get done! I have lists all around the house and Kyle grimaces each time he looks at the credit card bill. I am actually not a huge gift giver, but over the next two weeks we also have going away parties, birthday parties, and holiday parties before we even step on the plane. I think part of the reason I am feeling pressure to get things done is because early Monday morning I am driving to Germany with my friends Yvette and Maggie. Yvette moved back to Australia a few months ago, but came back here for a visit before all of her friends left too. So we are driving together to the Rothenberg and Nuremberg Christmas markets to tour around for a few days. Wednesday morning I am taking a 6:30am(!) flight to London to join Kyle, his colleagues and his NYC boss for a formal dinner that evening put on by some think tank there. I will tour around London until Friday while Kyle works up there. We will get back late Friday evening and then head to the States the Wednesday after that. Once we land, we have Kyle's sister's college graduation, and four family Christmas dinners planned. 'Tis the season!

AWCB Holiday Bazaar

I was asked to take photos for the Holiday Bazaar this year. Since they wanted them for promotional purposes, I didn't edit them down. So click here to view them, but be warned there are alot.

Wingfields in Elfland

Click here for some Wingfield Christmas cheer (and a good laugh)!

Freshman Blues

It is hard to grasp just how different Europeans are from Americans until you live over here. Even having been here three years I am still sometimes shocked at what I hear.

For example, I take French class through a university here in Brussels. Out of the 21 students in my class, only one guy is actually also a student at the university (and not just an expat or trailing spouse). He was recently telling us about the student "baptisms" that have been taking place these past few weeks. Basically each college at the university has a co-ed fraternity (so there is one for Literature, Economics, Political Science, etc.) but only about 10-15% of the student take part in the fraternities.

The final act/hazing the pledges go through has been happening the last couple of weeks. For those reading this in Brussels, the pledges are the ones you see at intersections wearing white lab coats that are covered in blue, baseball caps with really long bills, and collecting change in beer glasses to fund their beer money. As it was explained to me by my friend, the final act is for groups of three to five pledges to put on a performance each night which lasts about two to three hours. The performance addresses current issues, makes fun of embarassing things that have happened to people, and can basically cover a wide area of topics. These are done outside at night in a big white tent in front of about 300 students. This might all seem normal enough until you hear the next part. The performers are completely sober, naked and covered in oil. The entire time they are performing, the audience throws this blue stuff at them (I saw it -- the blue stuff, not the performance -- and it basically looks like dyed blue chunky sawdust or crumbled crayon). Each audience member pays 8 euros to enter and then is provided with all the beer and pot they can consume for the whole evening. As if just being naked in front of 300 of your closest friend wasn't bad enough, remember we are in Belgium where it is currently 32 F this evening.

If that hasn't shocked you, then check out this link: http://www.speedbandits.dk/ (not suitable for people at work or those who are offended by nudity).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kyle andI have been in Paris since Monday where we were both tourists and business people. I was finally the one that was able to bring Kyle on one of my business trips, but he was able to fit in some work of his own too (rather than lounge in the hotel tub and knit all afternoon).

I take notes for a British company every so often. Usually it is in Brussels, but this time they needed me to do it in Paris. Minus the unfathomable French lack of customer service, the trip was very nice. (For a total of six coffee breaks througout the two-day meeting at the hotel, we had to ask the front desk at least 10 times for things like hot water for the tea, more than five coffee cups for the meeting of 13 people, milk for the coffee, etc. When we did ask for things they looked at us like teenagers look at their mothers. The ultimate was when one employee flatly said to me, "That is not my job.")

I must admit though, I just don't get what everyone loves about Paris. Yes, it is a very nice city. I have found it to be clean, beautiful and filled with art and history. However, I feel like I read the guide books or hear people talking about stopping in cute little cafes and shops and I just don't ever experience that. We wandered, shopped and stopped for coffee and wine, but it just wasn't that great. Maybe the real problem is that I would love it if I just experienced it on my own, rather than having heard everyone's hype about it before.

I am sure the weather had an effect too -- the first time I visited Paris was in December when it was freezing, then in July when it was hotter than hell, and then this time in November when it drizzled rain on us the whole time. It also didn't help that the Paris public transportation system has been on strike for the last week. We were able to get on the metro, but it was definitely a Sure deodorant moment. For some reason the museums decided to strike also, just to show solidarity with the metro workers, so the Impressionism paintings at the Orsay were closed and we missed seeing another museum because it closed early for the strikes.

However, I did get to eat two amazing lunches that were made in a Michelin One Star restaurant. We also got to stay in a lovely hotel room, which is always a treat to me. For Thanksgiving we were both working and then took the train back to Brussels. We had been invited to a Thanksgiving dinner, but didn't get back in time for it. Instead, we did the next best American tradition and ate McDonalds!

Nothing like eating McDonalds in silk and pearls on a train from Paris!

Click here for our photos from Paris.

Troisième Anniversaire Heureux (Happy Third Anniversary)

It's that time of year again -- as of November 13, 2007, we have been in Brussels for three full years. I have been thinking back on our time here and just how much we have changed. Well, I say we, but I have really only been thinking about how I have changed. Maybe Kyle will post about his thoughts later... Until then, here are my thoughts bullet style because I didn't want to deal with writing transitions as my editor suggested.

• I think I have become more laidback. Now a friend of mine here laughed in my face when I said that comment, but she just didn't know me back in the States! I just feel that I am taking life a heck of a lot easier and slower here. Things don't bother me as much as they used to, and I find myself frequently shrugging my shoulders or doing the Belgian shrug/frown/"pppffftt" (you would only know what that that looks like if you live here). I use the phrase "C'est Belge" and "C'est la vie" more than I ever thought I would. I am also alot more laid back in regards to germs. I figure if all these Belgians have survived this long without bread plates and Purell, then I will probably survive too. Belgium has a way of breaking you down so that you basically expect nothing and are pleasantly surprised when anything good happens. As frustrating as it can be sometimes, I think it might actually be a better way to think about life rather than expecting the world and then being mad when things don't work out.
  
• A friend of mine once explained to me the difference between California wine and French wine. I have found that the explanation also explains the entire difference between the USA and Europe. Basically a merlot from Kendall Jackson (California) will taste the same if it is from 2000 or 2005. There is constant consistency that comes with every year, whereas the French take a gamble each year. A French merlot from 2000 might have been great but the 2001 harvest was not so good. They didn't fret, though -- they just held out hope that the next year would be better. So they might have a few bad years, but their great year is a great year, rather than just a consistent year. If you think about it, this applies to so much more than just wine -- the US has franchises and chains so that at every major highway exit you know you are getting the food prepared the exact same way at each McDonald's, Arby's, and Applebee's whether you are in Arizona or New York. In France, you might come upon the most quaint cafe with a homemade lasagna to die for OR you might end up at a local mom and pop restaurant and have the worst food ever. Every day is a gamble here.
  
• For various reasons (the weak dollar and small sizes) I don't go clothes shopping here. I can't believe how much more free time I have now that I don't shop! I don't have the guilt of feeling bad from buying something too expensive. I don't feel bad if things don't fit. I don't have the added stress of buying something, deciding I don't like it, and then having to cart it around for two weeks until I find the time to return it. (That also wouldn't work here because they really don't let you return anything. You would be amazed at how you can make a definitive decision on something if you know you don't have the option to return it). Every so often I decide I do want to look around in a shop. And sure enough, those feelings of not being skinny enough, or rich enough, or being able to make a decision all come back to me. For now, I really just enjoy having at least six months free of shopping and then doing it all on during a one-week trip back to the States.
  
• I just love being away from societal pressures of the United States. My Spanish friend says the same thing about being away from Spain, so I know it is just your own country's cultural norms that are the pressure each of us feel. I am sure if I were Belgian then I would be very aware of social classes, occupations and dress styles. However, since I am not, I live a very ignorant and blissful existence here. I wear what I want to wear, live where I want to live and basically just float through life not having any clue what others think. On my last trip home I landed back in Atlanta and immediately felt pressure from all sides -- friends buying 3,000-square-foot homes, driving a Lexus, kids applying to Westminster, Harvard, working at King and Spalding, living in Buckhead, buying Prada, joining Piedmont Driving Club, owning a Penley. The list goes on and on. As much as I want to be able to ignore those pressures when I move back, I think it is impossible.
  
• Looking back over my recent blogs, I can see certain thoughts repeating themselves throughout -- simplifying my life, ignoring societal pressures, being more aware of the world. I have recently noticed that I am purposely trying to remove myself from some aspects of American life. I have just realized that having access to anything and everything 24/7 or knowing about every aspect of a person's life isn't always the best thing. I am trying to read celebrity gossip Web sites less and less. All they do is make me feel sad about the world and society as a whole. I am also trying to not read magazines anymore. I find that all they do is make me feel worse about myself -- I am not using the right eyeliner, wearing the newest style, or being organized enough. Also, when I see the pile growing of unread magazines, I feel like I have one more task on my to-do list to check off. Yes, there are some valuable tips in magazines, but on the whole the bad feelings and ideas they instill in me outweigh the good ones.
• In the movie One True Thing Meryl Streep says a line that I feel like summarizes what my thoughts have become while living here. "It's so much easier to be happy, my love. It's so much easier to choose to love...the things that you have. And you have so much... instead of always yearning for what you're missing...or what it is that you're imagining you're missing. It is so much more peaceful."
• I hope to be able to engrain these habits of being more aware of the world and environmental issues, shopping less, and being more sure of who I am and what I believe in so that I can hold on to them when I return to the States; however, I know that will be hard. Basically I want to guard myself against negative outside influences. Life is wonderful and we are the luckiest people in the history of the world -- the large majority of people reading this blog are in the top 5 percent of the world's richest adults! Read that again -- the top 5 percent of the world's richest people. We don't have to worry about food, shelter, safety, or where the next paycheck might come from. We can't fathom what it might be like to have your four children die from AIDS, to lose your husband to a car bomb, to live without heat throughout a long, cold winter. I am not saying I can fathom any of these things either. But my time here has opened my eyes that they do exist and I hope to be able to keep them in my field of vision enough so that I don't lose perspective and feel embarrassed for driving a Camry instead of a BMW.

**The richest 5 percent of the world’s adults — minimum net worth, $150,145 — hold 70.6 percent of the world’s wealth. The richest 1 percent — minimum wealth, $514,512 — hold 39.9 percent of the world's wealth all by themselves, 13,000 times more than the entire bottom 10 percent.
http://www.cipa-apex.org/toomuch/articlenew2006/Dec7a.html

A few sentences later Meryl Streep says a line that I feel like summarizes what my thoughts have become while living here.
It's so much easier to be happy, my love. It's so much easier to choose to love...the things that you have. And you have so much... instead of always yearning for what you're missing...or what it is that you're imagining you're missing. It is so much more peaceful.

Public Service Announcement

I don't know how many readers of this blog actually live in Brussels, but if you do, there are some great events coming up that I wanted to let you know about. First, the American Women's Club is putting on its 42nd annual Holiday Bazaar this weekend, November 17 and 18 at St. John's school in Waterloo. There will be over 90 vendors from all over Europe. UPS will also have a booth there and will be offering huge discounts to ship your presents back to the States, so remember you address book! Also, bring cash because most vendors are not set up for Bancontact. Click on the following webpage to find out more information and see a list of the vendors. http://www.awcb.org/club/awcb/bazaar/index.cfm

Thanks so my friend Sue Hutchins for sending on this idea for Thanksgiving Day:
Leiden Netherlands is south of Amsterdam about 3 hours drive from here. It is the town that the Pilgrims left after they thought their children were becoming too Dutch and went to America and founded our great country. Each year on Thanksgiving Day, November 22 this year, the American community of Leiden and DenHaag sponsor a non denominational church service in Saint Peters Church the church that the pilgrims worshiped in between 1608 and 1620. The service this year will begin at 11 and finish around 1:30.

I personally have attended the services several times in the years I've been here and have always found them very special. St Peters Kerk is a large church that now serves as a municipal building for exhibits and concerts. When the city took it over they refurbished the Organ that dates back to the 1700's and they play this wonderful instrument during the service. Usually the American Ambassador to the Netherlands is there and speaks plus a descendant of the pilgrims that didn't go with the group when they left. There have been fantastic soloists and choir groups. Much of the music played and sung are the good old American hymns and patriotic songs. Really moving. Makes you proud to be an American!

Leiden is also a university town and has a wonderful history. There is a big windmill right in the middle of town that you can tour or walk along the canals to see beautiful homes dating back hundreds of years. There are several museums of note and one is the American Pilgrim Museum. The curator is the son of the man who ran the Plymouth Plantation in Plymouth Mass. where the Pilgrims landed. The museum is in a house from the 17th century and when you visit you can see how they lived.

In honor of Veteran's Day, here is a great e-mail forward I received. I had never thought about it this way before:

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

Normandy, France

This website gives you the opportunity to send a free printed postcard to U.S. military personnel stationed overseas. Show your support and appreciation for their service to our country by clicking here: http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1024.html

Thanks to a commenter for letting me know that you can't send a letter to 'Any Wounded Soldier.' Instead the website says:

Walter Reed Army Medical Center officials want to remind those individuals who want to show their appreciation through mail to include packages, letters, and holiday cards addressed to 'Any Wounded Soldier' or 'A Recovering American Soldier' that Walter Reed cannot accept these packages in support of the decision by then Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Transportation Policy in 2001. This decision was made to ensure the safety and well being of patients and staff at medical centers throughout the Department of Defense.
In addition, the U.S. Postal Service is no longer accepting "Any Service Member" or "A Recovering American Soldier" letters or packages. Mail to "Any Service Member" that is deposited into a collection box will not be delivered.

Instead of sending an “Any Wounded Soldier” letter or package to Walter Reed, please consider making a donation to one of the more than 300 nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping our troops and their families listed on the "America Supports You" website, www.americasupportsyou.mil

BFS -- Teaching Life's Essentials

Sometimes I can't help but laugh at how I spend my time here. I really do feel like I have spent the ages of 25 to 28 at the Brussels Finishing School. Just today I took a tennis lesson for one hour, went to my French class for three hours, then came home, knitted, read a book for book club and tried a new recipe for dinner. Add that to the rest of the week where I attended a Bible study, bunko, a lecture series put on by our church and a visit to the US Ambassador's home and I feel quite polished!

The thing that makes me laugh the most are the classes offered at the American Women's Club. They are all great classes and since none of us can work, it is a great opportunity to develop yourself in ways you might not normally have time for; however I still can't help but smile when I read them. Here are just a few:

Understanding Your Camera, Entertaining with Style, Decorating Your Christmas Table, Scrapbooking, Rubber Stamping, Knitting and Crocheting, Interior Decorating, Doll Making, Finding Your Personal Style, Yoga, Pilates, Champagne Tasting, Wine Tasting, The Art of Cheese, Floral Arranging, a variety of Cooking Demonstrations, Mah Jongg, Bridge, and Chorus.

I actually sometimes worry that I have had three years here to really develop myself and I wonder if I have done enough. I have definitely become much better at cooking, knitting, and photo editing but there isn't one exact area that I now feel like I am an expert in. Oh well, I guess I will just have to be content being a jack of all trades and a master of none.

Some of the ladies in a cooking class at the Club.

Who doesn't need a 10 foot drill bit?

Congratulations to my father-in-law Burt for being named in the top one hundred of StartUpNation.com's Home Based 100!!! This competition was sponsored by Microsoft, Dell Computers, and Southwest Airlines and yesterday the competition was on the front page of http://www.msn.com/

The first time I visited Dalton, GA was also the first time I happened to hear about the 10 foot drill bit. It was 2001 and Burt had started a project to network all of the computers in their house. It was then that I began wondering if Kyle and I were compatable since it is now 2007 and my parents still do not have internet access at their house. But when Burt wants to do something, he figures out a way, and thus the 10 foot drill bit was born. He starts with a 3" section with a spade on the end. Once the first hole is complete, he adds on the next section, repeats the process, and then adds on the third section. Thus you can drill through the walls from the attic to the basement! I got to see his whole operation while I was back in the States this September and I was really impressed. Trust me, if you want something done well then Burt is the man. (Also, he doesn't normally wear the do-rag, that is just for the welding cap :)
Check out his website for more information and his other products. http://10ftdrillbit.com/


Click here for his award page.

A perfect weekend

We had a wonderful weekend. Our friend Lynn had organized a wonderful beer tour for her husband's birthday, so I borrowed her idea and planned one for Kyle because his birthday was this past Saturday. We started the day at the Vapeur brewery, which is the last steam powered brewery in the world. Once a month they open the entire brewing process to the public to view. We ate a great lunch there and just felt very Belgian. Next it was off to the Ellezelloise brewery for a taste of their beer. Then we took a tour of the 3 Fonteinen brewery. The owner and brewmaster is incrediby passionate about his beer and keeping that exact Belgian style of beer alive. The tour took us two hours just because he kept talking so much!

Mark Richt ended up giving Kyle a better present than I ever could with Georgia's win over Florida. Our UGA friend Jason Mann came in from London (where he lives) to join us for the day, so he and Kyle really had fun cheering on the Bulldogs together.

Click here for the photos from Kyle's birthday.

Last Saturday Kelly and Donna hosted another great Halloween party. 50+ kids Trick or Treated their way up and down our street. Belgium has only caught on to the halloween idea in the last 5 years. Somehow they seemed to learn that you could only dress up as scary things, so there are lots of witches, monsters, and basically people just dressed in black. You can always spot the Americans because they are the only ones not dressed in black. Case in point:

Click here for the photos from the Halloween party.

MPM -- Masters of Photo Management

My sister and I were just discussing what a pain it is to manage all of one's digital photos. Luckily I am just kind of numb to the task and seem to sit down and do it without dragging my feet too much. I live in fear of the day that I really start to resent having to manage photos because it could be a very easy task to fall way behind on.

I don't think anyone knows how much time online photo sharing takes until they do an album themselves. It always makes me laugh when people come up to me and say, "Man, I just did my first Kodak Gallery album and it took forever!!!" To give you an idea, each album takes at least 30-45 minutes to complete and I have done 44 albums in 2007 alone, which equals about 33 hours of online photo editing this year.

This week I had lots of fun activities, which resulted in good memories and many, many photos. Since last Saturday I have been to a Halloween party, a friend's 39th birthday party, a tour of a chateau, Kelly's 40th birthday party and Kyle's 29th birthday party. From all of those events, I now have 175 photos to upload, rotate, crop, label and post. I've finished three albums, but still have the two big ones to do tomorrow.

Click here for photos from the Chimay chateau tour.

Click here for photos from Kelly's birthday party.

Click here for photos from Nada's birthday party.

Rear Window

Well, actually this was taken from our front window. Through our kitchen and living room windows we look directly out into the apartment across the street. About once to twice a day the man across the street leans his head out the window and just kind of looks around and watches the traffic. This usually lasts about a minute or two. Since I am home during the day I see him do this alot! He was actually dressed the day I took this photo, but often he is in his pajamas (no matter what the time of day) which makes me laugh even more. The man and I haven't made eye contact yet, but I think we both know the other is around. I wonder what will happen when we finally run into each other on the street. I used to make fun of him until I caught myself looking out the window too. Sometimes it is just fun to see what is going on out there!

Calm Waters

Kyle and I have just kind of been plugging along this past month. Nothing too exciting, but nothing too bad has happened which has been nice. Sometimes when life gets a little rough I think, "Why didn't I enjoy it more when our life was just calm and nice???" So since it has been calm and nice, I have been trying to really enjoy it and not feel bad for not having anything too exciting or interesting to talk about.

A few weekends ago we went up to Amsterdam. All American women's clubs in the world are under an umbrella organization called FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas). The AWCB needed a representative to attend the regional conference, so I went up there for it. I am always amazed when I meet business people who can talk for hours on end about EU regulation, legal procurement, antitrust, etc. Whenever Kyle has a lunch meeting with someone I always say, "You mean you talked for two hours about competition law and never once talked about anything personal?!?!" So it was fun for me to attend an eight-hour conference and talk about membership retention, increasing volunteerism, membership rates and requirements, and clubhouse facilities all day long. I finally realized that if you know a lot about a topic and you are involved with it on a day-to-day basis, it is pretty easy to talk knowledgably about it for a long time. I met many great women from all over our region (Stockholm, Amsterdam, The Hague, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Paris and Luxembourg). It was neat to hear their experiences with their women's clubs and with being an expat.

Amsterdam was beautiful and we enjoyed getting to tour around. For the first time in three years we forgot to bring our camera. Kyle pointed out that we have over 4,000 other pictures (yes, really 4,000) from all of our other trips so perhaps missing a few isn't too bad. Together we saw the Anne Frank house and the Dutch Resistance museum and on Saturday Kyle saw the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum (national history and art) on his own. Seeing the number of bikes there was incredible. To give you an idea, there are 700,000 people in the city and about 700,000 bikes too. Parking for cars is between 2.60-4.60 euros per hour throughout the entire city, so biking is a much more economical option over driving (and having to park). Kyle and I enjoyed sitting outside at cafes and just watching the cars, bikes, and pedestrians navigate. I am amazed there are not more accidents there.

Last weekend we went to our third Capitalist Ball. We know a fair amount of the attendees now, so we really had fun eating, drinking and dancing. We ended up getting home at 5am which is the latest we have stayed out in a long time.

If any of you recall last year's photos, many of the same people attended this year too. I have no clue where this woman shops, but she has a very distinctive style called "Almost flashing her nipple and a slit up to her hip."

http://www.cne.org/2005_capball/pages/800_20E27D~1.htm

http://www.cne.org/2006_capball/pages/0281.htm

http://www.cne.org/2007_capball/img-0087.htm

Ignorance is Bliss

I have wanted to write a blog like this for a long time, but the problem is that I want it to cover such a wide spectrum of topics that sometimes I get overwhelmed. I will at least touch on a few for now. One of the many things I love about living over here is that I have no idea what is happening outside of my little world. We get a weekly English magazine that highlights what has happened in Brussels news-wise in the last week, but by then any of the problems or safety threats are passe and I never even had to worry about them. The only television news we get is world news, so I know what is happening in Iraq and India, but not on my street in Brussels.


To watch TV in English we use Slingbox, which shows us the cable channels from the States. I really think when I return to the States I might use Slingbox as my only form of TV. You watch Slingbox over your computer and our desk chair isn't so comfortable, which creates one downside to watching TV. The other is that there is a two-second pause between each channel as you surf, which really gets old after awhile. Because of these two things, it is just inconvient enough that you only watch the exact television program that you want and don't waste hours just flipping through the channels.


Along the lines of television, I recently did a three-night, overnight babysitting job. The people had Sky TV, which is basically all British channels (about 200, many of which televise American shows) on your TV. I was really looking forward to finally seeing some U.S. television -- that is, until I turned it on. I can honestly say that my stomach started to hurt from having that many visual stimuli after clicking through 50 channels in just a few minutes. My blood pressure also skyrocketed as I saw so many horrible things on the television.

First, I saw a live birth. I mean, come on. Do we really need to see a woman's water break and the baby's head crowning (along with all the other areas that are included in birth) at 8pm?!?! Then there was the Gaming channel where you just watched other people play video games for hours on end. Next was possibly the worst show on television -- "My Super Sweet 16" on MTV. I watched complete brats complain that their $200,000 birthday party wasn't enough. The worst is this clip where the girl starts crying because her mother didn't give her her brand-new Lexus during the actual party. She actually says that her mother has ruined her life because of this! Following along the lines of spending exorbitant amounts of money and not focusing on real life are the two, yes TWO 24-hour-a-day channels that focus on weddings. No, they don't focus on life after the wedding, just on the big day. No wonder there are so many expensive weddings and then divorces within a few years if people only focus on the wedding day and not the next 50 years.


This year we had a wonderful anniversary in London. However, on the actual day of our anniversary, I was locked out of our apartment. After I hauled two suitcases all over Brussels and back to get our extra key (because Kyle was still in London) I returned to do three loads of laundry and a sink full of dishes because Kyle was heading out of town the next day. I am not at all mad about this, I just think that between two 24-hour-a-day wedding TV channels, maybe they should focus on life after the wedding to give people a real idea of what marriage is about. Until then, I'll be watching my Slingbox once a week and living my simple, ignorant, happy life in Brussels.

Blah, blah, blah

I haven't posted anything recently because nothing exciting has really been going on. The Hints for Living in Belgium class has been taking up most of my time. It is two days a week for three weeks so I am ready for it to end.

I have started my French classes and am pleasantly surprised that I am enjoying them. I now have a wonderful teacher and it has really made me realize just what a bad teacher I had the first go around. There are about 19 people in the class from all over the world. Whenever I get frustrated I just look at the Japanese girl next to me and remember that she is not only learning a new language, but a whole new alphabet too. There are some real characters in the class, including the Brazilian woman who seems think she is saying something but is really just merging Portugese, French, and random grunts and sounds all together. We were recently working on numbers and she took off her bifocals and told us she was 42 with a 29 and 25 year old and that she had gotten married at 15. Obviously something got lost in the translation there...

Kyle and I are headed to Amsterdam for the weekend. The tables have turned and I am actually the one going there for a conference on Saturday while Kyle tours around all day. FAWCO is the umbrella organization for all Women's Clubs overseas. This will be the regional conference where club representatives from Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Luxembourg, Paris and Stockholm will be in attendance. I'm looking forward to meeting expats from other cities and hearing their stories.

And now for a good laugh:

SUMMARY OF MY LAST YEAR ON THE COMPUTER
--I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.
--Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.
--I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.
--I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.
--I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.
--I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.
--I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.
--Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.
--Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.
--I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.
--I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans .
--I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.
--And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face...disfiguring me for life.
--I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.
--I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.
--I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.
--I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.
--I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda, Singapore , and Uzbekistan.
--I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.
--Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.
--And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 I found in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.
--I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!
--If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with intestinal problems will land on your head at 5:00 PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician...
Have a wonderful day....

Femme au Foyer LLP

I have had an interesting week that has made me think a lot about working women and stay-at-home moms. On Tuesday I went to my first French class. There are 19 of us in it, and a wide variety of countries are represented. We had to go around the room and say what we do as an occupation. I went right after the Hungarian guy who had to try to explain (in very broken French) that he was an expert in animal husbandry. Needless to say, everyone else's occupation seemed less interesting after that one.

I said I was a volunteer, but the teacher didn't seem to understand that word. So I tried to explain that I was not allowed to work here and she finally said, "Ah! Femme au foyer!" which means "housewife" in French. I don't really care what I am called here because I love my life, am very happy with it, and know that I am fulfilled regardless of my title. However, there was a woman who went after me who actually let out a little shudder when she tried to explain that she was a lawyer but could not work here and the teacher had the same "Ah" moment with her. I know I just said that I am not annoyed by that title, but I got annoyed seeing this woman be so disgusted by it. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of awful thoughts she had about women who are housewives.

That evening I e-mailed Kyle that we were just having leftovers for dinner. At 8:15 he called and asked if it would be ok to invite his co-worker over who was in from Amsterdam. I had a few things in the fridge I thought I could maybe throw together but when I asked Kyle his time frame he said, "Um, we were about to walk out the door." This is a close friend/co-worker and I knew he would be happy with a simple meal, but I wanted to do something nice for him because we hadn't seen him in awhile. So in a total of 36 minutes -- from the time Kyle called until they walked in the door -- I made a dinner of homemade hummus, toasted pita chips, chicken with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes, basmati rice, a tossed salad, and white wine. Obviously each person has different things they see worthy of value, but at that moment I was happy to be more talented at welcoming someone into my home than filing a brief on anti-trust statutes.

I have lived in Brussels (with Belgian TV) for almost three years, yet I just glanced at the clock, saw it was 4pm and thought, "Oh good, Oprah is on." Obviously I quickly realized where I was living and that Oprah was definitely not on, but it shows how marketing and commercials stay in your brain for much longer than you ever realize.

Brussels Daily Life

I don't think I will ever get used to the feeling of having so many friends constantly move away from Brussels. Seeing them have to pack up their things, iron out unknowns in the next location and say lots of goodbyes is always a good reminder to enjoy every single moment I have here.

After having recently heard of several people moving, I decided to sign up for tour of downtown Brussels just to make sure I really knew the city I was living in. It was nice to learn about things I hadn't realized before. But the best part of the tour was having my camera with me all day and getting the chance to take pictures of my every day life. I once read that you should take a picture of every single car you own because each picture will bring back lots of memories. I definitely adhere to that mindset. Kyle and I laugh that we each have a very distinctive style of photography and you can always tell which of us took a certain picture. Here is a hint: if there are people in it or it has to do with daily life, I took it. If the photo focuses on architecture or a statue, Kyle took it.

Click here for some things I love and don't love about daily life in Brussels.

Today was Car Free Sunday in Brussels. Yes, you read that right -- the only cars allowed to drive from 9 am to 7 pm are ones that registered for a permit, ambulances, police, and taxis. I never realized how many people in Brussels owned bikes until today! As much as I enjoyed the day, it did get a bit crazy to have so many bikers, pedestrians, rollerbladers, and strollers taking over the street and not following any rules.

Click here for photos.

Can you tell what stage of life our friends are in?

No, I am not making any of these for me...it is just that all of our friends are either pregnant or have just had a baby. Actually, this seems to be the second wave of pregnancies that we have encountered. Within this wave, congratulations to:

Ashley and Bronson Lee with Jackson
Jennifer and Corey Gill with Clark
Kelly and Rich Willis who will soon have a little girl
Amy and Nate Chan who will soon have a little boy
Sarah and Craig Springer who will soon have a little boy
Lori and David Ettinger who will soon have a little boy
Ali and Chris Gant who will soon have identical twin boys
Lawren and Jigar Desai who will soon have a surprise
Meredith and Jan who will soon have a surprise

I better get to knitting!!!

Bare Naked Ladies

Something that is very different between the U.S. and Belgian medical practices is the amount of clothes you wear during a checkup. In the States you change in private and put on a paper gown. In Belgium you start taking off your clothes while you are chatting with the doctor and keep on taking off your clothes until you end up completely naked. Yes, you read that right -- completely naked. I recently went to the OB/GYN for a yearly checkup and was reminded of just how different this experience is from the States.


The interesting thing is that although nudity is so much more of an issue to Americans, because nudity is an absolute nonissue to Belgians (and most Europeans) they don't even flinch when they see a naked person. And because my doctor doesn't make a big deal of me being naked, I can adopt her attitude and realize that a body is just a body and it really isn't that big of a deal. This time around though, the phone happened to ring just as I was finishing the undressing process. I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I sat there buck naked as my doctor jabbered on in French for a few minutes.


The last time I went there she told me about an American patient who had come to her for five years while she was an expat here. The American wrote her after she had moved back to the States and said that she went to the doctor and forgot she was in America. She took off all her clothes and was completely naked when the male doctor came in. He freaked out because not only was she naked, but there was no nurse in there either and he was afraid of getting sued. I don't know if I'll ever get that comfortable with this idea, but it sure did make me laugh as my underwear hit the floor.

Brussels Rollers

Belgium does lots of great things to help people meet each other around the city and the country. A few Fridays ago I took part in the Belgium Rollers. It is mainly for roller bladers but bikes can participate too, as long as they stay in the back of the pack. I am not great at estimating but there were definitley a few hundred rollers as far as I could tell. In true Belgium fashion they gave out free samples of beer as we waited around for the parade to start and many people seemed to be smoking before rollerblading for the next 3 hours.

Our friends Shannon and Tony took a photo of me from their balcony. Yes, I look like a complete dork when I bike.

Moving -- Belgian Style

I have posted a picture like this before, but since this and Smart Cars seem to be the two things people are most intrigued by when they come visit, I thought I'd post it again. This is how they move most people's things in Brussels if they live in a tall building in the city. It is a ladder that has a motorized platform on it and they load the boxes at the bottom and then hit a button and it zooms right up to the top, where the guys inside the building unload it. This was taken from our kitchen window looking out on our street.

Back in Brussels

I have just returned from a great trip back to Atlanta. Unfortunately Kyle had to stay here and work but I left him plenty of frozen meals, UGA was playing their first game and the Brussels Beer Festival took place all while I was gone so he survived. I am struggling with jet lag right now, but am trying to stay awake by working on my pictures.

I love getting the chance to go home and visit because I get those New Year's Day thoughts whenever I do. Visiting home while living in Brussels gives me time to step away from the everyday chores of life and reflect on where I am, how I am doing, what my goals are in life, etc. We are really lucky to have two sets of friends that we knew in Brussels who are now living back in Atlanta. It is always fun to catch up with them and hear their insight as to how to best re-adjust to life in the US and some things they especially miss about Brussels.

My main goal that I have reflected upon after this trip is to really enjoy what a calm pace of life Kyle and I have here. Sometimes after dinner if we don't want to watch TV we will just play a card game or sit on the couch and talk. It seems like at home there was always another thing on the To-Do list at all times. A few Saturdays ago we were driving to a little lake in Brussels to take a walk and play putt-putt golf. I asked Kyle which route he thought would be the fastest and he replied, "We are just trying to kill time because we have nothing else to do today, so you might as well take the long way." I have a feeling we will never really say that once we are back in the States.

Something that intrigues me about the States is the work ethic there. It is something I love about America but also something that I think is overpowering everyone. Several of my friends mentioned working 12-14 hour days almost every day and then having to go in on the weekends too. Blackberries allow work to stay with a person 24/7 and there never seems to be any "off" time. I can fully understand this mentality because I definitely had it when I worked in Atlanta. I remember some weekends where I kind of wanted to be back at work on a Sunday because there I had purpose and meaning and an excuse for not doing something, "Oh, work has been so busy, I didn't have time to run that errand or call you." When I was at home on the weekend I had no excuse to not do something and sitting in silence gave me too much time to reflect and sometimes I didn't like what I realized. I think that is partly why all of the stimuli of Ipods, DVDs, TVs, computers, IM, cell phones, and voicemail bother me so much. Sometimes it is important to just sit in silence and let your mind wander. I am not saying any of this as a criticism, just more of an observation because of course I am sitting here at a computer writing all of this. This is just what has been on my mind lately.

This visit I had the chance to see a lot of family and also looked through many old pictures. These two things together really reinforced to me how much each of us keep the same personality throughout life. Yes, I am more assertive than I used to be, but deep down, I still hate confrontation, I still like to write everything down, I still keep scraps of paper with little notes floating all over, and I still start almost every conversation with, "A friend of mine..." (just like someone wrote that I did in my yearbook in 8th grade). In some ways this realization frustrates me because I want to think I can alter some bad habits. However, it also makes me feel relief that I can just accept myself the way I am stop trying to change because deep down, this is just the way I am wired.

While I was home I saw two things that made me laugh and made me glad to be back in the South. For those of you not fortunate enough to have visited the South, we really are a civilized group, it is just that a lot of people happen to like to go hunting. I had to stop and take a photo when this was the first thing I saw in the Atlanta airport coming from Brussels. (Notice the camo luggage too).

A few days later I saw this car. Paul noted that it had Fulton County its license plate.

I got back to Brussels and was quickly reminded to watch my step. Look closely at the lower right hand corner and see what a nice surprise some dog owner let their dog leave right in front of our door.

And for those of you still in the South complaining about the heat, this is what I have looked like the whole time I have been typing this. It 60 degrees outside, the inside of our apartment is really cold and the leaves are brown and falling off the trees.

My Scarlet Letter

I haven't blogged about this too much because I just kind of think of it as my own internal battle. I guess I am also a bit embarassed about it too. But I have decided that I have my own scarlet letter when it comes to the French language. Never before have I had something that I felt this self-conscious about. I was always an average height and weight growing up. I wore glasses and braces, but was luckily somehow unaware of just how akward I looked in them. Basically I have always been just average enough to fit in with the crowd easily but still have my own personality.

But after living here I feel like I have more of an understanding of what people that are in a wheelchair or have a disability must feel like. I honestly feel like every time I walk into a place I have a big sign on my forehead that says, "American!!! Doesn't speak French!!!" You know how you think everyone notices something about you when in reality everyone is too concerned with themselves to worry about other people? When I am thinking clearly I know that other people don't spend all their time berating me in their minds for not speaking French, but when I am down on myself I feel like that is all they think about.

We took 40 hours' worth of French lessons in our first year here and it was a really scarring experience. I got so frustrated that I cried in the middle of about four different lessons with the teacher. I would sit at the kitchen table trying to do my homework and just cry because it made no sense to me. I only passsed grammar lessons in my previous schooling because I did every single extra credit assignment possible and I think the teachers just felt sorry for me. To this day I still don't fully understand what an adverb is. And to think I am married to a journalist! I thought I was through with these frustrated feelings of learning after graduating college!!!

In the two and a half years we have lived here I have definitely picked up some French. The frustrating part is that I can usually understand some of what is going on, but I have so much trouble ever responding to anything. Recently we were in a cab where the guy wanted to help us with our French, even though we had definitely not asked. I could understand every one of his questions, but could never put together more of a response other than "oui" or "non." When you are someone who likes to talk, nothing is more frustrating than just sitting there having so many thoughts racing through your head and only being able to say one-word answers.

I feel like I am two completely different people while living in Brussels. When I am with my friends I have the bubbly, happy, talkative personality that comes naturally. And then I step outside. I don't chat with the waitresses. I purposely try to avoid making eye contact with anyone so that they won't think to ask me anything. I basically make every effort just to stay in my own little bubble and not make contact with anyone.

I am especially envious of other expats who knew some French before they got here. Recently I met a woman that said, "Yeah, I feel embarassed because I only had six years of French between high school and college so I can't fully communicate with everyone here." I wanted to scream, "Woman! I thought that oui was spelled we before I got over here so stop your complaining!"

One of the good things about not speaking French and basically just not being in control of a situation is that I do everything with 110% effort. I just took a yoga class where the guy walked around the whole time and corrected your position while talking. Never before have I tried so hard to do a position perfectly just so he wouldn't come talk to me in front of the class.

I liken French to working out and eating right -- we could all be incredibly fit and healthy if we just put in the effort and worked at it, but we don't. We don't want to spend the time and energy it takes to get the results. I look back over my time here and think of when I have invited my friends to a luncheon or a chateau tour and they couldn't make it because they had French lessons. Now they know more French than I do, butI have the memories and experiences of doing a lot of really neat things here. As much as I hate that every single day I beat myself up for not knowing French, I like to think that although my capacity for French has not increased in our time here, my capacity for understanding and sympathizing with other people's shortcomings has.

PS--I am sure many of you out there are thinking, "Well stop complaining about it and do something!" I just signed up for another semester of classes starting in September so hopefully that will help. My friend Sheila has written a great post about these same types of feelings while learning Italian. Click here to read it.

Travel Map

Well I thought I had been to a fair number of places until I put them all in this travel map. The bad part is that traveling a lot of Europe looks like nothing, but the good part is that going to one city in Russia seems to color in a lot of the world.

Click here to see where I have traveled
(15% of the countries of the world).

Click here to see where Kyle has traveled
(18% of the countries of the world).

My new career

A friend recently told me about an ad she had responded to and encouraged me to look into it also. In the typical way that a second language can present problems, the ad read, "Looking for Native American Speakers To Be In An Infomercial". They were actually looking for any ole' American but the wording got a little mixed up. Since I grew up with my parents filming every one of my school functions, cheerleading events and softball games, I figured I would be pretty comfortable in front of the camera. Originally they were looking for people to test a laundry ball and then be filmed for a testimonial for how great the ball was. However, I guess my experience in front of the camera was obvious because I actually got called in to be the assistant during the demonstration filming.

The washing maching was set up in a mall so that a crowd would gather around. There was a British actor they had flown in from the UK who tried his best to have an American accent (because this will eventually be launched in the US). He did well, but I had to correct him a few times when he mentioned "trainers" and "jumpers" instead of tennis shoes and sweaters.

During the filming I was in a the crowd and just "happened" to get picked out (even though I already had my makeup and hair done and was miked up) to rub the stains into the clothes. I summoned up all my Southern fakeness and oohed and aahhed as best I could about the magic of the laundry ball. It was so much fun to have the hair and makeup woman fuss over me between each take. I definitely realized that anyone you see on TV that looks good has A LOT of makeup on. I looked like a porcelain doll by the time this woman was done with me she had put so much foundation and powder on. For the British guy, she even put makeup on his hands and ears!

After speaking to my British colleague I found out that you can actually make a lot of money just doing one days shoots of this type. So send any and all Belgian infomercials opportunities my way, I just might be the next Suzanne Somers!

God Stop

I am participating in a bible study that is by Beth Moore. She is a spitfire little blonde from Texas with big hair and an even bigger Southern accent. Every time I see the video of her it makes me miss Southern accents while it also reminds me of my Aunt Carol. One of the things she mentions are God Stops, basically just taking time at the end of your day to think about how you have seen God in your life and the world that day. I am not very good about writing down my God Stops, but I think of them often. Even though there are many bad things in the world, I am lucky enough to find lots of little great things in the world every day. Here are a few:

--I am babysitting a little 8 month old boy. It has been so neat to see his reaction when he experiences something for the first time. Recently we put him in a walker and you could see his little brain working as he realized that if he moved his feet, his body would move along with them.
--The other night I was in traffic jam at midnight with two friends in the car. I just happened to think that I should change lanes. Thirty seconds after I had changed lanes a car came speeding into the tunnel and rear ended another car which resulted in a chain reaction of seven cars being hit. Every person that got out of their car was a man. Although it was unfortunate for those other cars, I felt so lucky to not have been hit in a tunnel, with Kyle out of town, being the only woman in the wreck (and not speaking very much French), in our brand new car.
--Although Kyle and I miss our families tremendously, we are both so lucky to have incredible friends here. I have called on these friends to do things that you would normally only ask a family member to do. These friends have taken care of me when I have been sick, comforted me when I was sad, and celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with us.
--I recently made a list of all the places we have visited this year. Not only am I thankful for the chance to tour around different cities, but I am most thankful for the opportunity it has given me to open my mind to other cultures and ideas. I told my mom recently that I have become a much more liberal person while living over here.
--I have mentioned these before, but I just love getting flowers every Wednesday at our local market. Seeing them on my coffee table every time I enter the room just makes my day that something so simple can be so beautiful.
--I am constantly amazed at just how lucky we are to have so much freedom and choices. Compared to so many other countries we just live incredible lives -- we have no fear of being persecuted for political or religious beliefs. We can speak freely of our thoughts and beliefs. We are all just so blessed.

A day to remember

I want to remember this day because I have a feeling there won't be one similar to it when we aren't expats anymore, or once we have kids. I have had the best day. Kyle woke me up at 10am as he headed to work. I got up, did some things around the house, cleaned the bathroom and then went to lunch with my friends Kelly and Julie Anne. They helped me to enjoy my day even more because they were telling stories about the hellacious day each of them had had carting kids all over Brussels. After their stories I was reminded again of how much I should appreciate my calm life now. I headed home after lunch to change into my comfy fleece pants and read my book. Completely opposite of the weather that is currently happening in the South, it has been 51 F and raining here all day long. After reading my book I knitted a bit and then made myself a cup of hot chocolate. Yes, it is August and I am wearing fleece pants and drinking hot chocolate -- that is Brussels for you! I had a fun and peaceful afternoon of surfing the Internet, catching up with my mom, ironing, organizing my recipes, and making dinner. Kyle came home and we ate dinner, watched an episode of Friends and then played Cribbage. In re-reading this I realize that I sound much older than 27, but I sure am happy!

Photos from the Baltic Bliss

We flew into Copenhagen and stayed the night there to have some time to see the city. When we boarded the ship the next day, I was like a kid in a candy store with all the exploring I did. I ate three times in a six-hour period because I was so excited to see all the food! (Those who know me well know how much I like to eat :) We set sail for Oslo, Norway, and arrived there the next morning. Kyle enjoyed their city hall and a sculpture park more than I did. However, I really enjoyed the Viking musuem and seeing a really posh neighborhood in Oslo. I just couldn't get over how expensive the city was!

The next day we were at sea. I enjoyed getting to attend a class about digital cameras, look at the books they had in the library, go for a swim and of course take a nap :) Our room was on the inside area of the boat so we didn't have a window. At first I was worried I might get claustrophobic, but once we saw the size of the room we realized that it was bigger than most hotel rooms we stay in throughout Europe. The best part was that the room got pitch-black dark when you shut the door, which made for a great nap! They also had three art auctions on the ship which were really interesting. I am still amazed they can get this type of art, but they actually had works by Picasso, Dali and Chagall among many others. It was nice to be able to see such a variety of artwork in a small area. Of course, I really took a liking to a pen and ink that was framed beautifully. We asked about it and it turned out to be a Rembrant starting at $32,000! Oops...at least I have good taste. We ended up getting a few pieces by the much, much lesser-known artists that were shown.

After a restful day at sea we explored Gdansk, Poland, the next day. It was funny to see how there were different tourists on the cruise -- some signed on for every excursion the ship offered; some did a few excursions and then for other ports took a taxi into the city and explored on their own; others tried to do everything the cheapest way and either took the local bus or train into the city from the port and toured around on their own, following pages they had copied out of the tour books they got from the Women's Club library. Can you guess which ones we were? We walked past all the tour buses in Gdynia (the port city outside of Gdansk) and took a 30-minute train ride into Gdansk. The train station in Gdynia looks like it hasn't been touched since 1942. It is gray and dusty and incredibly depressing. After a very rickety train ride in cramped seats we made it to Gdansk. Over 90% of the downtown was ruined during WWII. First the Germans bombed it to take over; then the Americans bombed it to get the Germans out. I sure would not have wanted to be a German on our cruise because basically the history of every city was, "Well, the Germans bombed us everywhere and we are still trying to rebuild." OR "The German soliders took over this beautiful castle, church, building etc. and desecrated it, breaking or stealing every historical artifact that was in here." The city was rebuilt according to what it had looked like in the 1600s. During that time the city had been developed by a Flemish guy, so walking through Gdansk actually felt alot like walking through Brugge, Belgium.

The next day we visited Tallinn, Estonia. No one could really pinpoint what was so great about the city, but everyone we met on the cruise just loved it (including us). We had a great day wandering the streets and enjoying the architecture. This city is the perfect example of Wall Street Journal beliefs put into action. The former prime minister after communism fell decided to let business guide itself through privatization and free market policies by introducing a flat tax among many other changes. Seeing how Estonia is flourishing compared to what I can only imagine it looked like under Communist rule is amazing.

Click here for photos from Copenhagen.

Click here for photos from Oslo.

Click here for photos from Gdansk.

Click here for photos from Tallinn.

The Circle of Life

I am having torn emotions today. At 3pm I found out one of my best friends is pregnant and I couldn't be more excited for her. But then at 4pm I found out that a second friend of mine within one week has been diagnosed with breast cancer. I love all of the exciting events my age brings, with weddings and babies galore. But having so many friends who are older than me also keeps me realistic about the sad things that are sure to come in life too. I guess I should just use this as a good reminder to enjoy every moment, but instead I often find myself looking to the future with apprehension.

Baltic Bliss

I don't really know where to begin other than to say that I have just experienced the best vacation I have ever had. I really don't think there was anyone on the ship that enjoyed themselves more than I did. I definitely got my moneys worth! For starters, I think I enjoyed everything even more because I was coming from Belgium to be on a cruise with a bunch of Americans (2700 passengers on the ship and over half were from North America). When you live away from your country for 2 1/2 years, it is the little things that are so wonderful. For instance:
--free ice water with every meal!
--free ice with any drink you wanted!
--over 15 U.S. television stations!
--customer service!
--people stood in line and didn't try to cut you off!
--everyone spoke English and understood the little idioms you said!

These things alone were enough to make a good vacation for me, but to top it all off the cruise ship had a 24 hour food buffet, 4 swimming pools, loads of activities and entertainment all day and night, lots of people for me to meet, and it stopped in 7 ports!

I'm still working on the photos, but in the meantime, here is a slideshow of some of my favorites.

Back from the Baltic

We just got back from our best vacation ever! We took a 10 day cruise through the Baltic Sea stopping in Copenhagen, Oslo, Gdansk (Poland), Tallinn (Estonia), St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Stockholm. Words can't describe how wonderful it was. Luckily though, we have over 500 pictures to attempt it with! Here is a photo to whet your appetite.

Summer Fun

We have had so many fun events going on recently that I haven't had time to blog! The people I have been babysitting for moved back to the States so I now have lots more free time. It has been wonderful! However, the minute you get free time, someone else wants you to volunteer, so I have definitely not been sitting around. Our church hosted a service project for a week to do work around Brussels. Click here for all of the photos. Kyle did one of the service projects, but I stayed in the kitchen the whole time. I was cooking for eight of the eleven days of the work camp so needless to say, Kyle and I have been enjoying lots of take out recently.

However, it was not all work becuase I got to learn so much from the woman in charge of all the cooking. Laina Graf used to live in LA and had cooked for many Hollywood stars as well as catered numerous weddings and parties. But she and her husband wanted to give their children an international experience and felt the call to come to Amsterdam to be missionaries. She was able to figure out how to cook for anywhere from 80-1000 people depending on the night during Serve the City, and all on a church's budget! Not only was she calm throughout the whole process, but she also decorated and presented each dish in the most beautiful way. Whether she was doing it for the tired volunteers who had worked all day or the Brussels homeless, she wanted to lay down a banquet "as if the skies had opened up and Heaven was shining down on the table" which is exactly what she did. She also knows alot about personality testing so I had fun asking her all about that too!

Emily deep in concentration about how to

best cut the peaches for the dessert.

One night we went to two Fourth of July parties (read below) and the next night we were lucky enough to be invited as guests of Deloitte and Touche to attend a dinner at a great restaurant on the Grand Place to watch the Ommegang procession. The parade re-enacts the original procession back in 1549 to welcome Charles IV to Brussels. Click here for the photos.

Many good friends work at Deloitte, including Tim and Lynn Keck. Lynn being the sweet wife that she is organized a Belgian breweries tour for Tim's birthday. So bright and early on Saturday morning nine of us headed all around Belgium to three different breweries. It was a perfect Belgian day -- sunny, cool, and lots of good beer. We ended the night at the most picturesque restaurant. Click here for the photos of the day.

In between all this I have had my cooking club and Babes With No Babes dinner group which have both been lots of fun. We are off again soon, so I'll have lots more to share when we return!

In the blink of an eye

I am starting to understand why youth think they are invincible and that as you get older you become more and more scared of life. I must say that I can definitely feel myself getting older. I am a firm believer in the saying, "There but for the grace of God go I." Recently Amy and Nate's friend Linda McJunkin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the death of two men she caused when she was driving the wrong way down GA 400. Yes, she had been drinking, but I also know that driving on GA 400 at night can be very confusing. In one instant, she changed the lives of so many people.

When Kyle and I dated long distance for two years, there were many nights (often after a long day at work) that I would drive the 2 1/2 hours to Montgomery, AL. I shudder to think of how many times I almost fell asleep at the weel and something horrible could have happened because of my actions. It is only by God's grace that nothing did.

Linda and her family have been in my thoughts constantly. I can't imagine being her parents and knowing that your "baby" is going to be in prison for the next ten years, or her husband who is now left to work and take care of their five-month-old daughter. But most especially I can't imagine being Linda. Knowing that just one night has killed two people and deeply affected so many other people's lives -- I think the guilt alone might kill me. Please, please pray for her and her family.

This point hit home even more the other night when Kyle came home and told me that he had just seen someone killed. He isn't quite sure what happened, but he was on the tram that had just let people off at a stop. The tram was on a two-lane road and had barely started going again before it slammed on its brakes and Kyle heard a thud against the front of the tram and then a thud against the side of the tram. When he looked out the window, there was a man lying on the ground and a car with its windshield shattered where it was obvious the man had hit it. Kyle thinks the man might have been trying to cross the street and the other car was coming down the hill too fast.

Who knows how it really happened, but the ambulance didn't get there for at least 10 minutes, so there probably isn't a great chance that the man survived. The more I hear stories like this, the more scared I am to drive -- especially in Brussels. Belgium has a stupid rule called "Priority of the Right" where a car coming from a side street on the right has priority over the car on the main street. The only time this isn't true is when triangles are painted on the side street, but of course you have to be almost up on the street before you see the triangles and realize who has the priority. I was driving home late the other night on a street that had a bus and tram route on it and had cars parallel parked on both sides of the street. So as I was driving I had to look out for cars parallel parking, cars coming out of their parking spots, car doors being opened onto the street, cars coming from the right, trams, buses, and of course pedestrians. I used to never understand why older people don't like to drive at night and now I am really starting to consider being one of those people that doesn't drive at night!

Here is the story from the AJC about Linda:

Former Tech star sentenced in vehicular homicide
It was supposed to be a girls' night out, celebrating an important milestone for a young, career-driven woman. Linda Lisska McJunkin, armed with a master's degree and a strong work ethic, had just gotten her real estate license. She and her friends gathered at a Mexican restaurant, toasting her future over margaritas.

But what happened later that October night in 2004 left two young men dead and the former Georgia Tech track star standing before a Fulton County Superior Court judge Wednesday to be sentenced for the deaths. Judge Constance Russell sentenced McJunkin to 15 years: 10 in prison followed by five on probation. McJunkin's blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit when she got behind the wheel of her GMC Yukon SUV and turned the wrong way onto Ga. 400, causing a fiery crash in Alpharetta that killed Jeff Coursey, 20, and Corey Blackstone, 24. The young men were part of a three-car caravan of twelve returning home after a night of competitive bowling in Roswell.

Frances Haynes, riding in another car, saw the accident. "I watched two of my friends burn to death," she said. "It's forever in my memory. I will see it in my mind over and over again."
Haynes' brother, Ben, also watched his friends die. He and his sister struggled with depression and lost their jobs. At times, his mother would have to pry him out of bed. His mental health was so fragile she feared finding him dead.

McJunkin, 31, who led the Brookwood High School track team in the early 1990s, stared ahead while listening to the testimony. She pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide while driving drunk and asked for mercy in the crowded courtroom with spectators spilling out into the hall. In a soft voice, McJunkin said she now has a 5-month-old daughter, Jenna, and a supportive husband, Jeff, whom she met while working at Scientific Atlanta. "They are innocent victims too," she told the judge. Her husband, wiping away tears, asked the judge to allow his wife, who walks with a slight limp from her injuries, to return home.

Fulton prosecutor Ron Boyter lobbied for a 15-year prison sentence followed by 15 years on probation. Surprisingly, the victims' families said no good would come from putting McJunkin in prison. They talked emotionally of their losses yet still asked for probation. Richard Coursey told the judge he still struggles to deal with his son's death. Jeff, nicknamed Stubby, was born without a hand and had planned a career making prosthetics for children. "That's what is lost," the burly father said through tears. Yet Coursey urged the judge to give McJunkin probation and order her to tell about her deadly mistake to students. "Let something come out of this whole thing, something good."

The other victim's family also pleaded for mercy. "In the beginning, I was very angry, very upset," said Scott Blackstone, Corey's oldest brother. "Since then, I have looked back and realize this is a mistake. She should be at home to raise her daughter." He said he hoped McJunkin continues to keep in touch with his family as they struggle to heal. "She took our brother from us and in some ways she should have to become a sister to us," he said.

Corey's sister, April Hicks, even hugged McJunkin while the judge briefly deliberated. The courtroom was silent after Russell handed down the sentence. "People have a capacity to forgive, but the state has a responsibility to see that people are punished over their actions," the judge said. She acknowledged that McJunkin didn't intend to kill anyone, but said she did intentionally drive drunk.

When McJunkin is released, she must pay $250 a month for two years toward a victims' trust fund. She must also complete 500 hours of community service, including speaking to students about the dangers of drinking and driving. She has 120 days left with her family before she must report to a state prison.

Happy 4th of July!!!

We had a nice Fourth of July celebrating at both the US Ambassador's party and then at our friend Kate and Ryan's house. The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday, so it was a little sad to be in rainy and 55 degree weather. However, celebrating with our friends and lots of other Americans helped my spirits. Fireworks are some of my favorite things so I just watched some on YouTube to complete my Fourth of July experience.

Some things I love about America:
--I love how friendly everyone is. You walk down the street and people say "Hi" to you and give you a smile.
--The American Dream. I have found that in Belgium and France, you stay in the social class you were born into. The fact that in the USA you can be born into nothing and with enough hard work, you can hold any position is incredible.
--Volunteerism. In Belgium people pay very high taxes (about 55% of their income) and some of that money goes to churches and other social help organizations. Because of this, Belgians do not feel the need to volunteer. The way they see it, they have already paid for someone else to be helping others. Our church has organized a week long service project this week to help out in and around Brussels. Over 100 Americans have spent their own money and vacation time to fly here for a week to help in battered women's shelters, homeless shelters, old folks homes, and so many other places.
--Freedom. The amount of freedom we have is just incredible. The more we travel the more amazed we become with how lucky we as Americans are. In some of the countries we have visited you are put in jail if you do not have a (large) picture the president in your home or restaurant. And of course you are not allowed to say any negative thing about the president either.
--I know it has been said many times how America is a melting pot, but it wasn't until I was over here that I really realized just how diverse America is. When we were in Krakow, Poland we only saw three black people in our entire visit. In Brussels I mainly see Moroccans, a few Africans and whole lot of white people all the time.

All in all, America is just a great country! Here is Sandi Patti singing the Star Spangled Banner: