inge's world

travel and day 1

it is Monday about 3pm (6 hours time difference - about 9am EST), and the boys are sleeping.

All went very well during the flight and so far. Praise the Lord! He is so amazingly gracious. When I woke up on Saturday morning (5am) I was dizzy, coughing, and honestly didn't even think that I would be able to travel at all. I prayed for God's grace for my body, the day, the travel, for patience like angels have, and for humor to make it all well. Luckily, I had two hours to recover a bit and sleep more. Around 7:30 I was sort of alive, and with a good breakfast I felt much better.
I ran the last errands and felt better and stronger. After a delicious meal made by "aunt Rara" for adults just Rhonda, or Mrs. Mapes, I felt ready at the airport. One suitcase was locked and of course I had no idea about the code. Barth cracked it and I couldn't care about it all. Just a bit humor I guess, wonder where that came from... :)

Flight from Ithaca to Philly was rough. The boys had to seat in our laps (why do I pay 2 tickets then?!), and wanted to walk of course. But as soon as we started flying they calmed down a bit and they seemed to enjoy the clouds.
At Philly we let them play and run for hours. We took the longest way possible walking from Terminal F to Terminal A. We saw lots of planes and trucks. (Truck turns into Fruck and that sounds a lot like the F-word, and so I hear the F-word a lot these days)
They also have 2 cute playgrounds with big wooden airplanes and slides etc. Could have been the ScienceCenter, but it was from "Please Touch Museum". The boys enjoyed it very much and it was very helpful that we had 3 adults. We took turns playing and so it felt very duable.
We had dinner at Chick-a-fling or something, kind of like KFC: chicken and fries. We played one Clifford movie for them on Rohald laptop and went to the next flight. We all sat together. Me, Matthew and a stranger, and behind me Adrian, Jose, and Rohald. Boys in their carseats, they did not agree on that. But it was close to 9pm and I gave them their nightbottle with milk. As soon as the airplane started driving from the gate both fell asleep.

I slept a good part of the flight, Adrian woke up once for 5 minutes and about half an hour before we landed. About 7,5 hours later we landed at Schiphol airport (the main Dutch airport). Matthew managed to wake up 3 minutes before we actually landed. The little guy slept the whole flight! He hadn't slept in days and now he is sleeping?! Got me worried for a second, but sadly he is back to his old self by now.

After getting our suitcases, customs etc etc, we saw our families. My parents bought big balloons for the boys, a rose for me, and Marion made a sign and I had my broodje kroket. Some of our friends came too and it was very exciting.
Sarah had made lunch at home. I enjoyed the time. The boys had to take a very short nap, which was hard, since they were exhausted and wanted to sleep much longer. But I wanted break the jetleg and avoid mightnight parties.

Last night was rough. I was just completely exhausted, after a couple of days feeling sick, a day travel and trying to stay awake, I was just drained. By the time I went to bed around 10 pm (missed most of the hockey game), Matthew woke up and was hungry, maybe scared, but definitely not willing to go back to sleep. Hours later, Martin had him back in his crib. Wow, poor guy is working his first day on the new job today.

Today is good so far. I woke everybody up to break the jetleg and the sun is shining. That helps a lot, we took a stroll in the park, tried to do some administrative work (I am treated like a foreigner in my own country!!!! Not funny!), so that will take a bit longer than expected. By the way, I decided to take my first week "off" from my to-do list except for some mandatory paperwork. Also, my perfect house is under contract :(

Funny thing: Adrian woke up this morning, and I explained to him that we had moved and asked whether he remembered anything about the flight, the new house. We did a little tour (bedroom, shower, kitchen, playcorner), and then Adrian saw my dad. "Barth" he yelled and gave my dad a big hug. I tried to explain that uncle Barth was still in the US, and that this was grandpa. He looked and me like I was crazy and said again "Barth" with a big smile and gave my dad another 20 hugs. My dad is fine, happy to get so many hugs and see Adrian's love for uncle Barth.

The boys had a tough time falling asleep, but both are out now for a nap. My dad is working in his office and I have a cup of tea. Yes, I can definitely say: we made it.

change of friendships

We are living for 4 1/2 years in Ithaca, moved here in August of 2005, with 4 suitcases. No idea what would happen, never been to the US before and it was just one great big adventure.

Now, I am cleaning 4 years of collecting stuff. Today, I went through a box of all cards and letters that we received. Don't ask me why I even kept the company Christmas cards for 4 years, do I have a collectors syndrome? I found some great things, which of course I couldn't all keep, but some I just couldn't toss.

For example a letter my friend Marion gave me to read in the airplane. It starts like this: "Dear Inge, I probably cried when you left. Cried, because I am going to miss you.." and it goes on about our friendship. Our friendship had to make quite an adjustment, from seeing each other 3 times a week, to (when lucky) twice a year. It was rough when one of us was going through a tough time, just not being able to sit and sigh, laugh and cry together. It is hard to keep up with each others life when you are not around, but somehow we managed.

Two weeks from today, I know who is going to be at the airport waiting for us (next to the family): Marion with a "broodje kroket"

Suus from suustainable and Susan Verberg Photography gave me a wonderful present for my birthday. She gave me a print from her own collection, and I got to pick. I choose "Friends at the Park" from her sunsets & moonscapes collection. The picture is taken at a park here in Ithaca. I just love it. I encourage you to take a look at her pictures (and find mine), they are just great!

I know I am going to enjoy Marion again, but miss Suus (among many others). Suus is my Dutch friend here with son Simon. The boys love each other, especially Adrian and Simon go well together, both wild, strongwilled and very energetic. Remember my love for playdates, or my dream garden? And see the picture in my profile? All Suus! Luckily, Suus is Dutch, so every now and then she will come and we will keep seeing her, but also here we will need to adjust our friendship. I am sure we will manage :)

birthday party and a haircut

And even though I was in great denial, it happened, 2010 happened, February came, and ooh yeah, I turned 30! The big 3-0, I thought it would be a big deal, but honestly sometimes life takes over and it is just the next day. And so here I am, 30 years and 1 day.

I did not plan a great party, nor did I get a surprise party, nor could I come up with great presents to ask for (except for a new home: Heggerank 4).
Martin bought me the new camera, which I have been taken everywhere, and so I have plenty of pictures. You'll see...

Yesterday evening I did have dessert with 8 friends in a very typical Ithaca restaurant: Moosewood. It is a vegetarian restaurant and therefore I have only been there once in 5 years. As said before, meat is a big deal within the De Vos family. But no meat in desserts (plus I got to pick with some suggestion from Suus) and I have to say it was really nice.

My dessert was a "mango peach blueberry crumb" -  and I can definitaly recommend this one. Their chocolate cakes looked very good too.
(As you can see I don't look great in pictures in general, especially when life took over that day)                                                                

Today, Martin was going in for a haircut. I took the boys too! I always wanted to wait till they were 2 years old, but going in today just seemed fitting well. Plus their turn 2 in 5 days. :)

Matthew liked it a lot, he was wiggling his head to keep looking in the mirror. Adrian on the other hand was not excited at all. He just wanted to leave within seconds. He ended up with half a haircut.

 

While Martin was getting a haircut I cruised through the mall, getting my Tazo Green Tea Latte from Borders Cafe, just to entertain the boys and not run after two toddlers in a salon. Plus I like my green tea latte.

Later at home: Martin and Matthew are excited with their new haircut, but Adrian is still angry.

But did Adrian become very excited about the Olympics. While watching speed skating we explained that he needed to cheer for the guy in orange (Sven Kramer), but in case he lost, Adrian would still win by having dual citizenship. Luckily for Martin and me (poor Visa dependent residents) Sven Kramer won gold.

We were excited and Adrian yelled "touchdown" - it is hard to understand all those sports, but it gave us a good chuckle.

driving license and gifts

I have my Dutch driving license back. I had to renew my driving license before today (since it was expiring), but also had to get my Dutch license back for the move.

So on Wednesday between all visits I quickly went to DMV. About five years ago I went through some hassle of paperwork and I remember being very upset, since I already had a license and really didn't want to take an exam again. I also remember how easy the test was compared to the test in The Netherlands.

(For my American friends: in The Netherlands you cannot drive until your 18 years old. Then you have to take mandatory classes at a driving school, on average about 40 lessons. So that is compared to 40 hours of driving here with your parents, only you have to pay the driving school 65 euro's per hour. I'll make it easy that is 2600 euro's. Then you take a written exam of 225 euro, and finally you take a driving exam of 45 minutes, not 10 minutes around the block, and that cost 215 euro's. So, if you do everything correct the first time, it is about 3000 euro's - hardly anybody gets is right the first time though.)

So, when the lady of DMV, where for a change it was quiet and I was helped quickly, asked me if I was really sure surrendering my NY license and getting back my Dutch one - it was not a hard decision. So, I am driving around right now on my Dutch license (which is allowed!). Last thing I want to say about that: how is it possible that passport and/or driving license pictures are always horrendous?

Yesterday, Kara stopped by for a chat, and so now I can finally tell you about the "secret sewing project". I bought this fabric int he summer of 2008. Kara just lost her brother in a car accident and I just had the twins. Both our lives were upside down, and together we went to look for a new way of doing things. Kara is a very crafty scrapbooker, but sewing is not really her thing. But, we both loved this fabric so much that we decided to make purses together.
It is almost two years further and the project were not finished. I knew Kara would never make the purse (x-bag) without me, so I made hers. I know this is not a very exciting story, but I really decided to go back to the original plan. I gave her the bag yesterday and she was very excited!

   

Last night, Martin took me and the kids to Best Buy. Martin told me he wanted to give me a new camera for my birthday, and to pick one. The camera I have now (FijiFilm S5000) is 7 years old, a dinosaur in this digital era, but it was one of the first digital ones. Lately, I began to get annoyed with the clunkiness, the limtied options and I just wanted a fast easy camera for walking around with the kids etc.  

This is the Canon camera I picked, it is small, slim, and one of the fastest (cheaper) camera's out there. And we all know how fast you need to be with kids.

busy weekend

It was a busy weekend, and hardly any time to post something new on the website. Actually, no time, unless I wanted to get up for it early. And even tough I really appreciate you as readers, I am not getting up earlier for this blog.

On Friday after work, I did laundry and just lots of home management work. You see, even the most organized persons in the world, do sometimes get behind and have to catch up. The tooth pain got slowly but surely worse. The only way took keep my tooth calm was drinking luke warm water - don't ask me why. So, that is what I did, gallons of water - and about 60 trips to the bathroom.
And finally, our fridge was made! I just checked the date on the night is broke - it was the night of January 23rd, our dinner night with Abby and her dad. Thank you, Art, for fixing it!

Friday evening I went to the wedding reception of my colleague Dee. They got married on December 31st in Iceland! Isn't that exciting?! I went home early and tried to sleep (while drinking water)

Saturday, I woke up with a lot of pain in my tooth. I took Tylenol and hoped for the better. Good thing with kids is that you do not have the time to just sit and wait, so lots of destractions. But we started our day as usual at JJ's. Coffee, tea and a muffin for Martin, Barth and Rhonda, and a glass of water for me. After that Barth and Martin finished some work in the yard, that still needed to be done. We are getting really close to moving and so even though it was freezing cold, it had to be done.
I met up with Kara at CTB for lunch. I had not seen her this year yet, so lots of catching up to do. I ordered a warm panini with cheese. What was I thinking? hardly able to eat it and drinking lots of water after each bite - it was silly! At home I took some Ibuprofen, maybe that would do the trick.

During the boys nap, I had planned to finish my secret sewing project. But it all got out of order and Sandra and Lee came over before I could even start. Lee and Martin worked on our car, while Sandra and I chatted (and drank water) and the kids played.

After that I was exhausted. I cooked, ate, and remembered that we had a surprise birthday party to go to. Usually, I would have enjoyed it a lot, but that night was just too much. After the "Surprisseeeeeeee", I took the boys home and we went straight to bed. Martin stayed a bit longer and got a ride home.

Sunday, I woke up and the pain was gone.... no pain? Okay, well, let me go to the bathroom and see, but still no pain. Breakfast, ouch, that hurt. But it was different, not the hot/cold piercing pain, but now it is more like it is badly bruised. Chewing is hard, but no pain in between (this might be the trick to lose some weight). Yeah!

And the Sunday sort of came and went (church, groceries, more groceries, and working for MOPS on the newsletter) untill 6pm. The Super Bowl XLIV started: New Orleans playing the Indiana Colts. Abby came to watch the game in her pink Colts t-shirt, while Martin was cheering for New Orleans. Crazy family, we have!
Part of the Super Bowl is that this is the night for new commercials. I missed quite a couple working on the newsletter, but I was diappointed by the commercials. Not that funny or briljant. But I totally completely loved this commercial:

Needless to say, unless this is the first thing you did today - New Orleans won.

Matthew has been coughing all weekend, making sure that both Martin and I didn't sleep well, so I took him to the doctor this morning. Poor little guy has an ear infection, hopefully the antibiotics kick in soon and will help him to recover quickly.

repay?

My dear friend J. had her second baby a couple of months ago. But with two kids not sleeping at the same time (at all), J. is exhausted, overwhelmed and mostly sleep deprived. And I remember this so well, being amazed by my own body. My body just kept working, breastfeeding and all, while I woke up most mornings thinking it would be impossible to be more tired, but then a couple days later there it was.

So, when I read J. note on facebook, pretty much saying that, I knew she needed some time. So, I offered to have Simon on Thursday and again this Tuesday, and we had a fun morning. But mothers wouldn't be mothers if they didn't want to pay back in some way.
So, I dropped Matthew and Adrian off at their place this morning. Martin and I had 2 hours for ourselves. We started running errands: dropping clothing and shoes off at Salvation Army, dry cleaning at Wegmans, and got groceries at Aldi's. I was ready to keep running and had already a list in my mind, but Martin insisted on relaxing and having a cup of coffee at JJ's. Smart guy!

But what is up with the "repay"?
I do that too. I remember being exhausted to the bone and when someone offered help, I would say: "no thanks, you have enough too". And when someone did help anyway, I would go over the next week to bring a meal?!
And it is not that I did not enjoy the two hours with just Martin - that was really nice.

But why is it so hard to just accept someones help and say: "Thank you, that really helped"?
Would I be in "dept" if I asked for help and did not immediately return a favor?

That is going to be a tough one with the move. When I leave it will be hard to return favors...

2 gifts in a day

I wouldn't be really Dutch, if I would not complain about the weather. I never cared for winters and cold, my skin gets itchy, my body wants to hibernate and I crave comfort foods 24/7. In our original thoughts about moving way back in August, Martin and I were focusing on moving back this week to The Netherlands. Well, that didn't work out and we had to delay about two months.

As a last present from Mr. Winter, I feel like we have the coldest winter of the last 5 years. We only had 7 days above 0 celsius in a month! Worse, most days the windchill is terrible and even though it is "only" -8 celsius, it feels like -24!
And last, but not least, it has been snowing everyday since Christmas. I told you about Adrian trying to say snow or sneeuw, but now he just calls it "kou", aka cold or koud, and I couldn't agree more.

But yesterday afternoon, after my little wish list, the Postal Service came with 2 packages. Yippie!! I love packages. It just makes me happy that someone thinks about me. With the speed of the mail, probably more like 12 days before, which was the day I worked on the gingerbread house.

My mom sent us a book for the boys to read about going on an airplane.
Pien and Patrick are taking an airplane from The Netherlands to Curacao. I immediately noticed some funny things in the book, like someone in a wedding dress (Curacao is like Hawaii for Dutchies) and that the security guard is eating a sandwich. ;) Of course it came with a funny card and DVD from my sister. Thanks mom!!

 

My friend Rita sent me a salad set, not just a regular one, but one made by herself. I miss Rita a lot: our Thursdays doing groceries, her listening ear, her passion for Holland (her parents are Dutch), my little break in the week. Thursdays at 3 pm, I still hear her Volvo pulling in the driveway, I could count on her.
But she moved, last August, and now I have something to remember her by daily - while eating some healthy greens. Was it just me, or did my salad taste a whole lot better yesterday? Thanks Rita!!

You can find her amazing work: http://jarofwood.com/

New Years Eve

With all the drama of Friday morning, I did not even get a chance to tell about New Years Eve. During New Years Eve I really miss Holland. I miss fireworks, friends, games, oliebollen, gourmetten, oudejaarsconference (a show by a comedian who talks about the last year), celebrating a new year at midnight, seeing the neighbors and all that comes with that.

Here in Ithaca it is dead quiet. There have been years I just went to bed.  What is the use of sitting together, kissing each other at midnight and regretting the next morning that you stayed up?

This year was different. We invited Rolf and Susan + Simon - our Dutch friends - and Martin's colleagues Tengfang and Jing. I had made all kinds of snacks to eat for dinner. I love to entertain with the nice place setting, but with 3 toddlers it is useless.

After dinner the kids went in the bath tub. This was a big success, especially for Adrian and Simon. They made the biggest water splash ever seen in our home. Poor Matthew was not too excited and tried to play with the toys. This is one of those moments where you can see such a big difference in character. Simon and Adrian feel quickly asleep, but Matthew definately needed some quiet time by himself.

Now it was adult time and we played Balderdash. Wanna guess who is playing black and won?!?!?!

Since Martin lost, he was on dutie to make oliebollen. Susan had prepared the dough and my, oh my, they were yummy!!

Then we had some drinks, lots of conversations, and some fireworks (I know not legal)

Luckily the boys slept through the night and woke up at 6:30 am to start a new day, with of course our trip to the ER. Adrian is doing much better, he is running around like nothing happened and the swelling is gone.

I am excited about 2010 - the end of February and our moving day are coming soon.

amazing 27 hour trip

We survived the storm, and it was truly a blizzard. We saw many cars in ditches, stopped, and in all honestly, we were crazy going.

The first 2 hours were easy, but shortly before the Pocono's it started with some flakes, and then some more, and more, and more. Turning around was not really an option, so Martin stuck behind a truck follow the trail and kept driving. Some parts were plowed and well, but some were very dangerous. About 20 miles away from our hotel, the truck stopped and we had to keep going by ourselves. Going between 20 and 25 mph it was going to take us a while. Gasstations were closed and far in between and after that half liter gatorade, Martin really realy had to go. So we took an exit, more cars were stranded here. But Martin just had to go! He made some snow yellow right under a "do not litter" sign, and innocently scraped the ice of our windows and wipers. He invited me to go too, but do you really think I want to sit in public in the snow? No thanks, I'll wait and we went on.

At 9 pm we were finally in Jersey City in our hotel. Barth and Rhonda patiently waited for us. The hotel was very nice, but, as Barth warned me "you have to pay to breathe", was very expensive in any extra's. We took a walk around the block in search for a restaurant.

Since the blizzard was still going strong, walking around was not really confortable. So we ended up in the first restaurant we saw: Azucar Cuban Cuisine. I don't know whether it was the thrill of the blizzard, me being so hungry, the friends, the wine, the atmosphere, or a combination, but it probably was the best food I ate in years. I still cannot believe it. We all picked something different and Martin ordered some side dishes for everybody. It was just so tasty!!!

On Sunday we took it easy, I took a swim in the pool, and after that we tried to get to MSG. Barth knew the way and we all followed. We took the PATH towards WTC. At least that is what we thought, we ended up going to wrong direction. No worries, we just get out and get back on the other side. From WTC we took the subway to Penn Station, next to MSG. There Martin quickly grabbed a flyer of the PATH to figure out how to get back. Well, there is a direct connection of 10 minutes from the hotel to MSG. Hihihihi, luckily, we knew it for our way back.

Then the game: Cornell vs Davidson. MSG is pretty big, especially when it is empty. There were about 100 Cornell people an maybe 300 Davidson alumni. That does not fill an arena. Anyway Cornell quickly came ahead with about 12 point and kept that on for a good while. But slowly, but surely Davidson came back, until Rhonda and I were screaming on top of our lungs. End signal: 75-75. Overtime. (Good, because I paid a lot!)
By now, my throat is sore, and this happened (cornellbigred.com):

Cornell opened the extra period with a Dale 3-pointer, followed by a Dale jumper in the lane. Each time, Davidson answered with a score. A 3-pointer by Wroblewski momentarily pushed the lead back to four on a feed from Wittman with 2:19 left. After McKillop answered with a trey, Wittman hit a long pull-up to extend it to 86-82. Not close to done, McKillop drove the lane and scored to make it a two-point game with 1:04 left.

Misses by both teams started the procession of fouling, with Dale hitting two shots in the double bonus to go up 88-84 with 28 seconds left in OT. After Kuhlman hit a big 3-pointer to cut the deficit back to one, Dale went right back to the free-throw line. The 84 percent free-throw shooter missed both shots with 15 ticks left and Davidson rebounded. The visitors worked the ball around the perimeter, but a poke-check by Dale knocked the ball out of Kuhlman's hands. Dale was whistled for a foul on the scramble for the loose ball with under six seconds left. Kuhlman made the first to knot the game at 88-88, but missed the second. Foote rebounded the miss and quickly hot-potatoed it to Jon Jaques. Jaques looked ahead and hit Wittman, who took three quick dribbled and launched the bomb that found nothing but net. The team mobbed the senior as the Madison Square Garden spotlights shone on him.

We won! We won! We won! I can tell you that shot and dinner the night before made the blizzard totally worth it.

Back home, we relieved our sitter from her duties. She did very well and was still able to smile and laugh, even though Adrian got sick. Thank you so much, B!!!!
I took Adrian to the doctor this morning: another earinfection and croup.

birthday party

Matthew and Adrian had their first official kids birthday party. Simon turns two today. They had lots of goldfish, crackers, cheese, and a cupcake. Jonica did a great job organizing the party. All kids got a balloon to take home with and a christmas ornament. I just cannot believe there is only 2 months left before they turn two too.

left to right: Matthew, Adrian, Simon, and other friends

Sinterklaas

Yesterday is was December 5th. You might think, so... today is December 6th. If that was your thought, you definately did not grow up with Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas is a big event for every child in The Netherlands and Belgium (and some parts of Germany).

It is sort of Santa, but then he has his own holiday and does not interfere with Christmas - although some might disagree. Anyway, last Friday Matthew, Adrian and I watched the movie Het paard van Sinterklaas (the horse of St. Nicolas) at the Dutch Club. This was their first meeting with Sinterklaas and they liked it. The movie is made from a 5-year old point of view, so easy to understand. Their was some Dutch candies too, so my boys were happy.

Last night, Sinterklaas avond (St. Nicolas evening) is the night that Sinterklaas brings presents, and he never forgets anyone. Not even when you live the US. He just sends the zwarte piet (Black Pete) in charge of mailings to bring the presents.
So, after Rolf and Susan with Simon arrived, we had some food. And suddenly someone knocked on the door. But there was nobody, but a big package from Sinterklaas.

We had a fun night. If I get my video clip to wotk, I'll attach it.

walking

Yesterday was a wonderful day - the sun was shining and with a sweater life was very comfertable. Lucklily, I had seen this coming. The weather channel is very usefull when I actually take time to look at it. I had emailed Annemiek ahead and she was available for a walk at Taughannock State Park. This park is the only park in the neighborhood that is somewhat stroller friendly.

After we all got in the car (dropping Martin at work first), I made Martin go back inside for my camera. I really wanted to post some pictures of the boys again. So, Annemiek and I met at 3 pm and walked 1 mile in  almost 1 hour and 15 minutes. I guess toddlers really slow down, but we had a nice chat and the boys love the leaves, sticks, waterfall, and the bridge. The batteries of my camera died after one picture, luckily Annemiek had hers. So now you all can go and peek at her blog for some pictures.

Slowly, but surely we get our act together towards the move. Thanks to Frans and Karin (Karin is a colleague of my mom) for sending us advice and some experiences. It just helps.

We decided to only move a portion. The car, the dining table, and boxes with personal items, The rest will be sold, so I started selling on craigslist.
This weekend our landlord is going to be in town and after talking to him we should be ready to make some final decisions on the US side. Hopefully he will take our furniture and rent the apartment from now furnished. That would save us lots of work, but we'll see.

We are not anywhere close to making any decisions on the Dutch side (housing, work for me, child care, etc). I stress about that part though, but it is too early to apply for jobs and without a job no daycare is needed. And housing, ooooh well, as soon as I have a job and know where I will be working, then we decide where to buy a house. I keep checking Funda for ideas and maybe I will fall in love with an affordable one.

Last, but definately not least, I have to go to the pediatrician with Adrian this afternoon, since it looks like he has another ear infection. He cried from 1 till 6 am last night and I am not allowed to touch his right ear. If that is the case, he will most likely be send to a specialist. We'll keep you posted.

dogged

dogged1 [daw-gid, dog-id]
–adjective persistent in effort; stubbornly tenacious: a dogged worker.

I had never heard of this word before, but I was definitely dogged today:

Going back to work after Monday was not easy. I like my work in general, we need the extra money, but it has to be useful. Doing nonsense and being away from my kids is a waste of my time and my salary is definitely not worth more than my time. So when I stepped in my office this morning, and saw my boss running circles around my desk, I felt immediately drained. Oooh nooooo, here we go again! Well, I had to update some reports from last month and then meet with him and the sales department. Ugh! But okay, I can do it……

The meeting actually went very well, both my sales colleagues totally agreed with my suggestions, and got enthusiastic. They even came up with some more ideas. So my boss was happy, joined the happy party. I have permission to start doing something instead of talking about doing something. Not wanting to wait for a mood swing from my boss …maybe he has too many hormones too…, I immediately moved my desk, so I can start Friday morning without any issues. Now I have an office again, hidden behind a tree, I should be good for at least a couple of days. Yeah!

After picking up the kids, they had a great day at the Science Center I made my famous chicken dinner, stoofpeertjes, and another apple pie. Then we all took it to the LeRoux’s and had a great dinner together. It is always fun to see Simon, Matthew, and Adrian ‘play together’. Simon and Matthew play next to each other, but not really together, and Adrian runs like a mad man over everything and everybody.

I talked to Jonica about the upcoming winter and maybe taking a creative class. We found out we both love to sew. Winter means long dark days with a lot of snow, cold, and usually I need a project to distract myself. I have plenty, but with a class I cannot just not go, or make any excuses. I am going to check out the classes at Michaels, AC Moore, and Quilters Corner (I love that store!!!)

I am dogged to have a more social and creative winter than last year. After an amazing dessert with 3 pies: chocolade, grape, and apple pie, we went home for a good night sleep.

Tomorrow lots more social plans: in the morning we are going to Karen with son Timmy (1st time) and in the afternoon I am trying again to meet up with Annemiek.

comments

We have about 135 visitores a day. That amazes me, because in the end the De Vos family is a pretty normal family: mom, dad, two sons. Our "adventures" are not making CNN headlines, which is good, knowing that otherwise something extreme must have happened.

But, of those 135 visitors, I have about 3 comments per post. One is always from my mom (thanks mama!), so that leaves two more. Not really a lot, and I know it is hard, because then I know you were peeking at the site. But why not leave a comment? Let me know when you like stuff, so I can post more about it. Or if you're curious about stuff not on the site, I might like and use it or just ignore it.

Who dares?! The post below leaves lots of opportunities to comment ;)

typisch amerikaans

Typisch Amerikaans...

Ik laat even een rustje vallen, zodat jullie gedachtes nu zo'n beetje zijn bij Oprah, Obama, extreem zware mensen, fast food, Big Brother (serie 12 dit jaar, getver!) en allemaal andere dingen.
Maar ik wil je ook graag deze kant van de typisch amerikaanse bevolking laten zien. Afgelopen week waren Matthew en Adrian behoorlijk ziek en terwijl ik vriendin Sandra om advies vroeg, zei ze: "would you like a meal on Sunday?" Natuurlijk, graag zelfs. Met 2 zieke kids en een ernstig slaaptekort is boodschappen doen absoluut geen favoriet.

Maar dit is geen uitzondering:
-Mede-MOPS-moeder Vickie is ernstig ziek en dus hebben we een website met een schema op alle dagen dat ze hulp nodig heeft. Je schrijft je in en helpt waar nodig en kan.
-Zo ook voor Karla, zwanger van een tweeling met complicaties. Zij heeft alleen wel al 2 zonen en moet plat liggen. Dus ook zij heeft hulp nodig.

Eigenlijk is dit heel normaal. Niets geen kraamzorg, maar gewoon de plaatselijke gemeenschap die elkaar opvangt.
Toen de jongens geboren waren, kregen we iedere week 3 maaltijden vanuit de kerk of buurt. Barb reed me naar het ziekenhuis zodat Martin met de auto later kon komen. En Laura kwam schoonmaken, want met de keizersnee mocht ik het zware werk niet doen. Tot de familie kwam en ons kon helpen. Ik kan me nog zo herinneren dat de overbuurvrouw eten kwam brengen en Marion en mijn moeder waren hier en zij zei "I didn't know you had company, I would have made more. I really hope this is enough. And here is my cell phone number, call us anytime you need help." Niet genoeg? We hebben er 2 dagen van gegeten!
Dit is gewoon voor alle geboortes, maar zelfs toen ik in juni in Nederland was, kwam iemand van de kerk voor Martin een maaltijd brengen, zodat "he doesn't have to worry about too."

(Ik zit terug te kijken in de archieven van deze website en kan gewoon niet geloven dat ik hier nooit eerder over geschreven heb!!)

Maar goed, terug naar vandaag. Sandra en Lee kwamen dus een maaltijd brengen. Maar dat gaat natuurlijk wel op zijn Amerikaans: "In our country is everything bigger."
een rijstmaaltijd voor 2 dagen, salade, extra komkommer en bleekselderij, brownies, kikkererwten, chocoladerepem, appelsap, kaas, soep crackers, goldfish, sla sausen, knoflookbrood, rozijnen en crueslibar.

van "stad" naar "platteland"

In Nederland beschouwde ik mezelf niet echt als een city girl. Ik bedoel ik hou wel van luxe en gemak, maar wij gingen toch ook kamperen. Ja, car camping zoals ze dat hier noemen. Met je auto ergens heen, tent opzetten en dat lekker luieren. Dat is niet echt kamperen, echt kamperen doe je met een kano, rugzak, een week voedsel en dat is alles. Is halverwege je voedsel op, dat is dan jammer.
Okay, dus qua kamperen ben ik ook een city girl. Maar verder niet toch?

Nou, in de afgelopen jaren ben ik gaan merken hoe ik op luxe gesteld was, maar ook hoeveel meer ik nu van het buitenleven geniet. Zo sprak ik vorige week met iemand in NL en ik zei dat als we ooit terug zouden gaan ik de ruimte wel zou missen hier. "Hoezo, wij hebben toch ook ruimte en een redelijke tuin?" Dat klopt voor een woning in de randstad van NL hebben zij een redelijke tuin (en een leuk huis trouwens).
Maar heb je het hier over een tuin, dan praat ik over minimaal 4 acres (oftewel 4 voetbalvelden) en dat kost niets.  Martin's college heeft deze zomer 52 acres land gekocht voor $120,000. Huizen zijn duur, maar de grond krijg je er bijna gratis bij.

Zo was ik donderdag weer even bij Rolf en Susan en die hebben ruim 5 acres achter hun huis, met: 6 kalkoenen, 4 ganzen, 30 kippen, tig eenden, 2 geiten, een grote moestuin, appelbomen, blauwe bes en braamstruiken, etc. Kijk, dat is pas een tuin.
Samen met Susan, Simon, Matthew en Adrian appels verzamelen, blauwe bessen plukken, geiten eten geven en ganzen opjagen (okay, dat waren de kids).

En zoiets wil ik toch eigenlijk ook wel. Misschien in een kleinere versie, maar dankzij Susan haar appelboom, ruikt nu mijn hele huis naar verse appelmoes. En ineens bestaat de city girl in mij niet meer.

   

en voorbij was het weekend

Toen ik vrijdag nadacht over dit weekend, dacht ik dat we weinig plannen hadden en dat ik dus veel kon naaien en relaxen en spelen met de jongens. Pakte dat even anders uit!

Zaterdag was er een grote yardsale bij Kara en David. En wij hadden daar al een paar maanden geleden zooi heen gebracht om te verkopen. Dus in plaats van relaxen en naaien, zat ik in mijn oude spullen te verkopen. En #%#^(%*^ weer niet de wandelwagen en het autostoeltje verkocht. Het lijkt wel of niemand interesse heeft, terwijl ik steeds van mensen hoor: "Finally, we found a double stroller."  Nou ja, de mijne staat al maanden hier op de plaatselijke ebay en niemand heeft interesse. Maar goed, ik denk dat ik de wandelwagen maar even hou, een 2e is wel handig, en het stoeltje weggeef aan een goed doel. Ik kan dat spul toch ook allemaal niet bewaren.

Zaterdagavond kwamen Barth en Meghan eten. Rhonda had deze week een conferentie en dus konden zij wel een maaltijd gebruiken. Heel gezellig natuurlijk, maar na een lange dag verkopen, was de koek wel een beetje op. Barth probeert ons te helpen met de computer uit de woonkamer te krijgen, maar kan niet het juiste boortje vinden. Dit keer een boor die lang genoeg was (de muur is 15 cm dik), maar niet breed genoeg voor de internetkabel. Volgende keer beter.

Vandaag was het een redelijk normale dag. Vanochtend kerk met Matthew. Adrian gaat meestal met Martin mee, omdat hij niet naar de creche wilt maar zich ook niet gedraagt in de kerk (dat laatste is overigens niet vreemd voor een jochie van 1,5). Iemand tips voor een kind met "seperation anxiety"? Maar vandaag wilde Matthew ook niet in de creche. Na een half uur gillen, kwamen ze me maar halen. Dat snap ik ook wel, andere kinderen worden ook onrustig en het is ook zielig. Maar ja, in de kerk zitten is ook niet simpel. Ik was meer bezig met Matthew een soort van stil te houden dan te luisteren en dus was het een beetje een verloren zaak.

Na ons schoonheidsslaapje, waren we uitgenodigd bij Quirine voor een housewarming.  Martin had haar enkele weken geleden verhuisd en nu mochten we komen BBQ-en. Susan en Rolf waren er ook met zoon Simon. Met Susan lang zitten kletsen over de voor- en nadelen van wonen in Nederland of VS. Tja, vroeg of laat moet of heeft iedereen een besluit moeten nemen (blijven of terug) en dus kunnen we (lees: ik) er veel van leren. Het was reuze gezellig en het was zomaar ineens 4 uur later en echt tijd om de jongens in bed te stoppen.

Maar nu is het ineens weer over. Morgen werken, was ophalen bij Vickie, wassen en dan morgenavond MOPS opzetten, want dinsdag beginnen we! Hoera!

verrassing

Vandaag kreeg ik een kleine verrassing. Toen ik thuis kwam van mijn werk, stond er een klein vaasje met chive buds voor de deur. Met een kaartje:

Inge,

Chive buds to brighten your table

Enjoy, Rita

Leuk he? Overigens nooit gedacht dat ik bloeiende lenteui op mijn tafel zou hebben. :)

Amici della famiglia

Heimwee blijft een lastig iets - het kan zo ineens weer opkomen en dan ben ik er ook meteen goed ziek van. Buikpijn, huilerig en heel erg onrustig. Het zal alles te maken hebben met de fijne tijd in Nederland. En nu zijn we weer "alleen" thuis in Ithaca.

Donderdag en vandaag sprak ik met Kara daarover. Zoals je weet (als je de weblog bijhoudt) heeft zij haar enige broer verloren afgelopen mei. Zijn ex-vrouw geeft geen toestemming om de kinderen te bezoeken en zo heeft zij dus alleen haar ouders nog over, die in Florida wonen (zoiets als NL-Spanje).
We hadden het over het rouwen en missen - en laat ik heel duidelijk zijn, ik wil in geenszins mijn heimwee vergelijken met het rouwen om broer of geliefde - maar we zoeken allebei een nieuwe familie. Niet om de andere familie te vervangen, maar band op te bouwen die je je anders met je familie zou hebben. Voor mijzelf is dit in het dagelijks leven toch een stuk gemis, ook gewoon het vertrouwen hebben dat je kan bellen en is advies, hulp, een bakkie leut of gewoon effe niets. Zeker nu de jongens er zijn, mis ik het extra. Voor mij hangt het moederschap soms toch aan een van allerlei onzekerheden. Eten ze wel goed? Hoe kotm Adrian nu ineens aan luieruitslag? Waarom slapen ze niet door de nacht?
Maar zonder familie op korte afstand blijft dat toch lastig - we missen dus een stukje sociaal netwerk. En ons sociaal netwerk hier was al niet zo groot. Binnenkort verhuizen Julien en Cecilia naar Texas, dus tijd voor nieuwe ideeën en vrienden.

MOPS is een start en sinds afgelopen week is donderdagavond eten en spelletjes met David, Kara, DJ en ons. Deze donderdag bij ons.
En ik moet gewoon maar eens wat mensen uitnodigen voor eten en een borrel. Wie weet wat daar allemaal nog uit kan bloeien.

Kleine vakanties??

Afgelopen woensdag zat onze tijd in Maarssen erop en verhuisden we naar Leusden. Niet dat het ver uit elkaar ligt, maar voordat ik de kids in de auto heb etc etc.

Donderdag ging ik eerst op bezoek bij Nicolette. We hadden elkaar al enige tijd niet gezien (dat wil zeggen Bas was 2 en hij gaat nu naar groep 4, en ze heeft inmiddels nog 2 kids), een hoop om bij te kletsen dus. Ik had het plan om daar om 11 uur te zijn, maar Nederland is vol, zelfs zo vol dat ik rond die tijd nog steeds in de file sta. Dus het werd wat later, maar het was erg gezellig. Arjan en zijn vrouw kwamen ook nog even langs met hun 10 dagen oude zoontje, en zo had ik iedereen weer gezien. Helemaal goed.

En daarna kwamen 2 korte "vakanties". Eerst had oma Staak iedereen uitgenodigd om naar Texel te komen. Het weer was prachtig en dat maakte het dubbel leuk. Vrijdag werden we ontvangen met taart en koffie en iedereen kwam in de loop van de middag binnen. Ooms, tantes, neven en nichten van oma en Martin - de familie Van Amerongen (oma's meisjesnaam) was goed vertegenwoordigd.
Zaterdag, na een gezamelijk ontbijt, hadden we wat vrije tijd gekregen, dus hop naar het strand, want dat moesten onze jongens ook meemaken. Met alle kleinkinderen (de meisjes dan) van oma gingen we op pad - Linda, Vera, Esther, Marion, Veertje, Jennifer, Denicia, ik en mijn jongens, in twee auto's naar De Koog. Daar aangekomen een bolderkar gehuurd, want met 8 meiden gaat er heel wat zooi mee. Denicia met de tassen in de bolderkar en zo door De Koog naar paal 20. Daar hebben we ons uitgeleefd. Het weer was prachtig, dus broek oprollen en pret maken. Denicia leefde zich helemaal uit want een flink nat pak opleverde, maar mama Jennifer had aan alles gedacht. Daarna een beker chocolademelk en een broodje.
's Middags werden we verwacht bij het ambachtsmuseum (althans dat dacht ik) en dus ik netjes de weg daar naartoe gevraagd. Het was simpel, en dus Veertje en ik reden erheen. Nou wie er was, was er, maar niemand van de familie. Gelukkig konden we Bobby bereiken en bleken we naar het ambachtscentrum te moeten, aan de andere kant van het eiland. Nou nou, dat bleek verder dan gedacht en het was ook nog zoeken. Veels te laat kwamen we aan, gelukkig was iedereen zo lief om te wachten en konden de kids alsnog samen brood, zeep, kaarsen etc maken. Heel erg leuk. Met een grote speeltuin en wat dieren kon de middag niet meer stuk. Moe, maar zeer voldaan gingen we terug naar de boerderij. Daar had ome Jan de gehele slager uitgestald en werd er flink geBBQd.
Zondag bestond uit ontbijt, zingen, cadeaus en opruimen.

Ook op zondag gingen Ireen en Bertus verloven. Dat mag natuurlijk niet gemist worden, dus ik werd in Schagen afgezet (ritje samen met Ireen haar broer) en Martin ging door naar Leusden. Ik vond het heel erg leuk om Bertus te ontmoeten, maar ik wat word ik toch snel zeeziek. In dit geval was het zelfs rivierziek. Dus na ruim een uur hield ik het voorgezien.

Maandag begon onze tweede vakantie; Martin en ik gingen naar Dundee. Martin had een sollicitatiegesprek en ik zou de stad enzo gaan bekijken. Dundee ligt aan de oostkust van Schotland. Het is een mooie gotische stad in een mooi glooiend heuvelgebied. Dinsdag werd Martin om 8:30 opgehaald en 's avonds hadden we een diner dat tot 22:45 uur duurde. We waren beiden gesloopt. Vandaag had Martin ook weer wat gesprekken tot we om 13u bij het hotel werden opgehaald.
Alles ging soepel en voorspoedig en we zullen het allemaal eens rustig laten bezinken en nadenken. Martin zal een beurs aan vragen en dan kijken we weer verder.
Zoals je al bedacht had, de jongens waren niet mee. Opa en oma de Vos hadden de eer om voor de tweeling te zorgen. Dus 2 dagen op de flesvoeding en toen sliepen ze ineens de nacht door, en ze wilden ook maar iedere 4 uur eten ipv iedere 2 uur. Dat geeft toch te denken...

Kraamfeest

De eerste dagen zitten er alweer op. Time flies, when you're having fun
Woensdag hebben we niets meer gedaan. Mijn zusjes kwamen eten en s avonds kwamen natuurlijk Martins ouders op bezoek.

Donderdag was een lekker dagje, verrast door het redelijke slapen van de jongens, konden we om half acht opstaan. Zo waren we meteen in het nieuwe ritme. De telefoon ging al snel, mijn moeder, want haar collega's wilden de boyz toch ook wel zien.... Die hint begrepen we en we hadden nog wat boodschapjes te doen, dus konden we dat allemaal in een ritje doen.
's Avonds kwamen Maarten, Franny, Marion en Jose nog even op bezoek. En hebben we onze eerste frikandel gegeten. Hoe komt het toch dat ik er maanden naar kan verlangen, maar als je het dan eet, niet eens zo bijzonder is? Jammer!

Vrijdag weer een beetje relaxen. Ik had nl met Marion en Linda bij de sauna afgesproken. Martin maakte van deze gelegenheid gebruik om bij zijn ouders op bezoek te gaan. Daar kwamen ook Gert-Jan, Jennifer met Denicia en Bobby met Evy naar toe. Zo hadden zij ineens alle kinderen en kleinkinderen op bezoek; wat helemaal feest was natuurlijk.
De sauna was ook feest, al moet ik nog steeds erg wennen aan mijn 'na de zwangerschap lichaam'. Dat zal wel gewoon tijd nodig hebben.

Zaterdag was het kraamfeest; dat was echt heel erg gezellig. Rob en Marianne (Martins ouders) hadden hun huis, tuin en de speeltuin erachter beschikbaar gesteld. Marianne had bij alle buren stoelen en tafels geleend, met 2 party tenten en het weer werkte ook nog mee. We hadden aan de gasten gevraagd iets typisch Nederlands gerecht of eten mee te nemen. Dat werkte leuk uit, want de tafel was versierd met drop, stroopwafels, boerenkool, Hema rookworst, slibtongetjes, haring en frikandellen. (Al vraag ik me af waar die gebleven zijn Rohald, Marion en Jack?!)
Ondanks dat het verboden was cadeaus mee te nemen, kregen we toch nog een tas met boeken en wat kleding. Heel erg bedankt allemaal!

Helaas zijn de boyz wat verkouden geworden. Hun eerste echte verkoudheid...

Wat te doen met een vrije middag?

De bloed en urine onderzoeken zijn teruggekomen en ik heb inderdaad niets. De pijn is nog steeds weg en het zal wel iets van stress zijn. Kan iemand met een tweeling van 6 maanden stress hebben??!!

De week ging snel, zoals gewoonlijk. Op woensdag werken en daarna knipperde ik drie keer met mijn ogen, heb de borst gegeven en wat luiers verschoond en toen was het weekend. Zaterdag had ik mijn laatste huwelijk voor deze zomer. Erg mooi, de officiele ceremonie was bij de Taughannock Falls. Maar organisatorisch een drama, want het is 20 min lopen voordat je bij de watervallen bent en omdat het in een park is moet je alles zelf meenemen, dus daar liep ik dan met een trolley met stoelen, bloemen, loper, geluidsinstallatie etc etc. Gelukkig hielpen de DJ en zijn partner mee. Het ging allemaal goed: bruid en bruidegom waren zeer tevreden.
Daarna was het tijd voor de receptie en feest. Dit keer werkten we met een cateraar die we niet kenden. Aangekomen op de locatie schrokken we; wat een chaos! Er was nauwelijks iets gedaan, dus moesten Tara en ik meteen weer flink aan de slag. Het was echt verschrikkelijk; ze waren sloom, ongeorganiseerd - eten te laat, te weinig mensen (sommige spraken niet eens engels!), bar had glazen te weinig en er werd ook niet opgeruimd. Mocht je ooit in Ithaca trouwen, dan heb ik nog wel wat tips. ;)
Helaas voor het bruidspaar was het overduidelijk en konden we niet helpen - denk dat er financieel nog wel wat te regelen is, maar toch.

En dan zondag, vandaag dus. Eerst met z'n allen naar de kerk; Gary Villa werd vandaag officieel aangetrokken als pastoor in opleiding. Toch wel spannend, zeker in zo'n kleine gemeenschap als de onze, zal dit een grote invloed hebben.
Daarna vertrok Martin voor een week naar Penn State; een universiteit zo'n 3 uur hier vandaan. Dinsdag moet hij een praatje geven over zijn laatste bevindingen, hopelijk komen daar nog wat leuke mogelijkheden uit. Het blijft afwachten...

Maar goed, ik dus tot donderdag heel erg laat alleen thuis met 2 kids. Dit keer heb ik besloten niet naar Barth en Rhonda te gaan. Dat was erg fijn en gezellig, maar heb thuis ook nog genoeg te doen. Vanuit de kerk is geregeld dat ik iedere avond bij een gezin kan eten, zodat zij me kunnen helpen met de babies en ik ook wat volwassen conversatie kan hebben. Dinsdag krijg ik zelfs een hele middag erbij vrij. Julie heeft me aangeboden vanaf 1 uur op de kids te passen en dan kom ik om 6 uur weer naar haar voor het eten. Wat zal ik gaan doen? Massage, pedicure, misschien een kop thee en een boek, of een dutje... Ik ga er nog eens lekker over nadenken. Yeah!

Ja, we komen dus...

We komen dus weer naar Nederland. Van Marion had ik de onderstaande afteller gehad. Dus nu mag het bekend worden. :)

We zijn de gehele maand september in Europa. Ja Europa, want Martin gaat ook nog naar Duitsland en we gaan ook nog naar Schotland. De maand lijkt nu alweer vol geboekt. Dat gaat ook zo snel: Linda trouwt, twee oma's jarig, en dan de tripjes, nog even hier heen en even daar heen en voor je het weet is de tijd alweer voorbij.

Zoals iedere keer proberen we veel mensen te zien, maar zeker nu met de kids zal het niet zo makkelijk zijn. Plus dat dit onze vakantie is. Een keer per 15 maanden gaan we tussen de 2 en 4 weken naar Nederland, en dan zit alle vakantie er weer op. Dus dit keer gaan we ook echt rusten, en dat zal betekenen dat we niet iedereen even veel en vaak kunnen zien.
Zo werkt het nu eenmaal.

Maar voordat we naar NL komen, moet Martin eerst nog een week naar Penn State; ongeveer 3 uur hier vandaan. Ik heb geen idee hoe hij het uitkient, maar van de twee maanden in de afgelopen 6 maanden dat we geen hulp hebben, is hij een week weg. (Misschien heeft ie het wel zo gepland, hmmmm)
Ik moet nog even kijken wat ik ga doen. Ik heb inmiddels veel meer zelfstandigheid met de jongens en ook meer zelfvertrouwen. Toch heb ik tegen de avond meestal wel behoefte aan een volwassene om mee te kletsen. Ik zal mijn gedachten de komende dagen eens laten gaan.