Nurburgring race track in Germany

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It’s one thing when your older sister turns 40, but another when friends start to achieve that milestone. Although I can’t say I’m excited to get there myself, some of the celebrations are certainly making it worth it. After a great 40th celebration last year in Budapest, and then a weekend in Paris, we celebrated another one for our friend Mark with a weekend in Nurburg, Germany, home of the famous Nurburgring race track.

Nurburgring was opened in the 1920’s, and was quickly known as the most challenging race track in the world. This was due to the combination of its extreme length (over 20km / 12 miles), an unusually high 73 turns, and multiple changes in elevation.

In 1970 a Formula 1 driver was killed during the race. In response, the other drivers refused to race the following year unless changes to the track were made to improve the safety. Some improvements were made but since the track is between mountains not all were possible. The race was resumed in 1976, but on the 2nd lap a fiery crash badly injured the then #1 ranked driver. Because the track is so long, emergency crews could not respond quickly. The driver was only saved because other drivers stopped to assist, and future Formula 1 races were canceled. Additional modifications were then made, and a Grand Prix track was opened, which has remained in use since the mid-’80s.

The long track is technically classified as a public toll road in the Germany highway system, which means any type of registered vehicle can drive on it, including cars, motorcycles, or motorhomes. It also means that, similar to the autobahn, there is no speed limit. This, along with it being known as the most challenging professional race track in the world, also makes it one of the most popular.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, and settled quickly into the birthday celebration which carried on through the night. The next morning, 7 of us headed over to an office to pick up our race cars (and sign some insurance forms!!) We drove race modified BMW Z4 and VW Scirocco's. Our guide explained to us that we would have four laps on the “long course.” He casually recommended that we take a “learning” lap with him, in his large, VW cargo / passenger van, saving our 4 laps for real racing. Shortly after accepting, I found myself in one of most terrifying roller coaster rides of my life, which lasted over 10 minutes! I’m pretty sure our host had both feet on the accelerator, which explains how this big van was moving so fast, and how he didn’t have any feet available for the brake pedal. I’m not a big roller coaster fan, so I started sweating a bit after 60 seconds of ups / downs, rights / lefts, and extreme speeds over the course. 9 minutes later when the “learning” lap was over, I was a pale, sweating mess, and completely unsure of what I had gotten myself into!

The next four laps were amazing, with the confidence (and speed) improving with each one. We would take a break after each lap, which at 10-11 minutes was exhausting. While the men were risking their lives, the women and children were spending time at the indoor racetrack amusement park near the hotel. They did get a chance to come watch us for 2 laps. It was a great weekend and a fun way to celebrate a 40th birthday!

Dubai Again!

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When we went to Dubai last February we pretty much thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Therefore, we stayed at the Atlantis, swam with dolphins, and went on the desert safari. This fall, when we figured out my mom’s October visit would coincide with the kids’ fall break, we had to choose a destination for all 5 of us. Mom mentioned that she’d love to go to Dubai. Knowing the weather would be awesome, it wasn’t hard to convince us to go.

We researched it and found out was possible to go again, just on a different budget. :) We took Etihad Airways again, whose tickets from Belgium to Abu Dhabi are the same or cheaper than it costs to fly to the US. We took a free hour shuttle from the airport to our nice hotel apartment in Dubai. We were also able to buy breakfast foods and drinks at a local mini market which helped bring down the costs.

The apartment was spacious (about as big as our first house!) and had access to a roof top pool and a small workout center. My mom thought it was comical that when choosing between two rooms Nicholas chose the one with the full size bed for himself and told Nana she could sleep with Lindsey in the room with two twin size beds! Both kids were thrilled with this decision as you can imagine. :)

When you stay at the Atlantis there really is no reason to leave the complex as everything you need is right there -- water park, beach, restaurants, pools, aquarium, gift shops, etc. This trip we were forced to explore more of Dubai (a good thing) even though we spent one lovely day at the Atlantis resort with friends who were staying there. You can pay general admission and gain entrance into the water park (about $300 for the 5 of us! -- Thanks, Nana!).

When you aren’t staying at the Atlantis, you also realize how many American restaurants are in Dubai. A list of the places we ate: Cold Stone Creamery, Applebee’s, P.F. Chang’s, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Burger King. It was quite obvious we were traveling with kids on this visit and unfortunately, my mom didn’t get to experience the local cuisine.

Other things we were able to do this time that didn’t happen on our last visit (if you remember, Lindsey was super sick and spent our first day in the hospital): visited a public beach for the day with friends who were staying at the Atlantis, while Paul played golf with her husband, went ice skating at the Dubai Mall, shopped and dined at a touristy souq, went through the Aquarium at the Dubai Mall (where Nicholas held a Burmese Python around his neck), and visited a local park with friends from Belgium who moved to Dubai.

Three things we were not able to fit in were: a visit to the one local mosque that allows visitors to take a tour and learn more; Indoor skiing and shopping at the Mall of the Emirates; and visiting traditional souqs/markets where they sell spices, jewelry, fabrics, etc. I wonder if it’s possible we can talk Paul into going a third time!?

Fall family update

We’ve officially reached the two and a half year mark in Belgium, and it is hard to believe how fast time is flying by! Last year at this time I sent out a fall family update and felt like it would be a good idea to do again as the traveling slows down in September and October when school begins and our lives resume more of a normal, suburbia feel with soccer games, birthday parties, and keeping up with maintaining a home and a family. Without the travel, the European lifestyle is not as glamorous as it sounds! :)

Anyway, here’s an update on us. I hope you can find some time to update me on your life as a lot happens in a year! Take care!

Nicholas -- At 7 and a half, Nicholas is all boy! He loves to be active and often comes home filthy from playing soccer, wrestling, tag, etc. on the playground during recess. Nicholas is in the second grade with a teacher who is from Lebanon. Although she’s strict, she is quite good with the kids, and Nicholas will learn a lot from her this year. His school teaches through units of inquiry, and they are beginning a unit on Explorers which is, of course, fascinating! He is still very strong in English, French, and math, but we’ve just learned that his desire to rush through his work is affecting his learning. Should be fun to try to slow him down . . . Ha-ha!

We’ve decided to put swimming lessons on hold for now, but he’s still enjoying playing soccer this fall. I’m sure he’ll ask to play basketball in the winter and much to my dismay, he’s been asking to play baseball in the spring. Nicholas is also a big fan of the Wii, his computer, and Playstation. Cub Scouts is still on the agenda, and Nicholas is now a Wolf Scout. We had to miss the annual camp out because Nicholas was sick, but Paul did manage to set up the tent in Nick’s room and sleep in it that night with him. We’re hoping the scouts do something again in the spring. You know I love camping! ;)

Lindsey -- On one hand, it’s hard to believe Lindsey is in Kindergarten. On the other hand, she seems so much older than her age of 5 and half years. We have moved her from the Montessori school to St. John’s (where Nicholas attends), and she has made a seamless transition. Lindsey has the same teacher that Nicholas did for Kindergarten, in the same classroom, and has enjoyed school from day one. She is a great reader and is learning to write holding her pencil in the correct form. Lindsey’s French is continuing at STJ, and she is making more of an effort to speak it at home with us. Unlike her old school, Lindsey now has art, music, computers, library, and PE throughout the week.

Ballet lessons are something new this year, and Lindsey just loves it! She also prances around the house in tap shoes and enjoys dancing to pop music as well. She still loves to play with Barbies and has introduced Zoobles to her fantasy play. Lindsey started playing soccer this season and while it was rough at the beginning, she now loves it! She wears a pink soccer skirt, pink/white striped socks, and black/pink shoes, and looks adorable as she kicks the ball into the goal! :)

Both kids -- We have been reading the Harry Potter series before bedtime and have most recently completed book 4 (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Lindsey tends to come in and out of the room during the chapter, but Nicholas is glued to the page! We’ve been watching the movies after we finish the books and both kids love them. Halloween costumes were bought this summer and we’ll have Harry and Hermoine represented! We still do arts and crafts and family games, but the kids really enjoy playing on the Internet on their mini-laptops or on the iPad independently. We’re still working on sibling rivalry. If any of you have great advice, I’m all ears! :)

Gretchen -- I have managed to fill my days/weeks with lots of volunteering again this year. I’m still involved with Scholastic as a way to offer books in English to the children at the school. I’m also sharing the homeroom mom responsibilities for both Nicholas and LIndsey’s classes. Every few weeks I get to see the kids in their library or art classrooms, and that’s always fun. I agreed to maintain the lost and found cabinet for the elementary school, and I have also started a gently used uniform exchange program for the school, which has been a huge success so far. The biggest commitment I just agreed to is to co-chair the Welcome Committee at school. I’ll be in charge of matching current families to new families within our buddy program. It’s a big job, but one I feel passionate about so I hope it will be rewarding!

I’m still taking French lessons and have learned a lot in the past year. I need to be more confident in my speaking ability and quicker to form sentences when communicating my ideas out loud. It’s tough to learn a foreign language!

I’m also still volunteering at the library at the Women’s Club and agreed to start organizing the schedule of volunteers. When I’m there I look at all the travel books and plan our next trips! Whenever the kids are off school, we like to travel and take advantage of our time over here.

I have made a major personal breakthrough and I now run/workout in the rain! This is huge for me as I don’t enjoy being wet if I’m not swimming. I’m not as active with exercise as I’d like to be after agreeing to all this volunteer work, so I’m hoping to work on that this year. Definitely need to learn to balance it all, and I have a funny feeling that will always be a goal of mine. :)

Paul and I recently traveled to Paris for our neighbor’s 40th birthday and our 14 year anniversary. We had an amazing weekend and loved getting away! Just last weekend, I met my friend Brooke (Kappa alum from Phoenix) in Florence, Italy while Paul stayed home with the kids. We had gorgeous weather and a great time as well!

Paul -- Work is still Paul’s main focus over here, but he has found a little time to take some golf lessons. Now that his form has improved, he needs to find the time to play and/or go to the range. Working around the clock is fairly normal for Paul so it’s a challenge for him to find “free time”. Luckily, the kids have many breaks off school, and so we take him out of the office to travel with us! Paul’s still learning Flemish, but has recently been teaching himself more French as he’s working a lot out of their Brussels location. For his birthday, I bought him a package to ride a sports car on a Formula 1 race track in Belgium, so that’s something he can look forward to as well. Paul continued his string of professional soccer matches when he took Nick to the USA v Belgium match (Belgium won, 1-0). He is trying to schedule a match to the Irish league soon, which is really just a good excuse to visit the Guinness Pub.

That’s us in a nutshell! Hopefully some of the pictures in the slideshow capture our lives here! :)

Belgium Rant

We’ve been back in Belgium for almost a month now, and I have to get something off my chest. Belgium has no idea what the words service industry mean!!! After spending almost 6 weeks in the US, it’s so apparent about the lack of customer service here that I cannot stand it. I am sure in another month I’ll get use to it again, but let me demonstrate why I am so frustrated.

Situation #1 - We pay for a home water delivery service as the tap water isn’t the best. There is no rhyme or reason as to when water will be delivered. This proves to be difficult when they try to pick up empty bottles and drop of full bottles and you aren’t home. A note will be left in my mail box and even if it was only 15 minutes after the driver had been at my house, when I called to see if he could come back, I was told the next delivery would be a week later. We had 12 empty 10L bottles of water, but sure, we could wait a week! Even if you do know the DAY the driver will come, you don’t know (and can’t ask) what time. Leaving the empty bottles outside is an option, but you “own” the bottles so if someone decides to take them, you’re out a lot of money. The best I can do is put in my file to have the driver call me a half hour before he will arrive at my house. This is not a fool proof method, however as they don’t always call first. Ugh.

Situation #2 - Grocery stores are not well stocked with basic items on a daily basis. I cannot tell you how many times I have gone to the grocery store and they do not have milk. Has that EVER happened to you in the US? I cannot think of one time in all of my life that milk was not available. Sometimes even the second place I stop is also out of milk. This is unacceptable when you have kids who eat cereal every morning for breakfast! I’ve also had this happen with sandwich bread, taco packets, trash bags, tissues, batteries, pretzels, flour, paper towels. It’s maddening!

Situation #3 - Splitting a bill is “not possible.” This is a phrase the Belgians LOVE to say. Not possible. We went out to dinner with 2 other families who are new to Belgium and not aware they need to always carry cash. When asked if we could split the bill 3 ways and put it on 3 different credit cards, we were told it was not possible. Paul could give cash and then the other two could split the difference on their cards. Really? It’s that difficult? This is coming after spending 2 hours in the restaurant with 6 kids who were starving upon entering, ate quickly, and then were goofing off the rest of time. Eating out is not a quick thing in Belgium. Even at “family friendly” restaurants. That I’ve gotten use to. Not being able to split a bill, I haven’t.

Situation #4 - After we got back, we noticed our hot water heater wasn’t working properly. It started on Saturday, but by Monday we were officially out of hot water. (Those of you may remember we had replaced the hot water heater not even a year ago). Tuesday a call was made to our landlord who wasn’t able to come until 3:00 Wednesday. After determining that he couldn’t fix it, he called someone else who couldn’t come until Friday. Seriously? Aren’t we talking about hot water here? I know we Americans take more showers than Europeans, but come on! Dishes also need to be washed, but apparently things like showers and dishes aren’t urgent.

Okay. I feel a little bit better now. We are just so spoiled in the US that it smacks me in the face when I return to Belgium. So, when you are getting jealous of all the traveling we are doing, just remember a few of these stories and you’ll feel lucky to be living in a country that completely gets the service oriented industry. :)

Summer 2011

Summer flew by for us as we managed to keep super busy! School finally ended on June 24th and we spent the beginning of our vacation in Belgium for a week and a half. We relaxed, had play dates and sleep overs with friends, went to a local water park, swam, had dr. appts., BBQ’s and even celebrated the 4th of July with our neighbors at the S.H.A.P.E. base.

On July 7th the kids and I left for the US to start our vacation in Ohio. We stayed at Grammy and Papa’s house and the kids couldn’t get enough time with their cousins! Days were spent swimming at Aunt Amy’s, playing hide-n-seek tag in Grammy’s neighborhood, creating plays/talent shows, and rotating between electronics (computers, tv, iPads, etc.) Feeding everyone was always a huge production and by the end of the summer we had it down to a science (ie. they ate what we provided!) Favorite activities (besides those listed above) in Columbus were painting pottery, cousin sleep overs, camping with the Burns family, going to Zoombeezi bay, going to Rule 3, and seeing friends like Ava & Marlowe. The kids and I also spent a quick trip in Dayton and loved playing with their other cousins Campbell and Mollie.

I was able to get away for 24 hours for a trip to Chicago to visit my college girlfriends. It was a fabulous day that involved a exploring the city, eating a fabulous restaurants, going to the Chicago Art Institute, boutique shopping and lots of drinking! What more could I have asked for? :) We hope to repeat the trip with husbands next summer . . .

Two weeks into our US invasion, we started our tour of the states. The kids and I headed to Kansas to visit Nana and Poppi. It was a quick 6 days of swimming, going to a local water park, fishing in the pond, seeing a Lego exhibit, and visiting Poppi at Payless. It was super hot in Kansas (over 100 degrees) and playing outside wasn’t really an option.

Next we headed to Arizona where we finally met up with Paul after 3 weeks apart. (He had to stay in Brussels and work, but we Skyped with him frequently). We spent 2 days at a resort, 2 days in Gilbert, and 2 days in Ahwatukee. I cannot believe how few pictures were taken during this visit! I’m going to have to appoint someone next time to document our time together. :) We did a lot of our favorite things in Arizona -- swam, went to Pump It Up and Chuck E. Cheese, and ate Mexican food!

Then, Paul stayed in AZ another day to work and went to OH to see his family and visit relatives in NY. The kids and I headed to Florida to see my mom’s parents whom I hadn’t seen in 4 years. My mom met us there and it was a great weekend with them and Aunt Gwenn/Uncle Eddie.

At last we headed back to OH to finish up the vacation. (I couldn’t fit in a trip to PA and I’m still sorry about that Grandma.) The kids regrouped with the cousins, Paul and I spent an over night in Dayton with Steph and Matt, we attended a wedding for a high school friend, and met up with 3 of Paul’s high school buddies, all of whom had missed their 20 year high school reunion. It was a jam packed week and before we knew it, it was time to fly back to Belgium! We had survived the summer and all of the traveling and school was just around the corner. We spent a half week adjusting to the time zone (our best jet lag situation yet) and then the kids went to sports camps for a week. Can’t wait to do it all again next summer! :)

Lago di Garda, Italy (Lake Garda)

Every year the kids get two days off for Ascension and this year we traveled to Lago di Garda, Italy. It’s an easy flight into Milan and then an hour drive to the Lake. There are several towns to stay/visit while in the Lake Garda region. Our hotel was located in Sirmione, which is a darling town located on the tip of a peninsula in the lake. We were a good 20 minute walk to the castle area of Sirmione, which is where we explored the town, bought souvenirs, ate lots of gelato, and feasted upon Italian food. What’s not to love about a country where pizza, pasta, fresh olive oil and bread, are served in every restaurant? :)

One day we took a boat across the lake to another town called Malcesine. It boasts a Funivia that takes you to the top of a mountain and you can see for miles. The boat ride was a beautiful way to see just how gorgeous the area was. Unfortunately, as we docked in Malcesine, it started to rain on us. We opted to eat lunch first and let the rain pass. Another meal of pizza and pasta! We walked around town to find the funicular and endured another rain. It rained again as we ascended, and the fog was coming in as we reached the summit. The view would have been incredible had the weather cooperated. In all, it was a nice, relaxing vacation!

Monschau, Germany

On the recommendation of friends, we drove an hour and 45 minutes to Monschau, Germany. It’s a little Bavarian town and the perfect location for a day trip. First stop was the glass blowing factory where they also put on demonstrations. We sat in the front row and were amazed at the heat coming from the ovens! It was a good spot though as Nicholas was picked from the audience to blow a piece of glass as well! It was truly amazing to watch them make vases, small & large animals, bowls, etc. I could have sat there all day! :) After we purchased a green, white, and black snake for Nicholas, a dolphin necklace for Lindsey, and a swirled, red vase for us, we were off to explore the town. First via a 45 minute small train that took us around and then by foot.

Next, we were off to check out the alpine slide. That was an experience! It’s similar to a luge slide only you are sitting on a square base, not much bigger than your tush, with a brake you can pull to regulate the speed of the slide. Let’s just say in the US, people would sign a wavier and also wear helmets in case of injury! Lindsey and I rode the brake the whole way and I barely could enjoy the scenery for fear of crashing into a curve and tumbling down the mountain! I was not disappointed when both kids wanted to ride with Paul for their second trip. :) We went back to town for dinner of schnitzel, sausage, fries, and beer. The perfect end to a great day!

Mediterranean cruise

Deciding that the best way to experience Europe is through beaches and coastal towns, our family went on a 5 night Mediterranean cruise over the Easter break. We had invited and organized 6 other families to join us and later learned there were another 5-6 families from St. John’s that would be on the cruise as well. It was an amazing experience. Our ship was the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas and quite an improvement over our last ship (Voyager of the Seas). This ship had multiple pools, a mini golf area, an ice skating rink, a rock climbing wall, Johnny Rockets restaurant, and the usual restaurants, gym, spa, etc.

So as not to be too detailed, I’ll give you the highlights of each port:

Day 1 - Nice (Villefranche, France): The cruise ship docked in the ocean and after a leisurely morning at the pool and lunch on the ship, we took smaller boats into the port. The view from the cruise ship was amazing! Unfortunately the main attraction for our group was to see the Promenade Anglais in Nice, but it was shut down for some sort of race. We happily meandered along the quaint cobblestone streets in Villefranche shopping for jewelry, pottery, lavender, herbs de provence, etc. The beach was rocky, but still fun for the kids to play in the cold sea water. A few hours later and bellies full of gelato, we headed back to the ship. For sure the South of France is a place where we must return.

Day 2 - Civitavecchia (Rome, Italy): Many of our group had been to Rome so we organized an Etruscan tour with our Rome Connection tour guide, Marco. Upon meeting Marco in the port, he informed us most places are closed in Italy on Mondays. (Something he failed to mention when we were booking the tour, but I digress). Driving through the countryside was idyllic and beautiful, but rather uneventful. Luckily, our three hour lunch and wine tasting experience saved the day! Nicholas and Lindsey weren’t thrilled we had left them on the cruise ship in the kids club all day, but it’s safe to say they would have been miserable on the tour.

Day 3 - Cagliari, Sardinia (Italy): Again, we had a leisurely morning on the ship and headed into town after lunch. We had been told that Sardinia boasted Italy’s longest beach and were determined to get there. Unfortunately, it was quite windy that day and our plans changed to include a horse & carriage ride around the castle district. A few hours later and our bellies full of gelato once again, we headed back to the ship.

Day 4 - Day at sea: You can guess we spent a lot of time at the pool this day. We also watched Nick master the climbing wall. Before dinner we saw professional ice skaters put on a great production in the skating rink.

Day 5 - Return to Barcelona, Spain: We spent the next 3 days exploring Barcelona through a hop-on, hop-off bus, eating tapas, drinking sangria, buying souvenirs, going to the aquarium on our rainy day, walking Las Ramblas, and swimming in the hotel pool. What a fun city!

We have decided cruising with kids is a win-win vacation. You don’t get to know the port cities very well, but the experiences you do have are well worth it! :)

Lost wallet

I’ve learned that many people who read our blog like a good struggle story. If that’s the case, then this is for you! :)

Saturday, February 26th, I drove to Luxembourg (a small neighboring country to Belgium, where coincidentally Miami University has a campus) with my neighbor Marina to see the Maroon 5 concert. It’s an easy 1 hr. 45 min. drive and we were enjoying our getaway. We parked the car in an underground garage and began walking toward the center of town to have lunch and do a little shopping. Standing in line at the H&M, I realized I didn’t have my wallet. Marina and I were sure the wallet was in the car and she spotted me the cash. When we got back to the car, the wallet was no where to be found. We searched everywhere, asked the parking lot attendant, retraced our steps to town, looking in all the garbage cans along the way. We stopped at the police station but they were closed. Office hours are 8 am -6 pm Monday - Friday. Things did not look good. I had close to 250 euros in cash. I called Paul and asked him to freeze my credit cards. Jeff, Marina’s husband, called the rest stop where we had gotten snacks, but didn’t have any luck finding my wallet. Marina and I still managed to enjoy the concert and headed back on Sunday morning. We stopped at the same rest stop as we had on our drive the day before, but the wallet had not been turned in.

Monday, February 28th, I contemplated calling the police, but figured it was a lost cause. Who turns in wallets these days? I did, however, go to the Waterloo commune to start the process of replacing Belgian id cards for me and the kids. The commune ladies demanded I go to the police first to report the wallet stolen and bring back a paper saying as such. They also said I needed to bring the kids with me to get their replacement cards. (Along with pictures of all of us).

Ironically, the police also needed a picture of me in order to take my statement. After confirming that they didn’t need pictures of the children (who were at school), I diligently went to the grocery store and paid my 5 euros to get 6 little passport photos (something we’ve done at least 4 times here in Belgium). I returned to the police station, ready to make my statement. After finding an officer who was fluent in French and English we began. 7 pieces of paper later, I had the required attestation to return to the commune.

Tuesday, March 1st after school, I took both kids to get their pictures taken at the grocery store. We’ve now spent 15 euros in passport photos.

Wednesday, March 2nd we trudged back to the commune before school started with pictures and paperwork in hand. The lady helping us asked me if I had Paul’s new work permit with me. His old one was to expire on the 14th of March and we would all need new id cards then anyway. I called Paul at work. He let his HR dept. know the work permit was going to expire and asked them to begin the renewal process. The commune lady explained that if she gave me new id cards now (it takes at least 2 weeks for them to arrive), they would still expire on the 14th. We were at a standstill.

Friday, March 18th, Paul receives a document from his company that needs to be signed by the commune before he can get his work permit. (Keep in mind the commune hours are Monday - Friday from 8 am - 11 am and Tue./Thu. afternoon from 1:30 - 4 pm). The commune ladies remind Paul he needs pictures too.

Saturday, March 19th, Paul goes to the grocery store and pays his 5 euros to get his 6 passport photos taken. We have now spent 20 euros for the family.

Monday, March 21st, I go to the office with Paul’s papers and pictures and voila! I have the work permit. When I ask if I can now get the id cards for me and the kids, the commune worker tells me Paul needs to be with me. Seriously?! Didn’t they just see him on Friday? Didn’t I have his work permit in my hands? I’m incredulous and she passes me off to a more senior colleague. The colleague asks me if I have lost my wallet or had it stolen. I sheepishly admit I lost it. She ticks a box on a form on her computer and says., “Okay, now you can apply for a replacement card, but since your old card doesn’t expire until April 14th, and I have just made that card invalid should anyone try to use it, this new card would only be valid until April 14th and then you would need to come back with your husband to get your new id cards.” Seriously!?

Tuesday, March 22nd, I send an e-mail to the Luxembourg police about my lost wallet. I had heard from too many people that wallets, do indeed get returned. I hear back from them that afternoon that my wallet is at the Belgian Embassy in Luxembourg! I am in disbelief. (My mom is saying, told you so!)

Wednesday, March 23rd, I hear back from the Embassy who tell me they have had the wallet since March 3rd and will hold onto my wallet until I arrive. They cannot really confirm what is in the wallet, but my dad is insistent I go pick it up.

Wednesday, March 30th, Lindsey and I drive to Luxembourg. We get a few sprinkles of rain, but it’s mostly sunny. Lindsey has the iPad in the backseat and asks me Math Bingo questions while I drive. “What’s 2+1? What’s 4+7? What’s 9+2?” After 2 hours drive, we arrive at the Embassy. I sign a piece of paper confirming who I am and show my passport. My wallet is returned. There is not a stitch of cash in it. Not even my lucky $2 from my dad. All 3 credit cards are gone. What does remain are my Belgian id card and driver’s license, the kids’ Belgian id cards, a picture of Jackson, my IKEA family card, and some other nonessential items. Lindsey and I had planned to stay for lunch, but we decide to head back right away and eat the snacks I had brought. After another 2 hours and 80 euros in gas, we are home, safe and sound with my $13 wallet. Was it worth it? My dad would say yes, but I’m thinking not.

Lesson learned -- report missing items immediately. You never know if they will be returned!

Just in case you are wondering. I’m still walking around with an invalid and expired Belgian id card as Paul and I have to get to the commune together. :)

Vacation in Dubai

Being a part of an international community has already allowed us to have some incredible life experiences. We are taking full advantage of living in Europe! We’ve met several families who have either lived in Dubai before living in Belgium, or have traveled there for vacation or work. Since we are a sunny destination kind of a family, we went to Dubai for our winter break. What can we say, except our trip was fabulous, too short, and most likely a redo! We learned a lot for our first vacation and have some definite thoughts on what we’d like to do on a return trip.

Top 5 thing we did in Dubai (in order of occurrence):

0. Of course, a Morrison family vacation has to have its traditional start.....the travel agent arranged for a car service to pick us up at the airport for the 1 hour drive from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. Minutes after getting all the luggage loaded, and buckling the kids into the back seat of the new Tahoe, Lindsey left the “Mark of Morrison” and threw up all over the leather seat. Welcome to the Arabian Peninsula!!! (The “NASCAR” vomiting e-mail has recently begun making its way around to some of our new friends, in case anyone’s interested!)

1. Checked in at the Atlantis hotel (same resort that’s in the Bahamas) and visit the pool, the beach, and then...... the hotel clinic. Lindsey had a temperature of 102+ for over 24 hours and they recommended we take her to the city hospital. Great care was given to Lindsey, and she was sent home with medication for strep throat and impetigo, along with a beautiful red rose for Valentine’s Day.

2. Aquadventure water park at the Atlantis was where Nicholas lived. There were water slides, a lazy river, and a children’s splash area. On Monday, Nicholas was disappointed because he was technically 2 cm shy of the height requirement, for the water slides. After a brief stretch from mom and dad, and a lesson on standing up straight, he somehow made the cut off.

3. Dolphin Bay at the Atlantis was where we were fortunate enough to play with a dolphin named Central. It was a once in a lifetime experience for all of us. Nicholas decided he’d like to be a dolphin trainer when he grows up. That was until we had an entertaining experience at the Cold Stone Creamery at the resort where the employees threw ice cream to each other from across the room and Nicholas decided he wanted to work there when he grew up.

4. A trip to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world at 2,717 feet. This is almost twice as high as the 1,450 foot tall Sears Tower, and > 1,000 feet taller than Taipei 101, which comes in second. It’s more than 1/2 a mile TALL. You can buy tickets to go inside, which will get you to the 122nd of the 163 floors. Dubai has ~50 buildings that are > 650 feet tall, which is the same as New York City. The Khalifa is located outside the Dubai Mall which boasts 1,200 stores (in comparison, the Mall of America has 520 stores)! Gretchen was super excited to eat at the Outback Steakhouse for dinner, but was disappointed they didn’t serve Wallaby Darned (no alcohol is served outside of the resorts). There is a great water front scene here with an amazing water light show (think Bellagio in Vegas).

5. Arabian Desert Safari was how we spent our last night. Driving like a maniac on the sand dunes was a little too much for Gretchen and Lindsey but experiencing a wonderful desert sunset along with the culture, food, and entertainment made it worth it.

Ice Sculpture Festival in Bruges

In January we went to the annual ice sculpture festival in Brugge. The theme this year was around the world, which was perfect for our family! There were over 30 artists and 30 countries represented. It was super cold inside (-6 C/18 F) inside and we weren't dressed that warmly so it was a quick visit! To be honest the train ride up to Brugge was 3 times the amount of time we spent inside the exhibit, but who's keeping track? :) Move the cursor over the picture to read the caption.

Jet Lag

Okay, so if you want to know more about jet lag, check out the link to the right. If you want to know how it’s affecting our family, read below. Otherwise, skip to the next update about Christmas and our travels to Ohio. :)

For some reason, jet lag is affecting all of us (except Nicholas) pretty severely this time. I cannot explain why, but I can describe in great detail what our nights have been like since we returned to Belgium.

Sunday 1/2 -- arrive in Brussels around 9:30 am. Bodies think it’s 3:30 am. Nobody in our family slept well on the flight. 1:00 pm - Nicholas has been playing the Wii for 2 hours, Lindsey and Paul are asleep on the couch. 8:30 pm - Kids are ready for bed and are asleep within minutes. 10:00 pm - I go to sleep in Nick’s room in case he wakes up in the middle of the night (a routine we believe helps them adjust back to the house and the time zone). Midnight -- Nick and I both start tossing and turning. He asks to have Dad sleep with him. I try to explain that Paul needs to get good sleep because he has to go to work the next day. Nicholas is not satisfied with this answer. 1:30 am - We can hear Lindsey pound down the hallway to the master bedroom. She wakes up Paul. I send Paul to Nick’s room and get Lindsey settled in our bed. 2:00 am - Lindsey is hungry. I get us both a banana and some water. 2:30 am - Lindsey is still hungry. I get her a granola bar. All of this eating occurs in our bed with the lights out. I hear snoring from Nick’s room both times I go downstairs. 3:30 am - the last time I remember looking at the clock.

Monday 1/3 -- 7:30 am - time to get up and get Nicholas ready for school. I have to wake him up. 8:10 am - I have to wake Lindsey up and we take Nicholas to school and then do a massive grocery shopping trip all the while she is in her footed pj’s and rain boots. Breakfast is a baguette eaten in the cart. :) 2:00 pm Lindsey puts herself down for a nap on the couch. I have to wake her up to pick up Nicholas. She falls asleep in the car again. 8:30 pm - kids are in bed and asleep. I fall asleep in Nick’s room until 9:15. Go downstairs and see Paul working. Head back up to own bed. Fall asleep. Midnight - I am up. I wake Paul up from Lindsey’s bed and move him to our bed. 12:05 - Lindsey follows and gets under the covers with us. 12:30 - Nicholas comes in. Paul goes back to Nick’s room with him. Lindsey and I toss and turn. 4:00 am - last time I look at the clock.

Tuesday 1/4 -- 7:30 am - time to get up and get Nicholas ready for school. I have to wake him up. 8:10 am - I have to wake Lindsey up and we take Nicholas to school and then do some work on the lost and found closet at his school all the while Lindsey is in her footed pj’s and rain boots. Breakfast is dry Cheerios. :) 3:00 pm -Lindsey falls asleep in the car on the way to get Nicholas. 8:00 pm - Both kids are asleep. Paul makes the comment about how easily he is adjusting (i.e. he can make it through the entire day without taking a nap or crashing) back to the time zone. We proceed to work until 11:45 pm and then head up to bed. Midnight - Lindsey comes to our room. I try to sleep with her in her smaller than twin bed. 12:30 - Lindsey eats a banana. 12:45 - Lindsey eats a small box of raisins. 1:30 am - Lindsey begins a mantra that goes something like this, “I am bored. This is so boring. Sleeping is boring. All you do is lay there. I want to play. This is so boring. I am bored.” I try to ignore it. 2:00 am - Lindsey insists that she wants to sleep with Paul. We both go in the master bedroom. 2:30 am - I kick Paul out of bed as he is snoring quite loudly. Lindsey is still awake as well. I remind myself that this is better than our first two times adjusting and she would wake up crying like a wounded animal, completely out of it, and there was no way to settle her down. 3:30 am - the last time I look at the clock.

Wednesday 1/5 - 7:30 am - time to get up and get Nicholas ready for school. He wakes me up. 8:10 am - I have to wake Lindsey up and we take Nicholas to school and then go to a different grocery store all the while Lindsey is in her footed pj’s and rain boots. Breakfast is fruit. :) Miraculously Lindsey doesn’t take a nap the entire day. I am convinced it will be a better night. 8:00 pm - both kids are asleep. Paul retracts his comment about adjusting well to the time zone. We have not seen Lindsey and are feeling confident about things. 10:00 pm - Paul and I get in bed. 11:00 pm - we start to analyze Lindsey’s sleeping habits and wonder if her bed is too small. We are getting kicked in the ribs in the middle of the night when she is sleeping in our bed (and I thought I was done having a kid kick my ribs). Midnight - I am trying to figure out how I can move either of the kids to the guest room and what furniture will go where. I almost have the whole situation worked out. 1:30 am - I begin to tell Paul about moving the kids’ rooms in order to accommodate a bigger bed for Lindsey. I’m not sure who should move where, but all angles have been considered. Paul thinks everyone should stay put. 2:00 am - Paul gets out of bed and gets some work done. 2:15 am - I try to think of my happy place, but it’s been so long since I’ve been to Sedona, that my brain goes to the beach instead. I feel the warmth of the sun and wonder if I should buy tanning bed passes to feel that warmth again. 2:30 am - I listen to the rain and hope it is melting all the random snow that is left over. 2:45 am - I find Paul in the spare bedroom working and I begin to organize some scrap booking stuff. 3:15 am - Lindsey comes to our room. 3:30 am - the last time I look at the clock.

Thursday 1/6 - 6:59 am - Nicholas wakes me up and says it’s 7 and he’s going to go play. 8:15 am - Paul rolls over and says it’s 8:15!!!!! I ask him to take Nicholas to school on his way to work. 8:45 am - we get out of bed. 9:15 am - Paul leaves with Nicholas and hour after he’s supposed to be at school. 9:45 am - Lindsey wakes up. That evening at 8:00 pm - I give every member of the family a melatonin pill to dissolve under their tongues in the hopes of regulating our internal clocks. 8:30 pm - both kids are asleep. 10:00 pm - I am writing this down as I’ve written it in my head the past two nights and then trying to fall asleep. Wish me luck! :)

Friday, 1/7 - the cure to jetlag is alcohol. I have two glasses of champagne and two glasses of red wine and am asleep by 10:30 pm. I sleep until 9:00 am. :)

Saturday, 1/8 - try my new cure a second night. I have 2 strong margaritas and am asleep by 10:00 pm. I sleep until 8:30 am. :) Success!

December 29th-31st

We had a great time in Dayton and headed back to Columbus in time for Reagan’s 8th birthday party. Held at an indoor place called Sky Zone, we jumped like crazy for an hour on trampolines. It was loads of fun! It was hard to get active pictures of all the cousins, but we tried. On the 31st we had a kid inspired Noon Year’s Eve party at Grammy and Papa’s house. At the countdown to noon the kids paraded down the stairs with their numbers and we cheered them on. We had a balloon drop and sparkling grape juice. Freeze dance was a highlight of the afternoon. :) We had to leave on the first of the year and were already talking about our trip back to the States this summer!

Christmas 2010

This year we managed to get out of Belgium before 10 inches of snow was dumped in a country that insists they don’t get any snow. We flew to Ohio and it’s amazing just how long a day it is to get back to the States. We leave our house at 7:30 in the morning in order to get to the airport by 8:00 for a 10:30 flight. The flight is delayed a little, but that only eats up time on our layover so we aren’t worried. It’s an 8 hour flight to Philadelphia. Lindsey, Paul, and I sleep for an hour or so. Nicholas not at all. We have a 3 hour plus layover and then it takes almost 2 hours to land in Columbus at 7:30 pm. We manage to stay up until 10:00 pm which is 4:00 am for our bodies. Nicholas has now been up for 22 hours! I digress though.

We had a wonderful time in Ohio. The kids enjoy seeing their cousins so much and of course we love seeing our family and friends. Christmas Eve is spent with the Thompson family as it has been for decades now. It has turned into quite a production with all the grand kids and presents are opened this night. Lindsey lost her tooth this day so she got a visit from the tooth fairy and Santa in the same night! On Christmas morning the kids opened up presents and played at Grammy and Papa’s. We had a quick visit with Erin and her family and then we were off to Missi’s house for a delicious Christmas dinner. The day after Christmas we headed to Dayton to visit with my family and meet our newest family member, Mollie Elizabeth who was born on October 15th. :)