Tenerife - February break 2012

This free photo slideshow created with Smilebox Things We Learned in Tenerife (in no particular order) 1. Our kids stayed on Belgium time despite the 1 hour time change which meant they woke up at 6:00 am and breakfast wasn’t available until 8:00 am. 2. Lindsey and Nicholas will play in the ocean as long as there is no seaweed, regardless of the temperature. 3. Nicholas had no fear at the water park and tried all the slides at least once. He was a champ and persevered through the cold water and overcast skies. 4. When we stay at an all-inclusive resort, every member of our family is more willing to be adventurous and try new foods. 5. Ping-pong is a new favorite sport of Nicholas’s. 6. 19 degrees Celsius is warm and lovely when the sun is out and cool and chilly when it’s overcast. 7. Watching the dolphin show at Aqualand rivals the one we saw at Sea World. 8. Happening upon a rock garden where people created their own rock towers was awe-inspiring. You have to check out the pictures to understand. 9. I can start my day with a glass of cava (Spanish champagne) and still go for a run afterwards. 10. Staying in one bedroom forces everyone to go to sleep early. Paul and I were getting 9-10 hours of sleep each night! 11. Lindsey will skip and dance her way from the room to anywhere (lobby, restaurant, pool, beach . . .). It’s impossible to not smile while skipping! Try it! 12. 3 days isn’t a long enough beach vacation when 2 of those days it’s overcast!

First Snow of 2012

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So the first snowfall of the season in Belgium was not outside, but inside my freezer instead. (There are lots of things that we miss from the U.S. and big, up-to-date appliances is one of them). The freezer was getting progressively smaller with the amount of ice and snow that was accumulating in it. Finally, it was impossible to pull out the ice cube trays (you do remember we don’t have an automatic ice maker, right?), without getting freezer burn on your hands. It was time to do something about it and unfortunately, my mom wasn’t coming to visit for awhile.

One Saturday morning, I got out some old towels and a wooden spoon and got to work. I emptied the freezer of food (fortunately, we do have a 1980’s style American fridge/freezer in our garage). Next, I put the two freezer drawers in the sink to defrost, and then it was time to chisel away at the iceberg. When big chunks of ice would fall off, I was thrilled. I was filling up the ice cube bin with the snow and ice and emptying it into the sink. By the 6th time, I had to get mittens as my hands were freezing. My back was hurting and my legs were cramped from sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the freezer. Since I am my mother’s daughter, I persevered. I was on a mission. I chipped away at the snow and released inner frustrations I didn’t know I had. This self-made blizzard was not going to win. My motto became, “No ice left behind.” Finally, it was over. The last of the ice slid into my bin and I had won! I have no idea how long it took, all that matters is that I conquered the ice queen in my freezer! Fingers crossed she learned her lesson! :)