Apartment Shopping

Thursday we went apartment hunting in Amsterdam. We found 2 that we really liked, neither had deadly dutch stairs. We made an offer on the one in Oude Zuid and are working through the negotiations. Monday we will call and place an option on the one in the Pjip, in case we don't get the one in Oude Zuid.

Apartment in Pjip.

We Made It!

The last week in Portland was very hectic! Thursday the movers showed up to box everything up. We headed to the Hotel Monaco to for the rest of our time in Portland. The dogs loved all of the attention that they got at the hotel.

Friday we went back to the house to begin cleaning as the rooms were emptied. It was a little weird to see the rooms empty and clean. The house was much cleaner then when we bought it.

We didn't finish cleanning and making dump runs Friday so we had to go back on Saturday for a little more cleaning, touch up the paint in a couple of rooms and then the last dump run. I can't believe we actually got it all done.

We dropped the dogs off at Andrea & Luis' Saturday morning. We wouldn't see them again until Monday, in the Netherlands. We then headed back to the hotel to check out and head to the airport. We tried to get an upgrade to business class, but no such luck. I am so spoiled from my Nike travel!

The flight was good, we were able to board quickly. There was a couple sitting several rows in front of us that were very high maintenance - with a cranky toddler. It is a good thing we are already pregnant! We were able to deboard really quickly and beat the crowds to immigration. Our bags were also the first off of the plane...we flew through the airport. We met our driver and he took us to our temporary apartment in Eemnes..a very small town outside of Hilversum.

We settled in, showered and waited for An & Steven to come with our groceries. This really meant we kept falling asleep on the couch...I didn't even hear them ring the doorbell, she had to call me to wake me up. It was great to see them!

We went to bed around 8:30/9 and tried to sleep through the night...no luck. We both woke up at 2:30 and were up until 5. I went back to bed and kevin feel asleep on the couch. I woke up and 8 and decided I should go to work. I had warned them that I didn't know when I would be in...particulary with the buses and jet lag.

Work went well, and I have started to get settled.

Kevin did a little exploring in Hilversum, looking for a phone store and a bike store. Both were closed until 1pm. He then headed home to wait for the taxi, to go to the airport to pick up the dogs.

The dogs had had their own little adventure. They had gotten out of Andrea's backyard not long before Josh & Peter went to pick them up. The neighbor had Duke and Maggie was running from everyone. The neighbor was minutes from calling the shelter and Josh & Peter and to chase Maggie down. Once they got to the airport they discovered that the crate we had gotten for Duke was too small (it was huge!) so they had to buy a larger one from Northwest Airlines (not the cheapest place to buy dog crates). They then sent them on their way. I think all 4 of us could live in Duke's new crate.

I figured out how to get home on the bus..although I had missed it by 5 minutes, so I had to wait at the Hilversum train station for 25 minutes, for the next one. Once home Kevin and i tried to go to a restaurant for dinner. Who knew they would be closed on Monday night...like I said - little town. Luckily the grocery store was open (they are closed on Sundays and close around 7 or 8 pm).

After a tasty dinner of spaghetti, I gave the dogs a bath...they were definately not themselves.

Tuesday our very helpful Crown agent picked us up and took us to The Hague where we applied for residency and I got my SoFi (tax) number. There was a slight issue with my passport as it is issued in my maiden name and has been ammended to show my married name. To the dutch this is like I have two different names...very troublesome.

After getting the SoFi number we headed to the bank to set up our checking account. US citizens can only open an ABN Amro account at a specific branch, we are told the US government is afraid we are going to hide our US dollars in Euros...

After we made it back to Eemnes we had a snack and then headed in to Hilversum to get my monthly bus pass and see if we could make it to a phone store. The phone store had closed at 6, so we grabbed dinner and then headed home. On the way home, we missed our bus stop (kevin didn't beleive me when I said which one it is). We got off 3 stops later and then caught the next bus back.

Once back (at 8:30), I headed straight to bed! We both slept through the night...now if I could not feel like I need a nap, as soon as I get up.

Wednesday I headed back to work. I met my new boss (he was out on Monday), learned more about what I am going to be doing and got more settled. I was able to set up our dutch health insurance and also worked out. I hadn't worked out in more then a week...and I could tell.

After work I was able to time the bus schedules right and made it home very quickly.

Kevin had a very adventurous day. He took the dogs for a run around Eemnes and found a bike shop. They didn't have very many second hand bikes, so he later showered and headed to Hilversum. He bought a very nice 2nd hand bike, a gps and a sim card for his phone. He rode his bike home...through the woods and in the rain.

Tomorrow we go house hunting.

We learned this morning that our dear friends had lost their twins. They were only a couple of weeks ahead of us. Neither Kevin and I can imagine the loss they must be feeling and our hearts go out to them.

Its a boy!

We went in for our last US pre-natal visit on Monday. Our doctor asked if we wanted to try to get an ultrasound before we left the country...silly question. Of course we did!
We are having a boy! Now we just need to find a good name.
Below are the good pictures from this visit. There were a lot of pics that looked pretty scary (skull, ribs, etc). These are the cute ones.

In the mean time, our move date if fast approaching. As I am typing, the moving company is packing the house...I really want a nap but the bed is already packed and I am afraid if I laid down on the couch they might wrap me up in a paper, with it.

Kevin is making runs to the dump....hopefully only 1 or 2 more and I am trying to stay out of the movers way.

First Prego Pictures

In one week we will be living in another country! That is really weird to think about...

Below are pics of me and my growing belly, for those who are keeping track. I am 18 weeks and no I don't know the sex yet :) We will find out once we get to Amsterdam and I find a midwife.

We have a move date!

We are moving to Amsterdam on October 11th. Our house will be packed on Oct 9th and 10th, and the dogs will follow us on October 12th.

It is official, we really are going.

I dropped my passport off at the Dutch Consulate this morning, it should be back in a week.

The house was listed last weekend.

Now if I could just get my birth certificate back from Washington.

The crib arrived yesterday, for those who don't know, Kevin's dad built us a crib. Kevin is now assembling it.....we have a crib. I guess this baby thing is really going to happen too.

We purchased a mattress for it and pack'n'play yesterday at a huge consignment sale.

Kevin and I finally came to an agreement on strollers (honestly, I finally came around to his way of thinking). We are going to get a single jogger/bike trailer combo and then go with a awesome regular stoller (no graco, big ass lazy boy, 4 cup holder stroller).

Things are moving forward....

It looks like we are making progress on our move to Europe.

My car is 99% sold, they are going to come back tomorrow with a cashiers check. Two sisters are buying it for their 20+ younger brother. I wouldn't trust my brothers with that car, let alone buy it for them and trust them.

Our house went on the market today, which means the kitchen is done and the house has never been so clean or sparse.

We have made many trips to Goodwill and the dump. I can't believe the amount of junk we accumulate!

Now take stuff off of the counter and clean out under the sink, in the bathroom.

Baby Tastet @ 12 weeks

I am now 15 weeks.

For those who haven't already seen these, below are the first ultrasound pictures. They were taken at 12 weeks. Yes, our baby looks like a little alien. If you look closely you will see the face and it looks like she/he is sucking on her/his thumb.

We don't know if it is a boy or girl yet, but hope to find out once we are in Amsterdam.

Life Changes - big ones

Some of our family and friends joke that Kevin and I don't do anything half-ass. It has proven true again. I have accepted a position at the Nike European headquarters in The Netherlands. I will start on Sept 15th and Kevin will finish wrapping things up here and join me at the begining of October.

Moving to Europe is huge on its own, but we are going to make it a bigger life changes by adding to our family. We are expecting our first child in March.

Our "To Do" list is so long, I don't know where to start.

Who's Coming to Visit?

If we are planning on traveling, or if we already have someone coming, we will post it here:

Week beginning Sunday _________:

November 2nd 2008
November 9th 2008
November 16th 2008
November 23rd 2008
November 30th 2008
December 7th 2008
December 14th 2008
December 21st 2008
December 28th 2008
Jan 4, 2009
Jan 11, 2009
Jan 18, 2009
Jan 25, 2009
Feb 1, 2009
Feb 8, 2009
Feb 15, 2009
Feb 22, 2009
Mar 1, 2009
Mar 8, 2009 - Baby is due March 10th.
Mar 15, 2009
Mar 22, 2009
Mar 29, 2009
Apr 5, 2009
Apr 12, 2009
Apr 19, 2009
Apr 26, 2009
May 3, 2009
May 10, 2009
May 17, 2009
May 24, 2009
May 31, 2009
Jun 7, 2009
Jun 14, 2009
Jun 21, 2009
Jun 28, 2009
Jul 5, 2009
Jul 12, 2009
Jul 19, 2009
Jul 26, 2009
Aug 2, 2009
Aug 9, 2009
Aug 16, 2009
Aug 23, 2009
Aug 30, 2009
Sep 6, 2009
Sep 13, 2009
Sep 20, 2009
Sep 27, 2009
Oct 4, 2009
Oct 11, 2009 - Andrew and Melissa Curry
Oct 18, 2009
Oct 27, 2009

Tastet 4th of July Tradition

I think the 4th of July is probably Kevin's favorite holiday. Not for the fireworks or bbqing, but for the Continental Congress and Declaration of Independence. Every year, we have to watch the musical 1776 and read the Declaration of Independence, out loud - sentence by sentence. I thought I might get out of the annual reading when I heard it read on NPR. I ran into the bedroom and turned up the radio so Kevin could hear it as well. NPR had a different correspondent read each sentence.

No luck, I still had to do the "reading". When Kevin got up, the first thing he did (after making coffee) was to put 1776 on. Ugh.

We are going to take a break and go for a bike ride. I can now ride my bike, if I don't clip in and keep it flat.

In addition to the Declaration of Independence rituals, our other Tastet tradition is to medicate Duke with Xanax. He gets really jumpy with the fireworks. Maggie doesn't care. Last night I gave him a Xanax when the fireworks started going off. He then only groaned with each pop or bang.

Buenos Aires

I started my last days in Buenos Aires by meeting Kevin for lunch in Puerto Madero. He had walked around all morning and I needed a nap, so we headed back to the hotel for some quick zz's before our tango lesson.

In the evening we made our way to Palermo (I really like this neighborhood) and started the adventure of finding the tango studio. We ended up being early (we thought we were on time, but Argentineans are more lax in their time then the Chileans. We were hoping the lesson would be in english (at least partly), but were up for the challenge of all spanish. Guess what, all spanish. It made us have to really concentrate on what they were showing and try to guess what they were saying.

After the lesson we had dinner in Palermo at a little Italian place. I know Argentina is supposed to have the best beef, but I was tired of red meat. I grew up on a cattle farm, maybe I am biased, but I don't think the steaks in South America were any better then what I grew up with. They were cooked much better, but the underlying flavor was no better.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel (it was now almost 11) .

Saturday we ordered room service for breakfast, thinking it had to be better than the breakfast downstairs. Nope. We then headed out for the day. We took the subway to Plaza de Mayo where Kevin showed me the cathedral (yes another cathedral), Casa Rosada (the pink building from which Evita spoke and every other politician or leader speaks when they want to gain public support. We then walked down Florida Ave, which is a pedestrian only road filled with stores and hundreds of people handing you little flyer advertisements for stores. We had lunch at the Galleria, a big indoor mall that has beautiful murals painted on the ceilings. After lunch we headed back to the hotel on foot. We had to cross 9 de Julio (it was more like crossing 4 different streets with 16 lanes of traffic.

After a quick nap we headed to the Recoleta Cemetary where Kevin had me find Evita's tomb. This cemetary is filled with B.A.'s elite. It was cool and creepy at the same time. I am really creeped out by seeing the actual coffin in the crypts. We weren't really hungry so we stepped in to a bar for a beer and some tapas.

Come Sunday I was really ready to come home. The car was going to pick us up at 4, so we still had a lot of the day to use. Rather then the hotel breakfast, we walked around the corner to a restaurant...we should have had breakfast here every day. We then caught a cab to San Telmo where we proceeded to walk through the Sunday craft market, all of the way back to Plaza de Mayo. We then caught a cab back to Recoleta for a quick lunch (at 3) and then to the hotel for our flight home.

And now, Buenos Aires

Kevin saw much more of Santiago, then I. I was in the office on Monday and Tuesday, while he did a couple of walking tours. We met a "Tastet" for drinks. Thanks to Facebook Kevin found a family of Tastets that live in Santiago. We met the father and daughter for a drink at the hotel. Eugenio was very adamant that we contact him when we are here again so that he can introduce us to his family and show us more of Santiago and Chile.

We flew to Buenos Aires Tuesday night. Once in Santiago we caught a cab to the hotel. This is a huge city. It feels a lot larger then Santiago, I think it has twice as many people.

Kevin and I went downstairs to get a bite to eat. They say the beef in Argentina is the best. I have to admit it is on par with my family's own beef. There is a lot of meat served in this country. I think I have eaten more red meat on this trip then I have in the last 4 months. In Buenos Aires, even the butter is beef (or at least your bread comes with a "beef spread" that tasted like roast beef and butter.

Wednesday I headed to the office with Sue, while Kevin went back to bed. I am going to let Kevin provide the details of his version of Buenos Aires. So far my has included going to and from the office.

Friday night we are going to take a Tango class and then Friday - Sunday Kevin can show me the highlights of the city.

Santiago - Part Dos

I never found the artisan market I went looking for. I walked for at least 90 minutes and then finally took a cab back to the hotel.

Kevin arrived, we got him situated and then headed out to lunch in the Providencia neighborhood. It was a great little local place. Our spanish is pretty bad...at one point the waiter was asking where we were from and I thought he was talking about the check. I am sure the locals got a kick out of it. The waiter wanted to know if we thought Hilary would win, he was disappointed (along with our "table mates") that she had dropped out of the race. They both eagerly pointed out that both Chile and Argentina have women presidents. The waiter made a gesture about the US holding women back, that coming from a machismo based culture.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel for nap. We went out for dinner around 8. We took the subway (which is very easy to navigate). The subway entrances/exits are as confusing here as they are in Antwerp. We don't seem to be able to exit on to the right street, headed in the right direction, inevitably leading to 15 minutes of orientation. Tonight we thought we were headed in the wrong direction, not yet on the right street. I finally asked for directions in a little restaurant. Turns out we were on the right street and really close to the restaurant we wanted.

Dinner was good...this trip seems to be nothing but steak, steak and more steak. All of it great too.

We finally left the restaurant around 11pm and caught a cab back to the hotel. Thank goodness for the cab, otherwise it could have been another "Tastet night in Amsterdam" where we wandered for hours in the wrong direction (not exactly as safe or clean as Amsterdam either). We were both completely turned around.

More to come later.

City #2 - Santiago

I don't think I will ever get tired of boarding a plane to another country. There is something about being greated in another language as you board...

I arrived in Santiago last night and checked in to my hotel, the Ritz Carlton. I know, I know, I have a tough life. I met Toni & Sue for a drink and then dinner. The conversation always seems to quickly become about work. Ugh. We had dinner in the hotel, again very nice.

I finally crashed around 1am and planned to sleep as late as possible. I had forgotten to turn my alarm off so it woke me up 4 hours later, i promptly went back to sleep and slept until 10.

The first thing I did when I woke up was open the curtains. Wouldn't you know, a view of the Andes. Slightly obstructed, but it is still the Andes - so close you could reach out and touch them.

I showered, arranged for a car to pick Kevin up at the airport and then headed out for breakfast. Trusty Fodor recommended Cafe Melba (a few blocks from the hotel). It was a little cafe that was really good.

I went looking for local crafts for the next couple of hours, planning to return to the hotel in time to meet Kevin.

Traveling the world, again...

I have been off of the crutches and out of the knee brace for a week, just long enough to be ready to head south to Brazil, Chile & Argentina.

I left on Monday for a work trip to Sao Paulo. I arrived Tuesday monrnig, we made it to our hotel, unpacked and then headed out for a light lunch. My knee was bothering me, but I wanted to get a work out in. My hotel has a "fitness center", it isn't much but i was able to get my heart rate up and do my knee rehab.

Tomorrow I head to the office to support training that someone else is giving...I think I will end doing 6 hours of real work for the this portion of the trip.

Right before I got on the plane in Dallas, kevin and I decided to fly him to meet me in Santiago and then go to Buenos Aires. He will definately get to see more of the cities then I will, but it should be fun. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to have us both in S.A for about 1100 bucks. Good hotels, good food and great sights.

Still a cripple

A month has passed and I still have the brace and the crutches. I am working on getting my range of motion and flexibility back. The crutches have sent my shoulder and chest muscles for a loop though, resulting in a couple of slipped ribs. I am currently sitting with a heat pad on my chest and trying not to take too big of a breath.

I went to a chiropractor for the first time (ever) on Friday - 3 appts later - no good. Now I am in too much pain to even have him try to adjust me. I limped home and quickly sent emails to Robyn and Josh - looking for Andrea's miracle working naturopath. (Andrea is hiking through a rainforest in Peru). Dr Mindy massaged my shoulders, neck & chest to get the muscles to release - then used accupuncture. I left feeling ok, I go back on Thursday.

I am supposed to go to Brazil, Chile & Argentina on the 16th. This has to be healed by then, otherwise there is no way I am getting on a plane.

I am going to work from home for the rest of the week, so I can stay off of the crutches - instruments of torture that they are.

Knee Surgery

It looks like I won't be taking part in STP afterall. I had arthroscopic surgery on my knee yesterday. It is nice to finally get moving on it. Dr. Sotto performed a lateral release on the reticulum, cleaned up the rough cartilage on the back of my knee cap and from it's groove. He also excised Plica. I have some lovely stockings and a nice knee brace.

I am looking forward to being able to run and be pain free!

Final Bath Update

Final bath photos, we love our new shower.

Yet another day of mortar and tile

Day 4 of the project...And the book said 14 hours for a novice....
All of the tile up, Monday night.


Now for the grout. It took a couple of tries to get it the right consistency. Once I had that it was a piece of cake. When it was too dry it was a pain in the ass!







Grout cleaned up...now for 3 days of "wet curing", then the sealer. The new glass door will go up after that.






We hope to be showering in our own shower by Sunday. Thank goodness for great neighbors

Day 3: More tile

The tile is the easiest part of the whole gig. Kevin is running back and forth making the cuts for me while I try not to screw up the lines on the wall.

It's 3pm and I have to run to work for a meeting, and then I will be back to finish the last 1.5 walls.