This blog is about random things in my life, I like to talk and I like to share my opinion (whether asked for or not) and this seems like the best place for those quirky random fleeting thoughts!
It's the last day of 2013... hard to believe it has flown by so fast! It seems the older I get the faster time goes. But one way to hold on to those moments is to recap some of the 182 posts I've pumped out this year! (Who knew the most viewed would be kid related!) Not really sure what to expect from my blog in 2014, hopefully you stop back by to find out!!!
Each year around Christmas we try and pick out two unusual activities to mark the holidays. (Holidays = Christmas, New Year, & vacation from school & work... there's a lot to celebrate.) Last year we went to the Winter Christmas Circus here in Eindhoven and to see Disney on Ice.
And since we enjoyed the circus so much, we were sure to book tickets again this year. The "Kerst Winter Circus" is 3 hrs long, which is a lot to ask of little kids, but between the entertainment and bringing friends along the time flew by for our 4yr old. My husband & I thoroughly enjoyed the acts this year... laughing at the clowns (David Shiner & Jose Michel Clowns) and in awe of some of the difficult acts (Oktay Novruzov & Andreis Jacobs Rigolo). But the one that stuck out most in our mind were The Astronauts, I can only compare them to an amazing tight rope act but on a wheel, you really should just look them up! Of course there was everything a circus needed... balancing acts, magicians, and acrobats. If you're near the Eindhoven area, you really should think about attending when the winter circus rolls around again next year.
Besides a fun afternoon at the circus we spontaneously went to the Efteling. It's a pretty famous theme park here in The Netherlands. We have never been in the winter and we actually enjoyed it a lot more than the summer. The cold, the extra activities like ice skating, and the early sunset added to the feel & mood of the day. There was something for everyone, young & old! It was insanely busy but since we went with such a large group we were able to entertain ourselves in all the lines. The young kids loved the fairy tale woods & ice slide, the older kids loved the rides of course, and the parents enjoyed the train & water show (Aquanura) rounding off the night. By the time we finally all made it home some time after 10PM we still had smiles plastered on our faces, it was worth the trip & money. And considering when we woke up we had no idea we were going, it made it even more special.
As usual I've included a couple pics! Did you do anything extra special this holiday season?
The days of eagerly waiting the latest Hobbit movies are far gone for me. I feel so many movies are ruined by making just too many... Harry Potter & Twilight are other examples. Being the type of person I am, I'll finish the series, just not with the same excitement as when it all started. Last night we went and watched The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug (been roughly a year since the last one). Maybe the movie was too late, an almost 3hr movie at 9PM, maybe I just wasn't that in to it, but all I can say is I slept through a lot of the film! What a way to waste money, 3D movies are expensive enough and I slept, unbelievable! To be honest I don't remember ever sleeping in the movie theater before, hopefully it will be the last time. Maybe next time I'll skip the fun cocktails at the Mexican restaurant before a late movie, oops! The movie obviously had a lot of money, time, and good acting pumped into it, I just couldn't stay awake. Once it's out on DVD I'll give it another shot. Have any of you watched it? Any of you ever slept through a movie at the theater?
The new XBOX ONE is finally out in Europe but it's not being sold in every country... what did this mean for us... it meant two trips to Germany before actually getting a hold of my husbands Christmas present! And of course, the trips didn't go flawless, but inevitably worked out. The first trip to Krefeld was a complete disappoint, we (inc. our daughter & dog) drove around an hour to get to a shop where a friend of ours had managed to get a hold of an XBOX ONE, just to find out they were sold out. Of course they were sold out, they hadn't even been on the market for a week. After the unsuccessful trip and couple other incidents with some people in Krefeld my daughter was done with Germany and never wanted to go back (keep in mind she is 4 yrs old, ha-ha!) My husband claimed he was going to give up on the XBOX ONE until 2014, but considering he had the next week off work and his friend kept calling over Germany to find us one, the mission was far from over. Out of nowhere on a half day of school we decided to load the family back into the car and return to Germany, this time headed for Monchengladbach (another hour drive). Our friend swore he had reserved one for us, and since he can speak German we had to trust he made the right arrangements. When we arrived, my husband picked a shady parking garage to leave his car (and dog). See my husband does this often, randomly parks and then gets to listen to me complain about for a hour afterward. The parking garage was clearly not a public lot, but we knew we were just running into the store and would be back in less than 30 minutes. Everything went great, the XBOX ONE was waiting on us, they had the soccer game and the extra controller, and even our daughter found a Hello Kitty book. Happily we all take the hilly walk back to the car, we didn't have long to get back home before our groceries would be delivered. But uh oh, the garage door was now shut and there was no way to get back in the parking garage without a key. We obviously didn't have key. We called the number on the side of the building, Wico Modehaus, and the woman basically said it was our problem because she was in Dusseldorf and had no intentions of coming that way. O.k., no problem, we remembered seeing an entrance to the garage through a shop on the other side. We walked back along the hilly path and started checking out the shops, none of them looked like what we needed. We stopped in a store and explained to the German in English of course that our car and dog were locked in a garage and we just needed to cut through the building, as you can imagine, no one was helpful. Our daughter is starting to panic, I'm talking about calling the police, and my husband is considering breaking into the garage. We called the Wico Modehaus one more time, and they sent us to voicemail, can you believe that, how rude! (I really should send her a nasty email!) We returned to the parking garage a little frazzled and contemplated our options. My husband had just removed his jacket and was about to scale the wall when someone pulled up and opened the garage with a remote. We grabbed out things and chased after him, everyone thankful. I waited at the door holding the emergency stop button so the garage door wouldn't shut again and my husband and daughter rushed to get the car. In the end, the dog and car were fine, we made it home in time for the delivery, and my husband has spent endless hours on his new XBOX ONE! And I'm pretty sure our daughter never wants to go to Germany again, oops!
In the 2 years I have been blogging I have discovered a world of other blogs out there. If someone leaves a comment on my blog or decides to start to following me via GFC or BL, I do my best to give their blog a chance also. In doing so, I have actually found quite a few blogs I often visit or have even started following myself. Besides connecting through comments, I regularly participate in blog hops... also a great way to find other interesting blogs floating around the internet. Over the past couple years I have occasionally mentioned other blogs I visit/follow, so I thought it was time to introduce you to a few more from around the globe. Please be sure to give them the same chance you have given my blog.
Even though we live across the Atlantic Ocean we do our best to keep up with the US X Factor. There are too many of these types of shows out right now, there are even many Dutch versions, but for now it just happens to be the one we picked. We haven't had a chance to watch the last episode so please don't give anything away!!! From the beginning I had two favorites, Josh Levi and Alex & Sierra. Unfortunately a week or so ago Josh Levi was voted off (big sad face). When talent like him gets voted off a show it makes me wonder what people actually consider talent these days. The kid sings, dances, and definitely gives Justin Bieber a run for his money. So why didn't people vote? I know why we didn't, we're here in Europe! I'm crossing my fingers he gets a contract elsewhere, because he deserves it. But his situation reminds me of a contestant from American Idol (old post), Joshua Ledet... the man was so talented and yet 1-2 yrs later he still doesn't have a record in the market, how it that possible! But yet groups like Emblem 3 and 5th Harmony get contracts, I just don't get it! At least my other hopefuls, Alex & Sierra, are still in the race, without them I would have probably lost interest in the show with painful contestants like Restless Road and Carlito Olivero. There aren't many great duets out right now, and Alex & Sierra should fill that void. I really enjoy their twist on every song they do, their quirkiness makes them extra interesting, and no one can deny their love for each other melts everyone's heart. I've been trying my best to avoid anything to do with X Factor on the tabloid sites I read since we're not caught up, but I did see that Alex & Sierra brought Demi Lovato to tears this week... can't wait!!! Do any of you follow X Factor?
This past weekend The Butler finally premiered here in The Netherlands. When my mother-in-law suggested seeing it, I agreed, even though long dramas aren't really my type of movies. And you know, I am so glad I went. What a great movie! Within 10 minutes I was ready to cry, and by the end I was sobbing.
Being an American from Florida (The South) I know first hand about racism, unfortunately it still exists. (It's obviously changed over time, something the movie captures quite well.) Of course we all know the stories of the slaves all the way to the Black Panthers, but to see it in one place, told from that family's point of view really tugged at my heart. What they went through to get equal rights, and what they are still going through, is amazing. It's almost hard to believe people can be so cruel, we're all human, we all bleed, and we all have feelings. Luckily, I was born way after the civil rights movement, I can't imagine dealing with that first hand. And I am so glad that Obama is president, it shows just how far Americans have come... and I can't comprehend how much it must mean to African-Americans.
It was strange experiencing this film in Europe, knowing that most of the people in the theater don't actually understand the race issue in America. It was odd walking out of the theater in tears when no one around me was crying (at least that I noticed). My mother-in-law said that if we were in America she would have expected applause in the theater at the end. But when I spoke to my mother in Florida, she said their local newspaper actually gave it a poor review. Wow, not sure what to think about that. Did any of you see The Butler? Were any of you as moved as I was?
It feels like endless weeks of holidays around here. Being Americans that live in The Netherlands we end up celebrating some of their holidays and some of ours. And occasionally they overlapse. Sinterklaas celebrations last from the middle of November until the 5th of December... and Santa Claus celebrations last from Thanksgiving until the New Year. In years past we toned down the Sinterklaas stuff, some years she only put out her shoe once and we didn't bother with "pakjes avond" (present night) on the 5th. But now that our kid is in a Dutch elementary school we didn't have a choice but to join in the 3 week celebration. Every night she would place her shoe at the door with a drawing (and sometimes a song) for Sinterklaas & his Zwarte Pieten, and when she checked the next morning their would either be something yummy to eat or a present. This takes more effort than you think, trying to fill a shoe for 3 weeks and keep the budget down considering our big holiday is still to come. I managed though, picking up little toys on sale and even reusing things. Yes, I did, I reused things she forgot she had, like unopened packages of stickers, strawberry milk mix, and even fruit we had in the kitchen. (Keep in mind she's 4 yrs old.) There were also a couple close calls, come on, it's hard to remember to fill the shoe every night, luckily we never let her down. And her reaction when she found a burlap bag of presents by the door on "pakjes avond" was priceless. But because the holiday carries into Christmas celebrations, we've had to put off the Christmas tree and Elf on the Shelf until this weekend. We really enjoy the Elf on the Shelf, this will be our 3rd year! So last night I happily read my daughter the book, and this morning she awoke around 6:30AM (as usual) ready to find the elf. Oh no, I forgot to put the elf out! Day 1 and off to a bad start! My saving grace is that my daughter doesn't get out of bed in the morning unless given permission... I darted to where the elf was in the cabinet, yanked it out of the box, and in the dark found a shelf in the living room to place it on. Whew! After 3 weeks of remembering a shoe every night, we now have to remember to move the elf, what have we gotten ourselves in to, ha-ha! One thing I do love about these holidays is being able to play the "if-you're-naughty-you-get-nothing" card, it's great! Our kid is pretty good for the most part, but I still love using the card when she tries to be difficult. We've decided to tone down Christmas this year though, we want our daughter to appreciate what she gets (plus there were plenty of Sinterklaas presents). This year she gets 1 big present from Santa, and of course presents from the family. It's kind of hard to explain the flow of deliveries arriving at house, so we told her that families also exchange presents, plus Santa Claus brings stuff to the kids. How long will we be able to keep up this charade? When I grew up my parents were too religious to allow me to believe in Santa Claus, but now that I'm a parent I'm doing things different. Do your little ones believe in Santa Claus?
We all have pet peeves, and one of mine is overpaying... the amount doesn't matter, €1-€100, it all drives me crazy. Being frugal can be good and bad, in this case bad... why, I just can't let go. What brought this all up, €3... yeah, you're reading it right, I overpaid by €3 and it's going to nag at me for days. People like me will hold on to receipt for a year, just in case (my junk drawer at home is embarrassing). So how could this have happened? It has to do with an online order that I happened to mail back 30 minutes before finding the item on sale somewhere else. You're probably thinking, you can easily send back an online order, what's the big deal. Well, I ordered two toys for Christmas, then it turned out that my niece actually wanted something else more. No problem, I kept the game and sent the art studio back (original invoice & box included). Next stop after the post office, I happen to see the game for €3 cheaper. Now what, all I have at home is a scanned copy of the invoice... seriously, what am I am going to do, buy a box, waste the gas to return to the post office, in the mean time using up the €3 I am trying save. No, I'm not. Instead I'm going to grumble about it. I'm going to kick myself in the butt for trying to be efficient and get the toy off my hands immediately. I'm going to let it fester, tell myself I could do even better watching out for sales. Wow, I'm just a little crazy. Inevitably, it all evens out though. The other day to save a few euros, I returned a pair of footed stockings for my daughter because I found them cheaper and 2 for 1 at another store. So I guess I should be happy I caught the last sale to make up for missing this one. Any of you have silly pet peeves that will make you go out of your way for something? Oh yeah, and the game that I'm complaining I overpaid for, I still originally bought on sale. And in my husbands words, cuckoo!
The virtual book tour from Fire & Ice is rolling around again... not sure if it will be a weekly post in the future but as of yet I just keep finding books that interest me and hopefully you too! Finally a western romance popped up on the list of possible books I could host!!! I was so excited to see it in the list, I signed up right away.
Drum roll please...
The Cowboy's Bride
Like the last book from the tour, I can't get much out of the blurb & excerpt, but it still interests me. If the main character is so great & romantic and they've known each other since childhood, what's standing in their way?
Not so long ago, after fish tailing around a curve in my car, I decided maybe it wasn't bad to finally take the skid training course offered by my old driving school, Leeuw. The course was included in my package but at the time I didn't dare take the course, I didn't feel I had enough experience in a stick shift to willingly put myself in that situation. After getting my license I mostly drove my husbands automatic and still didn't feel ready. But now I've been in my own stick shift since the summer and like I said, I've had a couple scares and knew it was time to follow-up on the course. It was great! It was fun, it was informative, and I recommend skid / safety training to everyone! The class was a mixture of enthusiastic teenage boys and older adults out for a day of fun & learning (think I was the only in my 30's). I was shaking in the beginning, a combination of cold & nervousness/excitement but luckily that quickly went away! It started out pretty basic, braking at 30kph & 60kph to see the difference in just how far you slide before the car comes to a complete stop. When riding someones tail in traffic because you're late it's easy to forget just how long it actually takes a car to stop, it was a great reminder. (Another reason to take the course.) Then we moved on to braking on a wet road, you obviously slide even further, surprisingly farther. Each time the tasks grew more complicated. We worked together, 2-4 people in a car, I luckily had an 18yr old boy with me who listened well and was able to explain things to me just in case I didn't understand what they were asking of me in Dutch. I could have used my own car, but I didn't want to risk damaging it, plus it was only €15 to borrow one from the school. It took a while to get the feel of a different stick shift, but it eventually worked out. After soaking the track and letting us practice braking, we moved on to avoiding obstacles. There were two places the teacher could shoot up a wall of water and your job was to drive around the wall. It was a lot of fun, and for the most part everyone in the class did their best to avoid the wall, only on occasion did someone plow through the middle of it. It's amazing how much noise the ABS makes, not mention how bad the car shakes! And the last 45 minutes of the class was learning how to keep you car from spinning in a circle, when it skids out on a wet road. This was awesome, but only because it was on a safe track, not out on a busy road. The first time around the instructor took everyone out and showed off, spinning us around... then it was our turn! Obviously the point was not to spin, but everyone did. The driver controlled the wheel and pedals & the passenger controlled the hand brake. I'm sure the kid I was with would have liked me to have been better at the brake, but I did my best. We each had about 6 chances to get it right, and shockingly enough by the last time I was able to keep the car from spinning. We each earned a certificate (supposedly some insurance companies even give you discounts for this), and had a fun 3.5 hr course testing our reaction times & skills. I did have to be careful driving home though, I felt like a stunt driver ready for a movie, but then all I had to do was remind myself just how serious driving is and the dangers that always surround us. As usual I snapped some pics, but during the best stuff we were in the cars, should have thought to pull my camera out in the passenger seat when the wall of water shot up in front if us, oh well!
It's the last day of 2013... hard to believe it has flown by so fast! It seems the older I get the faster time goes. But one way to hold on to those moments is to recap some of the 182 posts I've pumped out this year! (Who knew the most viewed would be kid related!) Not really sure what to expect from my blog in 2014, hopefully you stop back by to find out!!!
