Vacation - Underwater Grill

Back to blogging... and still covering our vacation in March!

Have you ever eaten dinner surrounded by a shark tank?

We had the awesome opportunity while in Orlando to eat at the Sharks Underwater Grill!  (It's an exclusive restaurant located inside Sea World.)  We weren't sure what to expect when we made the reservations and I must admit it was an experience of a lifetime.  It's not a large restaurant and the way the tables are arranged on 3 different levels everyone can view the sharks & large fish swimming around in the massive tank the entire meal.  There was something serene & very relaxing about it - made me understand why people actually enjoy fish tanks (and ponds).  I was little concerned our 4 yr old might be afraid but luckily we sat in the middle of the restaurant just far enough away from the aquarium she could admire them with ease.  Besides the incredible close up view of unique beasts the food was good, really good.  But to be honest I wasn't there for the food alone, so it was an added plus.  The servers also knew quite a lot about the animals which I found important, and trust me a 4 yr old can come up with a lot of questions!

Other fun things about the evening/restaurant...
- at one point a shark crept up behind one of the servers, looking like it was ready to attack, probably happens often!
- the way the sharks slowly swim up to the glass makes you wonder if they can see you but I doubt it, and seeing them up so close shows just how truly frightening they are
- you can watch people viewing the aquarium through the thick glass because the tunnel at the end of Shark Encounter uses the same tank as the restaurant
- the bar is also a fish tank, how cool!  And of course there are many other tanks in and around the restaurant, with everything from neon tetras to sting rays!

The lighting wasn't optimal for our cameras, and actually our movies turned out much better, but I can at least give you an idea of our incredible evening!

 

 

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Vacation - Restaurants (#2)

Yes, I'm back to vacation posts!  Who ever thought I'd be vacationing in the state I grew up in, never saw that coming!

Vacations call for restaurants... and like I mentioned before there are the comfort restaurants.  You know the ones you can guarantee will consistently serve up decent food.  Then there are the ones you decide to give a chance for one reason or another.  Sometimes this works out well, and sometimes you just want to spread the news that no one should subject themselves to that dining experience!

GOOD EXPERIENCE:
Brick House - Orlando - International Drive
We were headed to Ripley's with a group of 7 and as you can imagine it's not always easy to spontaneously decide on a restaurant for lunch with such a large group.  After passing quite a few options we finally all agreed on Brick House.  The atmosphere was fun - would definitely want to visit for dinner & drinks... the food was good tasty & something for everyone... decent prices - most meals ranged from $10-$15... and the portions were huge - good thing I split my meal with my mother-in-law!  (And even on a rainy day we were able to eat outside on the covered patio!)  I would definitely recommend this restaurant to Floridians & tourists alike.

BAD EXPERIENCE:
Black Angus - Kissimmee - Irlo Bronson Hghwy
How did we end up here?  Try jet lag, starting dinner too late, & not being able to get the oven in the rental house working.  We were hungry & grumpy and it was the nearest restaurant.  It started well, the restaurant was decorated nice, roomy, & had a big menu.  But inevitably the food was horrible, not one of us enjoyed our meals.  Even my 4yr old wouldn't eat her hot dog - c'mon how can you mess up a hot dog?  Then to top it off, at the end they forced 16% gratuity on to our check without warning - no where on the menu or posted in the restaurant did they mention this.  I like to tip the server based on service & food quality, not because management decides what we owe.  (BTW, I used to be a server, so I'm a decent tipper).  I of course went straight to management to complain and he blamed me, he said I should have seen this on the check and had the server remove it if I didn't agree, seriously!!!  Needless to say, I made a small scene, stormed out, and swore I would tell everyone never to eat at the Black Angus in Kissimmee!!!

Any of you ever tried Brick House?  Had a bad experience at Black Angus?

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Vacation - Rental Car

Times have changed, and these days we no longer rent the Ford Mustang or cheap small compact.  The past two trips to Florida we have rented a Dodge Caravan, and it was wonderful.  I never thought I'd see the day I actually enjoyed a minivan but it was everything we needed.  We could easily fit all of the luggage (including golf clubs) to & from the airport... it was wide & comfy... fit 6 adults and 1 child, no problem... it's a smooth & sturdy ride... and last but not least, it actually had a decent sound system.  (As yes, when our daughter wasn't in the van we kicked up Wild 94.1 and jammed out to hip-hop, must have been pretty funny to see considering we're both in our early 30's!)  Our daughter loved changing seats, there were 4 she could choose from.  And everyone was fascinated with the way the middle seats folded up and moved aside in just seconds (wouldn't want to be standing in the way though)!  I even didn't mind driving it when my husband was off elsewhere, it didn't feel much different than our SUV (except the rental didn't have a reversing camera, so I didn't take the risk of backing it into a parking spot - something I can do in my own city car without a camera).  And unlike the old minivan my parents had in the 80's, everything is automatic, even the side doors open & close via remote and there are actually windows that go up & down in the sliding doors!  (Back in the day our only option was to pop them slightly open with a latch.)  I think this will be our usual rental when hitting up family in Florida, it's fun being able to travel around in one vehicle together, and the costs were not so bad either.

Any of you have (or rented) a new Dodge Caravan?

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Vacation - Swimming

Besides my family & friends (obviously), the one thing I miss the most about our trip to Florida is the swimming pool!

It seemed to be the answer to everything...
...bored - swim
...work on tan - swim
...eaten too much - swim
...want to save money - swim
...entertain the family/guests - swim
...don't feel like showering yet - swim
...practice no arm bands/diving with kid - swim

My husbands goal was to swim at least once a day with our daughter during the vacation, and he kept his promise.  I admit I did miss out once or twice, like the night we arrived in The States and they swam at 11PM!!!  There were days we only swam once due to the weather or plans, but there were also days we swam up to 5 times!  Since it was March in Florida we did need to heat the pool, even living in cold Dutch weather for 10yrs doesn't prepare your body for the icy water.  In general Florida is way too hot for me though, there were a couple days the sweat was dripping off as we were standing in lines at theme parks and I had to remind myself it was March and the temps would only continue going up and up.  We made the mistake and visited once in the summer, a quick reminder that I am a 70-75 degree kind of person (no warmer than that please)!  Anyway, I miss having a pool right off the house... no driving there, no paying entry fees, no dealing with the general public, I could go on and on.

Any of you have a pool?  Do you use it regularly or take it for granted?  When I lived in Florida I took pools for granted!

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Vacation - Restaurants (#1)

Hey I'm finally getting around to the first post about our two week vacation in Florida!  Seeing that I am still short on time - the realtor is showing our apartment again today - it's going to be quick but useful.

During our vacation we did our best to moderate how often we ate out at restaurants, besides it being unhealthy & costly, we wanted to enjoy eating on the lanai & grilling at the house we rented.  Being that we live overseas there are definitely restaurants you miss, sure we have access to great European restaurants but sometimes the ones you grew up with just call your name.  For me, while visiting The States I have to squeeze in a meal eat at either Outback and/or Red Lobster.  We luckily enough hit up both!  (No, they aren't Michelin Star restaurants but they're yummy and bring back nice memories.)

For the adults, we had an array of choices, but my daughter was limited.  She's doesn't eat mac & cheese, hamburgers, steak, or shrimp... but luckily she does eat her share of fish sticks, chicken nuggets, & hot dogs which were on most American kids menus.  But after a while we felt bad ordering her those things, and then we started noticing grilled chicken on a lot of menus.  Turns out she is a big fan of grilled chicken at restaurants - now I felt a little less bad that she was eating too many fries during the 2 week vacation.

My 4 yr old enjoyed the grilled chicken at Red Lobster & loved the ice cream at the end.  But it was the grilled chicken at Outback that made her oooh & aaah!  She liked the chicken so much she even told the server, ha-ha!  Now the milkshake she ordered at Outback didn't go over so well, but the chicken completely made up for it.  So if you're stumped what to order you kids the next time you happen to be at an Outback or Red Lobster, go for the grilled chicken, it's highly recommended!

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

What's Happening?

If you're not interested in reading me grumbling about crime in our area then I would skip this post over...

What's happening?  When I first moved to The Netherlands over 10yrs ago it took me a long to get used to how safe it is was.  It was hard for me to comprehend that I could walk down the street alone at night... that I never had to consider locking the doors of the car as we drove... that the kids hanging on the corner were still harmless, just big mouths... and that if you got into a confrontation a gun wouldn't even come to mind.  But now, one of the major bonuses of living in The Netherlands is starting to change.  Sure, there was always crime in the big cities or petty crime here & there in the smaller ones.  But lately every time I open the local online news I'm reading of more and more serious crimes, ones comparable to where I came from in The States, ones that didn't used to be so abundant here in the past.  Within the past 2 months there have been at least 2 store robberies at gun point, one was even across the street from my child's elementary!  (And another in a town not so far away.)  Then this evening I open the news again, and 2 gas stations within 10 minutes of our apartment were held up at knife point, then there was a 3rd across town.  The Netherlands has so much to offer, a healthy living style, great health insurance for the children, clean streets & parks (of course all paid for by the extreme amount of tax people pay, but that's besides the point).  Crime seems to be on the rise, guns are starting to become more prevalent despite the strict laws.  And besides weapons, it seems like some of the people are changing or maybe the numbers of criminals are increasing... it seems as if they have less respect for the world around them.  I hope this isn't true.

In The States, I can barely watch the news, they often use scare tactics to get viewers or get people hooked waiting for the next update.  And it often seems like endless negative report after another.  Maybe that's what's happening here.  Maybe the crime was there all along and the media just never focused on it.  But now they are, and the scare tactics are working.  It makes me question the safety of Eindhoven, makes me wonder if it's still the right place for us.  Everywhere has its pluses and minuses, I guess I'm just surprised as to what is happening here, somewhere I didn't expect.  I try and tell myself no matter where you go in the world there is crime, just some places worse than others.  I enjoyed living with little concern about crime around us, but I guess that was naïve anyway. 

Sorry for the depressing post, and I promise I will get around to happy fun posts about our vacation to Florida.

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

I'm Back!

I'm back... even though you didn't even know I was gone!  Sunday we returned from a 2 week vacation to Florida!  Why Florida?  Well, if you know anything about me (even if you don't and per chance read my profile) you'd know I was born & raised in Florida.  So when it comes time to visit the family I can't really complain that I have to go to one of the biggest tourist traps in the world.  This round we (my husband, me, & our 4 yr old daughter) rented a house in Orlando with the in-laws.  Now that we've gone this route, I can't imagine ever doing anything different (well, other than the costs!)  The house had plenty of space so we weren't stepping on each others toes, it had a heated pool (someone was in the pool 1-5 times a day), it had a game room, and was one exit down from Disney!  It might have been a once in a lifetime trip, and trust me, we saved for a long time to make it happen.  It was great seeing my family again, due to living on different continents we only see each other roughly once a year.  And even squeezed in time to see some old friends!  Obviously there is so much to tell, but I'm not going to overload this post.  Plus I have plenty of stuff to take care of around the house, there's rounding off the unpacking and the realtor scheduled 2 viewings at the end of the week.  Basically this week is going to be a series of working my butt off and naps to get adjusted to the time difference (what a combo)!

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Reformed Smoker

I used to smoke cigarettes... it's been 10 yrs this month since I stopped.  It was one of those things I wanted to try but knew I would hate.  Yeah, that didn't work so well considering I smoked for 8 yrs!

The summer before I started high school I tried cigarettes & beer.  Little did I know at 14yrs old that it was the beginning of a wild ride!

I was one of the "rebellious" kids in high school, maybe I was breaking away from my nerd image, maybe it was the freedom of getting away from conformed religion, maybe it was other stuff I'd rather not mention.  Anyway, it was who I became for a long while. 

I was the teen that took bathroom breaks and came back reeking of smoke.  How did I really believe no one noticed, ha-ha?  Smoking in the school bathroom caused a lot hassles for me, like numerous visits to the office & a big fine!

But those hassles were also pretty funny memories (later).  One time we were all piled up in the handicap stall and of course the cigarette had just been passed to me when one of the teachers (possibly school cop - it was a long time ago) busted us.  There was little I could do, it was obviously in my hand.  So like any other rebel, of course, I blew the smoke in her face and took my punishment.

Or the time the teacher made me wet the cigarette and take it to the office as evidence.  Have you ever smelled a wet cigarette butt, ugh?  For some reason admin wasn't available, I sat there for ages stinking up the office, re-explaining my story to every adult that walked in, and eventually tossed it and returned to class (just can't remember if I actually got detention or not). 

The best was when they busted me for the umpteenth time and were finally sick of it.  They sent me to court and hit me with a fine.  In order to repay the fine my mom found the worst job around, I was forced to work at a fish farm in the weekends vacuuming poop & muck from the tanks.  I made more than enough money to repay the fine but my mom kept the leftover money.  (And despite being rebellious I was also a hard worker and the farm kept me on for a while, I think it was possibly one of my first jobs.)

Times have changed since I was in high school and obviously I have too.  Just wonder what the kids actually get away with these days?  Some things don't change though, I still occasionally walk up on the teens smoking in the woods across from the high school where I walk my dog.  We've even seen them time when the teacher walks by and they slip away for a quick puff, ha-ha!  I guess not everything has changed.

Did any of you smoke cigarettes in high school?  Any of you reformed smokers?  (And yes, I did find a clip from Full House, have to love & hate the 90's!)

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Kermis (Fair)

A popular thing to do in The Netherlands is to visit the "Kermis" (aka Carnival or Fair) when it rolls in to town.  Luckily for me, there's a "kermis" one town over every year at my birthday.  For some reason quite a few years ago I started the tradition of a b-day bbq followed up by a visit to "kermis".  It must have been because of my nieces or the fact years ago we lived in the center of Best and they literally built the "kermis" around our apartment.  Once our own kid came along it made the "kermis" even more special.  We love watching her face as she gazes up at the large carni-rides or is overwhelmed by the endless lights, music, & food.  This year was one of the first years she was old enough to actually go on multiple rides; and we can only expect even more next year.  If she had her way we would have taken her on all of the roller coasters instead of the tea cups and massive slide.  In order to keep her distracted we kept her busy with all of the games.  Who knows how much we all spent but eventually we won her a jump rope, slinky, & toy guitar, she was over the moon.  I'm sure all of you have been to a carnival or fair, so I thought you might be curious what they look like here.  To be honest not much different, except they are often held in the center of town.  I'm used to where I grew up and we had the Strawberry Festival, it was huge and on a lot of land in a town called Plant City.  (Everything in The States seems to be bigger, there's just more land & space to work with.)  The "kermis" here doesn't have cattle competitions or country music concerts like my part of the woods in Florida.  But I wouldn't say I actually miss that, ha-ha!  Like most fairs, you have cotton candy, baked goods, and of course rides & games.  One thing I missed out on this year was the fun house & house of mirrors, I've loved those since I was a kid.  Maybe next year when our nieces can join!  And yes, my Wordless Wednesday was a pic of amazing waffles served at "kermis"!!!  (Funnily enough, I've never been to the huge "kermis" here in Eindhoven.)

 

Clothing Style

My clothing style... casual, sporty, preppy.  I don't think there's a name for it because I myself don't even know my style anymore.  It was so simple when I lived in Florida, it was hot hot hot, so that meant less what better.  Less was also easier.  A fun tank top, a pair of denim shorts, flips-flops, maybe some jewelry and I was done.  I didn't live in NYC or LA, I didn't have to think about being trendy or stylish.  Plus I weighed a lot less (a lot younger), making it easy to buy clothes and look nice in everything.  Then I moved to the Netherlands, where I consider the women to be quite stylish/trendy (not all of my friends agree, I would never survive where they're from).  For years I refused to buy clothes here, their style was far from mine.  Over time I started to give in, even though I look ridiculous in most of the Dutch clothes.  I've figured out a way to combine the Dutch and American clothes so that when I leave the house I still have an ounce of confidence left.  One of the biggest issues I have with style/trends is it's impracticality.  As you might have read in many of posts, I walk a lot, and everywhere.  When it's an hour round trip to take my daughter to toddler swimming class, do you really think I'm going to bust out the heels?  I get sweaty, it rains often, do you think I want to risk messing up any of my nice clothes or jackets?  I have a 2 1/2 yr old - I get dirty often, I'm home a lot, and I'm constantly cleaning or running errands; most trendy clothes just don't suit these situations.  Plus, I'm frugal (cheap), I don't want to wear my expensive clothes to run to the grocery store or to drop my kid off at school.  So this leaves me wearing jeans and cotton shirts most everyday.  I went to a birthday party recently and as I looked around at the Dutch women they were all dressed in some version of the same outfit.  A blazer or short leather jacket, a scarf, skinny jeans, and some type of ankle length shoes.  The scarf; I don't understand how they all do it, it would drive me crazy, I would feel as if I were being choked the entire time.  And the skinny jeans; it took me forever to understand this trend, I like loose fitting jeans and dare I say it, boot-cut.  But like I said, I occasionally try out the trends, and for the life of me, I can't find a pair of skinny jeans that fit me right.  I have decent legs, you'd think skinny jeans would suit me, but I also have a decent size midriff thanks to having a child and my eating habits.  And in order to get the pants to fit my waist, the legs end up being too loose.  My sister-in-law loves fashion and trends.  She looks nice, it looks fun, but there are few outfits of hers I would ever wear.  She tries to help me, she'll dress me up, put me in front of the mirror and wow, I look ridiculous.  How does an outfit that looks so trendy on one person look so silly on me?  It's not that I don't have the confidence to wear it, it's just not me.  I went to a party over the Christmas holidays, I gave in, dressed a bit more on the Dutch side, everyone noticed, everyone complimented me... and when I got home the first thing I did was strip it off because I was outrageously uncomfortable.  I put on my jeans, a tank top, a zip-up sweatshirt (all American Eagle, the only brand I truly love), and I could breath and relax again.  I'm not blind to style and fashion, even though my outfit choices might appear that way sometimes.  I look at websites and store fronts, they have so many great ideas.  But they also have so many layers and accessories.  I'm not on the thin side, and I'm constantly hot, layers are the last thing I want to wear.  My mother loves shopping, fashion, and make-up, what happened to me?  Don't think I'm not vain, because I can be.  I might be dressed casual but I'm always clean and have on make-up, I wouldn't leave the house otherwise.  (There is only one day a week I leave the house without make-up, toddler swimming  class days.)  I wonder if I'll ever find my style again... it's not just the move here that's changed my views on style, I'm getting older, what used to be acceptable no longer is.  Sometimes I flip threw my clothes and wonder how it's possible to own so many t-shirts with logos (long & short sleeve) or so many polo's, where are the blouses?  I try, and I try, I order a million things from H&M, keep one thing and ship the rest back.  H&M is one of the few places I shop in the Netherlands, mostly I count on my birthday or Christmas and the jeans my Mom mails me!  I keep telling myself once I have a car and will not be forced to walk everywhere my time will come... I'll be able to dress impractical and stylish, and will not have to worry about being hot and/or the climate conditions.  But until then, everyone is just going to have to deal with my boring, "relaxed" style.  I found a picture from dixi3chik/Polyvore, it's the closest thing to how I dress (and unbelievably, it's considered country, wow, didn't see that coming - my husband's probably chuckling right now).