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 - Dramamine Kids

Our kid isn't prone to motion sickness, she's the kid who never complains about the car & loves roller coasters (even Space Mountain).  But something about her & an airplane don't quite mix.  She's flown between Europe & America 3 times now (12 flights due to connections), and each time was increasingly more difficult.  The poor kid had 4 vomiting sessions trying to get from AMS to PHL!!!  By the end of the flight she was covered in it, between little warning and a leaky bag it was a mess.  The poor kid couldn't even handle the smell of the food on the plane and had to cover her head in a blanket just to get some relief.  Eventually she wore herself out and fell asleep, but needless to say there was little enjoyment during the flight.  Based on past experiences we knew to pack extra clothes for the connecting flight - at least this time I wasn't alone trying to handle it.

When it was time to return home, my husband & I dreaded the flight back.  We knew it would be miserable for her, and could possibly put her off flying (and flying back to The States to see family is just part of our life).  We had to do something.  But were we really going to be those parents that load their kid up on medicine just so they sleep through the flight?  It just didn't feel right, but what was better for her, vomiting for 6-8hrs or sleeping?  There we were searching the kiosks at the airport, exploring our options, feeling kind of guilty. Then as if the clouds opened and the sun appeared we found Children's Dramamine!  It was a great option, no guilt, no unneeded flu/sleep medication - one magic pill that we hoped would change everything.  And you know what, it did!  Whether it was a mental thing or actually worked, our 4 yr old didn't vomit once or complain about being sick.  She enjoyed the flights like a kid should (well, she did skip the meals & cover her head again, but that was precautionary in her mind).

Needless to say, THANK YOU Dramamine!  And for any of you out there travelling with kids prone to motion sickness, you have to try it!

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 - Book Time

Wow, there's so much to say about our trip, here it is 2 weeks later and I'm not even near out of stuff to write posts about!

For many people, vacations seem to call for a book (or books), maybe because you need something to do on the plane, maybe you like to kick back and read poolside... me, vacation means some time away from my usual tight schedule and a chance to squeeze in a quick read.

Knowing it's easiest for me to buy books in English and for a decent price in The States, I waiteded until I arrived.  As soon as we hit up Walmart I darted to the book section the first chance I had.  Of course since we were shopping with 5 people and time was limited, I didn't get to really skim through many books.  But luckily the one I ended up grabbing turned out to be decent!

If you want to read more about The Hero by Robyn Carr, head on over to Danica's Book Corner!

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Vacation - US Airways

Knowing that the costs of a trip back to The States easily sky rockets, we take advantage of deals where ever we can.  This means you don't always get to fly on your favorite airline but whichever offers the best price.  This round that happened to be US Airways, and I must say the pluses (the ticket price) & minuses were almost equal.  Sure the flight was a reasonable price considering what other airlines were offering but we had to sacrifice personal entertainment.  Wow, this probably sounds spoiled but it's 2014 and the majority of airlines provide personal entertainment systems in which you can select movies, shows, or games to help you get through the 6-8 hrs it takes to get over the Atlantic Ocean.  We had no choice but to deal with it and luckily we brought our own entertainment. 

Another thing we had no choice of, was what they were going to play on the communal monitors.  Now we're adults and can tune it out, but what about our 4 yr old daughter?  She was exposed to 2 PG13 movies (Ender's Game & The Book Thief) + Chicago Fire (bloody EMS scenes) on the trip over and The Hobbit : Desolation of Smaug (a nearly 3hr PG13 movie) on the flight back!  There were many times we had to shield her eyes or tell her not to look at the screen (-insert big frown-).  I was furious and obviously filed a complaint when I returned home.  You know, all US Airways had to say was a meager sorry and they appreciate the feedback for future flights.  Thanks that you'll spare other kids, but what about mine who is already sensitive to intense movies?

Besides this there was the "weather delay" in Orlando which almost caused us to miss our connection in Philly.  (A 1 hour delay without any announcements!)  Sure there were tornado warnings (on the news) & heavy rain, but that had been over for quite a while before they even started boarding passengers.  They rush on to the plane, saying over the speaker we need to hurry so the flight can leave, then once everyone is seated they say we still have to wait because the bags weren't all loaded yet!  Of course everyone with international flights were panicking, if you miss that flight it could be another day until you get home plus an unwanted stay at or near the airport.  At one point we're told they were holding the flight to Amsterdam (there were 10 of us transferring), so of course we ran from one terminal to the next.  We had counted on the lay over so we could feed our daughter, she can't handle the plane food, even the smell makes her sick.  But now we weren't going to be able to feed her!  Despite running with her in our arms, we swung by a Dunkin Donuts (only place without a line) and grabbed a bag full of croissants, at least she'd have some food.  We all arrive at the plane out of breath and out of sorts, just to find out they are now holding it for technical issues!  Thanks US Airways, would have been nice to know before we ran through the airport!!!  Then as we waited for the 20 minute delay I got to watch our luggage being left out in the rain before it was loaded onto the plane.  Luckily I had put many things in baggies, but we did have to rewash a lot of clothes and lay some other belongings out to dry once we arrived home.

In the future I'll try my best to avoid US Airways.  Last year we flew Delta and loved it, and my in-laws flew Aer Lingus and were also quite happy (food for thought).  Any of you have bad US Airways experiences?

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Vacation - Ripley's Museum

When you plan a vacation to Florida, you think of sun, swimming, & basically anything outdoors.  Well, what happens when it rains, hmmm?  On St. Patrick's Day the weather wasn't ideal, and we had 6 adults & 1 kid to entertain.  My husband and I thought back to the days we were regulars in Orlando and remembered a fun museum we had gone to during the first couple months of our relationship (mentioned this a couple posts ago).  It was a hands-on museum, full of fun science & cool facts.  "Ripley's" one of us blurted out, definite fun for everyone especially our daughter.  We went online to pre-order tickets, sometimes you save money this way, and sure enough we did... there was a Paddy's Day special, 1/2 off normal ticket price!  We all loaded into the minivan we rented (ooh, another good post!) and headed off for a quick lunch before Ripley's Believe or Not Odditorium.  We were barely in the door when my husband & I realized, this wasn't the museum we actually remembered.  The hands-on science museum was actually WonderWorks, that's where we had gone for a date!  We had never been to the Ripley's in Orlando, but we had visited one in Key West, oops!

Luckily, it turned out to be lots of fun, despite it being packed.  (We weren't the only ones avoiding the weather!)  The brain teasers were great, everyone was asking each other questions, seeing who would get it right.  And the slanted room with a pool table messed with your eyes nearly making everyone sick.  There was something for everyone (even my father-in-law who I thought might make a break for it near the entrance, ha-ha), from being startled or caught off guard to passing hands-on challenges.  Plus there is just a lot of unique things to look at, I can't even imagine the life Mr. Ripley led, what a collection!  I think my favorite thing in the entire place was the car covered in instruments, I had a lot of fun playing there with my daughter.  (So glad my Mom & Step-Dad good join in the fun!)

As usual I've tossed in some pics for you, there from 3 different cameras so please ignore the quality difference.

 

 

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

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

School Vacation

This week the schools are out here, which means finding a way to entertain my 4yr old, all day.  And apparently she doesn't consider doing the laundry, vacuuming, or going to the grocery store entertainment, ha-ha!!!  I think I've done pretty well though - even though it's Thursday and I'm exhausted... she's still up watching a movie with her cousins.

Walking the dog in the woods has become part of our day, it really helps to pass a good chunk of time, keeps her moving, and entertained.  Who knew you could collect that many acorns?!  (Walking the dog in the woods is a usual activity for me but she is generally at school during that time.)

We've also gone to the public pool, which is one of the largest in the area with slides and all kinds of fun things.  This helped keep up with her swimming lessons, wear her down, and keep her entertained.  (As for me, I also had water aerobics that night and felt like a walking chlorine tablet by bedtime.)

There was also the playdate with an old friend from her preschool.  I must admit the weather is great here right now, so visiting the local farm, feeding the ducks, and the "gnome search" set-up in the herb garden was fun.  (Watching a man losing his shoe in the canal was just an added bonus!)

Then we had my nieces (9 & 12) over for the day and now they're spending the night.  We barely stopped... more than an hour in the woods collecting plants and what not, placing our collections in pots back home, hitting up the grocery store (putting them to work pushing the cart), visiting 2 different playgrounds, making endless messes around the house including them drawing all over themselves, and now a movie in bed.  (And oh yeah, I can still play a mean game of HORSE!)

The weeks not over, and there are more walks and even a bbq planned.  Who ever said vacations were for resting???

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Old Pics - Visitors

This is an old photo from a disposable camera (well a scanned version), you know before we all had cameras on our phones!  This particular photo was taken over 10yrs ago (summer 2003), hard to believe... I swear we're still that young at heart (and looks, of course).  This photo was taken during our first year together here in The Netherlands.  Well, the pic itself was taken in Dunkerque (Dunkirk), France... back in the days when we used to explore the country or bordering countries every weekend.  Before we left Florida to start our new life here, we offered an open invitation to all of our friends and family that if they scrounged up the money for the flight we would give them a place to stay.  At the time we didn't really expect anyone to visit except for family.  Of course my Mom & step-dad turned up a few months after we arrived, and that summer a whole lot of friends decided to visit also.  They all picked the same summer (heat wave without a/c)... as soon as one set left another set arrived.  By the time the 3rd set of friends arrived we were unfortunately out of vacation time from work and money (sorry Ashley & Ursula!)  But it was so nice giving our young friends (all in their early 20's at the time) a chance to see Europe and to experience The Netherlands as we knew it, beyond Amsterdam and windmills.  Since then well, a lot of these friendships have faded away over time and I think only one more friend has taken the trip over to see us.  But luckily for us my parents & their partners have become regulars, even to the point I don't panic when they say they're going for a stroll through town.  (In years past I was sure they would never find their way back.)  Our living situation is more limited now that we have a kid, so nowadays when my family visits it is a small investment because they also have to arrange accommodations.  Hopefully one day we'll be able to sell our apartment and get the house we talk about so often.  And then maybe the extended family will decide to make the journey, hint-hint!

Wordless Wednesday #52

Link up here for Wordless Wednesday!

 

Our curious camera compilation can also be found here...

Leaving On A Jet Plane

♫ 'Cause I'm, leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again ♫  (Actually I do know when we'll be back but the John Denver song sounded so nice!)  As I mentioned in a previous post me & my toddler are headed back to The States for a short visit.  You heard it right, me and my toddler, my husband's staying here in The Netherlands due to work and well the outrageous costs of travelling internationally.  In years passed I refused to take the trip alone, I'm not the best traveler... so it seems crazy that I'm doing this with my 3yr old in tow.  But sometimes opportunities arise that you don't want to miss out on, and this one is getting to visit my grandma and see what her life in a little Tennessee town is like.  Plus I want to help her get the house tidy and organized so she can consider selling it and moving into something more manageable.  See years ago she decided to move back home, she used to live in Florida like I did, but she had always dreamed of returning to the town she grew up in, and she followed that dream.  But life happens, and now she's 75yrs old, and that dream is changing.  At her age managing a large house and yard alone is almost impossible.  I always talked about wanting to see her dream but it seemed so far fetched, if we spent the money to go back to The States we always went somewhere central so everyone could visit us in one go.  Then things happened or didn't happen, decisions were made, and then my husband said, "why not, why not do it".  I couldn't help but cry - it means a lot to me... I cried when he suggested it, I cried when I told her.  And believe me, I don't cry easily.  Then after reigning in the emotions, reality started to sink in.  WTF, I'm about to fly internationally, on a connecting flight, then drive a rental car for an hour, with my 3 yr old, whoa!  Needless to say, I've been getting less sleep these days.  The nearing trip has actually taken over most of my thoughts.  I'm a planner you see, so I've been researching every last detail of the trip (maps, airports, you name it).  It took me 2 days to finally settle on a plane ticket, and another entire morning of research before choosing a rental car!  I've been stocking up on things I need to get through the trip from toiletries & luggage, to entertainment & documents.  I've been corresponding with the airline and malls, and anyone else that can give me any more insight on my trip.  Plus there are other things to arrange, like the dog and making sure my husband has food (just so you know, he is capable of taking care of himself).  The trip is consuming my head (I mentioned that right), you've probably even noticed a lot less blog entries the past couple weeks.  But no matter how overwhelmed I sound (and am), I am truly looking forward to the trip.  Mostly the part where I'm in Tennessee with my Grammy and not so much the travelling part.  I don't know if I'll be doing any blogging while there but I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories when I get back.  What people don't always realize is that when you become an expat you never really fit in anywhere anymore.  So I'll feel just as foreign in Tennessee as I do in The Netherlands.  And based on previous short road trips with my toddler, I'll be sure not to say things like, "we're lost" or yell "f*#k" when things don't run smoothly.  All she needs to know is, "we're almost there".  For any of you out there who happen to be pros at travelling internationally with toddlers, feel free to throw some advice my way, thanks!

Free Fun

This past week was fall vacation for the kids attending Dutch schools.  Besides school being cancelled so were all other activities, like swimming lessons.  It didn't take long for our schedule to fill, leaving us with no free days to relax, but what toddler wants to relax.  As I have mentioned, again and again, I'm frugal, so 2 of the 5 days I managed to fill with free fun kid activities.  At the indoor sports center the city built an indoor play paradise for kids.  There were at least 10 bouncy houses, plenty of toys, and lots of kids for my toddler to play with.  We happen to own a small bouncy house but it's just not the same as a gymnasium full.  Adults & kids under 3 yrs old were allowed in free, we walked there (with the stroller of course - 80 min round-trip), and I brought lunch from home... in the end I only paid for a cup of coffee.  My kind of day, happy kid, fit mom, and little to no costs!  The city offers this indoor play paradise during most school vacations, so for those of you in the area it's worth checking into. 

The other activity was swimming at the large city pool inclusive fun slides, wave pools, and a small lazy river.  My daughter loves swimming, all parents like to brag but we might have an Olympic swimmer in the making!  Because we attend the public pool (one of the smaller ones in the complex) for toddler swimming lessons, during the school vacations we are allowed free entry to the big pool (as long as we go on the day class would have been).  So again... entry was free, the walk there free (1hr round trip), and we were home in time for lunch.  I spent a total of 50 cents and that was for the locker.  I'm always pleased to find free entertainment, especially in a world that has grown to be way too expensive!

10 Days

My mother & step-father visited us from The States for 10 days, they called last night at 3AM to let us know they had made it back home safe & sound.  Once a year we get a week or so together, sometimes we go there, sometimes they come here.  One downside of living far away from your family is the lack of physical time together, but the upside is they get to visit places they never would have seen otherwise.  My mom & step-dad have visited us many times since we moved to The Netherlands, I think this was visit # 5.  Each visit is different, the first few were packed full of tourist stops, like Amsterdam & Brussels.  But by now they have seen the big sights, plus adding a kid to the equation changes things.  Their visit a couple years ago was to meet our newborn, there wasn't any sight-seeing going on then.  This visit I managed to come up with places that pleased everyone, not costly and appealed to the interest of the entire group.  In otherwords, a little bit of history located in nature near a playground! 

My husband unfortunately couldn't take much time off work, but the day he had off we all (inc. the dog) hopped in the car and headed to the sea.  My parents live in Florida, so the sea is much different than the gulf.  Noordwijk held up its end of the deal... rain, wind, cold, and a lot of beautiful wipping waves.  A couple of days I borrowed the car while my husband worked and took them places like the World War II Liberation Museum in Son and the castle & gardens in Geldrop. 

On days we didn't have the car we walked, there is plenty to see in Eindhoven as well, like old cemeteries and endless green parks.  And during one of the schools days my mom & step-dad even ventured to Nuenen on the bus and toured the towns monuments.  Besides seeing the sights they were also able to see my toddlers activities first hand, and enjoy 3 days of birthday celebrations.  We dined out when we could, but they also enjoyed home cook meals thanks to a few years experience on my part!  And of course the bakery, I think my step-dad popped in there most mornings. 

Overall it was a great visit, and we were all sad to part, but thanks to the endless photos we all took (and exchanged) we can remember the trip for years.

Summer Vacation

Summer is almost over for the kids here in The Netherlands, next week they all head back to school and everyone gets back to their normal schedules.  I'm hoping that once my toddler gets back to her normal routines I can actually get back to blogging!  This summer we've been so busy between activities and the new puppy, I've only found time for short posts lacking flare and of course Wordless Wednesdays.  Besides play dates and dog training, we've also managed to find time to babysit.  A few days this summer I chased after 3 kids and 2 dogs!  Most of friends thought I was crazy and I admit it's a lot but the kids are cooperative and enjoy spending time together and the dogs, well, they'll work it out.  Yesterday was the last day of babysitting this summer, so I thought I'd mark with a shot of my niece and a ladybug she caught.

Helicopter Flights

I don't know if you've ever had the chance to take a flight in a helicopter but I highly recommend it!  I've been lucky enough to have done this twice.  The first time was when I was fresh out of school with a credit card burning a hole in my pocket.  Living near Orlando gave me access to all of the great things available to tourist, so a friend & I booked a flight and took a tour over Orlando with a group of people.  It was fun, it was new, it was exciting, and we were able to see the theme parks I often visited from a new angle.  The second time was during my honeymoon.

We were in Florida for 3 weeks and during that time we took a trip down to Key West.  Wanting to take full advantage of our honeymoon we decided to book a private helicopter flight over Key West.  It was expensive, the pilot said the flight would cost 100 dollars to fly over the city and if we wanted to fly over the water it would be another 100 dollars.  Being young and not having much money we opted for the shorter trip.  The pilot gave us an option to fly without the doors, of course we took it, we didn't think it could get much better.  He flew us all over the island, we were able to take pictures of our resort and even see the golf course my husband played; it was great, then he took us to the water's edge.  Knowing how beautiful and exhilarating it was, he offered again, 100 dollars and I'll take you over the water.  We couldn't say no, and I'm glad we didn't.  It was one of the most special things I've ever been able to do in my life (again, my husband making dreams come true). 

We saw everything from ship wrecks to groups of dolphins, stingrays, paragliders, and lots of boats.  And when we saw a shark the pilot lowered the helicopter to get a better look, we were so close to the water it was chopping.  We were able to make an incredible movie of the shark and put it on You Tube for the world to enjoy.  At that moment he could have charged us any amount and we would have kept flying, it was such a rare experience.  When we landed my husband and I were so moved by the trip that we seriously talked about sending my husband to take flying lessons (then we looked up the costs, ha-ha).  So again, I say, take a helicopter flight, but be sure you are actually flying over something worth seeing.  And if doors are optional, you have to take them off, you see more, you feel more, you experience more!