1st

One month ago, my little sweet pea had a birthday.  His very first birthday.  It was a happy day for this family!  We made him a chocolate cake and he really enjoyed making a mess with it, but wouldn't taste it at all!

What a year this has been.  Let me tell you, it has not been 'fast.'  Cliche declares that the time with a baby goes in the blink of an eye--don't believe it.  Everyday takes more energy and love and patience and endurance and laughter than I thought I could ever come up with, but his little giggles tickle my heart and rejuvenate my batteries.

Missing

I have been back in the bosom of the land that bore me for a little more than a week, and let me tell you: there are somethings about this place that I have not missed one little bit.  Like Wal-mart.  And Vegas billboards.  I loved the time I spent in the Netherlands and already I am lonesome for what I had there.  Here's a list of the best that I just can't get over here:

• The cultural notion that cycling is a legitimate form of transport and is worthy of its own lanes and lights.  Americans just do not seem to get this.  I miss the comedy of watching women in stiletto heels and men in fine wool suits pedaling by my window.
• The great markets full of quality fabric from Turkey and Italy.  I never bought much, but I loved going anyway.
• Lima brand gluten free corn flakes.  They are seriously the best.
• Maastricht has a rather advanced recycling program.  I miss every time I throw anything plastic away.
• Cobbled streets and old beautiful buildings.  The city of Maastricht is just beautiful and I loved walking around it.
• The climate.  I know there are places in the US that are probably very similar climate-wise to the Netherlands, but I don't live in them so they don't count.
• The trains.  Although the trains did add a lot of time to travel, and a little stress about schedules and people, I miss riding the trains and watching the countryside.  We rode a train to church every week and I loved watching how spring changed the fields and towns.
• Schfar brand gluten free breads.  They tasted real.
• The clothing in the stores is made for tall and reasonably fit people, therefore it actually fit me.  Clothing in American stores is not made that way.
• Dutch toilets.  I know this sounds strange, but here's why: they are generally wall mounted and the tank is built into the wall.  This means that they are a lot easier to clean.  Also, they have two flush buttons that use different amounts of water for big and small flushes.  It's all about efficiency and thrift.

For balance, what I really missed while I was away:

• Knowing the common language.  While the Dutch were very friendly and spoke English as soon as they were asked to, there is always a distinct feeling of separateness when you cannot understand the language of the people walking around you. And being able to read the labels on the products in the stores.  The "guess, buy, and translate at home" system leaves a lot to be desired.
• Corn tortillas.  There is no Mexican culinary influence over there.
• Having a clothes dryer.  When every load must be dried on a wire rack in the apartment and the climate is generally humid, laundry is never done.  I love being able to get everything clean and put away in half a day.
• Family.  I don't actually live by much of my family, but at least being on the same continent makes me feel like we are closer together.

Hmm.  There's not much on that second list.  I guess that means that I adapted pretty well to the culture of the city of Maastricht.  It was a fantastic period in my life and I learned so much about myself and the world while I was there.

Smiles

I just can't get enough of this little face!

Maastricht is Beautiful

Bokrijk!

This is a bit late in being blogged about, but my time on the computer is being seriously limited at the moment because Jerry's finals are looming and he, rightfully enough, gets first priority at the computer time.

A couple weeks ago, we decided to go to what is known as an 'open air' museum.  It's kind of like Old Nauvoo, with restored buildings and displays of what life was like in the days of yore, only huge.  A few hundred acres huge.  This is Bokrijk, which is located just outside of the Belgian city of Genk.

 I really wish we could have had a guide to explain the different architecture and agriculture methods, because there were not very many labels on the buildings and such, and only about one in five had any English on it, but it was amazing to see everything anyway.  Most everything is at least a few hundred years old, which is amazing because I have no idea how you move a 17th century, three story, brick building halfway across Europe.  The buildings were generally grouped together as they would be in a small village or farm to make the displays more realistic.

 The museum was started by a wealthy individual who basically decided to collect old buildings that were going to be demolished for the sake of progress.  The collection grew, and eventually it was turned in to a museum so that it could be maintained better and bring in some revenue.

 I think the thatched roofs had to be that steep so that the rain and such would run down them rather than soak through.  This particular thatched roof is really old; check out all the moss and other vegetation growing on it!

 Jerry on a 'dandy horse,' the earliest ancestor of the bicycle.  He said it was a really painful ride!

 These three gentlemen were my favorite.  They were really good at the various instruments and they played some wonderful local folk tunes.  I could have sat in the sun and listened to them all afternoon.

 Huge and beautiful and ancient building, and me.

 There were two full sized windmills in the park.  This one would pivot near the base (at the narrowest part) so that it could be turned into the wind for maximum efficiency.  The beam in the middle of the stairs is the lever that would allow that to be done.  This particular mill was used for grinding grain.

Just a beautiful picture of the side of a cottage.  We had a marvelous time at Bokrijk, in spite of the challenges we faced getting there.  Let's just say that Belgian pubic transport leaves A LOT to be desired in the nature of availability and efficiency.

In Memorium

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In observance of Memorial Day, we did not go shopping or have a bbq.  Rather, we spent the afternoon at the Netherlands American Cemetary in the village of Margraten.  Buried here are young soldiers who died 67 years ago in the final months of WWII.  While forgotten by the many of the citizens of their own country, who will spend the day enjoying their freedoms and not once think of why they have them, these young men are remembered by the people they fought to liberate. 

This is only a small fraction of the crowd that was gathered for the memorial ceremony.  And I heard a lot more Dutch being spoken than American English.  In the speeches that were given by various dignitaries, there were many references made to families and individuals who had adopted specific grave and for decades have faithfully visited to pay continuing respect and reverence to the individuals who are buried here.  Many of the Dutch families had actually known the young soldier whose grave they had adopted because this particular area of Europe was liberated early in the end of the war.  The American soldiers often stayed in the homes of the liberated Dutch families and strong relationships grew between them.  Then the soldiers were moved to the front again to finish the war and many of them only returned to Margraten as a final resting place.

As I stood in this beautiful place amongst the carefully maintained graves, I silently cried for all that lay buried there.  I do not know the individual history of even one of these fallen soldiers, but still I cried to know that so much life, so many dreams and potentials, had ended here.  Each of the headstones is engraved with the soldier's name, rank, death date, and home State.  I wondered if they minded resting so far from home; but then I suppose that paying so dearly for a piece of land and then having some peaceful time here as well would create a deep connection between the soldiers and this part of the Netherlands, so that perhaps it was home to them as well. 

So how well are we remembering?  Was Memorial Day just a day off from school?  A day for a picnic in the park?  Perhaps a day for shopping and other materialistic indulgences?  I do not believe that we are remembering enough because the world has not been changed by the millions of lives that have been spent in war.  Remember that America is still at war.  Remember, as you laugh and drink lemonade with your friends on an sunny afternoon, that there are others in this world who have lived their whole lives in war zones.  And while I cannot change the situation of a soldier in Afganistan, or a child in drug running areas of Mexico, I can remember that great sacrifices have been made so that my life may be lived in a country with freedom.

I'm Living with a Monkey

Let me show you an example:

And here's another:

One more just to convince you:

And the grand finale:

Are babies supposed to be able to do chin-ups on the furniture?