Another Trip About to Start

In about 3 hours I will be heading to the airport for the flight this evening that will take me back to the beautiful Netherlands and a very special holiday with Petra and family. We have done pretty good since July of this year. This will be our third time together and more trips already planned.
I am really excited to be going back, especially at this time of year. It's been a long, long time since I have been in the spirit of the season. Whatever we end up doing with our time the best part is that we are spending it together and that's all I care about.

Happy Holidays to everyone on both sides of the pond.
Be with you in just a few hours Sweetheart.

I Got To Play Santa Today.

This afternoon after a long busy week a fellow that works in the office came running onto my office in a panic and told me I had to do him a favor. He was going to transfer a phone call over to me and I had to play Santa Claus. As he runs back out I shout "What?????"
The phone rings and I pick it up and in the deepest voice I can manage I say "Hello?"

On the other end of the line I hear the scared voice of a little boy.

"Santa, this is ---------, Mom and I just moved and I was afraid you don't know where we live now. Mom said you did but I wasn't sure"

"HoHoHo, Oh yes I know exactly where you live. I have your new address right here in front of me and I plan on visiting you on Christmas Eve" You make sure you get to bed early so I can visit"

"Oh yes Santa I will go to bed early. Mom and I are going to watch a movie but that won't take long."

"HoHo, good and do you think you might be able to leave me a couple of cookies to eat when I get there?"

"Oh yes Santa, and a glass of milk."

"Oh wonderful. Well don't you worry. I will be there on Christmas Eve."

"OK" and then in a whisper...."And Santa? Can I tell you what I want?"

"Oh sure you can."

"I want a kite. One of those square ones."

"Oh my, that is a wonderful gift. I have it written down. I will be there in just a few days."

"OK Santa. Thank you. Bye bye,"

I have to say, after I hung up the phone, I felt pretty good. I just hope his Mom got him that kite. LOL

Here Comes Santa Claus

One week from today I get on Icelandair and fly over the big pond to spend Christmas season with Petra. If I weren't so busy at work and getting things ready at home, I would be climbing the walls even more than I already am. LOL This will be a Christmas to remember and the start of our own traditions at this time of year.

Complicating things here are two major winter storms we are to get between now and the time I leave. Today I came in to the office early to beat the oncoming ice storm we are to get. As soon as I got here I could hear the ice starting to "ping" off the windows. I am here..... if I can get back home is a different question. Eeeks. They are hoping it will turn to all rain by later this afternoon. Saturday into Sunday we are to have another storm with possible large amounts of snow and more ice.
As long as I can get myself home to take care of the doggies and the roads are clear by next Wednesday then I say "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" LOL

Don't worry Petra, I will be there one way or another.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all that take the time to read our blog.

After the last comment, I had to...

De donkere dagen voor kerst

The dark days before Christmas.

And my son asks me if I am going insane. I have candles burning as soon as it gets dark.
Which is early because it has been raining here for weeks. At least that is how it feels. On Dec. the 1st I put snowflakes on our windows. A small Santa is guarding my books and a picture of my son is wearing a Santa hat.
Not just that, I found a radio station that is broadcasting Christmas songs.
And I am singing along.

I know, it sounds tacky and it is way too early.
Not just that, for many people it is just not done to like the whole Christmas thing. It is so ordinary.
Well, I just don't care anymore.
I like decorating the house for this time of the year, can't wait until the tree, a real one, is in my living room and I will enjoy every moment it is there.

And this year I don't have to hold back.
There is someone else to share it with.
In two weeks Jack will be here to start laughing (or crying) when I start singing with the radio.
And I can't wait to be together for Christmas.

Being Thankful

Thanksgiving is over but as the comment on Petra's last post said, we can celebrate thanksgiving every day. I sure have a lot to be thankful for in this past year. Most important is finding Petra and starting this journey of ours.

I am fortunate in that I have had the chance to do many wonderful things in my life that I have truly enjoyed but I have to say that in recent years I have fallen into a hole of my own. Thinking that maybe my time was past and I should just settle for a boring rest of my life. Whoa was I wrong. LOL I am having the best time of my life right now thanks to Petra. We have done so much already even though the distance right now makes it a little harder but there are so many things that I want to do and share together that I need to live to be a very old man to get it all done.

One thing I can say for sure is that for the first time in I don't know how long, I am really in the Christmas spirit because I will be spending it with the people that mean the most to me in the world. Ho Ho Ho.

Troubles

For several days I couldn't log into Blogger.
After an up-date my pc lost my password and off course I didn't remember where I had saved it on my pc. And for some strange reason it wouldn't accept a new password, saying my mail address was incorrect. Well duh, I am using that for months now, so that hardly can be the problem. But than, real humans logic isn't computer logic, which is something I learned a long time ago.
Anyway, I finally managed to get back in.

And I would like to get back to the Thanksgiving thought.Thanksgiving isn't a holiday we celebrate, but I think it would be a good holiday for everyone to have.
Aside from the enormous amount of food that people seem to have to eat every holiday, Thanksgiving is one of those days that should make you think.
And that is something I realized in the days after Thanksgiving.
For a reason unknown to myself, I fell into a black hole, emotionally.
Jack didn't let me fall into that, he listened, asked questions and let me do what I needed to do. He got me out of it.

After that I realized how much I have to be thankful of. But most of all how lucky I am to have met Jack.
So, can we celebrate another Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving

Poor Amerigo. I'm glad the horse was not injured and the celebration went on, even though there may have been a few bruised ego's. LOL I hope to part of that celebration soon.

Our next holiday, Thanksgiving, is this Thursday. It is a day set aside that we are to gather as family and/or friends and be thankful for the good things in life that we have. It originates from the earliest settlers that came to America and survived their first very harsh year. They held a feast celebrating their good fortune.

This year I have two Thanksgiving dinners to go to. My stepson invited me to his house in the early afternoon and my neighbors invited me for a feast in the evening. Traditional food is turkey and a bunch of other things that will only make me feel fat in the morning. LOL

While Jack is praying for snow...

the Netherlands is preparing for one of our best holidays.
It is one Jack will miss unfortunately, but on the 5th of December Sinterklaas celebrates his birthday.
It is a festivity mostly for the kids. From what I understand the American way of celebrating Christmas is based on it.
Anyway, today Sinterklaas arrived in many places all over the Netherlands. If possible he arrives on a boat, and after that he travels on horseback.
As all kids know, on a white horse with the beautiful name Amerigo.
That it not always goes as planned is something we could see in Alkmaar.
Amerigo couldn't handle the stress and went into strike.



Oh, Amerigo was fine after this episode, he is getting the much needed rest and wasn't hurt.
Something we can't say about Sinterklaas, his ego was bruised.


(Can already tell that since Jack behaved (he wasn't too bad) he will be getting a small gift from Sinterklaas which will be waiting for him when he arrives.)

I'm Trying Petra

I swear I saw snowflakes in the rain on the way home from work today. LOL I'm trying real hard to make sure we have snow for you in February.

Let's Go For 200.

The last 5 months since Petra and I started this blog has been really exciting. I'm sure the next 5 will be even more so.
This past July, I made the trip over to The Netherlands to visit Petra and it was one of the best times of my life. I will always remember that first trip. Especially how nervous we both were at the beginning. And then it was great fun for the 3 of us to experience Disney World. Not a true picture of life in the US but another memory that we will keep with us forever.
Now we are starting the rest of this journey and more trips planned with the goal of making this a permanent situation. It sure will be nice to plan all of these trips from the same place. LOL We have lots of places to see and lots of things to do with our time together. Whether it will be sitting quietly at home or traveling the far reaches of the world, I know that the best part of it will be sharing it with Petra.

The 100th post

It isn't 5 months ago yet that Jack started writing the first post in our blog.

A lot happened in those months, Jack visited the Netherlands, my son and I crossed the big pond for the first time to spend a vacation with Jack in Florida. And we have more plans to see each other as often as we can.

Maybe it is time to change the title of our blog into: 'on our way '
Because if there is one thing that became clear over those last 5 months, than it is that the two of us want to be together.
For good.

Welcome to Pennsylvania

Before I start on this topic I want to comment on Petra's posts. Yes indeed, the Cirque was the most incredible event for me on our trip to Disney. From the very beginning until the lights went out on the stage it was non stop amazing theatre and circus combined. We both at one point said to each other how wonderful the music was. It was hard to believe that the live musicians there were putting out that sound. All I can say is that even the most stubborn of people about going to such things would be left with their jaw open and sorry that it ended.

As for the water here. It is different in other parts of the country but overall, you are right, it is loaded with so called good chemicals (LOL) and generally tastes terrible. Almost every office or job location offers bottled water and many people do use purifiers on their water at home. As far as food portions go, it is pretty much the same everywhere here. Doggy bags are very common and it is right that we think nothing of reheating up leftovers later.

Now my post today. I am going to have visitors in February and I am really excited about that. Petra will see everyday life in America and where I live and work. I hope you are not bored to death by the second day. LOL

I also have been given a very big order from Petra for their visit. I am to make sure that we have snow here to play in. Hmmm, can't promise that we will but there is a good chance. And if we don't have any on the ground here at the house we can always drive 10-15 minutes to the ski slope and they will surely have some. I don't think I will get on ski's but I sure do want to try those tubes. LOL

The view from my bedroom window. This was taken last year but it looks the same right now.

Tubing at the ski slope.

The snow at my house last March.

Impressions part 3

This will probably my last impressions post for now, but our visit in February will have a totally different character so than there maybe more.
Yup, that is right, in February my son and I will go for another visit to the US.
This time we will bring a real visit, short, but more in touch with real life than Disney world.
And I am really looking forward to see where Jack lives, works and writes his blog entries from.

Anyway, there is little difference between Europe and the US when you go for a short vacation in a place like Disney.
But one thing that really stood out was the food, not the kind of food, we have all kind of foreign influences also, but the amounts.
Even my almost 13 year old son couldn't deal with the amounts.
There was always too much. Starting with the drinks. You can drown in them.
I know, half of them is ice cubes, but still...
Hot dogs are twice as big as over here.
And how much it hurt us, we had to leave some on our plates at times.
Which is so against how I was brought up.
I mean, my Mom used to say that the little kids in Africa would love to have half of what I had. And than my grandmother, who had to raise a family during the second world war, she would have been shocked about the fact that I couldn't eat everything on my plate.
But honestly...half a piece of ribs was more meat than I ever ate.
Can't imagine people ordering a full one.
But...it tasted good.

If you start traveling as a Dutchman, you start realizing how lucky we are.
In all honesty I can say that we have the best water in the world.
Traveling to the US showed that again.
With our tap water you could make a bottle of baby food without any trouble, the water is extreme clean and has no weird taste.
Thinking the water would be the same over there (never heard about bad quality in the US) I thought to be smart and refilled my water bottle at the water fountains in Disney. Boy, did I regret that. It tasted like chloride and upset my stomach for the rest of the day.
I right away understood why my son didn't like the Koolaid that we made in the apartment the first day. At home he loves it.
Guess that means bottled water for us when we are over there.

Cirque du Soleil

Something that I have to mention about our vacation in Disney is the Cirque du Soleil.
For me that was the absolute highpoint in what we have done and seen.
The combination of music, acrobats and all the rest made for a night I will never forget.
It had been a very long time since I laughed so hard that tears rolled down my cheeks but when I looked next to me, I saw I wasn't the only one.

BTW

We love comments :-)
So don't be shy.

Boo To You

Every year my dear neighbors invite friends over for a pumpkin carving afternoon before Halloween arrives. There is always lots of food and drink and this year there were 8 adults and 2 children so I think you can figure out that it is not just for the kids. LOL

Then on Halloween night the kids in the area go out Trick or Treating in the neighborhoods. I always go to the neighbors house to help them hand out goodies. This year we had just about 150 kids stop by all dressed up. Candles were put in the carved pumpkins and it is a fun evening.

The last picture is one of my "masterpiece" LOL A wolf howling at the moon.

Happy Halloween

We celebrated earlier at Disney. First time for my son and me and something we really enjoyed.
In some ways it reminds me of our Sint Maarten on the 11th of Nov. but there are a lot of differences also.
It was fun to watch complete families being dressed up, special when the costumes seemed to fit so well. Like in case of the big family I had a chance to study for some time. Mom was dressed up as the wicked stepmother from Snow white, the kids were all dressed up as various fairytale figures and Dad was dressed as one of the dwarfs.
After watching the interaction between Mom and Dad, I felt pity for Dad. It was clear that the mother had picked out his costume.
But best was the group of people that was walking through the Magic Kingdom dressed as ghosts. They had made their costumes themselves and it was so wonderfully done.
Anyway, for those who go out to night, have fun!

Impressions

I am very interested in ready Petra's impressions of the US from her trip over here. Since knowing Petra and having some wonderful conversations with her and visiting the NL only once, I am still learning and gaining an understanding of some of the ways we are the same and different as a society.
I see similarities in many ways but also see some differences both pro and con in both countries. What impressed me most about my visit to The Netherlands was the emphasis put on the social welfare of their citizens and the overall infrastructure of the country. I don't think there is any question that the health and wellbeing of citizens in the NL is given much more attention than it is here. Also the infrastructure of roads, train and bus services as well as basic utilities seemed first rate. Here, you can go to different parts of the US and find big differences from one another. Some parts of this country would be similar but many other parts of this big country would seem like those basic services are lacking and so far behind what you have there.

Now from conversations with Petra and friends over there I understand that these great services do not come without a cost. The overall tax rates there are so much higher than here and knowing americans and paying taxes, asking them to pay anything close to the rate over there would be a huge battle. I have always felt that way too but after seeing how things work there, I am not so sure anymore. We are a nation of extreme wealth and poverty. Is it asking too much for those who are comfortable here to give more in taxes if it is used to help everyone?

The comment that you received Petra on your post is probably very accurate. While you are right, many retired age people here want to continue to be productive and work, the woman who was cleaning bathrooms at that age must feel that she must to continue getting the services she needs for her and her family. Most likely health insurance. That is indeed sad.

Where I see a difference and advantage here, and I may be completely wrong, but from my conversations I have this feeling at least as of now. This truely is a land of opportunity for all. Is everyone given those opportunities without a lot of effort? No, but I have seen personally hundreds if not thousands of cases of people here without the background or education or growing up in the right family or part of the country that have become extremely successful in business or the arts or an occupation or calling that in other parts of the world may be shut out to them because they don't meet the requirements. I guess it is because all of us here have come from somewhere else and in the beginning relied on each other equally to get by. That spirit still is very strong here. I am oversimplifying things I know but wanted to comment on Petra's posts on impressions. I hope you will share more. I really enjoy getting to know not only you and your country but getting to know myself better.

First impressions: part two

Something that confused me at first was the fact that you are never sure that the price tag on an item is what you eventually have to pay.
From buying clothes to going out for dinner, you always pay more than is written down.
What is even worse is that you are expected to know up front how much extra you have to spend.
Sigh, I never liked math at school and even worse, I hate surprises when it comes to money.
Don't see the reasons behind all of this either, I mean, the Netherlands are smaller than most States and we can figure out what is to be payed on tax, so it is on the price tag.
Now, I won't dare touch the tip situation. If employees had to depend on those over here, they wouldn't have enough money to get food on the table.
But I understand that in the US you need it as part of your income.


Something that shocked me was the amount of old people still at work.
Worst was the lady at the airport that was cleaning the bathroom. She must have been well into her 70's.
And I have seen it more than once. Some people may have taken certain jobs because they can't sit still, but cleaning bathrooms isn't a job you do for the sheer fun of it.
And it makes me sad that it may be needed.

First impressions

It is already a week ago that we came back from Florida.
The little bit of color we got in our faces is already fading, wish the same would go for the kilo's I gained over there. Unfortunately I will have to work really hard for those.
Yesterday Jack showed the pictures he made and I loved them, special the ones he made of my son. If I try to make his picture he runs off, but he was to busy keeping an eye on the where abouts of my camera that Jack could make them un noticed at times.
He caught a few huge smiles.

I think it time to tell about my first impressions of the US.
Not that it is fair when the first visit is to Disney world, but keeping that in mind, here we go.
First of all I was warned, through many websites and personal experiences from people I know that it was very, very important to make sure that our visa waivers were filled exactly right. The people at customs should be taken seriously.
Got to hear horror stories from people being kept apart and questioned for hours, missing next flights.

Well, I made some mistakes filling in the visa waiver, so in the end, mine was a messy piece of paper. Arriving at the airport we had to split up in groups, which was done by a lady in uniform who made her lack in height forgotten through her loud voice and stern look on her face.
So when it was our turn to approach the counter, I was already a bit nervous wondering what kind of questions we would get.
When the person behind the counter finally looked up from my messy piece of paper he asked if it was the first time I filled in a visa waiver. To which I only could say yes.
The man turned out to be friendly enough, asking a few questions and than he noticed my neck less. Much to my surprise he asked what kind of dog it was, so I told him it was a Spanish greyhound. Before I knew we were talking greyhounds, LOL.
Kind of fits to the way Jack and I met.


Off course there is the occasional rude person but overall I found people to be very polite and helpful, much more than over here.

Next time more, but for now a picture that shows we actually were in Disney world.

Let's Go Back.

Brrrrr.....Hard to believe that last week we were walking around in shorts and sweating. I know Petra went home to real fall weather and that's what I have been having here also this week. I had to turn the heat on the past couple of nights. The weather here has been highs of 13/14 c and lows of anywhere from 1 to 5 c at night over the next few days. On top of that it has been gray and rainy for several days now. Talk about putting you in that dreary winter mood? Eeeks.
Well we have plans for the winter months also so I guess it's good to start getting accustomed to this weather now. I hope we have at least one more decent day soon so I can mow my grass one last time and put the mower away until next year.

Some pictures?

Hmm, lets see if we have a few decent ones...
Old Key West Resort at night


Colorful Epcot after dark


MGM studio's, the Indiana Jones Show

must be jetlag

but I can't sleep.
During our vacation Jack bought a few cd's for me.
Lonestar is my favorite, special this number:

Yup, we are back alright.

And there is a good reason for posting the video clip earlier today.
Before going I was afraid I might never get "It is a small world" out of my mind but the music we heard best part of the day was the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean.
And I have to say, that one is better to digest.

Besides that, we had a wonderful time. It took my son some time to acclimatize, a lot of new things happened for him, but after that he had fun taking Jack into rollercoasters and other wild stuff. At a certain point I had to let them go, my fear of heights is a bit worse than theirs.

Rightnow I am still busy to get vacation stuff out of the way, laundry and all the little things I don't want to throw out yet because it reminds me of such good times.
Still can't believe that Jack and I as adults went around Trick or Treating.

He's a pirate

Back to the Real World Now.

Our holiday together has come to an end. Speaking for myself, it was a wonderful adventure. I imagine it will take all of us a few days to recover from being on the go from early in the morning until late at night every day. We certainly didn't sit in our room and look at the walls all day, LOL. I hope the first experience of being in the states was a positive one for Petra. It's just too bad that it involves such a long travel time to get here and back.

I hope Petra will share some of the great pictures that she took but I will show this one of the Old Key West resort where we stayed. It was nice and comfortable and was a welcomed place to come home to every night to rest our tired feet.

The journey we are taking now has another adventure completed. I hope Petra is willing to have many, many more in the future. Thank you Petra for making the long trip over to experience a piece of the US.

Only a few more weeks and I will be in the Netherlands again. I can't wait.

Vacation is Here.

This will be my last post for the next week or so. In just a little over one day I will be heading to the airport. Petra will already be in the air. If we are both on time then I should arrive at Orlando about 1/2 hour before they do. Timing should work out great. Then the adventure begins.
There are things that I wanted to get done here at the house but I am worn out. I just want to get going and be the US tour guide for the next week. LOL
I am sure we will have plenty of things to blog about when we return. Bye for now.

Yep, Too Late

I have been very busy the last few days getting everything that I thought needed to be done around here. Well it is at the point now that whatever doesn't get done just won't be done. As Petra says, as long as the dogs are being taken care of and we have our tickets and passports etc., then let's have fun and relax.
One thing we both found out is that no matter what you have planned, life doesn't stop and there have been many things for both of us that have popped up that we would have wished didn't at this time.

But now is the time to enjoy this chance to be together again and be kids and soak up every experience. I am so excited that you would think that I was 10 years old, not _____. LOL

Petra, just a few more days and I will be welcoming you to the US. I'm ready.

Time to relax

Took it this morning.
I know Jack is stressing out on everything he still has to do and I know I have my lists also.
But as far as I am concerned, if the animals are taken care off, if we got our passports, tickets and are on time for out flight...
Than it is ok with me.
The doghair will still be here when I come back.
I do what I can in between other things, but some kind of flu bug is preventing me from doing to much.
So I better try to relax I think.

I did this morning when I saw the sun trying to break the fog.
Results can be seen on Flickr.
What can be more reaxing than a walk, soaking in a perfect fall morning.

Soooo little time, so much to do

My overall feeling today.
Today is the third and we leave the 13th.

Ok, edited this since it sounded so negative.
I am working down my list and am getting things done and arranged.
Just have to fit in a meeting over the weekend and work on a presentation for school for my son...

maybe there, but not here

Over here the weather is mostly following the rules at the moment.
Fall it is, fall is what we get. It has been raining most part of the night and now, at noon, it is still raining. Today I turned up the heating for the first time during the day.
To us the weather in Florida will come as a shock I think.
But it will be a great way to soak up vitamins before we start the long gray winter months.

Rather unexpected I have been very busy the last week and it looks like it will stay that way for a while. Which is fine in it self, but I keep forgetting to get some things that we really need.
Although I gave up on the bathing suit. But my son and I both need a haircut and I have to find a decent pair of shoes. I should do it today so I can walk them in. I know I will get huge blisters otherwise.
But the weather is so terrible, I don't feel like getting on the bike and get soaking wet.
Maybe if there is a dry spot.
We'll see.

Only 13 days left.

Well, it didn't get dry, but...mommy has new shoes :-)

Global Warming in Harrisburg?

Where is Fall? It has officially begun but our weather here feels like the worst part of summer. Our average temperatures should be a high of about 24c/75f but the last several days have been highs of about 31/32c - 88/90f and very humid. Too hot to do much of anything outside. Yuck. I see the forcast is supposed to get normal again by this weekend.

If not, It looks like I will have to wait until I go south to Florida to get some cooler weather. LOL

A bit of the US in the Netherlands

Yesterday I took a little peek into what some people over here see as the American way of life.
A group of car owners named the American Sunday Cruisers visited the place I live and I went over to take a look.
There was music and a group of Harley drivers to brighten up the occasion.
Even though I do like looking at cars and motorbikes, I sure hope there is more to the American way of life than that.
Wouldn't want to hear country style music every day, certainly not with a very Dutch accent.
But it was fun to look at, these people live in a different way than ordinary people trying to be different. And in the same time they all cling together again, finding themselves in a group that does exactly the same as they do.
So much for being different.

Anyway, there were some nice old cars there.

Seriously Counting Down Now

We are just about to go under 20 days until we all get on the planes and head out to Disney World. I am getting very excited here. I am also realizing that I have a lot of things to get done before I leave. And as we both have seen this past week, everyday life goes on in the meantime and unexpected issues pop up that have to be dealt with. I think besides looking forward to a very exciting trip, just being away and on vacation will be great. The only decisions we will have to make there are what do we want to do next for fun. LOL

I hope Disney is ready for three kids to enter their gates. LOL

Sorry

at the moment we both are busy with work and other stuff.
We'll be back blogging as soon as we can.
Hopefully this weekend.

Speaking Southern

I was joking with Petra the other night that they may get a real flavor of the US south if we run in to some natives that were born and raised there. While many people in Florida have moved there or are visiting from other parts of the country, the real southerners will be easy to pick out. All they have to do is start speaking with their southern accent and peculiar words. LOL

There is an entire dictionary of southern terms but here are just a few that we might hear.

Dreckly - (Soon)......"We'll be gettin on that plane dreckly to go to Disney World."
Fetchin - (Attractive)......" Petra sure looks mighty fetchin to me."
Fixin To - (About to)......." I'm fixin to meet Petra at the airport"
Jewant - (Do you want)......."Jewant to see Mickey Mouse?"
Shouldenoughta - (Should not)........" I shouldenoughta have another glass of wine"
Wender - (Window)........"Open that wender, it's hot in here"
Zit - (Is it)......."My, time sure do fly, zit less than a month until we leave?"

As in all parts of this country, people have accents and words that are not really words at all that they use. I'm sure other than a unique accent that is southern, most people use proper english but we may run in to a few old timers that will have us scratching our heads and asking each other "what did they just say?" LOL

Memories

Yes we have started to create our own special memories and there will be many, many more to come. That was one of the best days I can remember. The weather was great, the scenery was beautiful, we did laugh and felt really close to one another. I can't wait to go there again. Thank you Petra for giving me one of the best experiences of my life.

Sharing memories

It may sound a bit weird to say, but one of my pictures is doing good at Flickr.
Normally I wouldn't mention it here, but this picture showed us that we are already sharing memories together.
Memories of going on the bike, taking walks, pointing out things to each other, laughing, being close and enjoying each others company.
Last night we talked about that particular day, what we did, how much we enjoyed it.
Yep, we already have memories together.

Halloween?

We don't have the halloween traditions overhere although you will see halloween stuff in the shops for several years now.
And in the cities some people will jump to the occasion and organize a party.
What you do see overhere is a lot of pumpkins as decoration since a few years and I have to say I like that.
It gives color to a period of time that can be very dark and rainy overhere.
But when it doesn't rain, fall can be beautiful overhere too.
Like yesterday, the trees aren't changing color yet, but if you look carefully, you will see all kinds of mushrooms in hidden places.
And yesterday was the perfect day to go look for them.

I guess you can say I love fall also.

Yes!!!

Another step closer, today the tickets for the bus came as well as the tags for our luggage. Thanks Jack.

Favorite Time of Year

You did not scare me off Petra. LOL It's funny how the best of plans always seem to get snags in them.

In one month I will be getting on the plane to meet my favorite people in the world at Disney World. The weather there will seem like summer to us but at home we will be entering my favorite time of the year. The leaves are turning color and the nights are getting chilly.

It is also the time of year that over here a big deal is made of Halloween. One tradition in my neighborhood is for some of us to get together one evening over food and wine and carve pumpkins. I can't wait until Petra is here at this time to enjoy the fun and the beautiful scenery. We will see these sights on our walks near the house.

We will get a taste of the season though. We have tickets for the Disney's Halloween Party on Thursday night so you will see what this is all about over here.

After my rant

Just to make sure Jack knows it is save to return...

Frustrations

After a week of silence I finally found the courage to up date our blog again. Last week was a disaster, things that could go wrong, went wrong. At a certain point I got so discouraged that I told Jack the whole trip might fall through for me.
Most important were the dogs to me.
While it looked like they were taken care off, I mean, they had two places to go to, I am having a really hard time getting there.
Right now it looks like it is working out, but arghhhhhhhhhh.

All it came down to, is one of my biggest frustrations for years now.
And usually I am scared to say it out loud because at times people don't even believe me, but I don't have a drivers licence.
And with so many dogs, it is turning in to a huge challenge.
One of my other huge frustrations... I have to depend on other people for transport a lot. Unfortunately, train and bus won't take me everywhere , or if they do, not always on time.

Going for your licence in the Netherlands is, as one of my sisters just found out, a long, expensive and (I hate to use the word again but...) frustrating experience.
And right now it looks like I won't be taking that road yet, thanks to other things that went wrong last week.

But to end this rant (sorry this turned into one) it looks like it is working out for the dogs.
And I really have to thank Jack for his patience with me. He kept telling me things would turn out fine.
He is right, but oh boy, some moments I wanted to hit him on his head with those words.
But it was probably just what I needed to hear at those moments.

In the meanwhile, it is becoming fall here, it is cold, wet and windy.
Time for socks and sweatshirts.
Hard to imagine that we will be wearing t-shirts again in just over 30 days.

It's All Coming Together.

I will make sure that you can get ribs Petra. More than once if you want them. LOL I love them too.

Things seem to be coming together and time keeps moving on. It will soon be just a month away. It has gone a lot quicker than I thought it would.

Today in the mail I received our luggage tags for the Disney Express. What is supposed to happen is that we put these on our bags and then we don't have to wait at the baggage claim after we get off of the plane. Disney people will pick them up for us and deliver them to our rooms. It sure sounds good and I have checked reviews from lots of people who have done it and they say that it works just fine.
I don't know. Somehow I have this feeling that letting someone else pick up our luggage and deliver it is a disaster waiting to happen. I guess we just have to trust the "system" in this case. Oh boy are we in trouble. LOL

Ditjes en datjes

It does look like we won't have any trouble getting food during our stay.
And we might even get to try real American food.
~sigh~ I love spareribs.
LOL, think that it was one of the first things I told Jack. I love food, but don't take me to a fancy place. Because I would totally embarrass him.

Today I sent out an emergency mail to the dog rescue group I volunteer for. Asking extra effort to get the 11 year old greyhound whippet mix re homed that I am fostering for weeks now.
It doesn't seem fair to have him stay again in another place, I would like to see him in his own home.

For the rest, October can't get here fast enough. Weather over here looks like fall, lot of rain and wind for days now.
I am longing for sunshine and warmth.

And an arm around my waist.

Whispering Canyon

If we aren't tired of going out for dinner by Friday, maybe we can go to the Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge. I am sort of anxious to see this place because it is styled after the great Lodges that you would find in the Rocky Mountains at Yellowstone or Glacier National Parks. They even have a Geyser. LOL A real american "all you can eat" Cowboy Skillet meal of chicken, bbq ribs, sausage, corn on the cob, baked beans etc. might be a good way to end this adventure to the US.

One thing we have talked about is that our plans will be flexible so if we want to change them or skip them entirely to just hang out at the pool in Old Key West, we can do so and just order in some pizza. We may all need to slow down and just be lazy every once in awhile.

Fish and Chips

A short boat ride away from Old Key West Resort is Downtown Disney. Maybe Thursday night we will make a late dinner at Raglan Road Irish Pub. An Irish band and step dancers make this a lively atmosphere. I'm looking forward to some good beer also.

Wow

until now I didn't realize how huge Disney World is.
But by now I am starting to see that a full week will be easy to fill with all kinds of experiences. I know, until now you only talked about food, but for just that you can already choose from so many different places that I am no longer worried we might get bored.

Have some good news, Wednesday we can pick up my sons passport.
Over here we are in luck, it takes only a week. Another good thing about this is that my son is finally starting to realize that this whole trip is for real.
Not something that won't go at the last moment, just too many things have to be arranged for that.

And yes, slowly things are getting done here.
Passports are done, travel insurance is taken care of and it looks like the doggies are taken care of also, which is a huge relief to me.

Only 6 more weeks

Get Your Camera Out Petra

We both thought that eating at "Boma" at the Animal Kingdom Lodge would be fun. Foods from the continent of Africa. From Morocco to South Africa and spices that we never see here. It will be an experience.

Another reason we felt it would be a good place to go is that there is a viewing area at the lodge that you can watch the animals. I think Petra may have a few pictures in mind when she gets there. That's great because I really like watching her click away and then seeing the results.

Tuesday Oct. 16

LOL Petra. I have the feeling they will be picking on me a lot at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. I seem to always end up with my elbows on the table. And as far as wondering what I would look like doing the Polka? Maybe you should join me on the dance floor and see for yourself. LOL

Tuesday should be a pretty exciting day for us. Besides spending the day at one of the parks, we have tickets that night for the Cirque Du Soliel. One of the restaurants that looks neat that is walking distance to the Cirque theatre is the Rainforest Cafe. I think we will have fun eating there before the performance and then walking through the area they call Downtown Disney to the show at 9 pm. One shop along the way that I think we will all want to spend some time is the Lego Store. Who doesn't like Lego's? I hear there are several life size displays made from legos that will be fun to see.

Dinnerplans

Oh boy, wonder what you come up with next.
Wouldn't be surprised if we find out that at some point we will have to dress up in a hula skirt...

That 50's cafe sounds like the ultimate test on how we were raised and how my son does.
LOL, at his age he doesn't want to be noticed, best way to make sure you aren't, is behaving very, very good.

It sounds like it is going to be fun though.
Wonder if I should buy an extra card for my camera.

50's Prime Time Cafe

Our next stop on Monday night will probably be the 50's Prime Time Cafe. From what I have read, it is unlike any eating experience you will have ever had before. They tell you to bring along your sense of humour when you come.

It is designed to look like a home from the 50's that you would see on some of the old TV shows of that period like "I Love Lucy". You are part of the family and Mom is in the kitchen cooking and has rules that you have to follow or you will hear about it. Don't wear a hat to the dinner table and don't put your elbows on the table. If you don't eat all of your vegetables then Mom will come out from the kitchen and play the childs game of open up the hatch ( mouth) while she pretends to be an airplane and feeds the remaining beans to you. Otherwise you get no dessert. LOL

I know. This sounds really corny but I guess they make it very funny and those who are a little shy about playing along can just watch the others acting like children. We'll see when we get there. I think if we go there to laugh as well as have a good meal then it should be great fun.