Saturday, June 30, 2007

His bag is too small?

-sigh- never thought I would hear a man say that.
Thought it were usually women complaining about those kind of things.
Anyway...this little country is pretty up to date, we have Internet, phone, a/c in cars, washers and dryers. Shaving gel and toothpaste shouldn't be hard to get.
And you know what, probably the same brand you use, or at least from the same company.
We are so US orientated, it is scary at times.
My son learned English not through school, but on the street and from TV.
He is using slang I don't dare to use, but he doesn't know better because he hears it being used in his favorite music.

With this visit getting close, we see less and less of each other.
With us both busy getting ready, we seem to miss the normal opportunities to talk to each other.
And you now what, I miss him.

4 long days to go.





Friday, June 29, 2007

My Bag is Too Small

I have most things layed out that I plan on taking and I tried this morning to see how it would all fit into the bag. IT DOESN'T!!!!!!!!!!!

I will have plane, train and bus travel so I am taking a bag that is not too big to be able to handle but it still has to hold a fair amount of stuff. Petra reminded me that much of it I don't need to pack because she will have it there. And of course we can always wash items and wear them again. Maybe I should just make this really simple and pack a couple pairs of jeans, a couple pairs of shorts, couple sweatshirts, undies and socks and be done with it.
One thing is for sure. Lot's of what I have layed out isn't going to make it into the bag.


Ah, don't worry Petra. I can show you several accident spots on my carpets. I am hoping that by the time you come to visit me that I have it replaced. If not, I know you will understand how they got there just as I will.

Off course

Wouldn't you believe this, with only 6 days to go, my eldest dog decided that she no longer could hold it and peed in the backroom.
Have a big yellow stain in my light carpet now.
Already have been trying to clean it, but I guess I need something more aggressive to get it cleaned up without leaving an odour
-sigh-

It is a good thing that Jack has dogs also, he is used to every day life with greyhounds.
Meaning that he knows he will have little space on the couch or a cold needlenose at places that make you go 'eeks' .

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Ghosts

Always have to smile when I see how enthusiastic Jack is when it comes to us.
Being Dutch and from the North also, it is not done to show your feelings like that.
It turned out that it was one of the worst ghosts we had to fight. A very ugly ghost that kept trying to come back.
But we fought it, with success and accepting that the other only showed it different but not felt it different.

At one point we started calling our fears, ghosts. And I think that unknowingly, we found the right word for it.
Accepting that it was something we could defeat by bringing it into the light, out in the open.
Ghosts love those dark secret hide outs that they can grow and get more scary with every day that it is kept away from the open.
Once we realized that, many ghosts were defeated.
Sometimes a little one shows up, but we don't allow it to grow.

Most of them have to do with getting older anyway.
And lets be honest, neither of us is 21 anymore.





Tuesday, June 26, 2007

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One week from tomorrow, Wednesday, I get on the plane to go meet my Dear Petra..

Single Numbers Now.

Wow this is going much faster than I thought it would. I thought the weeks leading up to this trip would seem like months. I have to say, it has gone by very quickly. Now if I can make that reverse itself when I get there and make it go really slow then.

Yesterday's bump in the road seems to be worked out now. My plane is supposed to arrive at 7 am in Amsterdam. Being that I am flying on United and they are known for lousy service, I may or may not arrive on time. Also after arriving I assume it will take some time for all of the passengers to clear customs and get their baggage. Then I have to find an ATM machine so I can draw money out of my checking account into Euros. I expect all of this may take a couple of hours. Petra can be at the airport shortly after 9 am so this might work out just right after all.

I can see it now. We spot each other across the airport terminal. Our eyes light up. We smile and start running towards each other. I run through the security checkpoint sending all of the alarms at the airport off. My last vision of Petra is her shocked face as the guards haul me away for interrogation. I can hear Petra saying in the background....foei, foei jack. Hmmm, that doesn't sound too romantic. LOL

Monday, June 25, 2007

todays bump

Yep, found a bump in the road today.
For weeks we have been dreaming about the first moment when we meet.

I mean, what could be more romantic than falling into each others arms on an airport?
Well, the Dutch bus companies think that 4:30 AM is to early to be awake and driving.
So I can't get in Groningen early enough to get the right train to see Jack arrive.
Instead we have to find a way to meet somewhere on the train.
And you know what, in a way that sounds less romantic, doesn't it?

Ah yes, Jack's molehills.
To be honest, I can't wait to see them, from what I have seen it is beautiful there and I am looking forward to take long walks there together.
And the promise of a camping trip in the wild is something I won't forget either.
That is something you can't do over here , it is too crowded and you would probably end up finding you set up your tent in a pile of dog sh..

And Jack, that is something you will have get to used to also, no one here picks up after his dog.
We are a dirty bunch.


Anyway, today I am a little sad about missing that first moment on the airport.




Sunday, June 24, 2007

Pennsylvania Mountains?

I made the mistake once of sending pictures to Petra of the area that I live in and referred to the scenery as having mountains. That left her with a perfect opportunity to tease me and she never lets me forget it. Mountains are what you have in Europe, the Alps, etc. and what we do have here also in the Rockies. What Petra saw were little "mole hills" as she called them.

I really like the way we can tease each other. I actually look forward to being teased about some of the stupid things I am capable of saying or doing. LOL

The reason I bring this up is that as I think about what my expectations are of the Netherlands, I believe that is the one thing that may be hard for me to get used to at first. Everything is so flat! The countryside looks beautiful but I think I will find it hard not to see my "mole hills" somewhere in the background. Haha.

One thing that I know I will enjoy is the signs of history. I mean history longer than 200 years ago. Over here we think a building that is 200 years old is worth making a bus trip to go see. I can't wait to see some of the sights that date back several centuries.

As far as the people go, I have a very good feeling that it will be much easier fitting in than I was afraid at first. I admire the fact that the Dutch, as well as many other Europeans, think it is natural to speak multiple languages. That sure makes it easier for me and also makes me realize how sorry I am that that is not the attitude over here. Good luck coming over here and asking for directions in Dutch or any other language for that matter.

If the Netherlands is made up of people such as Petra and some others I have been fortunate to meet then I am going to feel very much at home.

11 days to go

Yes, it is too late to change into someone we aren't.
And you know what? I don't want a George Clooney on my doorstep.
It would only make me terribly nervous and insecure.
Besides, not my type...

What I want is meeting the person I got to know so well by talking on the phone and sending messages over the internet.
LOL, ok, I will admit, my hair got a paintjob this afternoon (he doesn't have to know how gray I am just yet) and I sure wish I could have lost a couple of pounds.
But what I love so much is that we could also chase these ghosts off, like many ghosts that we took care of in the time we got to know eachother.

Rightnow I am more thinking of what you will think of this little country and the people living in it.
Am curious after the differences that we certainly will find between us.
But most of all, I hope the weather won't be too bad.

Only 11 more days...

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Too Late?

I guess with just 12 days left it is too late for me to grow a full head of hair, get a flat, hard stomach, have a picture perfect smile and be able to sing love songs like an Italian tenor?

It is going to be interesting to see how we are together in real life. Will I smell ok? Do I have some annoying habit that I am unaware of? The beauty of our relationship in my mind is that from the very beginning, we have not pretended to be something that we are not. We have not tried to build some image of each other that we know we cannot achieve in real life.
One of the reasons that I have fallen so deeply in love with Petra is that we became best friends before anything else and have grown to know the inner person without any physical distractions to influence what we are hearing and understanding about each other.
I truly feel for the first time in my life that I have a partner that I can openly laugh with, cry with, tease with and share my deepest feelings with without fearing embarrassment or weakness. I would trust Petra with my most personal thoughts. I really feel that we started this friendship and now love for all the right reasons. We really do know each other and we feel very comfortable about that.
Now, I just have to convince Petra when we meet that those pictures of George Clooney that I have been sending her, really are of me. LOL

Friday, June 22, 2007

Lets try this than

Well, since Jack decided to start already, I guess it is about time I jump in also.
My 'schrijfsels' won't be as well worded as Jack's, but I will try.
Like now, I am writing and in the meanwhile baking pancakes, not really a recipe for grandiloquent words.
LOL, how is that for a Dutch girl?

As for the upcoming visit, I am excited and scared at the same time.
We seem to know each other so well, but how will it be to meet in the real world?
Will we both feel as much at ease with each other than as we do now.
Or will we act as a couple of teenagers meeting for the first time?

Sigh, lets not start about your president ;-)

Silly American?

I am really looking forward to meeting Petra's family and friends. I only hope I don't do or say something silly. I would like them to know that all of us over here are not as stupid as our president.

Ready...Set....Go

I have thought a long time now on how best to start this blog from my side. The history of how Petra and I have arrived at this point can wait I think. The important part is that we have found each other at this stage in our lives and our journey is about to begin together. In 13 days from today I will be on my way to the Netherlands to visit my Dear Petra.

I think I will use this blog to record my feelings about all of this and how our journey is going. I am sure there are many twists and turns on our path ahead. The destination is clearly ahead and there are no bumps in the road that will stop me from reaching the home I see in front of me.