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.

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' .

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.

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

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.