Today it is a year ago...

While it was still dark in the early morning that my parents arrived to wave us goodbye.

When the taxi arrived we loaded up everything that wasn't on it's way already, a few suitcases, a few bags and two nervous dogs. 

A few last hugs and we were on our way to the airport and our new home in the US.

It is hard to believe it really has been a year already.

So many things happened and time has flown by and I think we are doing fine.

To start of with the easy ones, the dogs are doing great together and Cara is even flourishing thanks to the men in this household. She loves to boss them around.

My son did well in school last year, when asked he will tell you that he liked how friendly everyone in school is and even though he had English lessens for one year in the Netherlands, his grades get better and better. It is just too bad he isn't really into the sport culture over here sine they would have liked for him to start football.  

A few days ago he started highschool and that is another adjustment for him, but I am sure he'll be fine.

The one thing he doesn't like here are the vaccinations that are mandatory for schoolkids here. The last year he had a total of 5 vaccinations and at least one more to go in the near future.

He is the only one who got to go back for a few weeks. He spent 7 weeks with family and his dad.

If all goes as planned, we hope to visit the Netherlands this winter, but it isn't sure yet.

Have to say, besides visiting family I don't really feel the need yet to go back.

I think I kinda like it here. I certainly don't miss the days of rain, getting wet on the bike going to work or having to struggle with the wind 2 times a day while on the bike since the wind always seemed to change.

Off course there are things I miss but there is also a lot that I got back for it.

LOL, I was never before this tanned, even with staying inside at the air conditioning for whole days this summer. And I am certainly not complaining about wearing only shorts for 4 months now. 

In general, I love it here.

Love how friendly and encouraging people are here. Love the hills in Pennsylvania and when we get into the car I still feel like I am on vacation. Too busy to look around to keep up a conversation.

I love the weather even though it can be extremely hot or cold here. 

We live in a nice neighborhood with friendly people and we are working on the house to make it 'our' home. 

Jack and I are doing great, we found that we love doing a lot of the same stuff and we are doing them.

We love going out, walk and see things, wether it is nature or going to museums, we enjoy doing them.

Slowly we are finding new things for our house and find we like what the other picks.

The biggest chance for me was going back to be a stay at home mom. For now it works out because it gives me time to work on my photography and it looks like it may evolve into a real job for me.

And I think that if you ask Jack, the biggest chance for him as having a family again, living together in the house.

Meaning that he has a wife that nags at times and a teenager that can be a handfull. But I have the feeling that he secretly likes that.

He'd better since I am not going anywhere, I am staying.

ps, I'll pick up blogging over the next days. 

Had a bit of a blogblock I think, but can think of so many things I would like to write about, I think I am good for a bit.

                                                                  Jack walking our Spanish girls in Cape May this summer.

Hup Holland!!!!

We'll see you Sunday!!!

Yikes….

Extreme HeatHi 39°RealFeel® 42°


So glad we have air conditioning over here!!!
My poor plants outside.

Biting my nails here...

and I don't even like soccer.
But here I am, listening to Dutch radio and watching the game on tv.
Blaming it on the possibility that there is a part of me that might be slightly homesick?

Right now it is 1-0 for Oranje…


Anyway, when it gets too exiting, I walk out.
I love walking out here because there is so much I can check on in our garden.
Can pinch out flowers of the hanging baskets, or the day lilies.
Check if I need to water anything. And I do, the heat is finally becoming too much for our new planted garden. And not just our garden, when walking the dogs I can see most lawns turn slightly brown.
One thing that is growing really well is a little plant that my son brought home from school.

One of the other kids didn't want it and my son knows that I will always give it a shot.
Not that it helps, I manage to kill most plants. But this time it seems to do well.
We had no clue what it was until a few days ago.
They are cucumbers!

So we are growing our first vegetables ever.
And they grow so fast that I swear, every time the game gets to exiting and I walk out, those little cucumbers grew again!

So maybe it isn't such a bad idea to have a small vegetable garden next year?


YES!!!
A minute after I finished this blog entry the Dutch scored again.
2-0  :-)

Mag ik even?

Voor de verandering eens een Nederlands blogje.
Voornamelijk omdat ik er zin in heb maar ook omdat manlief mijn gezeur dan niet hoeft te lezen.
Want, zoals Dixiechick en Cisca beide al meer dan eens benoemden, we houden ervan om nu en dan eens te zeuren.
En dat doen ze hier niet. Hier doen ze aan oplossingen en aanpakken.

Maar nu heb ik zin om even lekker te zeuren, over iets onzinnigs, iets dat ik heel goed kan oplossen, maar gewoon omdat het soms zo lekker is.
Het zit namelijk zo, het eten is hier 'te' lekker.
Ook laat Jack me kennismaken met dingen die ik me nooit kon veroorloven of niet kende.
Dat niet alleen, maar de porties zijn ook nog eens enorm.
Als ik per ongeluk laat vallen dat ik wellicht zin in een ijsje heb, dan staan we 5 minuten later bij Brusters Icecream . Niet voor een ijsje waar de chocolade hagelsslag overheen gevlogen is, maar voor een waarvoor ik beide handen nodig heb om het vast te houden en waarin flinke brokken chocola zitten.
Of halverwege de week word me gevraagd of ik geen zin heb om dat thaise restaurant uit te proberen, of zullen we naar BJ's gaan. Of hij komt thuis met een stel steaks waar je U tegen zegt en die gaan dan op de grill.
Zucht, de helft van de tijd hoef ik zelf geen boodschappen te doen en wordt er voor me gekookt.
Steak, met een baked potato en mais… of met blauwe kaas gevulde kipfilet en als dessert cookiedough icecream.

Ik denk dat jullie wel ongeveer zien waar dit heengaat.
Mijn weegschaal ziet het ook, toen ik eindelijk de moed verzameld had en er op ging staan.
Lekker eten en daarbij niet meer dagelijks op de fiets is funest.
Per maand kwam ik meer dan een kilo aan. Denk dat jullie dat optel sommetje zelf wel kunnen doen. En natuurlijk kreeg ik problemen met mijn kleding, niets past meer.
Maar ja, ook daarover kon ik niet zeuren, we gingen gewoon naar de outlets, die zijn vlakbij….zei hij.

Toch heb ik moeten besluiten om de rem er op te gooien en inmiddels is er 5,5 kilo af.
Maar lastig is het wel, behalve dat ik nu oplet wat ik eet, moet ik vooral opletten wat ik zeg.
Want voor ik het weet ligt de koelkast weer vol met lekkernijen waarvan hij denkt dat ik er zin in had.
En dat is zo verleidelijk.

Want het is allemaal veel te lekker.
Echt waar!

It really is Summer now

And that means school ended on Wednesday.
I haven't been talking much about my son on this blog since I don't really feel comfortable with talking about your kids on the internet. Too many weird people around.
But I really have to let you know now that I am a very proud Mom.
In the last few years my son had to go through some really big changes and non of them were really his choice. The last one was moving with me to the US, starting school here and adjusting to life here.
A moment ago I looked at his grades. In September he started in the 8th grade, which is the last year of middle school, and you can see his grades go up over the year.
The most surprised I am by his high B for Social Studies. Which is American history and not something he had in the Netherlands.
But best of all is seeing his English grade go up from a D to a B.
Oh and I certainly shouldn't forget the big fat A's for pre-algebra, science, art, music, gym and the last 2 gradings in reading.

Next year he will be starting High school and I think he will do fine. He seems to like the way school is set up here and if you ask him, kids are more friendly. The only bad part of school is the busses he says.
Used as he was to go on the bike, he really doesn't like the bus. And if it weren't for the 15 (highway) I would let him go, but even with the traffic lights is is just too dangerous.

Anyway, I just wanted to brag a bit about my 15 year old son.
I am really liking the young man he is turning into and I am already curious to see what the next 4 years will bring.

This week I had to say goodbye to him. Right now he is in the Netherlands, visiting his father and family for the summer. He made this long flight on his own. We had done this flight several times together and I knew he is better at finding the gates and luggage than his Mom. Also, he didn't have to wait the long wait before boarding on his own, Jack got a gate pass and waited with him. But I guess I am being a typical Mom and really didn't want to let him go on his own.

It is a good thing he has 4 years of high school to go to, close to home.
Because his Mom needs the time to get used to the idea that he will spread his wings and leave the nest.

Btw, sorry for just blurting all this out, had to get it out there and didn't really worry about how it came out.

We are getting there...

There was a good reason for the break in blogging.
We are very busy with a few things and most important, our garden.
We've been cutting, pulling, digging, planting, mulching, getting sore backs, splinters in our fingers and blisters.
And we are not done yet, but we are getting there.
The front and the sides are almost done and for the back we found, after a lot of research from Jacks side the exact stuff we want for our fence in the back. It was hard, because we wanted something like you see a lot in the Netherlands and couldn't find it over here. But it looks like it is coming in fashion on the west coast, so we will be able to order what we need.

Garden centers are different in the US, they don't have the variety I am so used to and a lot of the stuff looks old fashioned to me. Also plants are more expensive than I am used to.
But, we found a local place that has a lot of plants and shrubs that are, when it is the season for it, are very affordable.

Guess I'd better show pictures than words :-)

Today we added a hammock which is in the shaded area. Only, it is way too hot to use it. Actually, right now it is way to hot to be outside at all. Which is why I am behind the pc at 2 in the afternoon.  We have had some real ho weather for a few days now and I have been watering everything like a madman.

Something else that keeps me busy is working towards my own pet photography business. Am using every opportunity I can find to practice and also talk to people. It helps that our neighbor got a new dog that I walked a few times, that they also have cats, like another neighbor and they are all willing to help me out by letting me take pictures. I know, we have 4 dogs, but I think you could compare them with the pillows on your couch, 90 percent of the time there isn't much movement. Also, I had my own business cards printed and yesterday we went to the Harrisburg Art Fest and looked at how people had set up their booths, what was offered and I got to talk with a photographer that had made this same step just a few years ago with her wildlife photography. She offered her help if I had any questions which I gladly accepted. 

It is all very interesting and exiting. It won't be really working until I get my drivers license, but also that will be done soon.

The thing that really surprises me is how much help and support I am getting from a lot of people. It is so different from my experiences in the past in the Netherlands. It gives me a lot of confidence to start another adventure.