Somewhere in the Middle

Going down Memory Lane...

Now that I live in Belgium, I'm only allowed to have my teeth cleaned once a year. The dental clinic isn't equipped to handle bi-annual dental cleanings. This is torture for me. I enjoy having my teeth cleaned. S on the other hand gets the total royal treatment! He's allowed a dental cleaning quarterly! The catch is he has to drive to Germany for two of those visits. So when S scheduled an appointment for last Friday we decided to make the most of it & spend the weekend in Germany.

Going back to Germany always makes me happy & brings back good memories. We spent most in favorite city, Heidelberg. The weather was awesome so we spent most of our time walking around the castle & University area, eating great German food and visiting our favorite local shops.

We even drove through the town of Alsbach, where we spent our first 3 years together after we got married. The area hasn't changed much in the last 15 years except for a few more houses on the hill top and the little castle we could easily see from the bottom of the hill isn't so visible. It felt weird seeing the house we used to live in.

Never did I think I'd see this view again. No matter how many times I drove or walked up this hill I never got tired of seeing this view. Living in Southern California for so many years, I wasn't used to living in an area as lush and green as Germany.

As we drove around this weekend I kept thinking how I didn't fully appreciate the time I lived in Germany. Since it was my first time being away from home I spent the first few months so caught up with missing my old home I missed out on what my new home offered.

Why is it that we don't truly appreciate what we have until it's gone.

Bike Riding through Rainbow Fields

One of the things I love most about Holland is their bike friendly attitude. Riding bikes is a way of life for them. They have wide separate lanes for bikers everywhere. It's awesome! They have all kinds of cool bike attachments to hold groceries, kids, child gear, and other personal items. I even saw some parents with little front seats and plastic windshields similar to a motorcycle to protect their babies from the wind or flying bugs. Very cool. I did find it interesting how no one wears bike helmets. Unless you're training for the Tour de France or some other competitive race you just don't wear a helmet.

By far my favorite part of the trip was bike riding through the tulip fields. Biking through the open fields and canals was so peaceful & relaxing. I didn't want the day to end. The tulip fields were more beautiful than I imagined. I felt like we were traveling through rainbow fields.

Lil' C loved being on the back of his Daddy's bike. He became so excited when he saw the tulip fields in the distance. He rarely asks me to take his photo but not that day. All Lil' C wanted to do was take photos in each colored tulip section. Of course I obliged. ;)

The Sweet Smell of Hyacinth

One of the main reasons we went to Holland last weekend was to attend their annual Flower Parade. It reminds me of a small scale Rose Parade. S & I just so happen to catch it the last time we visited the Keukenhof and one of the things I remember most besides the gorgeous floats was the smell of hyacinths. Plus I thought Lil' C would really enjoy seeing the floats.

The parade was passing through Lisse around 3:00 but since we got a late start that morning we figured we'd see the parade in Haarlem instead. By the time we arrived it was already dark but we stayed to see a few illuminated floats go by and listen to a band that was really entertaining the crowd.

Since the floats remain in Haarlem overnight we decided to see them the next morning. The floats were beautiful and the smell of hyacinth was everywhere. Santa & his reindeers even made an apperance. I was quite surprised to see him during the Spring season. lol! And they also had a Halloween theme float. Mmm... not exactly what I picture for a Spring flower parade but hey the float was beautiful and smelled delish!

Here's a picture of Santa' Reindeers



Hyacinths were used to create the Halloween bat & ghosts.

Here is the band the following morning still drawing crowds & making people want to sing & dance.

Can you Believe these are Real?

Saturday we spent the entire day at Keukenhof. No amount of photos can truly capture the beauty of these gardens. It was our 2nd time visiting the Keukenhof. I love tulips so I don't think I could ever get tired of visiting these gardens. S & I got married in May so my wedding bouquet was filled with tulips.

As soon as you reach the park entrance the smell of hyacinths immediately hits you. Lil' C tried to smell each individual hyacinth and kept repeating over & over how good they smelled. lol!

The variety of tulips was incredible. I especially loved the double tulips they reminded me of peonies. I loved them so much I ordered over 120 bulbs for my grandmother & I. I know that sound like a lot but that s probably just a fraction of the number of tulips Lil' C is pictured with below. Looking through the order book was overwhelming. With so many varieties it was difficult to chose. I wanted all of them! lol! In the end, I limited my selection to tulips I thought were unique.

We spent about 5 hours walking through the park and enjoying the beauty. Here's a little glimpse of the beauty Keukenhof offers.

 

Windmills + Canals + Tulips = A Weekend in Holland

Last weekend we spent a few days in Holland. We had a very wonderful weekend... beautiful weather, great food, plus we didn't have to deal with the language barrier and everyone was very friendly. It seems like everyone spoke English. And when you live in an area where English is hardly spoken it's a nice change to be able to communicate with the locals.

Holland is a beautiful country. In just three days I must have taken over 400 photos! We had a pretty simple itinerary which made for a relaxing three days.

On the way to Haarlem we stopped to see the windmills at Kinderdijk. Seeing 19 windmills all built in the 17th century was incredible. We actually went inside one of the windmills to see how they operate. It was a bit scary going up & down the old narrow wooden stairs but we did make it up to the top. Lil' C was so excited to go inside the windmill & see what makes the blades spin.

Here's a photo I took from a tiny window at the top of the windmill looking out into the park.

Here are a couple more photos we took.

Day 2 of our trip to Holland coming later tonight.

Snail Hoe-Down Party

I don't know what came over me yesterday maybe it was the warm sunny weather or maybe I was dreaming of having my own tulip garden but I spent a good 3+ hours outdoors cleaning & butchering  trimming the garden area.

I'm a wanna be gardener... love the look of a beautiful garden filled with flowers that bloom at different times of the year but I'm afraid of the bugs I come into contact with when I'm digging up weeds or planting flowers. If I could garden blindfolded I totally would. lol!! But for now my garden gloves will have to do. During our weekend trip to Holland, I was completely inspired by the gardens at the Keukenhof (I'll post more on our weekend trip later) and the gorgeous tulip fields. So I did what any avid gardener would do when visiting the Keukenhof and I purchased a collection of unique tulip bulbs so I could have my own lovely little tulip garden next spring.

As I was trimming the flowers, I found a large collection of snails. Lil' C had a ball with these snails. I tried my best not to pass out or scream when he held these snails inches away from me. After Lil' C collected about 20 snails he decided to organize a Snail Hoe-Down Party just like in The Backyardigans.

The Party planning begins....

    Step 1 Gather your guests together

    Step 2 Introduce your guests to one another and make sure everyone has plenty to eat & drink.

    Step 3 Encourage your guests to mingle

    Step 4 Let everyone relax and have a good time

Country

                              The Belgian countryside right outside my window.

Too Funny

This video with Will Ferrel is so funny; I couldn't resist passing it on.

Warning: The words b*&ch &  a%$hole are used so if you find these words offensive you may not want to watch it. But it really is funny!

Oh yeah... it's definitely Funkylicious

After hearing me complain about my recent internet shopping experience, my sister surprised me and picked up this adorable blouse from Bebe. My sister and I have similar taste so when I saw her wearing this blouse in a recent photo I immediately called her to get the scoop. Luckily, she grabbed the last one in my size. Isn't it funny how when you're shopping you usually find all the sizes except your own. So when this pink little number showed up at my house I was so happy. I love the blouse and best of all it fits perfectly! yeah!!

The care package included all kinds of goodies... books, candy, and (as my sis calls them) funkylicious cds although I think they're more bootylicious. lol!  My sister is a total music junkie so when I pulled out these cds I knew I was in for a treat. Ever since these cds arrived Lil' C & I have been dancing all over the house. Hearing these tunes will definitely make you want to get up & dance.  Lil' C is crazy about a merengue song by Limite 21 called "Aguantalo Ahi". As you can see he's already a Lil' Salsero.

My DNA

Read my VisualDNA™     Get your own VisualDNA™

This is pretty cool! Give it a try.

S took the DNA quiz too and here are his results:

Read my VisualDNA™     Get your own VisualDNA™

Thanks Ally for posting the link.