Adeus! Tot ziens! Auf Wiedersehen! Au revoir! Good-bye!

Hello friends and family. After much thought and contemplation, I have decided to close my blog. I have enjoyed this blog so much, but as I strive magnify my callings at home and otherwise, I have found that I no longer have the time (nor mental energy!) to continue. We are doing well here in our little corner of the world, anxiously and excitingly looking forward to future trips and our eventual return to America next summer. Thank you for being a part of our lives in this way and all of your kind comments along the way. I still have all of your email addresses, so rest assured when any BIG news comes along, you will be among the first to know! I look forward to still checking on you through your blogs and continuing to keep in touch!

Much love,

Lisa & company

Landon in true form. (San Sebastain, Spain; July 2009)


Nothing like the beach! (San Sebastian, Spain; July 2009)


I know I say this frequently, but I really mean it this time: One of my favorite pictures ever! (San Sebastian, Spain; July 2009)


Atop an old military fort (San Sebastian, Spain; July 2009)


Don Quixote Statue (Madrid, Spain; July 2009)


Row Boats in El Retiro (Madrid, Spain; July 2009)


La Alhambra (Granada, Spain; July 2009)


Swimming pool fun (Malaga, Spain; July 2009)


Ryan in all of his unshaved, bookwormy handsomeness (Malaga, Spain; July 2009)


Yummy. (Malaga, Spain; July 2009)


Along the river. Photo by Brayden. (Bordeaux, France; July 2009)


One of the many, many small German towns we encountered (Black Forest, Germany; August 2009)


Boys taking turns glass blowing - so cool! (Wolfach, Germany; August 2009)


Palace (Baden Baden, Germany; August 2009)


On the bridge (Heidelberg, Germany; August 2009)


Overlooking Heidelberg (Heidelberg, Germany; August 2009)


Family photo (Lake Titisee, Germany; August 2009)


Soccer season has arrived! (Brussels, Belgium; September 2009)


Bray warming up for his game! (Brussels, Belgium; September 2009)


Boys having fun on one of Belgium's giant slides (Rochefort, Belgium; October 2009)


Me and my girl (Namur, Belgium; November 2009)

one more thought....anyone know a good place to turn my blog into a book?

Today was a GOOD day

Nous sommes revenus!!! Today brought our summer to a screeching halt as school began for Brayden and Landon. I have a good bakers dozen worth of posts to catch up on from our summer of play, but for today I am talking Back-to-School!!

After thinking and praying much this summer (see this post)I made the decision to have Brayden go into 1st grade here and continue his studies in French. At the end of the day, it wasn't a very hard decision to make, but getting over nerves has been another issue. Brayden started openly talking about being nervous last week (1. That his french wasn't good enough & 2. That he wouldn't have any friends) and while I remained calm, cool, and collected on the outside (or so I would like to think), I was probably more nervous than Brayden. Having talked to some of my friends and neighbors who told me what to expect as far as the curriculum goes, it made me wonder if Brayden actually would be ok as the curriculum seems quite intense for 1st graders. Add to it the fact that the curriculum is in French, and I was shaking in my boots. I had such a nervous stomach this morning I thought I was going to throw up my breakfast. However, when we got to school, a huge blessing arrived in the form of a 6 year old non-French speaking, English speaking boy in Brayden's class name Lucas. He just moved here from the UK last week and I'm pretty sure he was more terrified than Brayden and I combined. As Ryan and I chatted with his mom, the boys became quick friends and one of Brayden's biggest fears (not having friends at school) was now gone. Not only that, but Brayden gained an extra measure of confidence knowing that he was no longer at the end of the imaginary french-speaking totem pole (thus severely diminishing his fear of his language not being good enough). I don't remember a time I have been so proud of him as I watched him march into his class all full of new confidence. It was a sheer blessing and a tender-mercy from the Lord. The rest of the day went well for Brayden and he was happy at the end of the day, full of new stories for me.

Landon also did really well today. He walked right into class, happy as could be and never looked back. I requested one of the strictest teachers for Landon this year knowing that Landon a. works best in a rigid environment and b. only someone with a nose for discipline could handle Landon, and it seems as though the teacher is living up to his reputation. On the way home from school Landon kept saying, "Charlotte can't go to school yet because she wouldn't be able to sit still and be quiet. I have to be quiet at school." He must have told me this same thing 10 times which makes me think maybe he was told to keep quiet a couple of times today??? Some of his friends from last year are in his class, and although he misses having Brayden at school with him, I think he likes feeling like an older kid at school and the responsibility of being on his own.

I'm not going to lie, after the anxiety I have been feeling about the boys starting another school year, I was on cloud nine this morning after drop off. I love when things go well, and I hate it when they don't, so today was a GOOD day. Hopefully we have more to come! Stay tuned for our summer re-cap!

Questions - Answered, FINALLY!

I am currently sitting in an apartment in Madrid, Spain hurridly checking my emails for matters of "important business" and a random thought occurred to me that I never posted these answers like I promised in my last post. I'm sure none of you have been holding your breath, but here they are anyway. Any more Q's? Leave me a comment and I'll get to it...eventually :)

I want to know if you are still using the crock pot and if you have any new good recipes :)

Yes, I still am using my crockpot, and no, I don’t really have any new good recipes. I have purchased few small appliances here, but my crockpot was one of the first. Soup seems to be a big deal here and in the winter some of the vendors at the market will sell fresh soup in large glass bottles and occasionally I will buy that and warm it up in my crockpot with some chunky vegetables thrown in there. Sunday dinner is still it’s primary use though. Sorry! Wish I had something new for you!

I want to know if there is still a possibility of you coming back to Oregon. I also want to know your favorite memory of your time so far.

There is a chance that we may return to Portland. That being said though, there is an equal chance we could end up in any other of the 49 states upon our return. I think we have decided that we would like to return to the West coast, but that isn’t set in stone either. My thought on the matter can be summed up in 2 ways: I either want to live close to family, or I want to live somewhere cool. If we could accomplish both that would be great, but I'm just shooting for one. :) We should find out where we are coming back to after the new year. To say I can’t wait to find out is an understatement. As far as favorite memory….this is hard! I can’t pick one, but this one stands out as a defining moment on this whole experience: We had just arrived in Brussels. We were crazy-jet lagged and had absolutely no orientation to ANYTHING around us. We were put up in this old apartment building that I thought was a little creepy (which looking back was not that bad) and we were ALL ALONE. Ryan and I looked at each other and said, “Well, we did it!” (referring to making this journey as a family and leaving all of our possessions and everything and everyone we knew behind) and I just remember feeling a complete adrenaline rush and being so excited for what was to come. I guess you could say it was the beginning of many good memories.

I want to know what you are currently reading...you always had a stack of books here...

Recently read: Jane Eyre (had never read it before, loved it!), The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (again, loved it! It made my cry and those of you that know me well know that it takes A LOT to do that) 3 cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen, In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen. Next up? Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Wish me luck.

Have you bought many kids clothes out there...still finding great deals? What's the cutest article of clothing you have purchased?

I have not purchased too many kids clothes here. Compared to the US, kids clothes are way expensive here. It’s unfortunate really because the clothes are just to-die-for cute and given an unlimited budget, I’m pretty sure I could dress Charlotte like a supermodel. I mostly stick to H&M and Zara (both of which can be found places in the US) for the necessities. Cutest thing I have purchased was probably Charlotte’s flamenco dress from Spain.

How much vacation time does Ryan get with his job? It seems like you're gone for a week every other month or so. (OK, so I'm jealous...but I'm also curious.) Ryan gets 20 some-odd days (22, 23, 24?) plus standard holidays. It’s the same amount of time he had in the States, but for some reason we actually get to use it here. :)

Out of all the places you have seen which is your favorite? Where would your dream vacation be? This is the last question I have for you. How long are you planning on living there?

1. Favorite place? Switzerland. I have really enjoyed other places, but Switzerland was definitely my favorite. As far as cities go though, Paris or Barcelona.

2. Dream vacation? I think this is un-answerable for me. You name a place I haven’t been and it’s my dream. Tops of my list that I haven’t seen yet: All of Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Finland); Moscow, Russia; Turkey; Cairo, Egypt; Tokyo, Japan; New Zealand. I think Ryan and I have started a hobby that cannot be satisfied. :)

How long are we planning to be here? Current contract is up in July 2010. However, we were recently told that they would love to keep Ryan around if everything (meaning the economics of it all) worked out.

When are you bringing Ryan and the kids back to the states? Do you have a set timeframe, or can you extend indefinitely? ...or do you even want to come back? :)

I addressed the timeframe question above, but as far as wanting to come back I can say this: The longer we are here, the more I want to go home and the longer I want to stay here. I know it sounds strange phrased like that, but I really go back and forth as to what I really want. I feel better about the education my kids are receiving here (even though I have never had a US public school experience), I love the cultural experiences and traveling opportunities that we have here, but I miss America! Being away from America has really made me realize what a great country America is (despite its issues) and I am definitely proud to be an American. Who knows though, if the US becomes a socialized nation while I am gone, I may just stay here forever. :)

2. What do you "miss" about the states? I miss root beer, Café Rio, and the English language.

3. What does it mean in Europe about "holiday"/does that affect you? if so, positive or negative? Holiday is the British word for “vacation” that has been adopted by all of Europe. In fact, most anyone in Europe that speaks English speaks British English and so they talk about going on “holiday.” I would say that word is used very positively at my house.

4. Do you have family planning to see you while you are in europe? Well, my brother and my parents were just here, and Ryan’s parents are planning to come soon. We have a couple of other siblings who have expressed interest in coming, but I haven’t heard many updates….so you tell me siblings – are you coming??? Aside from siblings, are any of you planning to come make a tour guide out of me???

5. What is your favorite daily activity that has been influenced by your new culture? Hum…..either hanging laundry outside or buying fresh bread.

6. Do you think you've changed or widened your perspective to the world/culture/etc? This is a definite, loud, YES!! I don’t quite know how to explain this without going on and on for many paragraphs, but yes, my perspective has been both widened and changed. I am a much better person for many reasons for having lived here and I think my kids are too. We have met so many people from so many different countries and cultures and at the end of the day, one thing that I have realized (as simple as this is going to sound) is that we are all human having a human experience. No matter what language we speak, or what culture we are from, I think we all want the same things out of life and I think we have a lot we can teach each other. A humorous note to a perspective change: Brayden thinks he has brown skin. Don't get me wrong, that kid can get a mean tan, but he's still definitely a whitey. A lot of the kids in Brayden’s class are black or middle-eastern and have darker skin. Since Brayden tans so well, he has adapted himself into this circle and colors his skin with a brown crayon whenever he does a self-portrait. It’s hilarious.

The End. Happy Summer. See you soon! 

Summertime...

Summer has officially hit Brussels and I've decided it's time to put the blog on hold until the kids go back to school. Summer break goes from July 1st - August 31st, and we are planning on using every minute of those 2 months to scour Europe, or at least plan our adventures to do so. As such, besides maybe the occasional check-in, I'm signing off for the summer. The kids have been using this last week to learn how to be nice siblings (I'm quickly realizing why parents are so eager for summer vacation to be over!) and we have been hitting up as many venues around Brussels as possible. Yesterday we headed up to Antwerp to check out the cathedral there and we also hit this really great Antique Market. Ryan picked up this fantastic old telescope that will be perfect in his office/den/man room someday and we bought Brayden a super-old-school magnifying glass that will be perfect for all of his adventures. I think he's going to be stoked when his birthday comes around. I'll leave you with some pictures of what we have been up to the last little bit. {pictures courtesy of my brother Nathan}

                     

Brother!!

Yesterday morning my youngest brother Nathan came for a visit. My parents are coming next week and so he came a bit early to play. It's been so fun to have him around (wicked British accent and all) and my cheeks are sore tonight from laughing so hard today. The boys insist that he plays endless games of soccer and reads their bedtime story, and Charlotte refuses to hold anyone else's hand but his when crossing the street. Today was our first full day out and about and we had so much fun!

I'm pleased to announce that Nathan was officially introduced to the world of public transportation:


We hit one of my favorite places in town, the flea market:


and found these amazing, not-very-well-pictured, emerald green strands of beads from Ghana. I'm stoked and I'm sure Nathan's girlie-friend back home will be too. ;>


And then stopped for lunch at my favorite fry ("frites") place in town at Place Jourdin:


We walked around a bit more and made it back in time to pick up the boys from school. We have many more full days ahead of us and I am so excited to have him here!

ps - more of your questions are coming up soon....I'm not avoiding the answers, I'm just a little behind :>

Happy Father's Day!

Often times, I have a hard time adequately expressing myself with words. I know what I feel, I know what I am thinking, but I just can't seem to find just the right words to express it. Today is one of those days. My heart feels full. My reflections on fatherhood mirror my thoughts on the examples I have had in motherhood. I have been blessed to have good men in my life, my own father, my father-in-law, and especially my husband. Today, instead of fumbling for words, I will just say this to Ryan: your family loves you, your family honors you, and most of all, your family is grateful for you. Every. single. day. Thank you for the sacrifices you make and for the man that you are. Happy Father's Day!