I like it, I like it not.....

Yesterday was Cody's first day of school, and boy was it a rough morning.  We were supposed to be picked up from the hotel at 630 because we didn't know if the bus came at 7 or 730, and it's 1.5 miles down the road.  At 635 he wasn't there so we started walking.  Walking FAST.  Cody was crying the whole time because he wanted a break but I wouldn't let him because we couldn't chance missing it.  His foot hurt, his leg hurt, his stomach or something around it hurt, and it was cold.  But since we were walking so fast I actually warmed up pretty quick. Oh, and I wasn't wearing shoes to walk in since I was expecting a ride.  Right as we were getting to the stop our ride showed up and took us the last little bit of the way.  We got there at 7, they are allowed to board at 710 and they leave at 715.  Well of course he isn't on the list to be able to ride the bus, so the driver had to call somebody and see if he could go.  Luckily he could because we have pretty much no way to get a hold of anyone except the phone at the hotel.  Oh and did I  mention I locked myself out of the hotel when we were leaving?  I figured someone would be up by the time I got back, but no.  I stood outside for 45 minutes.  At least our old room was open so I could go sit by the heater and warm up.  At 8 Hugo was up so he let me back in.  As soon as I got back in the room I just cried.  I was so freezing cold and all of the stress from the last 4 days hit me like a ton of bricks.  I had to just cry it out and then remind myself that it will get better.  Living in a room with 4 people and nowhere to put anything and no easy access to food is only temporary! 

Cody in front of his bus.  They have seatbelts and watch cartoons in the morning

After warming up and going back to sleep until 1030, the day started getting better.  We took the bus to Uden again to get Cody a belt since all his pants fall down, also got the boys a couple of toys.  We went to a BBQ last night at one of the guys houses so we got to meet a few more people.  It was nice finally being able to talk to people more in depth, especially the wives.  And it was nice for the kids to be able to play with other kids.  Seems like everyone we meet is leaving within a year, and most people we are meeting now will be gone by next September.

At their house.  Most comfy chair ever!

So what started out as a crappy day turned into a good day, and it was Brandon's last day of not working in what seems like forever.  Everything is just going to take more and more getting used to and I think we will like it very much.

After school.  Trying to smile after he hurt his hand.  I don't remember how.

And trying to smile while pulling up his pants

Uden

Today we took the bus to Uden to find a lunch box.  An all day pass is 3 euro and kids under 3 are free.  We got off at the bus station which was the last stop, and tried figuring out which way the arrow was pointing to go to the Centrum, the center of the town.  Luckily a dutch lady stopped and asked if we needed help and pointed us the right way!  We walked around a bit and found a store called Hema that has children's clothes but also looked like it had household good as well.  It actually had a little bit of everthing.  We were able to get a gym bag and a lunch bag.  Not sure if it's actually for a lunch but it will work.  It needed to be a good size to hold lunch and both snacks!

We ate lunch at a cafe, we could decifer most of the what was on the menu, just not the details like tomato and cucumbers and things like that.  The waitress came to take our order and when we stared blankly at her and said umm... she said 'Oh, you're English!'  and then we asked her what was good.  Brandon had a club sandwhich that had a bunch of vegetables and hard boiled eggs and bacon bits.  I ordered a fish sandwhich that had salmon and a white fish on it, plus some kind of white spread, something that looked like sunflower seeds, and bacon bits.  Cody had a hamburger and Brice shared with all of us.  Everything came with a little salad on the side that had corn and kidney beans in it.  That was actually really good.  I think those were Brice's first kidney beans, and he liked them!  Hmmm............just had deja vu.

When we came back we put Brice down for a nap and I walked to Volkel to go to the Jumbo Supermarket.  Here it isn't very big, but it has a lot of stuff.  I got everything for Cody's lunches plus some other drinks and snacks for us.  It's already getting tiring having to eat out for meals twice a day.  Luckily we were asked over for dinner tomorrow night, and Monday we are going to a BBQ!! 

Here are some pictures:

Walking to Volkel

The corn I was telling you about

Most of the smaller roads are brick, not paved

The church in Volkel

The windmill next door

The Neighbors

The massive horse across the street.  Not very tall but very thick

Some goats down the road

One of the many horses behind us

A bird at the petting zoo.  There are also deer, a donkey with a huge tumor on it's neck, and lots of ducks and geese

International School

Cody starts school on Monday!  We met his teacher, Mrs. Roach, she is a black lady from London that moved here 7 years ago and has 4 children that all go to the school.  His classroom is pretty small but I think there's about 15 kids in his class.  7 of them are new like him and there are 2 or 3 other American kids as well.  Everyone seems really nice there and it seems like it's going to be a good environment for him.  The only school supplies he needs are a backpack, lunch box, and a gym bag with clothes for gym 2 days a week.  We had to buy a library bag from the school so he can bring books home, that's the only thing that goes in there.  His library day is Tuesday, and gym days are Wednesday and Thursday.  Tomorrow we are taking the bus to Uden in search of a lunch box.  I almost grabbed his too but forgot before the movers packed it up. 

They have 2 snacks during the day, plus lunch, and he has to take everything with him.  The only thing the school provides is water all day and milk during lunch.  The day lasts from 825 until 330, and Wednesday they get out at 1230, which he's already used to from his school last year.  We're not sure how long the bus ride is but we hope it's less than an hour.  And we still don't know what time it comes in the morning, either 7 or 730.  The stop is a mile and a half down the road from here which shoudl take 20 minutes to walk to, or maybe he can get dropped off when Brandon goes to work.  Monday we'll probably walk though. 

When we left his school the guy that drove us around today took us to a kabob stand and we got turkish wraps for lunch.  I've had them before in Italy and they are so good!!!  Cody wasn't really thrilled about the meat but Brice loved it.  Cody's going to have to learn to eat different food over here or he won't be eating much.  Luckily Brice will at least try things and he does like a lot already so he should be good. 

For dinner we walked down to Volkel the village where had pizza last night, but we went to a different place and had hamburgers and fries.  Brandon thinks it might have been horse meat.  Either way it was good!  It felt like it was going to rain and we made it back to the room just in time for it to start pouring.  Our jackets we bought in Portland are perfect, not too warm or heavy but they're waterproof. 

I have pictures of more animals that we saw and the village that I will put up tomorrow.  (Or today since it's 4 in the morning).  We've been awake for the last 2 hours not being able to fall back asleep.  Can't wait to get back on schedule!

de Brabantse Hoeve

For the next month or so, probably month and a half until our household goods get here, we will be staying at a bed and breakfast called de Brabantse Houve.  http://www.brabantsehoeve.nl/  We weren't sure what to expect, just hoping for a room that is big enough for all four of us.  Turns out, this is a very busy couple of days, so we are in a temporary room until our room is available.  There are 4 single beds and a sink in our room that looks like it's supposed to be the massage room.  The massage table was moved into the room attached to it, which is also attached to the owner's garage.  We're sharing a bathroom with the other American family, they had to move out of their room for a few days and are sleeping in the owner's room (Hugo) while he sleeps in his kids room. 

The front

Our bed.  We pushed them together so Brice wouldn't fall off

Wooden shoes!

Blogging

The breakfast room

So, since we're in the back of the place, we don't have easy access to the rest of the house.  We had some milk in the fridge and needed to get it at 3:30 in the morning for Brice.  To get to the front door you have to open this HUGE gate that's on a wheel.  You have to pull really hard and I almost gave up on.  Luckily the moon was bright enough that I could see, and once I got it open I was able to get inside.  

The owner's name is Hugo, he's very nice and very accomodating.  Always makes sure we have everything we need and comfortable.  We thought we would have missed breakfast this morning but everything was still out and he poured our drinks and made sure we were settled.  I think then he headed out for a bike ride.  He was certainly dressed for one!

There are 3 or 4 bedrooms upstairs that I just glanced at yesterday but they look great.  There's also the breakfast area with a mini fridge we can keep a few things in, plus a living area with a tv.  I'm watching Will & Grace :)  The rooms upstairs also have their own bathrooms with them.  Ours will have a wardrobe in it so we can unpack a few things.  There are 3 Saturdays when we'll have to stay somewhere else but Hugo will hold on to our luggage and we can just take what we need.  He was already booked on those days when our reservation was made, but he set up the arrangements so we don't have to worry about anything.  

They also have a coffee house where they have coffee and soda and a basket of toys the kids can play with.  Yesterday there were 2 ladies that were working here and today there's one of the ladies and a younger guy.  Tomorrow we should be able to sit down with Hugo and talk some more, figure out the bus schedule to get around on the weekends since we don't have a car.  Brandon is going to have to get rides to work and we have to figure out if we can walk Cody to the bus stop.   

Sorry if this is kind of rambling......

Our neighbors on one side are a bunch of horses, and on the other side is a farm where Hugo gets his eggs.  There are cows, sheep, and horses everywhere, plus tons and tons of corn fields.  But they don't sell and eat the corn, they grow it for their animals to eat.Everywhere smells like manure but it's really not that bad after a day.  It probably will be bad in the summer with the heat bearing down on it.     

Adios and Verwelkomen!

August 31st was out last day of living in the United States for the next 4 years.  We never thought we actually get to move to another base out of Albuquerque.  September 1st we woke up at 5 am to get ready to fly out.  Our friend Brian came and picked up our luggage to help us get it all to the airport.  5 suitcases, 1 duffel bag, 3 backpacks, a stroller, a carseat and a pack n play is what we will be living with for about the next month and a half. 

Our rainbow of luggage

We arrived at the airport around 6 and the boys and I waited on the curb while Brandon returned the rental car.  Cody visited with his mom during that time and during the check in process.  Each of our suitcases was about 55 pounds, but with United and flying on orders, each of us was allowed 3 bags up to 70 pounds.  (We called ahead of time to make sure of this) The man at the counter said it was only 1 bag so we thought we'd have to pay for the extra, but we ended up not having to.

Brandon and I had breakfast burritos (sans chile) and Cody had a muffin and of course chocolate milk.  Once we got on the plane it was pretty easy.  It was nice having Brice in his own seat, the last 3 times we flew I just held him.  All of the boys were on one side of the plane and I was across the aisle.  I don't think anyone slept on that flight.

Once we landed in DC we had 3:40 until our next flight.  We chased Brice up and down the terminal a few times which was fine because he makes people laugh and he was going to be sitting for the next 7 hours. 

Luckily we were sitting in economy plus seating for the flight to Amsterdam.  You wouldn't think 5 more inches in front of you would make a difference but it did.  We have these thin fleece sleeping bags too so I was totally covered in blanket and so warm.  I think we all slept about an hour at first and then watched movies and ate dinner.  Brice and I watched Mary Poppins, and then I watched Iron Man 2.  Dinner was pretty amazing for airline food.  Salad with sesame ginger dressing, rice, and curry chicken.  I had an oatmeal chewie for dessert but Brandon gave me half of his brownie :) 

Cody slept for a couple more hours but I don't think Brice did.  He just wanted to run around everywhere.  For breakfast they gave us yogurt and banana bread. 

Once we landed we loaded up 2 luggage carts with our luggage and went through 'customs'.  That consisted of getting our passports stamped (before we got the luggage) and walking through the 'nothing to declare' door.  Pretty simple.  The girl that picked us up was waiting for us so we took the shuttle bus to the long term parking lot and loaded everything into a van. 

After fropping off everything at the bed and breakfast http://www.brabantsehoeve.nl/  we went out to Brandon's work and got a tour.  It's a really small place surrounded by woods and the flightline is right next door.  We were able to see an F-16 come down the taxi way that was close enough to throw something at.  We came back to the room about 1:30 and took for about 4 hours.  I really wanted to shower before that but I'm glad I didn't because I probably would have slept much longer.  My eyes were burning pretty bad from lack of sleep, I'm glad I wore my glasses. 

We woke up and took showers, finally got Cody awake, and walked into the center of town to get dinner.  This was about 8 pm.  We just got pizza and brought it back.  On the way back to our room we met the other American family that is staying here.  They have a 4 year old and a 7 months old.  They have been staying here for a month and move into their house on the 16th of this month.  We learned a lot from them as far as how to get licenses for driving and taking the test, plus how getting our money works and everything.  She said the Dutch take their time doing things and if something doesn't happen they just say it will happen tomorrow.  Or if you make an appointment and they don't show up it's no big deal. 

Brice fell asleep as we were walking back, but the rest of us stayed up until 11 and went to bed.  Brice woke up at 3 in the morning and didn't go back to sleep until at least 4.  I don't really know what time it was, but it seemed like forever.  I had to walk to the main house to get milk for him. (see the post on the B&B)  We woke up at 9:30 to get our first official day started.  (see the next post)

My very first impressions of being here were not that great, but I think that was because of a lack of sleep.  After talking with the couple we met I feel better, but we just have to accept that the pace is slower and things are difficult because there is really no base support from anyone.  We are guests here and the base that does support us is an hour and half away and don't really do much for us.  Once we are more settled and actually in a house for real I think it will be much better. 

We are trying desperately to learn the language, which is pretyy difficult but we have our dictionary to help us!  People are very nice here to and will try to understand you if they don't speak English, but most of them do. 

I'm going to take a break from this to upload some pictures, then I will post about the place we're calling home at the moment, and about todays events!

The rest of our trip

Well after leaving Spokane we kept having internet problems, and after coming back to Albuquerque I've just been lazy.  So here's the rest of our trip through Oregon and California.  We stayed 5 days in Portland visiting Brandon's family, went to the Evergreen Aviation Museum and OMSI.  They also have a year round Christmas store called Sleigh Bells that I went to.  Got Cody some birthday and Christmas presents.  I could have spent hours in there but only had an hour and had Brice with me.  All of the personalized ornaments have every name imaginable except Brice.  We'll just have to get him a few specially made!

Pictures are going to take awhile on this internet, so I will post more later.  Probably when we move in our house in a few months.  You can also look at them on www.flickr.com/brandon05sti.  There are some of San Diego, and we will put more current ones up when we get a house as well. 

After Oregon, we drove straight through for 18 hours to get to San Diego.  By doing that we were able to have 4 days instead of 3.  We had dinner one night on the beach, cooked hot dogs on sticks over the fire, and roasted marshmellows.  Brice and Cody went on the boogie board.  The water was actually decent while the sun was still up.  We also went to Balboa Park and had a picnic lunch, then walked around for a few hours. 

Of course the drive to Albuquerque was long and boring, but we were able to stop in Phoenix for lunch with a couple of my 03 Tops in Blue friends!