Last day in South Netherlands and back to Heidelberg

Today was a beautiful day in South Limburg. I went to the AirForce Base with Janelle and the kids and did some Sunday “reflection” writing while they had Sunday school. Lots of things to be thankful for and many things to pray for both personal and for others. Afterward we picked up a few things at the store and went back home for a Sunday lunch. Today I got to taste a little bit of the Netherlands since we had a little dessert of Stroopwafels. They are thin Dutch waffles made from two thin layers of baked batter with a caramel-like filling in the middle. They were quite tasty! What wouldn’t be tasty if its main ingredients were butter, flour, and brown sugar :) After lunch Janelle and I sat for another of our many long conversation about various random subjects whether it had been family, minimal politics, nutrition (of course, if you visit with me), her current house hunt, old Scobey memories, and whatever other subject we would spider web into. It was all so comforting and welcoming to be at their home. Next we all went by SnowWorld again because I wanted to climb the longest stairs in Netherland right next to the slope. It was 508 stairs long. Not sure everyone was quite as excited about the idea as I was but they were definitely troopers. I decide to try to run them and as I type this 7 ½ hours later I can still feel the burning in my chest. I’m not even so sure the last half qualified as running but I was moving as fast as I could and started getting a little nervous that I wasn’t going to lift my leg high enough to get to the next step. My extremely burning lungs and smokers cough as I sat down at the top was rewarded by a beautiful panoramic view of South Limburg. We took a couple trails for a detour on the way down and enjoyed the sunny warm weather since it may not be that way much longer. Then it was time for me to get back to Aachen to catch the train back to Heidelberg. Thanks you so much, Janelle, Riley, and Sydni, for a great weekend! I appreciated the visit very much.
On the train ride back I had a little layover in Koln (or Cologne as Americans call it). I was able to step out and walk around a bit to see the amazing Koln Cathedral. My camera couldn’t even capture how awesome and huge it was. Very cool! Now I am on the train back to Heidelberg and ready to start my first German course in the morning! Oh goodness……here we go! A little nervous and excited at the same time. I want to just know it all NOW. Trying to practice my patience.
P.S. I’m excited to say that a part of me came back today that I haven’t had in a very long time. Strange, cool, exciting, interesting emotions going on.

Saturday in the Netherlands

It has been fun to see some familiar faces in a not so familiar place. Janelle Robinson and her two kids Riley and Sydni picked me up at the train station in Aachen last night and brought me to their home in Eygelshoven in the Netherlands. Janelle is from my good ole home town of Scobey and was so nice to have me come visit and stay. This morning Janelle and I went for a nice run around town in the brisk morning weather. Then we walked to the big street market just a couple blocks away to get some things for brunch. There were tons of vendors with fresh fruit and veggies, material items, meats, cheeses, and cooked food. My exploratory heaven J Was funny to hear some the vendors screaming in the Dutch language about what they were selling. After eating our beautifully assembled brunch of bread, cheese, olives, fruit, eggs, and apple fritter pancakes from the market, we headed out for the day. First we dropped Janelle’s daughter Sydni off at SnowWorld to go snow boarding for the day. It is the world’s largest indoor ski resort with a couple huge slopes, a fitness gym, bar, restaurant and hotel attached. We went in and checked it all out and it was pretty crazy. Then we drove to Stein to watch Riley play in a soccer match. We sat in the sun watching the boys play and a few other people drank there afternoon beers and smoke their cigs around us, which is becoming an all so familiar sight these days. After the game we headed to Vaals. It is noted for being the location where the borders of three countries intersect, giving its summit the name Drielandunpunt (“Three-Country Point”). The touching countries are Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. There is a tower on the Belgium side that you can go up and see the panoramic view of the beautiful countryside. Amazing! I thought about walking the staircase to the top of the tower but after about 2 seconds of debating with myself I decided I would just take the elevator. I didn’t want everyone to have to wait a couple hours for me to accomplish the task. (Some of you may not know that I am a “little” afraid of heights.) I’m glad I decided to skip the stairs because they were grated so you could see everything below and I actually felt like I was going to lose my stance just from going up on the elevator. Pretty Creepy! But I made it up and took some pics without getting too close to the edge or stepping onto the part of the balcony that was grated as well. Wow, just typing this right now is making my legs tingle. Anyway, it was a great day! More to come tomorrow.

To Aachen and the Netherlands

So I hopped the early train to Aachen this morning and arrived in one piece after a pretty late night. We, for some reason decided that it was in some way necessary to stay up until 4:00 a.m. this morning. Uggghh! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to sleep on the train in the extremely erect position but was fortunate to see the beautiful country side. Aachen is in North Germany on the border of Germany and the Netherlands. There are many green rolling hills covered with vineyards and small little quaint towns with much character. I am being picked up my a hometown friend, Janelle Robinson this evening in Aachen for a little visit to the Netherlands. I had a pretty easy train ride here but missed my first connection in Koln so had to wait for the next train to Aachen. Fortunately I was able to read the departure and time tables pretty well and it was only a 30 minute wait. I didn’t take the time to print a map of Aachen before I came and assumed that I could get a little map when I got here. That didn’t work so well but I was able to see a posted one to get an idea of the city. Janelle is meeting me at a coffee shop that she said was across from a main building in town, so I figured I could find it. It seemed to have a main area in the middle of the city with plenty to see so I followed a big group of people off the train into town assuming they knew where the action was. So guess where I was side tracked first? YEP! A Bio Markt or better described as a whole food grocery store. So of course I had to stop in and check out the products and attempt to read the nutrition labels. It is still pretty foreign but I must say I am getting to know my ingredients and food translations. Kinda funny that most of the words that I know in German seem to be food :) After walking through the store, I continued on through some really cool cobblestone streets and into a main market place area with a big cathedral and tons of shops. Just so happens that today is the beginning of a big Open Air Concert and Festival Series happening so there are tons of people and lots of booths and stages being set up. Strangely enough but not so strange to me these days, I was lead directly to the coffee shop so here I am updating you on my travels and ready to check out some more of the city before we head to the Netherlands. Check back soon for info on my visit.

Guten Tag from Heidelberg

Hallo! I'm settling into Heidelberg and learning my way around the area a little bit. I'm now accustomed to sitting at a table or around a group of people and just smiling and nodding while my brain listens for familiar words so I might get a little clue as to what they are talking about. It isn't quite as frustrating any more but more exciting that I can actually get a little bit of what is going on. Yesterday I went to church and sort of imagined what might be being spoken. At one point the crowd started laughing, so of course I start smiling and giggling and then I started laughing harder that I didn't know what I was laughing at but I was laughing. Was actually quite funny. Heidelberg is very beautiful. The Neckar river runs through the middle of the city and a it is very cool to drive over during sunset. There are two main bridges that cross from one area of town to the other. One is a beautiful cobble stone bridge that you can walk across and get an incredible view of the Heidelberg Schloss (castle). There are many cobblestone streets with cool architectual buildings lined up directly beside each other seeming to crowd and protect the area between. It may sound as if it is claustrophobic but is actually quite quaint. One street called the Hauptstrasse is filled with small shops, cafes, bakeries, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, outside dining areas and shopping stores. It's pretty busy around that area most of the time but is definitely a place to check out and hang out any day of the week.
It seems my confidence is pretty minimal these days when it comes to ordering anything or asking questions around town since I can't speak the language. I usually not afraid to go out on my own or find my way around and check out new things so this is a bit new for me. It's a bit of a humbling experience I suppose. I am definitely excited to learn to speak the language but I think the hardest part is going to be making a fool of myself quite a few times before I become more confident. This week is on my agenda to get signed up for an intensive course. I'm also planning my next place to visit at the moment and will fill you in when plans become more concrete. Ciao!

First week in Germany

So it has been a while since I have written in here. Things are going well. We are still adjusting to the time change. We may have to change our schedule of going to bed at 3 or 4 a.m. and getting up at 11 to noon very soon :) Everything is a bit of an adjustment. Not knowing the language is quite frustrating at times but it really forces me to learn and I'm picking things up very quickly. Makes it a little tough on my social life at times but Carolin is definitely extremely helpful and sometimes the conversations switch to English so I'm not just sitting there twiddling my thumbs. It happens but its ok. I'm quite used to it now. I just read signs, menus, ingredients or whatever else is sitting around that will help me guess what words mean and drown out the conversation around me that are so garbled.
I've gone to a couple health food stores and it was VERY exciting. Love it! I was able to learn words and ingredients there and of course my mall that I love being in. One of these days I will go spend more time on my own since Carolin isn't quite ecstatic :) Her mom enjoys it though so she has taken me to one and helped me in reading things. I'm getting to know some of the German ways of eating and drinking as well. Tea and bread with butter and jam in the morning. I am really enjoying this. All different types of Vollkorn Brot (whole grain bread). Very yummy and fresh. One of the ones we eat is a very thin and dense dark bread. Then I was introduced to a creamy yogurt called Quark. It is like plain greek yogurt. You put it on the bread and then add some jam. VERY delicious. In the afternoon it is kaffee time so I have been have a bit more kaffee these days but very minimul. Carolin's father is a pastry chef as well so I have enjoyed some of his items such as a homemade pizza crust and a plum crumble cake. Quite fun to taste all the new items. One evening he made a German dish called Frikadelle which is a sort of meat ball made from beef, cornmeal, feta, and onion eaten with fried potato pieces (low oil hashbrown potato chunks). Very yummy and looking forward to more traditional foods. Ok, enough about food :)
This weekend we drove a couple hours southeast to a town called Nordlingen where Carolin's brother plays pro basketball. We have been hanging out with him all weekend walking around cooking and visiting. Heading back to Heidelberg tonight. This week will probably consist of figuring out my next moves and getting a little bit more settled in here. I am going to start a German course in a couple weeks but in the mean time I'm using a computer program. I really can't wait to figure it out. It will make things 100 times easier. Until then, I sit and laugh along like I know whats going on, then I ask later :)

First day in Heidelberg

I flew into Frankfurt local time 8:00 a.m. which is a 8 hour difference from Mountain Time. The last couple days have really been jammed together and I feel a bit confused on my time as I sit here and type at midnight in Germany. After arriving at the airport, I sat and took it all in, rested and read a book while I waited for Carolin to arrive at 1:00p.m. Her parents and some cousins came and picked us up. They were extremely kind and made me feel very welcome. German is spoken most all of the time but some english popped in from time to time for my sake. I REALLY need to learn the language now! Felt a bit overwhelmed after first getting here but things are going to be great. We went back to Carolin's parents home and visited a while before she and a friend of her's brought me into town to walk around a bit. It is very beautiful here. The pictures are taken at the Heidelberg Schloss (castle). Not much on the agenda as of yet but I will keep ya posted.

Off to Germany

Boarding in 30 minutes and on my way across the ocean. This is the first time I have had to really sit down and try to process it since buying the ticket. Wow! Very hard to believe and hard to imagine what is in store. Although I am a bit anxious and nervous, I know it is gonna be great. See ya on the flip side!

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Last night and day in the US of A

Well we almost conquered the task of staying awake until the sun came up this morning for our last night in the US of A, but by about 5:30 a.m. we figured we better get some sleep since we had plenty to do today before flying out tonight. Our night wasn’t too crazy but was fun walking around Manhattan and stopping in at a Karaoke bar to meet a couple of Carolin’s friends for a couple drinks. (NO not all those PBRs are mine - only one! Kinda brought me back to the summer of my 21st where I only allowed myself to drink PBR. Awwwww....good stuff!) Since we didn’t get there until around 11 we definitely weren’t in the same shape as the patrons that were up singing and dancing their hearts. We were most likely the soberest ones in the joint but enjoyed the entertainment and visiting. Afterward we had to hit up a nearby diner to satisfy Carolin’s daily ice cream craving since no frozen yogurt places were open at 2:30 in the morning. OH! While we were walking down a quiet street to get to the bar we walked right past David Duchovny carrying some stuff from his car into a condominium complex. Thought I better mention my NYC Celebrity sighting.
After leaving the diner, we walked around Time Square taking random pictures and began our walk back to the apartment. We looked around for a Starbucks that might just be opening up for the day but strangely enough didn’t have any luck so we figured we better just get to bed. After a few hours of sleep we were up and at it again. Running some errands around town and packing for the journey to the airport. My flight leaves at 6:30p.m. Very excited but seem to be holding my breathe a little as the anxious, excited, and slightly nervous feelings of the unknown arise. Here we go!

Beautiful Day in NYC

Woke up this morning to the bright sun shining through the big glass windows of the apartment we are staying at in middle of Manhattan. Carolin and I decided to go for a run through parts of the city and along the Hudson River towards the Staten Island Ferry. We hopped on the ferry and rode it back and forth taking pictures of the NYC skyline and little Statue of Liberty perched on her pedestal in the distance. After getting off the ferry, we did a little bit more running and walking through the city past Greenwich Village, just checking out the area. Trying hard not to spend all my money before leaving the country :) Tonight we have plans to take a stroll to Times Square.

Made it to NYC

I finally made it to NYC after leaving Scobey on Friday morning. My flight landed at 5:30 and Carolin was nice enough to come to the airport and help me with all my luggage that we had drag on a couple trains and a taxi to get to where we are staying in the middle of Manhattan. After getting to her friends apartment we grabbed some food and went up to the rooftop of the apartment building to eat and chill out after the travel day.

Seattle drop-in

Made it to Seattle last night around 9 and was able grab a cocktail with my friends Stacey and Jodie. Worked out ok having a 12 hour layover since Seattle is my old stompin grounds. Although each visit to Seattle still feels a bit strange, it was great to see them. Plus sleeping on Jodie`s couch beats the airport floor any day. Havent really been sleeping well so I`m a bit exhausted but I think I will survive. I suppose I have alot on my mind and my anxiety level is a little higher than normal with the anticipation of the trip. Not sure how many more nights I can hang without good sleep tho. It is definitely taking a toll on my body. My nutritionist is telling me to stay hydrated, avoid sugar, and take some vitamin c so I hopefully dont get sick.
I`m now at the Seattle airport awaiting my flight to NYC. I get to meet up with Carolin there for a couple days before we are off to Germany. No plans in NYC yet but should be fun. Maybe we will make an appearance on Monday`s Today show!

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First Time for Everything

So I drove to Billings today to catch my flight to Seattle and I ran out of gas! Ha ha…Guess I better cross that off the list of “never have I evers”. The gas light didn’t even come on and I planned on stopping in Worden before driving into Billings but a couple miles before the exit it started getting a little jerky. Oops! I did barely make it to the exit but the sign for gas was pointing in the wrong direction which just so happened to be up hill. So I pulled to the side of the road after turning and walked ¼ mile up to a place where there was supposed to be gas. Nope! A big red Montana dooley truck was driving by and was nice enough to tell me that the gas station was the other way and they a would help me turn the car around so I could coast down the hill to the gas station. So I hopped in the car and coasted ½ mile to the little gas station and laughed about my new experience. Ahhhh…..good thing I left for Billings early others it may not have been so comical or calmly tolerated.

Scobey Visit....Quick and Eventful

Awwwww…..Scobey. Small town in the midst of the big sky and the wide open wheat fields of Northeastern Montana. I always enjoy my time there but every time (with the exception of my 6 month stay a few years ago) it seems to fly by and be a short trip of quick visits with family and friends. This time was a bit different but yet very familiar. 7 years ago I did the same thing….I drove into town with my loaded up vehicle after graduating from college and unpacked and repacked in preparation for my trip to London for the next six months. This time I drove into town with my loaded up vehicle after graduating from college AGAIN and unpacked and repacked in preparation for my journey to Germany and beyond. A little bit of déjà vu definitely set in. Although, I would like to think that this time I am a bit older and wiser and have a whole other exciting adventure about to take place, I don’t really feel that much older nor wiser but definitely feel a different guiding hand this time.
While in Scobey I was able to spend some time with my parents visiting, preparing and enjoying sit down meals, and being spoiled with their love and generosity. I must say I feel very fortunate and thankful for the parents and family that I have. I also got a chance to visit with my Grandpa French. We walked and talked as he showed me his vegetable garden behind the house he has lived in for so many years. He proceeded to tell me with a little sarcastic grin that he wasn’t sure if he would put one in next year cause “he was getting kinda old.” I smiled remembering that he has told me that same thing the past few years. At 93, I am amazed at how he still lives at home by himself and is still a pretty active guy. Saddens me to wonder which visit I will have with him from now on will be my last.
Among all the visiting, unloading my car, and packing for the trip, I decided that I could probably squeeze something more into my schedule. It wouldn’t be like me to not keep myself as booked as possible :) Since I have been writing my nutrition articles for the Leader, I have been getting some great feedback and questions as well as a little following of interested people. So on Wednesday night I did a presentation on overall holistic nutrition and invited the community to attend. I had a great little turn out of about 28 people and enjoyed giving a little back to the community that gave so much to me growing up. Hopefully, those in attendance were able to take at least one bit of information and use it to benefit their health and/or the health of their family and friends.
After completing the presentation, that was the first time I actually sat down and thought, “wow, I’m going to Europe in a few days.” The slight slowdown that brought about the thought of my next step made me a bit anxious and off I was again busying myself packing 100lbs of luggage to bring with me. The thought that in some ways I am actually moving abroad still sort of seems surreal.
On my last night in Scobey, I enjoyed dinner with my parents and then decided to have a little “party” at my house with another three of my closest high school friends, Misti, Ami, and Christy. This party was little different cause my parents were actually aware and in attendance and provided the alcohol :) We looked at a few photos and visited over caesars and ice cream margartitas about the trouble we got into in high school driving around the “Nib”, throwing the house parties, and participation in various other events I don’t really need to share on the blog. We also hit up the “hoppin” bar for a quick drink and proudly stayed out until about 1:00 in the morning. After 5 kids ( ALL BOYS), a couple cats (one may as well be considered a kid with its designated facebook photo album), a stubborn chiwawa (who seems to be daddy’s boy), and several places called home, I must say “we all still got it.” I had so much fun and look forward to the next time we get to spend together sharing old memories as well as the more recent happenings and blessing we have all had while apart. Luv ya girls!