you're in the loop

If I were to tell you this post is going to be super exciting, I'd be lying.  So here's my disclaimer: this is simply a post to keep everyone in touch with my Holland adventure-- the exciting parts and the boring parts.

Since returning to Holland, I haven't been up to a whole lot.  Actually, I think it's be safe to say I've been bored senseless this last week.  Kristel and Jerry have been very busy with work, so I've been tied to the house all week, often putting the kids to bed.  

Though I'll admit, I had one noteworthy adventure this week, I drove!  It was not only a big deal because it was my first time driving in Holland.  It was a huge deal because it was my first time driving in Holland AND I just happened to be driving a really really really expensive car.  A Jaguar to be more precise.  My job was to get from Central Station to my house, which is one road all the way there.  But crazy traffic circle like intersections combined with rain, darkness, and nerves led to me being in the wrong lane, thus going away from where I wanted to be!  After I found a place to pull over and have my mini panic attack, I turned on the navigation system (had it off because gosh, I only had to go in a straight line, not to mention I bike that route at least twice a week).  Eventually, I got home in one piece via some obscure route I didn't even know existed.  Needless to say, I have gained a whole new appreciation for my bicycle.

Christmas in a Nutshell

Hello from Holland!  I'm back to the land of good cheese and bicycles for part two of my adventure.  Being home for Christmas was one of the greatest gifts ever.  To those of you I didn't have a chance to visit, I'm terribly sorry!  And those of you I had the chance to see, thanks for putting up with my tight schedule.  Two weeks really isn't enough time!

As tradition, we spent Christmas Eve at Baba and Gido's indulging in to-die-for Ukrainian food. 

Baba, the amazing cook who had been slaving away two days prior to the Christmas feast, and Gido getting ready to eat his favorite meal of the year. 

Then, following tradition, Christmas morning started out with all of us in our pyjamas.  This obviously resulted in people being reluctant to being photographed, but I managed to sneak a few.  

And eventually people started to cooperate with my snap happiness.

The rest of Christmas was full of good food, family time and Ukrainian Caroling (thanks Volya for not only one, but two nights of awesomeness!)

New Year's was spent fonduing with this lovely gang.

We brought the New Year in with amazing style and even more amazing hangovers the next day.

The rest of my holiday was spent doing random things like finally towing the Hoff out to the cabin so Hope could have her driveway back.  That adventure ended a bit abruptly when the trusty van decided to gulp up every ounce of gasoline left in his tank.  No injuries this time, but we ended up having to push him into his resting ground.

Sander and I also made a trip to the mountains to try out our new snowshoes.  It was quite the adventure to say the least.  The unseasonably warm winter forced us 50km up icy, windy mountain roads for our snowshoe hike, which normally isn't a big deal unless your car breaks down and you have no cellphone reception to call for help.  So, we hitchhiked our way down with a nice old couple from California, and with a stroke of luck ended up catching Kendel and Katelyn just as they were passing through Banff!  Fortunately, they were able to rescue us.  Unfortunately, that forced us to cancel our second hike, only leaving us with a small taste of this winter in the mountains.  

After a whirlwind of a holiday, Sander and I made our way back to the Netherlands.  We had a wonderful (sarcasm) flight back with the Czech world junior hockey team (they were nursing their bruised egos with a little too much alcohol), and are both ridiculously jetlagged, but it's good to be back in Holland.  I have many adventures to look forward to (including a cruise with Mom!), and hopefully a few visitors too!