Overijse Market

Today the girls and I checked out the weekly market in Overijse, which is the town where we live. I couldn't believe it. Once a week they shut down a long narrow street and vendors come and sell their goods. They had everything!!! The street is probably 2 blocks long and most of the items for sale were food related; fish, meat, cheese, vegetables, fruit, candy and bread. The other vendors sold household goods like kitchen utensils or clothing. All the vendors had trucks with one side that would open so they could set up a portable store, like a deli on wheels. Our favorite stand was the one roasting chickens and every other meat imaginable. We bought chicken and turkey along with lots of vegetables and fruit. It was really crowded and you could tell which stands were the most popular. We will take pictures next week. It is something very common around here. Tomorrow, the same show will be set up in the next town. We had so much fun, we might go back again!

Furniture arrives on Monday!
Internet was hooked up today!
We have free calling to the US everyday after 5:00!

Expats in Belgium

We have arrived! It's hard to believe we are actually living in Belgium. We have rented furniture and car until our own belongings arrive on August 5.

Here are the things we don't have:
furniture
internet
TV
car
phone
cell phone
anyone else to talk to in English

Here are the things we do have:
eachother



and that is priceless

On Sunday we hiked to Corona Lake with Uncle Brad, Aunt Kirstian, Valerie, Joe and Tom. We first had to drive to the Continental Divide at the top of a mountain. The views were beautifu. We actually played in the snow, threw snowballs and slid down a snow covered hill. (Bob, Jenn, Brad, Joe, Tom and Valerie) The lake had clusters of slushy snow floating all around and we could see the snow melting into the lake. There was so much snow that we think it will take all summer for it to melt. We ate lunch by the lake, took pictures and explored. Leah even cut her foot on a rock but she survived.

All in all, it is hard to pick a favorite activity from our wonderfull trip out West. From the history of Mt. Rushmore to the beauty of the mountains, everything was wonderful. Brad and Kirstian made the trip extra special with guided tours, comfortable surroundings and great family fun. It was hard to leave!

Denver

Denver has been fun! We arrived on Thursday and have already been to the Aquarium, Boulder, Joe's baseball game and Winter Park. We even watched a real Rodeo which has been the highlight so far. The mountains are beautiful enforcing the idea that the American West is an unbelievable part of the country. The picture is of all the kids and cousins at the Denver Aquarium.

Mt. Rushmore

South Dakota is beautiful. The weather here is perfect today and the scenery is beyond anything we could have imagined. So far we have taken a tour of Mt. Rushmore near Keystone in South Dakota. If you haven't been to the National Monument, book your trip right now and take a look. The park itself is well kept and perfect for tourists. So much information was available to us that we felt like experts by the time we were done. The carving itself is huge and more than I could describe. We hiked as close as possible to the base of the Presidential monument. We took some great pictures and marveled at the size of the each President's features.

The picture above is of the family enjoying the beauty of Mt. Rushmore and the peaceful day.

Boxes are packed!

The boxes are completely packed and gone. The shipping containers were full of our stuff last Friday, we added the car to one of them on Monday and they should be on their way to New York. Both containers should arrive at the port in New York by July 18 and be ready to set sail on a very large boat. They should make a stop or 2 along the way and finally arrive in Antwerp, Belgium on July 30. Next our belonging have to clear customs. Let's hope there is no need for our containers to be opened and inspected! Then the containers will be trucked to our house in Overijse, Belgium. After the arrival in Antwerp, we really have no idea how long the rest of the journey will take.

Our house is quite empty, but still livable. We still have all the TVs and the washer/dryer since they wouldn't have worked in Europe. We also have beds and a couch. The house actually reminds me of how Bob and I lived when we first got married. At that time we probably owned about the same amount of furniture!

Next week's entry will be about our trip to Colorado and South Dakota. We must give the kids a little US History and a family trip with the cousins before we leave the USA!