THANK YOU RONNA!!!!

Today I received the best piece of mail. OK...acceptance letters to colleges for Maria are really the best, but this mail was wonderful in a completely different way! Jennifer and I were the lucky family members to open it and sample all the goodies. Notice that there are 5 Peeps missing already! They are my favorite candy and although marshmallows are popular here in Belgium, there is nothing that compares to Marshmallow Peeps. We tested the orange ones first since they looked so tempting. Our next indulgence was the York Peppermint Patties. Jenn and I saved a few things for the rest of the family!

This wonderful box was sent by my good friend Ronna. She is wonderful! She sends cards right when we need them, emails with family updates we can't wait to read and is the best listener ever.

I can't thank you enough, Ronna. You are the best. Say hi to Jim, Joshua and Joel!

Anne Frank/Maria

We have visited the Anne Frank Museum twice in the past year. Although chilling, I never want to erase the memory of some of the images and details of Anne Frank's life. Something I will never ever forget is the interview with Anne's father. On video, he said, "I thought I knew my daughter, but you never really know your child." He said this with a reverence and respect that grabbed me through the screen. Like the rest of the world, he too was in awe of his daughter's insight into their world of war. He loved and protected Anne like only a father can but he had no idea of the talent and inner strength she possessed.

In her own special way, Maria has that same strength. One year ago today Maria was in a car accident. She severed her spine at the 2nd lumbar vertebrae. If you follow the blog or are part of our family and friends, you know what Maria went through. You may have even seen the hardware they used to secure her spine for 10 months! Maria handled this very hard year with a drive that I didn't know she had inside of her. She overcame so much and healed herself physically and mentally. I am proud of her. Now she is moving on to the next stage of her life with college acceptance letters rolling in and high school graduation right around the corner. If this past year is any indication of how Maria will handle the ups and downs of the rest of her life, there is no doubt that she will be a success. I am glad to have been able to see her in action and walk with her as she grew into the person she is today.

Greetings from Sunny Belgium!!

We have had more than our share of snow here in Belgium. It gave the girls lots of chances to perfect their snowman making skills! This is the cutest one yet. Today we have warmer temps and the sun is shining. As I type, I can see Mr. Snowman slowly sinking into the grass. Good-bye snow!

2010 Olympics

Today we got up especially early to view the repeat on NBC of the Opening Ceremonies of the 21st Olympic Games. Little did we know that it would be shown again in the afternoon on EuroSport, our regular TV sports channel. Sorry NBC, but your broadcast was horrible compared to EuroSport. NBC cut out major segments of the show which we later realized when we watched the broadcast again. Yes, we watched it twice but the 2nd time we saw it with no commercials and no editing. We saw the additional footage of the Canadian poet and Jonie Mitchel's song played against the prairies of Canada. Without commercials, we saw it all and it was much better!

I love the Olympics; the athletes personal stories of growth and goals, the quest to just make the cut by the underdog country that brought a delegation of 3 and the triumph of our home country and our adopted one. The 2008 Summer Olympics happened right as we moved to Belgium 2 years ago. We had no TV, no internet and no idea what was happening. The entire family felt ripped off and left out! We watched bits and pieces of the competitions at the mall (in French) and at the train station when we went to Germany. So we are glad to get to see 2 weeks of continuous coverage!

Here is each family members favorite Olympic sport:

Jennifer - Ski Jumping
Maria - Figure Skating

Julie - Figure Skating

Bob - Speed Skating

Leah - would not answer due to the previous toilet paper post and the fact that she doesn't want anything to do with my blog

The pictures below are of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. We traveled there over the summer. It is an inspiring place housing the torch from every previous Olympics along with samples of all the sports equipment over the years.Olympic flame burns continuously above with just a few of the historic torches belowView of Lake Geneva and the mountains in the distance from the Olympic Museum

WHY???

I don't complain about too many things but the picture above really gets me mad. Please notice that the toilet paper on the holder is empty. Also notice that the new roll is perched on the heater. Do you see how easy it is to slip the empty roll off the holder? Wouldn't you think that the most logical thing would be to slide the old roll off and put the new one on?
BUT NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Every single person in our family, excluding me of course, leaves the old roll on and lets the new roll sit on the heater. We have 5 bathrooms. I could go into any of the 5 at any given time and find the same thing. How hard is it to put the new roll on the holder? One time I didn't replace the old roll with the new one and let it sit on the heater. It was there until it too ran out of paper and then there was an empty roll on the holder, an empty roll on the heater and a new roll on the heater!

A few good reasons

Here are a few good reasons why we need to make a trip to the USA.

1. We miss the grandparents. Sorry you are in AZ, Nana and Papa, but at least we can see Grandma and Grandpa. We will see N and P at Maria's graduation.

2. Maria wants to buy flip flops. I know it's odd, but she is going to Spain in June and is already starting to prepare.

3. Maria got into a really great college and physical therapy program. I am not saying she will go to this particular school, but it is so good we just have to go take a look at it.

4. Maria needs a Prom dress. Her boyfriend will be about 4 hours late for the Prom because he will be in Cairo playing baseball, but that doesn't mean she can't look great when she finally gets to the party. Right?

Hmmm...This is starting to be all about Maria!

5. Leah and Jennifer are hungry for Taco Bell.

6. Everyone is looking for books in English.

7. I need to do some banking.

8. I am going through the signs of withdrawal because I haven't been to Target in over 3 months.

9. Last time we were in Greenwood we missed seeing so many people (K and R, N Family, and P) so this time we will try harder!

10. And finally, I just used my last box of cake mix and I need to buy more!

Food

I really like living in Europe. This land we live in is so full of history and culture. We are never bored. The kids go on fabulous school trips to other countries and the history they read about in school is right in front of their eyes. Bob and I are going to Switzerland this weekend and Maria is planning a trip to Spain in June.

But this post is about what we eat and how we have adjusted to the culture change through our food. I quickly figured out where to buy what I needed. I still miss so many things. If I search hard enough, I can find a few of our favorites. There is a gas station not far from Brussels that sells Lucky Charms and Fruit Rollups. Unfortunately, the cereal is a whopping 10 Euros per box!!! That translates to the equivalent of $14 in the US!!! There is also a British store that sells more English friendly items. The best part about that store is that the things they sell have the nutritional information and directions written in English. It is really a shame that I don't have access to the military shopping facilities. The people who have that luxury can buy everything our friends in the US buy. I really need to make friends with someone who will take me to the "Base" to shop!

Here is a list of the things I wish I could regularly find at my local grocery:

Bisquick

Captain Crunch Cereal

Jimmy Dean's Breakfast Sausage

Stove Top Stuffing

Hersey Kisses (I know we live in the land of chocolate, but nothing beats one of those candies.)

Egg Nog

Good Seasons Salad Dressing

Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Marshmallow Peeps (It isn't Easter without them and if you send me a little package in the mail, I will love you forever.)

Wonder Bread (Yes the bread is plentiful and fresh here, but a PBJ on sliced bread is a treat in every lunch box.)

Campbell's Cream of chicken, mushroom or celery soup

We have learned to make our own favorites. A friend of mine made these cupcakes. Don't they look just like Hostess Cupcakes? She is very clever in the kitchen!

Bob makes his own BBQ sauce. He took the label off the ketchup bottle and Jennifer made him a label fitting for his spicy creation.On Saturday we found these chips in the Netherlands. They were really Cool Ranch Doritos but packaged in Europe to read Cool American Chips! We also went to Burger King on the way home from The Hague. It was a treat because we don't have Burger King in Belgium. (OK I have to be honest...we went to Burger King twice in one day!)These rice balls are a treat we have learned about through the lunch boxes of others. The girls are always coming home and telling me about the treats their friends bring for lunch or snack at school. Maria first told us about rice balls so I did a little research to make them myself. Her Japanese friend brings them to school using the leftover rice from dinner the night before mixed with a few goodies inside. We make them now too. Sometimes we just make the rice so we can have rice balls! The ones in the picture above have a little chicken and some Japanese flavorings inside. They were yummy!