Sunday, February 8, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
It's Not You, It's Me
Good grief! Has it really been 3 weeks since that last big post? (I'm being facetious- I've gotten more guilt trip emails and reminders than I know what to do with, I'm finally caving here, people.) Let me see if I can pick-up where I left off...
The Barfing Flu
This family has a love-hate relationship with the barfing flu. We've all had it, once all of us in the same week, and it's just a gross part of the winter, like fruitcake and frozen dog poop. I left off the first Friday of our visit with the Yoburns and Kathryn- it was a short school day for Meg, and at noon we were all going to get Meg from school, hop on a train and head into Amsterdam for the afternoon/evening. Kip and Jesse were going to the New Model Army concert that night, so we planned on doing a little sight-seeing, grabbing dinner together and then going our separate ways for the night.
Well, I'm sure you can all guess what happened next- Megan hopped on the couch, said, "I don't feel great" and then went Barf-zilla on us. Not LITERALLY on us, but you know what I mean. Poor kid- they had eaten leftover goodies from the Kerst dinner at school that morning for snack, and she barfed all kinds of Christmas treats. We felt a total Deja-vu from the trip to Paris, and tried the "wait and see" approach, but she couldn't even keep down water, so I volunteered to stay with Meg while everyone else went into Amsterdam. With no kids. And lots of free time. And no kids. And no real agenda except a concert at night. Oh, and no kids.
Poor Meg was, at one point of the evening, sitting up on the couch with a tupperware bowl under her chin, watching Pippi Longstockings and throwing up water, not breaking eye contact with the television. I had to admire her commitment to the film. I also managed to have a total client drama that I had to address that evening, which just made things worse, and had to borrow the neighbor's car to try and get some prints made, poor green-faced Megan in tow with a to-go barf receptacle in her lap. After our failed attempt at solving client drama madness, Meg was finally able to hold down a little oatmeal and water, and I put her to bed, and the vomit part of this story is totally over now, sorry to those with weak stomachs.
Sister-Loser, The Sequel
At some point later that evening, perhaps around 11-ish, an email exchange began with Kip and myself in regards to the key to the house and whether Kathryn and Tewlyn had one. Kip and Jesse had left them around 8 PM, and since public transportation from Amsterdam to our house basically ends shortly after midnight, the guys started to worry and left the concert (and a chance to hang out with the band) to "find the women."
Now, I make no excuses for either party- it was hilarious to see how totally bothered the guys were that the girls had not contacted anyone as to their whereabouts that evening. My opinion was that they are grown women, they can find their way home whenever they want, I hope they had fun and have lots of stories to tell when they arrive. Now, sure, they guys almost got me on their worry-train of gloom and doom, and I did have pangs of "I hope they're not in a ditch somewhere, or went the wrong way on a train or something!" The guys got home around 1, Kip hopped in the borrowed car to see if he could get to Hoofddorp just in case they were stranded at the train station with no cab (last bus to our neck of the woods ran around midnight) and Jesse started walking to the bus stop to see if he could catch them on their way home.
Ah, worry warts.
The gals showed up about 20 minutes later in a cab, not a ditch, and with many tales about their evening in the city. After they parted ways with the guys they decided to make the most of their visit to the city and did what tourists do- they toured! They saw! They experienced! And, since they had no cell phone, they didn't call! So there! But, oh- those stories. They are much more than PG-13, and since I cannot change the names to protect the innocent I shall not tell all here, but oh, the stories. I was so jealous of their adventures.
Oliebollen, Oliebollen, You're An Oliebollen Baby
Saturday we dragged everyone out of bed at the crack of noon and eventually headed into Haarlem for some sandwiches, oliebollen, shopping and scenery. (I think I ate more oliebollen in the months of November and December than should be allowed by the American Heart Association.)
We strolled around the Haarlem Grote Markt where their old church was dolled-up for the holidays, grabbed some crazy kebabs from a street vendor.
Since we had such a late night the night before, and had a recovering kid, we took it easy and enjoyed a lazy Saturday evening at home.
NO Kids Even!
Sunday was another sleep-in day, since relaxing deteriorated into an evening of drinking and playing board games, and staying up way too late again. I love company!
Meg and Kathryn were going to have an Auntie day so that Kip and I could hit the 'Dam with the Yoburns, and FINALLY I got my day in Amsterdam with no kids! No kids even! Jess, Tew and I headed into town first to go to the Ann Frank museum, and we met-up with Kip afterwards for a quick bite at a pancake house - almost as good as ours here in Heemstede. ALMOST.
With about 2 hours to burn before our dinner reservation, we wandered the city and I photo-nerded around the entire time with my new 50mm lens. It really is fast, and it was made for the 5D- with the sunsets, busy store fronts and finally night shooting I was in heaven.
Seeing Red
Dinner was with a co-worker of Kip's, Tom, who is re-locating to Houston in early 2009. We met at Red, an upscale surf-and-turf restaurant with decor I would kill for. I ate dinner sitting on a smoke-grey velvet sofa, at the table. There was velvet everywhere, and a giant boudoir photo on the ceiling. I wanted to move in- or at least do a shoot there at sunset.
We had a great time talking with Tom and his girlfriend Kay, and found out that he has a very strange addiction to bad American movies. He cut the evening short, declining a night wandering Amsterdam with us, because he had "Short Circuit II" waiting at home. So, with no one to judge us, we marched STRAIGHT into the Red Light District to see what on earth it was like.
We Saw Things
Oh, dear, did we see things. Strange things. Terrifying things. Hilarious things. Stupefying things. Confusing things. It was an education just to look at the shop windows at the "accessories" and films. You never feel more normal and sheltered than when you are peering into an S&M shop window.
We even decided to take in a show, but did not heed advice of others and went to the club Moulin Rouge. I will not go into detail, but it was NOT great. It really was weird, and I just won't recommend going to see a show at that establishment. Now, the content of the show aside, the venue itself was off-putting: it was set up like a church, with pews, but then had a tiny stage, and then a bar. It was like if Charlie Sheen set up a church. And to top it off, after each "segment," the performer wrapped in a sheet and mingled with the audience. You had just seen this person and all their glory up on stage, but to converse, they put on a sheet. It all seemed so very odd to me.
Ok, so I'm gonna tell on Tew and Kat here- the night they disappeared they went into the Red Light District and saw a show, the BEST show according to everyone they asked in the area, and that was partially our inspiration for heading into the RLD for the night. Tewlyn kept reassuring us that the show THEY saw was a thousand times better, and when we got home later she made Kathryn swear she'd take me into Amsterdam to the "good" show so that my opinion of the RLD would be redeemed.
Sending the Yoburns Packing
Monday we took another trip into Haarlem for more shopping and sight-seeing (and oliebollen, of course), and to wrap up our visit with the Yoburns- they headed to Paris on Tuesday for 5 days of awesomeness, and we were so sad to see them go.
With the departure of the Yoburns, Kathryn had us all to herself! Next post, the Nosers take on the Netherlands, with a vengance! (Or at least a healthy sense of adventure.)
The Barfing Flu
This family has a love-hate relationship with the barfing flu. We've all had it, once all of us in the same week, and it's just a gross part of the winter, like fruitcake and frozen dog poop. I left off the first Friday of our visit with the Yoburns and Kathryn- it was a short school day for Meg, and at noon we were all going to get Meg from school, hop on a train and head into Amsterdam for the afternoon/evening. Kip and Jesse were going to the New Model Army concert that night, so we planned on doing a little sight-seeing, grabbing dinner together and then going our separate ways for the night.
Well, I'm sure you can all guess what happened next- Megan hopped on the couch, said, "I don't feel great" and then went Barf-zilla on us. Not LITERALLY on us, but you know what I mean. Poor kid- they had eaten leftover goodies from the Kerst dinner at school that morning for snack, and she barfed all kinds of Christmas treats. We felt a total Deja-vu from the trip to Paris, and tried the "wait and see" approach, but she couldn't even keep down water, so I volunteered to stay with Meg while everyone else went into Amsterdam. With no kids. And lots of free time. And no kids. And no real agenda except a concert at night. Oh, and no kids.
Poor Meg was, at one point of the evening, sitting up on the couch with a tupperware bowl under her chin, watching Pippi Longstockings and throwing up water, not breaking eye contact with the television. I had to admire her commitment to the film. I also managed to have a total client drama that I had to address that evening, which just made things worse, and had to borrow the neighbor's car to try and get some prints made, poor green-faced Megan in tow with a to-go barf receptacle in her lap. After our failed attempt at solving client drama madness, Meg was finally able to hold down a little oatmeal and water, and I put her to bed, and the vomit part of this story is totally over now, sorry to those with weak stomachs.
Sister-Loser, The Sequel
At some point later that evening, perhaps around 11-ish, an email exchange began with Kip and myself in regards to the key to the house and whether Kathryn and Tewlyn had one. Kip and Jesse had left them around 8 PM, and since public transportation from Amsterdam to our house basically ends shortly after midnight, the guys started to worry and left the concert (and a chance to hang out with the band) to "find the women."
Now, I make no excuses for either party- it was hilarious to see how totally bothered the guys were that the girls had not contacted anyone as to their whereabouts that evening. My opinion was that they are grown women, they can find their way home whenever they want, I hope they had fun and have lots of stories to tell when they arrive. Now, sure, they guys almost got me on their worry-train of gloom and doom, and I did have pangs of "I hope they're not in a ditch somewhere, or went the wrong way on a train or something!" The guys got home around 1, Kip hopped in the borrowed car to see if he could get to Hoofddorp just in case they were stranded at the train station with no cab (last bus to our neck of the woods ran around midnight) and Jesse started walking to the bus stop to see if he could catch them on their way home.
Ah, worry warts.
The gals showed up about 20 minutes later in a cab, not a ditch, and with many tales about their evening in the city. After they parted ways with the guys they decided to make the most of their visit to the city and did what tourists do- they toured! They saw! They experienced! And, since they had no cell phone, they didn't call! So there! But, oh- those stories. They are much more than PG-13, and since I cannot change the names to protect the innocent I shall not tell all here, but oh, the stories. I was so jealous of their adventures.
Oliebollen, Oliebollen, You're An Oliebollen Baby
Saturday we dragged everyone out of bed at the crack of noon and eventually headed into Haarlem for some sandwiches, oliebollen, shopping and scenery. (I think I ate more oliebollen in the months of November and December than should be allowed by the American Heart Association.)
We strolled around the Haarlem Grote Markt where their old church was dolled-up for the holidays, grabbed some crazy kebabs from a street vendor.
Since we had such a late night the night before, and had a recovering kid, we took it easy and enjoyed a lazy Saturday evening at home.
NO Kids Even!
Sunday was another sleep-in day, since relaxing deteriorated into an evening of drinking and playing board games, and staying up way too late again. I love company!
Meg and Kathryn were going to have an Auntie day so that Kip and I could hit the 'Dam with the Yoburns, and FINALLY I got my day in Amsterdam with no kids! No kids even! Jess, Tew and I headed into town first to go to the Ann Frank museum, and we met-up with Kip afterwards for a quick bite at a pancake house - almost as good as ours here in Heemstede. ALMOST.
With about 2 hours to burn before our dinner reservation, we wandered the city and I photo-nerded around the entire time with my new 50mm lens. It really is fast, and it was made for the 5D- with the sunsets, busy store fronts and finally night shooting I was in heaven.
Seeing Red
Dinner was with a co-worker of Kip's, Tom, who is re-locating to Houston in early 2009. We met at Red, an upscale surf-and-turf restaurant with decor I would kill for. I ate dinner sitting on a smoke-grey velvet sofa, at the table. There was velvet everywhere, and a giant boudoir photo on the ceiling. I wanted to move in- or at least do a shoot there at sunset.
We had a great time talking with Tom and his girlfriend Kay, and found out that he has a very strange addiction to bad American movies. He cut the evening short, declining a night wandering Amsterdam with us, because he had "Short Circuit II" waiting at home. So, with no one to judge us, we marched STRAIGHT into the Red Light District to see what on earth it was like.
We Saw Things
Oh, dear, did we see things. Strange things. Terrifying things. Hilarious things. Stupefying things. Confusing things. It was an education just to look at the shop windows at the "accessories" and films. You never feel more normal and sheltered than when you are peering into an S&M shop window.
We even decided to take in a show, but did not heed advice of others and went to the club Moulin Rouge. I will not go into detail, but it was NOT great. It really was weird, and I just won't recommend going to see a show at that establishment. Now, the content of the show aside, the venue itself was off-putting: it was set up like a church, with pews, but then had a tiny stage, and then a bar. It was like if Charlie Sheen set up a church. And to top it off, after each "segment," the performer wrapped in a sheet and mingled with the audience. You had just seen this person and all their glory up on stage, but to converse, they put on a sheet. It all seemed so very odd to me.
Ok, so I'm gonna tell on Tew and Kat here- the night they disappeared they went into the Red Light District and saw a show, the BEST show according to everyone they asked in the area, and that was partially our inspiration for heading into the RLD for the night. Tewlyn kept reassuring us that the show THEY saw was a thousand times better, and when we got home later she made Kathryn swear she'd take me into Amsterdam to the "good" show so that my opinion of the RLD would be redeemed.
Sending the Yoburns Packing
Monday we took another trip into Haarlem for more shopping and sight-seeing (and oliebollen, of course), and to wrap up our visit with the Yoburns- they headed to Paris on Tuesday for 5 days of awesomeness, and we were so sad to see them go.
With the departure of the Yoburns, Kathryn had us all to herself! Next post, the Nosers take on the Netherlands, with a vengance! (Or at least a healthy sense of adventure.)
I Swear I Remember Y'All
Did I capitalize y'all correctly? Anyhow, I'm working on a new blog post, and it's a doozy, but it's taking time to piece together- when you sit on a story for 2 months, the details somehow seem to escape you. Soon, my sweets- soon.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
2008, A Year In Quick Review
I believe that having a blog makes you a better procrastinator. Having something to put off over and over and OVER again makes the off-putting all the more easier and, really, worthwhile. Also, I have started an afghan for Megan that I MAY finish before she is in college, if I stop sleeping and blogging. I'm sure her great-grandkids will love opening it for her. Seriously, it's gonna be huge, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I'm at that point where it would just be sad to back out now.
2008, In Short
About 285% of bloggers do a recap of their previous year, a jaunt down memory lane to build a sense of closeness with their new readers, and to draw repeat readers in with inside jokes and stories. I'm not your typical blogger, as I do things like ignore my blog for a month and then get all upset when I don't average 12 hits during "the lull." But, for what it's worth, here's a quick run-down of 2008:
Oh my gosh! We MIGHT be moving! I KNOW! We'll know more in two weeks! I mean, in two MORE weeks! Uh, make that two more weeks. Um, I'll let you know if we know. Ok, yes! We MAY be going! Yes, that's different than might! I'm going to quit my job in preparation for the move! Crap! Two more week- make that months! Bureaucracy is awful! Waiting is hard! Yay- we finally have a date for our flight-wefoundahouse-ohmygod,wehavetopacktheoldhouse-we're here?!? Ok, did you know that the kids here ONLY speak Dutch? Ow! My finger! Ah, a bike, and freedom. Thank god, I have an American neighbor, with kids. Cheese, beer, chocolate - now visitors? Who is that with Santa? More visitors? Who is blowing up the neighborhood? Happy New Year!
Now, To Catch Up
So much has happened in the last month- the Yoburns were here, and Kathryn, and then there was Christmas and New Years holidays, and in between we ran all over the place hosting our guests, showing them not only the places we know, but a few that are now favorites. And, of course, I brought my camera (thank goodness- or I wouldn't have remembered what we saw when!). Here's the first installment of catching up- this may take a few posts to accomplish!
The Woods and Kerstfeest
Tew and Jesse arrived on a Wednesday, and as international flights make you wish for sleep pretty much the minute you land, we tried to keep them awake as much as possible that day. Well, I say we- Kip did most of the work as I had a photo gig that day, taking portraits at the ESCGH Christmas party. (Which was total bedlam, and not worth talking about much past that.) Megan and I came home to find two sleepy Yoburns at home, and we sat around talking and playing games until 8, the official bedtime of Megan and everyone who comes to visit from the US on their first day here.
Thursday Megan had school, so I took Jesse and Tewlyn into the woods- Tew took a run, Jesse and I photo-dorked out like old times.
After we had our fill of the gorgeousness that is the woods, we ran home in time to pick Megan up from school, make some dinner, and to greet Kathryn who had arrived while we were out. To keep Kathryn awake, I decided to take her along to Megan's school Christmas dinner (no separation of Church and state her, folks), which turned out to NOT be for the family but for the children only- completely foreign concept for me, but since I had the camera along I was welcomed in enthusiastically (everyone loved the Sinterklaas photos) and fed as I photographed the children that evening. It really was lovely- the ambiance of Christmas combined with the classroom setting, it was cozy and warm, nurturing- I can see why Megan is so comfortable at school and with her teacher.
Next... Barfing flu AGAIN? And more adventures with company. Stay tuned!
2008, In Short
About 285% of bloggers do a recap of their previous year, a jaunt down memory lane to build a sense of closeness with their new readers, and to draw repeat readers in with inside jokes and stories. I'm not your typical blogger, as I do things like ignore my blog for a month and then get all upset when I don't average 12 hits during "the lull." But, for what it's worth, here's a quick run-down of 2008:
Oh my gosh! We MIGHT be moving! I KNOW! We'll know more in two weeks! I mean, in two MORE weeks! Uh, make that two more weeks. Um, I'll let you know if we know. Ok, yes! We MAY be going! Yes, that's different than might! I'm going to quit my job in preparation for the move! Crap! Two more week- make that months! Bureaucracy is awful! Waiting is hard! Yay- we finally have a date for our flight-wefoundahouse-ohmygod,wehavetopacktheoldhouse-we're here?!? Ok, did you know that the kids here ONLY speak Dutch? Ow! My finger! Ah, a bike, and freedom. Thank god, I have an American neighbor, with kids. Cheese, beer, chocolate - now visitors? Who is that with Santa? More visitors? Who is blowing up the neighborhood? Happy New Year!
Now, To Catch Up
So much has happened in the last month- the Yoburns were here, and Kathryn, and then there was Christmas and New Years holidays, and in between we ran all over the place hosting our guests, showing them not only the places we know, but a few that are now favorites. And, of course, I brought my camera (thank goodness- or I wouldn't have remembered what we saw when!). Here's the first installment of catching up- this may take a few posts to accomplish!
The Woods and Kerstfeest
Tew and Jesse arrived on a Wednesday, and as international flights make you wish for sleep pretty much the minute you land, we tried to keep them awake as much as possible that day. Well, I say we- Kip did most of the work as I had a photo gig that day, taking portraits at the ESCGH Christmas party. (Which was total bedlam, and not worth talking about much past that.) Megan and I came home to find two sleepy Yoburns at home, and we sat around talking and playing games until 8, the official bedtime of Megan and everyone who comes to visit from the US on their first day here.
Thursday Megan had school, so I took Jesse and Tewlyn into the woods- Tew took a run, Jesse and I photo-dorked out like old times.
After we had our fill of the gorgeousness that is the woods, we ran home in time to pick Megan up from school, make some dinner, and to greet Kathryn who had arrived while we were out. To keep Kathryn awake, I decided to take her along to Megan's school Christmas dinner (no separation of Church and state her, folks), which turned out to NOT be for the family but for the children only- completely foreign concept for me, but since I had the camera along I was welcomed in enthusiastically (everyone loved the Sinterklaas photos) and fed as I photographed the children that evening. It really was lovely- the ambiance of Christmas combined with the classroom setting, it was cozy and warm, nurturing- I can see why Megan is so comfortable at school and with her teacher.
Next... Barfing flu AGAIN? And more adventures with company. Stay tuned!
Monday, December 15, 2008
More Company On The Way! (And Unrelated Photos To Add Interest.)
The second round of visitors takes off in about 28 hours! Our dear friends Tewlyn (comrade from days at the Pottery Barn, supermodel extraordinare and kick-ass chick) and Jesse (of JBYPhotography.com, co-photo-nerd and target of all my Nikon-related jokes) are landing around 11:30 am our time on Wednesday, with Kathryn (Kip's older younger sister, Megan's twin separated at birth by 28 years, and also known as "Frieda Gilroy") arriving 24 hours later.
WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously- it's one thing to see family, but to have people who aren't even related to you say, "Sure! We'll come visit you!" is just so completely cool to me. I'm even going to clean the bathrooms, that's how honored I am to have them stay with us.
KNP Global, Trying To Fly
I had my first international family photo shoot last week with a sweet family from the ESCGH. Their 2-year-old son was such a riot! The shoot was a 2-parter, the first scheduled time on Thursday was abandoned due to my late arrival which was due to a total rookie error (forgot my camera battery and had to turn around and bike 2 km back to get it) and also because young son was MUCH more interested in playing and pushing buttons on my camera than posing. To try and get him to sit still I told him to push his nose so that the flash would go off. End result? Approximately 50% of the photos from that day AND the rescheduled shoot Sunday have him with his finger on his nose. He remembered the game 4 days later, little smarty!
So, as I type this and totally procrastinate editing round 2 of their session, I must mention that I have another gig on Wednesday - yes, the day my guests arrive, but a paid gig is a paid gig - to shoot photos with Santa at the ESCGH's Christmas party. Poor Megan is going to have to play lighting guinea pig for me, as usual, so I should have a ton of (really poorly lit) photos of Megan and Santa later this week. I just hope I don't bore everyone to death by being in the office to marathon-edit those shots so I can actually enjoy my company- the group gave me a 1 week timeline to get the photos out wich is totally do-able, but I may be moving the Mac downstairs so I can visit and edit at the same time!
Other Recent Mind-Boggling Events
Oh, by the way, my daughter is riding a 2-wheeled bike almost entirely by herself. I would have pictures, but my job is to first clutch the back of her jacket with such viciousness that she knows I'm there, then run like mad and shout "PEDAL! PEDAL PEDAL PEDAL! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING! STEER AWAY FROM THE TREE! YOU'RE DOING GREAT, MEG!" and then let go and whoop and holler, and finally shout "USE YOUR BREAKS!" Needless to say, I am falling asleep writing this. When we started this adventure at around 3:30 pm she was reluctant to get on the bike- she has been using that little toddle bike for about 6-8 weeks and has been zooming around, balancing nicely, and wasn't looking to change, thankyouverymuch. I somehow convinced her to just TRY the bike, and we made it all the way around the block only stopping 5-6 times. By the time we rounded the 4th corner back on to our street, Megan only needed help balancing to get started- she would shout, "OK! LET GO, MAMA!" and I would run next to her with my hands way up in the air so she could see I had obeyed her command. The look of panic/excitement/freedom/horror/pride/exhilaration on her face was amazing- she was independent for just a moment, so thrilled by life, almost six instead of just five-and-a-half. One of the best afternoons of my entire life, that's for absolute sure.
Rounds of Local Crud
Kip and Megan have both been ill for the last 2 weeks at least- Megan is hacking and full of crud, and tummy troubles seem to get mixed in here and there for extra fun. We finally have her poor digestive tract under control, but had to bring her home early from a Christmas party Saturday (where I met some really lovely people that I will talk more about later) with an ear ache so painful it caused her to cry the entire hour and a half it took us to get home via tram then train then bus. She cried herself to sleep with sticky, grapey Children's Advil breath and nose-drops running back out of her nose, and woke up with painless ears the next day (thank heavens). She still sounds like she should switch to Menthols, though. It's kind of cute and I wish her voice could stay so gravely for a little while longer, but I'd rather have her well and not sobbing on late-night public transportation. So I have been boiling sheets, towels and clothes; disinfecting bathrooms and kitchens and I'm ready for everyone to feel well again. I've so far been lucky enough to skip these rounds of crud (knock on wood), and both hands are chapped from all the cleaning and hand-washing.
Really Lovely People From The Christmas Party
I realize that I said I would talk about them, but I am finding myself lacking anything really interesting to say about them. Maybe if they call and invite us for coffee like they said they would, then they'll make the blog. A girl's gotta have standards, I suppose.
Totally Unrelated Photos To Add Interest
I realize I haven't uploaded any new photos in over a week, and may not have time to edit and upload the few batches I have from our recent excursions to Haarlem (Kip bought a bike!) and Sinterklaas morning.
So, here's one of the gifts that Zwarte Piet left for Megan the week leading up to Sinterklaas:
Those are knitting needles, some yarn and her initials in chocolate letters. Totally unrelated to everything here. I'll try to get some more interesting things up soon!
WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously- it's one thing to see family, but to have people who aren't even related to you say, "Sure! We'll come visit you!" is just so completely cool to me. I'm even going to clean the bathrooms, that's how honored I am to have them stay with us.
KNP Global, Trying To Fly
I had my first international family photo shoot last week with a sweet family from the ESCGH. Their 2-year-old son was such a riot! The shoot was a 2-parter, the first scheduled time on Thursday was abandoned due to my late arrival which was due to a total rookie error (forgot my camera battery and had to turn around and bike 2 km back to get it) and also because young son was MUCH more interested in playing and pushing buttons on my camera than posing. To try and get him to sit still I told him to push his nose so that the flash would go off. End result? Approximately 50% of the photos from that day AND the rescheduled shoot Sunday have him with his finger on his nose. He remembered the game 4 days later, little smarty!
So, as I type this and totally procrastinate editing round 2 of their session, I must mention that I have another gig on Wednesday - yes, the day my guests arrive, but a paid gig is a paid gig - to shoot photos with Santa at the ESCGH's Christmas party. Poor Megan is going to have to play lighting guinea pig for me, as usual, so I should have a ton of (really poorly lit) photos of Megan and Santa later this week. I just hope I don't bore everyone to death by being in the office to marathon-edit those shots so I can actually enjoy my company- the group gave me a 1 week timeline to get the photos out wich is totally do-able, but I may be moving the Mac downstairs so I can visit and edit at the same time!
Other Recent Mind-Boggling Events
Oh, by the way, my daughter is riding a 2-wheeled bike almost entirely by herself. I would have pictures, but my job is to first clutch the back of her jacket with such viciousness that she knows I'm there, then run like mad and shout "PEDAL! PEDAL PEDAL PEDAL! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING! STEER AWAY FROM THE TREE! YOU'RE DOING GREAT, MEG!" and then let go and whoop and holler, and finally shout "USE YOUR BREAKS!" Needless to say, I am falling asleep writing this. When we started this adventure at around 3:30 pm she was reluctant to get on the bike- she has been using that little toddle bike for about 6-8 weeks and has been zooming around, balancing nicely, and wasn't looking to change, thankyouverymuch. I somehow convinced her to just TRY the bike, and we made it all the way around the block only stopping 5-6 times. By the time we rounded the 4th corner back on to our street, Megan only needed help balancing to get started- she would shout, "OK! LET GO, MAMA!" and I would run next to her with my hands way up in the air so she could see I had obeyed her command. The look of panic/excitement/freedom/horror/pride/exhilaration on her face was amazing- she was independent for just a moment, so thrilled by life, almost six instead of just five-and-a-half. One of the best afternoons of my entire life, that's for absolute sure.
Rounds of Local Crud
Kip and Megan have both been ill for the last 2 weeks at least- Megan is hacking and full of crud, and tummy troubles seem to get mixed in here and there for extra fun. We finally have her poor digestive tract under control, but had to bring her home early from a Christmas party Saturday (where I met some really lovely people that I will talk more about later) with an ear ache so painful it caused her to cry the entire hour and a half it took us to get home via tram then train then bus. She cried herself to sleep with sticky, grapey Children's Advil breath and nose-drops running back out of her nose, and woke up with painless ears the next day (thank heavens). She still sounds like she should switch to Menthols, though. It's kind of cute and I wish her voice could stay so gravely for a little while longer, but I'd rather have her well and not sobbing on late-night public transportation. So I have been boiling sheets, towels and clothes; disinfecting bathrooms and kitchens and I'm ready for everyone to feel well again. I've so far been lucky enough to skip these rounds of crud (knock on wood), and both hands are chapped from all the cleaning and hand-washing.
Really Lovely People From The Christmas Party
I realize that I said I would talk about them, but I am finding myself lacking anything really interesting to say about them. Maybe if they call and invite us for coffee like they said they would, then they'll make the blog. A girl's gotta have standards, I suppose.
Totally Unrelated Photos To Add Interest
I realize I haven't uploaded any new photos in over a week, and may not have time to edit and upload the few batches I have from our recent excursions to Haarlem (Kip bought a bike!) and Sinterklaas morning.
So, here's one of the gifts that Zwarte Piet left for Megan the week leading up to Sinterklaas:
Those are knitting needles, some yarn and her initials in chocolate letters. Totally unrelated to everything here. I'll try to get some more interesting things up soon!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
A Visit With Sinterklaas
(Please continue to know that this is a Dutch holiday. I swear.)
Sooooo, with the fast approach of December 5th, Kip's office had a Sinterklaas party for all the families that work at BMC here in the Netherlands. It really was well done- the venue was "Chimpy Champ," a Dutch cousin of "Pump It Up" or "Monkey Buisiness" or name your local warehouse full of bounce houses here. It did follow what we expect when we go to local playgrounds - it had a giant, totally cool playscape that never would exist in America outside the 1980s. It was easily 2 stories high, had nets and tunnels, ladders, giant slides- total kid wonderland. Kip raced a co-worker to the top and beat her. Her. Way to go, dear!
There were trampolines, too, and we kicked off our shoes and tried to give Megan whiplash, or at least a concussion:
But, the highlight of the party was the visit from Sinterklaas and his helper, Zwarte Piet. Now, if you read this blog (or at least the last post) you know my mixed emotions about good old Piet. I get that it's a Dutch tradition. I get that they tried to make Piet different colors a few years back and NOBODY thought it was cool, they prefer the Dutchman in black face. Did I smile and laugh when he acted silly? Of course. Did I wink at him (because I knew who he was behind the giant afro-wig and brown face paint)? Of course. Would I bring this tradition home with us to the US? Of course not. But, when in Rome...
Sinterklaas was spectacular. He had the perfect Sinterklaas voice- loud and baritone, warm and reassuring (for those few nervous kids). Piet was just silly enough, but not scary, and had the kids laughing with his antics, and lead everyone in Sinterklaas songs. They gave out gifts to the children one at a time, which I thought was so wonderful- each child was called by name, then stood by Sinterklaas while he recounted a few tidbits on how the child had been a good boy/girl that year (he prints his emails from parents now instead of writing in his big book) and then gave them a nice gift, and a big bag of pepernoten cookies. Every kid. It was just priceless. He even spoke English for Megan (Piet, too).
Megan had such a blast- she made friends with Faye, who is 5 like her, and Tim, who is six. Kip has his eye on Tim- he's older, and likes American girls. Megan had Tim's complete attention from the moment they met, and I think Kip got a headache from giving him the evil eye for talking with HIS daughter. His BABY GIRL.
After the Sinterklaas party Spectacularrrr, we joined a few of Kip's co-workers and their families for an undefined meal at a family restaurant in Amsterdam (yes, they do exist). Tim and his family gave Megan and me a ride to the restaurant, and we listened to a children's music CD the entire trip over. Megan and Tim were singing and singing, joking and giggling. Then Megan put her head on his shoulder and he sat straight back in his seat and froze, eyes open REALLY wide. I thought I was going to choke holding back laughter. Then he said something along the lines of "you can stop that now." Ahhh, cooties.
The meal was excellent, as was the company, and the adults all sat around drinking beer at a giant table while the kids played on the playground outside. They ran in to eat, for dessert, and for other little things like paper airplanes and boo-boo reports, but mostly stayed outside. Megan had insisted that we bring in her Sinterklaas gift, so part of the time she stayed indoors playing with her Littlest Pet Shop and ignoring Tim, much to his chagrin.
Always keep them at arm's length, Meg. Even if they are blonde haired, blue eyed and taller than you.
... and SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!!
Sooooo, with the fast approach of December 5th, Kip's office had a Sinterklaas party for all the families that work at BMC here in the Netherlands. It really was well done- the venue was "Chimpy Champ," a Dutch cousin of "Pump It Up" or "Monkey Buisiness" or name your local warehouse full of bounce houses here. It did follow what we expect when we go to local playgrounds - it had a giant, totally cool playscape that never would exist in America outside the 1980s. It was easily 2 stories high, had nets and tunnels, ladders, giant slides- total kid wonderland. Kip raced a co-worker to the top and beat her. Her. Way to go, dear!
There were trampolines, too, and we kicked off our shoes and tried to give Megan whiplash, or at least a concussion:
But, the highlight of the party was the visit from Sinterklaas and his helper, Zwarte Piet. Now, if you read this blog (or at least the last post) you know my mixed emotions about good old Piet. I get that it's a Dutch tradition. I get that they tried to make Piet different colors a few years back and NOBODY thought it was cool, they prefer the Dutchman in black face. Did I smile and laugh when he acted silly? Of course. Did I wink at him (because I knew who he was behind the giant afro-wig and brown face paint)? Of course. Would I bring this tradition home with us to the US? Of course not. But, when in Rome...
Sinterklaas was spectacular. He had the perfect Sinterklaas voice- loud and baritone, warm and reassuring (for those few nervous kids). Piet was just silly enough, but not scary, and had the kids laughing with his antics, and lead everyone in Sinterklaas songs. They gave out gifts to the children one at a time, which I thought was so wonderful- each child was called by name, then stood by Sinterklaas while he recounted a few tidbits on how the child had been a good boy/girl that year (he prints his emails from parents now instead of writing in his big book) and then gave them a nice gift, and a big bag of pepernoten cookies. Every kid. It was just priceless. He even spoke English for Megan (Piet, too).
Megan had such a blast- she made friends with Faye, who is 5 like her, and Tim, who is six. Kip has his eye on Tim- he's older, and likes American girls. Megan had Tim's complete attention from the moment they met, and I think Kip got a headache from giving him the evil eye for talking with HIS daughter. His BABY GIRL.
After the Sinterklaas party Spectacularrrr, we joined a few of Kip's co-workers and their families for an undefined meal at a family restaurant in Amsterdam (yes, they do exist). Tim and his family gave Megan and me a ride to the restaurant, and we listened to a children's music CD the entire trip over. Megan and Tim were singing and singing, joking and giggling. Then Megan put her head on his shoulder and he sat straight back in his seat and froze, eyes open REALLY wide. I thought I was going to choke holding back laughter. Then he said something along the lines of "you can stop that now." Ahhh, cooties.
The meal was excellent, as was the company, and the adults all sat around drinking beer at a giant table while the kids played on the playground outside. They ran in to eat, for dessert, and for other little things like paper airplanes and boo-boo reports, but mostly stayed outside. Megan had insisted that we bring in her Sinterklaas gift, so part of the time she stayed indoors playing with her Littlest Pet Shop and ignoring Tim, much to his chagrin.
Always keep them at arm's length, Meg. Even if they are blonde haired, blue eyed and taller than you.
... and SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!!
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