...my faith, my family, my friends, and my health.
I am thankful for Jason, an amazing husband and best friend. I am thankful for the love and support he gives me everyday.
I am thankful for Lauren and Justin who fill each of my days with smiles, giggles, hugs and kisses. They make my heart overflow with joy and love everytime I look at them. I am thankful for their health and happiness.
I am thankful that I have a wonderful family of parents, grandparents, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins that all truly love each other and know the true meaning of family.
I am thankful for our friends who are there for us whether we are next door or across the ocean.
Thank you Lord for my life and everyone who enters it and shares a part of themselves with me.
Josh Groban is one of my favorite singers and "Thankful" is one of my favorite songs. To those of you reading this, thank you for being in my life. Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet
Let me start off by saying the following pictures may be offensive to some, but apparently not to the dutch. This is definitely a tradition that would not be accepted in America without a little tweeking. However, we had a lot of fun joining in the festivities!
And the story goes....
In Netherlands they celebrate Sinterklaas, the patron saint of children. He arrives each year in mid-November by steamboat from Spain. He is then paraded through the streets, welcomed by cheering and singing children. His Zwarte Piet assistants throw candy and small, round, ginger bread-like cookies, either "kruidnoten" or "pepernoten," into the crowd. The children welcome him by singing traditional Sinterklaas songs.
Sinterklaas carries a big book that tells whether each individual child has been good or naughty in the past year. He is said to be very rich, he lives in a castle in Spain, and likes to give presents on his birthday rather than receive them. He traditionally rides a white horse named Amerigo.
Now this is where it gets a little questionable....
Black Pete (Zwarte Piet) is Sinterklaas’ helper. According to tradition, there are many Zwarte Pieten who all have their own specialization (much like the smurfs). There is a Zwarte Piet for writing the poetry that accompanies Sinterklaas presents, one that bakes, one to care for Sinterklaas' horse, one for everything you can think of. There is also always one Luie Piet (Lazy Pete) or Domme Piet (Stupid Pete). These are people dressed in bright medievel costumes with their faces painted black (never in America!). The explanation parents these days give to kids as to why Zwarte Piet is black is because he climbs down dirty chimneys to put presents and candy in kids shoes.
In the weeks between his arrival and December 5, before going to bed children put their shoes next to the fireplace chimney with a carrot or some hay in it and a bowl of water "for Sinterklaas' horse," and sing a Sinterklaas song; the next day they will find some candy or a small present in their shoes, supposedly thrown down the chimney by a Zwarte Piet or Sinterklaas himself. On the evening of December 5 Sinterklaas delivers a sack full of presents. Presents are often accompanied by a simple poem, saying something about the child or containing a hint to the nature of the present. Sinterklaas often uses these poems to reprimand and tease children about bad habits or behavior.
So...
We went to the town center today and joined in the festivities which included a lot of singing, dancing, and about a hundred Zwarte Pieten running around dancing and passing out pepernoten to all the children. Before the kids went to bed this evening they put their shoes by the fireplace and sang a Sinterklaas song in hopes that they will wake up with a treat in their shoe in the morning. We shall see!
And the story goes....
In Netherlands they celebrate Sinterklaas, the patron saint of children. He arrives each year in mid-November by steamboat from Spain. He is then paraded through the streets, welcomed by cheering and singing children. His Zwarte Piet assistants throw candy and small, round, ginger bread-like cookies, either "kruidnoten" or "pepernoten," into the crowd. The children welcome him by singing traditional Sinterklaas songs.
Sinterklaas carries a big book that tells whether each individual child has been good or naughty in the past year. He is said to be very rich, he lives in a castle in Spain, and likes to give presents on his birthday rather than receive them. He traditionally rides a white horse named Amerigo.
Now this is where it gets a little questionable....
Black Pete (Zwarte Piet) is Sinterklaas’ helper. According to tradition, there are many Zwarte Pieten who all have their own specialization (much like the smurfs). There is a Zwarte Piet for writing the poetry that accompanies Sinterklaas presents, one that bakes, one to care for Sinterklaas' horse, one for everything you can think of. There is also always one Luie Piet (Lazy Pete) or Domme Piet (Stupid Pete). These are people dressed in bright medievel costumes with their faces painted black (never in America!). The explanation parents these days give to kids as to why Zwarte Piet is black is because he climbs down dirty chimneys to put presents and candy in kids shoes.
In the weeks between his arrival and December 5, before going to bed children put their shoes next to the fireplace chimney with a carrot or some hay in it and a bowl of water "for Sinterklaas' horse," and sing a Sinterklaas song; the next day they will find some candy or a small present in their shoes, supposedly thrown down the chimney by a Zwarte Piet or Sinterklaas himself. On the evening of December 5 Sinterklaas delivers a sack full of presents. Presents are often accompanied by a simple poem, saying something about the child or containing a hint to the nature of the present. Sinterklaas often uses these poems to reprimand and tease children about bad habits or behavior.
So...
We went to the town center today and joined in the festivities which included a lot of singing, dancing, and about a hundred Zwarte Pieten running around dancing and passing out pepernoten to all the children. Before the kids went to bed this evening they put their shoes by the fireplace and sang a Sinterklaas song in hopes that they will wake up with a treat in their shoe in the morning. We shall see!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Happy Sint Maarten!
Today is Sint Maarten Day. In northern Netherlands this means that once it is dark, the children go from house to house carrying a lantern and singing songs and they are rewarded with candy to put in their backpack. Similar to Halloween, but no costumes.
From Wikipedia:
From Wikipedia:
St. Martin's Day (or Martinstag or Martinmas) is November 11, the feast day of Martin of Tours, who started out as a Roman soldier. He was baptized as an adult and became a monk. It is understood that he was a kind man who led a quiet and simple life. The most famous legend of his life is that he once cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm, to save the beggar from dying of the cold. That night he dreamed that Jesus was wearing the half-cloak Martin had given away. Martin heard Jesus say to the angels: "Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptised; he has clothed me."
All the children at Lauren's school made lanterns (lampions) and learned 3 different songs to sing. Justin and I also made a lantern for him at Mums and Tots. Lauren's best friend from school and her younger brother came over and once it was dark the kids put on their jackets and backpacks and headed out carrying their lanterns. The street we live on is all expats and several of the children from school are our neighbors. As we progressed along the street, our group grew in size as the other children joined us. They all sang beautifully and were rewarded with plenty of candy! Even Justin joined in and quickly caught on to what was happening. He was running from house to house keeping up with the bigger kids and he made sure he got his candy before he left each house. The kids had a lot of fun joining in this local tradition.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Family Trip to the Alps
Lauren had a half term break at her school so we spent that week on an eight day road trip through Germany, Switzerland and Austria. We left Friday when Lauren got out of school and we drove to Heidelberg, Germany. The next morning we toured the castle ruins there and explored the town a little.
From there we made our way to the Black Forest High Road (scenic drive) and drove to Triberg in the middle of the Black Forest were we stayed the next night. This area is know for its cuckoo clocks, so of course we bought one! I don't think we will take it out of the box until we move back to Houston. We just don't trust Justin too much around it. It would be very tempting to play with. In Triberg we hiked to the Gutach Waterfalls and ate some yummy Black Forest Cake.
We then drove to Switzerland, stopping near the border to view the Rhine Falls. After enjoying that we drove to the Lake Luzern area were we spent the next two nights. This is at the foot of the Swiss Alps and some of the most beautiful land we have ever seen. The lakes are amazing and there are sheep and cows wearing bells on all the hillsides. We rode a cable car and train to the top of Mt. Rigi where you can see several lakes and mountains for miles. It was amazing, and also cold with a lot of snow. At the peak we were above the clouds and the sky was clear blue. The tops of the mountains were covered in snow and then it suddenly changed to green lush vegetation, so beautiful. We also toured the town of Luzern and bought a Swiss watch and Swiss army knife.
From Luzern we headed back to Germany. On the way we stopped in Liechtenstein (the smallest German speaking country in the world, only 61.7 square miles) and had our passports stamped. After that brief stop we drove to Hohenschwangau, Germany where King Ludwig's castles are located. That was such an amazing little place. Our hotel room had a balcony with a view to the castle which was King Ludwig's childhood home (Hohenschwangau). At the end of the road was the most serene lake, Lake Alpsee. The water was so clear and it was surrounded by the mountains. I think it is possibly the most peaceful place I have ever been. It was loved by the whole family and none of us wanted to leave. After staying the night there, we spent the next morning touring Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castles.
We then drove to Oberammergau, Germany. This charming town is know for its painted buildings and the passion play that is performed there every ten years. We spent a couple of hours here walking around and getting some yummy icecream. From there we drove to Innsbruck, Austria where we stayed the night. After seeing the sights in Innsbruck, we drove to Salzburg, Austria where we spent our last night of the road trip.
I think Salzburg was my favorite city of the trip. I loved the squares and the narrow streets lined with shops. My main interest for visiting Salzburg is that it was the primary filming location for one of my favorite movies, The Sound of Music. So, of course we tried to visit most of the monuments that were featured in the movie.
At this point in our trip we were all exhausted and ready to get home. We left Salzburg about 3 in the afternoon and Jason drove us all the way home. We arrived home about 2 am and all got a peaceful nights sleep in our own beds, aahhh. We all had a great time and saw the most beautifully amazing scenery. We have some great memories!
Heidelberg and the Black Forest in Germany
Luzern, Switzerland
From there we made our way to the Black Forest High Road (scenic drive) and drove to Triberg in the middle of the Black Forest were we stayed the next night. This area is know for its cuckoo clocks, so of course we bought one! I don't think we will take it out of the box until we move back to Houston. We just don't trust Justin too much around it. It would be very tempting to play with. In Triberg we hiked to the Gutach Waterfalls and ate some yummy Black Forest Cake.
We then drove to Switzerland, stopping near the border to view the Rhine Falls. After enjoying that we drove to the Lake Luzern area were we spent the next two nights. This is at the foot of the Swiss Alps and some of the most beautiful land we have ever seen. The lakes are amazing and there are sheep and cows wearing bells on all the hillsides. We rode a cable car and train to the top of Mt. Rigi where you can see several lakes and mountains for miles. It was amazing, and also cold with a lot of snow. At the peak we were above the clouds and the sky was clear blue. The tops of the mountains were covered in snow and then it suddenly changed to green lush vegetation, so beautiful. We also toured the town of Luzern and bought a Swiss watch and Swiss army knife.
From Luzern we headed back to Germany. On the way we stopped in Liechtenstein (the smallest German speaking country in the world, only 61.7 square miles) and had our passports stamped. After that brief stop we drove to Hohenschwangau, Germany where King Ludwig's castles are located. That was such an amazing little place. Our hotel room had a balcony with a view to the castle which was King Ludwig's childhood home (Hohenschwangau). At the end of the road was the most serene lake, Lake Alpsee. The water was so clear and it was surrounded by the mountains. I think it is possibly the most peaceful place I have ever been. It was loved by the whole family and none of us wanted to leave. After staying the night there, we spent the next morning touring Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castles.
We then drove to Oberammergau, Germany. This charming town is know for its painted buildings and the passion play that is performed there every ten years. We spent a couple of hours here walking around and getting some yummy icecream. From there we drove to Innsbruck, Austria where we stayed the night. After seeing the sights in Innsbruck, we drove to Salzburg, Austria where we spent our last night of the road trip.
I think Salzburg was my favorite city of the trip. I loved the squares and the narrow streets lined with shops. My main interest for visiting Salzburg is that it was the primary filming location for one of my favorite movies, The Sound of Music. So, of course we tried to visit most of the monuments that were featured in the movie.
At this point in our trip we were all exhausted and ready to get home. We left Salzburg about 3 in the afternoon and Jason drove us all the way home. We arrived home about 2 am and all got a peaceful nights sleep in our own beds, aahhh. We all had a great time and saw the most beautifully amazing scenery. We have some great memories!
Heidelberg and the Black Forest in Germany
Luzern, Switzerland
Liechtenstein, Hohenschwangau and Oberammergau in Germany
Innsbruck and Salzburg in Austria
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