change of plans...already

Who knew you could follow up a completely crazy night with one that was exactly what we needed?

So last night, we decided to venture out to get some dinner - and since we were really tired, and feeling as though we already used up all of our energy to find the hotel, check in, etc - we decided to do something we promised we wouldn't...we went to McDonald's. We didn't want to do it since we can get that at home all the time, but we were so tired and confused we just wanted to grab some nuggets and get home.

Turns out McD's is in the city centre - and after doing a few laps trying to find parking I realized that even when we did find parking, we didn't have any change to pay for it. We wound up driving around and getting back into a residential area and were definitely off the path. We decided to park and walked 2.5 km to get to McD's - and when we got there, it was a whole different problem. Turns out the Netherlands is in the World Cup (Holland) - and they had a game last night that I think the entire town watched - and it got out right as we arrived. So not only were we flustered wondering if we could find our car again, or if it would be towed, now we were hanging out with about 100 of our closest, rowdiest friends in McDonald's. It was completely nuts and believe me, there were no lines - it was one big massive group pushing to the registers placing orders. We finally got there, ordered food and got it 'to go' for sure. We then walked 2.5 km back to our car (yes we found it - and it wasn't towed or ticketed). When we ate back at the hotel I think it was the best chicken nugget meal I've ever had because we truly worked for it.

This morning was fun driving 40 mins to Lommel, Belgium where I was working for the day. It was a good trip and GPS didn't fail me. It was a long day at work, but good to meet many of the people I've been talking to on the phone. I got back to the hotel around 5:30pm, which was a long day for J and Tay to be here. They were ready to go when I got here so we walked down the street to the supermarket and picked up some fruit, bottles of water, and other snacks. After dropping them off at the hotel, we ventured out again to get some dinner. While doing multiple laps yesterday, we saw a restaurant we wanted to check out. We parked, walked, and found our restaurant - it was a beautiful night so we sat outside. Following in true European tradition, we decided to take our time at dinner - and wound up being there for about 2 hours just taking our time and enjoying the amazing food (J and I got steak and Tay got a really great chicken salad). We enjoyed watching the people walking by, sitting around us, etc. It was a very relaxing night and was just what we needed. We even ordered dessert - it was called chocolate, chocolate, chocolate - chocolate cake, ice cream, and gelato - sooooooo good.

Overall, I think it was a good second day - I'm more comfortable behind the wheel and navigating round abouts, and we know the area better. We are looking forward to day 3 here for sure.

The plan change is that originally I was planning on being here for the entire 2 weeks - but today I found out they really need me in Cologne, Germany. So, we are checking out Wednesday morning and moving camp to Cologne for the rest of the time. It will be a good change and we will get to see Germany - something not on the original plan. All in all, I think it will be a good move.

Anyway, enough for tonight - I was able to load a few pictures tonight. Good night for now.

View from our hotel room

Parking - yes, that Mercedes is our rental car

Our new FAVORITE restaurant - Ravensdonck Het Eetcafe

One of the streets we walked tonight

our adventure

Who knew a short 8 hour flight could land you in completely different country?

For those tracking us, we made it safe and sound and have checked into the hotel (about 5 hours ago). Now that I have that out of the way...

We are currently in the Netherlands by way of Detroit to Chicago to Brussels, Belgium. Yeah, I know, we're kinda freaking out about it also. Plane left Detroit at 10:10AM and we arrived at 9:20AM in Brussels...the next day. Good times. Ford sent me to Lommel, Beligium for 2 weeks to do some training and I dragged J and Tay with me. We will be in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and also France during our 2.5 week visit.

Flights were actually very uneventful - Detroit to Chicago was no problem - we were able sit together and since the flight was barely over an hour it felt as if we were landing as soon as we took off. We had a 7 hour layover in Chicago - no problem right? We love the city. Problem was that when we landed, it was pouring rain. Not the best time to be walking around the city. So, we got some lunch and then hung out at the airport - playing uno, reading, etc. As tired as we were, we didn't sleep because we knew we needed to be tired to sleep on the plane.

We sure were excited when it was close enough to boarding time to go and stand at the gate. While we were standing there, one of the flight attendants (Mr. Gonzalez) came by and started talking to Taylor (this is important later). It took a while, but we finally boarded. We were able to sit together again which was nice. J and Tay had a good conversation with the woman sitting next to Tay, and it turns out the man next to me is from Lommel (the city I will be working in this week). It was a nice flight - we were served drinks, dinner, drinks, and breakfast. We were all able to get some sleep after dinner which was great. Since it was such a long flight, we were given pillow, blankets and had movies playing. Not bad. Plane left at 6PM Saturday and we arrived 9:20AM Sunday...gotta love the 7 hour time difference from Chicago.

The interesting part of the flight is that Mr. Gonzalez decided to take care of Taylor and named her his 'special buddy' (and announced this to any of the flight attendants walking by). What this meant for Taylor was while we were waiting to take off, he brought her a banana and bag of chips to tide her over. Then, she got wings from one of the other flight attendants. Then, he brought her ice cream after dinner. She also got the first class breakfast ahead of everyone else in economy - fresh fruit and a croissant. He definitely took care of her and made her feel special. It was a nice treat.

We then figured out how to get the rental car, navigate the roads from Brussels, Belgium to Eindhoven, Netherlands (thank goodness for the GPS in the car), and found the hotel. We checked in, tried to find some lunch (everything is closed including the restaurant in the hotel - it is Sunday after all). After getting some food at the Shell gas station, we watched a movie (which means I took a nap while a movie was playing) and have been hanging out. We are about to venture out and try to find dinner before retiring for the night.

I have a few other pictures and will try to load them later - having some technical difficulty at the moment...

I'll be keeping this updated with status of our trip...

nothing to see here

Who knew you could write one post to announce multiple things?

First, new template...I like it - it shows the date for each entry which is something I've been missing. We'll see how long this one lasts.

Second, I am now the father of a seventh grader - pending her report card saying she passed all of her six grade classes. Yes, Taylor's last day of sixth grade was today...can't believe it. Just another subtle reminder of how old I truly am.

Third, we are officially leaving on a sort of vacation tomorrow. Work is sending me off to do some training so I am taking Jaimie and Taylor with me. I will post more on that as the work/vacation away from home progresses.

That's all for now...yes, it's after 11PM and we are still working to get everything done so we are ready for the flight in the morning. Ever notice no matter how much planning you do, there is always way more to do the night before? Maybe it's just me.

Until next time...

clepto

Who knew officer Friday teamed up with Johnny Carson could be kind of funny?

glasses

Who knew glasses could make you look weird?

Verdict is still out on how I feel about my 'new look.'

award ceremony

Who knew you could use something like an awards ceremony for your kid to get out of a few hours of work? I do now...

Last week they had the year end awards ceremony at Taylor's school. It was fun and here are some pictures of the event. Laura and Jake even came to support Tay - impressive. Taylor won the El Bizzaro award (for art) and was also recognized for being on the honor roll each quarter. It was a fun ceremony and I'm glad I was able to be there.

frogs? really?

Who knew we could have an animal adventure in our own backyard???

Yesterday I was doing some yard work - trimming, mowing, etc. While I was doing a walk through of the backyard to get sticks, tennis balls, etc I noticed something jumping around. It was a nice sized frog. After grabbing it (to make sure Trinity didn't get to it) and then running into the house yelling for Tay, we made a home for it and I continued to get ready to mow.

Since we weren't sure if there were others, Tay and I walked the yard a bit looking - and didn't see anything. Feeling it was safe to mow, I started - and got one strip completed before another frog jumped in front of the mower! I was able to shut it off and catch our other friend.

You can see the pictures below of our new friends - they were released into the marsh at Ford lake last night which is hopefully a much better home than our backyard. Just goes to show you never know when an adventure is possible.

perks

Who knew working at Ford could satisfy my need for speed?

Yeah, some days my job just isn't worth it. Like the times I have to drive vehicles like this one. It's the new 2011 Shelby (Cobra) Mustang. If it had wings, it would probably fly - and I've heard it can go pretty fast (just ask anyone that had to ride with me while I was driving). Not all days are good at work, but perks like this make it a little easier from time to time. This has been added to my Christmas wish list for sure...

Just Dance

Who knew you could get cardio in while learning to dance like the pros? Watch out world...

There is a game for the Wii called Just Dance - and you get points by trying to dance like the character on the screen. There are 30 songs to choose from and they range in difficulty and length. It's a ton of fun. We first saw the game at Dana and Nakia's house - and had to have it!

Sad part is that Tay beats me every time - I have only had more points than her once...and that was dancing to a Beach Boys song (sad, I know). It's ok, I'll keep practicing and catch up to her. We may take this show on the road once we get our routine down.

The video is pretty funny - and you can tell quickly that Tay is the best out of the three of us. To be fair to Adam, it was his first time playing the game and it's kind of tricky to figure out the first time around. It's a blast though, and is really good cardio.

Huh?

Who knew you could watch something 10 times and still only understand 5% of what was said?

This guy is pretty smart - I was told this was all done without a script...off the cuff if you will. Lot of big words in this one and when he gets going, I just have to laugh.