Warmelo

Having Caryn here this week has been a tremendous help. Naomi has been doing much better, and those extra pair of hands go a long way. It was a pleasure coming home from the West to a clean house and a tasty meal. Afterwards we put the girls to bed and got ready for a wedding reception. Naomi's cousin got married, and we had a really nice time.

We had plenty of downtime this weekend but managed to get started on setting up the workshop as I was a bit motivated to start since I finished writing the business plan. It sure is a big job to get all that stuff functioning in such a small space.

Today we had a nice day visiting a couple nearby castles. There was a sand sculpture exhibition in the gardens of one of them and even the weather cooperated. It was a really nice day. Tomorrow Naomi is back to work and I head back to the West. My new residence permit came through so I will need to pick that up and then I can officially quit my job!

Le Petit Dictateur

Mid-Winter Horns.

The Englishman who brought the textile industry to Twente.

The old castle.

Abigail learned to pick her nose...

On Our Own

It has been awhile since I have taken any pictures. Life here has been too hectic. This was the first week that we were on our own, and, thankfully, that will end tomorrow when Caryn comes. Naomi and the girls had a really rough time. Everyone was sick and it was the first week at daycare.

We are really happy with the daycare, but the girls definitely need some time to adjust. When they get home the are crying a lot. Very tired and overwhelmed with all the new impressions. Perhaps that is better than crying a lot at daycare though...

In contrast, I had a nice and relaxing week in the West. Quite a few of my students were at camp, where it rained most of the time, so I didn't have much work to do. I spent some time on the business plan and was able to relax.

The only annoying thing was the trains. I had four major delays in a week. One meant we had to walk from one station to the next as the bus only came once every hour, and another meant I was late for work because some psycho ran onto the Thalys, locked himself in the bathroom, and had to be dragged out by a SWAT team after they shut down the entire station. I don't think I would be happy with taking public transport to work on a permanent basis.

It seems like every Friday when I get home I have to get to know the two little ones again. They change so much even over the course of a few days. We had a nice time yesterday running a few errands in Hengelo - Abigail and Amélie had a blast at the IKEA. This morning Amélie was really grumpy, probably teething, so hopefully when she gets up from her nap we can head over to a pancake house for lunch. Nice to have more of a regular weekend!

Full House

I came back from the West bringing a cold along with me, along with a bad attitude as nearly all the trains from Rotterdam were shut down, so unfortunately I wasn't able to enjoy the full house as much as I was hoping to. Naomi was in similar shape as she was so exhausted from yet another busy week.

We still had a nice visit with Dad and Claire. Ron and Edith also came for the day yesterday and the five of our guests had a nice afternoon at a castle with sand sculptures while we took a nap.

Chinese was ordered for dinner and the portions we got for 7 people were enough for 14, so we also have been enjoying some nice leftovers. Dad and Claire made it to the airport this afternoon and Mom will follow them in the morning. We shall see how we manage without any help...at least we only need to try it out for a week.

Work Week

This was our first full week of work. My mom is still here, so that makes things a lot easier than they would have been otherwise. I almost missed the train on the way to the West and it was really hot, so I spent the first train ride to Hengelo dripping with sweat. After that things went well, and the big rain storm passed over the train and cleared up by the time I was done eating at the station in The Hague.

After the first day of work I showed my hosts how to use their new 'Smokey Joe' and we grilled up some rib-eyes I brought with me. It was a nice dinner. The day after we had some Indonesian take-out after an intense game of squash, and the third night was a bit more relaxed.

The trains were on time after school on Friday and Naomi picked me up at the station in Apeldoorn. Really nice how that timing works out! We both had a good work week and were able to fill each other in on the ride home. This weekend is about finishing more Immigration paperwork and trying to get the upstairs of our house in order.

We also have a new trailer that goes behind the bike, and also acts as a stroller for the girls. I put that together, and if the weather cooperates today we can try it out! The hope is that after this weekend is finished, the only thing that will still have to be done in terms of moving in is the shed - but that will take awhile.