The End.

My time in the big city has come to a close. Might be back to visit or for my new woodworking business from time to time. I was sad to go. Definitely will need a few days to recover from the exhaustion of this separation.

The last week went really well. Got to play some sports, eat some pizza (instead of turkey and mashed potatoes), finish all the work I needed to do without stress, and had a really nice time wrapping things up. The students were really sweet. Lots of cards and chocolate and well-wishing.

One class even put together a party. They spent weeks on it. Balloons, confetti, cakes, decorations, and they even baked me cookies. They did a nice job of keeping it a surprise (although I figured it out since they don't think I understand Dutch). Perfect way to spend the last lesson of the last day.

After the final report meetings, some colleagues and I went over to an Irish Pub for dinner and drinks. 20 or 25 people showed up and we had a lot of fun. There was even live music which was nice. I will miss the people I work with.

Saturday was spent doing a bit of shopping and traveling back. Naomi was wiped out as both girls picked up something similar to chicken pox. She had to stay home from work on Friday. Things will change rather dramatically now, and right in time. We are worn out!

The farewell party.

One Week

We are down to the last week of separation! It will be a long one though. Naomi leaves tonight for a conference in Haarlem and I will stay an extra day in Rotterdam to do a bit of shopping and have a little going away party.

After about 6 months of ideas and debate, we have finally settled on a name for my business: CookCraft Woodworking. Dad's idea. Had our first website meeting yesterday and will officially register the business in about a week. Still waiting to hear back whether or not my first big project proposal will be accepted - they loved the design but not the price. I think that story will find a way of repeating itself...

We also made appointments to see a couple more houses in Vaassen and to talk with the bank about a mortgage. Just because I won't have to work in Rotterdam anymore doesn't mean things will slow down around here...

It is the 30th wedding anniversary party of Naomi's Aunt and Uncle today, so we will head over there shortly. I have to replace the headlights in the car first though...both of them burned out. By now it must be a bit warmer outside, we had our first real frost last night.

The Tree

I finished up the first official project of my new business this week. It turned out nicely and the teacher who requested it is quite pleased. I also found out that the school has a budget of 5,000 Euros per year for such 'classroom improvements' (which of course nobody knows about so our classrooms certainly don't look nice). Maybe more teachers will want a tree shelf in their rooms...

Tomorrow I will start designing a stereo table in some sort of art deco style for the parents of one of my former students. I hope they go for the design, but it will be expensive to make. We shall see what they say on Thursday...

We visited Vaassen on Saturday to check out a couple of houses. Our desire to move their was confirmed, and we have things narrowed down to a specific neighborhood where there is only one house for sale. Hopefully we will be able to get it. Don't have much time for two weeks though...

Today was the 95th birthday party of Naomi's Grandma. Gerda hosted it and more people gathered than had in many years. It was a nice event and fun to see so many people in the same place. Erna made a really nice photo book as a birthday present and Naomi, along with some others, want a copy too.

Before.

After.

Happy Birthday!

Pictures

It has been awhile since I have taken a picture of anything, so I figured the girls needed a bit of lens time. They have been getting cuter by the day, and I can see their changes more clearly as I am gone for half of the week. Their steps can be hard to put into words, but they always seem a bit older when I get home on Fridays.

Claire has been here for the past week helping out a lot. It has made Naomi's life a lot better, especially because the twins were some extra work with their shot side effects - lots of poopy and pukey messes to clean up. Now we only have three weeks to go! This weekend I was even able to finish up the tree shelf, a bit ahead of schedule, thanks to Claire. I will haul it to school and install it this week.

I had a really nice dinner with the parents of one of my former students on Thursday. They took me out to a fancy Italian place where we enjoyed a delicious 5-course seafood dinner. My woodworking business came up and they said they might like me to make a few things for them, so I will head over to their place on Tuesday to see what they have in mind.

Abigail goes for the camera.

Curious Amélie.

Climbing up Daddy.

Big hug.

Sister sandwich.

Abigail is clean!

Practicing for the Catwalk.

More Hands

Claire had some comp time coming her way, so she decided to come up and help out for a week. Much needed! Naomi is feeling stressed. Lots to do around here.

My new place is working out well in Rotterdam. What a relief to be able to walk to work! I have had more energy this week than expected, so that is a pleasure.

Made good progress on the tree. All the pieces are made, angles cut, and holes drilled. Just have to cut a little groove in the back and sand things down. Since Claire is here I can do a bit tomorrow and will finish it up next weekend. Even managed to squeeze in a bike ride because the weather has been soooo nice!

The Tree

I have spent much of this vacation working on the bookshelf in the shape of a tree. More accurately, two branches that will be attached to a pre-existing concrete column. Progress is, as expected, much slower than expected. It has taken quite awhile to get the workshop in working order and figure out how to use the low-budget machines I have with the high-diameter Meranti I found. Already went through one band saw blade. Luckily it is the low-density variety, otherwise I would be in big trouble.

The deadline will be tight, but I should be able to finish things on time. Now that I know how to proceed (for the most part) the pace should quicken. In spite of the beautiful morning, I will need to get busy here. Luckily we got a free hour today!

The girls had a really nice holiday - they enjoyed having both parents around. They continue to change very quickly and have been working a lot on language lately, trying to say a lot of different words. They are also learning to communicate pretty effectively without words. It will be fun to see what Naomi's family notices today...

Vacation!

Finally. We get a break. Sort of. The list of things to do is longer than our vacation, but at least we get to be together and have a bit of rest. I have a project to work on. One of the teachers at school wants some bookshelves in the shape of a tree, so that is my priority for this week. Nice that the first commission I will make is from my soon to be former employer.

I found some wood for it yesterday - Meranti. It is a bit harder than I would have liked, but it will look really nice and the price was right. Always interesting to work with a new type of wood. Good thing I spent so much time getting the workshop in order. Definitely not ready yet though.

The housing situation is also taken care of. I was offered a room within walking distance of school, so that will make things more relaxing. I will miss being in the Hague, but I won't miss the commute. It is only for half of five weeks, so I am sure it will be fine...