Kineda Restaurant

We decided to give Kineda Restaurant another try. The food there is delicious....but the service on a Saturday night left much to be desired. Sooooo, we went again for dinner this past Sunday evening with Louise.

We got our own private chef!!!  There was no one else in the restaurant, although there appeared to be many orders for food to go, which were cooked at our table. The chef has 20 years experience and knows how to put on quite a "show"!

I took a video here also, but I'm having trouble getting it from my computer into the blog.......

Provincie Noord-Holland is open!

The new Provincie North Holland building has been finished. Today the doors were open for an Open House....sooooo....we went inside! It's a beautiful six story building.

1st floor is floor 0:

The "Cone of Silence"!!!

We up to the top floor where you can step outside on a little patio. I was able to take a few pictures from there of Haarlem!

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Life is good in the Netherlands

Sooooooo......I have been living in Haarlem for 8 1/2 months now. Andrew has been here for 14 1/2 months. I can't believe how fast the time is flying now. For me, the first six months was a time of adjusting. Now I feel like this is home......

I do need to make sure I take a multi-vitamin and Vitamin D daily. It's very often gray, cold and gloomy here. I've noticed if I take my vitamins I feel much more energetic than when I forget to take them.

My wonderful friend Hetty told me once that now I have two countries...and now I realize she is right!  I am so blessed!

We have found that overall this has been a great experience!  We have enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends. We do miss our children tremendously. We do call them with Skype and we write a lot of letters. Of course, there's nothing like "being there".....Thank goodness for the internet!

Yesterday I went into Amsterdam to get more pods for our Nespresso machine. Louise had recommended a paper store in Amsterdam when I told her that we needed some nice stationery to write letters....so I went there too!

It's called "Vlieger Papier". The business has been there since 1869!  http://vliegerpapier.nl/

There is quite a nice array of paper available there....many hand made. What a fun place to shop!

As I was heading towards the tram to go home I saw a sign for an American Indian display at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. What an unlikely place to have something like that! Since I wasn't in a rush, I decided to check it out.

The collection on display was smaller than I thought it would be, which was a little disappointing...some was quite cute. They had a few television monitors set up where they were showing old "western" cartoons.....in Dutch! I'd never seen an American Indian speaking Dutch!  The art collection was very good...they had pottery, paintings, wood carvings, baskets, etc. on display.

The Nieuwe Kerk is a 15th century church. The official program for the abdication and investiture will take place on 30 April 2013 there. Queen Beatrix will sign the Instrument of Abdication at the Royal Palace, Amsterdam. The investiture of Willem-Alexander as king will then take place at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. It was wonderful to see the inside of the church where this will take place. They are expecting record crowds for the ceremony.....soooo most likely Andrew and I will not be going to Amsterdam. We will stay in Haarlem and celebrate from a distance!

While I was walking home from the train station in Haarlem, I took a few pictures of bicycles and others unusual "modes of transportation" and thought I'd share a few!

I had a hankering for an apple pie.....soooooo....I made one when I got home! Yummy!

While I was relaxing this morning....Socrates was sitting in his new favorite spot in the window!!!

One of our tulips in the house...We love buying new flowers every week!!!  Flowers flowers everywhere...love it!

We also went for a walk in the woods today....the flowers are starting to peak out!!!

The paths in the woods are being "repaved" with shells!  

What is a "Stoma" you ask?!?! And Kaneda Restaurant

What is a "Stoma" you ask?!?!?  Ha!......I thought I knew what it was too!  The definition that came to my mind when I heard the term was:

A stoma is a hole (opening) made in the skin in front of your neck to allow you to breathe. The opening is made at the base of your neck. Through this hole air enters and leaves your windpipe (trachea) and lungs.

When I was working as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, we had special instructions we provided for patients with a stoma for CPR. 

Wellllllllllllll, I will no longer think of "stoma" the same way!  The term in Dutch means something totally different!  The word for Grandmother is "Oma". Soooo, they combined "Step" and "Oma"  and came up with the term "Stoma" for Step-Grandma!  Aye!!!  I'm going  to stick with "Nonni" and/or "Oma", or "Grandma"!!! LOL!

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Last night we met my hairdresser, Carla, and her boyfriend, Teo, and a few of her other clients for dinner at the Kineda Restaurant. It's a teppanyaki/sushi restaurant. The food there was very tasty and fresh. I had a few different types of sushi, some nigiri and some of the teppanyaki (cooked on grill). The dinner was all you can eat and drink (wine, beer, tea and/or coffee) for €31.50  each. It was delicious! Carla had expected more people, but we ended up with a small group (7 of us). We had a very enjoyable evening. I would recommend going there on a week night, as it was very busy and the service was a little lacking. 

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A few days ago we received a bill for our gas and electric. Throughout the year Eneco (the gas/electric company) had been taking €89 out of our bank account monthly for the bill. Previous to July, they were taking out €134 . We don't know why they lowered the price in the middle of the year. A few months ago they sent someone out to read the meters....and that is apparently why we received this bill. The bill states we owe €1,700!!! WHAT?!?!? And they are going to just take it out of our account at the end of the month. If we have any questions about the bill we can call.......at a charge to us of 10cents per minute!??!?! WHAT?!?!? We are at their mercy.......So, now the monthly charge will be €291 a month!  This is for two people in a 1000 square foot house! We keep the heat set at around 20C (68 degrees Farenheit). We don't know how anyone could afford a larger house here. 

The weather has turned cold again here.....so I am back to wearing my UGGS in the house! It's so drafty in the house, we have to dress in layers inside!  (single paned windows). 

The use of checks has been gone here for about 10 years from what we've heard. So, when you need to pay a bill you transfer it directly to the separate accounts. The security on our PIN cards seems to be ultrasafe. We can't even check the balance on our account on-line without the use of a PIN card reader and typing in access codes. 

While going over our tax information with a consultant we found out that people here who have any more than €40,000 in the bank have to pay tax on it!  Not tax on the interest made, tax on the full amount!!! I don't know what the percentage is.....but that certainly doesn't encourage people to save money.

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Andrew was telling me the other day that Dutch employees receive an extra paycheck once a year....an entire month's pay!  This is for "vakantie" (vacation)!!! Europeans take their vacations seriously...being of the mind that it gives people time away and they go back to the job refreshed and ready to work. I like it!  Andrew still works a lotttt of hours, but at least he is willing to take a week off now a couple of times a year, and a day or two off at a time here and there during the year. 
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While I was in the States I mailed myself a package back to the Netherlands. I received the package on Friday.......with €56 TAX due!!!  Luckily, I had cash (I usually don't have annnny!) and I was able to pay it. After looking over the shipping paperwork I figured out what happened. The woman at the UPS store had put the value of the bars of soap I mailed at $200, rather than $20!!!  Grrrrrrrrr......That is some exxxxpensive soap!

Home Sweet Home!

I got back from the States Sunday morning. My flight was delayed about an hour......I don't know if I'll fly U.S. Airways again.....They served a dinner not long after taking off from PHL which was at about 2130hrs local time. I didn't partake, as I had already eaten dinner at the airport. The lights were turned off in the cabin most of the way back and I was able to get a couple of hours of restless sleep. About an hour before landing they served a "muffin top" (very small) for breakfast...that was it! It sounded yucky, so I didn't have that either. By that time I was pretty hungry. When I had flown from PHL to CA they served food, but you had to pay extra for it....over $8 for a sandwich. The flight from CA to PHL they served no food whatsoever...not even snacks for purchase! I'd rather pay an extra $10 for my flight and get a meal. The planes were all older and kind of squishy, with not much room in the overhead compartments. On one of the flights a lot of people had to check their carryon luggage.  The flight was $400 cheaper than other flights I had looked at though. Guess I'd better plan ahead and bring more snacks on board next time!

It was wonderful spending time with my children and grandchildren. I was able to see one of my friends, Julia, while in CA. She lives close to Jackie...so we met at a nearby restaurant. It was great to see her!! I was able to devote the majority of my time to family on this trip, which was nice.

Andrew was at the airport to meet me with flowers in hand! He's so sweet!  We drove home and the first thing I did was make a sandwich-I was soooo hungry!  We went for a nice walk in the woods with Sammy. Although it was a little chilly, the sun was shining.

Yesterday and today it feels like spring...the sun is shining, the birds in the neighbors aviary are chirping away and you can see buds on all the trees and bushes!  Yesterday I spent most of the day cleaning and shopping for groceries. I usually have to go to 4 stores to get everything we need. This morning I went out and did some trimming and prepared the pots for planting. This weekend we'll go to buy some new plants!

Louise came over for tea this afternoon. She's such a sweet woman....I really enjoy her company. She and Gary are talking about possibly relocating to England. It sounds like it would be a good move for them.

I am enjoying our time here in the Netherlands. It's a beautiful country full of wonderful people (for the most part!). I know that I will miss it when we leave in 2014. I am feeling at home here now.....but I also know that living here is temporary.  On this last trip back to the States I realized more than ever...I loooooove America!  I never really realized how fortunate I was to be born and raised in America. What a country!  I've always been patriotic, but now I think I will be even more so.

***Head injury problems still affecting me***

I am still experiencing problems from my head injury (occurred in August 2010). While I was in the States I rented a car. Driving seems to be okay as long as I'm rested and I don't have to drive more than a couple of hours at a time. It's difficult now for me to drive at night. The worst part of driving is when I stop....my head is spinning for a few hours afterwards!  Maybe because I have to concentrate so hard to drive, and from the movement. It's no longer "fun" to drive...it's more a chore. I used to be able to drive for hours and hours and lovvvved it.......Now it's a way to get from point A to point B.

I guess maybe I will always have trouble sleeping now. When I lie down to go to sleep I usually get the sensation that I'm falling (like off a cliff.....) when I close my eyes. My ears are also ultra sensitive....just the sound of my hand moving on the pillowcase is enough to drive me insane. Last night I couldn't stand it anymore and just broke down crying. Sooooo, I stay up till I'm so exhausted I can sleep. I usually wake up after a few hours, stay awake for a few hours, then go back to sleep. So, I sometimes get 8 hrs. of sleep, but it's all broken up. If I don't get 7-8 hours of sleep I have to take a nap. But, I try not to sleep more than 30 mins. during the day or my sleep pattern gets even more messed up! Maybe I should go see a doctor and see if they can help me with my sleep and hearing/eyesight sensitivities.  The doctors I saw in the States wanted to put me on anti-anxiety meds......but I just don't want to take medication.

I'm soooo thankful I don't have to work right now. While I was working I couldn't think straight, could barely make it through the day (had to take a 10 min. nap everyday at work and sometimes two naps), barely made it to and from work with the drive. All that noise and multitasking was just toooooo much.

God kept me here for a reason. The other day while shopping at the airport I bought a book called "Becoming a Prayer Warrior". I had studied Spiritual Warfare in the past and I feel that maybe I have a "calling". When I had practiced it in the past I found prayer to be so powerful that it actually frightened me. Now maybe I am strong enough to practice it?!?!?

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Today is Thursday, March 7th. Sammy and I walked to the vet's office for his vaccinations. It's about 2.4 miles away...we were a little tired by the time we got home!

Mom and Grandma time.....

February 19th was my daughter Jackie's 30th birthday.

I am in the U.S. now (very short trip) devoting time to visiting my children and grandchildren. The last trip I took to the States (last September) was so frenetic that I barely had time to think much less enjoy some time with my kids. I was exhausted from trying to do and see everything and everyone....

I have a ticket to come back in September and will make time to see as many of my friends as possible. That will most likely be my last trip back to the States till we move back in September 2014.  I miss my friends!  I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings......But, right now, my "kids" need my support and I need some grandchildren time!

I will be back in the Netherlands Sunday......I suuure miss Andrew!!!