Not only have I beat myself with a coat hanger, yesterday I gave myself a paper cut in my armpit and succeeded in incising my hand with a cheese slicer.

The cheese slicer incident is relatively easy to explain. I was using my handy Dutch cheese plane when it suddenly acquired a mind of its own and tried to attack me. Not really. I can’t make this story seem more interesting than it is. The truth is, the cheese cutter slipped and nicked my hand. Now, I’ve heard of head cheese, but never hand cheese. And, just in case you’ve always wanted a recipe for head cheese, you can find one here. (You really should take a look at this. I mean, do people really eat this stuff?)

The paper cut in my armpit might require a more detailed explanation. One of my summer projects is to reorganize all of our personal files. The pit paper cut caper perpetrated itself as I was carrying several empty manila file folders back to my home office (which is really just a huge, cumbersome, second-hand filing cabinet located in my laundry room). The folders slipped forward resulting in a nice three inch gash under my arm. Perhaps gash is too strong a word, but hey, paper cuts hurt, especially when located in such a tender area as your arm pit.

Do I lead an exciting life or what?

Coming Soon, I promise! Vacation Chronicles 2: Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are big news.

I have heard these names before, but it’s always been a mystery to me exactly who these people are. And, how did they get so rich? Lot’s of people borrow money from them, right? Also, if I assume that “Mae” and “Mac” are middle names, then what are their last names? Why is this important information not released to the public? And what, exactly, is Fannie and Freddie’s relationship to one another? Are they sister and brother? Twins? Or, just friends? Well, I’ll tell you what I think. I think they’re married. That’s right, married. And, if that’s true, one can easily deduce two things. First, judging by all the recent publicity, Fannie and Freddie’s marriage must be in some serious trouble. Second, they must be extremely important people because no less than the U.S. government itself is promising to “prop” them up.

Far be it from me to start a rumor, but is it possible that Fannie and Freddie’s marital difficulties stem from financial problems? Could it be that they skipped the money part of their pre-marital counseling sessions only to become reckless spenders, compulsive shoppers, and silly squanderers? I mean, think about it. I recently read that the U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced that should Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac run a little short on cash, the Feds would bail them out. Well, wait a minute! I could use a little extra spending capital. Why doesn’t the government send a few of those American Green Backs my way? Oops! I forgot. They already did. It was called the stimulus package. Anyway…

And, what about those names? If I had to guess, I’d say that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are from the Midwest somewhere. In fact, they could very well be my kinfolk. To prove it, here’s a short list of some of my relatives’ names. See if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac don’t just fit right in.

Let’s see, there’s…

Raiff Everett (Not sure about the spelling, we just call him “R.E.”)
Georgia May
Neddie Richard
Louie Frank
Aunt Myrtle
Uncle Flavus
Connie Louie (my dad’s name!)
Essie
Ozine
Emma Kay

And we can’t forget…

Selma Ruthema
Ollie Pearl
Eltha Giva

So, if the Feds are bound and determined to kick down a few bucks here and there, so be it. I just hope that Aunt Fannie and Uncle Freddie are willing to share their new-found, U.S. government backed wealth with one of their long lost relatives, me!

Yup. Blood’s thicker than a mortgage crisis, that’s what I always say.

Eight people. One long plane ride. We landed at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam the afternoon of June 13. Now, it just so happened that our trip to Europe coincided with the European Soccer Championships. And, it also just so happened that The Netherlands was scheduled to play France the night we arrived. Good timing. Great antidote against jet lag.

We’ve learned from our past travels to Holland over the years that it’s a struggle to stay awake the first day. Your internal clock begins to beg for sleep by 7 or 8 pm. And, even if you are successful at propping your body up for that long, your mind is still stuck back in Pacific Daylight Time. It’s a weird feeling.

But this trip, instead of the typical, semi-conscious reality of foggy, lagged out thinking, we experienced the razor sharp intensity of the European Soccer Championship game, Holland vs. France. As most of you know, voetbal (soccer) is afforded near religious zealotry in most European nations, especially during an important event like the Euro Championships. A voetbal fan’s loyalty to his national team is a matter of serious import. Here we are seriously proving our loyalty:

We were not alone. Various family members arrived in similar attire. The house was decorated with orange flags, streamers and balloons. We all wore orange shirts. The kids passed out noisemakers so that we could properly cheer when our team scored. The color orange was proudly and prominently displayed.  Let me tell you, mere jet lag is no excuse for failing to express our most sincere dedication to the Dutch National Team.

The soccer gods smiled on us. We beat those durn Frenchies 4-1. No prob.

Why orange? Well, the royal family of Holland is said to be from the House of Orange (van Oranje).

Long live Queen Beatrix!

Ah, summer. When the livin’ gets lazy and the kids…well, sometimes they get bored. And when that happens, watch out! Why? Because sometimes they do things like this:

Boredom is the mother of invention. For example, take a gander at this marvel of engineering produced by my oldest son. And yes, those really are empty milk jugs and water bottles precariously held together by duct tape. Recycling at its best. Behold, the water bike:

Do you think it will float?

Here you see the bored little brother taking his turn. He just hates to be left out!

And then, a bored friend tries out her water biking skills. Doesn’t it look as if she is just cruising along on top of the water?

Here we have another photo of what a boredom-busting-fest might look like:

And finally, this:

Thanks to my beautiful daughter for alleviating her afternoon of boredom by snapping these pictures. Here’s a photograph of her taken while we were on vacation:

Boredom, BE GONE! There, doesn’t everyone feel better now?

  THE KISS - De Haar Castle

In the fall of 1983, I traveled to The Netherlands with a group from the church I attended at the time. Our mission was to help renovate an old building owned by YWAM (Youth With A Mission) situated on the periphery of the Red Light District across from the Central Train Station in Amsterdam. Little did I know at the time that my short term missions project would turn into a lifelong love affair with a certain red-headed Dutchman who would later become my husband.

We spent three weeks in Holland that autumn. Our group stripped old wall paper and hung new, sanded, painted, applied wood stain, and cleaned. Included in our group were a couple of skilled carpenters who helped build a new stairway in the old building. We participated in evangelistic outreach and also had the opportunity to do a bit of sight seeing.

My Dutchman happened to be volunteering his time in Amsterdam at the same time we were there. He and I were among a group of a dozen or so people who chose to walk from our hotel (if you can call it that; we stayed in a very old Seaman’s hotel - Het Zeeman’s Huis - with rooms just big enough for a single small bed and a sink, toilets and showers located elsewhere in the building…), rather than ride the bus to our YWAM work site.

I must admit I was quite smitten with this young, God fearing, handsome red-head, and looking back, it is no wonder that when he invited me to bicycle with him to visit a local castle located near his home town, I jumped at the chance. The picture shown above was taken during our recent trip to Holland in front of that very same castle.

The rest is history, I suppose you could say. Twenty-three years and three children later, I am still quite smitten. If there is such thing as love at first sight, surely our love story qualifies. And, anyway, how could a girl possibly not fall in love with a young man who whisks her away to a story book castle on their very first date? Nope, I didn’t stand a chance. Still don’t.

I am back on American soil this Fourth of July. We had an amazing time in Europe. What a blessing! Although it’s good to be home, it was difficult to say good bye to all of our family in Holland. We visited The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France and Belgium. We traveled by plane, train, tram, subway, bus and automobile. We hiked, biked, hung by cables in sky gondolas, and walked and walked and walked. I’ve lots and lots of stories to post over the next few weeks/months. I have well over 2,000 photographs to sort through on my computer. There’s lots for me to think about and digest. It really was the trip of a lifetime, but still, it’s good to be home.

For now, just to get things going, I will share with you the following:

TEN REASONS WHY I HATE FLYING 

1. I have a flying phobia. I know it’s not rational. I understand that the odds of actually being in a plane crash are slim and that the chances of being hurt or killed in an automobile accident are astronomically higher by comparison. I comprehend the physics of flying. Simply Newtonian, right? I don’t care. It still scares me. And, it’s not the fear of dying, either. It’s the fear of what happens between 35,000 feet and that moment when one smashes into the ground. More a fear of falling.

Each time I fly I have to pray myself up, weeks in advance. Once, before one of our previous treks to Holland, I bravely told my dad that I was ok with flying. After all, I explained, my life is in God’s hands and if it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go. Good ol’ Dad looked me straight in the eye and answered, “That’s all good and well, but what if it’s the pilot’s time to go?” Thanks, Dad. Thanks alot. From that day on, I stopped asking people to pray for me and asked them to pray for the pilot instead.

2. Not only do I have a fear of flying, I also hate the experience itself. I mean, if you like being stuck in a metal tube hurtling through space at six-hundred of miles per hour surrounded by hundreds of strangers for hours and hours on end, then I suppose you might enjoy flying. I don’t like it at all. It makes me feel trapped.

3. I admit, I am a control freak. In life, there are lots of things that we have no control over. But, nothing makes me feel more out of control than flying. Years ago, I was given the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of a commercial airliner. (Try that post 9- 11!) Those pilots were way too relaxed. They basically sat staring out of a tiny window, making slight steering corrections every once in awhile. At the time, I remember fighting the urge to question their flying skills. Directing a huge 747 couldn’t be that easy, could it? I wanted control and I wanted it bad. I still do.

4. I am of short stature. Even if I round up, I am only five feet tall. You’d think I would have plenty of room in an airplane. Not so. When I fly, I am cramped and feel crammed into my seat. Each time I fly, I entertain the same fantasy. As I check in for my flight, a friendly airline attendant informs me that the coach seats have been overbooked and I am forced to take a seat in first class. As I fully recline my seat and stretch out my stubby little legs, I wake up to the reality of my knees jammed into my chin. I realize that my pleasant dream has turned into a nightmare and I am in coach.

5. Is airplane food for real? Or is it grown at the unreasonable facsimile farm? I would bet on the latter. Enough said.

6. On a ten hour flight, you can bet that you have to visit the bathroom at least once. I hate airplane bathrooms. They are a claustrophobiac’s worst nightmare, tiny, coffin like affairs that are overused and abused, quickly dirtied and always occupied. In my opinion, the sound of an airplane toilet flushing is worse than the sound of the dentist’s drill.

7. Airplane seats are uncomfortable at best, a modern-day torture device at worst. Each is equipped with a teaser-recliner. That is, you can only recline so far before the guy behind you is contemplating altitude induced homicide. Some might say it is better to have sat and semi-reclined than never to have reclined at all. I disagree. Stop the madness and don’t tease me. Please.  

8. Not everyone who flies commercially understands the importance of preflight personal hygiene. There are people in this world who don’t bother to bathe or use deodorant and find perverse pleasure in not doing so. There really ought to be a law. No explosives, no knives, no razors, no tweezers, no liquids, and a certificate of cleanliness required for all who board commercial airliners.

9. Airplanes have two temperature settings. Freezing, Antarctic-like cold or blazing, Sahara-like hot. Take your pick. Teeth chattering or pouring sweat?

10. Flying is barbaric. The way we fly has not significantly changed for decades. There’s got to be a better way. Until then, pass the Benydryl and hope you can sleep (something, by the way, that always eludes me while flying). Unfortunately, sometimes there’s only one way to get to where you want to go.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, EVERYONE!

We made it.

Eight people and one very long plane ride later. We are with our family in Holland. Phew!

I did not think I would have a chance to write, but jet lag does funny things to a person. At 5:30 this morning, I was up and ready for my day. So, I do have a few minutes.

Yesterday, the Dutch won their match against France in the European soccer championship tournament. That means they go on to the quarter finals and will play Romania on Tuesday. In the states we have the super bowl, or basketball championships (the Lakers have their work cut out for them), but over here it’s all soccer. The fun part is that besides professional soccer teams, each country has its own national team, too.

So, last night we all gathered in Hanneke’s living room to watch the match. Twenty or so of us, all dressed in orange (Holland’s national color), to cheer on the Dutch national team. We decorated with orange streamers and ballons. Some of us even wore orange hats and/or wigs. Great fun. A night that I will always remember.

I’ll post photos when I get back from vacation in July!

 

 

 

 

Here are some past posts, my personal favorites. Just click on the link and enjoy. I’ll have lots to share with you when we return from vacation in early July. Unitl then, blessings to all of you…

Terrie

Confessions of a Wannabe Grammarian - April 2007

Kenonaphobia - April 2007

God’s Grace - April - 2007

Requiem for an Ash Tree - May 2007

Dominion Antology - May 2007

Things I Have Learned - May 2007

Arnie’s Belt - June 2007

Releasing My Inner Gardener - June 2007

Tour de France Fever - July 2007

Stupid Kid, Me - August 2007

The Wacky World of Professional Golf - August 2007

Life’s Little Mysteries - August 2007

The Mercy of God’s Word - August 2007

Pleasures Pure - February 2008

The Problem With Physics Majors - March 2008

 

 

 

We are going on vacation, truly the trip of a lifetime. I will be joining my incredibly handsome Dutch husband, my three amazing young adult kids, and three of their coolest friends for two and one-half weeks in Europe.

We depart from Los Angeles, non-stop to Amsterdam, arriving on June 13. One of my husband’s four sisters, Hanneke, and her husband, Sjaak, have graciously opened their home to us for the first couple of days. Over the next several days in The Netherlands, we’ve rented an apartment at a farm located on the outskirts of my husband’s home town. We look forward to visiting with all of our family members and taking several day trips to see the sights in Amsterdam and the surrounding area.

From Holland, we plan to drive through Germany to Switzerland where we will enjoy three days in a small Alpine village called Gimmelwald. I am very excited about this leg of the trip. From what I have seen online and heard from friends who have visited this tiny town perched on the edge of the Swiss Alps, we should be treated to some spectacularly beautiful views of God’s handiwork. While in Gimmelwald, we’ll stay at a Mountain Hostel. Nothing fancy, but who needs elaborate accomodations when one is surrounded by such beauty? Ah, nothing like a hike in the Alps first thing in the morning. I can’t wait!

From there we will spend a couple of days camping just outside of Paris near Versailles, France. We have reserved a couple of tents at a campground called Huttopia. The tents come with all the bedding and blankets we will need and are big enough to sleep four people. The train station is within walking distance from our campground, and it’s only a 20 minute train ride to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. We can also rent bikes for the short ride to Louis XIV’s palace in Versailles.

Our next stop is Normandy, France, where we will visit the cemetery and World War II Memorial honoring the American soldiers who died there during the war. This is sure to be a highlight of our trip.

Our last stop before returning to The Netherlands is the beautiful coastal town of Honfleur in France. This will be the only time during our whole vacation that we will stay in a hotel! We have one day in Honfleur, and then we’ll drive back to Holland for a couple more days with family. 

We return to the United States on July 2, just in time for Fourth of July celebrations. As you can imagine, I’ve been extremely busy readying everything for our trip. I’ll try my best to post at least once more before we leave on Thursday. Perhaps I’ll leave you with a “Best Of” post with links to  some of my favorite posts from the archives.

By the way, I am not taking my laptop with me on vacation. So, from June 12 through July 2 or so, there will be no new posts on my blog. However, I do plan to bring a good, old-fashioned spiral notebook (you know, the kind with real college ruled paper inside?) and do some journaling while we are away. I’ll also take lots of pictures. It will be fun to share our vacation with all of you when we return.

I appreciate your prayers. Mostly for traveling mercies and safety. I look so forward to spending time with our kids and their friends. My heart’s desire is that we will look back on our vacation together, grateful to the Lord for His provision and blessing, treasuring always our trip of a lifetime. 

P.S. I think most of you know that if you click on the highlighted words in the body of this post, you can follow the link and get a better idea of where our travels will take us. Love you all!

-Terrie

 

 

I did not plant the apricot tree, but I still get to enjoy the fruit of someone else’s labor.

When we first moved here four years ago, I was thrilled to discover that there were several fruit trees growing in our yard. We have an apricot tree, a plum tree, a lemon tree, a grapefruit tree and an almond tree, all planted by the previous property owners.

This season, our little apricot tree is loaded with fruit. The apricots are small, but yummy. I’ve been able to take apricots to work, send apricots home with my parents, share with our neighbors, and keep a bowlful of freshly picked fruit on my kitchen counter for my family. I’ve baked apricot cobbler, apricot scones, and tomorrow I will begin freezing some apricots to make apricot jam later in the summer. We have been blessed by those apricots!

I must say that I especially enjoyed the apricot scones. They tasted delicious with a cup of hot coffee. I even froze a couple dozen uncooked scones for future breakfast fare. If you are interested in the recipe, you can click here.

When we are tired of apricots, sweet, juicy plums will be ready in the fall. And in between, there are sunny yellow grapefruit or grapefruit juice for breakfast and lemons for my tea. But, I still haven’t figured out how to harvest the almonds. All the same, I am thankful for whoever took the time to plant all of those fruit trees.