Carnaval!

Oh, what a fun, fun weekend!! This weekend the Carnaval celebration started in Southern Holland... I think it's kind of like Mardi Gras, but it lasts for 5 days! I went down on Sunday to meet some friends, and I had the best time I've had since moving to Holland. The whole thing is crazy - it starts around 11am, and goes until the wee hours of the morning. Everyone is dressed up in costumes, and some of them are really, really good. I think Leslie and I had as much fun getting dressed as we did partying. I just kept laughing at how ridiculous I looked! :) Lots of fun, lots of drinking, and lots of new friends. I'll definitely be spending the WHOLE weekend there the next time... getting up for work this morning was really rough! :)

Here are some pictures:


Well, so they still haven't figured out that plastic is the way to go when there are large groups of people consuming large amounts of beer... you are supposed to put your glass glasses on these shelves, but at people got drunker and drunker, you could hear shattering glass everywhere!


Leslie and Eric, ready to go!


Oh yeah, we look ridiculous!


I'm still not exactly sure about this... it's a tradition to hang an old housewife?!? Seems strange to me... must do more research on this.


Our Dutch colleague, Ditte, and her boyfriend, Bos, joined us later in the day for more fun.


Watching the parade...


A collage of the many costumes we saw... clockwise from top left: crazy pink people, 80's workout fanatics, costumes made from Albert Heijn (grocery store) bags, an Arab (can you SO not see this being okay in the US???), and, yes, folks, a bloody tampon - couldn't believe my eyes!

I was so bummed that I had to come back to Amsterdam... I took the 8:30 train, which got me home around 11pm. I lost my "FEBO" virginity. For those of you that don't know, FEBO is this crazy place where you put money in a slot, and then you get food that has been under a heat lamp for god knows how long. Very healthy, I'm sure, but it sounded delicious after a day of drinking. Not sure I ever want to eat that again! :)

Making our selections...

Why the Dutch are called Dutch...

Okay, so I've been wondering about this... in the Dutch language, if you are from the Netherlands, you are called a "nederlander"... but in English, you are called Dutch. So, I googled it, and here is the answer:

Why are the Dutch called Dutch?

The term Netherlands (Dutch 'Nederland') is relatively recent. Earlier, the Dutch called themselves 'Nederduitsch' (Lower Germans) and indeed considered themselves to be a kind of Germans. Nowadays the Dutch call themselves 'Nederlanders' and only the Germans are referred to as 'Duitsers'. But in English the earlier name has stuck.

Don't you feel smarter? :)

Happy...

Well, another weekend is on its way out... It's amazing how quickly Amsterdam has truly started to feel like "home" to me. I'm so blessed with amazing friends here... much as I have been in all the other places I've lived. Very lucky girl. :)

Friday night, Gulsun and I decided to go night skiing again, and this time, her husband, Olav, decided to join us as well. Okay, so Gulsun and I totally missed that there was a third "hill" the last time we went to this place. Her husband found it, and, since it was about double the length of the runs where we had gone the last time, we decided to try out the "big kid hill". To start with... there were signs everywhere saying "for trained skiiers only". Me, feeling confident, thought that, despite not having training, I was now good enough to risk my life while throttling down a huge hill at about 100 mph. Yeah... So, first problem... the ski lift was going MUCH faster on the advanced hill than it did on the little hills. It's basically this little bar with a saucer on the end that that you put between your legs, and then it pulls you up the hill. Well, about 5 of them came by, and they were coming so fast that I couldn't get it between my legs (no comments from the peanut gallery, thank you very much). Anyways, I finally thought I had one, but turns out I didn't quite have it, and, rather than waiting for another one to come by, I just hung on with my arms as it pulled me up the hill. Now, this might sound easy, but it was harder than heck! As I got closer and closer to the top, the hill got steeper and steeper, and finally I got to the point that I just couldn't hold on any longer. So, then, I had a terrible little fall, and all the other people coming up had to try to avoid hitting me. Uh, yeah, slightly embarrassing! ;) Okay, so this is all before I've even gone down the hill, mind you. I'm feeling pretty flustered to say the least. I made it down that run feeling okay, so I decided to try it again. The next time, I fell pretty hard, but managed to get up quickly and proceed down the hill. It was the next (and final!) time where I had my most spectacular fall... Olav turned in front of me, and, since I need to work a little on the control/speed part of skiing, I couldn't stop, so I just decided to fall... and fall I did... I was going so fast that I hit the ground HARD, and kept sliding all the way down the hill... the whole hill was a collection of my hat, both my poles, and both my skis. How embarrassing. I retreated in defeat back to the beginners hill after that. Think it might be time for a lesson... ;) A really fun night, nevertheless.

Gul and I post-skiing

Awww... Gul & "O"

I didn't get home until nearly 2 am, so I promised myself that I was going to treat myself to sleeping in. Hmmm... my body doesn't seem to want to co-operate! I was wide awake before 8am! Grrr... It's been absolutely gorgeous here (cold, but clear), and I took advantage of a beautiful morning and went for a long run. I'm going to need to start running a little farther on the weekends to prepare for this crazy race.

Valentine's evening was a pretty unexpected surprise. I had a truly lovely evening in the company of a new friend. The eternal dilemma is - "What to WEAR???". After trying on everything in my wardrobe and deciding that I didn't like anything, I went shopping on my street to a couple of places that I like. AND... I actually had GOOD customer service (seriously, this happens so infrequently that I have to celebrate every time it happens). The sales girl was super helpful. This is what I ended up with... I loved it:

Hope all is well in Portland, Ohio, and places beyond!! Miss you all! xx

I made it!

I found out today that I made the RoPa run team! We've been doing runs twice a week at lunch, which has been fantastic! :) Just wanted to give you the update - I'm really excited!

Good friends, good food, good fun!

I'm terribly behind on updating my blog... I've been having too much fun! :) I'll start with a quick update of two weekends ago... after having countless dinners with my Italian friends at their homes, we finally found a date that everyone could come up to Amsterdam to have dinner at my place. Okay, that, AND, I finally got the courage to cook for these culinary geniouses. I spent all day Saturday cooking, which was actually super fun now that I am sort of figuring out what the heck I'm doing in the kitchen! :) Menu was as follows:

Appetizer: Pigs in a Blanket (couldn't NOT make these after the success at my 4th of July party!)
Main: Basil-Provelone stuffed Chicken wrapped in Procuitto with side of basil-garlic-tomato pasta and walnut green beans
Dessert: (my favorite) hazelnut chocolate mousse cake

I was not too nervous, as I had made everything except the cake before. The only problem was that the recipe called for an 8 inch springform pan, and all I had was an 11 inch one, so the poor little guy ended up a little skinny. :) It ended up being the best part of the meal - I will defintely make that little delight again. :)


Stefano, Rixt, Alex, Fabio, and Sam - Buon Appetito!


The Infamous Dessert... contact me if you want a recipe! :)

After dinner, we decided to hit the town... we went to a few bars, which was kind of fun. Sadly, I don't go to bars that often. I think I'm getting old or something... The only mishap of the night was trying to catch a taxi home from the main square... they are all such scam artists. And, let's see... what do I do for a living? Oh yeah, try to reduce costs. These guys got nothin' on me! ;) I got in the first taxi, knowing that it should cost about 10 euros to get home... he tells me 17.50, and I promptly told him what I thought about that and then got out of the car. The next one, 15. By this point, I was getting pretty irritated, and decided to walk home. It's not far, but it was FREEZING outside! About 5 minutes into my walk, I saw another taxi, and thought I'd give it a try. I wanted to kiss the guy when he told me - MAX 10 euros. I ended up tipping him a ton, but I appreciated the honesty.

The next weekend, more fun... my friend from Portland, Allison, her fiance, Kevin, and her friend from college, Cheryl, all came to visit me for the weekend. Al and Kevin had never been here before, so I planned a pretty busy weekend of sightseeing. Highlights were:

* Having my first taste of herring (a raw fish) at the Albert Cuyp Markt (okay, and, actually, sort of liking it)
* Taking a tour of the newly re-modeled Heineken Brewery... not the best brewery I've been to, but they tried hard
* Having Al catch all three of the rest of us in a photo taking a nap during a canal tour... I can't ever stay awake on those things! Unfortunately, I don't have Al's pics on my computer yet
* A bike ride through the Dutch countryside (despite 3 hours of sleet, snow, and hail - yikes!)
* A lovely dinner at home on Sunday night

The crew post - Heineken Brewery tour (and two beers)

Before the ice and sleet started on our tour of the Dutch countryside

Al looking mighty cold as we bear down for the last 15 minutes of our tour

All in all, two great weekends. And, the best news of all - it's almost time for the next one.

In all seriousness, all is not peaches and cream. The economic slowdown, crisis, or whatever you want to call it has hit a little closer to home... Nike announced layoffs of up to 4% of its global workforce, to be effective no later than May. I think we're all just holding our breath to see what is going to happen. Scary times. My thoughts are with any of you out there already affected. I know it's not easy. Keep your chin up.

A New (Running) Endeavor

Alright, so I've run many a race in my life, including several Hood to Coasts and another relay called "The Relay" in California. Now, I've got my eyes on a new relay... it's called the RoPa Run. Evidently, it used to be run from Rotterdam (Ro) to Paris (Pa), but now, because people from more Eastern countries complained about having to come all the way back from Paris, the race goes from Paris to Rotterdam. Now, this relay sounds much different than the other relays that I have done... Let me explain...

There are 2 vans (this is the same as H2C), each one has 4 runners and 2 bikers (here is where things get REALLY different). Van #1 goes first (obviously), and Runner #1 runs 2K (a little over 1 mile), while the bikers ride along with the runner. After 2K, Runner #1 gets back in the van and Runner #2 does 2K. I'm not clear on exactly how many times this happens, but, in total, each runner runs 65K. Now, to sum that up for you, it's about a marathon and a half... in 40 hours.

Why am I doing this? Well, perhaps I'm a bit on the crazy side... but, in reality, I think I've been looking for a physical challenge since I've moved here. When I lived in Portland, I used to do some sort of race every other month or so... since I've been here, all I've done was one 10 mile race. I'm not sure if I've just been adjusting, if I haven't been looking, or if I just didn't feel like it, but I kind of feel like a part of me has been missing. Sure, I go for runs on the weekend, sometimes with friends, but it's nothing like the 8am Saturday date I had with my running partners for the past 5 (?!?!) years!

This is feeling more like it... we had two group training runs this week, and it was SO lovely to get to be out in the woods running with a group of people. I absolutely loved it (even today, in sleet!).

Here's the catch... there are about 30 runners that want to participate, and only spots for 16... so, this is a Try-Out! When I went to the informational meeting and heard that, I got a pit in my stomach, much the same way I used to get when trying out for something in high school. That's the thing I love about running - you can do it your own way - fast, slow, early, late, whatever. So, a little freaked out about having something that is so personal to me EVALUATED... but, I think it's worth it. So, I've been trying to run just a little faster and a little longer every day, and, hopefully, it all works out. If nothing else, I've met some really nice runners, so, maybe, just maybe, I can bring that running group to life here in Amsterdam. :)

I'll keep you posted... :)

My 25 Things...

This was something that was going around Facebook, and I thought it was kind of fun. Thought I would share with those of you who haven't yet joined the Facebook community... I'd love to see yours too. :)

1. I grew up in the country, but I've discovered over the years that I'm really more of a city girl.

2. I HATE speaking in public... delivering the maid of honor speech at two of my friends' weddings was enough to nearly put me over the edge.

3. I had braces for 3 years, and am obsessed with other people's teeth.

4. I was the drum major of my high school band for 3 years.

5. I love deeply and easily, which usually ends up to be a disaster.

6. I was never athletic until I moved to Oregon, when I discovered that I knew NO ONE! I noticed everyone was either biking or running, and, since I hadn't brought my bike, I took up running. Seven marathons later, I've become quite a runner, and made the best friends of my life through this hobby.

7. I've been scrapbooking since I was 17, and I actually think about what pictures would be good for my scrapbook when I'm travelling.

8. I have metal in both of my feet.

9. I love my family - there are still no other people in the world that I am 100% myself with.

10. When I was little, my idea of fun play time was pretending I was going on a trip and packing my little kid suitcase... funny that that is still my idea of fun playtime. :)

11. I love to clean... I actually used to bribe my sister to let me clean HER room. :)

12. I'd rather listen to music than watch TV.

13. I have an addiction to peanut butter... I can eat quantities of this delicacy that should not be humanly possible.

14. By the time I was 18, I had only taken one flight in my whole life. Now, I fly at least once a month.

15. I'm really not a pet person. I'm allergic to cats and am not quite sure what to do with dogs.

16. I'm a firm believer that there is no use in planning life out... there's a plan, and the right thing happens at the right time... always.

17. I work in finance but don't balance my checkbook (don't tell my manager!)

18. My fondest childhood memories are my parents tucking me in every night. I would always ask, "Will you tell me a story of your life?". They always told me the same ones, but we did it every night, and it never got old for me. Priceless.

19. I had lasik surgery 6 years ago - before that, I couldn't see a darn thing without lenses!

20. I believe in the small things in life. Saying "please" and "thank you", holding a door open for the person behind you, leaving a treat for a friend. That stuff is small, but is HUGE in my world.

21. I'm from a gigantic family - my dad is from a family of 15 kids, and my mother, 5. I have over 45 cousins. Family parties are insane!

22. I love Christmastime... baking cookies, sending and receiving cards from all over the world, spending time with friends and family... it's all my favorite things, all at once. :)

23. I LOVE long plane rides... it's the only time that I force myself to sit and relax for that amount of time.

24. I'm super friendly once I get to know someone, but I'm really shy at heart, and am never the first to approach a stranger.

25. I won the "Best Smile" Award 3 years in a row at our Business Fraternity Formal. I do love to smile. :)