Summer is here and so a roller coaster of weather! We went from a high 80° (26°-27°) back down to a low 70° (21°) all in the span of two days! But this is The Netherlands and here, nothing is out of the ordinary. So what are my summer plans now that the weather is good, the days are full of sun and the evenings are mild? Chill the heck out! I’m done with the Dutch Integration tests and now…
I was 8 years old when I wrote to my first pen pal. It’s been so long that I can’t remember who it was or where she was from. I remember the excitement of writing out a letter, putting a stamp on it, and sending it off. A few months later I would get a letter in return and it felt amazing. There was a connection to someone so far away and yet we could converse and share experiences. In…
This weekend was so warm! It was 86°F (30°C) on Sunday so it was perfect weather to do little things around the house. We went to Ikea to pick up a few things for Sander’s work but we also snagged a VOXNAN toilet paper holder for the bathroom. I love how our home is slowly coming together. It saves us the stress and money from buying spontaneously. We still are looking for some key pieces though. New bed sheets, some…
I should have done this when I turned 30 but it’s better late than never. But I suppose now would be a good time to do this since I’m almost at the end of my Dutch Integration process. On Monday I received another letter that one more piece has been approved. Never in a million years would I have imaged myself where I am today. It’s a simple and quiet life but it makes me happy. I thought it would…
There are many reasons that people still have a Facebook. It’s one of the largest media platforms where people can connect and stay informed. I deleted mine a few months ago and haven’t looked back. Many people use it for business and I’ll be honest that I was a worried by a drop in views. It seems I had nothing to fear! If anything my viewership has gone up. Color me surprised! But why did I quit Facebook after using…
Sander insisted I upgraded my phone and after much hesitation, I did. And then dropped it a week later. Since then it’s had long spidery cracked running up and down the middle. I felt terrible about it. I’ve had several smart phones and all had been pristine. No scuffs and no cracks. Over the weekend, I pushed my poor phone over the limit. We were out playing Pokemon GO at the Keukenhof Kasteel and I dropped it again. It fell…
My relationship with my father was a strained one. The more I think about our relationship, the more I seem to understand about him. He grew up in a poor household and had to work to support both his parents and 6 other siblings. It was a tough childhood and as a result he never wanted a family centered lifestyle. I understand that now that I’m an adult. He was forced into it when he was arranged to marry my…
In a world full of Photoshop, Instagram and high profile influencers, it can be difficult to embrace personal imperfections. When we see strangers living picture perfect lives, we begin to crave that for ourselves. It’s an intimidating feeling and while most of these photos are staged and heavily edited… We still tell ourselves we want to live those lives. But life isn’t perfect and we shouldn’t be either. So what to do in a world that demands we cover our…
My computer decided it was time to stop working. Instead of searching for a way to manage my blog I opted to take the week off. For a week I didn’t think much about this space. Instead I spent a lot of time reading. Like with an actual book. There’s a huge part of me that loves to buy books but not read them. I feel terrible about separating the pages and bending the spine. Instead I opt to buy…