Before and After...

When Veronica was just two years old, we already knew that there was something wrong in her mouth. After one of her top incisors didn’t grow in, we took her to a dentist for x-rays. He broke the bad news that there were no adult incisors on either side and that we’d have to chose when she was bigger whether to put spacers in for later implants or braces to push everything together. It turned out that on one side a dwarf tooth grew in and it needed to be pulled in hopes that both sides would then balance out.
She was scared, but it wasn’t as horrible as she thought it would be and she was able to head back to school. Now we just need to allow nature to take its course in hopes that she might not even need braces.

The Improved Cary House...

When it came time to give the final approval to Jon Provost, the contractor for the rebuilding of our house in Cary, it was time for Jimmy to fly out there. I would have liked to have seen how all my decisions turned out, but I had to be satisfied with seeing the photos. Luckily, he loved the whole place and was really impressed with what a great job Jon did. Most exciting is how the master bedroom and bathroom turned out as we took the opportunity to move walls around making the bedroom smaller, but the bathroom and closet larger. We just hope our new tenants will appreciate it and take good care of the place.

Playing Wilderness Photographer...

One morning when we cycled around to take Andrew to school, Sally mentioned that they were distracted by a hawk eating a pigeon. I just happened to have my camera with me, so I went around to see it. I wish I could say that I captured this amazing sight all on my own as a real wilderness photographer would have.
However, since the killing happened on Sally’s driveway, it was easy to just keep taking shots until I got a really good one. Apparently after having a nice meal, the bird left a mess behind, but he came back later in the day to finish it off. Unfortunately, the three baby owls living in their backyard didn’t make an appearance while I had my camera with me.

No More Single Digits...

Ashlynn enjoyed a weekend-long celebration for her big 10th birthday. On Saturday we had a party in the yard complete with roasted marshmallows. Unlike most families, we don’t just have parents drop their kids off, but invite the entire family so we can all get to know each other. Then on Sunday we had all-you-can-eat sushi for lunch and played a round at Glow Golf, which is an indoor glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course.

Lilac Mountain with Darlene...

Darlene and Mike’s first visit back to Holland since they moved in December was slightly interrupted by the volcanic ash from the Icelandic eruption, but luckily they were still able to make it out to spend a night with us. While Mike did some errands, Darlene and I cycled to the teahouse in the park in Voorschoten. Then we took a walk to Lilac Mountain, a hill that is covered in fragrant lilacs for just two weeks a year. Jimmy introduced them to shrimp and grits (I brought back a bag from the Southern Season store at RDU). The next day I went into Leiden with Darlene and Mike for a walk around town and to our traditional pannekoeken house. It was a very short visit, but so great to see them.

Another International Day...

Ashlynn always looks forward to International Day at school. She’d waited 11 months to wear the belly dancing outfit that we bought in Istanbul last year. Unfortunately, it was an unusually cool spring day so she nearly froze during the costume parade in the morning. This was the first year that I didn’t volunteer for the luncheon so I didn’t get to overeat foods from around the world. Ashlynn brought in two types of popcorn--sweet and salty. She was disappointed no one brought in sushi.

Denim & Diamonds...

In 2010, the American Women’s Club of The Hague turned 80 years old. To celebrate, the AWC threw a Denim & Diamonds Party on May 8th. Tony just happened to be speaking at a doctor’s conference in Antwerp and Vivynne tagged along with the intention of spending the weekend with us. They were good sports to go along to a fundraiser where they knew no one but us. It was a lot of fun sharing a table with Terri & Chris and her friend Maggie and her boyfriend Paul. Terri and I were really proud of the 8-page program for the night that we’d worked on together; it was our first attempt at a color print job and it turned out great.
As you can see, we had a great time dancing to the band (made up of teachers from the American School in Wassenaar). We also had fun bidding on things in the silent auction and went home the proud owners of a Tumi duffel bag, a certificate for a family portrait and a certificate for a couple’s massage.

Dutch Nash Hash...

It was great fun having Marc along at the Dutch Nash Hash weekend. Opee was a co-hare, so he headed out in the morning to Lage Vuursche (north of Utrecht) to help lay trail. Friday night there was a messed up pub crawl, but Marc helped save the night be starting a Beatles sing-along with his guitar at the one pub. Veronica ran with me on Saturday (or rather she skipped most of the time so I could keep up) through the most beautiful woods we’ve seen in Holland. After down-downs with the human 60th birthday cake shown here, we watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’m afraid the photos aren’t appropriate to share, but overall we behaved ourselves. Sunday’s hangover hash was in the rain, so the girls stayed behind to rewatch the movie in an attempt to analyze it. As usual, we got a down-down for our great parenting style.

Playing Tour Guide with Marc...

After reading about Marc’s many trips to various countries, I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever see him in Holland. I was both surprised and thrilled when he bought a plane ticket and registered for the Dutch Nash Hash. What a whirlwind tour he received! After the Red Dress Hash, I took the girls home, and the boys went to Koninginnacht (Queen’s Night) in The Hague to see some bands Marc knew from the US. On other nights, James took him to Leiden and Amsterdam for late night sightseeing. My travel guide services weren’t as in demand, but I enjoyed having lunch together at the beach and bringing him to my favorite museum, the Mauritshuis.

A Family That Dresses Alike...

...must be hashers! Wanted to get the same dress for The Hague H3’s Red Dress Hash for all four of us, but was just a bit too tight on poor Opee so he couldn’t match. As the entire city was turning orange in honor of the Queen’s birthday the next day, we created quite a stir while running through the center wearing red. Here we are in front of the Queen’s working palace. A news crew stopped 5 Pack and another hasher for an interview and the girls were near enough to get caught on film.

Hup Holland Hup!

Despite following American football when I was in high school and college, I’ve spent the last several decades completely oblivious to spectator sports. When the World Cup was last played in 2006, I didn’t pay any attention to it. But when our entire neighborhood was decorated in orange in honor of Holland playing in Euro Cup in 2008, we tuned in. Gotta admit, football (aka soccer) is so much more fun to watch as the action never stops. Now we even have some orange banners in the yard (this house in just down the street) and have bought the infamous Heineken beer hats. Tonight the girls will stay up late to watch Holland play Uruguay in the semi-finals. Here’s hoping that Holland makes it to the finals Sunday night! Hup Holland Hup!

Outstanding Achievement Award...

For the second night in a row, we were back at the middle school to see Veronica on stage. This time it was at the annual prize giving. What a thrill to see her receive one of the four Outstanding Achievement Awards given to 7th graders. Apparently, in previous years, prizes were awarded for each individual subject. This year, all of the teachers submitted a list of their top students. What an honor that Veronica was chosen. She received a dictionary (British, of course) as her prize.

Shakespeare’s Shorts...

Gotta admit that I still have a tough time understanding much of Shakespeare, so when Veronica said she was going to be part of the school’s Shakespeare Festival called Shakespeare’s Shorts, I hardly jumped up and down. However, the whole event was very impressive. While some of the older students were using their scenes for part of their performing arts grades, the younger students such as Veronica and her three friends volunteered to participate. They put together a 5-minute scene from Twelfth Night with Veronica playing Sir Toby Belch as a hippie, the same part my father had such a great time performing in their backyard version in 2007. The ending of the evening was especially entertaining when four teens and their instructor came out in matching boxer shorts in keeping with theme of the evening.