The Suitcase Kids

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

A Sweet Surprise...

While walking back to the train station after the ceremony for the AWC Board, I noticed some folks watching something in a small pond. My curiosity was rewarded with a view of newborn cygnets.

Mom and Dad were never far from their brood of at least seven.

Instead of feeding the young family...

...this parent was more interested in grooming himself or herself.

Monday, August 27, 2018

A Sweet Hello...

That evening I was also all smiles when I met little Emma, who was only ten days old. Dixie is clearly liking her job as protector.

I felt bad for Hannah, who had complications after the birth. Luckily she was on the mend and in very good spirits.

And Austin was enjoying his new job as proud papa.

I received a bouquet for my service on the AWC Board for the past year as the Treasurer. I was all smiles as I was stepping down from the Board. While I enjoyed getting back into accounting, the administrative tasks were overwhelming during an already chaotic time in my life.

Friday, August 24, 2018

High School Dress-Up...

During the final week of high school classes, different themes were chosen for each day so the kids could dress up. The first was PJs Day.

Another was Tourist Day, where Ashlynn had fun lugging a suitcase around instead of her usual backpack.

Another was What I Wanted to Be When I Grew Up Day. Ashlynn enjoyed wearing her wetsuit to school as a whale trainer while Sarah was a Dolphin Trainer...

...and Sophie was a rugby player.

The last day was Group Day. Her gang of girls decided to go as the boy band One Direction. Ashlynn wore her friend Max’s clothes (she’s in the red flannel).

That Friday was the Farewell Assembly with us parents and then on Saturday was a Farewell Boat Ride with the teachers. It was a crazy and fun week, especially compared to the following five weeks of studying and taking exams.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Art for Mother’s Day...

Sunday was Mother’s Day and we spent the afternoon at MUDAM, the contemporary art museum.

If you look closely, these stained glass panels feature human x-rays.

This fountain, filled with what appeared to be oil, was part of a special exhibit about climate change. Funny enough, our family became part of a living art installation when we all fell asleep in a darkened room full of overstuffed chairs while short movies played of people sleeping.

I love this photo that Veronica took of Ashlynn in the café.

She wasn’t as thrilled about posing for me, but humored me since it was Mother’s Day. Afterwards, we dropped Veronica off at the airport and set off for home.

Monday, August 20, 2018

Luxembourg Night Marathon & Half-Marathon...

Our gang met up with Lisa and Lee, who were both running their first marathon, to head to the start of the race.

Veronica had been having some knee pain, so had it wrapped up.

It was weird for me to not be at the start of the race, so I was glad that they sent me some photos.

They were all smiles before their races started.

There were lots of spectators.

There were also lots of giveaways, such as my lovely orange hat and tambourine. I staked out a good spot to watch the race in the park and spotted Ashlynn, but missed taking a photo and didn’t see Veronica at all.

Amazingly, Ashlynn spotted me and I managed to grab a shot of her when I went to my second location, but sadly missed Veronica again and became concerned that she might have dropped out due to pain.

I had to wait several hours, but finally spotted Jimmy.

I was thrilled to learn that both girls finished their first half. Ashlynn ran a speedy 1:48:57 and came in 3rd girl under 19. Veronica fought through her knee pain and did a fantastic 2:25:44. This is especially impressive when you consider that it was a hilly course and they both did only limited training in flat cities.

Jimmy was very pleased to break four hours with a 3:58:49. The following morning we met up with Lisa and Lee for a shot with their medals before they headed back to Holland.