One of the family's sons greeted us American-style :)
Oh, and we live in the most beautiful place ever.
6.07.2009
Sunday.
After church some friends invited us over for lunch. We enjoyed Belgian barbeque (a really good sausage, usually served in a piece of french bread), and I enjoyed watching Clay play soccer on really wet grass.
One of the family's sons greeted us American-style :)
Oh, and we live in the most beautiful place ever.
One of the family's sons greeted us American-style :)
Oh, and we live in the most beautiful place ever.
6.06.2009
You're living the dream, Sandoz.
Hello! The week has flown!
Friday was my filming debut :) Clay had me do some shooting while he was running a race with his team and some folks from the church. I am hoping that there are actually some in-focus shots :) No matter the quality of the product, I atleast felt very legit carrying the camera. (Also, notice the cute cardigan that Anna sent me from my favorite store. I have worn it everyday since :)
In between shots I was able to get in a round of cards with Amy, Edgar, Lillian, Betty, and Guy. Such fun, sweet people. I look forward to the day when I can do more than just smile at them and actually TALK. Oh, French. How you elude me.
Sometimes it is hard being here so far away from so many. Let me immediately follow that by saying: There are some serious perks to living in Europe! After a week that was kind of on the tough side, we decided to take yesterday to relax and travel a bit in this new country that we love. Antwerp it was! As we stepped off the train, we realized where we were- the exact site of THIS. I was so excited! I almost did a little dance in the spirit of spontaneous whimsy... but I lost my nerve.
Then, the ZOO!! How I love zoos! Seriously. They are one of my favorite places to go. The zoo in Antwerp is well over 100 years old, and it was cool to imagine people from other centuries enjoying the same place. It was very busy. And very Dutch-speaking.
Ok, so a baby elephant was just born. Can you just imagine how precious a baby elephant is? I want one so bad.
Those of you who hate going to the zoo are probably less than enthusiastic about seeing one through pictures. I see your plight. Unfortunately I cannot help myself.
My owl.
This made me laugh because I wanted to be like "GIRL! I totally get it. Sometimes all you need is a corner to stick your head into and a good friend to fuss over you (or send you a cardigan from anthro)."
The typical animal bottom shot. How cliche. Forgive me. (And forgive me for saying 'bottom.' B-U-T-T just looked crass.)
Ok, it's been proven. Clay's wing-span is indeed shorter than a condor's.
After the zoo, Clay found a coffee shop with a view.
And I went shopping!
A relaxing day for us both! I felt so recharged today. We have a really fun week planned with a trip to Ikea tomorrow, Ali and Nada coming over on Tuesday, and Mom and Rob coming on Wednesday!! I am looking forward to friends and family. You can't beat that.
Friday was my filming debut :) Clay had me do some shooting while he was running a race with his team and some folks from the church. I am hoping that there are actually some in-focus shots :) No matter the quality of the product, I atleast felt very legit carrying the camera. (Also, notice the cute cardigan that Anna sent me from my favorite store. I have worn it everyday since :)
In between shots I was able to get in a round of cards with Amy, Edgar, Lillian, Betty, and Guy. Such fun, sweet people. I look forward to the day when I can do more than just smile at them and actually TALK. Oh, French. How you elude me.
Sometimes it is hard being here so far away from so many. Let me immediately follow that by saying: There are some serious perks to living in Europe! After a week that was kind of on the tough side, we decided to take yesterday to relax and travel a bit in this new country that we love. Antwerp it was! As we stepped off the train, we realized where we were- the exact site of THIS. I was so excited! I almost did a little dance in the spirit of spontaneous whimsy... but I lost my nerve.
Then, the ZOO!! How I love zoos! Seriously. They are one of my favorite places to go. The zoo in Antwerp is well over 100 years old, and it was cool to imagine people from other centuries enjoying the same place. It was very busy. And very Dutch-speaking.
Ok, so a baby elephant was just born. Can you just imagine how precious a baby elephant is? I want one so bad.
Those of you who hate going to the zoo are probably less than enthusiastic about seeing one through pictures. I see your plight. Unfortunately I cannot help myself.
My owl.
This made me laugh because I wanted to be like "GIRL! I totally get it. Sometimes all you need is a corner to stick your head into and a good friend to fuss over you (or send you a cardigan from anthro)."
The typical animal bottom shot. How cliche. Forgive me. (And forgive me for saying 'bottom.' B-U-T-T just looked crass.)
Ok, it's been proven. Clay's wing-span is indeed shorter than a condor's.
After the zoo, Clay found a coffee shop with a view.
And I went shopping!
A relaxing day for us both! I felt so recharged today. We have a really fun week planned with a trip to Ikea tomorrow, Ali and Nada coming over on Tuesday, and Mom and Rob coming on Wednesday!! I am looking forward to friends and family. You can't beat that.
5.30.2009
Vamos a bailar!
Last night was a Spanish-speaking party at Blanca and Michael's! So fun! Colombia, Guatemala, Cuba, and Mexico (they called me the mexicana since I studied there :) were represented. And we only spoke Spanish, which was the best part of the evening! Even though our Spanish isn't perfect, it is still so much better than our French!
A little bit of Texas crept in, too. Don't you just love to see a bunch of Belgians crowded around a bowl of Rotel queso? They were all asking about this mysterious "special cheese" that was used, and were VERY disappointed when I told them it was purchased in Texas. Here I am living above a gourmet cheese shop, and what the people want is Velveeta!!
Their backyard is so cool. It just keeps going on forever. We lived with this family when we first arrived in Belgium, but it was winter then, so this was our first time to enjoy the backyard. I think their dog enjoyed the company, too.
In true latino fashion, there was dancing. Unfortunately I couln't hide well enough and they kept pulling me in! I kept trying to convince them that I DON'T DANCE!, but no matter. I have never been swung around so much in my life! :)
Clay got swept away as well. We laughed a lot!
So, an evening of friends, Spanish, dancing, avoiding dancing, and ridiculously good latin food (can you say plantains and lots of them?). We had a blast. I am honored to be their mexicana :)
A little bit of Texas crept in, too. Don't you just love to see a bunch of Belgians crowded around a bowl of Rotel queso? They were all asking about this mysterious "special cheese" that was used, and were VERY disappointed when I told them it was purchased in Texas. Here I am living above a gourmet cheese shop, and what the people want is Velveeta!!
Their backyard is so cool. It just keeps going on forever. We lived with this family when we first arrived in Belgium, but it was winter then, so this was our first time to enjoy the backyard. I think their dog enjoyed the company, too.
In true latino fashion, there was dancing. Unfortunately I couln't hide well enough and they kept pulling me in! I kept trying to convince them that I DON'T DANCE!, but no matter. I have never been swung around so much in my life! :)
Clay got swept away as well. We laughed a lot!
So, an evening of friends, Spanish, dancing, avoiding dancing, and ridiculously good latin food (can you say plantains and lots of them?). We had a blast. I am honored to be their mexicana :)
5.27.2009
Friends!
We went home from language school today with some new friends for lunch!! Ali and Nada welcomed us into their home for some amazing food and some good time just relaxing in their home.
The boys barbecued outside. We really enjoyed their peaceful backyard. Behind the trees there is a river that you can hear bubbling the whole time you are outside. It is awesome.
They cooked the most amazing lunch for us. They asked us before if we had ever had Arab food, which we hadn't, so they said they would make a good introductory meal for us. We are still talking about how good it was! They sent us home with leftover meat pastries, and we left them with some chocolate chip cookies. Two families sharing their culture's finest- I like that :)
I brought their daughter a Cadbury Egg, which she promptly gave a thumbs up! I feel kind of bad for initiating what will be a lifelong obsession, but how can you not share something that good??
We had the best day with this family! God is so good to provide new friends!
The boys barbecued outside. We really enjoyed their peaceful backyard. Behind the trees there is a river that you can hear bubbling the whole time you are outside. It is awesome.
They cooked the most amazing lunch for us. They asked us before if we had ever had Arab food, which we hadn't, so they said they would make a good introductory meal for us. We are still talking about how good it was! They sent us home with leftover meat pastries, and we left them with some chocolate chip cookies. Two families sharing their culture's finest- I like that :)
I brought their daughter a Cadbury Egg, which she promptly gave a thumbs up! I feel kind of bad for initiating what will be a lifelong obsession, but how can you not share something that good??
We had the best day with this family! God is so good to provide new friends!
5.26.2009
2 things to celebrate
Sunday night was a fun one. The last game of the national soccer championship (basically the Super Bowl for Belgians) took place, and Liege was represented! We joined a bunch of folks in the grand place to watch the game.
Here's a video right after Liege won!
It was so fun to be there for such a big moment. Cars were honking and people were singing/yelling long into the night celebrating. There were people still at the pub across the street still singing when we got home from SCHOOL the next afternoon! So fun!
Yesterday was a big day for us: we got closets!!! This has been a much anticipated event. It took us a long time to find just the right armoire, since most of the options were big and heavy. We didn't want to have to go through this again, so we were looking for a lighter, less bulky option. We found what we wanted at a store in town, but had to wait over a month for them to come in. Well, yesterday, the came!
This was my closet up until yesterday.
And these are our closets now!!
I am so happy. This morning it was amazing to not have to bend down to the floor to get dressed. It also had the strange effect of making me feel more "at home" to be able to actually put my clothes away. So, all around, armoires are magnificent!
Feeling organized and put together, Megan
Here's a video right after Liege won!
It was so fun to be there for such a big moment. Cars were honking and people were singing/yelling long into the night celebrating. There were people still at the pub across the street still singing when we got home from SCHOOL the next afternoon! So fun!
Yesterday was a big day for us: we got closets!!! This has been a much anticipated event. It took us a long time to find just the right armoire, since most of the options were big and heavy. We didn't want to have to go through this again, so we were looking for a lighter, less bulky option. We found what we wanted at a store in town, but had to wait over a month for them to come in. Well, yesterday, the came!
This was my closet up until yesterday.
And these are our closets now!!
I am so happy. This morning it was amazing to not have to bend down to the floor to get dressed. It also had the strange effect of making me feel more "at home" to be able to actually put my clothes away. So, all around, armoires are magnificent!
Feeling organized and put together, Megan
5.24.2009
Random
Huy is beautiful lately! And it's been warming up too. The sites of this town haven't gotten old, and I hope they never do.
So, we found a bag in the street with our name on it. That doesn't happen everyday. Clay bemoaned the fact that it was filled trash, and thus we couldn't bring it home. I, on the otherhand, was completely fine leaving said bag of trash in the street where we found it.
This afternoon, Clay is at a race in another town with his running team. 10 miles! I am very proud of him :) He has been running so much lately!
Oh! A funny thing happened. We said good bye to Adam the other night only to have him return again! Yesterday as we were walking home from the store, we got a call from Adam saying he was sitting in front of our apartment with his friend John. They had rented a SmartCar in Brussels to take to Prague and wanted to stop over in Huy for the night. As we said goodbye to them this morning, it felt more appropriate to say "I guess we'll be seeing you tomorrow!" :) Fun stuff.
Happy Sunday!
So, we found a bag in the street with our name on it. That doesn't happen everyday. Clay bemoaned the fact that it was filled trash, and thus we couldn't bring it home. I, on the otherhand, was completely fine leaving said bag of trash in the street where we found it.
This afternoon, Clay is at a race in another town with his running team. 10 miles! I am very proud of him :) He has been running so much lately!
Oh! A funny thing happened. We said good bye to Adam the other night only to have him return again! Yesterday as we were walking home from the store, we got a call from Adam saying he was sitting in front of our apartment with his friend John. They had rented a SmartCar in Brussels to take to Prague and wanted to stop over in Huy for the night. As we said goodbye to them this morning, it felt more appropriate to say "I guess we'll be seeing you tomorrow!" :) Fun stuff.
Happy Sunday!
5.22.2009
Adam's Visit and Bruxelles!!
When Adam came he brought Texas with him in the form of Tex-Mex!! We have been enjoying it all week! Can you believe how much stuff he brought?!!
Here are the boys enjoying some queso. As I was melting the Velveeta I felt like I was getting ready for a super bowl party or something. It just felt so right :)
Yesterday was a holiday so we didn't have school. The three of us decided to explore Brussels since none of us had ever been there except to fly in and out of. It was an awesome day!
We thought it only proper to sample some waffles. Wow. I admit I broke my diet to partake, and it was amazing.
Can you tell that I was happy?
We checked out the Grand Place of course. Just as grand as expected.
We sought out the Manneken Pis, though I think it is gross. It is one of those things that you visit just to say that you've been. Well, world, I've been.
This house says that it is the smallest one in Brussels, and I want it! So cute!
We found my restaurant.
The boys and their candy store.
Such a fun day!
A sign of a good day in Brussels... a bowl full of empty mussel shells.
Adam appears to be enjoying his last day in Huy. I spotted him out of our apartment window. Belgian life is pretty awesome sometimes :)
We have so enjoyed having Adam visit us. He leaves tonight to meet up with his friend in Prague. Safe travels, friend, and thanks for coming to see us!!
Here are the boys enjoying some queso. As I was melting the Velveeta I felt like I was getting ready for a super bowl party or something. It just felt so right :)
Yesterday was a holiday so we didn't have school. The three of us decided to explore Brussels since none of us had ever been there except to fly in and out of. It was an awesome day!
We thought it only proper to sample some waffles. Wow. I admit I broke my diet to partake, and it was amazing.
Can you tell that I was happy?
We checked out the Grand Place of course. Just as grand as expected.
We sought out the Manneken Pis, though I think it is gross. It is one of those things that you visit just to say that you've been. Well, world, I've been.
This house says that it is the smallest one in Brussels, and I want it! So cute!
We found my restaurant.
The boys and their candy store.
Such a fun day!
A sign of a good day in Brussels... a bowl full of empty mussel shells.
Adam appears to be enjoying his last day in Huy. I spotted him out of our apartment window. Belgian life is pretty awesome sometimes :)
We have so enjoyed having Adam visit us. He leaves tonight to meet up with his friend in Prague. Safe travels, friend, and thanks for coming to see us!!
5.18.2009
Bonjour.
Last week, Rob called us and said, "I wanted you to know that I just finished college." Way to go, little brother!! His graduation ceremony was Saturday in College Station. I am so proud of Robbie. Not many men have his sweet, kind heart or his depth of character. I love you, Rob, and am praying for whatever God has next for you. Remember to seek Him first!!
Clint called during the ceremony and let me hear "Robert Louis Pasche" being called out as he walked across the stage. They also called later to let me talk to the new grad. It was awesome, and it meant a lot to me that they all thought of me way over here :)
Today was business as usual. Mondays are language school days, so I packed up my backpack (which totally labels us as Americans, by the way. No one else carries them :) One of our classmates drove by as I was walking and told me class was canceled! It is funny that even though language school is different from "regular" school, and it really IS beneficial to have class when you are trying to learn French, there is still that schoolgirl in me that thinks canceled class is the best thing ever (besides LOST). So I trekked back to our side of town and settled into a table at the Grand Place to do a little studying on my own.
Tea, a French-English dictionary, beautiful weather, church bells, and a nice waiter to help me sound out words= a great morning.
You may notice Clay's absence in the ramblings of my morning. He left early this morning to go meet Adam McQueen in Brussels! Adam will be visiting us this week on his way to Prague, and we are so excited! I love guests :)
Have a wonderful beginning to your week!
Clint called during the ceremony and let me hear "Robert Louis Pasche" being called out as he walked across the stage. They also called later to let me talk to the new grad. It was awesome, and it meant a lot to me that they all thought of me way over here :)
Today was business as usual. Mondays are language school days, so I packed up my backpack (which totally labels us as Americans, by the way. No one else carries them :) One of our classmates drove by as I was walking and told me class was canceled! It is funny that even though language school is different from "regular" school, and it really IS beneficial to have class when you are trying to learn French, there is still that schoolgirl in me that thinks canceled class is the best thing ever (besides LOST). So I trekked back to our side of town and settled into a table at the Grand Place to do a little studying on my own.
Tea, a French-English dictionary, beautiful weather, church bells, and a nice waiter to help me sound out words= a great morning.
You may notice Clay's absence in the ramblings of my morning. He left early this morning to go meet Adam McQueen in Brussels! Adam will be visiting us this week on his way to Prague, and we are so excited! I love guests :)
Have a wonderful beginning to your week!
5.15.2009
Today was a truly great, encouraging day.
1. It started out with some really good, solid God time. Sigh. I love mornings with him. I am reading the book "The Spirit of the Disciplines" by Willard, and I was challenged by what Paul said in Philippians: "So, whatever it takes, I will be one who lives in the fresh newness of life of those who are alive from the dead."(Phil. 3:10-11 LB) I want that newness of life! It was an awesome morning.
2. I was able to do laundry, which literally takes all day long. The wash cycles are really long for some reason, and then Clay was kind enough to walk all the clothes to the laundrymat to dry everything. He is such a helpful fellow :)
3. After lunch I ran some errands to the post office, the grocery store, to this special store to buy towels, and did some random window shopping. Just doing these routine things that wouldn't seem like so much back home, makes me feel productive and like I did something today, you know?
4. I had several "conversations" in French. "Conversation" means that I spoke atleast one complete sentence. It is seriously the best thing ever. One funny thing happened. "Foie" means liver, but "fois" means time, as in "next time..." Two meanings, one word. As I was saying goodbye to a clerk, and said "until next time," I felt my hand moving to my stomach and point to my liver. What is that all about?! My brain is so confused. When I say "time" I point to my liver! Great.
5. I made these cookies, and they turned out pretty good. Kind of biscuit-y (since I had to omit the honey) but they were bread-like and that was something to celebrate.
6. We went to a birthday party at the church.
So, a productive day. It was nice to have a day off from school to get some household stuff done. I had been feeling kind of backlogged. I am so thankful when God gives me days like this. He is so good to me. I am thankful to be his today!
1. It started out with some really good, solid God time. Sigh. I love mornings with him. I am reading the book "The Spirit of the Disciplines" by Willard, and I was challenged by what Paul said in Philippians: "So, whatever it takes, I will be one who lives in the fresh newness of life of those who are alive from the dead."(Phil. 3:10-11 LB) I want that newness of life! It was an awesome morning.
2. I was able to do laundry, which literally takes all day long. The wash cycles are really long for some reason, and then Clay was kind enough to walk all the clothes to the laundrymat to dry everything. He is such a helpful fellow :)
3. After lunch I ran some errands to the post office, the grocery store, to this special store to buy towels, and did some random window shopping. Just doing these routine things that wouldn't seem like so much back home, makes me feel productive and like I did something today, you know?
4. I had several "conversations" in French. "Conversation" means that I spoke atleast one complete sentence. It is seriously the best thing ever. One funny thing happened. "Foie" means liver, but "fois" means time, as in "next time..." Two meanings, one word. As I was saying goodbye to a clerk, and said "until next time," I felt my hand moving to my stomach and point to my liver. What is that all about?! My brain is so confused. When I say "time" I point to my liver! Great.
5. I made these cookies, and they turned out pretty good. Kind of biscuit-y (since I had to omit the honey) but they were bread-like and that was something to celebrate.
6. We went to a birthday party at the church.
So, a productive day. It was nice to have a day off from school to get some household stuff done. I had been feeling kind of backlogged. I am so thankful when God gives me days like this. He is so good to me. I am thankful to be his today!
Destino Needs Your Help!
Just over a year ago Megan and I got to spend a few weeks in Honduras with Rhonda Jackson and a whole slew of incredible kids at Destino Del Reino. Destino is now in it's forth year of operating a school for the children who live there as well as many of the kids from the neighboring villages. We've seen first hand that the school provides these children with an amazing opportunity and provides hope for poverty-stricken villages.
Destino is looking for people who can partner with them in this ministry by sponsoring a child's education to provide them with a chance of a lifetime. Check out this video to find out more about the school and how you can be a part of it!
Destino is looking for people who can partner with them in this ministry by sponsoring a child's education to provide them with a chance of a lifetime. Check out this video to find out more about the school and how you can be a part of it!
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