Although this is The End to our Zamsterdam blog, it felt fitting to title this entry "New Beginnings". That is what the very first entry was also called, and in a way, even though we have moved back to a familiar place, it does feel very much like a 'new beginning' of sorts. We are getting reacquainted with our American way of life - for instance, grocery shopping just once a week and using a car to get there...crazy stuff!! And, with another little family member on the way, our lives will be changing quite dramatically very soon. Speaking of which, here is me and Tulip at week 29. 
The movers finally arrived on October 29th with our air shipment. They were supposed to have been here about 5 days prior, but things got delayed. Again with feeling nostalgic, I started this blog with moving pictures, so I thought I'd better end with moving pictures too. :) Now comes the process of finding a home for everything!
In summary, it is with very mixed emotions that we settle back into our life in the States. Although it wasn't always easy living in Amsterdam, we had come to fondly call Brouwersgracht and the city of Amsterdam "home". After all, Amsterdam is where Ben sprouted his last 4 teeth, learned to jump, developed a deep love of pancakes, and made his first real friends. It is where Greg took a huge risk in saying yes to move his family and work in a foreign country and found his passion for a good cappuccino. And, it is where I grew more than I thought possible, becoming very brave and very humble. I have relied more on God this last year and a half than almost ever before - for friendship when days were hard and lonely, and for provision, understanding, and wisdom. He has shown himself to be with us in the big and small things, always.
Not only have we grown, but all three of us are permanently changed people for having been on this grand adventure. We learned in a very small way what it felt like to be a 'minority', and yet we came to appreciate and admire the different people and different cultures that we experienced. We learned to love the buzz of big city living and the beauty of European landscape, history, and architecture. We discovered the joys and hardships of traveling with a toddler. We became bold to make new friends that eventually would become our new 'family away from family'. We learned to live with little - in a small space with no freezer and no car. We know what it means to relax and enjoy sunny days, as they aren't as frequent as you might hope and you don't know what the Amsterdam skies have in store for the next day - or sometimes, even the next hour!
And yet with all that we experienced these last 18 months, we are thrilled to be back in our “first” home in Streamwood, especially with Tulip’s impending arrival in just a few short months. We feel blessed to be reconnecting with family, friends, and our American way of life – especially in time for the holiday season. In fact, Ben has already enjoyed a trip to the pumpkin patch and an apple donut...ahhh, it's good to be back!
A few questions have been on my mind lately…knowing that these may be the ones that you would think to ask us. What will you miss most about Amsterdam? What are you looking forward to in the States? How are you adjusting? What was your #1 favorite thing about this experience? Well, after much thought and some fun chatter, Greg and I came up with these parting thoughts. Enjoy!
Our Will Miss/Won't Miss List:
*Will miss little cookies and treats being served with my koffie verkeerd (coffee wrong - a.k.a. latte)
*Won’t miss that water (at a restaurant/café) is so expensive and tap water is hardly ever an option
*Will miss pannenkoeken and poffertjes
*Won’t miss herring
*Will miss city living – the convenience and constant buzz of city life
*Won’t miss apartment living – the noises of others and the worry that comes with our son making noises at 3 a.m.
*Won’t miss having a ‘small-ish’ apartment for a 2 year old to run around in
*Will miss the time it takes to clean ‘small-ish’ apartment vs. our 4 bedroom home
*Will miss that shopping is so close, just a walk around the corner!
*Won’t miss that shopping is so expensive
*Won’t miss not having a freezer
*Will miss only having to plan meals a day or two in advance - after all, can't store any more food than that in a 'dorm fridge'
*Will miss Stefanie, our hairstylist and friend - her scalp massages are amazing!
*Won't miss the cost of a European haircut - yikes!
*Will miss walking everywhere and public transportation (being able to truly appreciate the beauty of the city, great for the thighs and transport is clean and cheap)
*Won’t miss walking everywhere and public transportation (takes 45 minutes to get to friend’s house just 3 miles away…using 3 modes of transport - feet, bus, and tram)
*Will miss the sweet Dutch folk who help with Ben’s stroller on public transportation, help translate metro announcements, and give Ben treats and goodies
*Won’t miss the Dutch folk who refuse to make room for Ben's stroller on public transport or who gave Mommy a verbal scolding or disapproving glance for Ben not wearing his mittens during the winter. Give me a break...it's called picking your battles!
Now, here are some thoughts on things we would have done differently:
1. Become a "regular" somewhere. Kind of like how Sean at Small World Catering was getting to know me with our Sunday sandwich outing. It makes you feel more at home in a strange place to be somewhere that "everybody knows your name". Norm!
2. Find a person that we trust to babysit. Greg and I found ourselves enjoying some evenings out in the city way too late in the game. Ben loved having the babysitter, and I think it was good for him too. And, being a foodie, I left way too many Amsterdam restaurants on my "wish I could have eaten there" list. :(
Our favorite things:
1. per Stephanie: It's hard to pick one favorite thing about this whole experience, so I have two. Being a stay-at-home mom was what I wanted to do once Benjamin was born, and so I felt like God was answering that prayer by giving us this opportunity. I loved being at home with him in Amsterdam and will love and am so thankful for the opportunity to now stay home with him (and Tulip) in Streamwood too! My other fave thing was all of the travel that we did. It is so easy to travel in Europe, and I really feel like we made the most of our time when it comes to seeing new places and exposing our little man to new things. 60 cities in 13 countries in 18 months. Unbelievable!!
2. per Greg: Greg also had two things that stand out for him. He also loved the travel, being exposed to other cultures and learning more about European history and then getting to see it firsthand. Greg also is just proud of himself and us for not just surviving these months, but really LIVING them. We learned, tasted, saw, and experienced this time to the fullest - and there are no regrets!
3. per Ben: poffertjes and friends!!!
We've only been back for a few weeks now, but here are some things that have changed since we left 18 months ago:
1. Ben lost his love of deep-dish pizza. This is quite serious for anyone who lives in a 60 mile radius of Chicago, so we will work on recovering this pronto.
2. We passed a school bus in the car the other day, and Ben points and says, "orange truck". Um, obviously we didn't see any school buses in Amsterdam, so he's a bit confused...3. I am loving my big American kitchen and the access to ingredients that I am used to. Not that I didn't adjust in Amsterdam, but the family is glad that we have an oven large enough to fit a cookie sheet...which means homemade cookies are back!
4. We are not loving Greg's long commute. We got so used to having him home for breakfast, and most evenings for dinner. There are days he wouldn't leave home in the morning until almost 8:30 a.m.! Now, he catches a train to downtown Chicago before 6 a.m. - yikes, what a difference! But, he is home every night for dinner, and we love that time together. (Not to mention that stay-at-home mommy is glad for some reinforcements at the end of the day.)
Lastly, I just want to thank Jeff again for suggesting that we keep this blog. It was a great way for us to share stories, photos, and our experience with family and friends back in the States. And, it will be something that we can share with Benjamin as he gets older to show him all of the amazing things he did before the age of 3! (Sadly, I also see him rubbing his little sibling's nose in it too...hee hee!!) Hope you all enjoyed reading and experiencing Amsterdam with us!
One final time...tot ziens!!
Ben's playground. This little playground was literally right around the corner from our apartment. Nearly every time we visited, it was always just me and Ben getting to slide, swing, and jump. Because of that, I really think Ben thought this was HIS playground. Lots of giggles and good times had here...
Views of amazing Amsterdam from above. You know my love of seeing a city from above, and Greg had a beautiful day to really soak in this great city and it's unique architecture.
Well, that was just a few of our favorite Amsterdam things, but a pretty great way to spend a last day in our adopted city. We were home around 8 p.m. to finish packing and get some rest before our travels tomorrow. It is so hard to believe that our time in Amsterdam has come to an end already.