October 15th!

October 15th has arrived. We woke up early to get ready, finish packing, give one last 'clean-up' to the apartment, and say goodbye to our home of 18 months. The taxi arrived a little before 8 a.m. to load our things and take us to Schipol. As we pulled away from Brouwersgracht, I started crying. I think we have been so busy with all the "to do" items that we haven't had a lot of time to just sit and think about what leaving Amsterdam means and what returning to our lives in the Midwest will mean. We have so many memories and grand adventures tied into this place, not to mention having watched our little boy turn into a big boy and creating another little life that will be here soon. It wasn't always easy, but after 18 months, we did truly feel like we were at home here. We'll miss you Brouwersgracht!!

We arrived at Schipol and got all checked in without any problems. (No need for my "fit to fly" note.) :) Boarded the plane around 10:30 a.m., didn't take off until 11:30 - about 30 minutes behind schedule. We ate, read books, and Ben napped for 3 hours...yay! We landed at 8 p.m. - 1 p.m. central time. I guess we can officially reset our minds to central time zone. :) Took a while to get the stroller and get through customs, but GreeMa and PeePaw met us with balloons as we walked into the arrivals hall. Wow, we are home!

Speaking of home, I thought I'd wrap up this entry by reminding folks of our IL home. Although it was a bit crazy at times to be managing a home from far away (and a HUGE thanks to all of the family that pitched in to help over the last year and a half), it was so nice to have a home to come home to...especially with a toddler and baby on the way. Don't get me wrong, we have a ton of stuff to do, but it feels good to be in a place that's familiar. And, Ben is quite pleased to learn that we have a cat, we missed you Peanut! Although, I am certain that Peanut does not feel the same affection toward this cat-chaser. :) Oh well, just one of the many adjustments we have ahead of us...

A long day and we're exhausted, but we are safely back home in the States and all our bags arrived too. We will be writing one last blog entry to sum things up, once we get past the jet lag and our heads are clear again...stay tuned.

A Last Full Day of Amsterdam Faves

Tuesday, October 13th, was spent packing and finishing up laundry. Side note - I will not miss our tiny Amsterdam washer and dryer. We had Small World sandwiches for lunch, then met Cindy at Town Hall (near the Opera House) to de-register. Didn't take long at all. Home for naptime, packing, and dinner. Cindy came to our home around 7 p.m. to help fill out paperwork to cancel our utilities. Roseanne arrived at 7:30 for a final and very informal "apartment checkout". Basically, she walked around and said, "looks good"! Wow, can't believe how much we will miss this place! It's been a great apartment - perfect for our needs and great location! We were blessed.

Our very last full day in Amsterdam on the 14th was a crisp autumn day and was spent enjoying some of our favorite things...

Winkel appelgebak. Warm apple pie with real whipped cream for breakfast. Need I say more?

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...

Greg had made a quick trip to work while we were at the playground. His colleagues had gifts for him - actually for the whole family. Dutch birthday calendar and stroops for Greg, Dutch cookbook for me, Dutch puzzle for Ben, and Dutch snuggle blanket for Tulip. So incredibly sweet!! Back to our favorite things...

Walking along Brouwersgracht and lunch at Cafe Thijssen. Who knew we would have ended up living on one of the prettiest canals in the whole city? And, on a canal that had a cafe that served the best tomato soup ever! What luck!

Walking along the Prinsengracht in the Jordaan. I'm a broken record here, but we can't get over the beauty of this city and how much we loved living in the Jordaan. We came upon the Tulip Museum, which I had never been in. A quick peek inside, and then more strolling past the Anne Frank House and Westerkerk. I told Greg that he should go climb the tower, as this was something that he had not yet done. So, Ben and I walked home for naptime while Greg climbed the tower.

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.

Corner of Brouwersgracht and Prinsengracht. This came to be a special spot for us. On one side is Cafe Tabac, the cafe that we visited 18 months ago during our apartment hunting trip. After a second day of seeing apartments, we were feeling very overwhelmed and confused. We came back to this area to walk around and see if we liked it enough to choose Brouwersgracht 230E. We stopped in this cafe for some coffee and to just rest and talk...and the rest is history! The other photo is near the top of the list when it comes to our favorite views of the city. The canals coming together, the bridge, the canalhouses - all right down the street from our home. We even found an etching of this location that will hang in our home back in the States to remind us of our "second home".

Views of Amsterdam from the canals. There is probably no better way to see Amsterdam than from a canal boat. Greg had the idea that we should take one last cruise around the city, now that we know it so well. After Ben's nap, we hopped on a boat and cruised around - seeing sights that were so foreign to us 18 months ago, but now many of these places hold memories of time with family and friends. Funny side note, we finally saw De Poezenboot (The Cat Boat), home to more than 100 stray cats. Too bad it was gesloten. :(

Pannekoeken and poffertjes. Of course we would spend our last meal at The Pancake Bakery. We were so hungry that I didn't remember to snap a photo until there was one last, lonely poffertje on the plate. Seems a pretty fitting testament to our love of Dutch pancakes!

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.

Saying Goodbye to Work and Play

Wow, can it really be our last Monday in Amsterdam? It feels like we just got here!

On Monday, October 12th, we traveled with Greg to Aon to see his office and say goodbye to his colleagues. We had always talked about going to his office to have lunch with Daddy, but it had just never happened. He had a big corner office, with wonderful views of the outdoors and IKEA. :) We are absolutely forever in debt to his colleagues, especially Pauline, who were so helpful with all things "Dutch". They translated bills, shared ideas on where to travel, and made us feel very at home. Not to mention that they are all hard workers and good friends that Greg enjoyed being with at the office every day. From left to right...Victor, Ursula, Greg, and Pauline. As Greg was walking us out, I couldn't help get a photo of him with the office coffee machine. European office coffee machines actually provide quality coffee, not like most American office coffee, and this is where my hubby developed his addiction. I love it!!

From Aon, Ben and I went to have one last playdate with our pals Kirsten and Ethan at their home. Ben loved Miss Kirsten and loved playing with Ethan and his cool toys - trains, balls, and 64 pack of Crayolas. So many pinks to choose from! It was almost physically impossible to get our two active guys to sit still for a photo, so the best I could do was a quick snap while they happened to be laying on the floor near one another. It was so, so hard saying goodbye to our dear friends. Couldn't have done 18 months in Amsterdam without them!!