First Christmas in Belgium

Well, we did it. We celebrated Christmas in Belgium. And to tell you the truth, it was wonderful. Such a surprise.

I wrote previously that we had never had the opportunity to create our own family Christmas traditions. That wasn't entirely accurate. I was reminded that we did have one tradition.

When Buddy was born, I asked several of the teens in T's youth group what Christmas traditions that they had that they really enjoyed. One of the things that came up was that two sisters always got a new pair of pajamas for Christmas. I rather liked that tradition and so each year, Buddy (and last year Little Miss) has gotten a new pair of pajamas - usually with a Christmas theme - that was opened Christmas Eve before bedtime. This was an easy tradition to implement but also served a practical purpose. We usually traveled very early on Christmas morning to get back to our hometown for Christmas festivities. Since it was a 5 hour car ride and things began at around 9 AM, it was easier to keep the kids in their new pj's for the car trip.


Since this was an established tradition, we decided to continue it here in Belgium. So after attending Chapel services that evening, we came home and both Buddy and Little Miss opened their Christmas Eve pajamas. Buddy was way too fast, but you can see Little Miss opening her present in the picture above.

We also created some new traditions this year. First and foremost, we actually had Christmas morning around our or own Christmas Tree! It was so much fun watching the kids opening their gifts. Relatives had sent many, many packages in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas so they both had quite a lot of gifts to open up. Thank you all!


Once the gifts were all opened, it was time to begin preparing lunch. We had decided to do a special Christmas lunch rather than a breakfast because there would be more time to prepare. Our menu consisted of:

• Loaded Baked Potato Soup
• Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
• Christmas Cheese Ball
• Shrimp Dip

Simple, but very nice. We tried to have things that we would not eat at other times of the year. That way, this meal becomes "Christmas". We shall see if it sticks.

Well, after all of that, the kids settled in to play with their new toys for a while. Then it was time to nap. Whohoo! A Christmas rest for mom and dad!


Later on, once everyone was back up and going, we ate some left-overs and then set about having our Birthday Cake for Jesus. You will notice that it is a bunt cake. This was not the original plan. But since I gave away all of my cake pans prior to our move here (a detail I had forgotten until I went looking for one) all I had was my trusty Tupperware silicone fluted cake mold. It did the job. The next problem was the candle(s). I had planned to just use one candle in the center of the cake. Well, bunt cake = no center. Since one candle looked weird on the edge by itself, I asked my wonderful, youth pastor husband for a solution. You can see in the picture that he decided on 3 - one for each part of the Trinity. After all, since the 3 are one, he reasoned, it was kind of all of Their birthdays. Sort of... let's not get too bogged down in the theology - it's cake! Anyway, it worked for us! :-) We now have a tradition of a Happy Birthday Jesus Bunt Cake with 3 candles. Surly that is something completely unique for our family!

We spent the remainder of the afternoon/evening on the phone or computer video chatting with relatives and friends. It was wonderful to feel as if we were there celebrating with them too.

All in all, I am delighted with how everything turned out. Between you and me, I really had very low expectations for the day. I am so happy it turned out so wonderfully! Thanks to all of you who were praying on our behalf!

Merry Christmas!

CNN/YouTube Debate 11/28/2007

OK, I didn't stay up to watch the debate live because I would have had to stay up until 2 AM for the beginning and until 4 AM to see the end. Way too late! I did, however, watch it this morning on YouTube. If you missed it, I encourage you to take a look for yourself.

Here's my analysis:

Ranking in Iowa (Rasmussen Poll 11/28)
(28%) Huckabee
(25%) Romney
(12%) Giuliani
(11%) Thompson
(5%) Paul
(4%) McCain
(4%) Tancrado
(1%) Hunter


Ranking Nationally (Rasmussen Poll 11/28)
(24%) Giuliani
(15%) Romney
(14%) McCain
(12%) Huckabee
(11%) Thompson
(Tancrado, Hunter, Paul - less than 2%)


Number of Questions Received per Candidate at CNN/YouTube Debate
(13) Giuliani
(12) Romney
(11) McCain
(10) Thompson
(9) Huckabee
(8) Paul
(7) Hunter
(6) Tancrado



Questions Posed to Huckabee

1. Would you favor a federal law requiring states who give tuition breaks to the children of illegal aliens to provide those same breaks to the children of our military families?
2. What are the top 3 federal programs would you cut?
3. Will you pledge to never raise taxes?
4. On the death penalty - what would Jesus do?
5. Do you believe every word of the Holy Bible?
6. Should gays be able to serve openly in the United States military?
7. Do you accept the support of Log Cabin Republicans? (a gay republican group)
   
8. What is your vision for human space exploration?
9. Why don't many African-Americans vote Republican?

My Thoughts

• The number of questions posed to the candidates related almost exactly to how they are doing in the national polls. This is entirely understandable. (Personally, of course, I would have liked to have had more questions posed to Huckabee but that is probably true of everyone with a favorite candidate.)
• The nature of the questions did not seem as equitable to me. Giuliani and Romney (and to a lesser degree Thompson and McCain) got a lot of the serious, presidential questions: immigration, national debt, farm subsidies, 2nd Ammendment, the war on terror, etc. Huckabee mainly got questions about issues that have been on the back-burner this election cycle: space exploration, gays openly serving the military, the death penalty.
• I was very pleased with how Huckabee responded on several questions/issues:
• He refused to be bullied by Romney over the controversy about a proposal for children of illegal aliens to receive college scholarships in Arkansas (a proposal that did not go through, by the way). Romney tried very hard to make the issue about giving illegals more rights than ordinary citizens. Huckabee would not be talked over. He made the point that the intention was to reward students who had spent their whole school career in Arkansas schools (and were applying to become citizens) so that they could become educated, tax-suppling Americans instead of tax-taking illegals. Basically his stance is: you do not punish the children for the sins of the parents. (For Huckabee's full explanation of the issue, watch this.)
  
• When asked if he would accept support from the Log Cabin Republicans (a gay republican group) he said yes, he wanted to be everyone's president and would accept their support. However, he made it clear that he would not change he stance on issues to appease supporters. (The example he gave was that if the Log Cabin Republicans decided to support him, he would not suddenly support gay marriage.)
• I also liked how he responded to the question about African American support of the Republican party. He said that the Republicans needed to reach out the African Americans community (and the the Hispanic community and others) all the time - not just during an election. He did that in Arkansas and was rewarded with their votes.
• All in all, I felt it was a good debate. Not all of the questions were serious (a few were completely irrelevant), but overall it allowed us to get a good look at how each of the candidates saw the issues and what kind of a president they might be.

I still feel that Mike Huckabee would be the best person to lead our country in the coming years. He is honest, compassionate, tough, and creative. He knows when to get a censuses and he knows when to fight for something even if it is unpopular. I encourage anyone reading this to check out his website and see what his positions are on the issues and see if he lines up with where you think our country ought to be heading. If he does, please consider sending him a donation. He is entering into a very expensive time for any campaign. If you think he has the right ideas for this country, please do your part to make sure he has the money to stay in the fight!

Thanksgiving in Belgium

Well, we made it through our first holiday abroad. It was fun, a little unexpected, and different. But all in all, I would mostly say it was a great day.

We had originally been invited to go to a friend’s house in Brussels, but that fell through. So, since it was going to be “just us” for Thanksgiving, we went to the commissary and loaded up on all the “Turkey-Day” essentials. This was the very first time that "T" and I attempted to cook a traditional Thanksgiving feast all by ourselves. The menu was complicated a bit by our Belgian kitchen. We have a VERY small oven. Most of my American pans are too big for it and you can only cook one thing at a time. So we had to get a little creative. Here’s what we did:

• Turkey cooked on the grill (a turkey breast on the rib cage since it was just our family)
• Potatoes cooked in the oven
• Green beans cooked on the stovetop
• Stuffing made in the microwave (it was just StoveTop Stuffing so this was no big deal)
• Raspberry Gelatin Dessert made in the refrigerator (of course)

The next morning after taking Buddy to preschool (yes, he had school - Thanksgiving is an American holiday and he goes to a Belgian preschool) we had a leisurely breakfast and then "T" entertained Little Miss with his guitar. She really loves music and thought that this was a lot of fun!

At noon, Buddy got picked up from school and then the visiting began. We spent most of the day on the phone or on video chat with someone in the States. It was fun to check in with everyone and to share the holiday in a very tangible way.

After putting the kids down for a nap/quiet time, it was time to begin cooking. After what seemed like 15 minutes (but was actually the rest of the afternoon) it was time to sit down and enjoy our first Belgium Thanksgiving. We took turns saying what we were thankful for and explained to Andrew the history of the holiday. Then we got to dig in. Everything turned out wonderfully. "T's" grilled turkey was wonderful and the 2 new recipes I tried ( the potatoes and the green beans) were a big hit. Little Miss, true to her nature, loved the stuffing. What did we expect - it is bread after all!

By the end of the evening, I was horse from talking all day (on the phone and to my family) and my feet were killing me from being on them all day. BUT, I was very happy. And thankful. Earlier in the day after dropping off Buddy for preschool, I ran into one of the women in PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel). She has 3 little boys and her husband is down-range in Iraq. After talking with her, I realized how truly lucky we were to be celebrating together as a family. Yes, we were away from our extended family, but we ended up talking with them all day on the phone. But "T" was here with us, not somewhere unknown and dangerous. I am so thankful that we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving together as a family. I hope you were with those you loved as well.

Christmas Traditions

Here in Belgium, it is traditional for children to celebrate St Nicholas on December 6. The tradition goes that St Nicholas keeps a record to see if the children have obeyed their parents, were nice to their siblings, and were generally “good” throughout the previous year. On St Nicholas Eve (December 5) children put their shoes or a small basket near the hearth or beside the door with carrots, turnips, and a sugar lump for the saint’s horse and a glass of wine for St Nicholas (we are in Europe, after all). In the morning the offerings have been eaten up and replaced with chocolates, cookies, fruit, and small toys. Traditionally, no names are put on the gifts – they are meant to be shared by all the children in the household.

The idea of celebrating something “Santa-ish” on December 6 so that we can focus on Christ’s birth on Christmas is very appealing to me. Also, the idea of reinforcing sharing during a season ripe with a “wonder what I’m gonna get?” mentality seems worth considering.

The thing is, our family is trying to come up with some Christmas traditions of our own this year. Always before, we would make the trek back to Iowa to celebrate with both sides of our family. Since everyone lives minutes apart, it was enough of a task to make sure we got to each side’s festivities in turn and were equitable with our time. Since we were never “on our own” for Christmas, our traditions were our family’s traditions.

Now we are thousands of miles away and that trek to Iowa just isn’t possible this year. So, we are trying to come up with something that will make our Christmas time special. Something that our kids can look back on someday and say, “we always do _______ at Christmas!”. I have no idea yet what that blank spot will be, but we are working on it.

It is a little crazy to think that "T" and I have been married over 12 years and this is the first time we have had to think about this. But this is the first time we have been unable to get back to our families, so... now is the time.

Will we have a breakfast smorgasbord like my family or will we have a muti-soup lunch theme like "T's" family? I don’t know. Since the kids are so little, I think we will have a “no presents out until Christmas morning” thing - just to make sure nothing gets unwrapped early. Everything else is still up for grabs.

Whatever we come up with, I can only hope that years from now our kids appreciate our traditions as much as "T" and I have savored the one’s our parents gave to us.

Remembering the American Soldier

Today is Veteran’s Day. To commemorate the day, we traveled to Ardennes American Cemetery in Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium. This is a World War II cemetery where over 5,000 soldiers who died at the Battle of the Bulge have been laid to rest. It isn’t the biggest cemetery for American soldiers in Europe, but it was a first for me.

Since most places had their official ceremonies marking Veteran’s Day over the weekend, we were the only people there during our visit. That really added to the solemnness of the occasion. It was also very cold today and that somehow added to the experience as well.

The thing that really got to me were all of the different states that were represented. Indiana, Washington, Iowa, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Missouri, Wisconsin, Tennessee... There were so many that I did see and so many more that I didn’t. Now, I’m sure you are wondering why on Earth this would be the thing that would affect me. Let me explain.

Living the life of an American living in America, you generally see yourself as an “Iowan”, or a “Texan” or whatever. Sure we’re all from the same country but... well, we’re “Iowans” or “Texans” or whatever.

Living the life of an American living overseas has given me a little different take on this. When people ask where I’m from, the first thing they are looking for is what country, not what state, I am from. Here I am an American first.

So as I walked amongst all of those crosses today, it was almost startling to me to see the distinction made as to which state they were from. They were American men, fighting for America. The fact that they came together from all over our nation and united in that effort is inspiring. The fact that it still happens today continues to inspire me.

When we are on SHAPE, there are a lot of different nations and their soldiers represented. It is comforting to me, to be able to look around and see an American soldier walking down the sidewalk or going into the store. I don’t really care what part of the country he is from. He is an American and he is a soldier and he is over here to protect my freedom. He is a hero to me.

Mom, did we get a cow?

So, I had no idea that we were missing out on exciting opportunities like, oh I don’t know, having a cow show up in our backyard one morning. We have cows that reside in the pasture right next to our yard, so when "A" said, “Mom, I see a cow out there!” I barely acknowledged it. When he repeated himself, I acknowledge him and reminded him that cows have been “out there” since we arrived in at our Belgium house. He became insistent that I take a look and, in the interest of eating my breakfast in peace, I looked. “Buddy, we have a cow in our yard!”

It appeared that she had broken through the fence somehow and had come to see what we were up to. I didn’t get too worried about it until she came clear up onto our patio. At that point I felt action needed to be taken. After all, cow poo on the patio is not cool. So I grabbed a towel and shooed her back as best I could. After laying down for a bit to rest, she finally moseyed to the back of the property.

After about an hour, "T" came home and surveyed the situation (I had called him during the shooing). He thought there was no need to intervene. That is, until the cow began to make her way back up to the house again. Then he (with a very small amount of help from me) was able to shoo her back over the fence where she belonged.

When we talked with our landlord about this, she informed us that it had happened to them once before. Only the cow that came to visit them had begun calfing on the patio. Yeah, that would have been more education than I wanted to give my children at this point!

In all, it made for an exciting morning. The only problem now it that I am pretty sure Little Miss thought we had gotten her a cow of her own. And now she wants to know where it is. Well, she is just going to have to deal with this loss. I am not ready to have a dog, let alone a cow.

We have officially moved to Belgium

So the move is complete. Our stuff is here (not all unpacked, though). We are here (definitely not adjusted, though). What is it like to move halfway around the world in order to work with US military teens? Well, it’s different. And it’s the same. Let me explain.

It is different. Obviously. New culture (actually 2 new cultures: Belgian and Military). New language (OK, 2 of these too: French and Military). New food. New stores. New driving rules. New, new, new. The newness is at once exciting and exhausting. Of course, it is amazing to be here and seeing all of this. But it can really wear on you to see and experience only new stuff all the time.

It’s also a lot the same. The same husband. The same kids. The same household stuff (mostly). The same laundry. The same, well, “mom life”. It is rather jarring to realize moving so far away didn’t change everything. Only things outside the house. Inside, it is mostly, well, the same. Odd.

As we continue to live and work here, I’m sure my impression of things will evolve. Right now, it boils down to this:

Things are vastly different and things are remarkably the same.