On My Way (or am I?)

Schiphol Airport @ Gate - June 6, 2011

Starbucks booth located.  Caramel Frappuccino ordered.  Paid fortune.  Seriously.  For EURO 4.80 I would expect at least a neck rub to go with it, though a foot rub would have been acceptable too.  The plan: go to gate, drink coffee, enjoy music on iPod.  Sounds like a sound plan, right?  In theory it was.  And then there was the reality.  Found seat, sat down, took 1^st sip and there is the voice announcing that we have to start going through security.  Being number 2 in line meant a quick check, first seated again and enjoyment.  Nope.  Wrong.  (My glass is seriously starting to look half empty at this point).  No can take Frappuccino with me.  No can do.  I knew that you can’t bring in drinks from the outside, but this one was bought right outside of the gate.  I honestly thought that the guy at the scanner was pulling my leg, but alas, he was serious.

Down I sat, next to the scanner, downing my Frappuccino.  The one that wasn’t even as good as it was supposed to.  A few minutes later my tummy was filled with sugar and caffeine and I was ready to go through the scanner, exposing once again my female bits through X-ray to some stranger with a mustache.  Contrary to exiting the USA, this time my lip gloss had to be bagged up.  I understand.  I mean, all the harm you can cause with some bright pink lip gloss.  Not containable.  Any more liquids?  Nope, that’s it.  Chapstick is still in solid form, thanks to the climate control here.  Boots off?  No, not necessary according to the guy who had me drown my stomach with Frappuccino.  Belt off?  No, not necessary.  Items go through scanner, I’m about to step into the X-ray vision machine as a voice says “Boots off!!”  What?  I’m confused now.  First I can keep them on.  Then I have to take them off.  Okay, I’ll strip myself of my knee-highs.

Once determined that my bones are all still in place and that I have no lip gloss or other dangers strapped to myself,  I get pulled aside as my carry on suitcase apparently still contains a liquid.  WHAAT?  Huh?  Totally confused now.  Really, this morning isn’t going so well at this point.  I open up my suitcase only to realize…SH*T!  Damn, I TOTALLY forgot!!  The Father’s Day present I had bought for David.  Crap!  Really, that only happens today.  Had it been any other day, I would have had to foresight to remember.  Not today.  Good thing is that the amount still fell within the allowed amount, but if I could open it up.  You mean, tear the sealed bag open that they put it in when I purchased it right before boarding in Los Angeles?  Sure, whatever.  If I could open the package.  Why?  It still has the cellophane wrapping around it, sealed and all.  Professionally done by Hugo Boss himself!  Okay, whatever, just don’t even think about taking this from me because you will experience someone throwing a fit in a way you have never experienced before, nor will ever experience again.  Bottle got opened.  Hey, while you’re at it, why not spray some on to test the smell?

Finally, I was able to put the bottle back and take it with me.  Thank you.  Can’t say the glass is filling up again, but at least it’s not going down more and more.

So, here we are: with way more people than there are seats in the waiting area, waiting to board our plane.  To the people standing I say: hey, you get 11 hours to sit, so enjoy the standing while you can.  At the same time I am happy to be seated, jealous of the guy next to me who just whipped out an iPad.  Now whereas I don’t necessarily want an iPad, I do suspect that he is not as paranoid about its battery dying as I am about my laptop’s battery – after all, there are no electrical outlets here.


Now, I do absolutely ADORE the iPod David gave me for Mother’s Day.  In the synching process with the iTunes content that my computer at home holds, it also moved over the little recordings we have made of Kai.  Just now I was surprised by hearing his voice saying the alphabet backwards, followed by “I love you mommy”.  [melt]  Glass is filling up at a rapid pace now.


Boarding is starting. Let’s hope the level of my glass’ content remains.

Going Home

Schiphol Airport, June 6, 2011, way too early in the morning.

When you have a scheming plan and things aren’t quite working out, it’s sometimes hard to stay optimistic and continue to consider the glass “half full”.  Despite things not quite working out the way I had hoped, I do still have a smidge of optimism left – though it’s getting less and less by the minute. 

After my lovely flight experience on the way coming, I decided to try my luck again for my return flight.  After all, this flight will be an hour longer (due to wind direction) and thus, some extra legroom would be a detail that would make the trip oh so much more comfy.  Given that the Dutch people are known for their punctuality, I figured that I should make sure to be at the airport 4 hours prior to departure (as opposed to the 3 that is being suggested).  Seriously, that would increase my chances of finding a (preferably male) KLM rep, who would be able to provide me with a seat by the emergency exit in exchange for a cute smile, right?  One small detail: flight departs at 9:50AM.  It doesn’t take a math expert to figure out that this means being at the airport friggin’ early.

So, alarm goes off at 3:30AM, Mommy is at Schiphol airport at 6:00AM.  Lovely.  (This is pre-caffeine.)  In an attempt to appear more “futuristic” – but honestly, I think it’s due to budget cuts – there are no more humans who do the check-in process.  Only "ATM machines".  There goes the cute-smile-to-cute-guy-behind-the-counter-idea.  I could smile all I wanted, but the ATM machine didn’t provide me with the anticipated (and desired) response.  All emergency exit seats were taken.  How?  I was one of the first people there for God’s sake!!!  Turns out that in the country where you have to pay EURO 0.50 (that’s almost $1!!) to use the bathroom in a department store, you actually can pay extra for the emergency seats, the day before when you check in online.  Well, we all know where the online check in got me the last time, so instead I spent my day in Amsterdam.

So, here we are: it’s 7:00AM, I have a boarding pass for seat 38D.  At least it’s an aisle seat.  Yes, my glass is still half full.

After check in and going through customs, my plan included some sort of caffeinated drink and a Belgian waffle.  Yes, Belgian.  I know, this ain’t Belgium, this is The Netherlands, but despite that small detail, the Belgians did once come up with the genius idea to sell their overly-delicious-sooo-to-die-for Belgian waffles in their neighboring country.  Turns out: no waffle to be found here.  Should have had one yesterday.  BUT…the glass’s still half full people.  I refuse to let that get me down.

Off to my gate to sit back and write.  Lovely.  Some peace and quiet, some reminiscing, some looking forward.  Perfect.  Gate – Check.  Chairs – Check.  Peace & Quiet – Check.  Outlets to plug my laptop-without-any-battery-life in – [nasty buzzer sound].  Not an outlet to be found.  Seriously.  I looked on each pillar, alongside the wall, around the seats, in the waiting areas.  People probably thought I was up to something.  No outlets to be found.  Not one!  Really?  I ask a Schiphol employee.  Yes, there was one behind the luggage trolleys; I could move those and sit on the ground.  Really?  You gotta be kiddin’!  Surely the benches and tables around in the restaurant area have some sort of electrical supply for my antique Powerbook?  Indeed, they had.  Sit down.  Open laptop.  Peace.  Quiet.  Bliss.  Glass still half full.

Did I say “quiet”?  Oops.  Wrong!  As I got 2 sentences written and for the first time mentioned the glass being half full, a "gentle"man positioned himself next to me.  Obviously in desperate need for a source of electricity as well.  No problem.  Yes problem.  He plugs his iPod in and starts playing music through this laptop.  Right next to me.  I can write, I can listen to music, but if I want to do either one of these well, I certainly shouldn’t do them at the same time.  Especially, if it’s not my music.  Seriously, at this point my glass was starting to become a little less “half full”.  Me move.  Me find other outlet.  Me sit down and me start writing.

In the meantime “moppie”, a German Shepherd mix of some sort, came by with an agent, checking every passenger and their belongs for (I assume) either drugs of explosives.  Awesome.  Love that and have so much respect for those dogs.  Unfortunately “moppie” (as the agent called him and which is Dutch for “sweetie”) got a little distracted with the backpack of the lady sitting opposite of me.  She apparently had packed her lunch (as Dutch people do) and given that we are the Cheese Mecca of the world…well, you see where that went.  Very funny.  No, “Moppie” didn’t consume the sandwich, but it certainly posed as a short-lived distraction.

I remember enjoying my “last” Frappuccino at LAX airport a week ago when I was about to embark on this awesome journey.  I remember thinking that I wouldn’t get one for a whole week.  Well, the American coffee culture has also penetrated our little coffee-obsessed country and though I doubt that Starbucks will ever take over the coffee culture as we know it here, they do exist and there is one branch here at Schiphol airport.  No Belgian waffles, but hey, there’s Starbucks.  I’d prefer a Belgian waffle though.  Unfortunately I am slowly but surely coming to the conclusion that it is what it is and my chances of getting a Belgian waffle here are as small as me ending up with a seat next to the emergency exit on my 11-hour flight.  I think my glass is still somewhere close to half-full, but I am not as sure as I was earlier this morning when I woke up.  I think I am going to treat myself to my Caramel Frappuccino.  I have a feeling that might help fill the glass a bit more.

25 Day Challenge - Day 24 with a "Snif Snif"

First things first: let's get the awkwardness out of the way - they lost (see, the change in pronoun here?).  They lost, we lost, however you want to phrase it, it sucks.  BIG TIME!  I am bummed out and after having changed my Facebook profile pic this morning from an actual photo into the Dutch flag, I found myself changing it back to my 'old' profile picture this afternoon.  In addition, I now have to re-do my toe nails and turn them back into a 'generic' color.  Forget about what the loss means to the Dutch soccer team, their coach and everyone else who worked their rear ends off for the Dutch team!  I have to re-do my toes!!!!  Priorities people, priorities!!

So now that I have addressed that and it's out of the way, let's return to our daily lives and business.  Oh God, I am so far behind with my writing.  I have 25 Day Challenge stuff to write, recipes to share, and an awesome recommendation to share with those who live in the LA area.

I don't know if I can get all this done in one evening, but here goes nothing.  Imah-gonna-try:

25 Day Challenge - Day 24 - Yes /No - Be Assertive
As a mother I want to please.  I think as mothers we receive that blessing at the same time we find out we are pregnant.  During our pregnancies, we want the baby to be comfortable, well-nourished, happy, etc. and we pursue this goal through a seeing our health care professionals, a well-balanced diet (okay, so maybe not all the time), some exercise (well, maybe not all the time either), making sure we get enough sleep (oops...), talking to the baby, etc.  Once the baby is born we do everything in our power to keep our lil' one content: we feed, change, rock, nurse, cuddle, hug, kiss, burp, and stroke, and this is just the beginning of a long list of things we do to pursue our child's content-ness.

Personally I have found that it is so incredibly easy to get completely wrapped up in trying to please everyone around me.  (I'm talking about mainly family members at this point, though that includes our pets.)  Now that I am a mother to two, I have come to the realization that this is an almost impossible goal to pursue.  I mean, for everyone to be content, 100% of the time.  I am on purpose not using the word 'happy' as I strongly believe that happiness is not something that is dependent on one of two events that happen on any given day.  Happiness is something bigger that is made up by much bigger elements than "can I have a piece of chocolate?".

I have found that there is tremendous power in the word 'no'.  I am not talking about the "No" that we give our toddlers so many times during the day to tell them that they are not allowed to do something, such as pulling the cat's tail, sitting on the dog, throwing rocks over the wall into the neighbor's yard, hiding the dog toy under the shed where nobody can reach it, etc.  I am referring to the 'no' that we should give a bit more often to keep ourselves from getting overwhelmed.  In our pursuit of meeting everyone's needs, we often say "yes, I'll take care of that" even though we have not the slightest idea how or when we are going to do this thing we just committed ourselves to.  Saying 'no' once in a while will allow you to actually get things done and it will allow you to look back at the end of the day and say "that was a productive day".  The other scenario is the one where you said "yes" to too many things and at the end of the day you 'only' got half of them done.  In which case (given that you are most likely exhausted) you will perceive your glass to be half empty instead of half full.

It is difficult to say "no", but it is so powerful if we can use it with honesty and respect.  I am not saying to not help your kids, to not feed them, to not care for them.  I am referring to the 'small' things that come up over the course of the day that aren't that small at all and can consume more time than you have available.  Just because your toddler gets muddy outside, doesn't mean you have to do laundry right that moment.  There are other clothes (s)he can wear.  Just because you ran out of apple juice, doesn't mean you have to rush to the grocery store right that moment. They can drink something else (like water).  Just because a friend asks you to look something up for them, doesn't mean it cannot wait until the following morning.  I hope you see what I mean.

I have realized that being able to say "no" (or "not now") once in a while and knowing when to say it, is wonderful.  If you say it with honesty and respect, you will not offend anyone.  If you feel the need to explain, do so, but most likely you won't need to as the other person will get it (unless it's a 2-year old) and be fine with it.

Tomorrow's Challenge:

Being Peace
You don't need to search for peace; you are a being of peace.  Any time, and place, you can step back from your thoughts and emotions.  Just withdraw into your inner being, a place of total peace and just be.

Click here for the 'pause - think - act' elements of the challenge.

Orange, Orange, Orange, Did Someone Say "ORANGE"?

Several weeks ago, I could care less about the World Cup Soccer.  I came across a few people (and ads) expressing their enthusiasm for it, but it didn't compare to the craziness one would experience in, oh, let's see...

!!!HOLLAND!!!

Seriously, if you think that this country (the US) goes crazy over the baseball, basketball or football...think again!!  (I say this lovingly)  Real craziness is my home country when it comes to soccer.  Once 'we' (afterall, it's a team effort right?) made it to the quarter finals, the orange fever got to me as well.  I have been gone out of The Netherlands since 1999, but as I mentioned in a previous post, you can take the girl out of The Netherlands, but when it comes to soccer, you can't take The Netherlands out of the girl.

As I just said, WE have made it to the finals.  I mean, if the Dutch team was sent home after their 2nd match, it would have certainly been 'they', but now that we're talking World Cup Finals, I mean, hello!!!!  WE made it to the finals!!!
For those of you unaware of what the term "orange fever" means, let me explain with the help of some pics I pulled off the glorious and generous internet:

Just to give you an idea.  We take soccer very seriously as you can see!

Even though I cannot say this for sure, but I have a sense that many neighborhoods will look somewhat like this:

And while all this craziness is going on at home, awaiting the big game on Sunday, I am back in LA, mad at myself that I didn't buy any red-white-blue or orange flags, decorations or whatever to show my support (and pride).  So, what's a girl to do?  Right, I went to Target this morning and purchased the things I needed to show my support for as much as I can at this late moment.  The result:

(The dots are red, white & blue by the way).

So, as you can see: I am ready for Holland to win.  Bring it on!!

Post It Note Tuesday

It Ain't Much If It Ain't Dutch...

...especially today as my home country of The Netherlands beat the (currently) #1 ranking soccer country in the world Brazil with 2-1.  I had the foresight to actually set the DVR to record the game, which aired at 7am this morning on ESPN.  (For those who missed the post in which I shared 7 things about myself: I am Dutch.  Born and raised.)

Me watching the game live, lost to Kai watching Sesame Street (afterall, mommy knows what's good for her), so I ended up watching it once Kai decided he had enough of his morning fix of Elmo, Abby, Zoe and Murray.  Thank god it didn't occur to him to ask for 'Curious George'.  When I turned it on, 'my' team was behind at 0-1.  Not great to wake up too.  But...that all changed and without boring you with the details of the game, all there is left to say is that now my throat is sore from the scream I let out with they scored 1-1.  By the time it got 2-1 I had to swallow my excitement as Ryder had just fallen asleep for his morning nap.  

Even though I do not follow much of what happens 'back home', I have to admit, I am all in the Orange Mood right now.  Afterall, you can take the girl out of The Netherlands, but when it comes to speed skating (that sport on ice that is so popular during the Winter Olympics) and soccer, you just canNOT take The Netherlands out of the girl.

So, you betcha that I will be watching the semi-finals.  I may not paint my face orange and top it off with red-white-blue flags on my cheeks (like I did back in college), but in spirit I am as orange as it gets.  Because, at the end, It Ain't Much If It Ain't Dutch (just ask my hubby ;-)