Made Especially for You by Gramma Schroeder

My dear sweet Gramma passed away on Monday. It was a blessing in disguise. She is no longer hurting and finally reunited with my Grandpa. I got to spend so much time with her while I was home. I was able to accept the inevitable and soak up her love. But no matter how prepared you are for something like this, it's still a difficult feeling. Adding in the thousands of miles between home and where I am, and the pain is a little worse. So naturally, I've spent the last few days looking at pictures, reflecting on good memories of her with Tonico, and wrapping myself in her handiwork.

One year for Christmas, many many years ago, all the Schroeder Grandchildren gathered around the Christmas tree at "Big Schroeder Christmas" in the Wilton Legion Hall. Grandpa played Santa and passed out to each one of us a box. In side that box was a blanket, each one just a little bit different, but that blanket was "made especially for me by Gramma Schroeder". I certainly cannot speak for everyone, but my 'Gramma blanket' as it soon became referred to, was carried around like another piece of clothing. (Though never as much as my sweet cousin Hanna - her 'snuggie' was GLUED to her!) Sometime in high school, I had the sad realization that my Gramma blanket was not going to last forever. Holes were beginning to form simply from natural wear and the pattern was almost completely faded out. Sadly, one day, I folded it up, placed it in a bag and put it in the trunk below my window seat. Having to be without that blanket was tough, but somehow I moved on :o) College graduation day arrived, along with another special moment. Gramma had made me another blanket! I could not have been more surprised or thankful for such a thoughtful gift! I have tried to be much more careful with this blanket, but it's almost impossible not to wrap myself in it every time Tonico and I sit down to watch a movie or read a book. This week was absolutely no exception. This blanket means more to me than almost any other possession - now more than ever. 

To all of you who have sent love, support, kind words, prayers and thoughts my way - I cannot thank you enough! You are the reason I have been able to move past the sadness and in to acceptance. May you find peace and comfort this holiday season as you spend time with your loved ones!

Tonico and I wish you all the best this holiday season! We are jetting to Florence, Italy next week to spend our first Christmas, just the two of us! After this emotional year, it is sure to be just what we need to recharge our batteries for 2014! 

So, it's been a while!

For those few of you that have been waiting patiently for my next blog...I apologize for the 3+ month delay! It's been an absolutely crazy last three months, and while I will spare you a ten page blog, I will try to be brief!

First and foremost, I have to make sure to acknowledge the visit Tonico and I got from my very best friend Jessica and her fiance Matt! They visited at the end of August and it was a blast! J&M (that's what I'm going to call you!) started their vacation in London and then made their way across the ocean to Bruges where I met them. We toured around the city and I took them to Tonico & my favorite bar spot. 

Unfortunately this is the best and only picture I got while in Bruges. Props to the photo bomb in the back ground...

After a nice long day in Bruges, we all hopped on the train back to Brussels to meet up with Tonico. The night was spent toasting J&M's engagement and catching up on life. And if I'm being honest...that's about ALL we did!  :o) We spent most mornings sleeping in, due to staying up too late drinking too much wine the night before. Then we would venture out into the city to take in some sights. And if I'm being honest again, the below pictures pretty much sum up how we spent our days!

(At the Georgette, one of our favorite Friteries/Restaurants)

Frites and Beer...

(At the Delirium bar - more than 2004 beers available from all over the world.)

and more beer!

We had so much fun trying out new foods, beers, walking around the city and hanging out on our deck talking about any and everything. We were in great company that week! On one of our last nights together, Tonico and I took J&M to the European Union area - just a short walk from our place - to enjoy what the Belgians call a "party". Every Thursday night during the summer, all of the bars and restaurants in the area (Place Lux), have drink  specials. Because most people who work at the EU are from around Europe, they usually work M-TH and travel home on Friday, making Thursday night is the night to celebrate the end of the week. 

And after this trip, we all came to a very valuable yet sad realization....we are not 18 anymore! But we would not do anything different with our visit! We absolutely LOVED seeing them and showing them around our home :o) And now, on to their big day! June cannot get here soon enough! 

After J&M left, it was difficult for me to get back to 'normal'. Tonico was back to work and I was back to the relentless job search and my housewife duties. There were things going on at home too that were making me long to be there. My absolutely wonderful and supportive husband encouraged me to make a visit home - and for that, I will be eternally grateful. While home I got to do all this:

Meet Aliyah Louise - Jen why didn't we get pictures together!?

Celebrate this beautiful woman's wedding to Reed, the perfect match for sure! It was a beautiful day and I was so glad to be able to share it with you two!

Reconnect with these blonde beauties,

Witness the absolutely personal & unique wedding of my dear friend Maida to David, 

Cuddle with my boo boo, 

Travel across the country with my Dad, in a pickup truck, to bring my brother home from San Francisco,

Drink Tea Garden with my Hermana-in-law,

Goof around with my littles,

(A journal my sweet friend Jenna sent me upon my arrival to the US and the blanket I wrapped myself with while sitting next to Gramma's bed made out of Grampa Schroeder's old corduroy shirts)

But most importantly, I got to spend days, hours and many minutes with my Gramma Schroeder. Her battle with cancer took a turn for the worst just days after I arrived in the US. While it may appear in the above pictures that I was just home for fun, know that every minute in between these pictures was spent with her - holding her hand, talking about Grampa, listening to stories from when she lived on the ridge, and enjoying the company of family who has been surrounding her these last few months. While I absolutely hate that she has to go through this, I am forever grateful for that time with her. She and I shared so many beautiful moments that could never be written about and are memories I will hold for a lifetime. She's a strong woman and will fight this as long as she can. If you believe in prayer, this is one woman who could use an extra prayer or two for peace and comfort. 

Happy Holiday's!

In Dublin's Fair City

Wow! It's been a whole month since I have written a blog post! I guess we have been quite busy with travels and visitors :o) I cannot complain. 

In reference to the previous blog post...we are still waiting for the next move...again, it's been a month!

Just two weeks ago Tonico and I made the maiden voyage to Ireland for a little work and vacation! Tonico has one person that directly reports to him, and she is located in their Dublin office. In an effort to be a good boss, and get to know more of the people he works with on a daily basis, he was able to plan a quick trip to their office, and I got to tag along :o) Hang on...I really loved this city so I have LOTS to share!

Wednesday morning we arrived in Malahide - just north of Dublin, right on the water. Tonico went straight to work and I went straight to the pub :o) Fish and chips with some of the most amazing cider I have ever had! They had free wi-fi too so I jumped on to let the family know I had arrived safe and sound and of course, share some pictures!

I've never been a big cider fan, but when the Irish bartender suggested it, I couldn't say no. It is like drinking a Jolly Rancher, but ten times better! Later, when I told Tonico's co-worker that I had tried it, I believe she said "Oh, that stuff will make your head explode!" Good thing I only had one!

Of course, my brother's comment to this picture was "looks the same as the KC fish fries"...but to me, there's something magical about eating 'fish n' chips' in Ireland 

Wednesday night we had dinner with Caroline, Tonico's direct report, and Mary another of this coworkers. They were so nice and SO much fun to talk with! Caroline was born and raised in Dublin. I just loved listening to her accent and hearing all the funny Irish sayings! Tonico and I, I am sure, missed a lot of the punch lines!

Thursday I took a DART into the city. Once I got there, I was a little bit overwhelmed! So, since there is SO much to do and I had not done any of it, I decided to make like a tourist and jump on the "Dublin City Tour" bus. It started out as a beautiful day so I went to the top level and got my camera ready. It is so nice to have someone drive you around and point out all of the important points of interest and share different cultural stories. Dublin has such a unique character, both the city and the people, so it was very interesting and entertaining. You can jump off the bus at several different points along the tour and then once you have finished visiting the sites, within minutes another one will come along that you can jump back on to. I chose to just stay on all the way through, which ended up being about a 2 hour tour of the city! 

Just a shot of the famous "Dublin Doors"

A little Irish humor

One of the most photographed "Dublin Doors"

St. Patrick's Church

Just one shot of the many Guinness buildings...they own 64 hectares (158 acres) of land

The building with the green at the top...that's Bono's (U2) penthouse!

The Ha'Penny bridge - The first bridge built to cross the River Liffey which of course cost you a half penny to cross back in the day. Another note of the Irish humor, they have nicknames the River Liffey the "Floozy in the Jacuzzi" or the "Bride in the Tide"...who the heck knows why!?

Friday I spent the day at the beach...because this was the view from outside our hotel window!

It wasn't a particularly nice day to be able to lay out, but I have really missed being around the ocean!

And this just brought a smile to my face :o)

Tonico and I went in to Dublin Friday night to see a play called "Major Barbara" by Bernard Shaw. It was shown at the Abbey Theater which is quite historic in Dublin. It has been a while since we had gone to the theater so it was a nice treat. While I did enjoy it, I had a hard time understanding some of the British politics and humor, but Tonico really loved it. He's still talking about it!

Saturday morning Caroline took us to see the Newgrange Passage Tomb just north of the city. This site was built more than 5000 years ago! That's before the pyramids in Egypt! I call it a 'site' because no one really knows what it is. When it was excavated, they found human bones which would leave them to believe it was a tomb of some kind. It is also very interested because the way it is situated, during the summer and winter solstices, the sun aligns directly inside of the opening passage. It is very clear that this was done on purpose. We were able to go inside, though it is quite a small and narrow passage. There is a beauty about this place and not knowing what exactly it is, because you get to make up your own story. Definitely worth while and something we probably wouldn't have know about if she would not have suggested it!

That afternoon we had the fortunate luck of meeting up with a good family friend that Tonico has not seen in years. Miles and his girlfriend Aoife (Pronounced Eefa, the Irish version of Eva) are both PhD students at Trinity College, the major university in Dublin. They gave us an insiders look at the campus and got us in to see the Book of Kells in the main library. Apparently as students we could have jumped the line, but decided it was a nice day and we had lots of catching up to do! The building itself was so gorgeous! We couldn't take pictures of the Book of Kells but the upstairs library was almost more impressive!

Then of course we had Miles and Aoife take us around to some of their favorite pubs to do some much needed tasting :o) And before we left, of course we needed a group shot!

Sunday was our last day in Dublin so we headed out early the next morning and straight for the Guinness factory! Let me tell you, if you are ever in Dublin, it is 100% worth your while and your money! We were there all morning and even ended up having lunch there because there was so much to see and do! 

I like how he blends in :o)

This might have been one of the most interesting parts. They have video's showing how they used to make the old oak barrels. They only employed the most skilled at making the casks. It was so competitive that once you were hired, you went through an initiation...one of them being they would put you in a barrel and roll you around town!

I did not realize how cool the marketing for Guinness was. They had a whole floor dedicated to it!

And I tried my best to get this just right! Uhg, I have a ways to go!

In the tasting room, where you learn the proper way to taste a Guinness. I have only had one other Guinness in my life, when we were in Chicago for St. Patty's, and I remember I hated it. This, I'm happy to say, was not so bad!

Tonico went through the Guinness Academy to learn how to pour the perfect pint!

And passed!

And here we are enjoying our Guinness from the 360 degree gravity bar at the top! The views were amazing and the day was so clear!

After lunch we headed back into the city to the Gaiety Theater for a Riverdance performance. I definitely enjoyed the performance but was a bit bummed that it was such a small scale performance. When you see it on TV there are so many dancers and the stage is huge! This was only about 20 dancers and sometimes it looked almost like they all did not fit on the stage at the same time! It was so cool though and the music was fabulous! Tonico struggled to stay awake after his Guinness and some of mine, so I don't think he cared for it as much as I did!

All in all, it was a great trip! We have already said though, there is so much more we want to see and do, so another trip will definitely need to be planned! Until then, I leave you with an Irish folk song that I just cannot get out of my head!

Tonico and the infamous Molly Malone

In Dublin's fair city, 
Where the girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone.
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow, 
Through streets broad and narrow, 
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"

The Town Hall Saga Continues

I'm realizing I'm not as good at this blogging thing as I had hoped! 

Things have begun to progress with our registration process. The police came to our apartment, as expected, but since we were not home they left a notice saying that we need to visit their station. (Now, explain this to me - the police make a visit to our apartment to make sure we are indeed living where we said we were and that we are not housing 20 illegal immigrants. But, if I am not home, rather than the police coming back to the apartment, we just have to go to the station. So my husband and I can go to the station and leave the other 20 individuals back at the apartment!?... I digress...) Upon arrival, we found out the town hall had only sent a form for Tonico's residency and not mine...so there may be another police visit coming in the near future! This was a pretty painless 30 minute venture and the man was strangely friendly! A positive note on this long journey!

Previously we made our second trip to the town hall. We live in the most disorganized section of Brussels! It's crazy because it is the capital of Belgium and they just cannot seem to get themselves together. There are security guards at the doors because things tend to get heated very often. We got to witness it first hand! Basically, when you visit the town hall you either have an appointment (by calling them and calling them for days or weeks!) or you can show up and take a number. Thankfully we had an appointment time, but the line for people just taking a number was super long! Well, we learned very quickly that just because you have an appointment for 11:30 am does not mean you will be seen at 11:30. We waited until about 12:30 before we were seen (to me, after seeing the number of people in that building, one hour was pretty good!). It was verrrry interesting though because as the clock inched closer to noon, one by one you could hear the individual windows slam shut. Once the first one closed the volume in the building soared! People were so upset and shouting at the woman behind the window who, in turn, shouted back! (we've really got to learn French!) All those people that were in line, who took numbers, were told they needed to leave because they were done seeing people for the day. They were going to lunch and would be back only to work on paper work and not to see any more people. Come back tomorrow! Things really started to heat up, lots of shouting and anger all around. Thankfully our person said she would stay until all of us with appointments were seen! VERY thankfully because Tonico's passport expired that day! You are only allowed to be in the country for 90 days before you need to leave. He had actually been in Belgium for 91 days. THANKFULLY they said they would backlog it seeing as the day before, they were on strike, so we wouldn't have even been able to visit the hall. 

SO, after that meeting, we've been running around getting copies of this and that and making sure all our ducks are in a row before our next visit. Our next visit, as I've been told, is when we will actually register and apply for our residency cards. This cannot happen until the police documents have been sent back to the town hall. So we are hopeful this process is nearing the end. We should have one final visit to the town hall then and that will simply be to pick up our residency cards. It seems to me, that if you go through all the trouble of sending the police to my apartment to make sure I live there, couldn't you just mail me the residency card!? :o) alas...there are many things here that just do not seem too logical...

On a lighter note, we have been rain-free for almost 3 weeks! However now it's getting dreadfully hot! Just like in the midwest, not many people have air conditioning because it is only hot a few days of each year. Well, living in basically the attic of this old building is getting a bit unbearable! But we are loving the freedom to go outside and enjoy the sights rather than being cooped up inside because of the constant rain. 

We are counting down the days until our next visitors! My best friend Jessica and her fiancee Matt will be joining us at the end of August! Hard to believe that's only about a month away! Tonico and I have been endlessly saying, "Oh we need to take Jessica & Matt here", "I think Jessica would love to do this", "Oh yea, Matt would love that"! So get ready you two because we are going to keep you busy the whole time you are here!!! We cannot wait to see you!!! (and Jessica I swear, we are taking a MILLION pictures together when you are here considering the last one we have is from my wedding almost 2 years ago!!!) 

The beautiful couple! So excited to spend some much needed time together before you two make the leap to say "I do" 

And last but not least, I must wish a slightly early birthday to my big sister Betsy! She's going to be the big 3-0 this year! I had this wonderful plan to send her a big box of Belgian chocolates, shipped directly from here to her front door. The chocolate shop proceeded to crush my dreams by saying I was crazy for wanting to send chocolate in the middle of summer. So I thought, I will call her house and talk to her husband and see if he had any suggestions. Instead I spoke to her 10 year old...which is never a boring conversation! Aydin said he'd probably just give his mom a big hug. Since I can't do that, he said "I don't know, maybe some wine?" He knows his mother too well :o) I'm still stumped, and only have a day to figure it out! In the mean time, I just wanted to let her know how much I love and miss her! We have had our ups and downs throughout life (what 2 sisters haven't!?) but these past few years, we have gotten older and realized the importance of having each other in our lives. Being so far away now has made it even more clear. So, happy birthday big sister! To 30+ more years! And I can only hope I look as good at 30 as you! Are you sure you're not turning 20!? Love you!!!

 (again, haven't had a photo together since my wedding!)