Where to Live???

So right now our plan is to focus on an area called Almere which is about 20 minutes east of Amsterdam.  It's not 100% sure yet since we haven't seen any properties in person there yet, but this is where we are leaning.  While we have truly enjoyed city living, a first for all 4 of us, the time has come to move back towards the burbs.  Primarily because the kids' school is in this town and as there is no bus system, they will be taken to school by yours truly...hence living in the same town as school.  

When the name of Almere has come up around locals, Josh has said he kind of gets the impression that it's just not all that.  But it's not because it's not a good area.  It's just new.  Like literally didn't exist before the 1970s.  You see, the Dutch are famous for their ability to reclaim land from the sea.  They have been doing it for centuries.  And Almere is a prime example.  It did not exist until they reclaimed it.  And so nothing in the town is more than 40 years old.  

For the Dutch this takes away an important element - history.  Much of the Netherlands is filled with historic, old buildings.  And for something to be only 40 years old with no architectural significance is well... boring.  But for Josh, the kids and I, we're ok with boring.  Sure it would be nice to have a nice old world Dutch home.  But I can guarantee that old world home won't have double paned windows to keep the chill of winter out (not to mention lower utility bills), or a yard for the kids to play in.  We will hopefully have both.  And with that, we're good.  We can always take the train 20 minutes into Amsterdam for our taste of history and beautiful architecture.  

Josh went to visit the school today for the first time.  It went way better than I expected.  I don't know why I didn't expect much because the people at the school have been nothing but lovely.  I truly think it's the name of the school (Letterland) that keeps putting me off.  It's poor marketing but that does not mean it's a poor school.  If anything, Josh said they are very up to date on technology in the classrooms with students having laptops, every classroom having smart boards and much of their homework will be available online.  In addition, the classes are small.  With only 140 kids in the school (pre k-grade 5), there is only one section per grade and often 20 or less kids in a class.  That means a lot of hands on attention with the kids.  It also means that they won't have a lot of choice when it comes to who they want to hang around with but that might not be a bad thing.  

Josh also said that as he took the train along the countryside that it's all very green, beautiful and somehow reminiscent of New Hampshire without the mountains.  So I'm very interested to see what that's like.  Apparently there are bike trails everywhere which will be important since I think we are going to have to ease into this biking thing.  It's not that we don't know how to bike, but kind of like the motos here in Barcelona, the Dutch take their biking very seriously and VERY aggressively.  We need to "train" the kids on how to ride their bikes correctly on a path, bike lane and eventually, in the city. Hell, I think Josh and I need to train ourselves too!!

We're off for our house hunting trip in just a few weeks and while I'm still quite nervous about all that needs to be done in the next 5 weeks, I'm also excited to see what this new home (as in town, not just the house) will look like.  Will it remind us of being home in Boston?  Will we be in more of a neighborhood where the kids can run outside and play?  Or will we find ourselves in an apartment near a park instead?  Will we be able to bike to school each day?  

All I know is that this move is going to be night and day compared to Barcelona.  Not just because we've done this before and have some expectations of how things will proceed from here.  But also because it's going to be such a different culture from Spain and from the US.  We have to learn all about the good, the bad and the ugly of a whole new place.  It's exciting and daunting but I think we are all starting to look forward to the next steps.  Even Aidan has been on board in the last few days mentioning that he's spoken to a few friends at school that are from the Netherlands and they were telling him about some traditional Dutch food.  He's excited to go the International Food Fair tomorrow night at school and check out the Dutch table.  I'm proud of him for taking the bull by the horns and investigate on his own, utilizing the resources he has at his fingertips at school.

So the countdown is on.  There are going to be a ton of posts coming at you in the next weeks and months.  I've got to finish up these Barcelona ones before we leave (and keep getting distracted by these Netherlands ones!)!!

Besos,

Julie

Race Against Time

In just about 6 short weeks we will be leaving Barcelona forever.  Ok, maybe not forever, but for the immediate future.  Knowing a move was likely imminent, I've been preparing for this day for months but haven't been able to actually pull the trigger on anything up until now.  Because we didn't know for sure if we were moving to Amsterdam or back home, I didn't know which "to do" list I needed to set into motion and yes, they were two very different lists.

If we were going back home, I needed to sell EVERYTHING.  There is no need for any electronics or IKEA furniture to back to the US with us.  I didn't have to worry about schools but I did have to worry about housing since our house is currently rented.  We needed to get another car as well.

If we were moving to Amsterdam, then we would bring everything but in addition we had to figure out schools, find a place to live, get a new car and so much more.  But I wouldn't need to sell as much at least!

No matter where we landed we knew that we needed to give our 3 months notice to our landlord, make apartment repairs, arrange to return the car (it's a lease) and start packing up our lives.

Now that we know our game plan, I can put into motion my Amsterdam list.  Things are already being checked off left and right and that's a good feeling.  But then we only have 6 weeks left so essentially I need to get these things done before we can go.

I've been slowly purging out the apartment of things we don't need.  Clothes that we no longer wear get donated.  Winter clothes have been packed away and put in the garage.  I've been slowly purging out the playroom of toys the kids don't use and puzzles that I won't have time to do again until I get to Amsterdam.  I'm making notes of the repairs that have to be done in the next few weeks and things that need to be re-assembled (like the glass cabinet doors to the built ins that we took down in the playroom - boys + glass = disaster).  Slowly I've been putting things away and packing things up.  The movers will do the lion's share but it makes me feel slightly more organized to get some of these things done myself.  And my "hope" is that it will leave less room for error with the movers.

Speaking of movers, I've already interviewed three.  Yes, things are now moving at warp speed.  I assume in the next week or so we'll be told who the mover of choice will be and we will put a definitive date in the calendar for our moving day.  We're aiming for the last 2 days of June but that week also has a big holiday and most movers won't work on the weekends.  We also have to do our walk thru with our landlord.  She's coming in the beginning of June to do a pre walk thru so we know exactly what repairs we are and aren't responsible for in order for us to get back our 4 months of security (this is not the USA folks) that she currently holds in an account.

In the meantime, we are starting to work towards our lives in Amsterdam.  With a school now chosen, we now need to figure out where we will live.  As the school does not have a bus and I will have to take them to and from each day, plus they get out at noon on Wednesdays, it needs to be within a reasonable distance or else I will be spending the better part of the day in the car or on bicycle (and yes, we will bike there like everyone else).  That at least helps us to narrow down the scope.

But this also means that we are moving back to suburban life.  School is about 20 minutes outside of Amsterdam.  And quite honestly, I'm tired of apartment living.  Though I did tell the relocation people we are not against an apartment if they can assure me that I won't hear the neighbor's shower turning on at 6:15 every morning - ie, it needs to be well insulated as I don't want to hear everything my neighbors are doing and vice versa.

Josh and I are torn on suburban life.  Barcelona has been our first experience in true city living.  We lived without a car for 3 years and walked everywhere.  And even with the car now, we still walk the majority of the time.  We will miss that piece.  But then, I guess we will now bike places instead.  And while we are torn about missing the easy access to everything, we are also excited about the idea of being in a house (or at least a duplex) again.  Having privacy and a yard for the kids to play in that has.... grass.  They really miss grass.  And they are only going to be kids once.  They have enjoyed city life but they are really into the idea of having grass again.  I can't say I blame them.

And so we've been looking from afar - online to see what's out there.  And it looks like, at this moment, we can get most everything we want in a home if we live in the burbs.  That being said, I have no idea where in this town these houses are located - they could be in a totally crappy part of town and that's why the rent is low compared to other areas.  I have no idea.  But that's why we've sent a list of the houses we like to our relo people with a note saying, we like these styles and these features but have no idea if they will work from a location standpoint.  As of yesterday the relocation people are starting the hunt for us based on what we've sent them and on the questionnaire we've filled out.

We are also planning a physical house hunt soon.  We are firming up the dates and trying to work out the logistics but aiming for the second week in June.  We will have to pull the kids out of school for 2 days but really would like them to be involved in the process this time - and it will be nice for them to see (hopefully) where they will live before we arrive mid August, the day before school starts.

Yes, we ended up rescheduling our flights so that we can start school on time.  As I mentioned before, they take their absenteeism very seriously and we were going to have to deal with the truant officer if we did not start on time.  These are all adjustments to a new culture, just like we had to deal with when we moved to Spain.  And while they are new adjustments, I think we are more aware that they are going to happen and have certain expectations accordingly.  And we laugh about them at times too.

For instance, I was talking to the relo people yesterday and she asked if we wanted the apartment semi furnished or Dutch empty.  In my American mind (and even in my Spanish mind), semi furnished means appliances (the big ones) and perhaps some furniture.  And empty would mean that we would have to possibly supply the appliances (in Spain often you bring your appliances with you even for a rental) and all of the furniture.  What I didn't know is that Dutch empty (and I'm so glad I asked) means seriously empty.  Like no curtains and even NO FLOORING.  Yes, you read that right.  Josh even confirmed it at work.  See, learning something new.  We got a good chuckle out of that and I told the realtor that no, we don't want Dutch empty.  Semi furnished to them means all appliances are there and curtains.  We just move in the furniture.  That to me, sounds perfect.

So here we go... we're in a race against time.  Kyle and Kelly come to visit this weekend and I told myself once they head back, it's no holds barred on getting things done around here with repairs and moving and all of the detail work.  There will be many updates to come, I have no doubt.  I have a bunch of entries about Barcelona that I need to finish up as well so need to get those done too before we leave!!

Besos,
Julie

PS - I also think I have a new name for the blog (but will keep this URL) thanks to my friend Eleanor - will keep you posted once I get a chance to update everything!

And Our Next Move Will Be To....

First off, let me premise this by saying this has been the LONGEST seven months known to man.  Ok, known to me.  And Josh.  Let's not forget Josh.  He's been traveling back and forth to Amsterdam literally every week since the start of November.  It has been a lot of wear and tear on our family and at times I will admit I had doubts about us coming out of it whole.

But we have.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel and we are sooooo close to it.  Things are finally starting to fall into place.  As I mentioned in one of my last posts, we've been waiting for the last several months for a contract to move forward with a potential move to Amsterdam so that Josh could go from interim CTO to just CTO - permanently.  If for some reason that didn't work, we were slated to go back home to Boston.  But we didn't know which one of these was actually going to happen as there were a lot of logistics to work out.  If I had to give odds, I seriously couldn't.  One moment I would think Amsterdam was going to happen and within the next moment, I would think, nope, it's going to be Boston.  I truly couldn't figure out which way the scales were tipping.

It's been a long 4 months of waiting since they asked Josh to stay on full time.  But about 2 weeks ago we finally received the contract and OMG what relief it was to finally have some direction for our lives. It was right around the time we were feeling pressured by the kids' current school to pay up for the matriculation for the fall.  The timing could not have been better.

And as of this week, Josh signed that contract and so we will be moving to Amsterdam at the end of this school year.  Amsterdam.  Not Boston.  Not home.  And things have been moving at warp speed ever since.  Within hours of Josh's acceptance we were contacted by movers to start the quoting process - and in fact have already met with one mover and have another two to interview this week.  We have started speaking with the people who will help us with the relocation about places we are thinking of living (inside or outside the city) and getting our lives started in our new country.  And we have been speaking with the people who will assist us with our exit from Barcelona, our home of the last 4 1/2 years.

So Amsterdam.  I'm sad, excited and terrified about this idea.  I won't lie, part of me was hoping that we were going home.  I miss home.  I miss our family and friends.  I miss my house and our stuff (that has all been sitting in storage).  I miss the "normalcy" of our lives there.  But at the same time, I'm excited that we are embarking on another adventure.  And what an amazing opportunity for Josh!

This is going to be completely different than when we left for Barcelona.  We are older.  We are wiser. And we have different expectations than we did the first time around about our adjustment since this is our second time around.  In a way this is a good thing - we know how hard it was the first time, so we'll be prepared.  And at the same time, it's almost scarier because I do know the challenges that are ahead and know that there are plenty of obstacles and challenges to face and a completely different culture than that in Spain to adjust to.

The kids are surprisingly on board with everything.  Liam lives in the moment and I don't think he fully gets how soon this is happening.  He's not thrilled with the idea of leaving but nor do I think he gets that it's in a matter of weeks, not months or years.  Aidan initially told us "You are ruining my life!  I grew up here!  I love it here!  And I want to live here for the rest of my life!".  Then I showed him a real estate website and that it looks like we could have a house with a yard instead of an apartment if we choose to live near school.  Yeah, we all have our price.  That was Aidan's.

But that doesn't mean that the adjustment is over for either of them.  I know that we have a long road ahead for ourselves and the kids.  More so me and the kids.  Josh is like a chameleon and has this crazy ability to just adjust no matter where we go.  It does not phase him.  I wish I could be more like him.  I, myself, have moments where I'm super excited.  Then that evolves into overwhelmed.  Then into moments of I don't want to go, what are we thinking??  And then right back to excited.  So I'd be stupid to think that the kids are going to just accept it and move on.  Sure, kids are flexible, but we've done this once and we've paid the price.  And I know it's just not that easy.  It took Aidan THREE YEARS to decide he liked Barcelona (and need I tell you to go back to his statement above to see where he is now?).  He's older and more mature now and totally gets it.  But the moment he leaves his friends, yet again, is the moment that the shit is going to hit the fan.  And it's not going to be pretty.  I'm sure our trip to the States this summer and knowing we aren't going back, is not going to help things with him.

We have a school lined up for the kids.  It's not our top choice school (they are on a huge wait list for it) but I think it's going to work out just fine.  The issue with most of the schools in the Netherlands, as I see it, is this whole half day Wednesday thing.  Yeah, not only is their school day 45 minutes shorter than it is in Barcelona (but more on par with the US than we are here), they get out at noon every Wednesday.  I'm hoping that Wednesday is considered an activity day or something, kind of like in France.  I guess we'll learn more about that as it gets closer. And because we booked our flights months ago, we didn't realize that school would start earlier - as in August 18!  I booked our flights to return to Europe (figuring better to buy round trip just in case) to arrive on August 20th!  So we had to change that this week too, because no joke, we otherwise had to deal with the truant officer.  Yeah, they take school pretty seriously there.  But now the kids will be there on the first day (we arrive the day before) - they will be exhausted but they will be there!

So like I said, we have a school lined up.  And we're getting bids from movers.  And starting to talk with the relocation people.  So things are starting to happen.  There is still so much more to do on the backend like cancelling gym memberships, utilities (but timing them just right), bank accounts, home repairs, home inspections (very rigid here and our landlord currently has 4 months of rent in a security deposit), figuring out our plan with the car and/or turning it in early, getting medical records and so much more.

And that's all before we leave for vacation and then home.  We will be on a cruise for 2 weeks and then heading straight home for Boston (just the kids and I on the Boston portion as Josh will come back here to finish up any last bits of details in BCN and then head for Amsterdam) for 5 1/2 weeks.  During that time I will need to clean out our storage unit, determine what is getting sold and what is coming with us to the Netherlands.  I will need to do the same with our house while also managing any repairs that need my supervision.  The kids will be in overnight camp for 3 weeks which will help alleviate the stress of getting things done while trying to balance their schedules.

We are hoping to do a house hunting trip during the second week of June (which is only 4 weeks away) so that Josh can move in mid July or August 1.  We have bank accounts to set up, social security numbers to get, a car to buy/lease (depending on the outcome with our lease here) and of course, a house to move into and unpack (let's be realistic, Josh is only unpacking the essentials until I get back at the end of August).

So while are lives are (finally) moving forward, they are going to be rather chaotic for the next several months.  But the light is at the end of the tunnel and we have so much to look forward to.  We still have more visitors coming to Barcelona.  We have a trip to England the first weekend of June.  Our house hunting trip the second week of June.  Our cruise of the Baltics (including St. Petersburg, Russia) the first two weeks of July and of course, our trip home.  And then we will be focused on starting our new lives in the Netherlands - learning a new language, adjusting to a new culture, meeting new people and hopefully making some new friends.

And I have to say once again how proud I am of Josh!  He has worked incredibly hard to get to where he is today.  He is a brilliant man an I'm so happy he has the opportunity to take on this new and challenging role where I have no doubt he will thrive!

When we started this journey 5 years ago, never could I have foreseen where we are today.  What was originally supposed to be a 2 year ex-pat assignment has turned into a life changing experience that we will never forget.  We are thankful for all the love and support we've had along the way - we couldn't have done it without you!  And with that, I'm going to need a new name for my blog - so anyone who has recommendations, I'll take them!

Besos,
Julie

Jodi Visits!

This post is a little delayed because of the kids birthday but I didn't want to forget to put it up!

I will never forget the first time I met my friend Jodi. We were at my friend Brenda's house and just realized our kids were on the same bus together. Now the boys' school is small and most parents take their kids to school, so it was unusual to find another parent who's kids were on the same bus. So I asked her "do your kids have any problems with a bully on the bus?"  And she said "no, but tell me the name and I will ask my kids if the know anything about it."  "Noah," I said. "I have a son Noah," she replied.

Insert foot into mouth here. I was mortified. Thankfully we all look back on this and laugh and a beautiful friendship was born that day. Oh and Aidan and Noah patched things up and just to clear the air, Aidan's definition (at that time) of a bully and what was actually happening were two different things. No bullying ever happened. 

In the ex-pat world, people come and go at a whirlwind speed and often after you've been run over a few times, you put up this barrier to those that are only here for just a short period of time. And yet, I didn't do that with Jodi. We just clicked. And so I've taken this lesson and whenever the kids have doubts about investing in a friendship with someone who is only here for a short period of time, I remind them of the great friends that we have all made that we will have for a lifetime and that many of them were only passing thru. 

Jodi has been back since they moved back to the States. But this visit was different because she was staying with me. With my life currently in limbo and the depression that had set in, the timing could not have been better for some quality girl time.

We had a great time.  With no itinerary per se, perfect walking weather and a good friend, it was just a mellow, easy time with her.  We walked for miles and miles.  She visited with some other friends while she was here and some of the times I joined her and others, I stayed here to get work done.  But it was easy.  It was relaxing.  And it was so great to have someone here taking my mind off of everything else. We walked around Barcelona on Sant Jordi, had meals with some mutual friends, ate dinner at our favorite Greek restaurant (and got to throw plates which is why we ended up doing it for Liam's birthday that next week), did quite a bit of shopping (I'm sure Josh didn't appreciate that part) and overall just enjoyed each other's company.

I'm so glad Jodi made the trip out here!  It was a great week and a half with her!  And I look forward to the next time we get to visit together (one of these days I'll have to make it out to Colorado!).

Plate smashing

Drinks at Hotel Casa Fuster

Dinner out with Jodi's friends Yolanda, Pep and Monica (not pictured)

Lunch at the Boqueria

Besos,

Julie

Feliz Cumpleaños Aidan! Aidan Turns 10!

A decade.  That is some serious time that has gone by.  How has 10 years passed so quickly?   I mean it was practically yesterday when daddy and I were awaiting your arrival, wondering when you would make your presence known and change our lives forever.

Everyone always says that parenthood changes you.  But until you are at that moment when your firstborn makes his/her appearance, nothing can truly prepare you for what is in store.  I remember thinking "Am I ready?" "Do I know how to raise a child?" "How in the world does this work with changing the diaper and holding the penis (so he doesn't pee on me) and making sure his belly button is ok too??" "What if I do something wrong?" and so many other questions that I've asked myself over the last 10 years.

But we must be doing something right because Aidan, you are this absolutely amazing kid.  Every day I am in awe of you.  Sure, not every moment of every day is sunshine and roses, but overall, you are my sunshine.  And this past year has been your year to shine.  You glow with confidence.  This is something I never thought I would see a few years ago and now, you are in your element.

Everyone I speak to tells me how much they adore you.  They love your sarcastic sense of humor. Your kindness with others.  They go out of their way to tell me the kind things you do for other kids at school.  Why you can't do this with your brother is beyond me, but I glow with pride nonetheless.  You are a great friend too!  And your group of friends are such great kids!

You are a hard worker.  You get frustrated sometimes but you aren't one to give up.  You are persistent. You face adversity and you don't let it get you down - you just keep plugging away.  It's a trait that is going to serve you well in the future.  Don't ever give up!

On Friday I brought cupcakes to school for his class.  Aidan does not like to be in the spotlight - he's a very humble kid.  He didn't even want me to bring cupcakes to school but I insisted, it's one of the great joys of being a parent in my mind.  You can see how embarrassed he is though in this video - poor kid!!

http://youtu.be/vumL1VLT5T8

Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting a la Duncan Hines

Aidan and his friend Johnny

Totally mortified that everyone is singing to him

Aidan and his teacher Ms. MaryAnn

Everything was wrapped and ready to go when Aidan went to bed...

Ready for the big birthday morning

Last sleep as a 9 year old...

On the morning of his birthday, Aidan came into our room to open one present.  Then at an appropriate time (about 10 minutes later according to him) we all went downstairs to open the rest.  This was the year of the Legos.  Sure, he's been into Legos for years, but this is the year he REALLY got into Legos.  And other than some TMNT, that's all he got.  And he was pretty happy with that!

With the thousands of pictures that I take of these kids each year with all our travels, etc, you'll notice in the pictures below that Aidan totally has the "pose" down ;)  

Aidan's birthday party was actually on his birthday.  Pretty lucky since it's only every 7 years that your birthday falls on a Saturday!!  He invited his closest friends and this year I was smarter about planning and made sure it wasn't during siesta and just about everyone was able to come, either for the whole party or at least for a little bit.  Every single one of those friends made Aidan's day, I could tell.

Apparently they had been planning at school a huge water gun fight.  I had heard this through another mom and told her, no, there was no plan for a water gun fight.  It was scooters, cupcakes and some snacks in the park, that's it.  But then when another mom mentioned it to me after their soccer game on Friday evening, I realized that these kids have been planning this for some time and that maybe, just maybe, I need to let Aidan take charge.  And so I said, yes, that sounds like a great plan!  And we rushed off to El Corte Ingles to buy water guns since we had none!!  Then I emailed all the parents to tell them to have their kids bring water guns and that we had some as well if they didn't.

The kids had an AWESOME time at the party.  They were soaked to the bone but it was perfect squirt gun kind of weather.  They chased each other thru the park.  They played soccer...and coincidentally, the team they played on Friday night happened to be at another party in the same park - and they all did a little impromptu friendly match.  It was awesome to see!

At the park waiting for his friends to arrive

Aidan and David...Aidan and Max

Max, Aidan and Guille

Cupcakes ready to go (the cake pops were a FAIL)!

Aidan and Luis

We did cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday to the birthday boy.  Again, I can't believe we are launching into a second decade with this kid!!

http://youtu.be/NS60VZ4OQGs 

The crew!!  Such an awesome bunch of kids!!

I'm sure his wish was to stay in Barcelona forever...

Water gun fight!

Penalty of war... soaking wet!!

Isa and Aidan... Isa was Aidan's first friend here - so happy to see her at the party!

Even the big "kids" played ;)

Opening presents

Nicolau and Aidan - so glad he made it!  There was a mix up and he almost didn't get to come!!

Impromptu soccer match against some other kids at the park

Aidan had one of his best friends sleep over on Saturday night and they chatted well into the night.  At one point they were both in the two lounge chairs on my balcony just talking away.  About what, who knows, but they were having a great time just hanging out and it warmed my heart to see it.  We're going to miss all these guys!

I think overall Aidan had a great day!!!  I can't wait to see what this next decade brings for him - I see wonderful things for this amazing kid!!

Besos,
Julie