1 week

It's official! I've been here a week! Love it! Today was an adventure... I spent some great time with the Lord (that was an answer to prayer, yay) and then I got on my bike and headed off, looking for some new cultural experiences.. since that's what I need to be doing lately, right?! Merge in to the city, grow to love it, explore, experience etc... 

My explorations began with a 1 hr+ hunt for a silly phone cover and then  some saddle bags for my bike (you can see them in the picture). Everything takes longer here and I'm just having to relax and be okay with that. It's kinda nice though, it makes you slow down and breathe. Even Skype tells you to "Take a Breath" while it opens up! It's funny. So, that's the theme of the week, whenever I try to speed up and get things done fast and furious, God just slows me down! Part of that has been a gift from the kids.. it's been beautiful. This morning Gloria came up to me and said, "I love you" and kissed me smack on the lips and then asked me to read her a book. I think she was buttering me up! Of course I read her the book... "The Giving Tree" by Shell Silverstein (which by the way, I cry every time I read it.. it's kinda like the story of the prodigal son).

I also got very lost today and it was lovely! I started to bike west and I just rode and rode until I was thoroughly lost. Before I knew it I felt like I was back in Morocco. I was hearing Arabic more than Dutch. It felt sweet, like a bit of my home. And I stopped a couple times and got some great fresh cheap produce.  Every time I get groceries I'm making myself go to the little cheese guy, the little bread guy, the fruit guy... instead of the big grocery store Albert Heins (the Kroger of Amsterdam). After a while I found a road I recognized and made it home! It was a great adventure. I'd actually put that on my to do list, "have an adventure." Check! I'll let you know what happens tomorrow!

1st sunday

Pictures: 1. Outside the front window, 2. Gigi's birthday with Deborah and Daphida, 3. Concert on the canal with Marlena!, 4. The kids (and Julia) on a very cool playground toy.

Sundays are great in Amsterdam because nothing is open. Everyone just spends time at home or at the parks with family. It's so good for the soul... and for me since I've never been good at keeping Sundays a day of rest. So, in true dutch Sunday fashion, I had a low key morning, walked to a lovely park with Julia and the fabulous Pickerill kids (how can you fall in love so quickly with 3 kids who aren't your own?), had a little lunch gazing at the gerber daisies in the middle of the kitchen table, then we all took naps. Around 4pm we took the tram up to the Jordaan where Zolder 50 meets (zolder50.nl), a great international church here. It felt like home.... their community has split in to 2 small churches so it felt like walking in to a Joshua House small group! Even though we were a bit late, people made room on couches and chairs and we settled in quickly. Worship was wonderful followed by coffee time were we met a lot of kind people. Jen, Reinshke, Gerart, Leslie, etc..., and saw Eric (the pastor) and his family again. People were so warm and really excited about our church plant. Afterwards we went out with one small group and ate some true dutch food: Subway! Very fun! Back at home we jumped on skype and got to talk to our team mates John and Amanda, Grayson, and even A's sister Emilee! It felt so good to see good friends and give them the apartment "tour." Oh, I can't wait for the Larsens to get here too!! Come, come! It doesn't feel quite right without you!

7!

I walked into the Pickerill apartment this afternoon around 3pm and promptly fell flat into the little bed I'm sleeping in next to Gigi's little bed in her very pink room. Allie and I saw 7 apartments today with our very kind broker Guido (said, "Hruido" as you roll the r and the h in your throat). It's nearly impossible to find places without a broker so he's made the process much easier. We just happened upon him and he's been a total gift. He planned the route and drove us around to all the places (I got very motion sick in his little car... I'm glad I'll be riding a bike!)

 We saw 2 nice apartments in Rivierenburt (near the Pickerills), 3 in the De Pijp area about 5 min away, 1 in Jordaan (one of my favorites!), and 1 in the centre (another fav). So we have some great options! Most of them are at least partially furnished and beautiful with large windows and really nice dutch style kitchens in great neighborhoods with shops, little markets, cafes, etc... Our broker has put bids into both places, now we'll wait and see, hopefully signing the lease Monday or Tuesday and moving in on Wednesday! It's a very fast market he keeps saying! I'm so excited to be in my own little home!! Oh.. and all of them are on the 2nd or 3rd floors! So, if you visit you may want to head to the gym a couple extra times before you come! I wake up every morning very sore, ha!

Tonight Allie and I had dinner with Joel and Deborah and their kids Manuel and Daphida. They live just north of Amsterdam in this great little neighborhood that we take a little ferry to get to. We had a lovely time with them. They are so warm and welcoming and really pleasant to be with. They already feel like dear friends! Joel drove us home and dropped off a small TV (Connor was thrilled) for the family to use for a while. (So now we're catching up a bit on the Olympics... in Dutch! The Dutch women's field hockey team won a gold, hurray!)

Now we're blowing up balloons and baking a cake for Gigi's birthday tomorrow! So fun! Thanks so much for your sweet thoughts and prayers! I feel so free and welcome here and I know that's in large part due to you sending me off so well!

Brooke is really IN Amsterdam now!

Hello dear friends and family!

I'm sitting at a little cafe overlooking a canal pinching myself to make sure this is real. .. it is!

Everyone around me is speaking dutch and reading newspapers that I can't begin to understand! I arrived without a hitch on Tuesday at 7am. I met Allie (my soon to be rommate) at baggage claim and we met Julia after customs.. it was so good seeing her! Hurray! .. then the fun began.. we drug/pulled/hoisted/carried/threw/shoved our total of 8 bags up stairs, unto 1 train, 1 bus, 1 tram and down the street 3 blocks before we arrive at their apartment where we drug them up 3 flights of stairs! Wow! That was my work out for the month! check! (but, ... it was alsot so fun, and very dutch, ha!) Each day I feel more and more comfortable here... and we're getting things done!

So far... 

I've slept off jet lag... only took a couple days!..( I still wake up between 4-6am.. weird)

I've looked at one apartment (and I see 8 more tomorrow.. hopefully I'll pick one)

Met with a really great housing agency. Guido is our realtor.. great guy!

Bought a cell phone

Looked at bikes (I'll buy one tomorrow or Monday)

Figured out the tram system a bit. Got lost at least 3 times.

Played with the Pickerill kids

Build a cabinet from Ikea, that took Julia and I 3 + hours. Crazy hard!

Figured out banking stuff

Now I'm off to buy a converter for my computer and then to help make dinner for tonight.. our dutch friends Jan Bernard and Tineke are coming over for dinner. Tomorrow we'll have dinner and spend time with another dutch family. Everyone has been so warm and welcoming!

Well, that's a very short update but my battery is about to go.. so I better go buy the converter! 

Much love from Amsterdam!!!

Crunch time

I went away with my mom's side of the family for a lovely week long family reunion in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! The most restful place in the whole world for me. We swam, read, slept, sailed, ate more, slept more, played shuffle board, took long walks, talked, laughed, etc... It was such a treat to be loved and loved on by 30+ of my family members all at once! 

Then we hopped over to Indiana for my cousin Beth's wedding. Wow, she's married. Crazy! It was so sweet to talk to family I haven't seen in years. They were all pretty amazed and shocked to hear about Amsterdam! Ha ha!! Yea, that would be quite a surprise! Fun fun.

I got hit by a bus when I woke up Sunday morning, back home in Columbus. So much left to do! Life definitely went on without me... the Pickerills are now in Amsterdam, they've been there for 2 weeks! I can't wait to join them in 5 days! Pretty crazy!  

Today was such a God day! And I'm so thankful! I got so much done!! Check check check.. off the to do list!! .. but I only did about a fourth of it... the rest got done by wonderful friends and people who love me... WOW!!!

Sweet Christy at Trinity set me up with an awesome international bank accnt!

My dad played the middle man through much of it!

Will is the attorney power house! (power of attorney fun!)

Terri is taking care of my insurance issues!

Katie is the HR queen!

Mark patiently answered my questions!

Tara and Jimmy ran errands for me! Thanks lovelies!

Patty Lou is researching/making calls...

Irene gave me an awesome haircut! You're the best! 

My mom ran errands/gave me lots of hugs and kisses!

Baby Grayson made me laugh!

and on and on... THANK YOU GOD for TODAY!