Breakfast. And it was good.

Nutella cheesecake stuffed French toast. Yes. I went there. Days filled with homework call for this kind of treat. 

Adieu. 

Blue-Eyed Birthdays, School, My Best Friend's Wedding

We've had another great and eventful couple of weeks.  Just the way I like it!

A few weeks ago, I travelled to Manhattan.  I know, right.  I can barely live with myself ;] But I was beyond excited.  It was baby boy Amos Jordan's FIRST birthday!!! Jenn put together a very cute birthday party for him and kept us full with such a good spread of tasty treats.

In love with those baby blues.

Done.

Amos is just one of those babies you want to squeeze and smooch all day long.  He has the most beautiful blue eyes that make your heart melt.

That week, Ty and I started fall semester.  YAY! (kind of).  I really did miss all of my classmates those weeks that we were apart; I'm not sure if I was excited to start school or just excited to see everyone, again.  However, I am so relieved that I am finally taking classes that really mean something and have useful information that I will use on the job someday!  One of my classes is so full of busy work and has me running around doing all sorts of projects.  I guess they don't want to create lazy OTs.  Neuroscience is going to be my toughest class this semester by far (and...umm...I should probably be studying for my test on Tuesday right now...OOPS!)  Luckily, my professor is very engaging and understands OTs.  I also started what our school calls "service learning".  I go to the American Stroke Foundation every week and get to interact with some really amazing people.  It makes me thankful for what I have and reminds me not to take the simple things for granted.  I can't imagine waking up one day after having a stroke and not being able to walk, talk, or take care of myself.  You truly have to have so much drive and motivation to work hard to get back to leading a semi-normal life.  It is very humbling to hear the survivors' stories and see them pushing themselves.

Just last week, one of my best friends got married.  It's a crazy thing, growing up.  Blair and I have been friends since we were 8 years old.  Her poor parents have put up with me eating all their food, drinking all their grape juice, and teaching their daughter songs by the Beastie Boys and Sir-Mix-A-Lot.  In second grade, Blair got this super cute hair cut.  Since she was my best friend, I, of course, had to do the same thing and chop off all my hair.  However, mine didn't quite come out the same.  I didn't look like a cute 8 year old, I looked like a 35 year old soccer mom.  So, my friends, I give you the year of the mom haircut: 

Here we are at 8 years old.  Kind of looks like Blake (Blair's newly acquired hubby) is using me as an arm rest :]

We've had our ups and downs (what teenage girls going through high school don't?), but I love that we're still in each other's lives.  Blair is awesome about catching up and planning friend dates.  She also knows way too much about me so I could probably never be her enemy; she'd have so much blackmail material! ;]

Married? Married! ("16 Candles" reference)

With the beautiful bride!

Hopefully, I can pull myself together and study so I can pass all my tests in the upcoming weeks!  Do send me thoughts and prayers.  I'm the type of person that bakes non-stop when I'm procrastinating or need a study break, so if you see my passed out in a sugar-coma, take away the Kitchen Aid.  

Lots of love.

A Year in Review: Did That REALLY Happen? Where Has the Time Gone???...

A couple days ago I woke up to a nice cool day for August in Kansas.  The 70 degree morning felt like such a relief compared to the 100+ temperatures we have been battling.  The day was begging me to go for a jog in the park next to my apartment.

As I slowly made my way around the park I was reminded of Belgium.  Cool air.  Cloudy, dreary skies. The burn in my lungs (though from lack of running compared to the inhalation of a ridiculous amount of other people’s cigarette smoke).  It got me thinking about what a crazy year it has been.  Has it really already been a year?  Wasn’t it just yesterday I was going through a whirlwind of excitement?

A year ago on August 15th I turned 22.  No big deal.  We didn’t know this day would be a game changer.  Ty and I woke up early to go to Target to help our friends Cole and Britt with an awesome event they had set up.  We were going back-to-school shopping with less-fortunate kids; Target was going to match Cole dollar-for-dollar of what he donated to the children.  It was so great to see those kids pick out new school supplies and back packs.  Afterwards, I went to Eudora to pick up some birthday cupcakes from Cami (of Cami’s Cakes who did our wedding cake and cupcakes).  My friend and former roommate, Lindie, came to hang out and we had a ridiculous photo sesh.  Then we got a call.  Ty’s agent let us know that he had drawn a contract with a team in Belgium.  Belgium?  What?  We waited a day or two more to get more details.  Then it was set.  We were to leave that weekend.  After a mere THREE weeks of being married, we were on our way to Europe. 

My awesome friend, Lindie.  Love her.

The few bags we had to take with us.

 I was a mish-mash of emotions.  Excitement. Nervousness. Relief. Anxiousness. Fear.  Endless questions running through my head. What was newlywed life going to be like overseas?  Would there be any other wives? Would I be able to interact with people? Will Ty like it? WHAT DO I PACK?

You all know the stories. 

We arrived in Belgium and I was terrified and excited.  What was this green, rainy country?  I had many painful grocery store and washing machine experiences.  I baked cinnamon rolls.  I went to games.  I smiled. I cried.  I watched a lot of Gossip Girl.

The washer that I REALLY think tried to drive me insane.  I shall forever hate it.

Cinnamon rolls.  Enough said.

And I did have ONE other wife I was able to talk to.  Alec will never know how thankful I was to have her there.  She probably thought I was this crazy, baking lady who liked to be alone.  But I enjoyed her company.  It was a weird experience knowing there was only one person (other than my husband) that I could hang out with and talk to.  I’m lucky she is completely awesome and I got along with her.  The Lord knew I needed a friend.

Alec and me at a game.  I don't know what I would have done without her.

And I had all of you.  You read my blog, left me comments, made me smile.  It was encouraging to know that people cared about us.  I was also mystified as to why anyone would ever want to read what I wrote. 

I seriously miss those waffles.

So I went through many emotions, experiences, and endeavors.  In November, I came home for my brother’s Laos wedding.  It was a breath of fresh air to be home and with family.  But I was still aching.  Tyrel was going to be there for 5 weeks without me.  It made me sad to know he would come home to an empty apartment with no one to talk to and no food on the table.  He’s tough, though.  Much tougher than I am.  

SO green.  I used to run through this park :) 

And this is where I left of last time.  December 12^th finally rolled around and I was able to pick up Ty!  I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.  Seeing him there, physical and tactile, as he walked off the plane made my heart melt.   We were able to celebrate Christmas with our families and enjoy being home.

December and January brought some tough decisions for us.  We decided we wanted to move on past basketball overseas and take on new challenges.  We were going to go back to school.  Tyrel was accepted in to the doctoral physical therapy program at KU Med Center and I was accepted into the master program for occupational therapy.  Sure, we’ve done school our whole lives, but now we’re going to GRADUATE school?  With a bunch of really smart people?  What was I getting myself into?

Baby girl's 2nd birthday!  She loves her Uncle Ty.

 We stayed in Burlington for a couple months while we tried to figure everything out and get a game plan.  After being away from family and friends, it was actually a little enjoyable to be in that small town for a while.  Ty was also busy with book signings around Christmas and he was able to re-connect with KU fans.  We moved to Kansas City in February and started working before we’d have to go to school.  It was nice to get used to the area and get our bearings straight before we’d be swamped with schoolwork.  Kansas City is definitely a place of its own.  It was hard to get used to how spread out everything is and I didn’t exactly enjoy battling rush hour traffic twice a day. 

Trip to the zoo.

May rolled around, Ty and I went to open houses and orientations at the med center and were able to meet some of our professors and classmates.  It was quite the transition for me to go from doing not a whole lot in Belgium and taking care of Ty to working full time to getting in the school frame of mind.  The year off was nice, but it made it that much harder to get excited and motivated.  We officially started class the end of May and got into a routine.  Ty and I had one class together, clinical anatomy.  It.Was.Ridiculous.  We basically had 8 weeks to learn the human body when we were given almost 4 months to do that at KU.  It was one of the toughest classes I’ve taken, but we got through it!  I also got a little bit more of a taste of OT.  I knew it was a broad career path, but WOW, I’m not sure there is a setting where an OT can’t work.

My dancing queen.

After going through summer class, Ty and I went on some vacations.  I went to Virginia with some of my family and he went to Colorado with his dad.  We celebrated our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY and went on another vacation to Florida with his family and some friends.  Ty has also spent his fair share of golfing and fishing with friends.  Sometimes I feel like he could live the rest of his life outside in a tent.  I won’t challenge him to that, though. 

In Virginia.

All I can say is that it has been a roller coaster ride for our first year of marriage.  Last year at this time, I would have never imagined all of this would happen.  But I wouldn’t change it for the world.  We grow from experiences and we have to get out of our comfort zone.  I am truly blessed and thankful to have such an amazing husband to stand next to during all of this. 

1 year anniversary <3 

Ty and I are getting ready to start fall semester and we’ll take on a whole new set of classes.  I have made some wonderful friends in my program and I’m excited for what the next three years has to offer us.  Who knows where we’ll end up?  I’ve learned that you can never actually plan your future, but you have to go with what’s thrown at you and make the best of it. 

Watch out carpal tunnel, we'll splint you.

 I don’t know if this whole blog thing will become regular, again.  I just felt the need to put this out there.  I doubt anyone will even read it, but that’s okay, I like to listen to myself talk.

Also, here is one of my favorite recipes I have made WAY too many times since I’ve found it.  If you like cinnamon/snickerdoodles…you will LOVE this.  And if not, just send them my way :] 

SNICKERDOODLE BLONDIES (CLICK ME!)

There's No Place Like Home: Travel Recap, Celebrations, FOOOOOOD

So, as the majority of you know, I have been home since the beginning of November (partial reason for why I haven't written in over a month :s).  I came home to visit family and attend my brother's traditional Laos wedding.  He married at the beginning of the year with a super cute and totally awesome home ceremony.  He and his wife wanted to incorporate some of her traditions and decided to have a Laos wedding this November.  I was originally going to stay only 2 weeks, but when Ty and I realized we'd be able to come home for Christmas, we decided it was silly for me to keep flying back and forth.

But we'll get into more details of that in a little bit.  I want to recap the last month....sorry you guys aren't getting any awesome Belgian news!  Might as well change it to "The Wheat Chronicles" for the day.

Before I left, I decided I'd try to help Ty out a LITTLE bit and leave some food for him.  Ty had an away game the day before I left so I spent the day cooking/baking.  I can't even imagine how much flour I went through.  I made about 16 pita pockets, 2 dozen apple cinnamon muffins, 2 dozen nutella rolls, 2 big gallon bags of cooked chicken, lasagna, and barbecue chicken pizza.  He recently informed me that the nutella rolls didn't even make it 2 weeks :] haha At least I tried!!!

Just making some nutella rolls....no biggy

So that night, I didn't get to sleep until about 3 because I was still trying to clean my colossal mess of a kitchen, do last minute laundry, and pack stuff I forgot the first time around.  Lucky me, we got to wake up at 6!  I got up for breakfast and didn't really know what to do.  I wasn't really hungry, but come on, I just woke up....I had to eat something!  We left about 6:45 and drove through the thickest fog I had ever seen.  It was crazy; I'm lucky to be married to such a safe and confident driver.  We were driving at about 75 mph and people were FLYING past us like we were driving 45.  Even though we had my GPS up and running, the fog caused us to miss an exit (no biggy, we lost 3 minutes haha).  It took us about 75-90 minutes to get to Brussels; I can't really remember, though.

We got to the airport about 3 hours early and I'm so glad we did.  I was also a little bit nervous because this was the very first time ever flying alone.  Ty was great navigating around and finding the right parking place and then we had to figure out how to get to the actual airport from where we were.  We walked around and found a little tram to get us there.  It was confusing at first trying to figure out where in the airport we needed to be and we couldn't exactly ask any random person that walked by, but we finally found the United line and got me checked in.  Luckily, the attendants speak English and are very friendly.  Unfortunately, after I got my bags checked, Ty had to leave :( He couldn't go any further into the airport with me.  We found the line for customs, which was ridiculously long, but Ty snuck me onto the side and into a possible made-up (and not fair!) line so that I didn't have to wait forever.  I was really sad watching my husband walk away knowing I wouldn't see him for at least another 4 weeks. 

While standing in line, I heard this guy start speaking...it took me a while to realize someone was speaking in English to me!!! Not going to lie, it made me so relieved to have someone that spoke English in line right next to me.  I can't remember his name now, but he was extremely nice.  He coaches hockey in France but his family lives in Canada.  He gave his team a week or two off and was going home to visit his family for a little bit.  He probably got annoyed with me because I talked his ear off like nobody's business.  We got to talking and we were getting closer to the customs check-in and he had to use the restroom.  Now you know how they always have those announcements in airports not to watch anyone's bags for them? Yeah, I was totally that girl.  I was like "yeah, sure! No problem".  I almost kicked myself right after that.  How dumb am I? Really? I'm in a different country where my language isn't predominately spoken and I said I'd watch a stranger's bags?  Do I WANT something to happen and get in trouble?  I totally started freaking out and getting paranoid. haha But he came back and I didn't end up transporting narcotics for someone.  Lesson of the day: just tell them to take the bag with them.  But he was a really nice guy and I'm so glad that I had someone to talk to to make the time go by quickly.

After customs, I had to pick out some shirts for my nieces.  I was hoping to find an "I <3 Belgium" shirt, but to my disappointment, I had to settle for other ones.  

I then had to go through security.  I had a monstrously heavy back pack and an equally heavy small duffle bag to take with me.  I'm not going to lie, all that weight and walking around was making me super hot.  When I went through security I was randomly chosen for a body check.  Of course.  I felt so bad for the girl checking me because I was so hot haha And for some reason a hole punch (that I didn't know was in my bag) kept setting off the machine so they had to put it through several times.  Great.  

By the time I got everything packed back into my carry-ons (and trust me, it was a TON of stuff) and found my gate, I only had like 45-60 minutes until my flight left.  So I'm really glad Ty did his research and found that it's best to arrive at the airport 3 hours early for an international flight in a different country.  There was a man sitting across from me waiting that had on some of the craziest shoes I have ever seen on a man.  They were teal, suede, dress booties that had the pointiest toe.  I figured since we were close to France that everyone would have great fashion sense.  Not so much.  Overall, Belgium hasn't impressed me in the fashion department.  Send me to France, please.

My flight from Brussels to Chicago really wasn't TOO terrible.  While it is 9 1/2 hours long, I slept about 4 hours thanks to the night before.  I even got to move into the "economy plus" section and have 2 seats to myself!  The first hour of the flight I slept sitting straight up and then a really nice flight attendant told me there were 2 seats up ahead.  This plane was pretty nice but definitely not as awesome as the plane we flew out on.  The first plane had big tv screens in the back of the seats and you could choose pretty much any tv show or new movie to watch whenever you wanted.  This one had smaller screens and a set playlist of movies and shows that came on at a certain time.  I think I watched Harry Potter two or three times, but that didn't bother me!  These long flights mean you get food;  I got a hot meal of some weird looking pasta dish (it wasn't the best, but it was hot and something to eat) and then a cold sandwich lunch meal.  I really only had the candybar out of my lunch :D

I finally touched down in Chicago and was able to turn my phone on for the first time in a few months.  I was so excited to see American ground!  It is such an amazing feeling to be back in your home country.  Immediately, I received an email from United saying my flight was delayed.  I was really confused and called my mom to tell her the information.  I was sort of relieved at the time considering I only had about 1 hour and 20 minutes between flights.  However, when I was getting off the plane, I really felt like I should hurry around and not take my time.  I had a nagging feeling that something could be wrong.  When I got off the flight, I had to go through immigration and have my passport looked at and answer some questions.  I then had to go to baggage claim and get my luggage.  I was still hurrying around and trying to be quick.  However, my bags seemed to be the last ones off the carousal.  I grabbed my 5000 pound bags (ok, not really, there's a 50 pound weight limit for each!) and lugged them to customs.  I answered some more questions, luckily didn't have to have my bags opened, and ran down to get my bags rechecked.  When I checked them in I had an airport worker prompting me to hurry up and give her my bags, so that made me worry more about my plane.  After checking them in, I had to find the tram.  International flights arrive in terminal 5 and I had to take the tram to terminal 1 where united flies out.  It seemed to take forever and the tram seemed like it was 135 degrees in it.  I finally made it to terminal 1 and had to go through security AGAIN.  And guess what, I got body checked AGAIN.  Luckily, no problems with my carry-on bags.  My boarding pass didn't have what gate I was supposed to be at so I had to check the departure boards.  And hey, guess what!  My flight was ON TIME.  I had to run from gate C to gate B and find my plane.  Just as I ran up they were boarding.  I was a hot sweaty mess and had to ask this massive group of hunters if this was the right plane and if I was on time.  Thank goodness I did NOT mess around and take my time.  I called my mom and told her "JUST KIDDING!" and she and my niece packed up and raced to the airport (which is like a 2-ish hour drive away).

My flight to Kansas City seemed to take about 15 minutes.  I sat next to an older man who loved KU and talked my ear off the whole time.  The plane was completely packed so I was glad it wasn't extremely hot in there.  When the pilot made the announcement that we'd be touching down in Kansas City soon I wanted to cry tears of happiness.  I was SO excited to be home and see family.  While it's nice to skype and see their faces everyday, it's no comparison to getting a big hug.  I exited the plane and immediately saw my mom and niece, Destini, standing outside the waiting area with huge grins on their faces and hands waving.  I wanted to push everyone out of my way and run out to them.  But I decided to be mildly courteous and patient.  I gave my niece and mom a huge hug and immediately got teary-eyed.  My tear ducts and emotions have a direct connection...it doesn't matter if I'm happy, frustrated, or mad, the tears will be flowing.  We went to get my luggage and waited and waited and waited.  Nothing.  Finally, we went to ask for help at the desk.  My luggage missed my flight but was coming in on the flight that left Chicago at 5:30.  I figured this would happen since I practically barely made it and didn't care too much.  I had packed extra clothes in my carry on and I was coming home to tons of stuff I left behind!

The car ride home seemed to take about as long as my first flight.  I was starving, tired, and ready to see my family.  My brother (who is an AMAZING chef) made dinner and my second set of parents were coming over to see me, too.  I have to say, I was born into a pretty spectacular family, and I got lucky enough to marry into an equally awesome family.  It was so nice to see everyone and eat BEEF but I just wanted to crash.  I don't know how I made it up until 10:30.

It didn't take long to get used to the time change coming home.  It's a lot more difficult getting used to the time change going to Belgium. Coming home, I got here around dinner time and only had a little bit of day left.  Going to Belgium, you get there early in the morning and have a whole other day to get through!  However, that whole week I couldn't stay up past 8:30 and was up by 6:30 every morning (including the one after I got home).

So that was my totally (un)awesome and (un)exciting  recap of coming home.

My brother's wedding was indescribable.  I'm so glad I was able to be a part of such a wonderful and unique ceremony.  We even had family come from Rhode Island, again.  My Menard grandparents visited as well as my Uncle Pete.  All three of us siblings have been blessed to have all our grandparents attend our weddings this year (yes, all three of us got married in one year).  Here are some pictures I took during the day:

Me, Ry, and Erin dressed up and ready for the ceremony.  Ryan might kill me, but here he is in the traditional outfit the groom wears.  He had on a combination of parachute pants and a sumo diaper haha

The ceremony is actually held in the home and the family sits on the floor around them.  They have these 2 big decorative statue things (not really sure how to describe them :s) that are a part of the ceremony.  People also tie strings on their wrists and give them blessings.

Nay in her adorable little outfit! 

Ryan and Som during their first dance.  I'm sad he changed! haha

Ryan, Des, Nat (looking a little Raggedy Ann) and Som's nephew.  

I am so mad I didn't take more pictures during the whole day.  My family had to parade Ry into the house (the neighbors probably thought we were crazy) and he had to have his feet washed before he entered the house.  The whole ceremony was spoken in Laos so none of my family could understand it! Luckily, Som's sister was sitting right next to me and told me what to do :]

Thanksgiving was also amazing as usual.  My family knows how to cook and we know how to eat.  I contributed with a chocolate pecan pie.  I LOVE pecan pie so much I had it as my birthday cake one year.  I found a great recipe that uses pure maple syrup and brown sugar instead corn syrup.  It adds great flavor along with the sweetness.

That next Saturday we went to my cousin's house.  Jenn and Evan live and Manhattan (BOO!!) but I was extremely excited to go see them and little baby Amos!  Amos was born just a couple days before Ty and I left for Belgium.  I finally got to see him the day of Ry and Som's wedding, but I couldn't wait to get ahold of those chunky cheeks.  Everyone brought a bunch of different food and we all ate way too much...again.  I brought my super awesome chocolate-puff-snowquake-mana-cookies.  Everyone who tries them gives them a new name haha  I'm sort of the dessert girl around here. Not sure why, it's not like I even like sugar or chocolate.

Jenn, Mom, and Dad

People hanging out...Des cheesing it up

Ry and Som cooking!

Erin, Jenn, and Amos

People gathered around the table...

Ali, Des, and Candy

Another thing that's been great about being home is being able to watch the KU games.  I REALLY miss Allen Fieldhouse.  It's great that Ty is still playing ball, but really, what beats the Fieldhouse?  I think when Ty gets back we'll be able to go to a basketball game.  YAY!  He (we?) will also be really busy with a lot of book signings.  They're set up around Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas city; we even have one going on at Hoover's (grocery store in town for those of you that don't know) some time while we're home.  I really hope a lot of people show up to get their books signed; it'll be great to see fans and the little kids who look up to Ty.  I feel like his great work ethic, heart, and morals make him a good role model for all those little Jayhawks out there.

For those of you who don't know, my brother does monthly 5-course dinners at Everything's Fabulous here in town.  He really gets to showcase his knowledge and creativity through all the amazing food he makes.  He puts so much effort and time into them and they are never, ever a disappointment.  In the past, I've gone and helped him with small things like chopping.  It does help him in the long run because he is able to focus on other things that really need his expertise.  This time, he called on me to make banana bread for his banana-bread bread-pudding.  He must have a lot of faith in me and my baking!  I was pretty excited to use the big, professional grade stand mixer.  I think I may need one in my kitchen some day.  But really, Ry is always encouraging and the whole dinner turned out magnificent.  So if you are looking for a great meal by an amazing chef, you really should check out the Everything's Fabulous page on facebook.  They update when there is going to be a dinner and what the meal will consist of.  

As of 11:29 on this Saturday evening, I will get to see Tyrel in 9 days!!! I am incredibly excited to see him.  It has been a long, rough 4 weeks being apart from him.  I may have to meet him at the airport with a Dr. Pepper and a burrito.  I'm pretty pumped we'll be able to celebrate Christmas with our families.  I even got us a little Christmas tree we can decorate.  I wanted pretty blue and gold decorations....but Ty got red and green.  I let him win this one ;]

I have definitely missed having delicious, warm waffles and decadent, creamy ice cream from the vendors.  Also, I miss just walking out of our apartment and walking around town.  I can't really do that here since my parents live right on a main highway.  Sometimes I catch myself wanting to say "merci, au revoir!" "une minute, s'il vous plait", "bonjour, ca va?"  Luckily, I haven't busted out any French on any unsuspecting cashiers or store attendants.  Ty said they have been putting out Christmas decorations like lights in the streets and everything; I can't wait to see pictures he takes!  It'll definitely be weird going back and getting back in a pattern after being home for so long without him.

Anyways, I hope you all have had happy and safe holidays!!! 

Remember to water your Christmas trees.

Lots of love.

(And a shout out to my biggest fan KYLE CROSS! hahahahh Just kidding...but for real.)

Book Worries, Nervous Classes, Real Chocolate, and Memories :]

Hello, everybody!  No need to be worried about the lack of posts, I AM alive :] (and so is Tyrel, in case you were wondering).

This past week has been exciting and nerve-racking for me.  Tyrel's book "Reed All About It" came out last Friday!  It's a very strange feeling to know that people will be reading a book all about my husband's life with quotes from me in it.  It's silly to think that I'm worried what people will say about my comments and stories.  For one, I won't even know the vast majority of people reading the book! And two, does it really matter?  I am me no matter what people think of my comments or the book; still, I really hope people will enjoy reading the stories Tyrel told.  Amazon allowed people to pre-order the book online and it is also sold in many stores around Kansas including: KU Bookstores, Kansas Sampler, Dillon's, and Hoover's Thriftway.  I'm sure there are other places as well, along with Barnes and Noble online (not sure if it's in any B&N stores in Kansas).  I haven't seen the finished product, but I did go over a few things when it was still in the editing process.  I'm excited to actually see it soon!  Also, Ty will be having "diary entries" posted in some of the Kansas newspapers;  his editors contacted him and wanted him to write about his experiences over here in Belgium and what Europe is like.  The first one has already come out so keep yours eyes open for them!

Here's the cover of the book (image from Amazon)! 

Last Friday was also a really fun and interesting day for me.  When at basketball games, I frequently talk to the man that does all the announcing, Gerard.  He is very kind and knows KU basketball pretty well!  He said he loves to watch US college basketball and always watches the NCAA tournament.  Anyways, Gerard speaks really great English and goes to a school a couple days a week to further his understanding of it and perfect it.  He asked if Alec and I would like to come to his school some time and talk to the students and the teacher.  He said this would allow the students to get a chance to practice their English more without the luxury of explaining something in French when they don't know how to say it.  We both excitedly agreed and we visited his class last Friday.  I was actually pretty nervous because I didn't want to say something stupid and them have a bad experience or opinion about Americans.  At first, the class was a little shy and needed a little prompting to ask questions, but by the end of the class it was a very easy flow of conversation and they were asking if we'd come back!  I definitely would; it was a great experience and so nice to meet different people.  The class was very welcoming and their teacher is so sweet.  It was really cute because she had learned British English and when she spoke English she had a sort of British accent along with her French accent!  The combination was pretty neat.  I had asked how long the students had been learning English and one of the guys had only started learning it a year or two ago from the INTERNET and his English was very clear.  He must be very determined; he was also a huge sports fan and asked us a lot of questions about basketball and the NFL.  One of the guys in the class was a little bit disappointed to find out Alec and I were both married, but he did say at the end of the class that his new goal was to find a nice, American wife! HAHA!  One question that I asked the class was to tell me what their opinions and feelings about Americans were.  I told them not to hold back and to say both the good and the bad; whatever came to their minds!  I was astonished to hear such nice and encouraging words from all the students.  They really did have kind things to say about us as a whole and that made me feel a little better.  Usually you hear about people from other countries not liking the US and having negative feelings toward us, but it was refreshing to hear that we do have some redeeming qualities in the eyes of others!  Gerard brought the class a box of chocolates to share during the break and one of the other students brought some homemade apple juice from his sister's orchard!  Everything was delicious.

Here's a picture of the outside of the "school".  I'm not really sure if you can call it a school, but there are many language classes taught here.  It may look like an old house from the outside, but it truly looked and felt like a school on the inside.

Gerard bought Alec and I boxes of chocolates as a thank-you for coming to his class!  It was very nice of him and I thoroughly enjoyed my gift.

He really did get us a TON of chocolate.  They are all delicious and I had a hard time not eating them all at once.  We may not be able to get authentic Belgian chocolate in Kansas, but I think Andre's in Kansas City by the Plaza comes pretty close.  If you've never been there, you should check it out!  I went there 2 years in a row with my French class in high school and like to visit when I can.  You can never have too much chocolate in your life ;]

Since it's fall and the weather has definitely cooled off, I've been in baking mode (not like that ever really changes!).  And I've been REALLY wanting to make pumpkin muffins, chocolate chip pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin, Pumpkin, PUMPKIN!  But guess what...they do not sell pumpkin puree here!  I even asked Gerard and the class and they had no clue what I was talking about!  Isn't that crazy!?  Alec and I have walked to every grocery store in town (even in the cold rain) and haven't found any.  I know, I know...I could go get a pumpkin and bake it and make my own puree, but I really don't feel like it.  Canned pumpkin is just so easy to use.  If it comes down to it and I can barely make it another day without pumpkin, I guess I'll break down and bake me a stinkin' pumpkin.  I saw a sign at the store that said "potiron" (pumpkin) was like 68 euro cents per kilo or something, so I guess that's not too bad.  

A couple weeks ago, Tyrel finally got a haircut.  I'm surprised he even went so long without one!  This guy probably got a haircut every 3-4 weeks in the States, and he had gone months over here.  But I'm not going to lie, it's probably the best haircut he's ever gotten.  We went to this little barber that all the guys go to, Tyrel showed the guy a picture from our wedding (the guy didn't speak any English), he looked at it for about 2 seconds and off he went!  It was really interesting watching him because it was different than how guys get their hair cut in the US.  He took a longer time and did it layer by layer instead of immediately cutting it to the short length at once.  It was weird seeing Ty with such short hair after it had been crazy long for a while!  But the barber was really cheap (only 6 euros) so I'm sure Tyrel will go back to him regularly.

Getting work done :]

A couple weeks ago, we got a care package from the Simiens!  It was very sweet of them to send us so much stuff!  We opened it up and layer after layer we kept finding great things!  Katie put a lot of spice packets and cooking stuff in there for me and Ty got a lot of gatorade powder mixes.  

Magazines, gatorade, baking cocoa, peanut butter, vanilla, teriyaki sauce, and vanilla chai latte.  I had never had a chai latte before, but it is SO good.  I think I may become addicted to it :]

Speaking of care packages, my mom recently sent us one and it made it to Belgium last Wednesday, but we still haven't gotten it!  The tracking number says they tried to deliver it to the office we get packages sent to but no one was there so they left a slip for them.  Well, guess what, there wasn't a slip!  You pretty much have to have the slip to go get your package because it has a barcode on it that they scan.  We're trying to figure out if we'll be able to go to the post office and talk to them (haha...if anyone speaks English!) and try to pick it up or get it re-delivered.  It's been very frustrating knowing it's here but we don't have it.  This happened to a package that was sent to us from Cole and Britt, but we were never notified it was here or to go get it, so they eventually sent it back to the US! I really hope that doesn't happen to this one.

I recently found my older camera that I brought over here just in case something happened to my new one.  I didn't realize that there were still many pictures on it that I never downloaded to my computer.  It was really exciting to see all the pictures I had forgotten about.  Here are some that I had taken over the summer:

Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting...

That would be my brother flying through the air :D haha

Natalee running to Ry

Colorado :] SOOO pretty. I miss it!

Ty getting some fishing in after our hike :]

:]

HUGE! He was so close to us.  Not gonna lie...I was a little scared, but we had an exit strategy just in case.

Old gold mine we visited

Me and Nay just hanging out

Have you ever found pictures you forgot about?  These all made me smile :]  I can't wait to see my family in less than 2 weeks!  I've been making a list of food I want my mom to make when I come home haha 

Tyrel has another away game tonight and I hope he doesn't get home too late.  The last away game they had he didn't get home until 2:30 :(  My sleeping schedule is still messed up from waiting up for him!  

Hope you all have a great week!  If you've gotten Ty's book, let me know what you think :] And be honest!  

Lots of love.

Cat Food, Calzones, Baking, Bacon, Trinkets

Another week has passed; we are another week older...we should celebrate.  I hope you all had a great weekend and that your Monday isn't too bad.

This weekend my cousin, Jared, got married!  Congrats Jared and Fallon!  I really wish I could have been there to celebrate with them as they did for my wedding.  I'll see them in November, though :]  Luckily, my grandpa (Poppie) loves to take pictures (and videos) like me, so he was able to share some with me.

Last week was pretty great for me; it's been nice to have someone to walk around with and bake with!  The boys had a team function or something last week so Alec came over and I taught her how to make homemade cinnamon rolls.  We switched it up and made THREE different kind.

Action shot of her rolling out the dough! I think she's come to realize I take pictures of EVERYTHING haha Sorry, Alec!

Probably adding more sugar to the top of them :]

TA-DA! From left to right: peanut butter & chocolate chip, cinnamon & brown sugar, and nutella & chocolate chip.  They were AMAZING.  I think the pb&c is my new favorite :] And NO, we did not eat ALL of these; we were generous and passed some around to the other guys!

I've also seen on a lot of food blogs that people will make "savory rolls" and put garlic and butter or pesto inside them.  I may do this next time I want a dinner roll to go with supper! 

Since we're on the topic of bread, carbs, delicious comas......I wanted to share a picture of the calzone I made for Tyrel last week:

This, my friends, is the world's biggest calzone! And he ate it all.

Ok, I'm really sorry, but I feel like this is totally turning into a food blog where I post pictures of stuff I cook and bake...but really...that's all I have over here!!!! Food and working out (and the occasional basketball game).  Now, I KNOW you'd rather see pictures of food I make than pictures of me red-faced and sweaty after Jillian Michaels kicks my butt....so bear with me...I'll REALLY try to come up with some more exciting news to talk about.  And while I'm thinking....here's another food picture :D

Ok, let me break this down for you...marinated chicken...stuffed with onions, mushrooms, garlic, and gouda...wrapped in bacon....WHEW. It was every bit as good as it sounds.  And I have found out chicken does NOT look pretty in pictures. But the bacon helps :]

And to cap off the week, Alec and I made chocolate chip pancakes when the guys had an away game.  I felt like a kid, again :D The boys lost their game Saturday (the first regular season game), but they have another game this Wednesday and it's at home!  I'm sure they will do really great.

The other day Alec and I waked around the town a little and explored some of the little shops.  We have had incredibly nice weather up until last week.  It has suddenly turned to 50 degrees, gloomy, and rainy....so basically, the norm for Belgium :( But we trekked it through the rain, anyways!  They have some pretty cute shoe and clothing shops here; you will find a ton of boots, scarves, and skull-decorated items! haha  But really, all everyone seems to wear around here is boots.  I like it, but Ty doesn't seem to find boots nearly as cute as I do.  Tough luck.  But we came across this shop called "Danish Spirit" and it was not at all what I expected.  For some reason I thought it'd sell Danish decorations and food...but it was kind of like a little knic-knack shop.  Here are a couple of my very treasured findings that I might have to go back and get :D

This would, in fact, be a toilet-shaped mug.  I think EVERYONE needs one of these.  Wouldn't YOU love sipping some hot cocoa or coffee out of this? ;]

Sweet drinking glasses straws!  So you put them on like glasses, have one end in your beverage, and the other end in your mouth.  I think I need to get these for Tyrel so he can sip his 1.5L soda in style.  

I told you a while ago (probably the first week or two we got here) about how Tyrel got locked out of the apartment and had to wait for someone to walk out so he could get in.  Well, it happened, again, and Mike was with him.  They had gone to the bank after practice and none of the other guys rode with them.  As they both have wives that have the keys, they had no way of getting in when they came back. I guess they waited for over 30 minutes out there!  I think Mike had gone to McDonald's to get internet to send Alec a message to let them in; well she went down there and they weren't there!  So I'm in the room cleaning stuff and I look out the window and see Tyrel standing on some stairs yelling at me.  Lucky I was there!  We have now decided that if they aren't back by 12:30, I need to go down and check to see if they are waiting outside.  Good thing it was semi-nice out and not raining! :]

When I go to the home games, I always have someone affiliated with the team come talk to me, which is really nice.  At the last home game, the team's announcer (Gerard), asked me a favor.  Gerard speaks very good English and he goes to a class a couple times a week to continue to better it (I wish I had 1/8 of the skill he had!!!).  He asked if I would ever like to come to the class and speak to some of the students.  This way they'd have a chance to improve their English with an English-speaking person and ask questions about the United States and how I like Belgium.  I think this would be a really cool opportunity for me, so I told him I would love to.  I'm really excited and hope I don't say something stupid!  He hasn't given me a date yet, but I think it'll be in November or December.  

So the other day I happened to glance out the window and saw something that made me laugh and get pretty excited.  There was a man cruising along on his little sit-down scooter with both American and Texas flags attached to it! I really wish I could have gotten a picture but he was just too quick for me.  I was jumping up and down and yelling at Tyrel to come look, but he had already seen him before.  I am going to be on the look-out from now on so that I can catch a shot of him.  It makes me wonder if he really is American or if he has family there or what his story is...I wish I could have been outside so I could have talked to him.  I get very excited when there is the prospect of another American here in Belgium.

I hope you have a great week!  Tonight Ty and I are going to stock up on groceries and end the day with some homemade pizza.  Ty picked up a Colruyt card form so that we can get a little bit of a discount when we go shopping.  It seems like it's a lot like a Dillon's card.  So here is our filled-out form and hopefully I did it correctly (since it is all in French)! 

I want to leave you with a picture of something that both made me laugh and grossed me out:

Chocolate flavored Cat Fingers! (Langues De Chat) SICK.  They are little chocolate treats for people, but the package looks like they are meant for cats.  I don't think I could eat something with pictures of cats on it so that it makes it look like cat food.  I have seen a couple stores with Langues De Chat in them, so they must be pretty popular. (BARF)

Lots of love!