Keys, Cars, Stores, and Bottom-less Pits

Hello, friends! I hope the first part of the week has been good to you.  But think, it's Wednesday! It's all easy from here, right? And then everyone gets a nice long weekend :]

Monday, Tyrel got his car.  I haven't had the chance to take any pictures of it...because...well...I forget.  You'd think my camera would be permanently glued to me over here, but I think it sometimes hops out of my purse and onto the kitchen table.  But the car is a manual VW Golf and it is totally decked out with all the team and sponsor logos! I guess they want people to know who's driving the car.  Tyrel insists I learn how to drive it incase of an emergency, but frankly, the people here scare me with their driving and I don't want to have to battle that! We'll have to go practice later in the day so there isn't anyone out or something. Watch out, Belgium, this could get crazy!

But the nice thing about Tyrel having a car is that we can venture a little farther around the city.  The other day we were walking and walking looking for a place that sells pillows.  The pillows they had here for us were like lumps of cotton balls stuffed into a tiny bag; the ones we bought look like they are just newer versions. haha Where's my nice feather-pillow when I need it? But we found this store (Colruyt) that kind of looked like a Wal-Mart/Sam's sort of deal.  We didn't go in because I didn't know if you needed a membership card, and how are we supposed to ask them?! But Tyrel ended up asking one of his teammates who's from here (Stephane) and he said it should just be a normal grocery store; we loaded up in our car on Monday and made the trip to check it out for some weekly groceries.  It's a tad bit far for me to walk there to get groceries but it's only a couple minute drive.  But when we walked in...I wanted to sing and dance.  I couldn't stop telling Ty how much I loved that store.  It really is probably the closest thing to a Wal-Mart they have over here.  It's big and there's a lot of selection and it's CHEAPER than the GB I've been going to! Probably my favorite part about it.  But they really did have everything! They had a nice butcher area along with meat in the frozen department and in the cooler room.  Instead of having a lot of cooled shelves for fruit, vegetables, lunchmeat, and cheeses they have a big room that you walk into that's completely cold! I didn't want to spend a whole lot of time in there because it was sooo cold.  I feel like this place is the only one-stop-shop we'll really be able to find here that's reasonable.  So we got to check out and we see all these people in line (it's close to 8 and almost time for the store to close) and they are all taking out this card for the cashiers to scan before they check out.  I'm looking at Tyrel and I'm saying stuff along the lines of "shoot, what do we do? Do you have to have a membership? Or is it just like Dillon's?" So we get out of line and stand back and watch a few more people; a younger guy in his 20's got in line and I was watching him.  Thank goodness he did not have a card to scan! We got back in line and I was ever thankful to be able to use this store and get good groceries! The weird thing is that they check you out at this one little station (and it IS like Sam's since you don't get bags or anything; they just switch your groceries from one cart to another) and then they move you forward to a different station to print your receipt and have you pay.  Our cashier was very nice and accommodating to our non-French speaking selves. Next time I go, I'll take pictures to post for you :]

Since Ty didn't have a car for a week, he usually hopped in with some of the other guys for practice.  They actually set up a little carpool group to save gas since they are all going to the same place at the same time!  This usually works out great because we only have one set of keys and the other guys can get him into the building when they come home and I just let him into the apartment.  And we don't have phones to contact each other over here right now and it hasn't really been a problem; he's never gone for more than a couple of hours.  Well, on Monday when he got his car he went by himself and none of the other guys went.  I guess I wasn't expecting him to be back before practice and I was just hanging out looking at recipes and trying to figure out what I wanted to make for supper this week.  I hear a knock on the door and open it up to find Tyrel.  Turns out, he had been waiting outside our apartment complex for over 20 minutes for someone to let him in! (You have to have a key to get into the complex and then into your apartment.)  He even went and stood on the little stairs outside kind of level with one of our windows trying to get my attention...but I didn't see him because I was so deep into looking at food :D haha And usually, our windows are open to let fresh air in, but I had closed them because I was cold that day.  Poor guy.  We now decided I am to keep my skype open at all times;  if he is in an area with WIFI he can get on his iPod touch and skype me or send me a message.  Woops.  I guess you live and you learn.

Tyrel's collection of waffles that he'll probably go
through in 3 days :]

Something I've noticed since we got here is Tyrel's eating.  He didn't have an appetite when we first got here and probably ate as little as me (which really isn't a little...but for him it is!) But don't worry, these past couple days he's definitely been making up for it! I knew this guy could eat, I've been with him for four years, but whoa!  It's like when he comes home it doesn't stop! Yesterday, it seemed like he ate 5 waffles, a bag of chips, 3 handfuls of candy, 3 small sandwiches, a pudding, double helpings of dinner....and so on.... Good thing we found a cheap grocery store!  He would walk out of the room and come back every time with something to eat haha It was kind of comical :] I even tried to feed him a wholesome dinner.

Our wholesome dinner! I'm proud of it because of the green beans.  It's true, bacon makes EVERYTHING better :]

I usually don't post pictures of our dinner, but I felt it necessary to prove to mom that I was trying to get some vitamins in me and feed the boy something good.

Don't judge the dirtiness...I didn't do that!

I'm sure you all are tired of hearing about waffles and our washing machine....but that dang ole washing machine keeps adding drama to my life :] The other day I was doing a load of laundry and noticed this blue thing in the pull-out slot for the detergent.  Well...I investigated and gave it a tug....it's a legend for what all those stinkin' letters mean!!!! It's all in french but easily translated.  While I'm a little annoyed I didn't see it at first, I'm glad it's only been a week and I haven't been doing laundry for 4 months before noticing it! So I got it all figured out and realized I was doing all right with the one I was choosing, but there was a better cycle.  So I've been using the new one and it's turned out great.  EXCEPT....last night.  I'd probably done 3 or 4 washes using the "B" cycle and I was just getting ready to change one out to put in the dryer.  Well this washing machine only lets you open the door when the light comes on for the release button and the cycle has FINISHED.  I saw the light was on and didn't think anything about it...I opened the door and water came RUSHING out!  For some reason, the machine thought it was finished, but never did the spin-cycle.  And guess what, I was washing towels at the time...so we had ONE mangy little towel to sop up all the water with.  It didn't go so well.  But I ended up getting it fixed...I just don't know why that crazy washing machine did that. haha

My friend, Alyssa, over at "Alyssa in Nashville" has been posting pictures of her latest painting adventures and DIY projects.  It's made me REALLY want to paint our apartment! I've never had a place where I could paint the walls; I've only lived in apartment and town home complexes that don't let you stray from the white or tan walls they give you.  I would love to tell the owners of our apartment building that if they supplied the paint, I would happily give it a face lift.  The colors don't really bother me, even though they aren't what I would choose, but the paint job wasn't done very well.  I'd even go buy my own paint and do it if they'd let me.  It'd give me something to do, it'd make me feel very housewife-ish, and it'd make the apartment feel like ours.  Plus, mom would be proud! :D 

On a different note, Ty and I have been looking for a Bible study to do together.  It doesn't necessarily have to be for couples or newlyweds or whatever, but we'd like something we can grow together with.  Does anyone have any suggestions on one or a website that provides some? 

Have a great Wednesday! Lots of love.