One of the highlights of being an expat is a heightened awareness of time. Our normal routine is not normal anymore and we don’t know how long we will be where we are, so we tend to do more than we would normally do in any given week. We no longer put off what we might do “tomorrow” if we have the opportunity today. And we tend to say yes more often than we say no, which I think is a good thing. We are also spending more time together as a family, which is counterintuitive to me, but I’m not complaining!

Charlie has a friend staying with us this weekend, as his parents are away. I love when couples get time away without kids!! Today the boys asked to go to Race Planet, an indoor warehouse with a go kart racing track, restaurant, arcade games and indoor playground just outside the center of Amsterdam. They had such a good time, and Jeff and I had fun watching them play. Thanks to PB for telling us about it!

Juliana and Christian made it home safely from their international basketball tournament, with their passports in hand. I still can’t believe they go away with their team without us. It’s a great, growing up, right of passage, and I know they love their independence. I think I like it too?!?

This was our view on the way to pick them up from school after the bus dropped them off. I hope you are enjoying your weekend!
-Adriana