Flowers | here i am

Today was much better, thanks for asking! I don’t mind bad days because they are part of life and I don’t expect everything to always be a-ok. It’s normal, I get it. And I just have to wait it out (like I did) and wait for the sun to shine again (which it did!)

Early this morning, the truck arrived with our stuff. Now we didn’t ship all our stuff and the truck that brought our stuff was really big and understuffed, which is a good thing! You see there isn’t that much storage space in this big house. And I kind of was enjoying living with little, but I know our stuff will bring comfort. Like our rug and rocking chair and bean bag chair. Ahh… soft and cozy, and gezellig! I like comfy places and it’s getting there.

We had 63 boxes total – including 1 big orange bike, 2 chairs, a stool, a rug and other miscellaneous stuff that makes us feel comfy. That’s not that much for 5 people and an international move, right? We left our furniture at our old house as a guest house and hope our friends and family enjoy staying there from time to time. Now we just have to wait for our table and couch to be delivered – hopefully tomorrow and then we’ll be ready for you to come and visit!! 😉

Actually, while I was unpacking, Ruth came to visit. She is Simone’s sister-in-law, and lives in the area. 3 minutes away, in fact… how crazy is that? Simone, is Debbie’s Dutch friend, who I met before moving here. And today she asked Ruth to stop by to bring us flowers as a welcome. How cool is that?? I am so touched. I am all about relationships and can really give a crap about stuff. And seeing Ruth at my door, carrying a beautiful flower basket just touched my heart. And that she went out of her way to greet us… wow. Thank you. I love them and love that you both reached out to make us feel welcome. Thank you Ruth and Simone!!

Oh, and there’s a story about the wooden shoes too. You see Jeff and I came to Holland 14 years ago and these wooden shoes were made especially for me by Helma’s brother who runs a wooden shoe factory. We toured the factory and he shaped these to fit my feet. How cool is that? They have been sitting on my porch at home in Sunnyvale for the past 12 years so everyone would know I’m Dutch! And because I love them. So now they’re back on Dutch soil to great our guests at our front door. Doesn’t that make you want to come over for a cup of coffee. Just show up and I’ll make you a cup. 😉

We worked all day to unpack and to make our house feel more like a home until it was time to go meet the Petersons again. The kids really wanted to see each other to celebrate Ben’s birthday and to do a sleepover. We joined them for cake and ice cream and then brought their boys over here for one last sleepover before they leave Holland tomorrow. Happy Birthday Ben!!

Feel so much better today, knowing that it was just PMS! Damn, hormones!!

I had a busy and full day and I feel so lucky. I started today by volunteering at the Nearly New Shop (a local thrift shop) with my PEO sisters. PEO is a philanthropic educational organization where women celebrate the advancement of women, educating women through scholarships, grants, awards, and loans and helps women achieve their highest aspirations. I spent three hours, organizing the displays, categorizing the books, toys, jewelry displays, helping customers and working the cash register. I love being here and knowing that we are raising money for an important cause and I was working side by side with women I love. I left there with a big smile on my face.

Afterwards, I went over to Stanford Mall to buy a present and return a couple of things. I took a ton of pictures of all the beautiful floral displays. Here are a few:

Aren’t they so pretty? And they’re all at the mall. Wouldn’t you love to be the gardner there?

Afterwards, I had more errands to run around downtown Palo Alto. I found an easy parking spot and enjoyed walking a few blocks, soaking in the sun and trying out a new yogurt place. Palo Alto has such a strong community feel – and it’s cozy and flat and has nice stores and restaurants, lots of trees and people young and old, outside walking all around. I love this feeling and think that is what Amstelveen and Amsterdam will feel like, with maybe a little less sunshine.

After picking up C from school, we had our afternoon snacks and did some homework. We SKYPED with Jeff and looked at all his pictures of our new little neighborhood, while Christine stopped by to drop off a nice little gift and pretty flowers in the bag she was returning. Wow. Thank you. And the tile guy came by to fix some grout, we cooked some TJ’s Orange Chicken, and got ready for the baseball game. I asked my new good friend, Allison, to give the boys a ride home from the game, because I had a Stella & Dot show tonight. Again, I’m so thankful that I have such good friends that support me and my family. Without the help, it’d be really hard to do all the things I’m doing.

And I’m thankful that my kids are old enough to stay home alone now for a couple of hours, even though that still feels really weird. I called two neighbors to let them know I’d be gone and to check in on them. They did great and are such good friends. Lucky me, let’s hope it lasts.

And to just close out a great day, Elizabeth hosted a Stella & Dot trunk show with me at her beautiful home. I sell S&D jewelry for several reasons. First, I love Jessica Herrin and the company she’s built. It’s local – right here in San Carlos and she went to Stanford and is a mother of 2 – she’s inspirational and loving and beautiful and smart and giving and is helping to promote women in business and creating a community – things that I love! I sell the jewelry as a hobby – to pay for my “habit” and to get out and meet new women. I love hearing their stories and seeing them try on jewelry and how they feel when they’re wearing it. I was never into jewelry and now love it and feel put together and cute when I’m wearing it. I love watching women admire me and want to be like me. That’s cool – I want women to feel powerful and beautiful and see their own beauty – whether they wear the jewelry or not.

The women I met tonight were fun and smart and cute and were enjoying each other’s company. It was fun to hear their stories and to see the connections – one woman brought her mom. Another woman was about to give birth. There was a spunky and fun lawyer who almost moved to France as expats and another who brought her new baby. One mom brought her 11 year old son and his homework. One came really late. One was the cute mom I used to admire at PELC and there she was again. One grew up in Sunnyvale, one was from my home town, One was from Canada and is an Expat Consultant. We’re gonna meet again for coffee. Several shared stories and now I’m bummed I’m moving but I know I’ll be back in a year! So they say…

I’ll be back to enjoy and admire all these wonderful people in my life – because in the end, it’s all about our relationships and the love we give and receive. I’ll be back… xo