Sweet Gracie...

It's really tough being a Chihuahua, especially in a foreign country! Gracie is getting REALLY excited to go home...to the sun, heat and her sister Bella!! But for now, she's catching up on some much needed rest!

I know I'm biased, but isn't she the cutest dog you've ever seen???

The goings on...

Things here are moving along far too quickly...but that's what we've been looking forward to, right? We've got most things packed up, and will be sending it on the crate on June 2nd. We had one going away party last weekend and two this weekend...we're VERY blessed! We go to the Commune tomorrow to "sign-out," have a holiday on Monday, the movers on Tuesday, a final dinner in Brussels on Tuesday night and I leave early Thursday morning. Wow...it's flown by!


Thinking back on all of the things we've done up to now is mind-boggling. We've visited 11 countries, eaten amazing food from various cities...and enjoyed all the Belgian beer we can stomach. Ok, that last one might have been an exaggeration. We can always have just one more! We're so grateful for this opportunity, but also so ready to get home and start a new chapter!


Stay tuned...

Faux-hawk?

I know it's been forever...things are C-R-A-Z-Y around here. We're trying to pack, whilst cramming everything under the sun into the little time we have left here as well! It's a conundrum. I do, however, promise to update soon!

Until then, please see this post by our friend Lisa. It's in Dutch, but you really don't need to read it. Just look at the fantastic hairstyles of our Belgian blokes :) Thanks for the laugh Lisa :)

Antwerp

Stephen and I went to Antwerp yesterday! Because it was cloudy and windy, we were unable to go on the "tour boats" around the harbor, which I've heard is the best part. Oh well...we enjoyed touring the city and taking in the sites!


View of the Cathedral from the shopping streets!

The Cathedral in the Grand Place!

The Justice Building, with a really cool fountain in the front. Notice there isn't a pool underneath, or barriers for that matter. When the wind blew, you got a little wet...but it was very pretty!

But, the best part of the trip, in my opinion, was the music on the way! See here for why I love the first one! And P.S. This is how Gracie feels about most pictures and videos of her :)

Heaven...

Dutch Tulips

Stephen and I traveled last weekend to a town near Amsterdam to see the Tulip exposition. It only lasts for a month, and even though we came in the middle of it's opening days, we were still a little late for some of the tulips. There were hundreds of colors, sizes, shapes and patterns. I have to say it was absolutely beautiful!

**And check out Gracie's Blog for a cute video of Gracie vs. the Swan :)

Bowling in Europe

Well, it's the same. I know what you were all thinking...would everything be in French? Is it different? Ok, maybe those thoughts never entered your mind, but I'm here to put those of you who were worried at ease! It's the exact same...and still as fun as ever!

We had way too much fun...and I'm happy to say that the Texans beat out the Belgians :) But who's counting.

Afterwards, we went to a local discoteque in the Carre. I'm not going to post pictures of the dancing...I don't want to ruin reputations! But...the barstools were swings, so I had to post a picture of that fun!

Cinco de Mayo

Stephen and I decided the people of Liege needed a little "Cinco" in their lives. So, we hosted a party! We did what we could with the ingredients here in Belgium...so let's just say that they received a "Pancho's" experience instead of an "Uncle Julio's or Pappasito's" one...but that's ok. They loved it anyway!



OH, and no margarita mix to be found. Needless to say, these were the only to margaritas made, and only one of them was finished :)

We had ground taco meat and chicken fajitas, with mexican rice, black bean salsa, cheese, onions, and Jelapenos (spelling check...see the wrapper :))

Part of the group...we ended up having around 10 people brave enough for the Mexican meal! And did you know...Cinco de Mayo became a holiday after the Mexicans defeated the French? Oops! Thank you Wikipedia!

Bottled in Brussels...authentic! And Yummy!!

And no Cinco de Mayo party is complete without homemade guacamole! Believe it or not, I found Haas Avocados and the above Japs, so it was incredible. Almost rivaled Andy's, per Stephen!

La Boqueria Market

Just near our apartment was the Boqueria Market, a famous market that is open everyday for locals and tourists to buy, well, anything. Live or dead, candy or fruit, anything you want! We had a good time walking around. To be honest, though, we were either taking pictures or oogling all of the odd and, to be frank, SCARY things they sold!

Chopping up the fresh salmon

Ok...on the left are skinned goat heads, with eyes and teeth. Next is cow brains, then liver, then the nether region jewels and then tongues. SICK!

Pork legs

And our Starbucks was purchased just around the corner...we've really missed it!