The Adventure Begins...

Goodbye Minneapolis...hello Europe!!!

Well, it looks like we've survived our first (almost) two weeks abroad. Things got a little hairy the last few days in Minneapolis - and we were definitely scurrying around trying to wrap everything up at the 11th hour (in true Miller style:); but we made it - and not just the four of us! Nine pieces of luggage, two computers, two car seats, four carry-ons, two blankets and a pillow. A shout-out goes to sister-in-law Jen for carting us all to the airport - what an adventure!

The airport experience was one I hope to never have to repeat - thank you Lord that we will not be showing our faces in the MSP airport again anytime soon. The airplane ride was also a bit interesting. Bo was not wanting to sleep, and being sick did not help matters. Regardless, we arrived in Brussels at about 9AM...but it felt like about 1AM to us. It took a good week to get adjusted to the time change - sometimes I think the boys are still adjusting - especially Bo.  The first few nights we all would simultaneously wake up at about 2AM and just be awake for a few hours, then sleep in until about noon!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

The first week we spent apartment-searching and just getting acclimated to the area. We were pleasantly surprised by our temporary housing - we were told some horror stories from other families - but it's not bad at all. I am excited, though, to get into our new place and get settled. We decided on an apartment in the city. It had been between that and a house we found on the outskirts. The house was nice, and it would've been good to have a house with the boys, but the apartment is right in the middle of things - a couple of good parks, lots of shops and the metro station, which will be very important since I won't have a car during the day. Besides, we figured we might as well do something completely different - probably the only time in our lives we'll get the chance to live in a city like this! I also have been trying to figure out the public transportation system here - and trying to navigate it with two very active little boys!

Brussels is a very beautiful city - very green and clean! The streets are another thing...although very well kept, the streets are very narrow and a little complicated to navigate. The Belgians love their round-abouts - and I'm sure it'll take us the full two years to finally figure out who is supposed to yield to who. The roads are not marked very well - and they have a myriad of road signs. This all wouldn't be so bad if we weren't given a car with a manual transmission, but as neither of us have really ever driven a stick more than a handful of times a looong time ago, it has made driving a true adventure!

This past weekend we did some exploring locally. Saturday we visited the battlefield of Waterloo. This was the battle that ended Napoleon's empire. There's a monument to all the soldiers slain that you can climb to view the field - and we did - all 226 steps. There were also 'soldiers' and other people dressed in period clothing acting out scenes from their camp and marching, which was interesting to watch, plus Will got a 'sword' so he was in heaven.

Sunday we took the 30 mile (48km!) drive to the city of Antwerp - the major port city of Belgium.  It's a very trendy city with a great market, city square and a beautiful cathedral.  The only problem was that, as it was a Sunday, most of the shops were closed.  This is something that we will definitely have to get used to here in Belgium - things basically shut down on Sundays - grocery stores and many restaurants included!  Best part of the day for me:  finding an international magazine store...People Magazine, how I've missed you! 

So all in all, a good start to our two years in Europe.  This is obviously a very huge adjustment for us, as there are many things that are just 'different' than what we're used to.  For example, the small size of the refrigerators used here makes grocery shopping a must much more frequently than we're used to - at least every other day.  Also, the first time I used the oven (to make Scott's birthday cupcakes!) was certainly a lesson in patience.  I really miss the ease of the life I was used to - like going to the grocery store without feeling like a complete idiot!  The language barrier is huge - and although Scott and I are trying to practice our French frequently, we are faaaaar from being able to have a conversation, let alone simply understand the cashier at the local market!  Since this is a tri-lingual country, we have to worry about two languages - French and Dutch (German is really only spoken in the far east - thank goodness for that!).  The hardest part is certainly missing all our friends and family - and although we're able to keep contact through the Internet and occasional phone calls, the time difference is something we're going to have to get used to.  That being said, I am so grateful for this opportunity, and am trying not to 'wish' the sometimes-lonely moments away - I know it will go too fast already!  Above all else, it has certainly gotten us out of our comfort zone - which is a great thing for me!

Take care and I'll update again soon.  We hope to go the Belgian coast this weekend.  That's my life without a job I guess...planning the next weekend on Monday morning!!

The boys having 'breakfast' at 1PM our third day here!

Enjoying an afternoon at a park.