5 AM musings
Here it is going on 5 AM in Brussels and I am still awake. So I might as well write a LJ update. It seems like I rarely have time to write in this journal. I suppose that is not entirely true. More like I rarely take the time to write. One can always make time if the mood really strikes. Besides, I really have been busy. Aside from the month or so in the states spent working, vacationing and buying a new house, I have also been busy since I got back to Brussels. I had two trips to Berlin, along with a couple big dinner parties. One was formal, which required Rick and I to wear our tuxedos. The other was just suit and tie. The food was great in both instances. I especially like going to the Italian delegation parties cause the food is always awesome and plentiful.
Well, the house is almost ours. We'll close in mid-February. We could do it earlier if we could make it back stateside sooner than that, but Rick and I are both just too busy right now. At least we are together for a couple weeks before Rick has to zoom back up to The Hague. Anyway, back to the house. Construction and tweaking are finally done. Landscaping has been completed. So has the title search, contract review, insurance acquisition and all the other administrivia that goes with home ownership. It is nice to be married to a lawyer. Saves a little money. Now all we need to do is get home next month, sign everything and exchange a very large check for the keys, the alarm codes and the garage openers.
Here is a photo our Realtor sent to us. It is a bit dark but if you look close enough you can see many of the different roof lines. It must have been difficult getting all the roofing shingles on perfectly. It seems kind of funny that our Fairfax house is a large two story and the new place is a single story but the new place is almost double the size of the Fairfax house. I am sure we will come to regret appreciate the differences as the monthly mortgage payments are deducted from our bank account. lol After spending the past few years here in cloudy, gloomy, damp Belgium it will be worth it when we are finally stretched out by the pool, soaking up all that Florida sunshine.
I wish I had a good photo of the kitchen. You all know how much I love to cook. I can't wait to get in the kitchen and cook up a storm. We'll have to shanghai some people for dinner because I am sure I will cook up enough food for the Salvation Army and band. lol I think I'll make a pasta dish with homemade noodles and sauce with lots of garlic and cheese and maybe we will grill some steaks on the built in grill in the summer kitchen. Or maybe a rib roast would be good. I am going to have to figure out how to use a convection oven. I know they take less time to cook than a conventional oven but I am not sure how much less time. There is also a conventional oven so I could use that. Oh well, I will dream about what to cook. Russ thinks I should be a chef or write about food or cooking or something. He might be right. I do love it all, even though I look like
i have missed too many meals. ha!
Well, there is about an hour until it is time to get up and get ready for work. I think I will climb back in bed and at least rest a bit before then. Maybe I will see if I can make Rick's morning before he goes out to do his daily run. :)
I hope everyone has a good week.
Well, the house is almost ours. We'll close in mid-February. We could do it earlier if we could make it back stateside sooner than that, but Rick and I are both just too busy right now. At least we are together for a couple weeks before Rick has to zoom back up to The Hague. Anyway, back to the house. Construction and tweaking are finally done. Landscaping has been completed. So has the title search, contract review, insurance acquisition and all the other administrivia that goes with home ownership. It is nice to be married to a lawyer. Saves a little money. Now all we need to do is get home next month, sign everything and exchange a very large check for the keys, the alarm codes and the garage openers.
Here is a photo our Realtor sent to us. It is a bit dark but if you look close enough you can see many of the different roof lines. It must have been difficult getting all the roofing shingles on perfectly. It seems kind of funny that our Fairfax house is a large two story and the new place is a single story but the new place is almost double the size of the Fairfax house. I am sure we will come to regret appreciate the differences as the monthly mortgage payments are deducted from our bank account. lol After spending the past few years here in cloudy, gloomy, damp Belgium it will be worth it when we are finally stretched out by the pool, soaking up all that Florida sunshine.
I wish I had a good photo of the kitchen. You all know how much I love to cook. I can't wait to get in the kitchen and cook up a storm. We'll have to shanghai some people for dinner because I am sure I will cook up enough food for the Salvation Army and band. lol I think I'll make a pasta dish with homemade noodles and sauce with lots of garlic and cheese and maybe we will grill some steaks on the built in grill in the summer kitchen. Or maybe a rib roast would be good. I am going to have to figure out how to use a convection oven. I know they take less time to cook than a conventional oven but I am not sure how much less time. There is also a conventional oven so I could use that. Oh well, I will dream about what to cook. Russ thinks I should be a chef or write about food or cooking or something. He might be right. I do love it all, even though I look like
i have missed too many meals. ha!
Well, there is about an hour until it is time to get up and get ready for work. I think I will climb back in bed and at least rest a bit before then. Maybe I will see if I can make Rick's morning before he goes out to do his daily run. :)
I hope everyone has a good week.