The beginning of three months

After eleven months of a long distance relationship it is mind blowing (literally!  My brain feels like its blowing up under water or something!)  to have a bit more of a 'normal' relationship. Of course normal is different for everyone, but i think the normal of the past week and a half is my favorite! Skype works ok, but it is really odd to live our own lives all week and then for a few hours each week be able to see eachother and communicate. And then theres those weeks where we are too busy to have more than three hours on Skype...blech. It is almost surreal to be done that for the next three months! 

Sitting in the city center (can you believe it? Rotterdam really tries to preserve a lot of nature areas). I was working at Maurits' s warehouse for a few days and we relaxed together after work in the sunshine before dinner. 

Im thankful for the time we had apart, as we really got to know eachother in this time. We didnt know eachother too well before I left Holland the first time, and after 11 months of Skype and occasional travels back and forth we figured that this was real enough to uproot our lives to some degree to make it work! Crazy, but so exciting. This past week especially, even more than before which was already a lot, Maurits has proven  actually quite a few  times that he is someone that i can respect incredibly, and I honor him more than i can say. If you want details you will just have to email me :)

There is of course little things that need to be ironed out, as with all new situations in relationships I think! Which is also beneficial in getting to know eachother better. And Maurits is simply amazing in his willingness to serve in these somewhat heavier things, Im learning a lot from him!

Pieter found a car derby on the weekend! Fries with mayo, a beer, and some great company made for a great afternoon of all of us getting slowly roasted til we were pretty sunburnt.

One of the fastest cars. They look pretty fun.

We also went to Maurits friends wedding last weekend. It was good to get to know some of his friends. They are a little different than my Canadian friends, but incredibly welcoming, dont really care about much more than looking out for eachother and having fun. I think some of them still havent cut their wild hairs, which makes them a pretty fun bunch of folks. 

And then Sunday was great again, being part of a congregation I have come to really love. 

And Maurits family has really become mine as well. One of the bros put his arm around my shoulders at some point and told me that i am part of the family. They are so much like the folks back in Smithers especially. A bit redneck, no shame, kind, always having fun. 

I am sleeping at the house of a young couple that live fifteen minutes away by bike from Maurits. We really want to stay pure before marriage as thats something which we believe God would honor, so this is a little safer in that way. (We get asked why we do it all the time, this is almost a recording...)

So all is really well altogether, it is so good to be back! I think Im floating in the clouds sometimes, it almost seems to good to be true. But God has been blessing us so richly,  and actually also others through us as well. Its so amazing to see his fingers doing their prodding and guiding, sometimes painful, other times tender and secure. And at the points where we can see his fingers clearly, we both have to stand amazed at how he makes things fall into their place, so that who he is can be made known and also other people see how great he is!

PS... pics

Some days I remember that many days ago I forgot something... Here's some pics from the last trip (mostly). Hope you are all having a good week!

Sushi Japanese-style on mats

Cabin with the siblings

Some pretty fantastic bro's

Life inside an 8000 kilometer relationship

is expensive.

And so much more! There is the pain of being alone on weekends out where friends are cuddling around the campfire with their boyfriends. There are Friday night dates with a fuzzy picture on a screen and a voice that is interrupted every minute by a 'Slow Connection' notice.

There are also the most wonderful weeks that begin on Saturday morning with a giant leap at the airport into arms that just can't let go.

This past week was one of those almost out-of-this-world ten days. Alas, yes, I do believe I'm still in the infatuation stage. Even after spending almost 24/7 together for 10 days.

Saturday afternoon we went to an Exhibition on immigration stuff to different countries. It was really good to be well informed before making decisions. At this point we are not too sure where God is leading us, I hope to go to Holland for the summer and we can make long term plans after that!

Saturday evening we made a Japanese style dinner, sitting on a mat cross legged and eating lekker sushi in candle light. Sorry ladies, my man takes the cake for being romantic! Except for the fact that eating sushi with Chinese stick things is not such a romantic experience, and neither is spilled wine. Details.

Sunday we went to church. Immediately after crossing the threshold of the church I was surrounded by people who had become family over last year. It was so good to catch up from the last months with these beautiful people. I cannot even say how much I love these open people who are so willing to be vulnerable with a stranger, who genuinely care, who are direct and blunt (otherwise known as rude ;) who can make fun of a complete stranger and the list goes on. They sure are great.

We spent the next few rainy days mostly inside, baking a boterkoek, going shopping, eating 1 euro breakfasts, mini golfing, swimming, visiting old friends for dinner, making a day trip to a local village on the water, making dinner together, ahem playing with lego, and just holding eachother and chatting. We spent a bit of time listening to John Piper as well for devotions, and spent quite a few hours talking about them later, also knowing each other in a spiritual way. Maurits worked for two days as well and so I went with him to work and made four essays! And may have slept under the desk for one afternoon... Anyway it was really neat to get to know him also in that environment, and to witness the "Stoepie" work ethic I had heard about from his boss and brothers! He really is an incredible guy. Ok I'll stop with the mushy gushy now.

On Thursday we went to a small town about two hours away, where we were to spend the weekend with Maurits's brothers and their girls. We spent the day walking around the city, exploring a castle and some old churches and shopping for the weekend. We arrived that evening at a small quiet cabin in the woods. I had met his brothers only briefly before, but really got a chance to know them. They really are about the greatest (and probably the most arrogant) in laws to have (in laws? I don't quite know the right word...) One shamelessly carries around (maybe I should say 'struts around with') a 'body groomer' just in case his chest hairs get too long, and the other wears old plaid jackets and has been to jail for accidentally lighting a bridge on fire when a bonfire got out of hand. That's a pretty good description of both of them. Sorry guys for telling the info, although you guys are cool enough in my world to publish a newspaper article on! The girls too are very sweet and tons of fun also. The language barrier is still rough, as they much prefer speaking in Dutch as it's a lot easier. But still we had some really good laughs, great food, and tons of fun. The family is welcoming as well, welcoming enough at least to give us an invitation to their wedding that addressed me as Maurits's wife. I don't exactly know what to make of that... I'll just call them welcoming ;)

All in all, it was 'een heel mooi' week, beautiful sunshine, beautiful people and becoming even more in love with my man as we've grown once again to know eachother in a deeper way.

And now I feel refreshed and ready to complete the 2.5 months of school left!

So there's a quick update, and I hope things are well with all of you!

Blessings,
Kim

A Smithers Christmas

Aaand it was a quick trip up to Smithers for two weeks for Christmas! 

We spent 24 hours driving to and from the Valley... lots of quality time with my man!

We spent a lot of time hiking trails that were supposed to be a lot shorter and less slippery. We also spent time keeping the kids out of trouble for Mom, and found out that Mom's idea of trouble is usually our idea of kitten-purring tame with a lot of noise. 

We also went snowboarding in some of the world's best powder in the most beautiful Smithers! 

Three days were spent at the cabin on Babine, looking over the frozen lake sparkling the sun's frozen reflection. No running water made for lots of lake water always on the stove for tea and dishes. Lack of running water also made the outhouse nessecary with its half decayed door that finally retired into a horrendous smelling bonfire. A new door is on, and if you can look past the peeling paint and the fact that it looks like the tower of Pisa, it's great! And hey, now we wont have to step in little yellow holes in the snow every time we need to get some wood!

At some point we must have eaten enough to account for my six extra pounds... that's what happens when you're a student- you have to stock up where you can!

Unfortunately I have very few pics as most of them are on other cameras. Here's a couple I have! 

A Love Story

After many moons the Happy Traveller is back, with some pretty sweet news to report.
Here it is: I found the sweetest, kindest, most good looking, wonderful gentleman in the world, and he decided after getting to know eachother for five months to ask if I shared his feelings. I couldn't stop a huge smile and a 'YES!' from sneaking out... and the rest is history!
Although long distance is difficult, these past five months have been more than worth it. We have much to thank God for!

Switzerland trip, May

Trip to the Kinderdijk in April

Five months ago, just after we became official, right before leaving Rotterdam

Smithers summer, top of the Microwave mountain

Hudson Bay's!

 And then it was back to Rotterdam for me for 10 days...

October 2014

Although the future is a little terrifying when we look too far ahead, we know that God is in control and therefore we just know that it's going to be good! Until then we (I mainly) try not to worry too much, and gain many flying points!

Goodbye's

The time has come to say good-bye! I am quite sure it was only a very short time ago that Val and I stepped off the plane, looked at eachother with eyes that said, "how on earth did this happen? What do we do now?!" Our eyes have slowly adjusted to the brilliance of the light in Rotterdam (okay, that's a pretty horrible metaphor but I haven't taken English classes for 5 months now!) From sitting in a strange church with a strange language and hundreds of strangers to a church full of smiling welcoming faces, we have seen not only a change in the smiles but also in ourselves. Or at least, in myself. As jetlag is really calling these now partially closed eyes to bed, I will cheat a little bit and give you a quick summary that I also submitted recently to a scholarship. 

I am a History exchange student from Canada, studying for five months at Erasmus University, Rotterdam. As the semester has come to a close the time of reflection and suitcase packing has begun. This past semester has taught me, not only history lessons, but how to communicate effectively with friends from so many cultures, as I got to know and travel with many other exchange students. Living in a culture slightly different than my own also gave me the opportunity to reflect and challenge some of my previous thoughts and ideas. At least the Dutch language with all it’s guttural ‘g’ sounds is not quite as revolting as I always thought! Biking to and from school 8 kms turned out to be a pretty great form of exercise. Much interaction with Dutch people has shown me the pro’s and con’s of being stubborn, direct and honest. And of course the thing I respect most- drops! Along with challenging my thoughts, ideas and character, this experience also showed me the vibrant colored shoes of the traveller. I found these shoes to fit very well. Exploring behind the touristy areas of many cities around Europe holds so many good memories. After packing all these memories in my suitcase I am very reluctant to zip it shut. But life keeps moving, and I must move along with it. So I head back to Canada with one of the best experience’s in my life behind me. 

Here's some pictures from a good-bye party we had on my last night in Rotterdam. These people are truly wonderful! 

There's some pretty special people in this shot!

And of course Val-pal!

A friend's Mom who I kind of adopted :)

While at the airport on Monday I was so overwhelmed that I didn't know whether to cry or to be happy I was coming back. So I just talked to some Americans in the line-up who had a very strong drawl :) 

But although I really miss some really great people, at the same time it is so nice to be under the shadow of the Hudson Bay Mountains once again! 

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog. Either you were a little bored or you care about me, either way I thank you for reading!

Blessings,

Kim

Switzerland Hiking Trip!

This past weekend brought five of us to Grindelwald, Switzerland. I'm pretty sure this place is where God lives sometimes, it is incredibly breath-taking in it's beauty. Harsh jagged mountains intrude sharply into deep blue sky. Avalanches roar down the mountains. Deep blue glacier lakes dot the landscape, framed by evergreens sparkling in the water's reflection. Here is our group.

 

 

This is Thursday, just after we arrived. We decided to try find some snow but got about half way there before sliding down. Faye was the photographer for the most part, and I realized while I was choosing photos that it is a pity, but this beautiful girl is not on very many photos! But I do hope you enjoy the pictures!

 

 

Faye and Joash are exchange students at Erasmus from Singapore.

Most mountain streams had to be crossed, whether or not they were over knee deep and came straight from a glacier...

It's hard to see the steepness of the slope from this angle, but this was a pretty impressive 10 steps!

We are trying to balance here. This is taken about two seconds before I got a pretty bad cut under my foot from the 'trying' part gone wrong...

Simply amazing 

This is a picture from Friday. Our destination was a lake that was marked on the map. First we were told that it is only an hour from where we had stopped to rest. An hour later some hikers told us it was fifteen more minutes. Half an hour later we were told it was another 20 minutes. We finally arrived though, the only issue was... would we make it back to the gondola before it shut down?

Woohoo! We even got a free ride down as it was the last run of the day!

Snowball fight in June

Got to love the GoPro camera!

 

 

View from the balcony, right outside our rooms! Every morning sang its vibrant praise to God!

"I lift my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? From the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth."

Four relaxing evenings were spent in our cozy little cabin.They also included home made warm dinners, some wet sweaters, and exploring maps. Plus late night chats in the moon shadow of the mountain, doing devotions every morning under the same shadow and brilliant sunlight, evening crickets... so much beauty on our doorstep!  

Just around the corner of our chalet.

J-man

Holding a random biker's dog who wouldn't sit still while she biked down. This is a pretty stellar spot for mountain bikers.

 

The next day we went swimming! This is also a glacier lake, although it is lower in altitude and gets warmed up by the sun pretty ok. It was freezing cold still, but we couldn't resist a short dip.

 

 

Amazing colors

A small town of peaceful farmland

Climbing another waterfall

Moments before the guy in the pink shirt (Geoffrey) fell, tumbling down on his back. It was pretty painful I think.

Feeding the goats

These guys climb EVERYTHING!

Watching an avalanche

So much love. Not very much balance.

Absolutely amazing!!

Natural spring water that came from the ground! 

Flying Photobombers

Another stream... let's cross it too!

One of my favorite shots by the amazing photographer Faye!

Lunch break at a hungry 2:30 pm, a bit discouraged after being told three times that we were almost there and it's just around the corner... Really this day gave a different definition to 'almost there'.

Kind of fun colors

Walk on snow? No problem!

Until you have to touch it! I think I've had enough of this from Smithers that I don't have to do it in June in Europe!

Lay on snow without a Tshirt? No big deal!

You must appreciate the rolled down socks on this picture. These legs were a little grandpa-ish for a lot of the time. A cool shot again though!

 

Evening soccer practise under the glowing mountain.

Really too cool ;) 

 

Evening roasting by a nearby river.

Meatballs on a stick! It makes for slightly crispy outsides, and is pretty tasty!

Aaand another river needing to be crossed

A perfect evening I think!

I am not sure what to put as a caption for this picture...

 

I get a kick out of our faces here, I think this is part of the balancing act

 

Attempting to balance on a rock with five people while standing at the base of a waterfall is a bit squishy, a lot sketchy, and more than a lot freezing.

My beautiful friend!

Another favorite

 

 

A natural spring, with a hollow log to catch the water for the cattle.

Blocking the view

We also went river rafting, but don't have photos as we didn't want to risk taking cameras along. All in all, one of my favorite European trips! It was awesome to have God take my breath away with his presence and his beauty. The quiet peace of the place really seeps into a person's skin after a time as well.

 

And now is the official one-week mark before it is home time! I'm really looking forward to seeing Smithers again, but especially yesterday on the way home from Switzerland it really hit me that I am for real going away from Rotterdam in just a few days. Maybe I was overtired, but my pillow was pretty close to receiving a few tear drops last night at this thought.

 

But again, God always gives us reason to bloom where he plants us!

 

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well, and have a great week!