Back Home in RVA

Ahhhhh, what a great feeling. Our 8.5 hour flight landed at Dulles Monday and I shed a couple tears of joy at being home. You haven't received much of an update recently as a result of our attempting to squeeze as much into our last week in Belgium as possible, and our inability to stay awake past 9:00pm while our bodies adjust to EST here in Richmond.

Just a few things I'm enjoying with greater depth after being in Belgium for a month:
*free public toilets
*free condiments at restaurants, especially mayonnaise
*Diet Coke (Coke Light is NOT the same)
*the sunshine!!!
*large drinks, unlimited refills, and free tap water instead of still or sparkling bottled water
*our king size bed (we slept on two single beds pushed together).
*real cheeseburgers, not mystery meat patties.
*the English language
*Owen and Naomi, my family, and friends
*my job
*RVA

Just a few things I'm missing
*exceptional beer
*chocolate sprinkles served for breakfast
*a quieter culture (we Americans are LOUD)
*amazing public transportation
*beautiful architecture and really really old history (America is a baby; and in construction, beauty is sacrificed in the name of time and money)
*a slower pace of life
*our new friends
*Fanta Orange (it's a completely different drink in Europe)

Thanks for your support and encouragement while we were gone!


James checking out the guillotine, one of the many torture devices at the Castle of Counts in Ghent.


My skinny friend (please note the attractive, warm scarf made by my friend Valerie)



James' new buddy who aspires to be his equal in size.



Goodbye Friends! See you in Madrid and Mexico City when we visit!


One final self-taken potrait for you to enjoy