Happy New Year!

What a fun way to spend New Year's Eve! Ben and Bekah (from Morton) invited us to spend New Year's with their pastor (Scott), his wife (Cat), and another couple from their church. It was such a relaxing and enjoyable evening. Cat and Scott used to live in Hoeilaart and couldn't say enough nice things about the town. That was exciting!! We were so blessed to ring in the New Year with such great folks. Happy New Year to all of you!

A little bubbly to ring in 2012!

Happy New Year from the Vastines!

Chris, Me, Bekah, and Ben

Scott and Cat's beautiful tree...I think it just screams Europe!

Allison and sweet baby Brooklyn

We Made It!

We arrived just before 7:00 A.M. on December 29, 2011. I had to include the year, so when I bind this blog, I'll always have the official date. The planes were uneventful. We traveled from Peoria to Chicago, Chicago to JFK in New York, and New York to Brussels. The kids were fantastic! Thomas slept one hour on the last leg of the trip, and Allison fell asleep just 40 minutes before we landed in Brussels. Needless to say, she was a little grouchier when we arrived. Our wait to get through customs was about 45 minutes, but all of our luggage came out together at baggage claim. Maybe the folks loading the bags noticed my obnoxious yellow ribbons on each one and thought it might help to keep them together...and maybe it was just a fluke. Our friend, Ben, met us at the airport, so we could get the car we purchased from him. That was handy. But, there was a bit of a glitch with Chris getting his rental car. First, the original car didn't have a navigation system, and with only one GPS, Chris thought he might need it. So, he switched to another car, which had a manual transmission, and well, he can't drive a stick. Then, he finally got a third car that is just like mine. He was hoping for something cool. :) The biggest problem was the five pieces of luggage he had to keep hauling back to the desk in the airport (not close at all) and loading and unloading in the cars. Meanwhile, I was waiting at a gas station outside the airport and was worried sick, but it all worked out after about an hour and a half. After an hour stop at the bank (I waited in the car while the kids slept...I've now been in the car for over three hours...as if 9+ hours in a plane wasn't enough) we went to the house. And, the house was freezing. That made the over-tired children REALLY happy. They complained for about 2 minutes and then fell asleep on the couches...phew! They were out for another five hours. We did some unpacking, went to the grocery store, and finally went out for a nice little dinner in our nice little town.

Zonked out on the couch!

Today was spent unpacking our air shipment, hooking up Internet...YAY!!, hanging curtains on 13 windows, and catching up on Facebook and Skyping with family and friends. We are slowly getting adjusted. I think with another week at home, the kids will be ready to go to school. The kids will ride the bus with the boy next door. We lovingly refer to him as Ben 10 (named Ben and 10 years old.) Seems like a neat kid. He told us he is half Californian. Hmmm....sure we will find out the story on that in due time.

Talk to you soon!

Wendy

So long...farewell!

It seems like we've waited for months...only 5 really. We've talked about it and lived the changes everyday. We've planned, purchased, and packed...then packed some more. And tomorrow, it is really happening. Actually, it's happening in 10 hours. We are moving halfway across the world!!! It's really surreal. I'm sure it won't hit me until I walk onto the plane.

I just hope I can keep it together.

I hope the kids aren't too sad.

I hope my family and friends will be okay while I'm away.

I hope we've made the right choice.

But, in my heart I know it is. God would not have presented this opportunity....an opportunity I think we have really desired all along...if He didn't think this was something that would be absolutely perfect for our family. So, we will go into it with open minds and be thankful for everyday we are there. I mean, how many people get to live in Europe!?! If Brad and Angelina can do it...well then, the Vastines can do it too. ;) Love to you all!

Sunday Fun Day

Sunday was one of those days where everything was happening on the same day. Doesn't it seem like that's everyday lately??? Our day went a little something like this....both kids started our Sunday morning Christmas service by playing a piano solo. I was playing bells that morning, and the kids were also performing their musical "The Late Great Potentate". And, much to our surprise, Grandma came!!! It was a fantastic service and was followed by a delicious meal. Later that afternoon, we had a going away party for our kids. We were fortunate to have the party at Lincoln School for a very affordable price. Since I have some connections, we were also able to use the awesome P.E. equipment and sound system. It was a rockin' party! We had nearly 50 students from 3rd grade and 5th grade attend. We played games, ate cake, and enjoyed the company of our friends. Our Sunday would not be complete without a swim party with the Phillips family. This has been my favorite part of our Sunday evenings since moving into the hotel. Needless to say, we all slept well that night!

I think they have theater in their future. :)

All of the kids' amazing friends at Lincoln. Thank you for celebrating with them!

We love spending time with the Phillips family!

Many Goodbyes...

The worst part about preparing for this move has been saying goodbye to all the people we love. And, that has also been the best part because we have had the opportunity to see many, many friends and family members in a very short amount of time. Here are just a few pics from some of awesome going away parties and get togethers over the past few months. Thank you so much to all of you that put in time to prepare these events and to those of you that attended. It has meant so much to the four of us!

Next post...I am going to attempt captions under pictures...Like I said...bear with me. :)

You're Still Here?

I'm not kidding...someone asks me this at least twice a day. Yes, we are still here. We are excited that we are able to stay until after Christmas. Thanks for checking in with our blog. I am VERY new at this, so please bear with me. I can't wait to start posting info about our life in Europe.