After Rachel's return to the US, we had to kick into full fledged moving mode. We had so much to do in just a few weeks. The first thing we had to do was sell our cars. The VW Touran sold very quickly to a family in the area. With the Volvo, we got such a good offer from the Volvo dealer that we opted to sell it back to them. We also had to sell all of our items with European plugs and those things we just didn't want to bring back to the US. We had to make room for all of the new things we purchased!
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| Our Touran It actually seated seven. This car was handy to have with visitors in town. Unfortunately, the kids outgrew the back seat very quickly. |
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| My Volvo I was so sad to let this one go. I have wanted a Volvo for as long as I can remember. I loved it! |
We made time for bike rides in the forest. Living so close to this beautiful forest was one of the things we loved most about Belgium.
Our next stop was lunch at Westmalle. They had a cafe that was packed with visitors. We enjoyed some drinks and a very nice lunch.
We walked across the street to where the beer is actually brewed, but visitors are not allowed to tour.
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| Where the magic happens! |
All the kids cared about were the cows!
I spent a lot of time at Villers Abbey doing photo shoots for families in the area. Our first visit there was in March of 2012. Founded in the 12th Century, it is a beautiful place to visit. Chris had never been there, so we thought he should see it before we left Belgium. And, it was a good excuse for me to do a little family shoot!
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| I cannot believe how little they were when we first arrived in Belgium. I thought they were so old then! |
An now, here they are in August of 2015! What happened to my babies?!
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| Waiting somewhat patiently…. Finally a decent family pic with my real camera! They are cracking up laughing with natural smiles because I set the timer, and then I had to run in to the shot. According to them, I run funny. Ha! Oh well, it made them smile! |
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| Sometimes, he thinks she is a little too clingy during pics. LOL! |
One final dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. They put us at a great table with our favorite view of the Grand Place.
Getting rid of stuff at the container park.
Finding some time to relax in our beautiful backyard.
We had the most amazing cleaner. I wish I could have brought her home with us. We had only known each other for a few months, but we adored her!
The Guild Houses in the Grand Place had been under construction for over a year. We were worried we would not see the unveiling before we left. They literally brought the scaffolding down within a week of us leaving.
The Hoeilaart wine night/ISB girls had a gathering for us. The guys were included too. It was such a special night. They gave us a a framed photo of a greenhouse from Hoeilaart (our town is known for grapes.) It was the perfect gift to receive from this amazing group of friends!
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| Jenna, Me, Kristina, Jenn, Amy, and Kate. |
The night before the movers arrived, Dirk and Ank (Holland Handicrafts) delivered our Spanish wine barrel table from The Netherlands. It usually takes several months to get one of these, but Dirk said he would make it happen even with our short notice (we were really good customers. LOL!) It was so good to see them one last time and have this precious keepsake to take home with us.
Just a few more posts to wrap up our amazing experience in Belgium.
Until next time,
Wendy
