It's a new day

My scale was less neurotic this morning, though still way up. 123, 123.5, and 123.5. I'm good. I didn't buy a new scale yesterday, despite my best efforts. I went to Costco knowing they are great about the quality stuff they sell and their killer return policy, but alas they didn't have any scales for sale. This surprised me as they have all their Christmas stuff on the floor now and I would think with the New Year so close, they'd be selling scales. So, today I'll venture out to Target or Bed, Bath and Beyond and find one. The boy is back in school which makes this much easier.

My breasts are still killing me and feel so heavy. The zit on my chin has grown in size that I could reasonably assume the extra weight is right there! Yowza.

Okay, well I think I'll try to continue on a bit with the story before it slips away.

Where was I?

Holland. That's right.

I moved there in April of 1999. I was 24 years old. I knew being so far from my family, I would need a support system so I joined an online group of expats who had moved across the big pond to be with their respective mates as well. It was helpful and I did develop friendships that I carry on to this day, however for the most part, the only thing I had in common with them was our situation. I wouldn't have become friends with them otherwise as there was nothing to base one on.

One thing I vowed to do when I moved there was to try to integrate as much as I could. Most everyone there speaks English to one degree or another, however once you move there, they give you about 3 months to at least begin to try out your Dutch language sea legs. The first phrase I learned (which bought me an additional 3 months) was, "I'm sorry, but my Dutch isn't very good. Can we continue in English?".

One of the main reasons I knew I had to try my best to integrate was to try to fit in with my husband's friends and family. They were always very gracious and they enjoyed trying out their English with me, however at any social gathering, English lasted about 5 minutes, before they would switch back to Dutch. This made parties quite boring and frustrating. I was bound and determined to learn the language, as well as the customs. I never drank coffee after dinner before, but I did when I moved there. I wanted so badly to fit in. I watch American television and studied the subtitles.

That Summer, he proposed to me. October of 1999, we flew back to the States where my father officiated, where his parents, aunt, sister, and two couples who where very close friends from collage all came out to New Mexico to celebrate our wedding.




More to come. Thanks again for everything, all of you!