365days ago....

365 days ago we loaded up the rental van with the last of our belongings....and our 4 children.... and drove to O'Hare

look how tiny jillian is in this picture!

my crazy helen!

..... and here we are today.... 1 year later :)

i have thought about this blog post many times over the last year.... what would i write? - how would i feel?... would i even be here after 365 days?

the many times i've been riding my bike around town or running through the forest.... or lying in bed unable to sleep.... what would i write? - how would i express my feelings?.... oh the stories i could type.... oh the crazy "adventures" we've been on....but as i reflect back on the past year - it's gone by so fast! almost too fast for me, really. maybe it's because it was jillian's first year of life.... such a busy time..... i hold on tight to each of her milestones since she is our last baby....or maybe it's just my life trying to keep up with the other 3 kids too that made the time fly :)

as a result of our experience - my kids know so many things about people from different countries and cultures. jayden even speaks with slight British accent! they've seen the Eiffel Tower, watched Lance Armstrong buzz by in the Tour de France (Helen to this day - when she sees someone on a road bike - says.... "oh - it's a bike racer!!!), made friends and played with children that speak other languages, participated in swimming - dance - and soccer spoken completely in Dutch, visited more museums in 1 year than i have in my entire (almost) 35 years of life (thanks to a special Museumkaart that allows us for one set fee to visit every museum in Holland), seen windmills - tulips - wooden shoes - roundabouts - motorways - the list could go on.....

for me - this experience has taught me a big lesson in patience - or should i say i have learned to be much more patient with life. .... patiently waiting in line at the butcher.... patiently waiting at the local government town hall.... patiently waiting for my flat tire to be fixed..... patiently waiting for a 3 year old to push a small shopping cart around the store for the 3rd time in a week (yes - we go to the grocery store at least 3 times a week!)... patiently waiting for the baby to sleep through the night....patiently trying to figure out if my big van will fit down a street or in a parking garage...

i have learned to live in the moment and not worry (ok - well not worry AS much) about what tomorrow will bring. life is really about the "adventure" - not the destination.

i'm not sure this is the direction i wanted my post to go...... but there you have it! 365 days!!